Day 10: Callao (Lima) Peru

Monday, January 14th, 2013

We arrived in the port city of Calleo (Ki-Yay-O), which is a province of the city of Lima.  We were up, packed and anxious to get our Machu Picchu adventure underway by 8:30 a.m.  Our tour company, Adios Adventure Travel, had arranged for a driver to meet us outside the port gates then take us to the airport to fly to Cusco.  We had a bit of a problem at the gate, as those checking our exit were confused about whether we needed to go through another customs inspection.  The Peruvians had inspected all passengers documents on the ship, and we had our passports back and some paperwork, but typical of bureaucracies all over the world, it didn't seem to be enough.  The confusion started because  our fellow guests were all picked up within the port gates.  The officials at the gate, were very concerned about us standing outside the gates, as this is the most dangerous part of town.  They kept asking if we were sure if our driver was there.  Finally Barry went through and found Enrique, so that calmed them down, somewhat, but they insisted on taking us to a holding area for 30 minutes while they checked on the process.  Finally we were given permission to leave.  

Enrique whisked us off to the airport, where we cooled our heels for another 4 hours before flying at 1 pm.  During this brief ride through the city, we were shocked at the poverty, lack of anything remotely resembling architecture, the packs of wild roaming dogs, but impressed with the air of hustle and bustle.  The area we drove through was the poor to lower middle class area, and the prevailing buildings are all the same design - lower gated stores at street level, and upper apartments for living - many in very poor repair, and in various stages of falling apart, others showed signs of the new prosperity.  

The airport was quite crowded but much like airports all over the world.  We had an uneventful flight on LAN from Lima to Cusco, arriving about 2:30 PM.

Cusco is the old Incan city,  that is 11,000 feet above sea level, and is the gateway to the Sacred Valley.  At the end of the Sacred Valley is the hidden sacred city Machu Picchu which is built in the impenetrable Andes mountains at about 8500 feet above sea level.  Barry was concerned about how I would adapt to the pressure change, as he had previously been to La Paz, Bolivia at 14,000 feet, and had slight altitude sickness which was put right with some Coca tea.  He was able to take some preventative medicine this time, that I could not take.  My wise travel doctor just told me to drink plenty of Coca tea.  As we ascended into the airport, although my ears were popping like mad, I kept waiting for breathing difficulties or something - which never came.  In fact I am happy to report that I seemed to thrive in this atmosphere, while Barry had a slight headache.  As we started to land, I observed that many of the homes had no glass in the windows.  I noted this fact, and it was the first clue that we were about to enter a way of life that has not changed for thousands of years for many Peruvians.  

As planned, we were met at the departure gate, by Hubert, and Eduardo, the driver, and we jumped into a beautiful van, to make our way through the city of Cusco, and down to the Sacred Valley where we would spend the night  The city of Cusco, in Incan times, was, like many of their structures, designed in the shape of an animal who they admired, in this case the puma.  We wended our way past the statue of an old Incan king in the city centre, and up to 12,000 feet at Saxsaywomman (not sure if I have the correct spelling here)  where we stopped to take pictures of the city.  There are archeological sites here, that are in progress.  They found 30,000 human teeth at one spot, which would signify some pretty heavy duty offerings. 

It is quite impossible to put into words the glory of what lay ahead for the rest of the journey.  The Sacred Valley revealed itself to us as we turned a corner and this lush mountainous valley unfolded in the mid afternoon sunlight.  We were above the tree line, but the  mountains are covered in gorgeous greenery, which in some places are meticulously hand planted in lines of vegetation to prevent erosion, and in others with terraced fields.  The valley itself, has the great river running wild through the plain, and crops are planted in almost every available open area.  Billions of years ago, there was a saltwater lake, or maybe it was ocean, where the city of Cusco is situated, and after it drained away, this river was left to run its course, snaking for hundreds of miles.  While it is not a wide river, its current is extremely swift, and the silt so thick, that it looks like a great river of chocolate milk, that is roaring down from the Andes mountains.  The Incas, and the modern Peruvians, were agrarians, and so did not move around.  The terraced fields, are still worked by the different villages, using the  intricate  and shared irrigation system, built by the Incas, just as we have seen years ago in Bali, Indonesia.  The entire 2 hour drive was breathtaking, and we felt we had arrived at some beautiful, peaceful, and indeed sacred place.  We passed through many small towns, where the women were dressed in their native clothing, which is distinctly unique for each village.  We learned that the women who live in the villages perched at the top of the mountains overlooking these towns, travel down about 2000 feet every day to trade their produce, or products, then climb back at the end of the day.  This journey is made even after dark, often trailing their small children with them, and carrying their goods.  Each woman in these areas would make their own wool, dye it and make their own clothing, which depicts not only their tribal history, but their own personal history.  When I heard this I  felt like Facebook was just a modern twist on an old custom!!!  The homes are very rudimentary in most of the villages, and often again with no windows.  No one is concerned with decorating the interior of the homes, as it is just a place to cook, eat and sleep.  When the sun sets, you go to bed.  Of course there was evidence of more modern conveniences, but essentially life is difficult here and there are many people for whom barter is the only economy. 

You will see one photo which contains an out of focus side view mirror of our car.  Note the immediate drop off right beside the car.

Hubert was telling us so much as we drove, and I was asking a million questions.   When I asked what kind of meat they ate, I got a really surprising answer. Warning!  Babbie if you are reading this, be prepared!!!  Each kitchen has many guinea pigs running wild through it, eating the vegetable scraps, and grasses, to fatten them up for eating.  Yes it is even on the menus here, along with Alpaca!  They are considered a real delicacy. We, whose children had them as pets, could not stomach the thought of eating them. 

When we got back we discovered that I had captured a lovely little picture of a boy relieving himself, without knowing I was doing so.  Charming.   We arrived about 4:30 in the ancient Incan town of Ollantaytambo, whose cobblestone streets, and stone homes are still built on the foundations of the ancient Incas.  The Inca's stone masonry is a marvel to behold, as retaining walls, storage buildings clinging to the mountains, and other structures still remain intact.  The Inca empire ended in the 1500s.  

Our hotel was absolutely charming - several coral coloured cottages, were nestled into some of these ruins, and landscaped with gorgeous gardens, and the birds were singing very loudly.  We felt like we had landed in a sort of paradise.  We decided to eat, and retire early as we had to get up at 4:30 a.m. to meet our Machu Picchu guide, and the owner of Adios travel, Vidal.  I had a fitful night, which I think was due to drinking the coca tea, as I was pretty wired.  But eventually I got to sleep.  I hope you enjoy the pictures we took on this day.