I will try to hit some of the highlights of the trip but for more detail, Sue's log will fill you in much better since my ability to write while on a bumpy bus is very limited.
Our interest was mostly in the southern part of Peru which lead us on long bus trips across desert lands in order to reach our destination. Heading south in Ecuador, we traveled through endless sand we passed through small towns along the way, each having their own specialty proudly displayed along the streets in front of their tiny shops. One town had small tiendas with every kind of pillow you could imagine, some shaped like little boys and girls, some in bright colored material, some big and others small. The next town had pottery, including everything under the sun from bowls, to dishes, pots, figurines you name it. Another town had loads of fruit, mangoes, oranges and more while yet another town displayed all kinds of melons. It wasn't unusual for the bus to have to slow for a wandering donkey or a herd of cows rambling down the center of the roads at times as well as lots of construction to upscale and maintain the roads. I will forever remember the never ending supply of speed bumps. One traveler aptly christened Peru as the Land of the Speed Bump.
Homes were interesting, evolving from the familiar two story concrete block construction that were perched on poles (never make it through an earthquake) into tiny shacks that were made of reed mats. They haven't discovered the gable roof yet if they had a roof at all. Maybe no need since it was desert and very little rain is known in these parts. Those that had roofs were made of the same reed mats as the walls and maybe for the fancier roof, they were covered in mud. Those who could afford block walls were now made from adobe, unfinished with lots of abandoned structures all about.
We were delayed in Guayaquil due to busses being full, we hadn't planned on one of the local holidays, so this gave us an extra day to roam around. This was one of those large cities with tall building and narrow streets, all looking rather dingy. Sue had a place picked out where we were to stay and asked the taxi driver if he had heard of Hotel Linda. He assured us he knew where it was and took us to Hotel La India. Kinda sounds the same, huh? Not being the right place, he assured us he knew another good place and we ended up in a typical big city hostel. Of course there are the big fancy hotels around, but being on a budget trip we ended up at Hotel Pacifico for twenty US$ a night. It was clean, relatively, and even had a TV (a few English stations even) but you had to fiddle with the "on" button for a few minutes to get it going and the toilet flushed by lifting the handle rather than pushing it down. As usual, there was a step up right at the door to the bathroom since I suspect the building at some time in the past was converted to living quarters and there was a need for a space to run the plumbing.
We had heard about the Malecon, waterfront, and were out the door and down the street to see if we could find it. Sue was startled when she almost stepped on a dead mouse laying on the sidewalk, but hey, that could happen anywhere, NOT.
The waterfront was incredible, like stepping into another world. I think these things get built to impress the locals around election time since they still suffer from inadequate, dirty water supply, and sewers that can't process toilet paper, but this place was beautiful. Gardens, walks made of the fancy bricks, lots of shops and restaurants, things to climb on for the kids and spotless. This strip ran a couple of miles along the river's edge and very enjoyable. Designed like a big ship if viewed from across the water it had all sorts of entertaining things to take in. Due to the holiday the local naval training ship was open for free viewing. We got to come aboard and look around an old, working, square rigged ship. It was in great shape and a delight to browse around.
Since we were stuck an extra day, we took in a movie. Out of all the choices, making sure they spoke English, we chose Michael Jackson's last movie. The fellow taking tickets looked at us old folks and made sure we knew it was Michael Jackson, but hey, we remember when he was just a little crumb cruncher lead singing for the Jackson Five. It cost a whopping $1.75 to get in the gate, plus another three bucks for a drink and popcorn. A great escape from the humidity and relax awhile.
Super movie, it really showed MJ's genius in entertainment. We thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon.
Next stop Lima; a 27 hopur bus ride from Guayaquil. We had heard about how unsafe Lima was, but there was no choice if we wanted to venture through Peru, all roads lead through Lima. Again, Sue had a place all picked out but the taxi man convinced us he had a better place in the outskirts of Lima, Mira Flores. It turned out to be a delightful area and very safe to walk around. It even had a Starbucks, so I was a happy camper. We ended up at Lion Backpacker's Hostel with a couple from Canada who we met along the way. Kathy and Frazier kept popping up throughout the trip and it turned out to be great fun comparing what we had done since our last meeting as well as what was to come.
Our next stop was after a bus trip to Ica where we parted from Kathy and Frazier, since we wanted to break up the trip. They ended up getting to their next stop at five in the morning. Whew, glad we broke up the trip, good going Sue. As we got off the bus in Ica the bus attendant was real concerned about us. Ica is not the place to wander around, apparently even during the day. He personally escorted us just out the gate of the bus yard and flagged a taxi for us. We thanked him and headed off to an area known as Huacachina, a nice little suburb with huge sand dunes all around. In my younger days I would have joined the fun of snow boarding down the dunes. They have dune buggies that race people to the top, or you can hike for several hours, and then they ride the snow boards down. Pretty kewl until you fall, it isn't snow. We ended up walking around the small lake in the center of town, about an hours walk, and enjoyed the shops, lots of good looking dogs lounging around, and just people watching. Of course we were lured into the ice cream shop to enjoy a banana split.
I must try to paint a picture of our room. The place looked like an old mission, although everything looks like an old mission in these parts, with thick adobe walls covered in a white washed shell. Our room was huge. No TV, just a bed and a small table. Again the step up into the bathroom but there was no ceiling in there. The floor, therefore, was covered in a thin layer of dust. In dire need of a paint job, again not unusual, it was pretty basic in nature. It was a place to rest up and move on.
Next stop was Nasca to visit the Nasca Lines. Why anyone would settle in such a place is beyond me. It rains once a year and is dry as a bone. That, as well as no wind, is why the lines are still visible in the desert. By moving the rocks around it is real easy to make patterns and designs that can be seen for miles around. We boarded an airplane that seated four, including the pilot who was as big as two. It must have been quite a sight, he and I squished together in the small compartment while Sue shared the back seat with a girl from Belgium who had a bit of discomfort from all the whirling around in the airplane. The pilot guided us over the various designs, a monkey, a whale, a spaceman, etc. and as we approached he would tilt the plane on its ear to the right and shout "under the wing, now, now, under the wing". Then he would circle around to the left and tilt for a view for the passengers on the left. Just the ride was a thrill. The shapes were unbelievable, and lines that go for miles in all different shapes. It just makes you wonder WHY? We didn't see every figure available, but saw all the famous ones. Sue and I felt that some were made by a different designer, they didn't have the same abstract shape as the others. No one knows the history and probably never will.
Sue and I had viewed a movie "Bucket List" while back on Neos, just before our trip. The idea is to make a list of items you would like to do before kicking the bucket. This was definitely one of those items, to see the Nasca Lines, way kewl.
On to Arequipa. Once we landed in the bus terminal, Sue headed over to one of those booths for hotel information in the area that are usually given a wide berth by the two of us. Something drew Sue into this one and we were quite surprised. We met Eddie, a local guy, who turned out to be a real highlight of the trip. He worked for a local hotel and set up the tours to the local spots in the area. The hotel was delightful with a small central square full of plants and the rooms around the outside. Our room was perfect, on the upper floor with plenty of sunshine to light our area. It even had TV with a few English speaking stations. During our visit in Arequipa we met a couple from Washington area. They seemed like nice folks and invited us over to their hostel for a cup of coffee and conversation. We ran across Frazier and Cathy once again and also got to know a couple from New Zealand and compared notes on where to go. Arequipa is a large city full of museums and sights to see. We visited a monastery that was really a convent, don't ask me?? It was a miniature Forbidden City like in China, the nuns were not allowed out of the walls and no one could have direct contact with them from the outside. Very interesting to see how they lived with little peek-a-boo windows to visit with outsiders and special areas for deliveries . If you had money (that is a question in itself) you could buy a better room, more servants, and live pretty well. The stories say the ladies lived it up pretty good until the church put a stop to it all. This area still has a section devoted to the nuns that the general public isn't allowed to visit. The part we were allowed into was in real good order. All of the flowers along the walks were in full bloom and really made the place picturesque.
The other main attraction in town was a mummy that was discovered on the mountain just outside town. An archeologist was searching a spot high atop the mountain were a lot of relics had been found thinking it must have been some sort of burial ground. Seems he tossed a rock from the sight and followed its path to find where the mummy had thawed out and tumbled down the hillside. Apparently, since the mountain next to this was a spouting volcano at the time it raised the temperature enough to melt the ice cap. The mummy had thawed out enough to fall down the hill side a ways and that is when this gentleman made his discovery. Lots of little things had to fall into place at the right time. Had he been a day later the mummy would not have survived for many reasons.
As we ventured around town we came across a nice little shop for a stop and a bite to eat. As we people watched out the front door, I noticed fellows in the park with typewriters. Three or four fellows, one to a bench, all sat around until someone needed a form filled out or a paper typed. Pretty kewl little business going there.
We left town for a local tour to Colca Canon and were delighted by many sights along the way. We learned about the llama, the largest of three critters and one we are familiar with. Related to the camel it has some other cousins, the alpaca, just a bit shorter and a little more fuzzy around the head and noted for its soft hair. A bit smaller and not domesticated like his cousins is the vacuna. These guys travel in herds in the highlands, one male to a group. Once a year for shearing, the local people in their area will make a large circle around these animals holding hands, and herd them by making the circle smaller and smaller. The vacuna is endangered and so their fur is very valuable. Unfortunately the main chunk of money doesn't end up in the herder's hands.
Along the tour we visited a hot springs. It had separate pools according to how hot you could stand the water. Coupled with the altitude, the guide told us to start in the cooler of the pools as it is know for people to become quite faint. It was just right. With the cool mountain air we enjoyed dipping in the hot water and then sitting along the edge to cool down. There was quite a crowd there. After finishing up with the dip, we got dressed and walked around the place just to check things out. Who did we run into but Cathy and Frazier again. We walked into one of the pool areas and they happened to look up just as we entered. I took off my hat and threw it on the ground in disgust. They really got a chuckle out of that.
Back on the bus and into the town of Chivay. Although a rather small tour group, we were divided up around town to stay in tiny hostels. Of course you could choose the price and how fancy you wanted to go; our place being a nice little home run by a young lady who, like most of these places, lived right there. We had a nice room with a continental breakfast included. The day wasn't busy enough, we opted to join the group for an evening at the local restaurant. It featured local music and a couple who did traditional dancing. Of course they grab you out of the crowd and had us dance along with them. It was fun getting to know some of the other couples in our group as well. Several were from Argentina and another from Germany. All of them were bilingual but very nice to include us. Being from Argentina, the dances were familiar to them. To finish the evening, one of the couples got our entire group on the dance floor and we had one last dance before we walked back across town to our little home for the much needed night's sleep.
We were now getting to the highest point during our tour through the Andes, some 12,000 feet. Sue had planned our route through Peru considering the altitude. We made a gradual assent as we went. The locals eat Coca Candy, drink Coca Tea, as well as chew on Coca leaves. That's right. All this stuff is available at every little outlet along the way and is legal. Don't try to bring any home with you. Like most drugs, it is way over rated although they told us it takes over a thousand leaves to make a small smidgen of the actual drug. It is supposed to help with energy and altitude sickness, about as strong as drinking coffee all day. We tried it and Sue got pretty wound up that night. She is real sensitive to caffeine and found she was just as sensitive to Coca. She had a pretty restless night.
We were up early the next morning to catch the morning show put on at the center square of town. All in typical dress, the kids from school dance around the center of the square doing their traditional dances while the ladies have their wares displayed on blankets around the outside. All sorts of bright colored material and soft sweaters made from the hair of the alpaca. I even got my picture taken with an eagle on one arm and a hawk on the other while standing between a llama and a local lady, what fun. Sue managed to get a bunch of gift shopping done, so we were set for the rest of the trip.
Next was a tour of Colca Canon with all the terracing up the mountain sides. It was a spectacular spot for viewing all the hard labor of terracing and building walls of rock to hold the dirt in place. Originally, all the natives lived high in the mountains and would come down to the valleys to grow their crops. It just makes sense to keep the fertile land for growing and build the houses elsewhere. When the Spanish came in and took over they couldn't control the people (which means round them up to pay taxes and use them as slave labor) if they lived all over the place. They forced all the natives into towns in the fertile grounds of the valleys and that is where the settlements are to this day.
From Colca Canon the bus climbed up to the rim, a spot noted for seeing Condors. These birds boast a wing span over six feet across. Although the Albatross makes top of the list as the largest bird, with a bigger wing span, the Condor rates as the largest in weight. We were warned that it really wasn't the right time of year to see the Condors so we were prepared, although disappointed, there might not be any around. Once we reached the lookout, Condor Crossing, we spotted two Condors sitting on a rock. Later we were treated to a spectacular flight of two Condors flying along the currents of the valley. Related to the buzzard, they glide through the currents with just the slightest movement of the feathers at the tip of their wings. We were treated to a swoop right overhead, wow. By the time we departed we had seen enough Condors flying around to keep us happy for a long time to come. A perfect day. At one of the vista points we got out to take in the incredible view across the valley at the terraces. Someone noticed a bunny rabbit sitting just below us on a rock. It turned out we got to see two of these little guys. Known as vizcacha, they have gray fur, smaller ears than a rabbit and sported a long fuzzy tail. The guide mentioned it was rare to see these little fellas.
We then headed back to Arequipa for a good night's rest. Walking along the streets of town we happened across a vendor selling the local treat, Helado Queso. The name translates as cheese ice cream, yuck, but doesn't taste anything like cheese, actually quite good. Eddie, the tour guy, managed to really enjoy us during our stay, always greeting us with a big smile and plenty of hugs. It was fun getting his help with our broken Spanish and helping him a bit with his broken English. We got along great and had lots of laughs with him. He enjoyed our company enough to join us for lunch on our last day just before we hopped a bus to the next town. He shared a pitcher of chichi; a local wine like drink we hadn't dared to try ourselves since it uses saliva in the fermentation process. But we survived it!
Puna. As the bus traveled over the summit we ran into some sleet that turned back to rain and then quit before our arrival in the next town. Johann and Mari Anne were the German couple from the last little tour who happened to be with us at this stop. Trying to decide what to do, we mentioned we had a place picked out to stay plus a ride already set up. If they wanted they could join us. Doing so we had fun getting to know some of the differences of German life. They joined us the following day for our visit on Lake Titikaka and the floating islands of Isla Uros as well. Another of those spots you see on TV and never think you would actually be there. Life on these islands are pretty much a thing of the past but it looks like the people still live on them although tourism has become their main purpose. They originally were developed for protection from intruders. Lots of maintenance is required to keep them afloat. They harvest the local reeds and lay a new layer on top every few weeks. As the reeds sink into the water they make their own layer of dirt and root. In order to keep the roots from sprouting and connecting to the bottom, they have to dive under the island and trim the bottom. The layer is about three feet thick and is quite solid to walk on. An opening in the center of the island has a net in the water and becomes a fish storage system. We were invited into one of the huts and as we looked around at the straw bed, the straw walls and roof, she was excited to show us the new solar panel that supplied electricity. The panel was wired roughly to a battery and now she could watch a little TV while she sat and sewed. No different than the rest of the world, her husband wanted to watch sports while she preferred the soaps.
Off to Cusco. We started to see little ceramic bulls on the roofs of the houses in this area. They date back to pagan times to protect the home from the evil spirits. Now you see them combined with little crosses to show their connection to Christianity.
One of our stops along the way was at a "typical house". Of course it was all for show, but this was our first sighting of guinea pigs. They aren't used for pets in this part of the world. We had heard they weren't very tasty, being a bit chewy without much meat. We tried all the other local dishes along our trip but passed on this little delicacy. Skinned and seasoned with all its cute little feet and head still attached, well it just didn't seem right. It was fun to see an entire room full of theses cute little guys, full grown to tiny babies, all running amuck. They would venture to the open door but never left their room. As we approached they all started to sing out and rush to the door way looking for a hand out. In the yard were a couple of llamas and alpacas that were quite fun to approach.
After several stops along the way we made it to Cusco. The tour guide that was to meet us there never showed, so we hooked up with Adam, a friendly fellow (guide) who happened to be at the bus terminal at the time.
This is where we learned about the dark history of the Conquistadores in cahoots with the Catholic Church and how they took over the local Incas. The Incas first thought the Spaniards were an answer to their legend about a White God that would come to them across the sea. The Incas didn't use gold as money, it was simply an adornment used to line the tops of walls, and make beautiful art work, purely for decoration. Of course the church moved in and took it all as fast as possible as well as destroying every temple they could. As they tore down the temples, they broke up the stone and replaced the temples with churches. There are now churches everywhere, built upon a base of beautiful masonry left from the Inca's temples. Practically every other block has a huge church, trying to cover up all the existing temples. It is a bit ridiculous to see two huge catholic churches right next to each other on the main square, but when your aim is to destroy the local ideology and replace it with your own, this is what happens. Temples were toppled and replaced by churches with walls of gold lining the inside of each.
From Cusco we ventured out on several sight seeing tours to the various ruins outside of town. Pisaq is a sight of a massive terracing project with temples at the top of the mountain. There were several spots with running water that looked to be possible bathing areas. Across to the next mountain side we could see holes in the surface that we were told were burial sights. Picking a spot that faced the rising sun (the new life) they would mummify and place the bodies in these small holes. It was not right to bury or burn the bodies as this would dislodge the soul. This is where we were told the Spanish, in order to get the people to move into the towns of the valley floor, destroyed many of the water systems (aqueducts) and forced the locals out of their homes.
The next sight we visited was Ollantaytambo. Tambo means resting place. The Incas had regular resting places for their travels between the large cities. Again we were treated to incredible stone work, much of which gets more intricate as you approach the more important spots, temples and royalty. Although no one knows why this project was stopped in midstream, it gives insight into how they built these buildings. The highlight of this stop was my discovery of the Inca Bucks Coffee Shop, complete with a look alike logo.
We were off to Chinchero, the Inca birthplace of the rainbow. We visited yet another church covered inside with gold, but the most interesting thing in this village was the demonstration of their yarns. We were shown where the different colors come from in making up the different colored dies, all from natural products as well as spinning the yarns and the final step of weaving it all into beautiful materials. Running out of daylight, it was time to head back to Cusco. We stopped into a local Tienda to pick up some snacks for the evening and with the small value to their money, the grocery lady didn't bother with pennies in the change. Instead, she gave us a few candies to make up the difference.
The next day we were able to visit a sight only a couple of blocks from our hostal. Inside the grounds of the church were some remains of ruins that were the most finished and well preserved examples of masonry along the entire trip. Of course the gold that lined the walls and all the silver that was fashioned into animals were all melted down by the Spaniards and looted long ago.
Saqsaywaman, pronounced Sexy Woman was incredible. Aside from the vastness of Machu Picchu, this may just be one of the best sights we visited. The stone work here was absolutely huge as well as the vastness of the grounds covered by this once religious area. Sadly, only 20% remains of this spot, one of the last stands against the Spanish before the Incas disappeared. Most of the stones were removed, broken down and used in the far inferior work to build the churches in town. It is interesting to hear the different reasons for different features. The guide pointed out the use of a zig-zag pattern to the walls built of huge stones as viewed from above. He explained how it made for a stronger structure than a straight wall. Although true, we later learned it may have represented the God of Lightning. Anybody's guess I think.
It was now time for our excursion to Machu Picchu. We had to downsize our luggage, so we repacked, leaving one pack behind and the other full of what we needed over the next several days. The next leg of the trip was to be by train. It was a nice change after all the bus rides and with beautiful scenery to boot as we snaked our way through the deep, lush canyons. We found the end of the line in Agua Caliente, noted for their hot springs. This is the little town that everyone stays in for their visit to MP. It is busting at the seams. It sprung up from a sleepy little town nestled at the bottom of a gorge cut out by a river that has made its way through this spot for eons. Construction of four and five story buildings are being squeezed in next to each other everywhere to house all the tourists. There are no vehicles allowed in town so everything is brought in by hand, up the steep streets. There must be well over a hundred restaurants, all calling out for you to join them for a meal offering a free drink to try and entice you in. We spent several hours watching the workers. Some hauling beer and soda by hand cart, others moving wheel barrows full of rock, gravel, rebar, and more. All the luggage is carted up the hill with two guys to a cart pushing with all their might, taking a break in the shade of the foot bridge passing overhead. We had to move on, we were getting tired just watching these guys, whew. In the picturesque river that rushes through the middle of town can be found a rock crushing machine, a huge track footed backhoe, and a couple of dozen workers turning big rocks into little rocks. So much for the ecology of the river. Harvest where ever you feel like I guess. Despite all the hustle and bustle, as well as the over growing of the area, we still managed to enjoy our stay in Agua Caliente.
MP! Up at 4:15, the usual coffee and a biscuit for fuel, and off we went for the first run of busses to take the crowds to Machu Picchu. They have a system for moving the masses in pretty good order. The line rambled up the road along the river side and the busses rolled in one after another. We were herded into place and were shuttled, lickity split, up the dirt switchbacks to the gates of MP. Another line to show tickets and enter the sacred grounds of Machu Picchu. We were there. Not knowing what the Incas called the town of Machu Picchu, it has taken on the name of the mountain that stands adjacent to it. The area was built high upon a mountain top with very steep sides all around. We climbed to one of the highest points, the Gate Keeper's house, the highest vantage point looking over the city. Early morning brings the white out of clouds as they move in to cover the area and then move out again to reveal all its splendor. We had some time to kill before we were to meet back at the main entrance (for our guided tour) so we tried to make it out a trail that lead to the Inca Drawbridge. Running out of time and with the clouds moving in, we never quite made it to the Bridge, but had a fun walk just the same. We made tracks back to the beginning and joined in with our tour group that brought us back to the same climb to the Gate Keeper's house. Taking a little different route getting there we walked a part of the Inca Trail, best known for the four night, high altitude, excursion that many people take. We can now tell people we took the Inca Trail into Machu Picchu leaving out the part that we only traveled a few hundred yards on that very trail. It was simply amazing to be in one of the top five places in the world that I always dreamed about visiting. Once again I was amazed at the fine masonry of the Incas. The stone walls are pretty ordinary in the terracing and workers houses, but as you get closer and closer to the royal house and spiritual center the stone work becomes more and more precise. We couldn't have had a better day, with the clouds mystically coming and going in the early hours, to a mist of rain mid morning, and then clear skies the rest of our visit. We learned that ruins have been found atop a lot of the surrounding mountains as well as more to be uncovered right there at MP. We climbed around every inch of the place and were quite exhausted by the time we decided to head back for a rest in Agua Caliente. Machu Picchu was the last stronghold of the Inca Empire. Once they fled the Conquistadors they were never found again. The story told is they gathered their remaining treasures and fled into the jungle. That spot in the jungle has never been found. There is no record of finding any valuables except for one gold bracelet in all of Machu Picchu. Some DNA tracing of villagers in the jungle has recently shown a connection to the original Incas, but the treasures and all the history remain a mystery.
With Machu Picchu behind us we grabbed our back pack and headed to the train station for the ride into Ollantaytambo. Every other row of seats face backwards on the train so you face two other chairs. After a trade with the fellow with the seat next to me, Sue and I were able to sit together. We faced a young couple, I would guess in their twenties, she was from Oz and he was from England. The train ride flew past as the four of us chatted non stop all the way to Ollantaytambo. Once in our room it was no time at all until we were out for the day.
Waking up in yet another great little Hostal we opened our curtains to a view of the ruins on the mountain side. We got a chance to wander about town, through all the narrow streets. Some of the foundations of the houses still showed the signs of the famous Inca Masons with their massive sizes and exacting fit. The streets were covered in stones with a channel for the water right down the center, all part of the huge aqueduct system built to supply water around the area. We had a great time, leisurely strolling about town, stopping for a cup of Joe, and watching as the tourists were being herded on and off the many busses that passed through the area.
We had arranged for a taxi ride back to Cusco and were treated to a nice new Toyota for the couple of hours ($25) it took to get back to the big city. After a great night's rest we were up early the next morning and our tour agent took us by taxi to the bus station only to find the bus would not be running. The farmers are dissatisfied with the government, something about water rights, and so they blow up the mountainside in protest, blocking the roads. We thought we had booked the route avoiding most of the problems, but they blocked both roads this time and stopped all traffic. This is when it pays to have a local tour agent. He scrambled for us. Although unable to get our money back for the bus, he may be able to transfer it to another customer later, he did manage to get us on a plane the next morning. This would keep us on schedule as well as give us an extra night in Cusco to see the show of local dances. We arrived in Lima about the same time as we would have had we gotten the bus, so it looked like we would make Thanksgiving dinner at the marina back home after all.
We were now back in Mira Flores, the little suburb of Lima. The girl at Lion Backpackers told us of a show that evening so we decided to take on the adventure. We headed down to the main street, stood awhile to try and figure out the different busses and how they worked, then finally approached one and hopped on. About fifteen minutes down the road it was time to get off at the big park. Inside the park were fountains in all different sizes and shapes with dancing waters all about. We enjoyed watching the fountains and even got to see a bit of a dog show taking place in the corner of the park. So funny to watch the people prance their fancy dogs around. One lady handled her dog, lifting it up to the viewing table in front of the judges. If I didn't know better I would have said it was a fake dog. It didn't flinch a muscle when she picked it up. Some really good looking dogs though. As the sun went down the lights came on and changed colors along with the music. The big finale of the evening was a laser light show, shining on the dancing waters of the main fountain. Quite a show. We then headed back out to the street and after being told by the first bus it wasn't going to Miraflores, we hopped the second bus to come along. Our ride back to Miraflores was quite wild but we made it back to our comfy little room. While in Miraflores we made the usual stop at Starbucks, the real one. Sue's sister will be coming this way on a tour in a couple of weeks, so we slipped our boat card into a crack under one of the tables in hopes that we can let Laura know. Maybe she will be able to find it on her trip. I forgot to mention the great water front we visited while in Miraflores. Walking along a nice park setting with areas for various activities we enjoyed watching the parachuters hang gliding from the cliffs edge, riding the currents, and coming right back to the point they took off from. Other areas were blocked off as dog areas and of course lots of colorful cow statues all around. One last bus ride and we were home on Wednesday able to find Neos in good order and enjoy lots of company at a big Thanksgiving Pot Luck Bash at the marina the following day.
I would like to make a couple of warnings for those traveling this area. The bus line Ormeno sucks. Twice they didn't have enough people to run the fancy, comfortable, bus so we were downgraded at the last minute with no other options. When the roads were blocked, they wouldn't refund our money saying it wasn't their fault. Avoid these guys if possible, problem being they are practically the only line available on some runs.
The other item would be riding in taxis. We heard of a couple while we were in Cusco who were kidnapped in a taxi. The driver slowed while two guys got in on either side, bagged them, took all valuables and forced them to give up the pin number in order to empty their bank accounts.
We try to get the hotel to call a taxi if at all possible. We lock both doors once in the back seat of the taxi and I figure if things got too bad I could control the taxi by grabbing the ears of the driver. We never had a problem, but I keep the large sums of money in a money belt around my waist (tough for the pick pockets) while Sue keeps her hand on her purse and in front of her. I walk behind her most of the time trying to keep an eye on anyone looking out of place. So far we have been blessed by the travel gods and have enjoyed our tours through the third world countries.
A word about the stone work. The Incas were masters at fitting stone together. Although most of the work was torn down by the Spaniards and the Church, much of the foundation work is still in place. Stones as big as a truck were moved many miles. Although wheels were never used, the latest thought is the use of round stones to move the heavy works. Bumps are still apparent on the almost finished stone that may have been a way to tie ropes in place for hauling them, and, once in place, finish up the surface. Still a lot of fitting to get such complicated shapes to fit so perfectly. The fit between stones is so perfect that they almost looked like they were poured together some way to fit. They had a system figured out to help prevent shifting of the stones that interlocked them. Utilizing a bed of rock that formed a solid foundation they also had a way of placing the stone walls much like the skyscrapers of today, so the wall would float in an earthquake rather than sway and pull apart. Pretty smart those people.
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