The day that everyone came to (Cusco) town


Inca washing machine

Alpaca lama (on the right)

Oxygen everywhere - but not necessary - even on 4000 meters altitude



Ancient Inca wall



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It is Christmas eve - the most important day of the year, so everyone comes to Cusco and the town has turned into one big bustling place. Of course there is a huge market, where you can do your last minute X-mas shopping and lots of jugglers, strongman, lama's and such.
Not a lot tourists are still here - which makes the place even more magical it seems and everyone is dressed up (Except two stupid guys from Amsterdam that is...) As everywhere  in Peru the people are very friendly, warm and helpful. Sure especially if you buy something ;-) But they are in no way pushy. There is respect both ways, and that's nice.

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The colors of Peru













The famous Alpaca wool is dyed in all kinds of bright colors using natural ingredients like leafs, insects, corn or what you have. It is a very soft wool - much softer then sheep wool and even as cashmere when you compare the latter with "baby alpaca". Sure there is a even more expensive, even more softer sort wool: Vicuña. Made of the vicuñas which have only a tiny amount of wool,  which can only be shorn every 3 years... Its more expensive then gold (well with the rising gold prizes nowadays you never know :-) )
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The Sacred Valley of the Incas







We did a tour of the Sacred Valley of the Incas, in the  high Andes along the river Vilcanotes which flows into the jungle to mix with the Amazon later on. Along it lay many Inca ancient (holy) cities  like Pisac and Ollantaytambo which perch very high on the mountains and from which you have a magnificent view of the valley. It where Inca strongholds, fortresses with temples and lots of agricultural terraces. The way the Incas build their temples is still astonishing - the way the stones fit like a puzzle is amazing. This is a preview of what we will see in Machu Picchu I hope.
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Cuso - in the heart of the Andes - Inca country

coca tea












 A short flight from Lima took us to Cusco - in the heart of the Andes. We were prepared for the worst of altitude sickness, but things turned out fine. Sure the first hours we had to adjust - almost exhausted from a couple of stairs and dizzy when raising to fast. But after a while we got used to the lack of oxygen and our bodies adjusted. Coca leaf tea (which tastes like any other green tea) seems to help, zo we drank lots of it. As in Lima there are many, many, many (and even more) people and markets with artisan products for sale. Some just hideous, some more traditional. We couldn't refuse all offers, so bought some stuff. I really like the patterns and designs of the textile we see here.
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Lima

traditional house with balconies

Looks like an early Keith Haring - Is from the Incas though...





(real?) Abercrombie, Nautica, what have you for $2

view from Larcomar
Larcomar on the cliffs of Lima
Lima is just as your usual busy South American metropolis. Millions of people looking for fortune in a mix of very poor and ancient and hyper rich and modern. We decided to stay in the modern / rich part of town: Miraflores when life is  very convenient and  luxurious. The old town has some interesting parts (mainly churches and museums) which are very worth while to visit. The killer feature of Lima is I think its location: between mountains and the Pacific. In Miraflores on a steep sloop a new development "Larcomar" is the place to be to do some shopping and to have a meal while watching the sunset. Is the the place where everyone in Lima comes and to enjoy the view it seems.
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The day I met Ricardo Palma

Sure, with Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa Peru has his first Nobel winner, but it was Ricardo Palma who put Peru on the literature map first with his epic Tradiciones Peruana. Like Aisopos and Grimm before him he used traditional Peruvian stories and blend them into very interesting and funny shorts.
He is also one of the founders of modern independent Peru, so no wonder that so many things (Streets, Universities, schools etc.) are named after him. We visited his house in Miraflores Lima which is just as it was when he died back in 1962.
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Last night in Ecuador - a humming bird and a steak with new friends



Mason, Eddie, Karen, Tom, Meg, Marque
Part of the fun of going on a National Geographic vacation is that you meet all kinds of interesting and nice people like Mason, Karen, Tom and Meg (see picture) with which we had an "instant click" and shared many memorable lunch and dinner with. Luckily for us they also where spending overnight in Guayaquil on the way back - so we had a chance for a sort of farewell dinner at the Hotel.
In the garden of which we saw this tiny humming bird.
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Farewell - this was truly a once in a life time experience

Our last night at sea and we dream of all the animals we have encountered and the many, many wonders we have seen. This is really an unique place on earth. As it must have been millions of years ago. We are sad to leave - but new wonders are waiting for us in Peru :-)
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