Returned from the Land of the Incas - Peru ABD Trip Report

EK4636

Mouseketeer
Joined
Oct 24, 2012
Hi Everyone!

My husband and I just returned from celebrating our 4th anniversary in Peru with the Mouse! I'm excited to report that while we have done many things with Disney, this was the first time I got to pick the destination, and it was FANTASTIC! After reading so many of these trip reports, I figured that I should give something back since I could only find limited information about the Peru itinerary. Don't worry though, I'll try real hard not to spoil the surprises.

Intro: As I had already mentioned, we've been married 4 years, together for 8, and we live in Seattle. We're DVC Members since I'm a huge Disney geek, and he has stated many times that he just wanted to be supportive - but his photos have proven differently. Peru was our 3rd adventure together (Backstage Magic in 2015 and England and France in 2017), but I've been on 4 adventures since he refused to go to South Africa with me in January 2018. His loss, by the way, because that trip was life-changing. If you wonder if you should go to South Africa, don't. JUST GO. But I digress. I'll do my best to not compare all the trips, but let me just say, just when I thought the bar was set high...Peru set it a little higher in some aspects.

Itinerary:
  • Day 1: Arrival - Lima on our own
  • Day 2: Cusco, Textile Center, and Sol y Luna Resort
  • Day 3: Urubamba River, Ollantaytambo, and Ruins
  • Day 4: Moray and Salt Pans of Maras
  • Day 5: Machu Picchu!
  • Day 6: Pisa Market, Camelids, Cusco, and Hotel Palacio del Inka
  • Day 7: Sacsayhuamán, Cusco Cathedral, and White Elephant Gifts!
  • Day 8: Casa Aliaga and Farewell Lunch
  • Day 9: Departure
Our Guides: Ken (from Kentucky - yes, really) and Rudy (our local guide extraordinaire)
EK Ken and Rudy_Fotor.jpg

Photos: I'll post some photos on this thread, but you can also see more photos on my Instagram (@EKSeattle).

Things I wish I knew:
  • Don't forget that Peru is in the SOUTHERN hemisphere. If it's US a summer, bring a coat. It was HOT during the day, but the evenings can get chilly!
  • Altitude sickness is real! Be prepared. Disney did a great job of gradually bringing us up to 12,000 feet, but it was still a feat. Talk to your physician about medication if you can. Mine recommended Ibuprofen, and it worked.
  • Sol y Luna (and I believe Palacio del Inka as well) can provide oxygen tank in your room if you need a little boost. This was very helpful, for me at least.
  • Stay hydrated! Drink those water. Never turn down water from your guide. But DO NOT drink tap water.
  • Try new food. Alpacas are delicious :) Food was definitely top notch on this itinerary. Well, most of the time.
  • Lima traffic is bad. REAL bad. More on this later.
  • Lima has a TON of good restaurants. In fact, 3 of the top 50 restaurants in the world are in Lima. Make your reservations early. You will have time on Day 1, and for dinner on Day 8 (and after, if you are staying longer).
  • There was a lot of dairy at every meal. If you're lactose intolerant (like my DH), please contact Disney before the trip, and you should mention it again at check-in with your guides.
  • The classic question: Can you do this itinerary if you're not in the best shape? I would say yes, you can. I'm not in the best shape, but not the worst shape either. The guides did a great job of making sure the group got to do what they wanted to do. I'll talk more about this in the report. Bottom line: Our group had hikers who could literally run up the Sun Gate at Machu Picchu in 15 minutes and those who had to stop every 3 minutes to catch their breaths (ummm...like me). Don't get me wrong, YOU WILL BE HIKING. A LOT. A WHOLE LOT. And remember, you paid (a lot of money) for this privilege :cool1:
  • And of course...Use the restrooms when you can, not when you have to.
OK, are we ready to begin? Let's go, Adventurers!
 
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Day 0: Travel Day

We decided to do a fly out and arrive a day early in Lima (paid for a pre-day with ABD) as the flight gets in at midnight. We started our trip to the Southern Hemisphere by going NORTH. Yes, it sounded weird but we decided to fly up to Vancouver, Canada to fly to Lima. Why? Because it was almost $1,000 less than flying from Seattle! While the Canadian Immigration (and the US Immigration at our re-entry, for that matter) was really confused about our flight plan, when I mentioned the saving, they understood. How long was the flight? 39 minutes. Not even enough time to serve any beverages nor was the seat belt light off long enough to use the bathroom.

From Vancouver, we re-entered the US in Los Angeles with a 4-hour layover. From there we flew direct to Lima via LATAM. The flight was OK, and we were able to get some sleep on the 9-hour flight. We arrived in Lima a little after midnight. We went through Immigration quickly as I'm sure the officer was ready to go home and sleep. We breezed through Customs as well as we had nothing to declare.

Fun fact
: Peru passport stamp is hot pink. Who knew?

Fun fact
: There are ATMs at the airport. I never exchange money due to the steep exchange fees and just take money out when I arrive in a new country. The ATM fee was around $6 (about 18 soles). Don't forget to let your bank know you're traveling, or you're going to have a bad time.

Tip
: There are ATMs later at the hotel in Lima and in Cusco. But I would advise to get your cash before you leave Lima as I remember only one ATM at the Pisac market. That said, most places we went to accept credit cards (even American Express). Exceptions are market stands and street vendors so have some cash for those trinkets :)

We walked out from the Customs area into the arrival hall and immediately saw the ABD sign. What a relief! The person who was picking us up was standing in this little fenced off area so she was really easy to notice. She introduced herself and then whisked us off to the parking lot to our awaiting taxi. The ride from the airport to the hotel was about 35 minutes without any traffic which made us underestimate the horribleness of it the next day on our own. The person who picked us up was really nice and gave us some tidbits about Peru - the language lesson, tips about money and how to recognize counterfeits, and transportation options. She may have given us more tips, but I was half asleep at that point.

Tip: Uber is a great option in Lima, and it's dirt cheap. $5 to go across town in rush hour!

The Westin Lima was a gorgeous hotel despite our semi-sleepy arrival at about 2am. We did not meet our guides tonight which in a way, I was glad as they needed their sleep to prepare for the lack of it this week and so did we. Check in went smoothly and we were given our welcome letter from our guides to meet them in the morning between 9am and 11am.

Tip: If you are a member of SPG, you can provide them with your SPG membership number to be added to your account.

With our keys in hand, we went up to our room. Even though this was our 3rd/4th trip with ABD, it was still weird to not tip anyone including the bell hop who helped with our bags. After a quick shower, we fell right asleep as soon as our heads hit the heavenly Westin pillows on the heavenly Westin bed.

Tomorrow: Lima on our own!
 
Day 1: Lima, we've arrived!

Despite having gone to bed at almost 3am, we woke up at 8am surprisingly refreshed. We woke up to this view and I must admit, I honestly did not know what I was expecting. Regardless, it was obviously a gloomy day in Lima.
Lima.jpg

In our sleepy daze the night before, we vaguely remembered something about breakfast. We got ready and went down to the lobby to partake in the feast. The breakfast was really nice. There was a bread station with yummy pastries and so many jams. The rest are pretty standard - oatmeal, cereal, etc. Two things to call out though: rice congees and cold brew coffee! Extra brownie point for this Seattleite!

Tip: Try the homemade jam. My favorite was the nectarine jam.

Tip: You can order eggs from the server. This is included in the buffet.

After breakfast we met up with our guides Ken and Rudy in the main lobby. We got our duffel bag along with some Peruvian chocolate bars. We also confirmed DH allergies with them just in case. Since no one was waiting to check in, we chatted with Rudy and Ken for a bit until the next family came in.

Fun fact: ABD does not have any plans for Lima. So if you want to see the city, you'll have to roam on your own!

Fun fact: Even though today is Day 1 of the trip, there isn't any plan for the day - no welcome dinners, no get togethers - so you're essentially free to roam around Lima.

Fun fact: Peruvian chocolates are yummy. Eat the chocolate.

For lunch today, I had made a reservation at Maido in Miraflores. I was really excited about this lunch as Maido is the number 7 restaurant in the world in 2018, and I was curious to see how this Japanese restaurant in Peru earned this distinction. Sadly, our reservation was not until 1:30pm (as I expected we would be sleeping in) so we had to wait a bit. We hopped in an Uber and headed to the restaurant hoping that there would be something near the restaurant to kill time. We ended up about an hour and a half early so we walked around the area for a bit until we could check in. We saw some cool street arts as we wandered.

Finally, the time came and we got checked in and seated. I ordered from the tasting menu (why not?) while DH ordered sushi a la carte. The food was...just wow. It was worth making the reservation 2 months in advance. Oh, and I also got my first pisco sour in Peru (and definitely got tipsy from it). Here are some of the dishes we had. The middle photo is cuy...yes, guinea pig! The last photo is dessert - that's not a rock. That's sugar mixed with squid ink and magic to turn it into a sweet, delicious rock.

bowl.jpg sushi.jpg cuy.jpg Steak.jpg dessert.jpg

Stuffed from my 13-course lunch, we decided to head back to the hotel to rest because the exhaustion had started to set in. On our trip back, we noticed a little bit of the nasty Peruvian traffic, but due to the exhaustion (and probably those pisco sours), I didn't take this into account for our dinner plans...

We rested at the hotel until about 7pm when we came down to the lobby to grab another Uber to our dinner reservation a couple of miles away at 7:30pm. Remember how I said I didn't take that traffic into account? Yeah, no one also told us that that day was the last day of the work week before a long holiday weekend so traffic was even worse than normal. AWESOME. Well, we waited for our Uber which was supposedly 10 minutes away. Then it was 15 minutes away. Then it was stuck on "15 minutes away" for 15 minutes. So, the short version: We didn't make it to dinner.

But that turned out to be a blessing as we decided to just sit at the hotel bar and order food for dinner. As we were looking at the menus, we noticed a family sitting at the next booth over. Now, you can always tell your fellow ABD Adventurers from the rest of the tourists, you know? We looked over at the family, we nodded and mouthed, "Disney?" The mom nodded back, spoke to her family, then they all stood up. It was on!

We introduced each other and ended up joining their table. The food was meh, but the drinks were great. And our new friends were amazing!

Tip: Try the pisco flights. It's interesting and very strong!

We ended up chatting until probably 10:30pm before we headed back to our respective rooms as we had to be down in the lobby to meet with the rest of the group pretty early in the morning as we will be flying out first thing in the morning.

Tomorrow: Cusco!
 


We are booked on the December, 2019 trip!

ITA with you about Southern Africa. I am totally obsessed with the country and look forward to going back as often as possible.

Thank you for the trip report! I am very excited to read it! The one thing that's held me back from booking this trip is altitude sickness. I suffered horribly at Beaver Valley years and years ago (which is much lower than the Sacred Valley). I am hoping that I will survive the trip without any adverse affects from the altitude!
 
We are booked on the December, 2019 trip!

ITA with you about Southern Africa. I am totally obsessed with the country and look forward to going back as often as possible.

Thank you for the trip report! I am very excited to read it! The one thing that's held me back from booking this trip is altitude sickness. I suffered horribly at Beaver Valley years and years ago (which is much lower than the Sacred Valley). I am hoping that I will survive the trip without any adverse affects from the altitude!

I totally understand your fear! I was so worried as well. Day 2 was bad (as you will see in my report) but it gets better after that. Drink plenty of fluids, rest well at night, eat smaller meals, take Ibuprofen, drink some coca teas, and inhale that oxygen!
 


I’m loving this! I got a little tear in my eye when I saw Rudy’s picture! This was just the most amazing, and truly magical vacation! I’m so glad you’re enjoying it. My mom and I are still reminiscing a year later. Give Rudy a hug for us!
 
Day 2: Cusco...and a whole lot of altitude!

I honestly do not remember what time we had to be in the lobby, but I do remember waking up to put our packed bags outside the door for Inca Tinker Bell. For Peru, ABD had asked that we pack everything into one suitcase (44 lbs) and one carry on for each traveler for the internal flights. Not that you can't pack more, but you'll be paying for the extras. As much I love this ABD magic on all of our trips, I really wish that Inca Tinker Bell would leave some sort of magical receipt so that we know it was ABD that took our bags we set outside the door and not some strangers roaming the hallway.

We went down to breakfast and met some more fellow adventurers. They seemed great, too, so I was certain this would be an awesome trip! My hidden agenda at breakfast was to scope out others who were as terrified about the altitude and hiking as I was. You know, someone who would take the wimpy path at Machu Picchu. I was glad to hear that a few people were worried like me, and we made a pact to stick together. We met a really nice couple from San Francisco - Dawn and Nicole - who were traveling with Dawn's brother and his wife - Darril and Nimfa. This was Dawn and Nicole's first ABD, but Darril and Nimfa were veterans. We also met another couple - Les and Kathy - from New Jersey. They told us they had just arrived a few hours earlier so this would be a fun day for them!

We loaded our carry ons onto the bus outside the hotel, and we were off to the airport! On the way, Ken gave us the safety briefing and Rudy provided some Peruvian history, in particular Pachacuti (the famous ruler of the Inca Empire) and Pachamama (the Incan fertility goddess). We also got some history around the relationship between Peru and Bolivia as well as Rudy came from Lake Titicaca which was split in half by the two countries. Before we knew it, we arrived at the airport. We gathered around the security gate where Ken handed out our boarding passes. He said not to worry if we don't get the seat next to each other as ABD has a block of seats and we can always swap on the plane. For some people, not sitting with their family is a huge issue...not me! I could use some me time :) After we received our tickets, we went through security with no hassle. We learned that Inca Tinker Bell was having some issues getting the checked bags to the airport so Rudy and Ken had to stay behind to make sure everything was good to go before they could join us post-security (the things they have to do).

Fun fact: You can bring a bottle of water through security for domestic flights in Peru.

Fun fact: Unlike the techy TSA, Peru security officer tested medication to confirm that it is medication by making you take it. Right there at the the security check point. It was...interesting.

We made it to the gate with time to spare, only to find out that gate had changed. So we had to run to the new gate where we found that at least 4 out of the 6 flights in our gate area were going to Cusco. Good to know just in case someone misses our original flight. The flight itself was pretty uneventful as it was only a little over an hour. In-flight service was minimal - water, juice, or coffee - everything else you had to pay.

Fun fact: Even though Disney does a great job putting the itinerary together by spending a few days at the beginning of the trip in the Sacred Valley (8,000 to 9,000 feet of altitude) to get you acclimated, the first day, we do go to Cusco for part of the day (at 12,000 feet - that's double the altitude of Denver). Take your meds if you got 'em!

As soon as we landed, I got hit with altitude sickness right away. I didn't know what it was at first, but the dizziness set in immediately. As I got out of my seat to get off the plane, I started to experience shortness of breath. We had to walk from the plane to the terminal, and I could feel the problem getting worse with every step and it took a lot to just walk the 100 or so steps to get inside the terminal.

Fun fact: As soon as you enter the terminal, you will see a gift shop that offers free Coca leaves (yes, coca as in cocaine). Three leaves max per traveler. Coca leaves are supposed to help with altitude sickness either by chewing them or brewing them in tea.

Tip: DO NOT take these coca leaves. The hotel and resort will have them available if you want them. I have them every morning with tea to help calm my stomach. Also, you will notice the close proximity between these coca leaves and the doors to the toilets. That's just not sanitary!

Once we had everyone, we exited the terminal toward our awaiting buses (and walked right by our checked luggage leaving them in the hands of Inca Tinker Bell). Because the roads in Sacred Valley are smaller, we had to split up into 2 buses. The mascots? You guessed them! We had the Pacha Bus and the Kuzco Bus! Once we got on board, we were on our way to the welcome lunch!

On the way, Ken told us a bit more about Peru. He pointed out as we were driving that if we saw a stick with a red plastic bag tied to the end of it, it meant that that establishment serves alcohol. Although looking at some of these places, I was unsure exactly the kinds of alcohol they were serving. When we got into Cusco, we started to see rainbow flags everywhere! We got excited, but then Ken bursted our bubbles when he said that they had nothing to do with Pride. The Cusco flag is a rainbow flag. In fact, if we looked closely, we would see that there are 7 colors on the Cusco flag, not 6 like on the pride flag. Oh well, thanks Ken. Here is a statue of Pachacuti on the way into Cusco:

Pachacuti_Fotor.jpg

And here is an unfinished statue of Pachacuti. Unfinished because apparently the more they were building it, people started to notice that the face of the statue started to look more and more like the town mayor instead of Pachacuti. Ahh, good ol' corruption.

Unfinished Pachacuti 2_Fotor.jpg

We also saw these cute little guys on top of houses: the bulls. They are for good luck and protection of the family living in the house below them.

Ceremic bulls_Fotor.jpg

Finally, we arrived at the Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco (CTTC)...at least I think that's where we were. I was pretty much done and wanted to lie down at this point. We walked through the Center as Ken and Rudy shouted, "Do not stop and shop! You will have time!" We will hear this many times throughout the trip.

In the back of the Center was an open area with a banquet set up for us. Apparently, there were some amazing beet chips, banana chips, salsa, and guacamole table for snacks. I bypassed it and went right for the closest chair to plop myself down. Soon after, 2 more people joined me at the table, one of whom warned us that we should avoid talking to her as she was nauseous and trying hard to keep it together. I made a note to myself that these are my people for our hiking days.

Despite having the sickness kicking my butt, lunch was pretty good. I vaguely remembered some drinks, a lot of meat, a lot of cheese, and the best strawberries I had ever tasted in my life.

Then everyone introduced themselves to the group. Ken "unintentionally" skipped us. This begun a week long (friendly) feud between Ken and me. I was in no condition to stand up, so DH had to speak on our behalf. For a person who hates public speaking, I was so proud that he got up and did an amazing job introducing us. A lot of people in the group were ABD veterans. I was quite excited to get recommendations for my next destinations! When Ken introduced himself, he said that one of his favorite quotes that he likes to share at welcome lunch is from the Muppet Movie:

"There's not a word yet, for old friends who've just met."

For those of you reading this who have been on another ABD trip, you know this is so true for ABD, and it sums up why ABD is so special. We've met so many amazing people already on this trip, not to mention several more from our previous trips. These are the people with whom we just sat down together for the first time, and within a few minutes of conversation, we felt this indescribable connection like we're old friends. Ken scored a point with me.

After our introduction, one of the kids decided to show off a few dance moves (ahh, to be young again). Rudy saw this and joined in on the fun. For Rudy fans, here are the stills:

Rudy - textiles_Fotor.jpg Rudy - textiles 2_Fotor.jpg

After lunch, we got to meet the director of the CTTC, Nilda, who is the world expert on Cusco textiles - even the Smithsonian consults with her! She explained to us about different types of alpaca wools, how they clean and dye them, and how they weave them by hands. We also got to meet the alpacas!!



Textile Center 7_Fotor.jpg



EK and Mike_Fotor.jpg

I should have mentioned that by this point, they had served us some coca tea. I was feeling a bit better! Then it was time to shop, and we bought some alpaca scarves and wall decorations. Good quality products for a good cause.

After CTTC, we got back on the bus and began our journey to Sol y Luna. Here is a photo from the bus on the way there:

Mountain 2_Fotor.jpg

Sol y Luna was a hidden gem. It was a very quiet and tranquil place that we would have just drove by on the main drive not knowing that this resort existed. The grounds were well-kept, and there were so many plant species that we lost count. It was just a perfect place to start unwinding. Ken and Rudy handed out keys to our rooms which are called "casitas." The casitas were very nice. Every group got their own unit. The best part? No TVs. Ahh, bliss!

Tip: If you are struggling with altitude, you can request that a tank of oxygen be sent to your room. I did. It was one of the best decisions I made on this trip.

Tip: The resort also offers ATV tour and horseback riding (with extra charge). We were going to do it, but honestly, we were too tired most days and we just wanted to relax after the hiking. We didn't even want to go to the spa! Just take it easy while you're at Sol y Luna and adjust to the altitude. The pool was nice, and they had a jacuzzi and a sauna.

After a few puffs of oxygen, I was a new man! So while DH was resting in the room, I explored the resort.

Sol y Luna 3_Fotor.jpg

Sol y Luna 2_Fotor.jpg

The day ended with a dinner at the Ranch on the ground of Sol y Luna. I'm not going to ruin the surprises here so I'll just leave it with this - it was a great dinner with a great show. The pisco sours helped.

Tip: Grab the seats in the front. You'll thank me later.

Tomorrow: Whitewater Rafting and Ollantaytambo - and the hiking begins!
 
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Great report so far. I had the same fears about Tinkerbell on our trip. But somehow she moved hundreds of pounds of luggage without incident.
 
Love your trip report. Also thanks for being frank about the altitude issues and how you dealt with them! I tend to be way more affected by altitude than anyone else in my family and so it's nice to read from someone that got their butt kicked by it and lived to tell the tale.
 
I loved this trip! Bringing back great memories. The altitude sickness is rough but it does get better. Enjoy!
 
Day 2: Cusco...and a whole lot of altitude!


After our introduction, one of the kids decided to show off a few dance moves (ahh, to be young again). Rudy saw this and joined in on the fun. For Rudy fans, here are the stills:

RUDY! He was a great and extremely patient ABD Guide. He hiked up to the Moon Gate at Machu Picchu with small group of us, that altitude is certainly no joke but he went slow enough with our group and it was well worth the effort.


UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_920.jpg
 
I am enjoying your trip report! Thank you for taking the time to write about your adventures. Two things have kept me from booking this trip even though it is on our list: altitude sickness and getting Montezuma's revenge (or the Incan equivalent). Thanks for addressing the altitude issue and how to overcome it. Did anyone on your trip get sick with stomach problems?

Loving your beautiful photos!
 
I am enjoying your trip report! Thank you for taking the time to write about your adventures. Two things have kept me from booking this trip even though it is on our list: altitude sickness and getting Montezuma's revenge (or the Incan equivalent). Thanks for addressing the altitude issue and how to overcome it. Did anyone on your trip get sick with stomach problems?

Loving your beautiful photos!

I can speak from our Adult Only trip from 2016, we ended up having one person with altitude sickness that required oxygen and after a couple of days she adjusted and was hiking with us on all of our excursions without issue. We did have two people succumb to lower intestinal issues during our trip that was resolved after a couple of days. We were reminded by our guides many times to avoid ice and tap water but old habits die hard. Even with two bottles of water sitting on the bathroom sink muscle memory kicks in and I rinsed my mouth with tap water after brushing my teeth a couple of times but I didn't have any ill effects.

We loved our trip and this trip report is bringing up such fond memories. Our count down is on for ABD trips 3 & 4 that are already booked (Disneyland Back Stage and Ireland).
 
I am enjoying your trip report! Thank you for taking the time to write about your adventures. Two things have kept me from booking this trip even though it is on our list: altitude sickness and getting Montezuma's revenge (or the Incan equivalent). Thanks for addressing the altitude issue and how to overcome it. Did anyone on your trip get sick with stomach problems?

Loving your beautiful photos!

Thank you for the message! Yes, we had a few people with some stomach issues and some illnesses. But to be fair, I'm not sure it's all coming from the food/water/altitude. I think someone got sick on the trip and it got passed around. My DH was down for a day or so (as you'll see on my next day report). They do provide you with bottle water - more than we can actually consume. Two bottles a day in the hotel room everyday, one big 2-liter at check in, constantly on the bus rides and at locations. If you need more, you can ask for more.
 
Enjoying the trip report - sorry to hear the altitude sickness was as bad you had feared......
 
RUDY! He was a great and extremely patient ABD Guide. He hiked up to the Moon Gate at Machu Picchu with small group of us, that altitude is certainly no joke but he went slow enough with our group and it was well worth the effort.


View attachment 337289
Zoe!! :)

(At first I thought that @EK4636 posted this picture, and I thought "Wait!! Zoe's not an Adventure Guide anymore!" Then I realized it was a post from an earlier trip. :) )

I totally understand your fear! I was so worried as well. Day 2 was bad (as you will see in my report) but it gets better after that. Drink plenty of fluids, rest well at night, eat smaller meals, take Ibuprofen, drink some coca teas, and inhale that oxygen!
I'm still not convinced I can handle the altitude... :(

Sayhello
 
Day 3: Whitewater Rafting and Ollantaytambo

I was super excited about whitewater rafting! DH was not. So it was very suspicious that he woke up this morning and complained that he was not feeling well. We decided to go to breakfast and see if that helps. Breakfast was served at the main building in both buffet and order-off-menu. On the buffet side, they had the typical cold cuts, bread, pastries, cereals, etc. Off the menu items were eggs and sides like bacon, sausage, etc. Guacamole came with everything.

Tip: They had coca leaves at the tea station. This helped my sickness tremendously. My favorite combo is green tea with coca leaves and Andean mint leaves. Delicious!

Tip: Try the homemade tomato jam. It's orange and yummy. I made the mistake of telling my hostess how much I would love to just take the whole jar. Every morning since then she watched me like a hawk whenever I was in the vicinity of the jar.

Tip: Allow yourself about 45 minutes from the meet up time for breakfast as made-to-order items can take time. The restaurant opens usually around 4:30am - 5:00am so you have plenty of time.

As we were eating breakfast and more adventurers came to the dining room, DH was still not feeling up to the day so he decided that he was going to stay behind. (It turned out he was not the only one not feeling well that morning as another person chose to stay behind as well.) We let Rudy know about DH, and Rudy told us to hang on. He went to talk to the hotel staff, and returned to tell us that, if we were up for it, DH can stay at the resort until around lunch time when the hotel staff can get him a cab and he could meet up with the group for lunch and afternoon activities. We opted for this option, and we really appreciated Rudy's effort to accommodate our situation.

After breakfast, I went to meet the group at the front of the resort, and DH went back to the casita to rest. We boarded our buses and head down to the Urubamba River for our whitewater rafting adventure. The drive was not long and it was pretty scenic. Rudy was on our bus today and we learned more about the Sacred Valley. Before we knew it, we were at the rafting site (well, technically, our driver drove past it and we had to reverse the bus back).

We were greeted by a group of river guides who would be with us for the trip down the river. We received a safety briefing on what to do in case someone falls into the water and how to sit so that we don't have to put the safety briefing to use. We were also shown how to grab on to the escorting kayak if the need should arise. Then we were given the equipment. I was lucky enough to grab one with the GoPro helmet attachment. We were instructed to change into our wetsuit and leave all the valuables on the bus. They had this little shack that we changed in as a group.

Tip: Wear your swimsuit. If you need to wear a shirt underneath your wetsuit, avoid cotton at all cost!

Fun fact: You will be given a wetsuit, life jacket, helmet, and paddle. You will NOT be provided with a pair of water shoes. So, be sure to pack a pair before you leave home!

Fun fact: I only saw one helmet with a GoPro attachment, so if you are a GoPro user, plan ahead (or be the first one in line to get a helmet).

Once we were done changing, we took family photos. Here's me all by my lonesome:

IMG_1213_Fotor.jpg

Ok, here's the deal, the water is COLD. Very cold. And it's not the cleanest water, so we were told. Not that it was toxic, but it was apparently polluted by trash and whatnot. So, being in the water is ok, but don't drink the water. Your guide and crew also makes a big difference. I got on a boat with a dad and daughter...and Rudy. You know some mischief will be had. Our guide was really cool. He's all about having fun (while staying safe, of course), so we spent a lot of time waging "water wars" with other boats on the river. I will say this, Rudy started most of it - including trying to pull Ken into the frigid water from his boat.

Most parts of the river were pretty calm. About an hour in, we finally got to the good parts. We went through 3-4 rapids which were awesome. My GoPro died right after the first one. So, if you are going on the trip and have a GoPro, don't turn it on the whole time! Save the batter for the end. That's Rudy, the troublemaker, sitting right behind me:

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When we got to the end of the rafting, a few of the boys decided to go for a little swim. We jumped into the river. Did I mention that the river was cold? Yeah, it still was. It's very creepy how you get so disoriented once your body hit the cold water. When we got out, they had a towel and plastic bags ready for us for our wet clothes. We changed in two tents they had set up for us, and when we were done, we gather for a little post-rafting snacks.

After that, we boarded the buses again and head to Ollantaytambo for lunch. The town square was actually pretty cool. The most interesting part was a restaurant that stood out from the rest: Gusteau's. Yes, I'm referencing the restaurant from Ratatouille. In fact, the same logo from the movie was displayed on the restaurant signage. Do you think this was sanctioned by the Mouse?

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We got off the buses and walked a little bit to this hidden doorway on the side of the road. We walked in and saw a very nice garden. Our banquet had been set up in the back by the folks from Sol y Luna! Even the chef, Chef Nachos, came to supervise the shindig. My DH was also waiting for me. He seemed to be a little bit better even though not quite 100%. We sat and have lunch which was again, Peruvian. I remember this chicken and peach sandwich (yes, it sounds weird, but it was really good) and alpaca jerky.

Tip: Try the jerky. It was delicious!

Tip: Most drinks are included in the meal, but the Mouse does not pay for beer and Gatorade as we found out later.

We loaded the bus again after lunch and headed back to the square where got drop off to walk to the ruins. Here's a picture of Rudy giving the group some pointers about Incan architecture and the importance of trapezoid shape doorways:

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We walked through the streets a little bit until we came to the end of the road and saw this:

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It was a beautiful site to see. We took a few pictures, and then were told we're heading to the ruins and we will be hiking! (Yay?) After a few more minutes of walking, we arrived at the ruins with Rudy and Ken yelling, "Please don't stop to shop! Keep moving!" along the way. We gathered on an open field at the ruins to hear Rudy telling us the legend that goes along with the site (with help from junior adventurers). Then my most dreaded moment arrived: we were told we're going up to the top of the ruins! Wanting to appear brave and fearless, I cheered as I looked up at the hike. I mean, how bad can this be, right?

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It was a good thing that I took that mental note of my people because I approached a few of them to set the bar LOW. I think I said, "Hey, we can make it up 20 steps. Anything after that is just bonus." We took the steps slowly. I think Rudy told us there were about 220 steps to the top. We stopped at every other level to catch our breath - remember, this was at 8000 feet above sea level. I think we may have annoyed the true hikers because we were slowing them down, but tough, I'd rather not die in Peru.

Fun fact: The Incas were not inventor of escalator...nor even steps. Take really good care as you walk up as it gets sketchy in certain part.

About halfway through, I was exhausted and it was getting harder to breathe. I turned around to look at one of my fellow adventurers and said, "Hey, we don't have to make it to the top, I just want to not be the first one to give up. So when you're ready to turn around, you let me know and I'll be right behind you." I think this kept us going as neither of us was ready to be "that guy" in the group. Eventually, we made it all the way to the top! The view was pretty amazing. You can see the town from the temple at the top:

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We also snapped a few pictures. The best view was the one of the three valleys coming together to that spot where the Incas built the temple. One valley leads to Cusco, the capital. One valley leads to the jungle. And the last one leads to Machu Picchu. It was humbling to be standing in that very spot:

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Now, it was time to head down. We were given 2 options: the hard way or the "easy" way. The hard way involved walking around to the other side of the ruins, through a path where there's a drop on one side. That's a hard pass. Dawn (in the picture above) and I decided to walk down the "easy" path.

Fun fact: The easy path is going down the same way we come up. And in my opinion, it was a lot more difficult to walk down than to walk up! As the steps were uneven and the walls were spaced out in an inconsistent way that we didn't have anything to hold on to for parts of the path.

Remember my ailing DH? He was like a mountain goat! Running down the steps with no issues at all. We had to give him Dawn's bag to carry hoping that it would slow him down. (It didn't.) This made me doubt his "I'm sick" story even more. It took us a bit to walk down, but we made it to the bottom in one piece. And once everyone made it down, we started our small trek back to the buses.

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On the way back to Sol y Luna, the whole bus was quiet. The rafting and hiking took a lot out of us. It was a good thing that dinner was "on your own time" at the restaurant. Parents also appreciated the night because our guides are hosting movie night with the junior adventurers. I admire both Rudy and Ken. After a long day like today, babysitting would be the last thing on my to-do list!

DH and I crashed on the bed as soon as we got back. It was a good thing we didn't book that ATV/horseback riding trip after all. We fell asleep and got up just in time for dinner at 7pm. We joined Dawn, Nicole, Darril, and Nimfa at dinner. Well, we didn't really "join" so much as invited ourselves to their table. We had a great conversation at dinner about random things and ended up staying later than we anticipated. We actually started talking about planning our next ABD together. I hope we get to hang out again as they were really cool people...we're like old friends who have just met.

Tomorrow: Moray and the Salt Pans of Maras!
 

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