Around the world in 108 days

February 1, 2015

We’re back! Our journey from Guayaquil to Machu Picchu involved 4 days and there were so many amazing sites and locations along the way I’ve decided to break it down by day with a few postings. We are now at sea for 4 days making our way to Easter Island, so I will have plenty of time to work on this. Rick’s pictures have been so wonderful it is hard to pick which ones to include!

As I said we are making our way to Easter Island, our first stop on the second leg of our trip. The first 16 days flew by. We have met some wonderful people, most who have done multiple World Cruises. We are part of a small group of “rookies”. It is so interesting meeting people from all over the US, and the world who share a love of travel. I have found a Maj Jong group and we play each afternoon on sea days. I will become an expert on the 2014 card…and when I return home in May, I’ll have a new card to play for 2015! We’ve had some interesting lecturers on board and have enjoyed their topics, plus we’ve taken some computer and IPad courses. I’m really enjoying the photo editing classes. All told, we are looking forward to our new adventures over the next couple weeks as we make our way to Auckland, New Zealand which will complete the second segment.

OUR JOURNEY TO MACHU PICCHU

On January 27 we flew from Guayaquil, Ecuador to Lima, Peru. Our flight was in the late afternoon, so we arrived at our hotel at 10:00pm. The night is just beginning at that time in South America, so there was a 3 course Peruvian dinner waiting for us when we arrived. Our hotels were spectacular, but we did not have long to enjoy this first one.

The following morning we were up and on our way to the Lima airport for our flight to Cusco only to find out our flight was 2 hours delayed! Luckily, we had the best tour guide we have ever had, and while we waited he was able to completely rearrange the schedule for the day, so that we were able to still see all the sights planned when we landed.

Cusco is a city in southeastern Peru, near Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region. It has a population close to 500,000. Cusco was the site of the historic capital of the Inca Empire and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1983 by UNESCO. The elevation is 11,000 feet and we could immediately feel the change when we landed. One of the dangers for those not used to high elevations is altitude sickness and several of our fellow passengers experienced mild to severe symptoms as the day wore on. The purpose of staying overnight in Cusco is to help our bodies adjust before continuing to Machu Picchu the next day.

We started our tour of the city visiting the Convento De Santo Domingo Del Cusco. The convent sits on what was once one of the most important temples in the expansive Inca Empire, Oorikancha. Translated it means The Temple of the Sun. After being taken over by the Spanish the land was given to a group of Dominican Priest in the around 1534. The building began and materials from the Temple were incorporated into the Convent which was consecrated in 1633. The huge earthquake in 1950 crumbled parts of the Convent revealing many of the Temple walls. We were able to see the beautiful architecture of the church, as well as see many of the original Inca walls used within the structure. The gardens and grounds were spectacular. It served as our first insight into how advanced the Inca people were in Math and Engineering
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Our next stop was the Basilica Cathedral located on the city’s main plaza. It plays a huge role in the lives of the Cusco citizens. Unfortunately, photographs were not permitted inside the church, but it is beautiful with multiple chapels, each adorned in different ways. The main alter was completely built of silver. After a devastating earthquake with 300 aftershocks, the parishioners gathered at the church which remained standing, and prayed to a particular crucifix. The aftershocks stopped cementing the belief of the power in that cross. Now whenever there is an event affecting the well being of the city, the citizens gather at the church to pray at the foot of the cross.

Once we left the Cathedral several members of our group, including me, were experiencing headaches and tiredness. Those that wanted to went on to the hotel and the few remaining hearty souls went to the Inca ruins, Saqsayhaman, outside of town. The location of it, high above the city, afforded Rick some great Kodak moments. (I took some Advil and a nap at the hotel.) The good news is by dinner time I felt fine.

Again our hotel was outstanding. Both hotels are part of the Belmond Group. We walked next door to a wonderful restaurant for our first taste of baby alpaca! It tasted similar to lamb. We also enjoyed a special Peruvian cocktail called a Pisco Sour….Yummy!

Enjoy the pictures. More tomorrow.

Convento De Santo domingo Del Cusco

Looking into the courtyard

Paintings on walkway walls

View of Cusco from the Convent balcony

Convent gardens

Looking at a temple wall that was revealed after the earthquake.
The windows are positioned so that you can see all the way through
4 walls....without levels or tape measures!!