Peru, March 10-17, 1985
In January 1985 our good friends, Ann and David Buran, had just come back from a trip to South America, specifically Peru and Ecuador, run by Sobek Travel of California, an adventure travel operator. Burans called it a “Hoeschler type trip”, so we looked into it, thought the price good and the itinerary compelling, so signed up for the kids’ Spring Break. Little did we suspect that our SA coordinator was into cocaine, had pocketed most of Sobek’s payments, leaving our local guides to figure things out. Had we not traveled abroad a lot we might have been undone, but with the guides’ sympathy, our persuasive talk and imagination, we had a great trip (writing personal checks for many expenses since we had only come with $500 extra). When we returned LLH wrote a detailed letter to Sobek asking for reimbursement of our costs. Sobek, in return, offered us credit for another trip to which we replied: “Why would we ever want to travel with you again?!”
Friday, March 8. Miami airport. Fritz's calm demeanor belies a hectic, harried start! K. drives J. & F. to airport for 6:15AM plane in Jake's car; car breaks down as they race in & is towed away. She almost misses her 8:15 Northwest Airlines flight (we are going separately due to coupon tickets). I am oblivious to it all - am already in Florida. Plane to Peru is late, but LLH sits next to a great guy, Octavio Diez-Canseco, who gives us a fabulous orientation to his country. We are picked up in Lima at 2AM by Ursula Brinkmann, our fine guide; We meet Ursula at 12:30PM for an exquisite brunch & orientation before we start our tour of the city. First stop, the Lima cathedral; J. & F. look at cathedral from Plaza de Armas.
Cathedral; Tomb and remains of this conqueror and pillager; Ursula (pink blouse) explains religious treasures.
Kristen, our rose in Lima, before the cathedral. Court of the Inquisition: Jack and Fritz gird themselves to go in. Before auto-da-fe engraving; Spartan Court of Inquisition; Some of the torture devices.
Museum of Anthropology & Archaeology. Native woman washed child at Museum's courtyard spigot; Ursula prepares us well for our Cusco trip; Plaza San Martin.
Two kids outside the Museum, and two inside; Fritz and our van in front of a particularly fine Peruvian balcony; we end our sightseeing by going to the Pacific Ocean. F. imbibes a refreshing pause.
K. and I pose before ocean & Rosa Nautica pier restaurant where we return that evening; We dance up a storm after a great meal by the sea; Sunday, March 10, Lima airport; F. & friend at airport; Plane to Cusco delayed by rain and fog.
Pisac Sunday Market. We arrive late in Cusco and are picked up by our guide, Hugo Paullo, descendant of one of the last Incas. Skip coca tea (given to adjust to the high altitude) & head off through mountains to Pisac Market; River valley where Pisac is located; Mostly natives and a few tourists come here to buy and look; We walk through the village to the market.
We stop off in a courtyard to buy bread which we eat & give to begging children; Pretty baker's daughter.
More market scenes.
Fritz kindly carried my photo bag so I could screw on the telephoto lens to capture so many apparent "close-ups."
More Pisac market images...
Young merchants follow us to our van, most of whom we see the rest of the week back in Cusco; we drive back to Cusco, past fields tilled with foot plows. We stop to photograph a spinning and weaving family by the roadside.
Striking profiles; We eat fresh lima beans from this boy's field.
We arrive back at Cusco and register at our hotel, the Royal Inca; Cusco 'Alpenglow'; we wash up and go out for a late, beautiful afternoon walk; After our walk we have a sumptuous grilled dinner with Hugo.
Monday, March 11. Tour of Cusco and nearby Inca ruins. Hugo picks us up to begin our sightseeing with Dante, our guide who loves the Inca civilization. We start at Qorikancha, the Sun Temple.
Admiring Inca work. The Spanish built a church around and atop the Inca temple, but their mortared walls have not survived earthquakes, etc. as have the mortarless, multifaceted Inca walls. Perfect Inca walls with niches; Spanish archway leads to site of original sun disc; Typical Cusco street walkway.
Loreto, longest Inca walls. Loreto through an arch/ Saqsaywaman: We head up the hill from Cusco to Saqsaywaman, the Inca fortress. Incas laid out Cusco, their capital, in the shape in the shape of a Jaguar (one of three honored Peruvian animals besides the condor and snake). These three walls represent the jaguar's teeth; Natural slide.
Incas treated stone like a plastic material; our wild iris grows; Detail of wall at right.
Front of Saqsaywaman, Inca parade ground recently used as amphitheater for Pope's visit; Ritual Inca baths located at top of hill; Smooth and rough stones at Saqsaywaman.
Pretty Tambomachau girls; Inside Qenqo; Pukapukara fortress.
Qenqo amphitheatre and quarry. North-South measure on the altar; Water speed control with serpent design.
A view of Cusco from Qenqo. Hugo takes us to export store where we buy a few llamas; We visit Bill Leonard, Jungle's (Jake Hoeschler) guide from years ago; His coca tea cures Fritz of altitude sickness (Dante's herb cures didn't work!); Tickets for our next adventure.
Tuesday and Wednesday, March 12-13, Machu Picchu! Due to confusion regarding exact dates to go to the Galapagos, we rejuggle our schedule and head from Cusco to this Inca citadel on a 7AM train. At all the stops the natives proffer their wares; we bought some of these llama pins as Xmas ornaments. Our narrow gauge train takes us along the Urubamba River.
Our destination railroad stop; Our train; Our guide, Al, with Huayna Picchu in the background (he & George Fletcher have ridden the train with us). We take these 13 switchbacks to our destination, Machu Picchu, where we spend the next 2 days.
Magnificent views everywhere!
Few tourists so this extraordinary place seems even more private and magical.
Inca Trail Hike. After lunch and the tourists (daily) leave, we reenter the ruins with George, and climb up here to start the Inca Trail Hike; Fritz signs up a new member of the Lake Woebegone Whippets; Daughter considers the Incas. View of the Urubamba river from the trail.
A far fall with a misstep! George took the roots and I got the flower of this orchid for his collection; Part of the trail we didn't (and couldn't!) take. During the Inca rule the trail had a stone wall along the edge and was paved with stones; Log bridge which Incas removed when pursued; (Last year someone fell off it and died.) On return from our hike Jacks rest on a sacrificial or sundial stone. Jack and I then go hike to the Sun gate where he crosses paths with a very poisonous snake.
More views of and from the ruins.
Wed, Mar 13: Jack and Linda take an early hike to the Sun Gate and beyond. In the ruins in the early morning mists, we meet our llama friend again. A repairman balances precariously on hit ladder on a rock; Views from Sun Gate trail.
A humid arrival at the Sun gate - view of Macchu Picchu in back; Jack and I continue along this rough, high jungle trail to Winay Wayna, a longer haul than we expected. It would have been a deadly fall into the Urubamba River below. Kids return to meet George & to hike up Wayna Picchu together.
The high jungle trail is hot, muddy and long, but beautiful! Huge luminescent blue and yellow butterflies swarm around us, parrots and birds talk and sing to us; Getting toward our destination with a view of the dam below; We are glad to see a signpost after miles through jungle and across some scree.
View of Machu P.icchu as we make the last turn along the Sun Gate trail. Little girl follows our bus down to station, shortcutting us by taking the footpath and appearing and yelling as us as we complete each of the 13 switchbacks! At the bottom she is quite subdued; Our train goes back along the Urubamba - the river we will raft down the next day; Merchant to departing tourists.
Thursday, March 14. Urubamba rafting, Pisac ruins, Sacred Valley. Hugo and George pick us up early in the morning for our rafting adventure. We ogle some roof tile makers along the way; Fritz is the first volunteer to pump up the raft; K. does her share.
Some challenging rapids; A 'tipico' repast at the end; Picnic passers-by; Fritz's suit is a little bit worse for wear!
Pisac ruins.
Pisac ruins continued.
More views and viewers of Pisac ruins in the Sacred Valley.
Fritz uses Inca slingshot, as does Jack, to a local's amusement. The Alhambra Hotel, where we spend the night; Frog game winners: Linda and guide! Next door to the Alhambra where we have cocktails & play the frog game.
Friday, March 15 - Ollantaytambo, Chinchero, and return to Cusco. Alhambra Hotel courtyard; Hotel's private museum, where manager gives us a delightful early morning tour; Mountains outside hotel.
We leave the hotel and drive to the ancient Inca village of Ollantaytambo where we walk through the streets (Kristen spends her next Junior Fall semester in this town.)
More of the town of Ollantaytambo.
Ollantaytambo, the magnificent mountainside ruins; A young boy offers to watch and clean our truck; Fritz jumps across the stream before we start our ascent.
Back in the square we are offered, and buy, more handmade goods and weavings; on the beautiful mountain road to Chinchero; Waiting in Chinchero.
Chinchero ruins; Our farewell to Cusco dinner - delightful floor show.
Saturday, March 16 - Lima; Pachacamac and Gold Museum. We drive south along the Pacific Ocean to the Pachacamac pre-Inca, then Inca, stone and clay ruins with Ursula; In the orientation center.
Pachacamac: View from Temple of the Sun; Moon Temple; Entrance to the Moon Temple where lived the virgins who made a new suit of clothing for the Inca each day.
Pachacamac: Sun Temple with view of Pacific Ocean & islands - a welcome cool breeze. Gold Museum (Mujica Gallo); Mujica Gallo's yard, a nature preserve; After Pachacamac we meet Octavio Diez-Canseco at Pavilion de Caza after lunch and go to his uncle's home, Miguel Mujica Gallo, a famous hunter and now conservationist; Young Octavio Diez-Canseco.
Breathtaking collection of trophies in Miguel Mujica Gallo's private home.
We told our children they would never see anything like this again!
Elephant head mounted at actual height, with a brace of Siberian tigers on each side. We sit on elephant leg stools.
Splendid end of trip to Peru...now off to Ecuador and the Gallapagos.