In summary, a trip of a lifetime. Ended up with a real bad cold, which I am suffering trough now, but again well worth it. Traveled from Sea Level to 13,000 ft high in the Andes Mountains, then to 9000 in Machu Picchu, then to 10,000 in Cuzco, then to Sea level in the Galapagos, back to 10,000 in Quito. The different levels really were telling when climbing Machu Picchu, but we made it. In all we took 9 Flights in 17 days. Finally, instead of doing the gym to loose weight, try one of these trip ..I lost 10 pounds in 17 days of hiking … fun Summary: Day 1 - Oct 14, 2014 we arrived Lima, Peru We explored the city’s streets and architecture— evidence of the city’s Spanish heritage—from its main square, Jiron de la Union, to the Lima Cathedral. We visited Lima’s National Museum of Archaeology, Anthropology, and history of Peru at Bolivar Square Day 2 - Oct 15, 2014 Lima • Flew to Cuzco • Explored Chinchero —at an elevation of 12,500 feet & the Sacred Valley in the town of URUBAMBA. This is the Incan world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Day 3 - Oct 16, 2014 Sacred Valley • Explored Ollantaytambo Ruins the massive Inca fortress of Ollantaytambo. This is one of the few places where the Spanish lost a battle during the conquest of Peru. In 1536, the army of Manco Inca held off a Spanish invasion company led by Hernando Pizarro. Day 4 - Oct 17, 2014 Train ride through Urubamba Gorge • Explored Machu Picchu. The train took us to the town of Aguas Calientes, from which we then drove to the ruins. “Lost City of the Incas,” which was discovered in 1911 by Yale archaeologist Hiram Bingham. Subsequent discoveries (such as Bingham’s later unearthing of the Inca Trail and the 1941 discovery of nearby Huayna Picchu) suggest that Machu Picchu was not simply a “lost city” but part of a whole “lost region.” More than 172 tombs have been excavated. We explored the Ritual Baths, the Palace of the Princess, the Main Fountain, and the Temple of the Sun. Day 5 - Oct 18, 2014 Explore Machu Picchu 2nd day in Machu Picchu we did 2 of the 3 tough hikes. One was to the Inca Bridge, where a trail built with impressive Inca engineering crosses a cliff face. In one spot, the Incas left a deep gap, which they bridged with logs that could be removed to render the trail impassable to enemies. Points of the trail to the bridge were only 3 feet wide with rock wall on one side and a 1000 foot drop on the other, scary. Then we climbed to the Sun Gate which gave us a fine view over looking the Machu Picchu ruins. Day 6 - Oct 19, 2014 Explored the Inca Marvels of Tipon, located south of Cuzco with well-preserved ancient agricultural terraces and an Incan irrigation system whose canals still carry water. Day 7 - Oct 20, 2014 Explore Sacsayhuaman • Curandero ceremony The massive Sacsayhuaman fortress set on a hilltop overlooking Cuzco. Its double-zigzag wall is said to symbolize a puma’s teeth, and at one time, there were three immense towers and a labyrinth of rooms large enough to garrison 5,000 Inca soldiers. The Inca workers built its walls entirely by hand, securely fitting boulders weighing as much as 125 tons without a drop of mortar. Day 8 and 9- Oct 21, 2014 Flew to Quito In Quito, we visited the 16th-century Monastery of San Francisco. And a day of rest Day 10 – 15 Oct 23 thru Oct 27, 2014 Flew to the Galápagos • Embark on Galápagos cruise on the ARCHIPEL II GALAPAGOS CRUISE 80 foot Catamaran. On the Cat, 3 of the 4 days were calm, but when the Cat ended up in the open water, what a rough ride!!!! The Galapagos is an enchanted Pacific archipelago that straddles the equator some 600 miles west of Ecuador’s coast, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We cruised and explored four (4) of the many Galápagos Islands. We saw all different wildlife including land and marine iguanas, exotic birds such as blue-footed and masked boobies, Giant tortoise, sea turtles, rare fur sea lions that were once on the verge of extinction, oyster-catchers, blue herons, frigate birds, yellow-crowned night herons, and Penguins . We also snorkeled among sea lions, penguins and many different colorful tropical fish. We went to the Research Station and learned about the ecological studies and the giant Galápagos tortoise-breeding program. Finally, we disembarked the ship and flew from the Galápagos via Guayaquil back to Quito. The following day we flew home.
Posted on: Thu, 30 Oct 2014 12:28:33 +0000
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