July 18. We were in Lima earlier this year, and so we were not expecting much excitement from another (our third) city tour. There was little overlap, however. We were shown the catacombs and library of the San Francisco monastery complex, which we had previously missed somehow.
July 19. Up at 5 to catch 9:30 plane to Cuzco. The chief downside of organized group tours is the extra time needed to move a group of tourists. There are 36 of us.
At the Cuzco airport we boarded another bus that took us through town. Cuzco has grown from 100,000 to 500,000 in the past decade. Not surprising: the center is charming, but the new, surrounding parts are mostly ugly. This is the view as we ascended into the hills.
We continued climbing to about 12,000 ft and were taken to a ceremony honoring Mother Earth.
The young woman/shaman assembled an array of objects, including coca leaves:
A starfish...
(Naturally aborted) llama foetus ...
The assemblage was wrapped and held in front of the face of each tourist. We were asked to blow three wishes into the bundle as the shaman muttered a prayer. Then, the whole thing was burned.
The ritual -- a ceremony of gratitude -- is a polished tourist attraction. We have no way of evaluating its "authenticity." But it worked as an orientation tool. Lunch, at the same location, was very good.
After lunch, we returned to the Sacred Valley and stopped at the pre-Inca ruins of Ollantaytambo.
and an altar.
The ruins are, essentially, a group of perfectly restored terraces, no longer in cultivation.
The site is sheltered by cliffs on both sides. Interesting vegetation:
We stayed at the Sonesta Posada. Nice, with gardens. For dinner, we were bused to a tourist restaurant. Dinner was followed by a brief demonstration of Peruvian horses used in ranches located on the Western lowlands. The animals were smallish, with large stomachs and short necks, and trained to prance. Actually, it was quite interesting.
Wed., July 20. We took a bus to the railroad station at Agua Calientes, then the train to Machu Picchu. The train descends through a narrow valley; the plants get thinker and more varied.
Then another bus goes steeply up.
Here's the bus stop and line for Machu Picchu.
The setting is dramatically beautiful:
We toured Machu Picchu. Leslie took the short tour with shortcuts. (Reference for kids: picture the lava tube without handrails up and down for three hours with short breaks.)
July 21
The next morning presented an option: sleep or return to Machu Picchu. Of our 36, one family of 3 got up at 5; 14 of us went at 6AM, including Bruce. It took 1 hour and twenty minutes to get on a bus. We arrived at the site around 8.
10 of us started out for the Sun Gate. Shortly after beginning this walk, one arrives at the classic MP viewpoint. The weather was perfect.
Inca Trail on the way to the Sun Gate, which is the notch on the left of the ridgeline.
7 made it; Bruce dropped out about half way up. There was not enough time. He went to guard house instead.
Back to Cuzco: Bus. Train. Bus. A toilet stop. 1 sol.
We stayed downtown and had dinner at a restaurant catering to the local trade.
Cui (guinea pig) there is offered oven roasted or deep fried. Properly prepared, the oven roasted cui takes over a day to cook. We were advised to go for the fried version, which is crisper and drier. The taste is unique. Bruce thinks it is really good; Leslie is somewhat less enthusiastic.
July 22. Tour of Cuzco took us to the Temple of the Sun/cathedral. ('net pic):
Sacsayhuamán is a little outside of Cuzco. It is probably some sort of military structure, perhaps an armory. Or is it a temple of lightening?
There are three concentric zig-zag walls.
The site served as a quarry for Cuzco for centuries. The granite stones at the base of the walls -- said to be the largest in the Andes -- were too large to be transported.
Afternoon, Bruce purchased a couple of much-needed rock specimens. Then we went to the San Blas Church. This is the oldest church in Cuzco. It was built on the site of the tombs of the Inca kings.
San Blas has an extraordinary pulpit and altar. (No photos. From the 'net):
San Blas has an extraordinary pulpit and altar. (No photos. From the 'net):
We are told that the figures holding up the pulpit are Luther and Calvin and other "heretics".
We finished the day with the Pre-Columbia Art Museum, which is several blocks steeply downhill from San Blas. This is a profit-making branch of the Larco in Lima. At least half of the items here were not Andean. A favorite would be this gourd-inspired bottle from coastal Mochica:
Note the hawk top and the anthropomorphic figures employed in the bumps.
These are corn roasters:
Pre-Columbian tourist figurines, cactus and potato.
We waited for the cab called for us. While we waited, we spoke with a souvenir vendor. She was 28, about 4.5'; her feet were tiny. She said she commuted by bus from a village about an hour away and learned English on the job.
Andean Peru must have many times more souvenirs to sell than the world can absorb. This is the square next to the San Blas church.
The taxi never came, so we walked a few blocks toward the main square. 
We saw no taxis, so we went into a jewelry store and asked an English-speaking salesperson for help. She went to the street with us and flagged a vehicle that, to our eyes, had no discernible signs of being for hire. She negotiated the fare back to the hotel -- 4 soles. About $1.25. Peruvians, generally, tend toward helpfulness.
We saw no taxis, so we went into a jewelry store and asked an English-speaking salesperson for help. She went to the street with us and flagged a vehicle that, to our eyes, had no discernible signs of being for hire. She negotiated the fare back to the hotel -- 4 soles. About $1.25. Peruvians, generally, tend toward helpfulness.We got back to the hotel in time for the bus to our farewell dinner at a restaurant on the main square, a return trip. This is causa, the Peruvian national dish, based on potato:
Saturday --July 23. Back to Lima. We had dinner reservations for the Central Restaurant, rated #4 in the world. The taxi, and our iPhone, could not locate the restaurant. Disappointing, as we made the reservations 5 months earlier and stayed an extra night for the event.
Instead, we went back to Saqra, where we dined last January.
Sunday -- July 24. We spent a few hours in Barranco, shopping and walking. Our shopping was limited by a power outage. Barranco was a separate town until about 50 years ago. Today it is physically part of Lima (pop. about 10 million). We finished with the Colonial Art Museum (don't bother).
Monday, July 25 -- fly back to Miami.
