Our Travel Blog

After the joys of the Santiago (dis)organisation, we weren’t particularly looking forward to the embarkation process. We were not disappointed… initially. We grabbed our bags from the coach and walked to a makeshift tent on the pier together with hundreds of other passengers. The mass was slowly funnelled into 4 lines. We had just reconciled our selves to a long wait when an elderly employee looked at our cases and said “labelled already, come” Princess had pre-issued baggage tags for us to put on the cases, I’m sure many other passengers had done this, but ours caught his eye! He led us past the crowds to the front of the line where our cases were put aboard. Perfect!

Next we went into a large warehouse style building where check in and security were performed. There were two lines for check in, one very long and one very short. Which one was ours…. the short one. Princess has a small electronic device called a medallion, which can be sent to you ahead of time IF you live in the USA. As we were in Alabama, we were able to order ours. With this little wonder we got the short line, got served immediately and checked in within about 30 seconds. Impressive!

Security was a little slower but not too bad, then it was onto the ship. Of course the cabin weren’t ready. We were told there would be an announcement when they were ready. We wandered around a little and had a coffee and cake. After a couple of hours we were still waiting, so as a poor innocent waiter asked us if we needed anything I replied with one of my very rare sarcastic comments that “A cabin would be nice!” He gave me a look, and disappeared! He reappeared a few minutes later and told us that he had made a phone call, and that the cabin was ready! Impressive! We are still waiting for the general announcement 3 days later!

We were scheduled to depart at 1730, but apparently the bunkering barge (floating gas station) had still not arrived, so our departure would be delayed five hours, but we were assured that we would still arrive at our next port on time.

We were impressed with the cabin size and amenities as well as the balcony size which would easily fit 2 chairs, foot rests and a table with plenty of room to spare.

There was plenty of wardrobe space and storage around the cabin. In fact there was only one small disappointment and the was the size of the shower, and the fact that it had a plastic curtain instead of a door!!!

We then unpacked (well Lyn did, for some reason she declined my offers of help). Having nothing to do I sat out on the balcony and enjoyed the exotic view.

Overall we enjoyed the contents of the land tour. I think most of the group of 70 were in agreement that there was too much crammed into it. On average I’d say we were out of the hotel by 7AM and away for 12 hours. The days activities could be labelled as strenuous, especially if you include the heat, humidity and altitude.

Was it worth it, Absolutely! Our tour guides were excellent and the two tour directors we had with us throughout were very good, even though on the last day you could see their frustration and embarrassment showing through with the total lack of organisation at the Marriott Hotel.

The next morning, hotel staff were once again conspicuous by there absence when it came to moving bags out to the coach! The good news was, that after good nights sleep at sea level we all began to recover from the tiredness of the previous few days.

Once on the coach we took a scenic tour of Santiago, which was a much more modern (and cleaner) city than Lima.

We only made one stop on the trip and that was at the main square in Santiago, with the Presidential Palace on one side and the other 3 sides housing various ministries.

The current President is young (38) and left leaning, so rather than live in the Palace, he has chosen to live about 15 minutes away in small rented accommodation!

From here we headed off to the port to board the ship.

Earlier in the blog I sang the praises of the seamless way in which a lot of the transportation was organised, it seems we were spoilt at the beginning of the trip.

This morning our bags were collected from our rooms and taken to the lobby, there we identified them and the hotel staff took them to the coach. This time there were no advanced luggage tags or boarding passes.

At Cusco airport we were given boarding passes, with very few couples being seated together. We then went to the normal checking line to check the bags, the slippery downward slope had begun (even if it was only a first world problem!) The flight back to Lima was fine, and we only had a 30 minute layover before our flight to Santiago. Again the flight was fine, taking just over 3 hours.

In Santiago we had to lineup for immigration, there were only 2 officers on duty to handle all the arrival and one of those officers was only handling 1 person in the time it took the other to process 4. Next we had to line up to have our checked bags inspected. It seems as though Chile is even more strict about the importing of food, animal products, dairy products etc. than Australia. The only consolation was, that by the time we got to the baggage hall, our bags were looking for us, not the other way around!

Once through customs, we then had a “short” walk to the coach. This short walk involved taking all our bags on a 20 minute marathon journey in 30C (87F) temperatures and high humidity at an Olympic medal winning pace. Needless to sayafter the previous weeks exertions there were many unhappy and very exhausted tourists.

At the hotel, even though they had been forewarned of our arrival, there were no staff to take care of the luggage, so we dragged it into the hotel ourselves! Once in the lobby we had 70 tourists and one check in agent! Well done Marriott!

I know the issues we had are minor in the big scheme of things, but having seen how well things had been organised, it was disappointing to see how the standards had slipped.

At least they offered free booze with dinner.

We had the option of getting up at 5AM to re-visit Machu Picchu, but after yesterdays exertions and body malfunctions we decided to opt for a lie in instead! Today was a travel day, taking the train back to Ollantaytambo then a coach to Cusco with a brief stop at a market in Pisac, then on to the hotel..

A well needed rest day!

I’m still not feeling the best, the asthma is not liking the high altitudes plus I am trying to fight off a cold and something really unusual for me, I have no appetite!

We both conquered Machu Picchu today, it was tough going but we made it, and it was worth it!

Once we get some sea days on the boat, I’ll try to get this updated with some pictures.

The Main Event.

Ok, lets rename this entry. The main reason for this land tour was to see Machu Picchu, so here we go. The night before we had to leave our suitcases outside the room for pickup and onward tranportation back to Cusco. For our one night stop in Machu Picchu we were restricted to a single carry on bag each. You can’t imagine the problems this simple requirement caused amongst this group of seniors. Do we leave the carry on outside our room, how big can the carry on be, how much can it weigh, can I take two pieces of luggage as I need more clothes etc. etc. etc. may questions repeated a number of times in the hope of getting the answer they wanted. It really was quite pathetic!

The reason for separating us from our baggage was simple, we were taking a train to Machu Picchu and there simply wasn’t the space for all the bags.

We got rudely awaken by a 5AM (yes before sunrise!!) wake-up call. After breakfast we headed off to the Ollantaytambo train station to board the train. The number of visitors to Machu Picchu is now very controlled to prevent damage to the site. We required passports and rain tickets that bore the same ID number to get into the station, on to the train and into the site, any discrepancy……. no go!

It was about a 90 minute ride to the site following a valley . Agan, mostly pictures to tell the story!

Below are some views along the way as we follow the Urubamba River

From the station we had a further 25 minute bus ride up some interesting, narrow and unpaved switchbacks!

Our first views of Machu Picchu weren’t overly inspiring, is this what we travelled all this way to see!

OK, before we see the main event, the show got stopped by yet another alpaca, this time a 4 day ols baby nursing. While this was happening a guide was talking to us, then there was a THUMP! The baby had strayed to far while nursing and fell off the 8ft terrace!

Mother was in a panic bleating for the baby and trying to get down, but it was too far to jump. Baby got up ok, saw and heard mum and started crying because they couldn’t get re-united. A park warden and a guide then managed to direct both animals in the same direction toward the end of the terrace where the mother could climb down. They all lived happily ever after!!

Finally we got to see the place we had all been waiting for; Machu Pichhu. What an amazing sight.

Sorry no words of wisdom due body malfunction!!

We’re now at sea off the coast of Chile, apparently with reasonable WiFI access) so I will try to update the events of a few days ago. The body malfunction referred to is primarily altitude related, we were at 12000 feet, an I felt it. In Tibet we were at 15000ft and had no issues, however if I recall correctly my Doctor gave me a course of pills before we left to help alleviate the issue . Additionally it appears I have developed asthma, so that didn’t help. Anyway enough of that let’s see what happened on Feb 15th.

As I said previously, the hotel was magnificent, it was just a shame we had so little time to enjoy it. It was great seeing the llamas there as we arrived.

Today we headed off to some Inca ruins at Ollantaytambo. This was an area that the Inca used for growing crops. It’s difficult to see from the picture below, but those are a series of terraces about 6ft high each and going back about 10ft. Each terrace was filled with soil and nutrients suitable for the crop to be grown. Like the idiot I am, I climbed to the top, Lyn had more sense and stayed at about the third terrace.

Below is the view down from about the third terrace

In the 1500’s there were about 10,000 Inca who lived in the area, yet they provided food for around 100,000. This was to provide for years of drought (El Ninja was an issue back then!) The storage areas were scattered around the mountain side. One is shown below..

Below is a better view of an individual terrace.

Below are some shots looking down from various levels of the terraces

After climbing and descending the terraces I was a little tired and out of breath (understatement!).

From there we got back onto the minibus and headed off to Chinchero where we were to visit a co-operative that raises llamas and alpaca and then processes their wool into clothes an blankets etc.

Below are some of the animals.

The softest wool comes from an animal called the vicuña 

One we’d all ooo’d and ahhhh’d at the animals we went inside to see a demonstration of cleaning, dying and spinning of the wool. All the processes use only natural ingredients found around the area.

Again, I’ll just throw some photos at you!

After the weaving demo we headed off yet again, this time to Moray for a demonstration of horse riding, lunch and a visit to an archaeological site.

Some picture of horses for those interested, there was even a dace with a Señorita!

Next was lunch. Today we had lunch cooked in a traditional manner, underground. Rocks are heated to around 1000F and placed in a hole in the ground. Food and leaves are then added and covered with earth. One hour later the meal is ready! There was chicken, pork, lamb, bananas, giant corn, some beans and potatoes.

After lunch it was off to see the archaeological site (https://www.peruforless.com/blog/moray/) They believe this site was used for agricultural research. They tried to create variations of vegetables suitable for different parts of their empire. Different terraces were filled with different soil types from other regions to mimic the growing conditions there. The Inca also developed irrigation systems for the crops.

And of course, what day would be complete without pictures of our woolly friends ?

Back to the hotel for an early start tomorrow.

The title is not referring to the trip, it is referring to the blog! The days have been busier, or at least longer than expected much of that can be blamed on the traffic! Today we caught a double whammy as it is both Ash Wednesday and Valentines day, so there were parades to contend with as well. If thi pace continues there will be very little time fort the blog, and even less for pictures! Sorry about that, but L learnt on the Danube cruise that is wasn’t worth (at least for me) devoting time for the blog rather than enjoying the trip,

To briefly finish off yesterday, we saw a few more bits of city life (and traffic jams) nothing spectacular, we finished at the Pacific Ocen and then back to the hotel . After a quick dessert from room service we hit the sack very early for about 10 hours solid sleep.

This morning we left our bags outside the room for collection and went for breakfast. After breakfast all our bags were in the lobby, airline baggage tags applied and we picked up our boarding passes! Very impressed with that level of service. At the airport all we had to do was go to a kiosk, scan the baggage tag and head off to security.

We were surprised to find that liquids are allowed in carry-on, not the piddly 100mls you’re allowed in N. America, but a litre or two of water or booze, just like the good old days!

We flew from Lima to Cusco in the Andes. For I think, only the second time in nearly 900,000 miles of flying we aborted the approach and went around for another go, no reason given, but we made it on the second attempt!

At the airport we didn’t have to do anything with the luggage, the tour guides picked it all up and put it in our room at the hotel, I like this!

We were given a typical Peruvian lunch at a restaurant in town, then off we headed to the local Cathedral of Cusco in minibuses. For our walking we were told to take it slow as we were 11,000ft above sea level!

Unfortunately we were not allowed to take any photos inside the Cathedral. I don’t think I’ve ever seen as much gold in one place before. Evidently in centuries gone by there was such a surplus of gold that everything that didn’t move in a church became covered in it! As it was Love Day (aka Valentines) in Peru today there was a large parade in the city square.

Following this we headed off to the site of the Koricancha, an ancient Inca Temple ruins.. The stonework here was beyond amazing, these ruins were constructed around 1200, there is no mortar securing the blocks together, they just sit one atop the other. They have survived two 8.5 earthquakes!

The Incas preferred trapezoid stones foor their structures.

We the returned to the buses for a 90 minute (make that 2 hours with traffic) down into the Sacred Valley of The Inca here we arrived at a fabulous hotel for dinner and a two night stay.

We the returned to the buses for a 90 minute (make that 2 hours with traffic) down into the Sacred Valley of The Inca here we arrived at a fabulous hotel for dinner and a two night stay. We were greeted by these two cute guys, very friendly and “pettable”

This going to be a short entry as we are both pretty tired both from the travelling yesterday and wandering around a hot (30C / 86F) humid Lima. As as I said earlier we booked a tour for the afternoon to see the highlights of Lima, unfortunately the majority of the highlights appeared to be traffic jams!

In between traffic we sort of saw the main plaza, unfortunately the people of Lima like to protest often, which leads to many streets and the main plaza being close off by the police. Today we saw the riot police in all their gear and shields together with a closed off plaza. So instead ,off we went to try a Lima delicacy, the churros. As we are south of the equator, there were absolutely no calories in this. It is similar to a donut in taste and consistency and is like a long roll stuffed with chocolate! Ours were straight out of the cooking oil soft, very fresh with melted chocolate in the middle. Delicious! Having tasted the food, we now had to try the local drink, Pisco. Pisco is distilled grape juice, it comes in many varieties from plain through flavoured with various fruits or honey. We had to try four different types!

I’ll probably add more to this tomorrow at the airport as we will have a couple of hours to spare before the flight.

Dream on! A couple of hours spare time was not to be had. This is being updated about a week later on the ship! Lima is a busty place with an horrendous traffic problem! Although there are a few modern areas in the city, the majority is old and in places bordering on run-down. Lima is home to 11million people. Below are some general views of the city.

We arrived in Lima around 15 minutes early at 2315. Yet again we proved that priority tags on the bags only impeded their progress, so much so this time we felt that they hadn’t made it. Eventually we were reunited with the bags and made our way outside customs. We felt like VIP’s, there was a guy in suit holding a board up with our names!! A couple of months ago I booked an extra night at the hotel just in case flights were delayed and they also organised a cab for us. As we were leaving with the driver another person called out “Mr. Winch”, it was the cruise tour rep. He explained that although we had ordered the cab privately, it was part of the package, and Princess would cover the cost. Nice!! The area around the airport was extremely busy with cars and basses even at 1AM, white lines on the road delineating lanes are purely decorative, cars go everywhere! We arrived at the hotel around 2AM and slept solidly until an Amber Alert on the phone woke us at 8AM. We’ve just finished breakfast, and went for a quick briefing on the activities for the next few days. We also booked a tour of of Lima and the surrounding area for this afternoon, which which I’ll put in a separate post. We did discover there is an archaeological site just across the road from here where they have discovered a pyramid, details if your interested at https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huaca_Pucllana and picture from the hotel below.