Today we left Lima early for out flight to Cuzco, Peru. In Peru, senior citizens (over 60’s) get to board after people needing assistance and before 1st class. They let youngster Sue board along with the rest of our group :-). The elevation in Cusco is 11,400 feet and we certainly felt every inch of that after disembarking the plane and walking up the stairs to the terminal. Our guide David (a native of Cusco) reminded us to breathe deeply and that we will be taking things slowly today to help us acclimate to the high elevations.
We collected our luggage, boarded a bus and proceeded to head even higher up to 12,500 feet on very windy roads to the mountain weaving village of Huayllarcocha. Here we had demonstrations of how Alpaca wool was made and dyed using native plants and crushed insects at the Sulca Textil Museum. It is an amazing skill that is passed down from generation to generation. We learned that the alpacas are 2 years old before they are first sheared and that alpaca clothes should be washed with shampoo because it is hair. Following the weaving demonstration, we were able to feed and take pictures with the alpacas, llamas and sheep. They even had a couple of huskies roaming the property!
We reboarded the bus and drove for a while longer before stopping to take pictures of the beautiful Sacred Valley. We got our first glimpse of the snow-covered Andes Mountains in the distance. The tour stopped at a roadside food stand to check out how they cook guinea pig which is a delicacy here. We will hopefully be trying it tomorrow. They grow lots of potatoes, corn, quinoa and other super grains in this area and still cultivate the fields by hand. Intense work.
We arrived at our hotel, Villa Urubamba, in the City of Urubamba (a Quechuan word that translates to “flat land of spiders”). We will be staying here two nights at an elevation of 9,000 feet. The grounds are beautiful, with ponds, trees and well-maintained landscaping. Dinner was at the hotel. David, our tour leader, arranged for a musician friend of his to come in and play for us. He played four or five different local instruments featuring native Peruvian songs as well as 60’s & 70’s pop tunes. We ended the evening with a nice view of the full beaver supermoon, the biggest and brightest full moon of the year.
Cusco and drive to Huayllarcocha
Sulca Textil Museum
Sacred Valley and Guinea Pig
Villa Urubamba Hotel
