For the rest of the week we climbed up Machu Pichu (what can you say about one of the seven wonders of the world, but wow!), walked around the City of Cuzco (the Capital of the Inca Empire), took a boat ride around Lake Titicaca (the world's highest navigable lake at 4000M), finally going to Lima before heading home.
Training for an IM does not prepare you for the various changes in altitude. We went from sea level in Lima, to 2500M in the Sacred Valley, to 3500M in Cuzco to finally 4000M in the Lake. Glad to neither of us got sick and while we had to sometimes stop mid trek to catch our breathes, every step in Machu Pichu, every trail in the villages in the lake and every climb in the Sacred Valley was made.
It was an amazing week with amazing photos (warning, there are many) on Snapfish and/or Flickr. Enjoy!
Some impressions
- Amazing scenery - especially Machu Pichu (of course), the Sacred Valley and the markets (the pictures do not lie)
- There are people living on floating islands (literally made of weeds) who rely on solar power for all electricity. Some of them also have DirectTV (go figure)
- For 1 Sol (their money), you can take a photo of a traditional Incan
- Lots of Llamas and Alpaca (we actually now can tell the difference b/w the types of wool)
- I used to think if you learn how to drive in NYC you can drive anywhere. Amend that. If you learn how to drive in Peru. They are nuts!
- We had amazing tour guides. Never try and see the sights without one
- Lima was just ok. Glad we only spent a day there
- They eat Guinea Pigs -- as a delicacy (no I didn't try and but did taste Alpaca meat)
- There is no stand-out food in Peru (well I guess if you like Guinea Pig), but the Pisco Sours do pack a punch
- Taking a taxi is an exercise in negotiation. No meters. All bargaining
- While many of the people are poor, they actually like a simple lifestyle
- By the end of the week, I was "Inca'd out"
