What a Difference a Day Makes

Twenty-four hours ago I was sitting in the Miami airport waiting for my flight to Cusco via Lima.  Now I am in the middle of the Andes Mountains in one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.  It is called the Sacred Valley.

We are staying at a hotel called Casa Andina—Private Collection, just outside of Urubamba. It is the perfect place to rest and get acclimated to the altitude so we don’t get altitude sickness.

  On the two hour drive here from Cusco, our guide spent a lot time explaining what we could do to avoid it.  He began by giving us water and told us to drink a lot of it.  He said that we should  take it easy, walk very slowly and rest as much as possible today. He told us about coca tea which will be available at all times in the hotel lobby, and he gave us some coca candy to suck on.  Then he provided us with springs of a bean related plant called mu~na to sniff that the Incas and their descendants have been using for centuries.  Here I am sniffing my bunch.

After a drive through the highest area in the Andes (12,500 feet) and seeing snow-capped peaks (a marvel since we are only about 13 degrees south of the equator) and gorgeous scenery which we will see more of tomorrow, we descended into the Sacred Valley, checked in to our hotel.  I immediately took shower and laid down to rest for a few hours.  Needless to say that I was exhausted since I hadn’t gotten much sleep on the overnight flight.

This first day has me psyched.  This is going to be a fantastic tour.  Our guide for the Peru segment is so interesting and knowledgeable.  You always hope that you get guides like him, but you don’t always luck out.  His first name is Washington, he has a degree from the University of Cusco in Inca History and Culture, and he says that he has guided about 15,000 people in this area. Meet Washington.

And here are two creatures I met as I looked out my window from my room when closing the curtain for my nap.  Very efficient lawn mowers…and very quiet.

 

And here are a couple of others I saw in the corn field above my back “yard”.  I heard children’s voices saying “Hola” and they were waving at me as I was opening my curtain.  The hotel bought this land from local farmers and pay them to grow the crops for the restaurant here.  Can’t be more fresh and local than that!