Cusco: Week 7--City fun and the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

After last week's challenging Salkantay Trek we were super impressed that the kids jumped right into school to stay "on track" as we only had five days before we set off on the Inca Trail. We all nursed our wounds, dealt with a cold that struck the entire family, and had a little fun in the city! We visited the Cusco Planetarium Monday night and got to see Saturn, Jupiter, and a few star clusters of the Milky Way in the telescopes, plus we learned about Southern Hemisphere constellations, the Inca's use of astronomy in daily life, and the dark constellations of the Milky Way that were used by the Incas. It was a really cool night! We also hit trivia night at the Sacred Valley Taproom for another solid 3rd place finish! 

The real fun began Thursday morning at 0500 as we loaded into a van with another couple and our guide, JD, and headed for KM82 outside of Ollantaytambo--the start of the classic Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. After meeting up with our team of 11(!!) porters and the chef, we headed to check in. The Inca Trail is tightly controlled with a limited amount of people per day and can only be done with a guide, so everyone checks in at a ranger station with passports and heads through a visitor center to begin. And then, we were off!

¡Vamos!

Day 1: Cusco - KM82 - Llaqtapata - Wayllabamba Campsite. 12km hiked; 250m ascended.

An "easy" day! We were on the Inca Trail by 0830 and had a pretty easy first few hours of hiking. It was just an easy trail along the river and past many homes where ladies were selling drinks and snacks. About three hours in we passed by the impressive site of Llaqtapata before stopping for lunch. It was such a lazy day that we all napped on the grass for a bit after lunch before starting out for another little bit of hiking. We were at our campsite for the night by 1530 and had a lazy afternoon and evening getting to know our traveling companions, an awesome couple from northern Cali who serve the public as a nurse and a firefighter (and they were on their honeymoon!). We all got along really well from the start and we once again felt fortunate that we had such a great group to trek with.

Llaqtapata archaeological site and a nice, relaxing hike to our peaceful campsite.

Day 2: Wayllabamba - Pass Warmiwañuscca (Dead Woman's Pass, 4200m) - Pacaymayo Campsite. 9km hiked; 1200m ascended; 600m descended. One child questioning her love of family. Knees firmly reminding the old lady that she is, in fact, old.

After a 0500 wakeup we set out on the "challenging" day of the trek as we ascended to Dead Woman's Pass. Very early on I decided that hiking with someone who is intimately familiar with the fireman carry may be a good thing. We took it slow and took a lot of breaks. The weather was clear and sunny as we wove our way around the mountain and through some wooded areas. The altitude wasn't an issue, but the steep climb was definitely a challenge and Katreina was not a fan. But we made it! I'd also like to mention here that the Inca Trail, unlike the Salkantay, has A LOT of stairs on it. Short stairs, tall stairs, uneven stairs, narrow stairs, wide stairs, slippery stairs, stairs, stairs, STAIRS! My hell began about two minutes after the summit as we began our descent down an unending stretch of stairs. We somehow managed to make the journey down to the campsite in less than an hour and a half. We enjoyed an amazing lunch at our campsite with spectacular views, then I consumed a fistful of ibuprofen, took a cold shower, and we once again napped (or at least relaxed on our sleeping mats with a great view of the valley). Trent especially loved the napping action on this trek. The night sky was amazing at this camp and we talked, snacked, and ate with our group for a few hours before turning in.

Thankful for good weather and gorgeous views as we ascended to the highest point on the trek. It was a pretty difficult climb, but...

...we made it to Pass Warmiwañuscca (Dead Woman's Pass)! After a little break at the summit we began the steep descent to our campsite.

I loved this campsite. The views of the valley were just amazing.  While we were there, we got to chat with our team of porters (the youngest was 18!).

Day 3: Pacamayo - Runkuraqay - 2nd Pass (3900m) - Sayacmarca - Puyupatamarca - Intipata - Wiñaywayna. 15km hiked; 360m ascended; 1310m descended. Knees? What knees? 

Hands down, this was the best day of hiking of any of our treks in Peru so far (at least for Frank and I). Why? Well, it wasn't because it was easy or short, that's for sure. But the combo of great weather, amazing Inca sites, stunning scenery, mystical jungles, and great companions made it an epic day! We hiked from just after sunrise to just before sunset and despite the insane pain in my knees I couldn't complain. It was just that good. Today was the day to learn about the different shapes and purposes of the Inca sites, how they were constructed, and how they all were discovered. Sayacmarca stuck out as an amazing site, as did Wiñaywayna. The Inca's understanding of construction, farming, and the seasons, as well as their spiritual beliefs and obvious ability to do really physically hard work are on full display in all of their sites. It's just awe-inspiring. I won't even attempt to convey all that we learned from our guide, JD, here, but I think we all learned a lot and have a better understanding of the people of Peru and their heritage after this trip. Today was also a fun day as the chef made Fiona and Elijah a cake to celebrate their honeymoon (which is incredible considering he had two propane burners and maybe two hours to work with) and after dinner we celebrated our team of porters and the chef with a "tipping" ceremony. They all worked so hard so that this trek was comfortable and relaxing for us and really appreciated them! But then it was a short night of sleep...

We hiked up to Runkuraqay, then through the clouds to Sayacmarca where we learned about the Inca's ritual sacrifices that were carried out on the surrounding mountain peaks.

We continued through dense jungles to our lunch (and llama) stop before continuing to climb to Puyupatamarca. 

Trent tried out the porter's pack before we began our descent to our campsite. Along the way we stopped at the impressive farming terraces of Intipata.

Our campsite was adjacent to the Wiñaywayna site and we made a quick visit before sunset. The people who farmed Intipata lived here and used the area as an agricultural laboratory. Wiñaywayna means "Forever Young."

Day 4: Wiñaywayna - Intipunku - Machu Picchu - Aguas Calientes - Ollantaytambo - Cusco. 5km hiked; 250+m descended. Popping ibuprofen like candy.

After a 0330 wakeup and a quick breakfast, our porters were off to catch a train and we were seated at the checkpoint to begin the final two-hour hike to Machu Picchu. After checking in at the control station, we hiked to Intipunku, or the Sun Gate. We kept up a brisk pace as weather at Intipunku is really variable--the more time you have there, the better chance you have of seeing Machu Picchu from this magical viewpoint. Only a few parts (including a "Gringo Killer" that we actually enjoyed clambering up) were challenging and we made it up there in just over 45 minutes. We stayed there for about an hour and a half, having a snack and catching glimpses of the site here and there as the clouds came and went...it really does add to the mystery of the site! Then we decided to head on down the path to Machu Picchu! With this path we were able to get the "classic" view of the site that we didn't get on our last visit. It was very cool and really brought the trek to an end. The kids crushed it again! After taking photos from the viewpoint, we descended to the lower part of the city for a tour with JD. We covered some of the same areas as we did on our last visit, but this time had better questions to ask. It was super crowded, but we still got to enjoy it and this time we got to visit the Condor Temple which was really awesome. We closed out the day with a bus ride down the mountain, celebratory drinks with our group in Aguas Calientes, a very scenic train ride to Ollantaytambo, and a van ride back to our home in Cusco. 

Up and down many steps to arrive at the Sun Gate!

It wasn't very sunny at Intipunku (the Sun Gate), but we managed to catch glimpses of Machu Picchu as the clouds swirled through (but not easy to photograph!).

We did it! And we got a very different view of Machu Picchu from our previous visit. The site is seriously impressive.

We focused more on the details of the architecture on this visit, and got to visit the  Condor Temple, which features natural stones that look like the sacred condor.

Final thoughts: Which was better, the Salkantay or the Inca Trail? Well, that's really hard to say. They were just different. I liked the remoteness of the first 2.5 days of the Salkantay, but really loved the Inca site/jungle combo of the second half of the Inca Trail. Both boasted a ton of amazing scenery and flora, and both were challenging, and once again we had fabulous travel companions. We were treated to two different experiences at Machu Picchu as well--one was a cloudy, uncrowded, early morning while the other was an epic walk in under mid-morning blazing sun with large crowds. I'd take bits and pieces of each experience to make my true favorite, so just like when picking a favorite child, I just can't! 

I would definitely recommend our tour provider, Inca Trail Machu, and our fabulous guide, JD. Communication was great through the booking process, our inbrief was personal and convenient (at our home), our accommodations along the trail were cozy, the food was amazing (and very plentiful!), the small group was just wonderful (and looked less chaotic than the 15-pax groups we saw on the trail), and all of the transportation went really smoothly. It was another amazing, unforgettable experience for our family! 

~Jo, Nomadic Momma and (still) Denier of Major Knee Issues

Cusco: Week 6--The Salkantay Trail to Machu Picchu!

There's really only one thing to talk about this week--the Salkantay Trek!

Many weeks ago we booked the classic Inca Trail trek to Machu Picchu, but after talking to some friends that had done the Salkantay Trail, we started to see if we could do it, too! Tickets to Machu Picchu were mostly sold out for the month of October, but we lucked into spots on a 5-day/4-night trek that would allow us not only to visit Machu Picchu, but also hike up Huchu'ypicchu Mountain while we were there. Well, this was the week for it! It was challenging, fun, educational, and awe-inspiring.

Day 1: Cusco - Soraypampa - Humantay Lake - Quiswarniyoc Camp. 6km hiked; 338m ascended; 250m descended.

We started the trip with a 0400 wake-up and boarded our van at 0500 in Cusco to head off to the start of the trek. We stopped for breakfast before starting the trek in Soraypampa. It was pretty chilly at the start, but walking uphill helped warm us up a bit. We were surrounded by beautiful mountains that were occasionally shrouded in clouds. But then, the rain started and it was very wet and cold! It was still raining when we arrived at Humantay Lake, but that didn't mar its beauty. Thankfully the rain stopped while we were there and we were able to dry out and warm up a bit. And of course, take photos! From the lake (at 4250m) we descended to our campsite at Quiswarniyoc and a much-appreciated lunch. This was our first meal cooked by our trail chef and it started off with an amazing mango ceviche--it was indicative of the great food we would enjoy along the trail! We spent the rest of the day resting and getting to know our tour companions. Our group of 13 folks (in groups of 4-2-2-2-3) originated from the USA, Canada, Peru, Holland, and the UK, and was led by a fantastic guide, Marco. The only downside to this campsite? We had to walk up a very steep hill (took me about 10 minutes) to get to the dining place and my legs were SHOT (actually, the "down" is just as bad for me). Soooo happy there was a toilet down by our huts! You had to scoop a pail of water out of a giant barrel to flush the toilets, but they were there! We enjoyed a very comfortable night with llamas walking by and stars glittering overhead. I loved it.

Humantay Lake is surrounded by mountains and fed by glaciers. It's beautiful!

Our first camp was very cozy and remote. We had great views of Salkantay when the clouds cleared and the night sky was stunning.

Day 2: Quiswarniyoc - Salkantay Pass - Chaullay - Camp. 22km hiked; 630m ascended; 1100m descended.

Touted as the most difficult day of the trek, this is the day we ascended to the highest point of the trail, the Salkantay Pass at 4630m. The mountains here made this day quite literally breathtaking, but the "Gringo Killer" to the pass didn't kill us! After a dry and sunny start to the day, clouds moved in so we didn't have great views from the pass, but we did make an offering to Pachamama and the Apus mountain god before descending in a cold rain to a lunch site. That part of the trek was super hard for me as my knees have been shot for ages, but add in the rain and cold and it was a bit miserable. Lunch was in a cold tent and though the staff tried hard, the food was cooled quickly by the wind. But our group was so great and we laughed through it as much as we could and pressed on to the campsite where the promise of hot showers, beers, and dry huts awaited us. It was actually kind of fun to wait in the queue for the showers while sipping cervezas with our traveling companions! We have "happy hour" each evening, too, which is actually hot drinks and popcorn before dinner, but it's also a great time to learn about each other. 

Our ascent to the Salkantay Pass was a challenge, especially as the weather changed, but it was still a great hike!

After our frigid descent and lunch, it finally dried out for our final few kilometers along the river to camp.

Day 3: Chaullay - Collpapampa - Playa Sahuayacco - Santa Teresa. 16km hiked; 1350m descended; knees gone.

This was supposed to be our "easy" day. We were continuing to descend and were really in the heart of the Andean jungle. Fruits and bromeliads dominated the landscape and our stops were punctuated with fresh fruits, fruit juices, avocado sandwiches...all the treats of the jungle! We even had a fun stop where Trent got to play fútbol (soccer) with other trekkers and executed a mean (but clean!) tackle on a guy that earned him a lot of praise from the European members of our group--he loved it! We ended our trek at a coffee producer where we learned all about the process from hand-picking the beans to having a cup of coffee. We even roasted and ground our own beans to try and it was amazing! We were supposed to be in tents that night, but apparently previous rains had left them in sad shape so the company put us in a hostel in Santa Teresa. The afternoon was "free" and we had the option to zipline and/or go to hot springs. Trent was going to zipline, but after hearing thunder he opted to just hit the hot springs. THAT was nice! It's a pretty touristy spot, but the water was warm and relaxing and there was a hot "shower" waterfall which was quite welcome since the hostel didn't have hot water. At the springs we also had a little "real" happy hour with shots and music and laughter...it was a great time and we got to know the three couples in our group even better. That night, however, was hell! Though we had nice beds, music pumped in the town until some ungodly late hour, then the street dogs barked like crazy for a few hours, and then the music started back up at about 0300 as the workers got going for the day. I don't think anyone in the group slept well, but we were back up at 0500 to continue on our way.

Waterfalls, river crossings, and LOTS of downhill this morning. But we had got to play and relax, too!

We roasted and made coffee, got real beds, and relaxed in the local hot spring. 

Day 4: Santa Teresa - Hidroeléctrica - Aquas Calientes. 19km hiked; 796m ascended; 810m descended. Spirits and knees needing help.

The day started with a three-hour climb on the Inca Trail. While the jungle was beautiful, it was hot, steep, buggy, and the nice pace we had enjoyed on Day 2 seemed to be gone and we were booking up the mountain. Katreina struggled a bit, flatly stating, "this is just so hard," and she wasn't wrong. Before we hit the summit there was a nice rest stop where we enjoyed a creamy avocado sandwich and some cat snuggles. At the summit, we splurged on a celebratory Powerade before starting the rapid descent. Right after the summit we stopped at the Inca ruins of Llactapata where we got our first glimpse of Machu Picchu and learned about the various "tambos" or resting places along the Inca Trail. From there, my hell really began. I had let out quite a few audible whimpers on Days 2 & 3, but on Day 4 tears involuntarily flowed a few times. I have a long, not terribly fun history with my knees and struggled trying to keep up with our group as we descended. Those "easy" parts are my absolute hell and a few times I started to wonder if avoiding knee surgery for years was really my best move. I adopted an awkward gate to try to keep my right leg from bending more than 20 degrees and scurried down the mountain. When we arrived at the lunch spot I could barely swing my leg over the bench to sit down. I've never felt so old and broken. Lunch was a good break, but we weren't done! We had about three more hours to hike on a gentle upslope to Agua Calientes. That was easier on the knees, but by now we were all dragging tired legs. Nonetheless, we tried to keep up a good pace as some of our group needed to queue for Machu Picchu tickets and we really wanted them to get them! We had some good stops along the way, included our best juice ice pops of the trek, but still drug ourselves into the little vibrant outpost of Agua Calientes. Only trails and a railroad lead into this pristine, paved town full of lights that boasts its own tourist bus fleet. It was so strange after days in the mountains and jungle! Our hostel room was cozy, but with everyone checking in at once we were stuck with ice-cold showers. But we made the best of it and Frank and I headed out for drinks before our final meal with the whole group. We all had different entry times to Machu Picchu the next day so this was our last meal together. It was a fabulous meal and great time with our new friends, but we had to turn in early as we had tickets for the first entry to site. Frank headed off to get us bus tickets as we had decided we'd enjoy the whole experience more if we didn't have to climb 400m at 0400. And I got a hot shower!

We hiked the Inca Trail for a bit--it was a challenging, hot, uphill hike and an excruciating downhill, but we had the support of jungle food and furry friends, and we got to see Machu Picchu in the distance!

The relatively flat hike from Hidroeléctrica to Agua Calientes is flanked by railroad tracks and the river with great mountain views. We had to say goodbye to our awesome trekking pals tonight!

Day 5: Aguas Calientes - Machu Picchu - Hidroeléctrica - Cusco. 10km hiked (plus around Machu Picchu and Huchu'ypicchu Mountain); 98m ascended; 213m descended; 8.5 hours bus ride to Cusco. Spirits great, knees meh, bug bites terrible.

What a day! We were up and at breakfast at 0430, in line for the bus at 0500, on the bus at 0530, and second in the queue to enter Machu Picchu at 0550. It was just our family and our guide, Marco, so we basically got a private tour. At 0600, our passports were scanned and we entered...and we amazingly got to see Machu Picchu with essentially no people on it. Wow...it's just immense. And for the first maybe 5 minutes it was clear, but then a cloud moved in and the view was obscured for a bit. We feel so fortunate to have seen it as we did. Marco sat with us for a bit and told us how the site was initially discovered by Hiram Bingham, the theories about what the site's purpose was, and why it was so intact and well-preserved after being abandoned for over 400 years. Our tickets had us on Circuit 4 and Marco led us through the Sun Temple, the House of the Inka, and the Sacred Stone before leaving us at the entrance to Huchu'ypicchu Mountain. From there, we were on our own! Huchu'ypicchu is the littlest mountain near the site and was perfect for our tired legs. While not the tallest of the surrounding mountains, it is the closest and we thought the views were absolutely fantastic! We descended and continued our circuit past the Temple of the Condor, the Water Mirrors, and the Temple of the 3 Windows. Three hours after we entered, we were through the circuit (we took our time!) and took the bus back to the trail. 

We got to see Machu Picchu before people and clouds moved in! We learned so much from our guide, Marco, and were sad to part ways with him.

The climb up Huchu'ypicchu was a little steep, but the views were worth it! This mountain is on the "other" side of Machu Picchu from where the usual "classic" view photos are taken and we absolutely loved it.

For this trek we opted for the cheap route, walking 10km back to Hidroeléctrica and then taking a super long bus ride to Cusco. This saved us $240 as a family and only required time and patience and a little more wear-and-tear on the joints. We took our time on the return hike, stopping to admire plants, birds, the river, the mountains, and a trailside empanada stand. We had time for a lazy lunch and a pre-road beer, which was probably a good thing! Once we finally got going on the bus (there was a half hour of sorting who all needed to be on the bus), our progress through the mountains was hampered by an insane amount of construction and one-way sections. I mean, we stopped and got out a few times! Some folks were pretty cranky, but we had plenty of snacks and knew what we had signed up for. Around 1900 we stopped for bathrooms and snacks (the guys scored roadside burgers) and we arrived back in Cusco at 2300 with swollen feet and ankles, sore legs, and lots of memories!

Final thoughts: I am so incredibly proud of my kids, not just for the physical effort they put forth with 80-ish kilometers of trekking up and down mountains through every type of weather, but also for their willingness to go with the flow, try new things and foods, and do it all with only a little bit of complaining. They were also super social in our group and would often be off on the trail or down the table from us having their own conversations with the other adults in our group. And our group was just awesome! We weren't the crazy partiers, but we had fun. They were all so sweet to our kids, and I'd like to think that we offered some words of encouragement to the younger folks who saw some things they liked in the lifestyle we've chosen. Interestingly, not a single member of our group was on a short vacation--all were traveling for weeks to months. I love that this is becoming more mainstream and loved hearing how each person was making it happen around jobs, school, and life. I think we all learned something from each other. 

I was happy with our tour provider, Machu Picchu Reservations. We went "budget" for this trip, but it didn't feel like it when we were on the trek. While the overall group at the inbrief was huge (like 50 people), we were split into smaller groups with guides and they managed to bed and feed all of us with only minor hiccups. The food was absolutely incredible except for maybe the first breakfast (which wasn't done by the company's trail chef) and there were so many yummy vegetarian options at each meal. They route went as briefed, changes were clearly communicated by our guide, our guide was knowledgable, and our guide worked super hard to keep everyone going and get everyone situated for Machu Picchu. All in all, it was a good experience for us!

This weekend is all about rest, recovery, laundry, and school as we heading back out, this time on the Inca Trail, on Thursday!

~Jo, Nomadic Momma and Denier of Major Knee Issues

Volunteering begins! Cusco: Week 5

I can't believe we're now on the "back end" of our time in Cusco. It has flown! 

This week we have shifted our daily schedule entirely, with homeschool in the morning, lunch with Blanca, then we head to our volunteering jobs at an after school program! We are volunteers in a public after school program that provides a place for the children of vendors (the ones selling goods and services in the plazas) to go so that they can do their homework, have a snack, and have some fun time off of the street for a few hours. We start at 1:30-2pm, do homework until 3:30pm, have a snack, and then spend 4-5pm doing English or French lessons (Katreina teaches French!) or playing games. At 5pm, the kids head out. But here's where the real humbling begins. Many head right out into the plaza to help their parents sell stuff or to hang out while their parents sell. We don't know when they finally go home, but we saw one of our kiddos in a cerveceria (taproom) at 9:30pm selling keychains one night. He stopped to give Frank a hug and told us what he was doing so we bought some of his keychains, and off he went with a smile on his face. These families and the kids work hard and seem to always smile despite the long hours on the street. We buy a few things here and there, but the best thing we hope to offer is homework help and a cozy environment for a few hours of their day. We see "our" kiddos in the plaza and it's so sweet when they say hi or give us hugs (Frank gets a lot of hugs!). It's only been a week, but I can already tell that we are really going to miss these kiddos when we leave Cusco.

Our crew of volunteers and kiddos! We do a lot of homework help, snuggling...

...and general cleanup. The walk to the program (and the playground) is steep, but it's worth it!

We kept it a little low-key this week, but we did hit trivia night with the kids (and they helped us get 3rd place!) and we went to our Spanish school for a Pisco Sour lesson. It was great to see some old classmates again and meet a few new ones. I even went to Salsa lessons with Katreina and we worked up an appetite for a nice girls' night out.

Always so much fun taking classes at Amauta! And we love Pisco Sours!

Green Point Restaurant is a bit of a splurge for us, but it is sooo good! Vegan/vegetarian menu, amazing kombucha, great beer, and a fantastic atmosphere. K & I really love it!

Yesterday after an awesome lunch in the Mercado de San Blas we did a little hike from the city up to Cristo Blanco, past Sacsayhuaman, Q'enqo, and Qochapata, over to Temple de la Luna, down to K'usilluchayoq, through the Plaza de San Blas and the Coca Museum, and into a bar for 2x1 drinks. It was about four or five hours on foot and had a lot of vertical gain...think of it as a test-run for the coming week. Everyone did ok and enjoyed wandering through some of the free archeological sites just outside of the city. Today is a day of rest and packing as bright and early tomorrow we leave to trek the Salkantay Trail for five days!

Cristo Blanco sits atop a hill over Cusco with great views of the city. About 30-min away by foot we arrived at the Temple de la Luna.

Did a little cave exploring around the temple before checking out the ruins of K'usilluchayoq.

Frank and I have also spent a ton of time this week ironing out travel plans. I may not have given enough consideration to bus schedules at the southern tip of South America when booking some our places at the end of the year, so we had to adjust some lodging plans. We are getting into the high season in Patagonia so lodging and tours/treks are a little harder/more expensive to secure, but we're working on it. Our joy of the week was securing a 5-day trek on the famous "W" in Torres Del Paine National Park! Almost 16 years ago we did that trek and even though we only had one kid at the time, we said we wanted to return with our kids. Well, we're doing it in December! And does the word, "Paine," look familiar???

~Jo, Nomadic Momma

Cusco: Week 4

What a week! We made the most of our location this week with lots of good eating and fun with our classmates. 

Monday was a real treat! After Spanish school and our regular homeschool, we were all a bit worn out and walked about 3 minutes to a place I've been wanting to eat at. The outside is unassuming and the menu is written on a board by the door and the entire menu is S/5.00 (that's 5 Peruvian soles, or about $1.25 USD). Only through Google could I finally figure out the name of the restaurant is Samaritano. We were lucky to find four chairs together and as soon as we took our seats, the proprietor brought us big bowls of a yummy pasta and vegetable soup in a chicken broth, fresh limes, and a dish of homemade picante. A few minutes later, he asked, "pollo o carne?" The boys went with the chicken, and we gals asked for arroz Cubano, the veg option on the menu. He nodded and only a minute or two later brought our plates. Everything smelled and tasted amazing! And then he brought us some cups of hot muña tea. I loved it. People came and went, many clearly at the end of a long day of work. The locals definitely noticed us, but didn't seem put off by our presence. It was a warm, tasty, filling, fast, yet relaxing experience. And all of that for the whole family cost us $5 USD total. (And no, no one got sick--it was really good!)

Can you beat $5 to feed a family of four without doing dishes?

Tuesday we hit one of our favorite local restaurants, Nero de la 375, for dinner before the adults headed to La Cerveceria del Valle Sagrado for trivia night! It's sponsored by a local education charity and we had a blast! The drinks were great, the trivia was in English and Spanish, and there was a great musician after trivia. I think we will be back!

So much fun! I think we will take the kids next week!

Wednesday I took some time to enjoy the garden at our house and read a book. That night we joined our classmates for a tour of the San Blas neighborhood. It's where the school is located and it has lots of great history, views, and restaurants.

I really do feel fortunate to have landed in such a beautiful, peaceful place.

Such a fun night chatting and exploring with our classmates !

Thursday night we went to school for a lesson on medicinal plants that are used in Peru and to try some teas. We learned a lot! Afterwards we went next door to UFO Asian Food for some of the best Japanese food I can recall having. Even the tea and lemonade were noteworthy! (No pics because we were all so hungry we wolfed the food down!)

Really loving all the aspects of Peruvian culture that are covered in the activities at Amauta Spanish School. We found some new favorites!

Friday was a big day for us! It was the end of our Spanish lessons at Amauta Spanish School! I think we've all learned a lot, but now it's up to use to keep practicing and learning. We have really enjoyed the school portion of this experience and had some fantastic instructors throughout our four weeks there (Fanny, Nury, Dessy, Surabhi, Alejandra, and Hans) and have met some great fellow travelers in our classes. We still get to participate in activities at the school for the next four weeks while we are volunteering, but I'm going to miss class as I have LOTS more to learn! I'm also VERY proud of our kiddos for doing 80 hours of Spanish lessons over the past four weeks in addition to their regular studies. Just, wow...they are amazing!

Bittersweet day! Happy to have a lighter school load, but going to miss our professors and classmates.

Friday night we opted for a little time apart! The kids went to a salsa class at our school and the adults went to a restaurant/brewery to sample beers while they were in class. Fun for all!

Surprised to be finding so much good beer in Cusco!

Saturday was another long tour day, but it was worth it! We did a tour to Q'eswachaka Bridge, the only Inca bridge that has survived over 500 years and has almost maintained its original state. Declared as having "Intangible Cultural Value" by UNESCO in 2013, this bridge crossing the Apurímac River is made with ropes of vegetable fiber and is completely renewed every year through a process that is passed from generation to generation. It swayed a bit while you walked across and the reeds were a little sparse right in the middle, but otherwise it was an easy crossing! I'm so glad we did it. Our tour visited a little volcano and a few mountain lagoons along way, too, but the star was definitely the bridge and the cultural heritage that it preserves. 

A few pre- and post-bridge viewpoints...including a tiny volcano and the Inca Trail!

The bridge is a wonder! That's Frank hanging out in the middle on a lovely day.

We all made it across!

Today? Well, we slept in, went out for pastries and coffee, and spent the morning booking tours and transportation for our route out of Peru. It's still a ways off, but when you have four people and some "must do's" and "really want's" you book early. We were going to go for a long walk on the outskirts of Cusco this afternoon, but rain may change those plans. No big deal...we are ready to relax after four very busy weeks of learning!

Tambien, nosotros continuamos a practicar hablar español. Es demasiado fácil a regresamos a ingles, así probamos hablar español cuando estamos juntos.

~Jo, Nomadic Momma

Travel Planning: Water vs Land

When we decided to take this year off of cruising to "land travel," it was in part to take a break from the stress (read: weather) you meet as full-time cruisers. When cruising, we of course had some places and people that we wanted to see, but weather always had a >51% say in what we actually did! Anyone who has cruised for even a few weeks knows that time is devoted every day to studying the weather forecast, the charts, where your buddies are, where you can get a slip if you need one, where to pick up parts, and figuring out when/where to pump out/fill up/dump trash...it's not all cocktails and sunsets! And sometimes the weather can be more than a nuisance--it can be downright terrifying. 

Wind, waves, rain, and rainbows! Riding out a front in an exposed anchorage with fantastic holding in the Exumas, Bahamas.

So now that we are firmly in land-travel mode, how are we doing? Well, I certainly don't check the weather as often! Now our time is spent pouring over calendars, tour reviews, tour comparisons, travel mode options, neighborhood reviews, talking to fellow travelers, etc. It's still a lot of planning, but I feel like time and money are the drivers now whereas weather used to dominate. For example, I spent almost 2 hours this weekend trying to book a "promotional" rate on an airline that would have had us all flying for $400USD. I entered in ALL of our family's info multiple times only to have the promotional rate be "no longer available" and after several rounds of that I FINALLY secured suitable flights for $800USD for the family. That was a crusher! But with four travelers we really do spend time carefully comparing options since "only $20 more" on a tour adds up to $80 for us (which is like two nights of nice lodging for the whole family here) so it's worth the effort. This weekend after getting some tips from some girls we met in a hot spring (yep, that's a totally normal statement now), we made the decision to walk away from a $1300USD, 9-hour trip by plane and instead go for a $300USD, 33-hour bus trip (including 20 hours on a posh bus!) for our move from Peru to Chile. We have the time, so why not save the money and try something new? If we hate it, we'll just drink less wine and go back to booking flights (don't tell Frank that I said that!).

The "Travel Agents" enjoying the fruits of some of their labors in the Andes Mountains in Peru.

We are making this journey with a mix of week-long to month-long lodgings, with a few weeks of "do all the touristy" stuff mixed in here and there. We will probably learn quite a few lessons as we go!

~Jo, Nomadic Momma 

Cusco: Week 3

Week 3 of Spanish school started with some new classes! Trent moved up to join Frank's class and Katreina and Jody are the only two students in their class this week. Everyone is learning bits of past tense which is new and pretty hard!

Our new house has been working out great. With the short walk to classes everyone is a little more relaxed and rested. Our new host family is great and we have dependable, hot showers. So yeah, it's been a pretty good move. With school being so close we all get to sleep a little more and we are able to easily participate in evening activities at the school. This week we took a yoga class (well, everyone but Trent took a yoga class) and a cooking class! We learned how to make Papa a la Huancaina, a dish we had with our host mum just a few days prior, and it was great! We really do enjoy these evenings with our great group of classmates, and chef Marilú is a fabulous teacher! We also got to go to a few museums as part of class on Friday. The guys ended up at the Coca Museum and an art museum, while the girls ended up at a textile museum and an art museum. We are loving school!

Papa a la Huancaina with Amauta Spanish School.

Field trip!

The surprise treat of the week was a birthday! Our host's sister (who also lives at the house) celebrated her birthday this week. The other classmate that lives here bought a cake and we celebrated along with many other members of the family. It was so sweet and I felt honored to be welcomed into part of the celebration. More and more family members came to join the festivities and we were greeted with hugs and kisses. We left to finish school and to give the family space, but that warmth and welcoming caused my eyes to leak a little. We finished school and headed to the San Pedro market for a little shopping and sightseeing.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Coca! And a little trip to the market.

This weekend we took a tour to "7 Lagunas del Ausangate," or the Seven Lagoons of the Ausangate Mountains. It was another early, pre-0500 departure from Cusco for the long drive to the start of the hike. We arrived in the town of Pacchanta where we met our local guide, Cleaver, and had a great breakfast with our group. It was our family, another Amauta classmate, and a group of four local girlfriends which included an American--it was a fun group! Pacchanta is a small town where some people don't even speak Spanish--they only speak Quechua, the native Incan language. They farm, guide visitors to the mountains, and they have an amazing local hot spring. The hike around the lagoons is 11km at 4300-4700m altitude and was a little challenging on the way up, but we felt great compared to the previous weekend. Unfortunately our classmate wasn't doing so hot, but she powered through the lagoons before mounting a horse for the return. The lagoons were different colors, sizes, and depths, and all lie in the shadow of the great Ausangate mountain. Cleaver helped us identify birds, explained the significance of the various lagoons, and told us about the people of his town, and he was just an awesome guy and guide!

So much beauty here! And Cleaver was a great guide and photographer!

Family pic!

Such gorgeous views...we took a lot of pics!

We were really hoping the cloud was going to clear off the top of Ausangate, but it was still pretty!

The local, natural hot springs were HOT! It was a joy to share them with the local families of Pacchanta as they enjoyed their Saturday.

Today is a day of rest, booking some more travel legs (which is NOT always easy!), and rest!

~Jo, Nomadic Momma