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ChiefNWA Nov 15, 2012 8:43 pm

The Gem of South America: Peru
 
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Machu Picchu Panorama

Hello and welcome to my latest trip report. This one takes us back in time to this past summer. To be exact, the dates of July 2 through July 9, 2012. During this time period my mother and I took a trip of a lifetime to Peru. I hope you all enjoy this report as it did take me quite a bit of time to go through these pictures. I'm also trying out a bit of a different layout to this report. I will be splitting it up by days, however, I won't be including the usual arrival at one airport, departure from another, etc, as I'm veering towards more of a photo report with this one. So sit back, relax and enjoy!

Days/Features Breakdown

Day 1 - Flights to Lima from Tampa through Atlanta.
Day 2 - Flight to Cusco from Lima.
Day 3 - Cusco city tour and surrounding areas.
Day 4 - Sacred Valley of the Incas tour.
Day 5 - Train to Machu Picchu and Machu Picchu.
Day 6 - Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu.
Day 7/8 - Flights back to Tampa via Lima, Fort Lauderdale and Atlanta.




Day 1 - Flights to Lima


Day 1 pictures will include the flights to Lima and pertaining information along with some brief descriptions.

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Delta Air Lines Flight #2091
Tampa, FL (TPA) - Atlanta, GA (ATL)
Equipment - 757-200
Seat Assignment - 1A, First Class, Window
Departure Time - 1:29PM
Arrival Time - 2:47PM
Flying Time - 1 hour 18 minutes
Departure Gate - E62
Arrival Gate - B29
Aircraft Registration - N668DN
Status - On Time
Date - July 2, 2012

Our flights out to Lima included one to Atlanta then continuing onto Lima. Luckily, we got upgrades on both legs of the trip putting us in First and Business class cabins. I gotta say, the difference between Delta's older J product and their newer one (as seen in the 747) are astounding. The old ones aboard the 767's are like comparing Y to J...

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Our DL 752 to Atlanta.


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Boarding gate E62 for Atlanta.


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Looking back at Airside E.


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Climbing into the clouds.


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Lake Tarpon (near where I live).


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Descending into the Atlanta area.


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Welcome to Atlanta!


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Looking at an Atlanta concourse.


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Our flight to Lima on the departures board.


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The new F concourse in Atlanta.


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Departure area near the gate.


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Delta Air Lines Flight #151
Atlanta, GA (ATL) - Lima, Peru (LIM)
Equipment - 767-300ER
Seat Assignment - 1E, Business Elite, Aisle
Departure Time - 5:19PM
Arrival Time - 10:52PM
Flying Time - 6 hours 33 minutes
Departure Gate - E30
Arrival Gate - 17
Aircraft Registration - N152DL
Status - On Time
Date - July 2, 2012

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Gate E30 for Lima, Peru.


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The 763ER we were on for Lima.


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Immigration papers.


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The appetizer.


The meals provided were excellent. I can't remember the exact names of the dishes so if anyone has any information on these then let me know! During the flight I watched a few movies on my laptop. I gotta say, it didn't feel like seven hours.

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Passing back over Tampa.

ChiefNWA Nov 15, 2012 8:44 pm

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The main course.


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The dessert.


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Passing over Cuba.


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Entering South America.


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Over Peru.


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Walking to customs at LIM.


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The hotel lobby.


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A bit quiet on the Lima streets...


After arriving at the Lima airport we were escorted to the Hotel Britania Miraflores where we'd be staying the night. The flight to Cusco was the following morning at 8AM so lets just say, there wasn't much time for sleeping. Needless to say, we were both excited and nervous about the next couple days to follow.


Day 2 - Flight to Cusco


Day 2 includes our flight over to Cusco. The rest of the day was used to relax and adapt to the altitude change. This gave us time to experience some Peruvian cuisine and get a feeling for Cusco.

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Outside the Lima Airport.


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Inside LIM.


Star Peru Flight #1181
Lima, Peru (LIM) - Cusco, Peru (CUZ)
Equipment - Bae-146
Seat Assignment - 6A, Economy Class, Window
Departure Time - 8:30AM
Arrival Time - 10:02AM
Flying Time - 1 hour 32 minutes
Departure Gate - 7
Arrival Gate - 1
Aircraft Registration - OB-1943-P
Status - On Time
Date - July 3, 2012

This was obviously my first time flying Star Peru. I think I expected too much though. Seats were assigned, but after boarding people were in our seat so we sat in other seats and ended up getting yelled at and told to move since we were in other peoples seats. We then proceeded to stand in the aisle in confusion because now we had no seats... They continued to yell at us until they finally got someone that spoke English to help us. They finally figured our that the people in our seats weren't even suppose to be on the flight, they were suppose to be on the one an hour later. Needless to say, we ended up in our assigned seats. The flight itself was quite exciting, we had some great views of the Andes. However, it was very hard to get pictures due to the wing. One thing I didn't like though was that they packed that plane 3-3 with very little legroom, so for someone like myself at 6 foot, it was very uncomfortable. After a short hour or so inflight we landed in the highlands city of Cusco.

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The two Star Peru Bae-146's sitting on the tarmac.


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Boarding gate for Cusco.


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Our plane.


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View from one of the seats we were kicked from.


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View on takeoff.


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View over the Andes.


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The meal. Just a sandwich and Sprite.


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Approaching Cusco soon.


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On approach to the airport.

ChiefNWA Nov 15, 2012 8:45 pm

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Making the turn for the runway.


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On final.


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The Cusco terminal.


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Looking back at the plane.


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Inside the terminal.

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Outside the airport.


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Coca Tea. It's used to help your body adapt to the altitude and prevent altitude sickness.


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The busy street outside our hotel.


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Dinner. I believe (IIRC) it was beef with some potatoes.





Day 2 - Cusco City Tour and Surroundings


Day 2 was the day we did the city tour and the surrounding areas. The first destination of the tour was La Plaza de Armas, where the two main churches are located. Due to respect I didn't take any pictures inside the church we toured, but I will say, it was beyond belief. Everything was gold plated (or silver) and in perfect condition. The second destination was the Korikancha which is where the Spaniards built over an Incan Temple. Afterwards, we visited the ruins of Sacsayhuaman. That had to be my favorite part of the day as it was astonishing how large these rocks were they moved up there. Following Sacsayhuaman we moved onto Qenko, then Tambomachay. On the way back to the hotel our group stopped at an alpaca factory where the store owners described and showed us the differences between real alpaca products and fake. Overall, this was an extremely busy day.

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The Korikancha.


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One of the churches.


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Women with goats.


Same church as before.


A tree in La Plaza de Armas.


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Temple of the Sun.


The rocks of Sacsayhuaman.


Sacsayhuaman.


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Panorama of Sacsayhuaman.

ChiefNWA Nov 15, 2012 8:45 pm

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Overview of Cusco.


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Qenko.


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The Sacrificial Altar.

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Some houses near Qenko.


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Entrance to Tambomachay.


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We are rather high up.


An Incan canal.


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Another canal.


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Tambomachay.





Day 4 - Sacred Valley of the Incas


Today would be the tour of the Sacred Valley of the Incas. The tour would begin early in the morning (around 5AM) and go through about 7PM. The first stop on the tour was an alpaca farm out in the mountains. At the farm they showed us how the hide is weaved, cleaned and colored. Following the farm would be the Pisaq Market. The market is world famous and still practice bartering. I chose to walk around, visit the ruins and do some quick shopping. After the market, it was time for lunch. The small restaurant we visited was located in an awesome locations. It was right on the river with a huge garden in the back with wild llamas and chickens roaming around. The next and final scheduled stop on the tour was the town of Ollantaytambo. During our stop we walked up the entire ruin and were given details about what we were seeing. By this time it was about 4PM so we needed to make our way back to Cusco. Since we were making good time we decided to stop in Chincerro for another demonstation on how the alpaca fur is weaved. We finally arrived back in Cusco at around 7/8PM. We quickly had dinner and went to bed as the next day, our trek to Machu Picchu, would begin very early.

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An alpaca.


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Demonstrating how the hyde is colored.


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And how it's weaved...


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An astonishing view of the Sacred Valley.


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Thought this was a necessary picture.


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A street in Pisaq.


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The Pisaq ruins.


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The famous Pisaq Market.


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The stang I bought the hats I now have at.

ChiefNWA Nov 15, 2012 8:46 pm

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The town of Pisaq.


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The restaurant we had lunch at.


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My meal.


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Some chicks at the restaurant.


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Llama vs. Chicks.


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Looking up at the restaurant from the river.


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The ruins of Ollantaytambo.


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Pre-Incan ruins at Ollantaytambo.


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Walking around the ruins.


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The precision of the rock placement is ridiculous.


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Looking over at Ollantaytambo.


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The valley near Ollantaytambo.


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A glacier viewed on the ride back to Cusco.


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A building in Chincherro.


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Two children in Chincherro.


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Guinea Pigs. A delicacy in Peru. Known as "Cuy".


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My dinner. Cuy (not as a whole) and a Pisco Sour.


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Our room in Cusco.





Day 5 - Machu Picchu


Today would be the day we travelled here for. We'd be visiting Machu Picchu. In order to get there one must take a four hour train ride from Cusco to Aguas Calientes then transfer to a 30 minute bus ride up the side of a mountain to the ruins. The train left at 6AM so that got us there by 10:30AM. After checking into our hotel we got on the bus and headed up to the ruins. The first time you see the ruins you are left in awe. The view from up there is so extraordinary that I have no words to describe it. We began with a guided tour around the main attractions on the ruins. After the guided tour we were allowed to roam freely around the ruins. A couple hours later we headed back down to Aguas Calientes to get some food and prepare for the long day tomorrow.

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The train station in Poroy (Cusco).

ChiefNWA Nov 15, 2012 8:47 pm

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The meal onboard the train.


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About an hour into the ride.


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View of some landscape.


Some last minute research.


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View of a glacier.


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Arrival station at Aguas Calientes.


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The Urubamba River going through Aguas Calientes.


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More of Aguas Calientes.

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The bus arrival area on Machu Picchu.


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First view of Machu Picchu.


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The ruins.


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The guide explaining the history.


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Some of the terraces.


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The Temple of the Sun


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The Compass Stone. Points directly North.


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Another view.


More of the terraces and a view of the surrounding mountains.


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The Intihuatana Stone.


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A small flower growing from a rock.


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The Temple of the Three Windows.

ChiefNWA Nov 15, 2012 8:47 pm

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Used this as a background for a while.


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The postcard picture!


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Our hotel lobby.


View from our room.





Day 6 - Huyana Picchu and Machu Picchu



The day began very early as we wanted to get to the top of Machu Picchu before sunrise. Unfortunately the weather wasn't very good so it wasn't good for pictures. I had a reservation to climb Huyana Picchu though at 7AM. Any of you planning to go to Machu Picchu, do this. Don't listen to people that say its not worth it because it is. The view from up there is something else. I doubt anything I do in my life will be more crazy than that though because the stairs to get up there are ridiculous. After I got down I walked around for some pictures on Machu Picchu. Our train left for Cusco at 5PM out of Aguas Calientes putting us back in Cusco by 9PM. We had to proceed to pack up and prepare for our long trip home.

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I told myself I'd get a picture next to a llama before I left. I succeeded.


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The map for Huyana Picchu.


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The stairs... Dear god.


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The stairs of death. There's a video on YouTube of a guy climbing these.


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The tunnel I had to crawl through towards the top.


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The ladder at the top.


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And behold... Machu Picchu!


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Machu Picchu as seen from Huyana Picchu.


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The summit.


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Not sure I'm going to continue.


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Just taking a nap on the summit of Huyana Picchu.


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People coming up the descent trail...


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This was some sort of a viewing post for Machu Picchu.


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View from the top at Machu Picchu. This is where the postcard picture is taken from.


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View from the Intihuatana Stone.

ChiefNWA Nov 15, 2012 8:48 pm

View of a trail on Machu Picchu.


Just another view.


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A lizard.


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And a chinchilla.


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The ruins.


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Temple of the Three Windows.


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Another view of Machu Picchu.


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A llama laying down.


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The train to Cusco passing through Aguas Calientes.


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The town of Aguas Calientes.



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Our hotel in Aguas Calientes.


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Onboard the train back to Cusco.





Day 7 and 8 - Flights back to Tampa


The flights back home were... interesting to say the least. We started with a 1PM flight back to Lima, the last Star Peru flight of the day. We then had a very long layover in Lima as the flight was leaving around 11PM. After eating multiple times and walking around it was time for our flight to Atlanta to board. We ended up boarding about 15 minutes late, the beginning of the end. The captain announced there would be about a one hour delay due to engine problems so I reclined the seat and passed out. I ended up waking up three hours later, at about 3AM, as we were pushing back. I was curious why we left late, but happy we left so I went back to bed. As I woke up I was surprised with the announcement "Ladies and gentlemen, we are now beginning our initial descent into Fort Lauderdale." What!? Well, apparently the crew chose to fly to the US landing in FLL and switching crews then continuing onto Atlanta, instead of canceling in Lima. In the end it worked out and we got to Atlanta and made a connection for our flight to Tampa.

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Check in for Star Peru at Cusco.


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Headed into the terminal.


Inca Kola. Something you have to try, but only once.


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Inside the terminal in Cusco.


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Star Peru Flight #1130
Cusco, Peru (CUZ) - Lima, Peru (LIM)
Equipment - Bae-146
Seat Assignment - 1F, Economy Class, Window
Departure Time - 1:15PM
Arrival Time - 2:50PM
Flying Time - 1 hour 40 minutes
Departure Gate - 2
Arrival Gate - N/A
Aircraft Registration - OB-1877-P
Status - On Time
Date - July 8, 2012

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Boarding gate for Lima.

ChiefNWA Nov 15, 2012 8:48 pm

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Departing Cusco.


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Pulling onto the runway. It's a long run at 11,000ft in altitude.


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Liftoff!


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Climbing out of Cusco.


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Still climbing...


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Landing in Lima.


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Taxiing in Lima.


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Deplaning.


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Delta Air Lines Flight #150
Lima, Peru (LIM) - Atlanta, GA (ATL) Diverted to Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL)
Equipment - 767-300ER
Seat Assignment - 1B, First Class, Aisle
Departure Time - 3:36AM
Arrival Time - 10:14AM
Flying Time - 5 hours 38 minutes
Departure Gate - 15
Arrival Gate - H8
Aircraft Registration - N152DL
Status - Delayed and Diverted
Date - July 9, 2012

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View while in FLL.


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Delta Air Lines Flight #150
Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL) - Atlanta, GA (ATL)
Equipment - 767-300ER
Seat Assignment - 1B, First Class, Aisle
Departure Time - 10:42AM
Arrival Time - 1:00PM
Flying Time - 2 hours 18 minutes
Departure Gate - H8
Arrival Gate - F10
Aircraft Registration - N152DL
Status - Delayed and Diverted
Date - July 9, 2012

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Leaving FLL.


Bad picture of our seats.


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Our plane after finally getting to Atlanta.


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After customs.


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The gate for Tampa.


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Delta Air Lines Flight #2376
Atlanta, GA (ATL) - Tampa, FL (TPA)
Equipment - MD-88
Seat Assignment - 35A, Economy Class, Window
Departure Time - 6:07PM
Arrival Time - 8:32PM
Flying Time - 2 hours 25 minutes
Departure Gate - B14
Arrival Gate - E64
Aircraft Registration - N993DL
Status - On Time
Date - July 9, 2012

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The MD-88 we were on back home to Tampa.





Well guys, that's it. Hope you enjoyed the report. I'll have some others up in the near future but for now, enjoy and thanks for reading!

Thunderroad Nov 16, 2012 9:21 am

Wow, those are really wonderful photos! My wife and I will go to Peru in the first half of September. This is an excellent introduction. Thanks so much for posting this.

A few questions about your trip:

1. Given the high altitude, did you find yourselves very winded in walking around Cusco? Did the altitude limit what you felt you could do there?
2. If so, did the coca tea help much?
3. What were your favorite and least favorite places to visit in the Sacred Valley?
4. Same question for Cusco itself: favorite and least favorite?
5. That climb up to Huyana Piccu does indeed look steep! About how long would you say it took you to climb to the top? And at about what pace were you going compared to most other folks - slow, average or fast?

Thanks for any information you can provide!

ChiefNWA Nov 16, 2012 10:15 am


Originally Posted by Thunderroad (Post 19694693)
Wow, those are really wonderful photos! My wife and I will go to Peru in the first half of September. This is an excellent introduction. Thanks so much for posting this.

A few questions about your trip:

1. Given the high altitude, did you find yourselves very winded in walking around Cusco? Did the altitude limit what you felt you could do there?
2. If so, did the coca tea help much?
3. What were your favorite and least favorite places to visit in the Sacred Valley?
4. Same question for Cusco itself: favorite and least favorite?
5. That climb up to Huyana Piccu does indeed look steep! About how long would you say it took you to climb to the top? And at about what pace were you going compared to most other folks - slow, average or fast?

Thanks for any information you can provide!

1. I myself didn't. I exercise quite regularly and I'm 19 so that may have something to do with it. My mom however did occasionally run out of breath.
2. Honestly, I don't think it did. Locals swear by it but I noticed nothing.
3. I'd say my favorite was Ollantaytambo. It was the first place we actually saw ruins at. Lots of hiking up and down as well.
4. Cusco is great. My favorite part was Sacsayhuaman, its just unbelievable. The city itself is fairly small so walking around you can find lots of things to do.
5. The climb was indeed very steep, and at many times there's nothing to hold onto. If you're afraid of heights, don't go. I made it up in 48 minutes (I timed it) and was the 3rd of maybe 100 or so people to get up there so I'd say I was going fairly fast. The majority of people take about 1.5 or 2 hours to get up.

Hoep this helps you. If you have any questions or anything before you go just PM me!

Thunderroad Nov 16, 2012 3:11 pm

That's great info. Thanks, Chief! I'll pm if I have more questions.

Happy trails!

halfcape Nov 16, 2012 4:23 pm

Wow, wonderful photos. Thank you for sharing them!! It looks like you had a great trip.

Bretteee Nov 16, 2012 4:30 pm

I heard they control how many people can visit Macu Pichu daily.

How do you book for this problem? Thanks.

miikkak Nov 16, 2012 5:56 pm


Originally Posted by Bretteee (Post 19697187)
I heard they control how many people can visit Macu Pichu daily.

How do you book for this problem? Thanks.

Unless travelling during Fiestas Patrias (independence day), Easter or New Year, it's not very complicated to buy the tickets. Of course you should buy them before buying the train tickets either in Cusco or online at http://www.machupicchu.gob.pe/ .

As reminder, Wayna Picchu tickets cannot be bought separately, they can only be bought with MP entrance. Unlike MP, Wayna Picchu is sold out almost daily, buy your WP tickets at least a couple of weeks in advance!

Pondflyer Nov 16, 2012 8:34 pm

Seen Machu Picchu today, on to Easter Island!
 
Let me add my thoughts and tid bits to this report on Peru and Machu Picchu (MP).

I purposely went a bit early to acclimatize in Cusco (Cuzco). I had difficulty but that is because of past history. I found the coca tea which is ubiquitous quite helpful, perhaps psychologically but also because you are also meant to drink more at a higher altitude and really nothing other than water. The tea is soothing and contrary to other discussions it has not a trace of the dreaded derivative, thank goodness. Remember alcohol dehydrates, and stay far away from coffee.

Cuzco is higher (almost 1000m) than Aguas Calientes, so you will feel better after leaving it and dropping down considerably. The little altitude jolt you might or will get in Cuzco will prepare you for the climb up to MP, so that is nice.

Since I did this whole trip a la carte and on my own, the multiple costs and expenses to get to Machu Picchu from Cuzco on were a little irritating. I would recommend getting everything arranged beforehand not only for the comfort it would provide, but you would not incur the silly stuff I went through. For instance some of the trains in the schedule were sold out and I had to improvise and go early and stay overnight in Aguas Calientes. Remember getting to MP is a geographical hurdle. Maybe if you postpone it a few years, you will fly into the new airport the regional government wants to build. It would simplify things but obviously destroy the competition and existing setup. Lastly, you can only buy tickets up and into MP from the assigned Federal Peru office in Aguas Calientes. I think off-season they never turn away people. But I counted several nationalities away from the usual crop, so be prepared that it might get very tight in the future as the whole world shows up.

I roughed it in terms of accommodations, I stayed in hostels and was also prepared for couchsurfing.org; despite some strange mix-ups, e.g. a different outfit came out to meet me at the airport; it was all very pleasant. Peruvians are friendly and pun intended accommodating!

I felt it was not necessary to do the additional climbs up in MP for two reasons, it is difficult and not worth it - if it is to be a cloudy day. It rained today and most of us in and above MP hung around just to get the magical picture when the clouds drifted away (and the sun shone). There are multiple spots around MP for the proverbial Kodak moment, and often no one is in the way. I think my pictures were just as good inside the main compound at MP without rushing off to some other promontory.

NB. or PS. If asked I will post some pictures on my return to prove it all. Now, it is off to Lima and overnight Nov 18, LA 848 to Easter Island (IPC). Note: LAN has a special fare to IPC until April 30, 2013. If you are on their email, they will also inform you about their specials, including the one I benefited from, a so-called ´Thanksgiving sale´; I could take another 15% off, and include flights inside Peru or the rest of South America. Maybe it's the season, but these were good deals, and I assumed that they would best any other option using miles. Although, I would've like to do a trifecta and go to Tahiti too, therefore transiting either way in Hawaii!

Cheers, ciao, and safe flights and a nice time on the ground.

Bretteee Nov 17, 2012 6:52 am

I read that the best time to visit is May and September.

I think you went in July?

Bretteee Nov 17, 2012 6:55 am

Pndflyer

How much was your special fare to Easter Island?

I noticed it's expensive to get there.

ILuvParis Nov 17, 2012 8:10 am

Beautiful pics. Lima's Plaza de Armas is a lot prettier and greener than I remember it. Of course, sunshine helps. How did you manage that? :D

miikkak Nov 17, 2012 11:01 am


Originally Posted by Bretteee (Post 19699714)
Pndflyer

How much was your special fare to Easter Island?

I noticed it's expensive to get there.

What do you mean by expensive? 400 USD is quite typical fare from Lima to IPC (sometimes 300 USD). Considering that it includes ~120 USD of real taxes, it's not very expensive for 5 hour flight. If looking for flights from SCL, remember to use the Chilean site.

ChiefNWA Nov 17, 2012 12:39 pm

As an addition, here's the video I was speaking of regarding the stairs of death. Take a look...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ezgkaRyVe8


Can we embed YouTube videos here?

Thunderroad Nov 17, 2012 5:24 pm

Oh my. I get dizzy just looking at it!

akp Nov 17, 2012 8:52 pm

Thanks!
 
Awesome post, thank you.

Husband, me and 3 kids are going on a similar itinerary in June so your thread and pics are very helpful.

Anita

plammm Nov 17, 2012 11:11 pm

Nice pictures!


Originally Posted by Thunderroad (Post 19694693)
3. What were your favorite and least favorite places to visit in the Sacred Valley?

We just got back a week ago. I really liked the walk up to Pisac (which is fairly unpopular; most people take a taxi up, but I think that you get better views by walking up. Some people do walk down.) After that, we stayed in Urabamba, which is not a great place to visit or to stay, although we did find a good cafe in its Plaza de Armas. We also bailed on Chinchero after getting off the combi and deciding that we didn't want to visit the Inca site there after all. The terrasses in Moray are interesting.

ThatJohn Nov 18, 2012 12:36 am

Awesome TR! Really makes me want to go.

Would you pick Star Peru again or would you choose a different airline?

Thunderroad Nov 18, 2012 12:34 pm


Originally Posted by plammm (Post 19703828)
We just got back a week ago. I really liked the walk up to Pisac (which is fairly unpopular; most people take a taxi up, but I think that you get better views by walking up. Some people do walk down.) After that, we stayed in Urabamba, which is not a great place to visit or to stay, although we did find a good cafe in its Plaza de Armas. We also bailed on Chinchero after getting off the combi and deciding that we didn't want to visit the Inca site there after all. The terrasses in Moray are interesting.

Thanks for these observations!

ChiefNWA Nov 18, 2012 1:57 pm


Originally Posted by ThatJohn (Post 19704047)
Awesome TR! Really makes me want to go.

Would you pick Star Peru again or would you choose a different airline?

No, I would go with LAN. We didn't choose the airline, we booked through a travel agency as they took care of the tours and hotels etc so they put us on Star Peru. I would not recommend them (the airline that is).

sweetz_21_83 Nov 18, 2012 2:42 pm

Excellent trip report.

We did a similar trip last September and absolutely loved Peru. We had never been to South America but now we would love to go back. We also stayed three days at the Sandoval Lake Lodge outside of Puerto Maldonado and it was amazing! For the Sacred Valley, we based ourselves in Ollantaytambo and loved it. It was very convenient to get everywhere and we felt very safe walking around town, even late at night.

If you are not in good shape, I would skip Huayna Picchu. We are in our twenties and it was more difficult than people made it sound. It was beautiful, but we were dead tired after and it was the only time I felt we were affected by the altitude.

We chewed Coca leaves to help with the altitude, but like you I didn't think it helped.

If anyone is interested, a lot of places had donation boxes for the people in the area (example is Hearts Cafe in Ollantaytambo). They collected warm clothes, hiking shoes, and school supplies. The people in Peru were amazingly gracious. One other thing to keep in mind is that while bargaining is expected in the markets, these people are generally poor people trying to make a living. Is it really worth it to haggle over to a couple dollars? This is especially true when you are dealing directly with the craftspeople who are selling their own wares. We bought a beautiful woven piece that I was bargaining for, when my SO told me to just pay her the price she wanted. I was so into the bargaining, but he was right. The $40 made very little difference to me but she was so happy when she made the sale and it probably did make a difference in her life.

Thunderroad Nov 18, 2012 4:06 pm

Do the Sacred Valley before Cuzco, to acclimatize?
 
Since this very interesting thread is attracting interest from folks who have been to Peru, I thought I'd post a question here. In starting to plan my wife's and my trip to Peru for next year, I'm wondering whether we should spend time in Cuzco first (for a few days) or in the Sacred Valley first (for about at week, though no hiking from place to place -just walks and hikes we'll do at specific towns and sites we'll visit, including MP of course).

All things being equal, I think I'd like to do Cuzco first to spend time in the town before being more in the countryside. But since Cuzco is appreciably higher than the Sacred Valley, might it be better to acclimatize by doing the SC first? I'd imagine walking around Cuzco would be easier after a week in the SC. But I'd very much welcome folks' thoughts on this.

FWIW, both my wife are pretty fit, but in our 50's. We've both been hiking in high altitudes before without any ill effects, trekking in Nepal. But that was many years ago and of course the we gradually ascended by walking rather than the sudden leap of flying into Cuzco.

Thanks for any help!

ChiefNWA Nov 18, 2012 5:43 pm


Originally Posted by Thunderroad (Post 19707216)
Since this very interesting thread is attracting interest from folks who have been to Peru, I thought I'd post a question here. In starting to plan my wife's and my trip to Peru for next year, I'm wondering whether we should spend time in Cuzco first (for a few days) or in the Sacred Valley first (for about at week, though no hiking from place to place -just walks and hikes we'll do at specific towns and sites we'll visit, including MP of course).

All things being equal, I think I'd like to do Cuzco first to spend time in the town before being more in the countryside. But since Cuzco is appreciably higher than the Sacred Valley, might it be better to acclimatize by doing the SC first? I'd imagine walking around Cuzco would be easier after a week in the SC. But I'd very much welcome folks' thoughts on this.

FWIW, both my wife are pretty fit, but in our 50's. We've both been hiking in high altitudes before without any ill effects, trekking in Nepal. But that was many years ago and of course the we gradually ascended by walking rather than the sudden leap of flying into Cuzco.

Thanks for any help!

The majority of people have no problems with the altitude. Yeah, you'll run out of breath faster, etc but as long as you don't do anything extraneous you'll do great. I personally like the idea of doing Cusco first as you get to see the modern side, then move onto the Sacred Valley after that. Alot of people do Cusco, then Sacred Valley, then Machu Picchu as the Sacred Valley is closer (especially Ollantaytambo) to Aguas Calientes. In the end it comes up to you, but I enjoyed covering Cusco first.

If you're both fit and hike regularly then I foresee no problems. Are you guys interested in Huyana Picchu aswell?

In reality though, if you didn't have many issues before at other altitudes then you should be fine. But remember, everyone's body reacts differently.

Thunderroad Nov 18, 2012 5:49 pm

Thanks!

On HP, lots of time to decide, obviously, but right now my inclination is to skip it.

BigDog Nov 18, 2012 6:08 pm

Thanks for a great trip report. I have been pondering where my next adventure might take me and now I think I know. You have inspired me.

LivelyFL Nov 18, 2012 8:11 pm

Great pictures! I would loooooove to go there.

SunBurntCountry Nov 18, 2012 10:32 pm

Great trip report - definitely brought back memories of my trip to MP. When I went to MP, I did the 3 day hike on the Inca Trail instead of taking the train to MP. The hike was pretty straightforward but is pretty strenuous since there are 2 mountain passes that you hike through to get to MP. The effect of the coca tea is really to thin your blood so it will not require as much oxygen especially in the higher elevation.

During my trip - I spent 2.5 days in Cusco to get acclimated before going on the hike and that definitely helped me during the hike.

By the way, the hike in only one way (LOL). We took the train back to Cusco!! Also, there is a hot spring in Aguas Calientes (go figure!!) and it is worth taking a dip after a 3 day hike through the mountains.

Seeing the pictures makes me want to go back!!

ibdsux Nov 19, 2012 8:28 am


Originally Posted by ThatJohn (Post 19704047)
Awesome TR! Really makes me want to go.

Would you pick Star Peru again or would you choose a different airline?

FWIW, my wife and I had a good experience with Star Peru. No frills, obviously, but they were on time & the staff was friendly. They also do not charge a 'gringo' tax, which was appreciated. LAN was considerably more money (like $150 more p.p. RT).

wrp96 Nov 19, 2012 8:29 am

When I went I wished I had more time at Machu Picchu itself. The person who booked our flights (it was a side trip off a different trip) misunderstood and booked our flights back a day too early, so I only got a small part of a day there and didn't get to see any of the sights in the Sacred Valley (hey, reason to go back). So my suggestion is give yourself as much time as possible and plan as much as you are physically able, otherwise you'll be like me feeling like you went to a Michelin star restaurant and only got to have an appetizer before you had to leave.

aSiAnRiCk Nov 19, 2012 12:04 pm

Excellent report and great pictures! Thank you ^

ChiefNWA Nov 19, 2012 4:26 pm

Thanks guys, really appreciate it!

As far as Star Peru. I may have just had a bad experience. An alternative choice for the Lima/Cusco flights would be LAN Peru which is miles better, however, much more expensive. In my honest opinion, if you're just looking for the cheapest way there Star Peru will do the job, if you're looking for first class or a more mainline experience, go with LAN.

For those of you on the fence about HP, think about it. HP was one of the best things I did there. The view is absolutely mind blowing! If you think you can physically do it, then do it, you won't regret it.

dereiziger Sep 7, 2013 3:32 pm

thanks for the post. I really enjoyed reading it...

I was in Peru back in 2002, hiked the sacred path (due to some issues with my pass into the inca trail -- at the time, it was brand new to require a guide, as previously you had been able to hike independently)...

Due to a fare war between Delta and United recently, I am happy to say I will be returning to Peru in March 2014 for a second time. This time I have arranged the full Inca Trail and the hike up Huayna Picchu.

I'm very curious to see how things have changed in the past 12 years.

Note: your "chinchilla" is in fact a viscacha ;-)

Dieuwer Jan 19, 2014 2:14 am

What tour operator did you use for the Sacred Valley tour?


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