Sacred Valley of the Incas - February 5, 2007

Our travels have shifted from an exploration of natural history to one of cultural history. After leaving the Polaris on Saturday we flew to Lima, Peru and spent the night in the city. Peru is a country of 28 million people and 8 million of them live in Lima. The city is very westernized and as we drove to our hotel we passed some American classics- KFC, Taco Bell, Chili´s, Dunkin Donuts, and Starbucks. Sigh.

The next day we flew to the heart of the Incan empire, Cusco, which sits at an elevation of 11,000 feet. We visited a collective of native weavers to learn about that art and also visited the very busy Sunday market in Pisac. By the end of the day we were all feeling the effects of being at a high altitude. My head was pounding and was overwhelmed a couple of times with nausea. I was very happy to reach the hotel and have a chance to rest. My head got worse so the hotel staff delivered and oxygen tank to my room. After seven minutes or so I felt great again.

Yesterday we visited some Incan ruins outside of Cusco. I was completely in awe of the stonework. The blocks of stone in the sacred temple regions are put together with a tongue and groove construction. They are not simply placed on top of one another and held with grout. Apparently they would make clay or wooden models before shaping each rock to the a precise fit. It was a great outing but by the end of it I felt the effects of the altitude again and spent most of the afternoon resting at the hotel.

In the evening the local theater group put on a musical performance for us that introduced us to the various Incan gods. The dancers wore colorful constumes and danced on stilts.

This morning we head off to what should be the highlight of this part of our journey, Machu Picchu. We are fortunate that we will be able to spend the night in Machu Picchu and so will have the place almost to ourselves tomorrow morning before the other tourists begin to arrive.

If you ever come to Peru I would highly recommend the hotel in which we are staying right now - Sol y Luna. Each room is its own little circular building--like a stucco yurt. The grounds are covered with beautful gardens. Very comfortable and modern. And the food has been extraordinary!