Travels with Beth & Chris
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Making our way to Sleeping Bear Dunes
After much anxiousness because of our truck, we finally made it on the road Friday afternoon. On Wednesday afternoon, our truck had a "check engine" light come on and the code was a transmission issue. needless to say, we can't have that towing the trailer, so Thursday we got a few opinions on it and finally the dealership tells us that once that light comes on, the truck does a diagnostic on its own and then 'fixes' the problem. Well, that seemed to work We have had no problems with it other than the stupid light came on again, and we drove all of the way to northern Indiana like that with no issues. Now it is off again - go figure.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Christmas Eve & Christmas in Lima
Our StarPeru plane and the volcano! |
Colca Canyon Sidetrip from Arequipa
We went for an overnight stay to the Colca Canyon outside of Arequipa. Colca Canyon It is supposed to be a lot deeper and wider than the Grand Canyon. It was really a nice side trip plus there was a viewing area that is famous because the Condor's nest there. We were sooooooo lucky because we got to see somewhere around 10 condors flying around and it was amazing. The pictures will show you the scenery while in the Canyon. Pictures on the way there and back are in the post below. The llama you see pics of was one who hung out at our hotel in Coporaque. The other pics were ones we took from Arequipa to the Canyon and back. Arequipa to Canyon and return Notice the snow and volcanoes. We saw a lot of wildlife also. The light colored animals are Vicuna.
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Condor in flight |
Why do I have to stay outside? |
Arequipa & Guinea Pig!
Ocopa Arepiquena - Appetizer |
Everyone we know who has travelled to Peru (except the Peruvians) have told us we needed to try the Guinea Pig (Cuy). Our last night in Arequipa we ordered two of the most famous dishes which are Chupe de Camarones (a Shrimp Stew) and Cuy. We also had a traditional potato appetizer. During dinner, there was also local Andean music. It was nice except both of us had upset stomachs on Christmas Eve. Some Peruvians said it was because it was probably too spicy, but it was not spicy at all (maybe a problem). Oh well - we enjoyed it when we ate it!
Chupa de Camarones |
Chris eating his Cuy! |
Adobo de Cuy - Otherwise known as Guinea Pig! |
Arequipa, Peru & the Santa Catalina Monasterio
The attached pics were mainly taken while walking around Arequipa. One of the main tourist sites in Arequipa, which the Peruvians call the White City, is the Santa Catalina Monastery. Santa Catalina Monastery Historically, many local families sent their daughters there to the Convent along with servants, etc., so they were cloistered but lived fairly well. Today it is home to a small number of nuns, but the main part of the Convent is open to tourism. The pictures will show you how great it was: Pictures of the Santa Catalina Monastery Arequipa's historic district is full of colonial homes and lots of Spanish architecture. As you notice, Beth LOVES the alleyways and doorways in the old city. Arequipa Photos We left Arequipa on Christmas Eve to head to Lima to spend Noche Bueno y la Navidad with Beth's friend Fabrizio's family. Before we left though, we had to take a picture with Santa Claus in the Plaza in Arequipa.
Travelling from Cusco to Arequipa
We've had a busy couple of days, so we didn't get time to post. so, now to catch up! We spent the last day in Cusco going to the Mercado de Artesanias to get some of you Christmas presents! We really liked Cusco a lot and it reminded us of Oaxaca, Mexico, which is one of our favorite cities in the world. From Cusco to Arequipa we took the Bus Cama or in English the overnight sleeping bus which you can see in the picture on the left here. It was a great double decker bus with the seats/bed section on the bottom. The only problem is that it wasn't made for folks as tall as Chris, so he had to do some body contortion to fit into his space and sleep. The company was called Cruz del Sur: Cruz del Sur Other than that, when we woke up in the morning we were in Arequipa.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Valle Sagrado - "The Sacred Valley"
Terraces of Pisaq behind us |
Borrachos in the parade! |
Ollantaytambo |
Our last stop was at Chinchero and we had an exhibition by some local women who showed how they spun and dyed the alpaca wool. They also demonstrated some weaving and then we got a chance to shop. We bought the table runner they were demonstrating!
Weavers of Chinchero |
Enjoy!!
Machu Picchu
On Saturday we got up at 5am to leave the hotel by 6am to catch the train for a 3 1/2 hour ride to Machu Picchu (Aguas Calientes). We got tickets for the Vistadome train car - it was really nice and first class service as you can see by the pictures here. Once we arrived in Aguas Calientes, we took a bus to the entrance to the ruins. You only walk about 3-5 minutes and you immediately see the ruins. We could talk a lot about them, but really looking at the pictures is the way to go. Click on this link to our Picasa album for our pictures: Machu Picchu Pics
The only thing bad was that Beth wasn't feeling well. She started out with stomach problems in the morning and made it through Machu Picchu but felt bad the entire time. By the time we got back to Cusco, she had more of a fever and still a little sick, but 9 hours sleep helped!
We hope you enjoy the pictures!!
Our Breakfast on the Train |
Chris next to our Vistadome Car |
We hope you enjoy the pictures!!
Friday, December 16, 2011
Food Viewings and Our first strange food for Dinner
Tonight we went to a restaurant recommended by our friends Ernesto & Priscilla - the Inka Grill. It was great. We started out with Beth having a Pisco Sour and Chris had a Cusqueno beer (glad the altitude issue is gone so we can drink!). For Beth's main course, she had a Lamb dish that was a leg of lamb with a tomato type sauce served with mashed potatoes and a nice little salad made of arugula and julienned tomatoes in an oil and vinegar dressing. Chris stepped out and ordered ALPACA medallions. It really didn't taste much different than beef - maybe a little gamier. That plate came with a timbale of quinoa slices with mushroom ragout and greens in the middle and argula on top. We finished it off with decaf coffee and a nice walk back to our hotel. We went by the market today also, but wasn't too hungry after we saw our friend pictured here.
By the way, the hotel we are at is the Orquidea Real Hostal Cusco It is in a great location.
Off to bed because tomorrow is Machu Picchu!!
YUMMY!!! |
Off to bed because tomorrow is Machu Picchu!!
Cusco Day 2
We just spent a nice day doing a city tour of Cusco and walking around. What a beautiful place; it reminds us a lot of the sites we've seen in Mexico. Enjoy the pictures on our Picasa site.https://picasaweb.google.com/BethsPottery/Cusco?authuser=0&feat=directlink
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