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Last day in Peru

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We awoke this morning knowing that this was to be our final day in Peru. As usual, the profs went out for early coffee, and the cafe was filled with colorfully frosted cakes for Mother's Day. Occasional random fireworks also signified the day. We all enjoyed a nice hotel breakfast and then set out on foot to explore Cusco. We visited a Benedictine church that had been built atop and Incan the temple after the Spanish razed it. There were beautiful courtyards and gardens that retained many of the masterfully carved original Incan walls: We walked through the sprawling, bustling Cusco market: Many souvenirs were purchased! A short walk led to another great Peruvian meal (chicken soup with dried corn, stir fry rice with deep fried trout), and then to our hotel to repack.  At 1:15PM local time we began our almost incomprehensibly long journey home. Flight #1 of 4 is a domestic flight from Cusco to Lima: I'm going to end this blog entry here, while we are still happily aglow with wa...
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Like Venice, but hilly

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May 10th, 2025: Cusco, Peru Greetings from the city of Cusco, located in the Peruvian highlands at 11,500 ft elevation. After our train delay last night, we pulled into our hotel around 8pm and immediately headed out to dinner. The restaurant featured wings and burgers (alpaca burger anyone?) so everyone was quite content! Profs being profs, Bryan and I found a local cafe for some early energy: After a fun night seeing live music, the students straggled in for an 8am breakfast. The hotel is lovely with a lush and sunny courtyard: We toasted Ben, our very own Indiana Jones, for his birthday: We spent the day exploring around Cusco (also spelled Cuzco), a city that dates back to Incan times in the 1400s. Evidence of this history is visible everywhere, with modern building built atop Incan foundations: The dark stones along the bottom are the original Inca structures. The street are narrow, made of brick or stone, with channels for water   to flow through. The city has a very old...
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The farthest point from home

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5/9/2025, Machu Picchu, Peru Whenever I travel, I am always aware that there is a single moment, in a single spot, when I am farthest from home. That place represents the transition from your journey away to your journey toward home. For us on this trip, that moment came yesterday when we reached the peak of Machu Picchu and looked down upon the complex: So, in that sense, today represents a turn toward home. But first! Back to Machu Picchu. Our original itinerary included one day at the site, but I figured a journey this long deserved a second day. The park has three official trails take you to different parts and views. Yesterday we took trail #2, which leads to the top. This morning we took trail #3, which skirts along the middle and bottom sections.  Our day began with a 6:30AM breakfast in the hotel, then 7AM on the bus, reaching the park entrance around 7:45AM. The park is well regulated, so we had to present our passports and tickets which were good for entrance between 7 an...
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