The Sacred Valley

Friday, March 15th

Urubamba, Peru

OK, we made it, but where to exactly, and how high is it???

We flew into the ancient Inka capital of Cusco.  It is an historical and archeological destination in its own right, but it is most famous as the gateway to Machu Picchu, and the trailhead of the Inka Trail.  Cusco is 11,000 feet above sea level, and altitude sickness is a concern.

The altitude is a minor annoyance for most, a major source of discomfort for some, and can sometimes be really dangerous.  We are hale and hardy, not unaffected, but not mightily suffering either.  It has been described as a hangover, and that's pretty accurate.  We have mild headaches, some stomach uneasiness, and occasional dizziness and shortness of breath.

Machu Picchu is at about 8,000 feet above sea level, still a Rocky Mountain High, but much more manageable.  In fact, that is about the elevation of Aspen.

We decided to stay somewhere in the middle, both in terms of geography and elevation.  The Sacred Valley lies between Cusco and Machu Picchu, running along the Urubamba River.  The town of Urubamba is the heart of the valley, at an elevation of about 9,500 feet above sea level, and the home of the Inka del Tambo Resort and Spa.

Many thanks to Dave and Jimmy for the recommendation, now one of our top five favorite accommodations worldwide.  It is both authentically Peruvian and luxuriously comfortable.  The award-winning architecture complements the valley without dominating it.  It is modern and yet firmly rooted in the history of the Inkas.  And the spectacular setting is just the stage for first class hospitality.

We arrived to a warm welcome and a cup of coca tea in the lobby, the local remedy for altitude sickness.  It's a loose leaf tea made with the whole leaves of the coca plant.  Yes, that is the same plant from which cocaine is derived.  No, it doesn't make you high, though it is a stimulant and is not recommended before bed.  It's technically not legal to travel with.  And, it tastes awful.

We followed that with lunch al fresco overlooking the river, and our obligatory club sandwich, a tradition of international travel.  This was a very fine version.

CLUB SÁNDWICH 

Pollo al grill, jamón, queso Edam, tocino, huevo, tomate y lechuga en pan blanco o integral.

White o wheat bread, grilled chicken breast, ham, Edam cheese, bacon, fried egg, tomatoes and lettuce.

The room has a sense of place and calm.

A nap, a swim in the indoor/outdoor pool, and a soak in the hot tub finished out the afternoon.

Dinner at Restaurante Hawa was a more traditional affair.  Ceviche, raw fresh fish brisk with lime, spiked with chili, and garnished with Andean produce is the national dish.  This one with locally farmed trout was outstanding.  As was Peruvian meat and potatoes, in the form of a stir-fry and a stew.  Tough in texture, tender in flavor.

CEVICHE DE TRUCHA DE LAS ALTURAS

TROUT CEVICHE

Leche de tigre con sabores andinos, camote, papa, cochayuyo a 3000 msnm, cebolla y ajíes peruanos. Andean marinade flavors, sweet potato, potatoes and cochayuyo grown to 3000 meters above sea level, onion, chili.

TRADICIONAL LOMO SALTADO AHUMADO

TRADITIONAL PERUVIAN SAUTÉED BEEF DICES

Cebolla, tomate, culantro, ají amarillo, salsa de carne, soya y  vinagre, arroz y papas huayro fritas. Onion, tomato, coriander, yellow chili, soy sauce, vinegar, rice and fried huayro potatoes.

PACHAMANCA CUSQUEÑA COCCIÓN ANCESTRAL

INKA´S STYLE PACHAMANCA Cordero, pollo, alpaca, choclo, camote, olluco, papas andinas, zapallo, habas y col, aderezados con hierbas andinas y ajíes peruanos. Lamb, chicken, alpaca loin, sweet potatoes, olluco, andean potatoes, pumpkin, broad beans and cabbage seasoned with aromatic herbs and peruvian chili.

(Photos courtesy of El Tambo.)

Next Stop:  Machu Picchu

Lost City of the Incas

Thursday, March 14th
In The Air

Inka or Inca?  Cusco or Cuzco?  Both, Neither?  In(c/k)a society was highly advanced, including a complicated three dimensional method of communication using long strands of colored string tied in knots, but they did not have a written language.  In a spelling protocol only Tres could appreciate, many authors use multiple spellings for the same word in the same document.  There is also some revisionist linguistic history going on here, a repudiation of colonial subjugation and bastardization of indigenous languages.  So, we don't know what was, is, or should be correct.

Hiram Bingham of Yale University is credited with (re)discovering Machu Picchu in 1911.  It was never really lost, exactly.  It was sparsely inhabited and the terraces were being farmed when he was guided to it by a local.  It was, however, never discovered or ransacked by the Spanish conquistadors, and thus was not a part of the historical record known by the rest of the world.  Bingham himself did not fully appreciate the significance of the find at the time.  It was not until he returned for further exploration and excavation in 1912 and 1914 that the magnitude and archeological value of the discovery became apparent.

Bingham published multiple academic papers on Machu Picchu, and was regularly published in National Geographic, which sponsored many of his expeditions.  The April, 1913 edition of the magazine was a special expanded edition devoted entirely to Machu Picchu, and included more than 250 pictures and a triple-fold-out poster.  Bingham spent the rest of his life trying to put Machu Picchu, and the discovery of it, into proper context.  Lost City of the Incas, originally published in 1952, nearly forty years after the most important day of his life, was his final attempt to do so.  It has sparked our sense of adventure, and will inform our own exploration.

This edition includes an introduction written by Hugh Thompson, an accomplished explorer himself, and provides the perspective achieved over an additional sixty years of research and understanding.  "All explorers operate in a continual mist of rumor and half-truth, and cutting through to the reality takes commitment."

This is the rainy season in Machu Picchu, so we are going to embrace the mist.

In more general terms, we are relying on Frommer's Easy Guide to Lima, Cusco, and Machu Picchu for reference and guidance.

Americas Connection

Wednesday, March 13th
Los Angeles, CA

Well, we are on our way again.  Another bucket, another list, another trip.

We took an afternoon flight...

     SEA - LAX
     Alaska Flight #1428
     Departing 3:55 PM
     Arriving 6:45 PM

…had this iconic view of LAX while waiting for the hotel shuttle, and settled into the convenient and comfortable, if not luxurious, Courtyard by Marriott Los Angeles LAX Hotel.

While the hotel and its location are entirely devoid of charm, proximity to the airport is not its only advantage.  In-N-Out is on Sepulveda.  After a thoroughly enjoyable Double Double-Double experience, we are in for the night.

And tomorrow, the real journey begins.  We are off to Lima, Peru...

     LAX - LIM
     LATAM Flight #2477
     Departing 1:00 PM
     Arriving 11:40 PM

…followed by another utilitarian night at another airport hotel, the Costa del Sol Wyndham Hotel, and then, followed by one more flight to Cusco, Peru...

     LIM - CUZ
     LATAM Flight #2049
     Departing 10:17 AM
     Arriving 11:44 AM

…on our way to the ultimate destination, high atop the Andes mountain range, the backbone of South America, to the ancient Inka ruins of...

MACHU PICCHU!!!

Wooo-Hooo!!!  But, that can't be it, right?  The story can't end with some rocks at the top of the mountain?  No, of course not, there has to be a cruise.

Upon our descent from the mountains, and a brief tour of Lima, we will be sailing from Lima to New York through the Panama Canal aboard the Oceania Marina.

Next Stop:  The Sacred Valley