Chinchero Market y San Agustin Monasterio

Nico, our expert driver, transported us from Cusco, where we had a brief overnight stay, down into the Sacred Valley. We stopped at the very authentic "non-turistico" market in Chinchero at Nico's recommendation. The town was very quaint. We got to haggle at the market and see a wedding procession. Later we learned that they plan to build an international airport right outside Chinchero so flights from Miami can get direct access to Cusco and the Sacred Valley. No doubt this will completely ruin what makes this little town so special so I'm glad we got a glimpse of it before its transformation.

We finally made it to the San Agustin Monasterio where we were staying in Urubamba. The old Spanish monastery was converted into a hotel and is rich with history and character. The gardens on the property are colorful and dramatic against the Andes. Since light pollution isn't bad in the valley, we got to see the Southern Cross along with thousands of other stars and constellations.

Andean Explorers

We traveled roughly ten hours from Puno north to Cusco via PeruRail's Andean Explorer. The scenery was epic as we climbed our way over La Raya Pass (14,156 feet).

Everything about the journey felt first class from the fine dining to the live music by local performers. La Bamba on the charango and the panpipe was a highlight. My favorite part was waving at the local kids that waved at the train in all of the small towns along the way. It was definitely an unforgettable train ride!

Lago Titicaca

We spent 8 hours on Lake Titicaca today. Our first stop was Islas de los Uros, which are floating islands made of reeds. We got off the tour boat onto one of the floating islands which was a very surreal feeling, sinking an inch or two into the reeds. Out host family was gracious, allowing us to tour their island and homes.

We had lunch on la Isla Taquile, where about 3000 descendants of the Incas live. The men knit, the women weave, divorce is illegal, and everyone speaks Quechua. we had a wonderful lunch that consisted of quinoa soup and trout right from Lake Titicaca! Delicious!!

Thank You Victor Vaughn Morris

For inventing the Pisco Sour, which might be one of the most refreshing drinks in todo el mundo! We only had a night in Lima, but there was enough time for one of these. There is some debate over who owns the drink, Chile or Peru, but I think most historians credit Mr. Morris, a guy from the USA who opened a bar in Lima, with the honors. Pisco-lemon juice-simple syrup-egg white-shake into an old fashioned glass + 1 dash of bitters...heavenly!