South America

Cusco

Posted on by Seniye Groff

I got to spend a few extra days in Cusco, rather than hiking due to my altitude sickness. Cusco is a vibrant, historical, proud city and I wandered around. I visited the Qorikancha Temple (Temple of the Sun) which was built on top of a Christian church. The earthquake of 1953 uncovered this beauty when the church came down.

I also visited the local street market filled with local vendors. I was told locals shop there every morning. The market had a little bit of everything including the dog, of course. I have been fascinated with the rampant loose dogs that run around the city. Apparently they roam free all day and eventually return home in the evenings. Dogs are literally everywhere…mainly sleeping but also playing and rummaging through garbage. Thank goodness they are not viscous and really are uninterested in pedestrians.

I also continued to have some great meals. Food in Peru appears to be celebrated and not only it is delicious but always presented very artfully. My favorite meal was Canelones Andinos. I am inspired to incorporate some Peruvian-style cooking into my own repertoire!

Peru after Machu Picchu

Posted on by Seniye Groff

After the amazing revelation of Machu Picchu, you would think it’s time to go home…what could top that after all??!! In reality probably not much but I actually had another week in Peru! Because I missed my tour earlier in the week due to altitude sickness (which I was still fighting), I hired a guide to take me through the Sacred Valley…and Sacred it is! It is stunningly beautiful with the variations of soil colors, the surrounding mountains and overall lushness.

I first visited Ollantaytambo and wandered the tiny stone streets that existed since pre-Incan days. I got to see a typical original home where dirt floors, no electricity or plumbing and lots of guinea pigs existed as pets until it was time to eat them! Ollantaytambo is another spectacular Incan site. Again it was perched on the side of a mountain, which the Incans made accommodations for as they determined where there crops should be grown.

I then headed to Moray. This was a very interesting agricultural testing ground and the concentric circle design was very cool. Then onto Maras. The town of Maras is similar to being in Italy or Portugal…quaint stone homes on clean streets and it actually had lots of character. I learned that 500 families own the salt flats and they work it like a cooperative. They work the salt flats six months of the year and then farm the remaining six months of the year.

We then trekked to Chinchero for a preplanned lunch. I think being vegetarian is perplexing for the guides and restaurants. I was given a salad and a sweet potato puree and a very sweet chocolate cake. It was fine but my guides licked their meat-laden plates clean!

This day was supposed to include a waterfall hike but my head just couldn’t imagine doing anything strenuous so, instead, I asked the taxi to head back to Cusco, an hour and a half scenic drive. It was a great day overall.

The Many Wonders of Peru

Posted on by Seniye Groff

The people…

The food…

The scenery…

I did not really know what I was going to get when I booked my two week trip to Peru. But what I gained was warm, smiling, seemingly satisfied people. Food that was simple, beautifully presented, cheap and fresh and scenery that was as spectacular as it was varied and inspiring.

Whenever I head out on a solo trip, it always begins with anticipation and anxiousness…Will I be safe? What will I discover? Will it be as I had hoped? What will be the greatest thing I will learn? Will I be the very best guest I can be?

On my flight to Lima I sat next to a recent college graduate. She and some family friends were going to hike the Inca Trail for four days culminating in their visit to Machu Picchu to celebrate her father’s suicide. She had done no homework on what she was getting ready to embark on, but I have to say that now that I have visited Machu Picchu I totally understand why the family would want to honor their father this way.

I landed in Lima at 5:30 a.m. local time and once I arrived at the hotel I dropped my bags and just walked. Diving right in is the best way I have found to overcome jet lag and capitalize on the newness of my destination. I was staying in Miraflores which is a safe, upscale part of Lima. The streets are clean, teaming with walkers and fortified with singing birds and beautiful gardens. I also walked in Barranco, which is considered an artsy neighborhood, right next door to Miraflores. The weather was perfect at 70 degrees and I got to reinvigorate my Spanish!

The next morning at 4 a.m. my taxi arrived to take me to the bus station so that I could head south to Ica, Nazca, Paracas and Huacachina. It was a four hour bus ride south to take me to the desert and coast. When I arrived, I was immediately driven to a tiny airport to view the Nazca lines. 17 mysterious etchings in the ground can be viewed best by plane. It is about 30 minute plane ride with then 30 minutes viewing the various drawings. It was fascinating, although the plane ride was a nail biter in a tiny four-seater!