Left our hotel at 7:30 for our ride to the bus terminal. Today will be a travel day, we are taking a public bus to Cusco, travel time is approx 7 hrs with one 10 minute stop. Our drive today took us thru the Altiplato (high plateau) gum trees,fir, pines and yucca trees. Lots of […]

Left our moms for the two hour boat ride to Taquilla, a small island in lake Titicaca. Once we arrived, we had a long walk up the steep island pathway from which you could see the Andes in Bolvia. An hour later when we arrived at the town square, we were given a 1/2 hour […]

Up early to make it to the docks by 8 for our boat ride out to the Uros floating islands. There are 87 floating islands, these islands are made from reed plants tied together, then a layer of reeds is added alternating direction till a height of 2 meters is reached. The buildings are placed […]

Jackie managed a good 12hrs sleep last night and is feeling much better,  Met up with the rest of our group at 9 and left at 9:30. Today’s drive is 6hrs and takes us back thru the windy roads of the high mountains. With a photo stop at the 4910 meter summit for a group […]

We were supposed to go to Colca canyon to see the condors this morning but Jackie had a rough night due to the altitude. She’s still feeling under the weather this afternoon so we will be spending another night in the hotel while the rest of the group goes on to the homestay. They will […]

Up early for our drive to Chivay which takes us thru the windy roads of the high mountains. The highest elevation we reach is 4910 meters at Patapampa. We travel thru a vicuna reserve, vicuunas are similar to llamas but smaller. Every year the vicunas are rounded up to be shorn. Their wool is highly […]

Did a 2 hour orientation tour this morning then free time for the rest of the day. Had lunch at the town square while watching the Virgin Mary parade then we went on a tour of the Santa Maria Monastery. Was very interesting how much difference there was between how I thought nuns lived and […]

Up early to visit the Chauchilla cemetery, a burial site that had been desecrated by grave robbers who, while trying to find treasurers in the tombs, ripped the bodies apart leaving the remainders all over the grave site. Then it was time to head over to the airport and board our plane to view the […]

Up at 6:00am so we can make it to the docks for 8:00 for our 2hr tour of the sea life at ballestas island. They harvest tons of bird droppings once every eight years to export to British farmers. We boarded on time and saw cormarants, sea lions, penguins pelicans and boobies.  We also saw […]

Welcome meeting went well, looks like a very nice group of people and not one Australian among them. Up early this morning to pack, then a two hour guided tour thru the public market place, china town and the palace where we watched the changing of the guard done on horseback. Even the band was […]