We stayed in Miami for a night
before my big trip to Pisac, Peru. The highlight was these Old Fashioned's made
with brown butter. OMG. So delicious. But my husband wasn't going to Peru. I
flew solo the next day. What was I getting myself into?
I passed through Lima enroute to Cusco, and smoothly arrived at 1 a.m. A man stood
outside the terminal with a sign that said one word that warmed my heart: Sharon.
Ha! We drove through the colonial streets and arrived at the historic center
where I stayed at a hotel called Ninos. The name means children, and the hotel is run by a charity that helps kids. It was an interesting and historic
structure, just like the rest of Cusco. I was a beat dog and crashed into my room like the dead.
I met my friends, and the
adventure began with a money exchange, a visit to an Alpaca farm, and a scenic
drive through the mountains at around 13,000 feet. We arrived in Pisac (10,000
feet) around five, and had a fresh trout dinner. I stumbled into my room like
everyone else that had overnight flights. (the others didn’t get in early and
go to a hotel) Here are daily highlights of my trip...
The Ninos Hotel.
Pisac environs.
Lunch is better with Alpaca fur covered seats and a view!
Behold. Machu Picchu!
Drum making 101.
The view from Santuario Del Senor De Huanca.
There are only 300 condors in the wilds of Peru.
We took a horse back ride in the Andes Mountains at Seven Lakes Ausangate. What a high altitude adventure!
As of today, Peru is in the rearview mirror. It was a dizzying and exhausting time full of horseback riding in the Andes, sightseeing world wonders, breathing the thin air, strange ceremonies, beads, and wool from lots and lots of alpacas. Plus, Llamas! Flying home the view was nothing but misty mountains for seemingly hours. What a beautiful place.
But lest you imagine that my travels inhabit nothing but luxurious villas overlooking pounding surf and sunsets, with poolside butlers spritzing me with Evian water, you’ll be relieved to know that this trip was a mixed bag of nuts. There were unpalatable Brazil nuts in the form of redundant and unsatisfying food with primitive lodgings that left me freezing and toiling without natural light or the internet. (Luckily, I switched rooms and at least had a window and a heater) I also found a rancid nut: an unfortunate misunderstanding with one of my friends. But the beauty of Peru was a slew of perfectly salted cashews.
Yes, there were lots of peanuts that nobody wanted, but other nuts, like the pecans, tasted like the most intensely delicious nut ever—Machu Picchu, I’m talking about you. There will be many more souvenirs to come...
So stay tuned!
The Andes towered for hours outside my airplane window.
