Hola Amigos,
Greetings from Cusco, Peru located in a broad Andean valley at 3400 meters. The city was founded as the center, or naval, of the Inkan Empire, which spread from Quito, Ecuador in the north to Santiago, Chile and beyond in the south. From the Inkan stonework that is the foundation of every major building in Cusco to the sounds of Quechua, the language of the Inkas and primary language of Cuzquenans, we are reminded of the highly organized and successful Inkan culture. Now completing our sixth week here, we are lucky to even be here. When we originally planned our trip, we allotted no time in Peru. After conversations with many people, we decided to spend the bulk of the time we have in South America here in Cusco and have been very happy with our decision thus far.
But we didn't come directly to Cusco from Santiago. We spent a week in Mendoza, Argentina. It is a beautiful route from Santiago to Mendoza, crossing the Andes through a pass on a road that snakes its way up via twenty-seven switch backs and then rolls down the eastern slope through terrain reminiscent of the western slope of our own Rocky Mountains. Mendoza is in many ways climatically and geographically similar to Grand Junction. It lies in an area that would be dry if not for irrigation from the Mendoza River. As a result of the irrigation, Mendoza is well known as a wine and fruit region. The mountains that rise to the east, including Aconcagua the western hemisphere's highest mountain, are rugged and sharp. Like Grand Junction, summer temperatures can get pretty roasty but the streets are deeply shaded by rows of Plane trees, allowing cafes and restaurants to spill out onto the cool sidewalks. We filled our days with walks through the city, eating at restaurants serving traditional Argentinian barbecue or the excellent fusion of Argentinian and Italian food developed by the many Italian immigrants and their descendants who make up a significant portion of Argentinian society. We toured by bicycle some of the vineyards and olive groves found to the south of the city, always flanked on the west by the nearly 7000 meter snow covered peaks of the massive Andes. On another day, Aidan and I spent a long morning rock climbing with local guide Mario on ancient granite walls in a canyon of the Mendoza River. We could still see evidence of the flash flood deluge that occurred when a dam upstream failed bringing the whole reservoir cascading down the narrow canyon, scrubbing away villages along the way. The road up the canyon was never fully repaired, leaving a scarred reminder of the disaster. Though it is impossible to say we experienced Argentinian culture in the six days we were there, we thought it worth the effort to have traveled there. Like all the places we have visited our time in Mendoza ended when we climbed onto the mass transit (bus form this time) for our eight hour return ride back over that beautiful pass to Santiago.
Back in Santiago we prepared ourselves for the next leg of our trip. After two weeks with us, Lucy's mom returned home and we pointed ourselves north to Peru. Though we Skype and email our family and friends frequently, Peggy's visit provided very tangible proof that despite our year away we are still connected to our home and the family that defines our home. We were all sad to wave good-bye to her as she drove away in a cab to the airport.
On the map, Peru is just north of Chile but Chile is a VERY long country. The flight took four hours and dropped us in Lima. While we do these flights pretty well now, it still is a bit of a production to move ourselves through airports and negotiate a new city. Fortunately this time we arranged to be picked up by the folks running the hostel where we were staying. It seems that in big cities like Lima or Quito, it is prudent to be met at the airport to reduce the chance of being separated from the little that we carry with us.
I can say nothing of Lima. We stayed in a hostel close to the airport because we were flying to Cusco the next day. The hostel folks were very nice, helping us to feel comfortable. This particular hostel worked well for us because the kids had a pool table and TV with movies. What more could kids want? Hostel life is unlike any hotel. Usually the folks staying there are enthusiastic to share their experiences making the hostel a living "Lonely Planet" source of information. The other very big bonus of staying at a hostel is the budget friendly cost for the four of us. Now when we seek a place to stay for a night, we search the list of hostels in TripAdviser.com first and then move on from there.
Now that I have brought this blog up to our current location, I will make just a few comments about our initial impressions upon arriving in Cusco. As the airplane carved a steep banking turn to access the narrow approach into the airport, I had a good feeling in my gut. The mountain air here is lean, especially for lungs that had been at sea level for more time in the past year than in the last twenty. Our landlord, Javier, met us at the airport as a courtesy, rather than as a deterrent to fast hands. All of these things added up in my head to create a very optimistic sense for the next three months here in Cusco.
Hasta pronto (to quote my friend Tadd),
Paul
