Family Pics 2021

 Can you spot the photo bomber?  Luke ended spending the night the evening of family pictures so he came and entertained us while Heather took our photos down by the river right by her house.  Natali had been set apart the day before so the pictures were luckily right before she entered the MTC two days later.

We had a hard time getting Kate on Mack's back but this pic was worth all the trouble.

The silly pictures were some of my favorite ones this year.  Love these crazy kids.

Emmy was playing at being the model - cracked me up.

Homeward Bound - Day 10

In the morning we packed one last time and left our bags in storage for the day.  I confirmed over the phone that a clinic on the other side of town would perform rapid antigen tests for COVID so we headed in that direction via the Plaza de Armas.  The security was still in full effect but at least you could walk to the front of the Cathedral.  Although others were entering, we were turned away at the door despite our face wear.  We never got a clear reason why but were told to come back after 10.  There appeared to be a church service under way.  The clinic was too far away to walk so we caught a couple of taxis and managed to get dropped off at the same place though we were charged different rates.  I was the first up for the deep nasal swab so I could find a place to exchange money for the first time on the trip while others were tested.  I got a much better rate than what the individual stores gave me when I paid with dollars earlier in the trip so I should have exchanged some sooner.  We were told we would get the results in 2 hours via Whatsapp.  We took taxis back to the Sun Temple.  The underground museum was still closed, presumably due to COVID, but we were able to go through the church and museum at convent that was built over and around the Sun Temple.  There’s an amazing collection of colonial art including a painting of Mary being crowned by the Godhead each of whom are depicted with a physical body.  It’s a fascinating and tragic contrast to see the original Inca walls of the temple within the walls of the Spanish church.  The presentation is very well done with natural lighting and lots of open space.

We returned to the Cathedral at the Plaza de Armas and were admitted.  Lisa offered starbursts to whoever found the painting of the Last Supper first.  There are three connected churches so it was good to have helpers scouring the walls.  It turns out the famous painting from the mid 1700’s has a viscacha not a guinea pig on the table along with the local drink Chicha Morada but it is still a really cool painting that the boys even seemed to appreciate.  We still couldn’t walk across the Plaza but were at least permitted to walk on the interior of the perimeter without detours.  We needed a lunch plan so I finally submitted to one of the many guys on the street trying to coax tourists inside for a meal.  It was an all inclusive fare and had the best potatoes and chicken of the trip in addition to a few new novelties.  

Afterwards I walked ahead of the group to find the place to buy tickets to the ruins above the city at Sacsayhuaman.  It took a while, but when I did, I was told that we could buy the tickets at site which I had not thought possible.  In order to catch up with Greg we needed to walk down the edge of the square but the guards didnt speak English.  Luckily, Natali was able to use enough Spanish to get them to let us walk through to the other corner.  Once we exited the square we drew a lot of attention when Andrew took a swing at Mack with the bag full of face shields.  The shields flew all over.  But soon another distraction took center stage as a man snuck through the line of guards to walk across the square.  He was quickly picked up and dragged back out amidst much yelling from him and the crowd.  Things calmed down just as Greg met up with us.

We hailed a couple of taxis and headed up the hill.  When I arrived with the boys, Kate, and Emily the other taxi was nowhere to be found.  After a few minutes wait I became a bit nervous.  The ticket counter didn’t take credit card or dollars and I didn’t have enough Soles left for more than a single ticket.  We only had an hour before the park closed and we had to leave at that point anyway to catch our flight so the plan had just been for Lisa and Natali to go in with my Mom.  The guards told me there was another entrance a kilometer away across the complex, perhaps they had been taken there.  They radioed to their counterparts but couldn’t find a group of American women.  I bought a ticket for myself and walked to the other entrance, arriving just as they entered.  They had exchanged dollars with someone in order to buy three tickets.  I took a quick glimpse at the familiar massive walls and wished I had time to walk to the viewpoint over looking the city but decided I had better get back to the others.  The guards were sympathetic and let Emily take my place without another ticket since she was excited to see the ruins. While Natali and I explored (before Emmy came in), Lily sat with Grandma and apparently they made some friends.  Another little girl came and wanted her picture taken with Lily. THey both had on pink shirts.  Lily was flattered and weired out to get so much attention.  Natali and I explored the whole site but were pretty confused - our understanding was minimal at best.  It was cool but we wished we had some knowledge of what we were looking at.  

As we exited the park we found a bunch of llamas taking care of the grass.  The girls pet a few of them as a farewell to Peru.

Mack, Andrew, Kate, and I waited 45 minutes for them to explore before the park closed and then we took our last taxi rides back to the hotel.  Oswaldo was waiting there to apologize (and probably to get his well-earned tip from the Machu Picchu excursion).  His wife had needed to go to the emergency room and he had left his phone at home.   After one last ride in Andean Adventures’ van we are dropped off at the Cusco airport to start the LONG journey home.

   

After several tries we were feeling comfortable with the process for the domestic flights and all of the steps involved to check in with multiple reservations and mom’s luggage all while shuffling 9 passports, boarding passes, face-masks and shields.  Just take a deep breath and I’ll be fine.  At least we had plenty of time.  All the devices were charged during our 2 hour wait and we quickly lost the kids’ attention.  Peru was good while it lasted!  I hope in the long run that the hassle and expanse are all worth it and I think they will be to create the memories and broaden the kids’ horizons.  Everyone started noticing new bug bites - how is that possible.  We were eatten alive in the Amazon and I guess the Amazon just keeps giving.  The little girls would be itching their legs for weeks.  I wrote on the plane that there would likely be more adventures before we made it home and unfortunately that proved prophetic. 

At the airport in Lima we repeated all of the check in and COVID protocol one more time but were able to use the premier line since mom was flying first class.  Our final meal in the Lima foodcourt wasn’t quite a final taste of Peru but the kids weren’t complaining about Papa John’s pizza, Starbuck’s pastries, and KFC with Inca Cola.  We had about 5 hours before our 12:45 AM departure so we were all tired before we got on the plane. Mechanical delays on the tarmac delayed our flight more than an hour and a half, long enough to get me stressed about making our connection in Houston.  But there wasn’t anything we could do about it at that point.  Once again I read for much of the flight and closed my eyes hopefully for an hour.  In Houston we got no sympathy from the agents and had to wait our turn through the immigration lines as I watched the clock and counted down the minutes.  By the time we made it back through security I jogged ahead through the terminal only to find a closed door and a plane pulling back from the gate.  I kept sweating for the 20 minutes I waited in line to talk to an agent.  She was a bit sassy with me and I did my best to stay calm.  After an over night flight we were rewarded with an extra nine hour layover in Houston, but at least we would get home that night—after 10 PM.  What a trip! 

 

Palccoyo- Day 9

We were grateful Sunday morning to not have to pack our bags again.  Presidential Election Day in Peru revealed a nation on edge, torn between two extreme and perhaps equally unappealing alternatives from an outsider’s perspective.  The daughter of a former multi-term president who is currently incarcerated for corruption or a populist/socialist teacher with no political experience who leans towards Hugo Chavez.  I guess the US isn’t the only nation without good candidates.  The front desk called at 5:50 to tell us they were making us an early breakfast so we weren’t ready to leave at 6:00 but were happy to have granola and juice to start the day.  There was still no sign of Oswaldo so we took our time.  By 6:30 I was beginning to wonder.  The hotel clerk stuck his head outside the gate that opens directly to the narrow street and finds our driver waiting on foot.  Where’s Oswaldo?  He beckoned us to follow so we rounded the corner below and climbed into the now familiar van.  He drove us to the home of a guy who had helped with our luggage from the airport and he explains that Oswaldo is missing in action and won’t answer his phone.  We drive through town to another residential area and pick up Gina who will be our fill in guide on no notice on an early Sunday morning.  We travel south and east out of town through the valley.  It is COLD in the morning at this altitude.  We learn the heater doesn’t work in the van when we ask them to turn it on so they pull over and distribute blankets to our cold sleepy clan.  We had arranged the night before for Marilyn to give mom a private tour of Cusco today while we are on our adventure.  

We pulled over at a little restaurant on the side of the highway called “La Cabana de Juan.”  It’s a bit rustic, but charming with dozens of potted flowers around the exterior and views of the Vilcanota across the fields.  We have a choice of pancake with dulce de leche or eggs to go with rolls.  We consume copious amounts of hot cocoa with each kid adding powdered milk, sugar, and even some coca leaves for some.  We are headed to the roof of the continent and Lisa is a bit nervous. 

After a couple of hours we turn left onto a 1 lane dirt road for an hour and twenty minute climb to our destination.  Shortly we meet an oncoming car.  As we back up to find space for it to pass, a large truck with dozens of people seated in the back appears behind the trail.  We’ll need a bit more room for this load of locals headed off to vote to pass.  We learn that voting is required and must be done physically where you are registered.  A fine of 200 soles or about $55 is motivation enough for the populace.  I could touch the passing truck by extending my fingers through the window.  The habitat changes as we climb, the sporadic eucalyptus groves thin as we approach the tree line.  Welcome to the rural Andes.  Llamas and alpacas appear on the hillsides.  Kate is in the midst of a full on anxiety attack with tears falling and difficulty breathing.  She wants to go home or at least pull over to use the bathroom.  I sit next to her and she holds my hand in a sign of her distress.  Kate wasn't the only one suffering on the drive.  Everyone was uncomfortable on some level.  We were cold, flighing out of our seats on some bumps and just bouncing around the rest of the time.  But Mack was awsome- keeping Lily distracted.  Anytime she started fussing he would point out more llama's and keep her mind off the horrendous drive.  We passed a tiny village in this remote hamlet and a corral we dub the nursery as it is filled with baby alpaca.  The mountain sides have terraces that must have been carved many hundreds of years ago to combat erosion and maximize the agricultural capabilities of the land.  The power line stops at the last village and it feels as though we are in wilderness.  What a contrast from the Andean highlands to the Amazon basin in temperature and vegetation.  The views go on and on down the valleys.  

 A few more switchbacks and we arrive at Palccoyo!  There are some makeshift bathrooms with ice in the toliets and a small parking lot with no other cars. We picked Palccoyo over Vinicunca because the hike was much shorter and it is much less visited.  We would soon learn that the views were still well worth the effort to get there.  We exited the vehicles at 16,000 feet, higher than I’ve ever been!  The wind bites and the temperature must be in the low to mid 30’s as there is ice where run off has puddled on the side of the trail.  We begin a low and steady walk because that’s all anyone can handle but I’m feeling much better than expected.  I pass on chewing coca leaves but others feel the need to combat the effects of the altitude.  There’s one “rainbow mountain” immediately in front of the parking lot and the view only gets better as we climb away from it across another hillside.  Above and to our left is a rocky promontory with jagged spires that is aptly named the forest of stone.  The sun is rising behind it with scattered clouds in a blue sky and we feel spoiled to be there.  At our feet we notice a few caterpillars and as we proceed their numbers increase until we are seeing hundreds of them and trying to avoid stepping on them as Emily named them Cecil and Mr. Fluffels.  There are several view points of 3 different “rainbow mountains” that are really exposed ridges or seams where the minerals have distinct colors that run in stripes.  Miles in the distance is a massive snow and glacier covered mass that is topped by Ausungate, a peak that reaches 20,954 feet, higher than any in North America.  Natali channels her inner Laurie and gives Bob a piggy back ride for much of the way.  Mack says his biggest mistake of the day was trying to run 3 steps at that altitude.  We struck out on vicunas and viscachas but were satisfied with the views.  

The drive back down put the kids to sleep despite the constant turns and jarring dirt road.  Exhaustion is the best natural sleep aid.  We stop at Juan’s Cabana for a huge buffet lunch and are shocked to see flocks of parakeets flying up the valley.  Of course the only other people at lunch is a couple from Boise, what a small world.  We stop in both our driver’s and guide’s neighborhoods so that they can vote while the polls are still open before we are dropped back at our hotel. 

Mom is still out with Marilyn when we arrive at 4:30 so we have 90 minutes of daylight that I don’t want to waste.  The Plaza de Armas is less than 3 blocks away.  As we walk we admire the many different styles and type of stone in the walls and structures, some colonial, and some dating back to Incan times.  At the Plaza edge we are met by a large contingent of well armed and protected police and soldiers who are making sure things stay calm during the election.  Access to the Plaza is forbidden.  I try not to hide my disappointment.  From the sidewalk we can still soak up the view of the cathedral, churches, and statues.  We decide to take the long way and walk around the plaza a few blocks further out from the perimeter.  The scenic route eventually takes us by the Sun Temple or Koricancha on the Avenida del Sol.  The museums and churches are mostly closed but that doesn’t deter us from enjoying the walk.  When we returned to the hotel at 6 Mom was in her bed trying to get warm. 

I vetoed Pizza for the 3^rd time so we picked the next closest restaurant which happened to be Pachpapa across from the San Blas Templo.  It was an upscale place with out door seating and heat lamps and blankets.  We ordered family style with a number of appetizers and entrees for everyone to share.  The mango passion fruit juice was deemed the best of the trip.  

The menu prompted Mack, "I'm fine cooking a guinea pig.  I just don't want to eat it."

I tried to spend some time in the evening planning for our last day but the internet in our room was only slighter better than the heater and wasn’t conducive to research and it was a bit chilly in the open courtyard where the signal was stronger.  Grandma surprised us with a fun llama hat for the kids and a sumptuous alpaca scarf for Lisa.