2007 - South America Summary

Peru - Lima and Machu Picchu
Ecuador - Quito & The Galapagos

March 31 – April 18, 2007

We are traveling to another continent, a continent holding so many childhood mysteries and wonders, a continent of fellow Americans, and only a four-hour flight from Miami. We’ll even descend below the equator, an invisible line on the globe, but somehow a significant objective. From Miami & back we’ll have 7 flights in addition to the ones from and to home. We’ll even cross South America’s continental divide. Of course, the western members of the group have already done this on the journey to Miami. But still fun to look at a river and realize it eventually flows to the Amazon and the Atlantic. First, we travel to Lima, Peru.

Peru, the 3rd largest county in South America, straddles the Andes and contains the headwaters of the Amazon. With its diversity of climates, terrain, and way of life, Peru teeters on the threshold of modernity. But we are in Peru mainly to study the ancient culture of the Incas and their pre-Columbia predecessors.

Machu Picchu, the ‘lost city’ of the Andes was discovered in 1911 by Hiram Bingham. Built on an 8,000 foot high mountain on 5 square miles, this terraced mirage exemplifies the Incan advanced understanding of construction, water hydraulics and landscape use.

But before we can explore this mountainous region of Peru, our group of 16 must converge on Lima, the capital. We travel from the comforts of home: Getting there stirs up out some typical travel tales of fear, boredom and loss of serenity. Dying and death must be related to traveling and travel: I’m not afraid of death; it’s the dying I fear. But until traveling improves, travel will include fear.

It seems our friends from the Seattle area, Joan & Dick, have the worst connections until we hear of one couple’s missed connection. Now that’s a stressor. But we all survive our journey, meet and being melding as a group. And a good group it is.

Our drive from the airport to the wealthy modern Miraflores district passes through a tired working poor district. There are 43 districts, 43 mayors and one central overall city government. While some districts obviously have more money than others, the system seems to function successfully

We start this bonding at our welcome meeting with Hector Chácon. Our guide, Hector, a personable, pleasant man, leads us around Peru. While capable, he didn’t discuss much about people and life in Peru, such as life under the Shining Path, or accompany us on difficult walking areas because of a bum knee.

Our hotel, the San Augustin, serves us a welcoming typically Peruvian drink, a pisco sour, an enjoyable drink of pisco, lime, egg whites and bitters. We learn a good toast: Salud, Dinero y Amor” (Health, Wealth, and Love). Pisco is a grape brandy. Wikipedia.com has a good discussion on development, uses, and even political problems of pisco. (The local beer is called Cusqueña, tasty enough. Cusquenos are from Cusco and so is the beer.)

Time to explore – There are 3 main regions to Peru: coast, mountain, and jungle. We will skip the jungle on this journey.

Lima, Peru, founded in 1535 by Francisco Pizarro, replaced Cusco as the capital. This Spanish colonial city located on the coast overlooking the Pacific has a comfortable temperate climate with only 1-2 inches of rain annually. On April 1, we visited a museum, a convent with catacombs, and view several buildings remaining from the colonial period.

The National Museum of Archaeology, Anthropology, and History of Peru specializes in pre-Columbia art, mostly jewelry, stonework and ceramics. The Convent and Museum of San Francisco is a spectacular restored colonial-era church. Along with beautiful religious art, the descent into the 1546 catacombs is probably the most memorable. When the church was restored, the bodies were exhumed to calculate the number of bodies interred there. So they put all the skulls together, all the femurs, all the ulnas, etc… It’s rather disturbing yet somehow comical to see skulls and bones piled up so organized or laid out in an attractive design. Present estimate of bodies is 75,000, but there may be more levels beneath the excavated one.

We visit the Plaza de Armas or Main Square with its 1651 fountain. This square is bordered by the typical yellow facades of governmental buildings plus City Hall and the Presidential Palace, the archbishop’s palace and the Cathedral of Lima. Palm Sunday celebrations add to the color.

During the drive from the Miraflores district to downtown Lima, our city guide, Sheila, points out various embassies, other important buildings, and housing and explains a little of life in Lima. We pass by the Japanese Ambassador’s house which was the scene for 126 days in 1996-97 of a siege and hostage taking by the Tupac Amaru. Eventually the military prevailed and all 14 revolutionaries died. The house is now newly fortified.

Lima is a very European city mainly because of Spanish conquest of the Incan empire and its continuing influence. Peru did fight successfully for separation from Spain in 1821-1824 under the leadership and struggles of José de San Martín and Simón Bolívar.

Francisco Pizarro’s conquest was absolute with his main purposes to extend Spain’s powers and to obtain wealth and glory. During a power struggle in his later years, he was assassinated by his opponent. He died drawing a cross of his own blood on the ground, kissing it, and cried “Jesus” as he died. His head was discovered buried under the Cathedral in a 20th century restoration. The next year his opponent was hung.

Other tidbits:
Several years ago the government instigated a program to keep the city clean; the program seems to be very successful.

Both parents need to work because of high living expenses. Average monthly income is about $160. Gas is $4-5 per gallon. There are no self-serve gas stations (think full employment). School is mandatory up to 11 years old with higher education optional. 90% consider themselves Catholic; 40% are active.

There are about 100 casinos in Lima

Voting is mandatory. A person’s ID is marked and a person can’t use the bank without this mark.

80% of the traffic police are women.

Along with upscale private residences and condos and apartment buildings, in addition, there are 3 levels of shanty towns: 1st are cardboard hovels, 2nd level is better and usually brick, and with the 3rd comes recognition by the government and establishment as a district. But under all levels, the government retains ownership of the land of these areas. Buildings have a maximum of 20 stories because of earthquakes.

Because of high crime rates and the previous problems with the Shining Path, homes have bars. Nicer neighborhoods have gated parking areas.

The military is volunteer now, but a good employment option. Peru turned down Bush’s request for soldiers because they are enjoying finally having peace.

Taxis are not metered; settle on the fee first.

In the 1800’s, Chile, Bolivia and Peru fought over saltpeter, an ingredient in gunpowder. The outcome was transformed borders, Peru lost land to the south and Bolivia lost its sea access. They are still trying to get it back. Peru & Ecuador also argue over borders.

At the end of Avenida Larco and down stairs is a marvelous modern shopping mall perched on the end of a cliff precariously overlooking the ocean. This mall contains many restaurants including Tony Roma’s and a multitude of shops including a fully supplied Nike shop. If you want it, they got it. And I’m sure Dick didn’t really mean to order corazon, because beef heart is much too high in cholesterol for us older folks.

On April 2, while 2 couples leave to fly over the Nazca lines, some of us visit the Barranco district, an old colonial area once fashionable among the old aristocracy now featuring restaurants and nightclubs. Barranco means ‘ravine’ and in this ravine is a charming walkway to the sea which passes under the romantic Bridge of Sighs. This bridge was so named because a young woman loved a fisherman. The union was forbid by her father and she spent her years waiting for a glimpse of her lover. She died a spinster and supposedly you can hear her sighs on the bridge.

We fly to Cusco on April 3. We will have to adjust to a slower pace to survive the higher elevation of 11,000 feet and the thinner air. The welcoming drink here is coca tea which helps with the high altitude. (It’s not cocaine and is not habit-forming.) It smells bad, but tastes okay. We are warned not to drink more than 5 cups; that can cause intestinal problems.

This ancient Incan capital (Q’osqo means navel of the world in Quechua) still reflects its layers of history with its Incan building foundations, its Spanish architecture and its colorfully dressed residents. The Incas laid out their city in the shape of a puma with its head at Sacsayhuaman, meaning the head full of knowledge.

Inca or Inka actually refers to an actual person – the emperor – the ruler, but the word is now used to refer to the people of that era.

After checking into our hotel, The Royal Inka I, we walk to the Qoricancha, an Incan temple of the Sun. Legend says it was lined with gold panels and housed 4,000 priests and their attendants. During the summer solstice, the sun shines directly into a niche. The Spaniards ransacked the temple, stole the gold and constructed the Convent of Santo Domingo on the incredible stonework. The Dominican order still retains ownership. At one time these same Dominicans had dogs trained to kill Quechas. After a devastating 1950 earthquake Incan walls were revealed and now they charge money to see them.

On our stroll through the Plaza de Armas we learn the differences between Incan walls and post -conquest stonework – Incan walls lean a bit and they are strong even without any mortar. During an earthquake 60% of the Spaniards buildings were destroyed, but none of the Incan ones. Much of the history of the area comes from an Incan/Spanish historian born 1539 named Inca Garcilaso de la Vega. His mother was an Incan princess.

On April 4 Hector gives each couple a mission; delivered to the local farmers market we each have to find a food item. We have to find ‘chuta’. We eventually find chuta is a round bread loaf, and when visiting someone, it is the most appropriate gift to bring. Others have to find various herbs and vegetables including freeze dried potatoes. The Incas did many horticultural studies on various foods, improving many especially the potato.

Next, we arrive at Sacsayhuamán, the ‘head’ of the city of Cusco. Built in the 15th century by the great Inca or Emperor Pachcútec (also Pachicuti) was probably a religious temple and took 100 years to build. Massive blocks, some 11’ tall, were brought from a quarry almost 20 miles away and like all Incan projects, the stones fit together perfectly. Previously thought to be a fortress because of its sheer massiveness, present thinking has it more of a religious temple, probably one to the sun god-Inti. This place exudes a strong spiritual essence, a peaceful soul, like looking at a tranquil lake reflecting snow-capped mountains or the scent of a beautiful flower. I regret leaving.

It was the site of a terrible massacre though. After Pizarro executed Atahualpa, the ruler at the time, Pizarro’s chosen successor to Atahualpa, Manco, amassed a huge army and thought they could evict the Spanish. But primitive weapons were no match for horses and armor and the conquistadors’ brutality. They were slaughtered. Many warriors committed suicide by jumping off a steep wall to their death. A recent excavation found bones of some of these defeated men. After carting away many of the stone blocks to build houses, they buried the area to prevent further use by the Quechuas.

After we explored Sacsayhuaman a Quechua cuandero performed a healing ceremony and prayed to rid us all of our aches and pains and problems. This ancient cleansing method uses all types of bits and pieces, including candy, wine, alphabet soup, colorful paper dots, silver, gold, cereal, herbs and coca leaves to pay homage to Pachamama, mother earth. This local shaman is paid for his services with goods. This version of helping each other is the Quechua’s way of life, called mita.

Today’s version of mita is ‘You need this, I have a lot. You help me next time.’ In Incan times and without a currency, it was the way to obtain labor and for the people to ‘pay’ their taxes: “I’m the Inca. I want this built. Leave your family for a couple of months and build it.”

After this busy day some of us drank pisco sours and watched Cusco’s soccer team trounce Argentina 3-0 to win their division. Then to bed to sleep until our normal 6:00 a.m. wakeup call.

On April 5 we board the bus for Ollantaytambo a colonial era market town in the Sacred Valley along the Urubamba River. Here we board train to Aguas Calientes, the nearest town to Machu Picchu. Aguas Calientes, a pleasant tourist town, is squeezed in a tight valley in the Andes along the Urubamba River.

Machu Picchu

Then a shuttle bus ride up a winding road up 1,600 feet to Machu Picchu. This captivating construction in the shadow of steep outcrop Huayna Picchu cannot be easy described. Physically, there are a royal residence area, the worker area, the quarry area, the religious area, burial caves and over 600 agriculture terraces. But emotions are more difficult to verbalize. These people recognized special spiritual places called huacas and the area does exude a certain atmosphere just in its sheer beauty.

No one knows the architect, the builder, or even its true purpose. Recent documents found in Cusco support a royal retreat, a royal retreat with temples to the Sun, the Moon, and the Earth. Even though our local guide has his shortcomings, such as fluency in English, we all marvel at the stonework, the water fountains, the king’s private toilet, and the absolute splendor of the area.

Tomorrow, April 6, is rainy. This prevents a few audacious souls from climbing Huayna Picchu. Several people have died on this mountain, slipping and falling into the Urubamba River far below. Instead some take a wet hike to the Gate of the Sun, others wander the dwellings. We are left with questions: Why did they choose this site? How long to build? They controlled the flow of water from springs, so what kind of pre-planning did they do? How much did it cost in terms of life or money?

We all depart for the train trip back to Ollantaytambo. Hector takes us on a little tour of the town and of a courtyard. Several families live around a courtyard. Housing is basic, but clean and snug. I’d have a hard time with 2 dozen guinea pigs roaming freely (free-range cuy?) and dirt floors, but they are definitely well-maintained homes.

Later, we stop and drink chicha, a corn-based drink, and play the frog game, boys versus girls. The boys win by cheating; they step over the line. Well, Phil did have a good score. But they can still wait for their pisco sours.

We start the second week of our trip back in Cusco. After we climb up to the ruins at Pisac we have a home-hosted lunch. One of the items on the menu is cuy (guinea pig), tastes like a dry chicken. Supposed to be low in cholesterol, but I’ll leave it off my menu.

Our last mountain trip is a short exploration of Pisac, now famous for its large artisan market and previously for its spectacular terraced ruin. I personally would have preferred more time at the ruin and less at the market. I don’t think Hector wanted to strain his knee much. At the ruins we spot many holes in the cliff which turn out to be excavated burial chambers. After death bodies were folded into a fetal position, wrapped in textiles, placed in a large jar and stashed into a cave. The dry air mummified bodies preserving them to this day.

We return to Lima on Sunday, April 8. Some visit a museum, Larry & I walk over to Huaca Pucllana, large pre-Incan temple grounds. This is still an active archaeological site and we have a very informative guide. The patrons of this area worshipped the ocean and ocean creatures. Before it was abandoned, they could see the ocean. The Spaniards used it as a watch tower. It was a place of human sacrifice, all women. They found a number of broken potteries. Whenever these people started a new project, they smashed huge pots and buried the pieces.

This is our last night in Peru; we have tasty dinner outside at Mango’s in Larco Mar overlooking the Pacific and prepare for Quito, Ecuador. We say goodbye to our Peruvian guide.

Quito with 2,300,000 people is the 2nd largest city in Ecuador and has approximately the same area as Nevada. It has 8 volcanoes; the last eruption was in 1998. It was founded in 1535 by the Inca. Ecuador began using the US dollar after they faced financial crisis and multiply bank failures. After meeting our new guide, Juan Carlos Sosa, we check into the Hotel Merkure, an adequate hotel close to a huge artisan market (translation: souvenirs, t-shirts, etc).

The Galapagos Islands
- or the Guide wore flip-flops -

Juan Carlos, a more than capable guide and naturalist, educates us on our Galapagos Island trip, what to expect, what is required of us, and what islands we will visit. His warnings include: take pictures, leave footprints, no flash photography, do not touch animals, stay on the trail, no smoking or food on the islands, and there are no bathrooms on the islands. Island visits will be made from a panga, (a dinghy), must wear life vests and remove shoes when returning from an island and leave on the stern. We learn we must make sure we wash all sand off to minimize transfer of biologicals from island to island.

On April 10 we fly to Baltra Island stopping first in Guayaquil, a major port city for 40 minutes. After our guide pays the $100 per person fee, gathers our luggage, gets us on the bus, we arrive at the dock. We board a panga for the trip across the bay to the Motor Yacht Carina.

After orientation, a fire drill, and room distribution, we motor to Santa Cruz Island and our first island exploration at Las Baches – the Barges (named after decaying barges left over from WW2). Our first wet landing is easier than anticipated. Within a little time we see marine iguanas, frigates, brown pelican, brown terns, a flamingo, great heron, blue footed boobies, Galapagos flycatcher, a black necked common stilt. In the water we see grunts, sea cucumbers, parrotfish, and a multitude of other colorful sea creatures. And this beach excursion creates one of the best memories of the trip: Sam racing across the beach enthusiastically shouting, “The turtles are hatching. The turtles are hatching.” Of course, we had to stand helplessly by while frigates scooped up these little innocent babies. It’s safer to hatch at night.

Tonight after dinner we gather on the sun deck to glimpse stars until the fog rolled in – our first sighting of the Southern Cross, a constellation not visible in the USA, another reminder of our location on the equator. While at anchor, the deck lights attracted insects which in turn attracted fish which in turn attracted sharks and a poisonous sea snake, all fun to watch from the safety and comfort of the deck.

The newly formed Bartolome is our destination for today. Only about 200,000 years old, this volcanic island is a great laboratory of development of life in this new acidic rock. Examples are small lava lizards, snakes, plants with no photosynthesis, and lava cactus. Snorkeling at the south beach of Bartolome we swim with penquins, sally lightfoot crabs, blue chin parrotfish, Mexican hogfish, king angelfish, back striped salemas, and a flag cabrilla hiding in a crevice.

In the afternoon we scramble around a lava flow on Sebastian Island. That evening our able captain, Andrew, motors us to a caldera island home to an alluring flamingo-filled lagoon.

On Thursday, the 12th, we land on Rabida Island and spot a wandering tattler, Galapagos mockingbird, fur seals, pelican’s nesting & mating, flycatchers, zigzag spider, finches, more penguins, pencil-spined sea urchins sea turtles, reef cornet fish, bump head parrot fish and yellow tailed surgeon fish. And this is just the morning. This afternoon on Puerto Egas on Santiago Island we see more sea turtles, and herons, plus the Galapagos doves and mockingbirds, who don’t mock anyone because there is no one to mock. Plants include Chinese lanterns, lantana and beach morning glories. The beach is full of marine iguanas. And the lava and sea have combined to create a fun site: Darwin’s toilet. This hole in the lava bubbles up and then ‘flushes’ as the waves run.

Friday is our last day on the Carina … and just as we’ve adjusted to sea life. On South Plaza Island we first see land iguanas plus more marine iguanas. We can walk so close to swallow tail gulls, frigates, shearwaters and sea lions. They are not afraid.

On Santa Fe Islands, one of the oldest islands which received the first animals, we contemplate the “Founder Effect” or the arrival and establishment of various fauna and flora from the continent. We walk among dozens of sea lions napping on the beach. We study more land iguanas and spy more Galapagos mockingbirds.

After leaving our boat, we enter Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz. This is the home of the Charles Darwin Research Center and its concentration on the giant tortoises. Here they breed, hatch, raise and repatriate tortoises to the wild. It’s hard to fathom that these little guys about the size of a woman’s hand can be 5 years old and can live to be over 100 years old and weigh several hundred pounds. We feel for Lonesome George, the last remaining tortoise from Pinta. He has 2 females with similar DNA from another island, but he just can’t catch them. Reproduction is not too pleasant for female tortoises.

After an abbreviated school visit and observe wild tortoises, we check into our highland hotel, the Royal Palm. Fancy. Wish we could stay at this hotel longer during the day to enjoy the facilities, but we’re up and out at 8:00 a.m. Sunday to head over to North Seymour Island.

Here we have the opportunity to amble along the beach and right next to breeding frigates and blue footed boobies some going thru their extensive mating rituals.

The afternoon ends with a trip through the immense and elaborate lava tube at the hotel. On Monday, April 16, we return to Quito. Leaving Baltra Island we do get to use Royal Palm waiting room, a definite plus from the ‘big room’.

Back in Quito our last day is filled with an extensive tour or the city. First, we listen to the SINAMUNE Orchestra, a musical group made up of handicapped people. SINAMUNE was started by Edgar Palacios, a famous Ecuadorian trumpeter. More entertaining than anticipated.

After a short drive we arrive at the Inti Nan Museum. Inti Nan means Path of the Sun and it is our stop to stand on the equator. We are at Latitude 0 degrees, 0 minutes, and 0 seconds. Fun to watch various equatorial effected experiments like water draining and egg propping. And a lot more fun than visiting the false equator monument.

Then a stroll around Independence Plaza, the Presidential Place, the over-the-top Jesuit Church of La Compania de Jesus and San Francisco Square and Church with its blend of Indian and catholic designs, a stop at a super supermarket and we are done touring. Tomorrow we fly home.

We ate everything including the kitchen sink
- Some foods -

Soups: Onion, potato, sweet potato, minestrone, pumpkin, vegetable, cream of spinach, tomato bean
Seafood: Octopus, mussels, crab claws, sea bass, scallops, trout, tuna, calamari, shrimp, ceviche (raw seafood marinated in lime)
Meat: Chicken, pork, beef, alpaca, guinea pig, tongue, turkey
Fruits: peaches from the Sacred Valley, avocados, plantains, sweet tomatoes, papayas, oranges, mangoes, melons, dried bananas, papago
Vegetables: carrots, peas, green beans, spinach, swiss chard, hearts of palm, mushrooms, lima beans, lupine beans, asparagus, beans, hominy various types of corn and potatoes
Beverages: Bottled water, pisco sours, beer, wine & chichi morada
Desserts: Lucama ice cream, apple pie, chocolate cake, cheese cake, fig pie, pear tart, flan