CUZCO AND MACHU PICCHU, PERU

We arrived into Cuzco, Peru and 11,000 ft in altitude and needed to spend a couple of days there to get adjusted to the altitude and lack of oxygen before we headed out to Machu Picchu! We found Cuzco to be a beautiful city situated around a large square which was beautifully lit at night! We loved the food there, especially a little restaurant called Limo which served the best ceviche, sushi!, and lomo saltado! The lack of oxygen was somewhat off putting and we drank coca tea to adjust. The people of Peru were also warm and welcoming. We took a 4 hour train ride DOWN to Machu Picchu from Cuzco.

We were fascinated by the Inca culture from the beginning and learned more through guided tours of their amazing intelligence and industriousness.The mystery and magic of Machu Picchu was captivating and breathtaking. It was hard to leave and one of the most fascinating parts of our entire trip. How they build their civilization to avoid destruction during the powerful earthquakes (or terramotos) was an incredible feat. The buildings are perfectly preserved with not mortar between the stones! Perfect engineering and perfectly amazing to see!
While we did not hike the 4 day Inca Trail we did read a great book called, "Turn Right at Machu
Picchu" which was the story written by Mark Adams who rewalked the path  of Hiram Bingham who originally discovered Machu Picchu in 1917. A fascinating and fun read. We left Peru through Lima, which we found unmemorable except for a fabulous dinner we had at Herve's celebrating our 35th wedding anniversary. We passed this random sign outside a hotel on our anniversary! Tacky but funny! Off to Costa Rica...