40TH ANNIVERSARY TRIP TO SOUTH AMERICA!!!: 2010

WE HAD TWO FULL SHOPPING DAYS, AFTER OUR RETURN FROM MACHU PICCHU, A WONDERFUL BIRTHDAY DINNER FOR DIANNE, ON JULY 6TH...WE DINED ON ALPACA AND GUINEA PIG! WE WE WERE VERY LUCKY TO MEET THE DUTCH LADY WHO OWNS THE MARIANI, SHE STARTED THE "HOPE FOUNDATION", AN ORGANIZATION HELPING LOCAL PERUVIAN YOUNG PEOPLE RECEIVE PROPER CARE, TRAINING AND EDUCATION. ALL OF HER EMPLOYEES ARE INDIGINOUS PEOPLE SHE HAS "RESCUED" FROM BAD FAMILY SITUATIONS. "HOPE" HAS BUILT DOZENS OF SCHOOLS IN REMOTE VILLAGES.

FOUR GENERATIONS!!

JULY 9TH, JIM'S BIRTHDAY, STARTED AT 5:00 AM FLYING FROM LIMA TO SANTIAGO, CHILE (KNOWING YOUR FIFTH GRADE GEOGRAPHY, YOU ARE CORRECT.... THAT IS THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION FROM MAINE). WE THEN FLEW TO TORONTO, WASHINGTON, PORTLAND, ARRIVING AT 1:30 PM ON JULY 10TH!! A RATHER CIRCUITOUS ROUTE...NO MORE AIR MILES FOR US!!! SO ENDS OUR 40TH ANNIVERSARY TRIP!!!

THE WHOLE REASON FOR OUR TRIP TO SOUTH AMERICA STARTED WITH THE DREAM OF MACHU PICCHU FOR OUR 40TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY…OBVIOUSLY WE NEEDED TO MAKE THE TIME FOR THIS BREATHTAKING, INCA REFUGE IN THE MOUNTAINS! WHAT WE DIDN'T DO IS HAVE THE EXTRA TIME TO TREK THE INCA TRAIL, FOUR DAYS ALONG THE URUBAMBA RIVER AND OVER THE 13,000 FT. WARMIWANUSQU PASS TO THE INKA ENTRANCE...THE SUNGATE.

INSTEAD WE CHOSE TO TAKE THE PERU RAIL TRAIN UP TO AGUAS CALIENTES. AS IT HAPPENED THERE WAS ANOTHER SMALL LANDSLIDE ALONG THE TRACK SO THE FIRST TWO HOURS OF OUR JOURNEY WAS BY BUS!

OLLANTAYTAMBO TRAFFIC JAM!

HAWKING THEIR WARES WHEN PERU RAIL WORKS ON PERUVIAN TIME!

PERU RAIL FINALLY ARRIVING IN OLLANTAYTAMBO

LOOK CLOSELY AND YOU WILL SEE THE INCA TRAIL ON THE HILLSIDE! HOWEVER TAKING PICTURES WITH THE CAMERA HANGING OUTSIDE A SPEEDING TRAIN IS NOT CONDUCIVE TO CLEAR PHOTOS!

ARRIVING IN AGUAS CALIENTES BY TRAIN WAS A TREAT FOR ME AS ONE MUST WEND ONES WAY THROUGH A MYRIAD OF SHOPS BEFORE THEY LET YOU ESCAPE INTO THE TOWN! WE STOPPED IN THE TOWN SQUARE FOR LUNCH, AND ANOTHER WORLD CUP FOOTBALL GAME, BEFORE FINDING THE PATH TO OUR MOST WONDERFUL RESORT.

BRIDGE LEADING TO THE INKATERRA...A HUGE DICOTOMY BETWEEN TOWN AND RESORT!!!

THE INKATERRA IS PROBABLY THE MOST HIGH-END ESTABLISHMENT WHERE WE HAVE HAD THE PLEASURE OF STAYING! THERE WAS NOTHING THAT WAS TOO MUCH TROUBLE FOR THE STAFF TO MAKE OUR DAYS AT THE INKATERRA SUPERLATIVE!

JULY 4TH, 2010 DAWNED, 40 YEARS OF WEDDED BLISS! WE HAD A SCRUMPTUOUS BREAKFAST THEN SWITCH-BACKED OUR WAY, BY BUS, UP TO MACHU PICCHU; HIDDEN FROM THE WORLD UNTIL 1911 WHEN A LOCAL, AGUAS CALIENTES, MOUNTAIN CAMPESINA (SUBSISTANCE FARMER), LED HIRAM BINGHAM, FROM YALE, TO THE JUNGLE-COVERED RUINS. MACHU PICCHU, "ANCIENT PEAK" TO THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE, WAS BUILT ACCORDING TO ARCHEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES SINCE 1985, AS THE CEREMONIAL, AND POSSIBLY THE ADMINISTRATIVE CENTER, OF A HUGE AND QUITE POPULOUS REGION.

ARRIVING EARLY TO THE SITE, WE IMMEDIATELY HIKED TO THE TOP OF THE SUNGATE, A HEIGHT HIGHER THAN HIKING UP HUAYNA PICCHU. WHILE WE WERE UP AT THE TOP I DISCOVERED THAT I HAD LOST AN EARRING…PROBABLY WHILE TAKING OFF ONE OF MANY LAYERS!

ON OUR WAY BACK DOWN THE PATH WE LOOKED BUT DIDN'T FIND IT! EVEN HAD THE LLAMAS SEARCHING FOR US!

WE HIKED AROUND THE RUINS FOR A FEW HOURS VIEWING THE STORAGE BUILDINGS, TEMPLE OF THE THREE WINDOWS, SACRISTY, PRINCIPAL TEMPLE, TEMPLE OF THE CONDOR, TEMPLE OF THE SUN AND PALACE OF THE PRINCESS.

AS WE WERE WALKING OUT THROUGH THE HOUSE OF THE TERRACE CARETAKERS, I WENT IN AND "MIMED" MY LOST EARRING…BELIEVE IT OR NOT THERE WAS A GIRL THERE, GETTING HER PASSPORT STAMPED, AND OVERSEEING MY GESTURES EXCLAIMED, "I FOUND YOUR EARRING ABOUT FIVE HOURS AGO!" DEFINITELY GOOD KARMA FOR OUR 40TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY!!!

WE HAD A FABULOUS ANNIVERSARY DINNER ENJOYING THE BOTTLE OF WINE AND CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES THE KIDS HAD SENT!!!