LOCATION: Amazon - Puerto Maldonado - Cusco - Yucay
Everyone was up early before the alarms this morning. the animals were running wild around the Cabanas, squealing and fighting. No chocolate to celebrate Easter Sunday! But did score some boiled eggs for breakfast - close enough.
Had a date for a team photo with guide umbrellas to send to @Jaime and the Galapagos group and, in a heartbeat it was time to move on. And I'm escaping the Lodge wearing the contraband brown thongs the Lodge provides as slippers! Hoping for a smooth get away!
Arrangements were clear and as expected ran like clockwork. Breakfast, pay the bill, luggage out for collection, assemble in the main hut, fill in the survey and answer the call of the ringing bell to board the board. Last ride 40 minutes upstream to the port. Collected the stored luggage ( there was no charge, that was an unexpected surprise) and checkin at LATAM.
The small airport was bulging at the seams and it was a challenge to find a spot to wait the 2 hours for our flight. Hardly worth thinking about really- this little hop step and a jump was a 40 minute flight taking us from the Amazon back over the Andes to Cusco.
Welcome to Cusco - at 3400 metres we definitely knew we were here. First time, our guide wasn't! Had a little mix up with the welcome and found ourselves herded by two very amicable gentleman - who had nothing to do with our pickup but were scamming for tips! Admitting, that we were a little "fuddled." @Mac had instant tummy issues and we all had fuzzy headsets and were operating in slow motion.
It was a 2 hour descent from Cusco to the Sacred Valley . Just an 80 km stretch, but a combination of narrow alleys in congested towns and winding roads in country areas. @Petrina the guide was a bit light on with info and although @Carlos was driving carefully on the steep mountain road, @Mac succumbed to car sickness.
I think it might have been the drive by of the Guinea pig BBQ that pushed him over the edge.
We are sending two days here in Yucay at around 2 900 metres to enable us to adjust to the altitude. A good thing because @Mac was out for the evening - he actually slept 11 hours and it seemed to be the answer to adapting.
Once again, our accommodation is extremely comfortable. We had been a little sceptical on the drive in what might await us - but this hacienda style hotel is set right at the foot of the mountains - beautiful gardens and grounds - restaurants, a chapel, fountains ... a great layover spot and with the temperature falling to 10 degrees as the sun set, that hot sticky jungle sweat was already a distant memory.
Can you believe this?
Interesting information about the Sacred Valley from Co-pilot
The Sacred Valley, once the heartland of the Inca Empire, is renowned for its immense agricultural fertility, lower altitude than Cusco, and stunning Inca sites like Ollantaytambo and Pisac. The Incas viewed the Urubamba River as a reflection of the Milky Way, making it a sacred landscape. The region is also famous for the ancient Maras Salt Mines.
Survival Barometer
Steps 8 551
Weather 34 in the Amazon , 16 with a low of 10 in Yucay
Health - altitude does kick in - headache, lethargy, upset stomach, brain fuddle
"Both having eggs for Easter Sunday - twins again!"
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