Walked around; not much to see.

 

 

 

Waited for Di Tio Mario Restaurant to open so we could sample the heart of a bull...tasted like a mild steak....
The next day we were on our own, once again.  Joan and Archie checked out a Park called the "Cat Park, because that's what was there and stimulated the local economy by shopping at the Market Place. Arose early to catch flight to Cusco and The Sacred Valley of The Incas.  Not sorry to leave Lima; spent one day too many.

 

 

 

 

Once again, we stay in the "lap of luxury."

The views out our window, 12,000' above sea level

The bar and dining area...

...and the chance to see another World Cup game

Time for a dip in the spa whirlpool followed by  another complementary massage

Up early to tour Ollantaytambo, a great Inca fortress in the Urubamba Valley

 

Jeff, Joan, and John climb the @260 steep stone steps up to the fortress at the top of the mountain

The surrounding town is one of the oldest continuously occupied settlements in the Americas

These sixteen massive terraces are testimony to the magnificent Inca masonry

Hat Ladies can be found anywhere....
Next stop:  Chinchero, a small Andean Indian Village located high up on the plains of Anta, believed to be the birthplace of the Rainbow.

The women have learned how to profit from their weaving skills, passed down from generation to generation

Hat, unfortunately, not for sale; THAT I would have bought....

We leave this community for Lunch at Haciendas Huayoccari.

 

It is an indescribable private home, with equally magnificent gardens, comparable to a Southern plantation

Up early enough to check out the llamas...

...and them, to check out or ignore us!

....before heading for the Belmond Hiram Bingham...

....that takes us from Cusco to Machu Picchu

All aboard!

View from the train

The diagonal line from the middle of the photo to the upper right is the start of The Inca Trail

Waiting to be checked into the Belmond Sanctuary Lodge

 

The Belmond Hiram Bingham Train, named for the Yale graduate and American explorer who discovered Machu Picchu on July 24, 1911, is the most luxurious way to journey between Cusco and Machu Picchu. The carriages are a distinctive blue and gold, the interiors luxurious, and the cars decorated in the style of the 1920's Pullman trains.  There are two Dining Cars, an Observation Bar Car, and a Kitchen Car.  It carries up to 84 passengers and serves a brunch as guests pass stunning landscapes. 

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