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| Qoricancha |
Manning organised for our luggage to be collected from outside our rooms and taken to the hotel lobby. He had already checked in our luggage somehow (without our luggage) and put the airline tags on. He had also checked us in for our flights so all we had to do was take our luggage to the drop-off desk which was 'portered' across with us on a trolley to the airport terminal.
Our flight from Lima to Cusco was uneventful and we were met at the airport by another guide, Juan, who will be our main tour guide until we leave but Manning will still be with us. Our luggage was picked up and transported to our hotel ahead of our arrival there later on.
In Cusco we stopped to see Qoricancha which is a lovely museum/church/convent with Inca temple ruins. From there we headed to La Cathedral which is a stunning basilica comprised of 2 chapels on either side of a cathedral. All 3 were beautiful, indescribable…. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photographs inside.
As we walked to lunch from the cathedral there were some sort of festivities in the town square. Music, singing & dancing - people were in traditional costumes. We stopped to watch for a bit and whilst doing so, someone winked and jokingly said that Holland America Line should give us complimentary rain coats for tours during the rainy season (it rained on and off during the day)!
At the restaurant (
Inka Grill) we had a delicious 2 course lunch of pepper steak with corn and a dessert of some sort of mousse & ice cream.
Coca tea (also called mate de coca) served and we were encouraged to drink it to help with altitude sickness. (In fact someone did feel dizzy during lunch so she was given some oxygen there and then, and her oxygen saturation levels were monitored throughout the day.) The alkaloids in the coca leaves, when extracted, are the source for cocaine. One can legally drink the tea and chew the leaves in Peru as well as in Colombia, Bolivia, Argentina, Ecuador and Chile.
After lunch we headed out to
Saqsaywaman Fortress which was a very interesting area. We had an overview of it rather than going around the whole site. Rain was threatening on the horizon - you could see the fully loaded clouds heading towards us.
It was time to hit the road again for a drive to our hotel,
Aranwa Sacred Valley Hotel. Check-in was smooth, quick and painless after which Manning gave us a briefing about tomorrow's activities.
Most people went to relax a bit before dinner but I took a walk around the hotel complex, complete with a pool, wellness centre, chapel and more. It was very beautiful. Unfortunately I became very emotional, both during the walk and also after dinner. My thoughts were of my twin and wishing she was still here. Also one of the guests with us reminded me very much of a dear friend in Cape Town who a similar sense of humour, mannerisms and outlook in life. In this beautiful part of the world everything seemed to come to a head in my thoughts and emotions. Thanks to Robert, a big hug eventually got me back on track - which I am truly grateful for.
It has been lovely day once again. So much to see but so little time. And in the company of a group of lovely people. I couldn't have wished for a better day.
PHOTOGRAPHS
Qoricancha
Cusco
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| La Cathedral |
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| At the Inka Grill |
Saqsaywaman Fortress
Aranwa Sacred Valley Hotel, Urumbamba
It was good to get out and about after a sea day yesterday. The cooler weather is starting to kick in now that we are quite a bit further south, and staff had to start wearing their winter uniforms. 
Near Algarrobo we got a view of the world's largest swimming pool - until recent times. Although it was from a distance - it was huge! Then it was time for refreshments at El Quisco yacht club before heading back to the ship. We were also treated to a short traditional dance performance, at the yacht club, by father and daughter. It was really lovely and well done. 
