We ended our group trip with a few days in Cuzco. Watching Emperor's New Groove the first day helped us get in the groove. We walked around the city, went on a panoramic bus tour, ate great food, and visited a few interesting old churches. One church had the interior altars covered in thousands of small mirrors. The explanation we were given is that when the church was built in the 1500's the mirrors were to act as a curiosity to the local indigenous people and ...

After Machu Picchu we returned to Ollantataytambo for a couple more days, returned to our favorite pizzeria and did some great tours. One highlight of the whole week was a chocolate tour and workshop, it included lots of laughs, tasting, songs, and lots to bring home :) we had a great time. We also visited a weaving village higher in the mountains, got to do some weaving of our own, and lear about their natural dying techniques. The use plants, bugs, and minerals...

We took a train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas , the closest town to the ruins of Machu Picchu. The towns name actually is Machu Picchu but they do not use that name so as not to be confused with the famous ruins that are just up the mountain. We arrived in the afternoon and spent the time exhausting ourselves walking up and down the steep streets of the city. We got fruit, veggies, bread, avocados, and cheese for our planned picnic lunch at Machu Picchu. Early to ...

We stayed the first few days in Ollantataytambo. Small town in the valley, full of mountain views, beautiful incan stonework, and lots of charm. We spent a few days acclimatizing to the altitude, exploring markets, eating various and tasty fruits and Peruvian food.

It was a short trip to Arequipa. Mostly we prepared for the trek in Colca Canyon. But the city was definitely worth more exploration, beautiful buildings, lots of city to explore and history to be learned. Colca canyon was one of those places on our trip so far where we really wish we had more time. The scenery was gorgeous, the people welcoming, and the trek grueling. We should have expected it but somehow before we started our trek IN and OUT of one of the dee...