Uncategorized – Page 2 – NEVER STOP MOVING

The transit from Cusco to Machu Picchu is amazing

Village with Llama wool demonstration

The weaver with my purchase

Demonstration

Llamas

3/8 Our flight to Cusco from Lima was great with views of the Andes. We arrived on time and Johanna of Incas discovery met us with our guide, Johan. We boarded our private van with Johan and the driver. We drove to Ollantaytambo town to catch the train to Agua Calientes (Machu Picchu town). 2.5 hr drive with stops along the way to see and learn about the culture of this area. First stop was at a little village where they spin Llama fur into yarn. I bought a lovely hand woven throw from a local girl (see picture). Next stop was for a view from the highest point on the drive at 12,800 ft. Beautiful scenery. At Ollantaytambo, Johan took us through the back walkways to see how the ancient city irrigated and provided water to the people. We went inside a typical (even today) home where guinea pigs are raised for eating. This is called “guy” and a very popular dish with the Inca people. We did not sample any. I had guinea pigs for pets and could not imagine eating one. From the photos you will see they get rather large. The home was dirt floor and rough stone walls. Open fire pit in the center for heat.

The next photos show the irrigation ditches which are centuries old.

Next we got on the train for the journey to Agua Calientes (Machu Picchu town). The 2 hour ride was very scenic and all along the river which was very high and at least class 5 rapids. I was told only extreme sports enthusiasts ever kayak it this time of year. We met a couple from Germany on the train who have relocated to South Africa. They said they were too tired of German government and taxes. They have a ranch in South Africa but are looking to relocate to another desolate area, hence the visit to Peru, Brazil and Argentina.

view from 12,800 ft summit

Our new friends from South Africa

river along the train route

Tambor and Montezuma, Costa Rica

February 25 to March 6, 2017

The first 7 nights in Tambor was at a private home in a very quiet neighborhood. It was centrally located though and we saw so much and remained very active. From quiet walks on the beach to zipline – we did it all. The photos below show just some of the highlights. It has been hot… around 85 degrees with a nice breeze most of the time. The pool was very refreshing.

My son and his wife invited us to share this home with them for 7 nights. It was very relaxing and we also enjoyed the company of Annette’s daughter, Emily with her partner James. Three generations!

Written by Bob about our day to Tortuga Island: Monday (2.27) we took a panga skippered by Tavo and his wife Veronica to Tortuga Island. We spent an hour or so relaxing on the beach under coconut trees. Then Tavo took us to two different dive spots for snorkeling. The fish were plentiful and it was beautiful. Then back to the beach where Veronica prepared a wonderful meal of shrimp, chicken and papas fritas. After another couple of hours enjoying the ambience, Annette’s daughter Emily, and her guy James, took a guided walk up the hill above the beach. We motored back to Tambor and back to our vacation home. Tuesday Marla and I went to town for some provisions and gelato and then just spent an afternoon of nothingness while the rest of the gang motored to Montezuma which is the “hippy” center of the area and where we will spend Saturday and Sunday. We are having the best of times.

02-27-tavo-tortuga-island-14 — Annette and Will on Tortuga Is.

02-27-tavo-tortuga-island-31 — Miss Lauren, Tavo’s boat

02-27-tavo-tortuga-island-33 — Fishing Village of Tambor

Zipline in Montezuma with Sun Trails

This was my third time on a Zipline. First was in the Caribbean, second was in Whistler. The third time is the charm, so they say! It was awesome-best yet. 8 zips with a waterfall break half way through.

The swim break

Annette and Emily

The waterfall

View from the Zipline

Suspension Bridge

Happy Zippers

Amtrak to Vancouver

One more day of work and then we are off to Vancouver, British Columbia on the Amtrak. Since we moved here 11 years ago we have used this awesome method of transportation to travel north to Vancouver (our nearest city) and South to Seattle or Portland frequently. This photo below was taken by me on a walk in my neighborhood. We have a bridge leading to Boulevard Park and I always wave as the train passes by. I wave because when I’m riding on that train people wave at me. Riding a train is one of life’s little pleasures and everyone should try it. Extremely relaxing and very affordable. The fare is reasonable. Check http://www.amtrak.com for schedules and rates. They also offer bus service which might be faster.

This map illustrates the route. It is beautiful scenery! When we arrive at Pacific Central Station (shown below) we walk across the street, and take the Sky Train to downtown Vancouver’s Waterfront Station where cruise ships depart or a quick transfer to the airport from there. The Sky Train stops ‘inside’ the airport terminal. Good thing because it is raining today and expected to rain tomorrow.

bham-to-vanc-on-amtrak — Route to Vancouver

Right behind where this photo was taken is the Sky Train Station.

pacific_central_station_vancouver — Pacific Central Station in Vancouver, British Columbia

Machu Picchu Planning

central-south-america

In my last post I talked about the importance of planning well. I could call a travel agent but that just isn’t my style. I love to research, read other blogs, and spend lots of time looking at all the options. Trip Advisor has great forums where people exchange ideas and give suggestions based on their experiences.

Planning our side trip to Machu Picchu was far from easy. I loved every minute/hour/days of it. It is a very complex procedure to get there. Many websites are not current with the fact that one of the train lines no longer runs. Also, due to increased tourism they are beginning to limit the number of visitors per day. There are many tour operators who will put everything together for you from Lima flights, hotels, tours, meals and all else. I did a little on my own and used Incas Discovery to do the complicated parts. Their website is http://www.incasdiscovery.com and you will not find prices there. Which is a good thing. Most of the others put together packages and you pick the one you want. No flexibility. Johanna at Incas Discovery worked with me to deliver what I needed. I did my own air from Lima and chose the hotels based on the train schedules and other set details. Instead of a packaged tour, she charged me for only what we needed. I compared prices of course because you can do the entire thing yourself as prices are available on line from the individual vendors.

Advance Planning does make it easier…If only I could slow down….

Our time in Lima, Peru was already set because I had purchased non refundable airfare. We are flying from Costa Rica and then to Buenos Aires after Lima. We had flexibility but I chose the dates that offered the best prices long before deciding we should go to Machu Picchu. Again, if I had taken more time to think about what we would do in Lima, we would have stayed longer. The packaged tour operators could not work with me because my flights were too tight.

As you can see from the map below part of the tour is by auto and part is by train. There are no other choices, except walking the whole way, which many people do, over many days.

machu-picchu-map-2014

Also, all the tour operators have you stay in Cuzco the first night to adjust to the altitude, which is 11,000 ft. Cuzco is where the airport is. The altitude at Aguas Calientes, the town at the base of Machu Picchu, is about 9,000 ft. We are going directly to our Aguas Calientes hotel from the airport. One more day would have been perfect as you can see from the summary. The entire excursion is about $800 each. Most tour operator’s prices started at 3 times that amount.

Here is the summary:
Day 1 – 10 AM Fly Lima to Cuzco, 2 hour bus to Ollantaytambo, 2 hour train to Aguas Calientes, Hotel
Day 2 – Hike Machu Picchu 9 AM to 4 PM, train to Ollantaytambo, bus to Cuzco, Hotel
Day 3 – 5 AM fly Cuzco to Lima, 11 AM fly Lima to Buenos Aires

2015 Canadian Rail, Cruise Quebec to Florida, Car through Southeast States, California, Hawaii.

October 11-December 17, 2015

Train across Canada – West to East to North
Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship from Quebec City North then East then South to Florida 14 days
Rental Car for 30 days, 3,000 miles from SouthEast Florida to New Orleans and all around.
Flight to California for 4 days with family in Healdsburg.
Flight to Kauai, Hawaii for 10 days
Home December 17.

October 11 – 15, 2015 – Train; Vancouver to Toronto, Canada

We boarded Amtrak in our little town of Fairhaven, bound for Vancouver, Canada where we boarded the Canadian Rail for a trip across Canada to Toronto.

This map shows our route with Canadian Rail – west to east to north. We got on the ship in Quebec City and went further north up into the Fjords.

Can Rail map entire

Our little sleeper cabin. The chairs fold flat at night and the porter pulls the beds down. Our shower was down the hall but we did have a private toilet. That is the extent of our luggage on the floor. We travel very light, even for this 3 month trip.

Sleeper cabin for 2 on Canadian Rail

Dome Viewing Car

Fall colors out the window

Snack car

We stayed in Toronto 2 nights and visited Niagara Falls (the Canadian side). The views from Delta Hotel in Toronto were amazing. We had a corner room and looked directly onto the Sports Stadium, the airport and the Train Museum.

Toronto (1) — View from Hotel Delta Toronto

Niagara Falls was not at all what I was expecting. The United States side (which we could see but did not visit) was very park like and quiet. The Canadian side was very commercial with restaurants, shops, adventure rides and high energy. We enjoyed it very much from the Visitor Center after having lunch at one of the local restaurants. Then we took a boat ride under the falls, wearing the provided raincoats.

niagara-falls-full-views-1 — Views from the Canadian Visitor Center

niagara-falls-full-views-2 — Niagara Falls

After Toronto we boarded the Canadian Rail again for our short (7 hours) ride to Quebec City on a typical commuter train. No sleeper cabin required. Quebec City was COLD. It even snowed a bit but that didn’t stop us from searching out hot chocolate and riding the hop on off bus. We just bundled up and acted like typical tourists. Which we are!

We stayed 2 nights at Hotel Le Saint-Paul.