Andes

            Finishing the log of my Peru trip, we move from the Amazon, up into the Andes mountains! 

There was one person from my group that flew out of Iquitos with me. We shared a taxi to the airport. Our plane seats weren’t near each other though. I had a window seat, but it was very misty over the Amazon, so I didn’t get very many good views. There was very little time between arriving in Lima and flying to Cusco. I made it, but no window seat this time. I craned my neck to watch the Andes through the window. Of course now the view was lovely and clear. The mountains are beautiful, with some ridges still covered in snow.

I had one meal since leaving the boat (not counting the PB&J sandwich I brought from the boat so I’d have a breakfast this morning). And my stomach’s weird. Maybe it was the coconut? Everything else I ate was cooked. I thought the coconut would be okay because it' you know, wrapped in a shell and a big husk. But maybe not.

When I arrived in Cusco, I rode two hours down the eastern side of the Andes, to the Sacred Valley. The driver didn’t speak English, but he told me in Spanish some of what we were passing. I understood pretty good. Though I usually think of the best response (considering my limited vocabulary) after the topic has passed. As we talked and drove, I watched everything out the window. Alpacas, burros, and cows were tethered near the road, grazing. The tethers were usually attached to stakes in the ground. Some of the agave were flowering, with stalks reaching higher than the telephone poles.

My hotel in the Sacred Valley had a restaurant. For dinner, I ordered alpaca steaks with risotto. It was good. But my stomach meant I couldn’t finish it all. I couldn’t really place the alpaca flavor, because of the sauce. The texture was like beef, and I feel like the flavor was pretty distinct.

 

November 11 2022

I had a lot of trouble with the travel agency I used. It was the first time I'd used one. And it may be the last. Which is ironic, because apparently everyone else loves the agency. This morning, I was told I’d be picked up at 7:30. Which was different than my papers said. I waited half an hour, then tried texting her. No response. I was starting to get worried. Was I going to miss my upcoming tour? Finally the driver came at 8:15. I was still nervous as we drove 20-30 minutes back up the way we’d come yesterday, to the town of Chinchero. Luckily the group was there to meet me.

Our guide switched between Spanish to English, since we had speakers of both in our group. It must be hard to keep track of what you’ve said in each language. Considering how many tours I've given, it's fascinating to take a tour now. See different styles, you know? 

We went to a shop and had a demonstration of how to turn alpaca wool into cloth. There was a root they pulp up and mix into water. It immediately cleaned the wool, from dirty gray to white. The lady demonstrated spinning it into yarn. On the ground were laid out several baskets with seeds and other plant parts. In each basket was a ball of yarn. It showed what colors of dye each material would make. It was an amazing variety, from gold to gray. And of course alpacas come in a few different colors too. One of the baskets held cactus pads covered in a strange white fluff. I thought it was fungus. But she scraped some off and squished it in her hands. It became bright red. Cochineal bugs. She added some of the other ingredients and made two more shades of red. Next we went to look at the weaving process. A woman was working on a loom to make a gorgeous table runner. 

After the demonstrations, they turned us loose in the shop. I found an alpaca-print hoodie. After trying on a few, I found one that fits.

I had to use my first pay toilet. It’s not expensive, but the concept is frustrating.

At our next stop, we learned about chicha. Sort of like Peruvian beer, made with corn. On one side of the room was a little guinea pig palace. A literal two-story house in tiny scale with about half a dozen guinea pigs running around. There was a fence around it, which they could easily scale to have free-reign of the room.

For lunch, there was a buffet at the top of this fancy building. I haven’t been to a proper buffet since pre-covid. Normally I would have been excited. But my stomach was still funky, so I just sampled. But they had this pudding that was like hot, thick chicha morada: masamora morada. It was really good, and it felt good so I drank three little cups of it.

I sat next to an English couple, and we chatted through the meal.

Our next stop was Ollantaytambo. Old Incan ruins ran up the side of the mountain like steps on a giant staircase. We climbed to the top, taking a couple breaks for the altitude. The rock for this site was actually taken from the next mountain over. That means that they had to haul it down the neighboring mountain, across the valley, and back up this mountain. Some of the blocks are carved into perfect shapes to lock into place with the surrounding blocks. To shape them, the Inca drilled holes and then pounding in a wooden wedge. When they added water, the wood would expand and help the stone crack along the drilled holes.

Our guide showed us the Inca system of keeping records: quipus. It’s like a cord, with several strings hanging from it. The strings had knots at different intervals, and in different colors. It could represent how much of any certain food they had in storage, for example. Or maybe how many warriors were in the army. Specialists trained for four years to be fluent in the knots. But the system of quipus ended with the arrival of the Spaniards. There’s no way to decipher them now, because we don’t know what the different knots and colors stand for.

 

The Incan empire was surprisingly short lived. The first Incans were around the year 1100. The last Incan leader was executed in 1572.

 

November 12 2022

I left most of my luggage behind, because you’re only allowed one backpack on the train to Aguas Calientes. A bus dropped me off at the station.

I had a window seat, which was great. The train ride was 1 ½ hours and 27 miles, down the valley and alongside the river. Some of the great river stones are strange and glassy. We passed a bunch of burros too. There are communities along here, but no roads. The people have to get their supplies by burro and horse. The train ends at the town of Aguas Calientes, which is below Machu Picchu. Their stuff has to come in by train too, including the busses. People also have to come in by rail or trail. There’s the four-day hike along the Inca trail. It must be gorgeous. But utterly exhausting too. If I ever come back, I’d like to try it. Though I’d like to go slower and enjoy the walk. I wonder if they allow that. Usually you go as a group with guides. 

Machu Picchu is down the eastern side of the Andes, where the rainforest creeps up the mountains before fading into a drier climate. It’s at a lower elevation than Cusco, which surprised me. I thought it was much higher.

At the top of the mountain, near the entrance to Machu Picchu, there’s a nice restaurant. I was facing another buffet lunch. And still, I don’t really want food. But I did sample some stuff. And I found a beef soup that felt good to eat. I never know if the drinks have tap water in them, so I stay away from juices and such. They had chicha morada here, and I allowed myself one small sip. Though if it had anything weird in it, that surely would have been enough to make me sick. But I’ll bet they use filtered water. Machu Picchu is a huge tourist site, so they’d probably get a lot of angry calls if they were making foreigners sick.

 There are a few frustrating things about the Machu Picchu trails. It’s one-way, so you can’t go back. There are guards all over the place, enforcing this. And they also make sure you keep moving. At least in certain places. There’s also no bathrooms, or anywhere to get water. You have to leave the main gate, and then you’re not allowed back in. They also charge you to use the toilet. As if you haven’t already paid for the bus and entrance. A couple of the areas inside have limited hours  too– the sun temple and the condor temple. 

But Machu Picchu is amazing. As we reached the top of the steps, we found ourselves overlooking the ancient city. 

The terraces that face east are for growing crops. The stone forming these terraces would have absorbed the heat from the sun, and as they slowly let the heat out through the night, it may have protected the crops from frost. Terraces on the other side of the mountain are for erosion control, since they wouldn't get enough light for crops. 

 Machu Picchu is very centered around nature. It’s built along the curves of the mountain. And every building faces specific directions, to maximize the light they get. High above us is the sun gate. It would have been the main entrance to the city when it was in use. But nowadays, the only people that can use it are those that take the Inca trail. On the summer solstice (the reverse of ours, since this is the southern hemisphere) the morning light comes through the sun gate and lands on a specific part of the city. And on the winter solstice, when the sun first shines over the mountains, the same thing happens in a different spot.

We came around and into the city. Well, it’s not really a city. This was a religious site, so it wasn’t a place where normal people came to live. Unlike the terraces we visited yesterday, the buildings of Machu Picchu were made with rock from right here. They didn’t need to haul it up and down mountains. And some of the larger stones they left in place, working them into the walls.

You can actually see the process of how the Inca carved and moved the stones, because some of it was left behind while it was in progress. Like a big stone block that still had the stone rollers under it. The site was likely built from the bottom of the mountain up. They started with the terraces, to help stabilize the structures. If they’d started building from the top down, it could have caused landslides below.

You can generally tell what kind of building you're looking at by the way they built the walls. Homes have mortar between the stones to help with insulation. Temples don’t – the stones are carved to fit together with no mortar. But this makes drafts. 

We saw a couple viscachas. Adorable chinchilla-like animals. They were hanging out in the windows of the ancient buildings, not paying any attention to us humans below. My guide said that in the afternoon, when the morning rush has died down, they jump and play around the stone quarry area. The first one we saw looked rather old and patchy. The second, later on, looked sleeker. 

There were also llamas. The park looks after them, and each animal has an ear tag for identification. They seem to wander where they please, unlike most of the livestock you see tethered by the road. The llamas just look so great strolling along the terraces. 

Right in the middle of the city is a huge open area. It’s the meeting square. People up here worked hard and partied hard. Parties lasted a week or more. 

There are a couple stones that have been carved to resemble nearby mountains. And they were set up so that the two line up when you stand at the right spot.

The buildings are all missing their roofs, because they would have been thatched with grass. But they have a couple roofs they’ve remade, to show you what it would have looked like. The outer walls have pegs where they could be lashed in place. The grass would have been layered in a way top keep out the plentiful rain. And some of the beautiful stone walls would have actually been covered in plaster, and painted.

At the far end of town is the entrance to another trail. You need special tickets for it. There’s a steep dome mountain above us, and you can see terraces and structures at the top. It’s about an hour to the top, up an intimidating cliff trail. Two hours round trip. There’s another structure at the back, which has been closed since Covid started. But going there would be four hours. It looks daunting. But it must be a stunning view.

Machu Picchu has granaries, to save up enough food to get through drought years. The eastern end of the city was where the “normal” people lived. Many of the houses here were two-storied. The upper level would have been like an attic to store food. Buildings built to store food had air circulation, which helped preserve the food.

Windows are shaped like rectangles, but with a narrower top. This helps stabilize buildings during earthquakes. And the buildings themselves have this shape, with the two end walls slightly sloping inward. Many of them are built with pegs and niches in the stone walls, as shelves and hangers.

There are elaborate drains around the city. Gutters and even holes through walls to help channel the water during the rainy season (there’s a lot of rain, so this is very important). Near the exit to the park, there are a few working fountains too.

Actually, Machu Picchu isn’t even the real name. It's the name of the highest mountain above the site, and means “old mountain.” The other main mountain is the “young mountain.” No one knows the original name of Machu Picchu, because the Inca didn’t have a written language. Just those knots. And the Spaniards didn’t make much, if any, effort to save knowledge. They wanted to loot treasure. Machu Picchu was never finished. When the Spaniards started invading, the people abandoned the city. It was a religious site, and they didn’t want the Spaniards finding it. So you’ll see walls and buildings that haven’t been completed. They also took many of their valuables when they left. Only one gold artifact was found when the ruins were excavated.

Machu Picchu hasn't been fully excavated yet. Down below are more terraces, buried beneath forest. They’re steadily working on it. Though there’s an interesting struggle between the restoration team, and those that want to preserve the forest. Both sides have good arguments.

While I was up here, I ran into the English couple from my Sacred Valley tour! The two I’d eaten lunch with. Stumbling upon people multiple times in distant lands seems to build a kinship.

You’re only allowed in Machu Picchu for 4 hours. Assuming you don’t need to leave for a bathroom break. But I didn’t stay that long. I guess if you can’t double back or anything, there’s not much you can do beyond a certain point.

I took the bus back to town. The town is called Aguas Calientes because there's a hot spring. I thought I’d check it out. It’s a small town- I reached the edge in about five minutes. There are lots of… interesting statues to draw the eye of tourists. Like a huge statue of a guinea pig dressed as an Incan warrior. I think. I had people calling to me to come get massages, or eat at their restaurants. Or at the very top, to rent bathing suits for the hot springs.

Once outside town, there was a trail that went a little further into the mountains. At the top was the hot springs. I thought it would be natural pools, but it was set up like hot tubs. They had lockers to store your shoes, and changing rooms.

You shower before getting in. There’s a cold pool, and then several hot tubs marked with the temperature. Most are the same temperature. And there were faucets where you could let the hot water run over you.

Back at the hotel, I had a dinner included with my room. I’m still not really feeling it with food. I ordered trout, which was simple and sounded like it wouldn’t bother me. And a papa relleno, which is like mashed potatoes wrapped around filling, such as meat, hardboiled egg, and olive. And then the whole thing is fried. Delicious. The fish was delicious too, as were the roasted vegetables. I haven’t been able to eat much fresh vegetables, since it’s hard to find ones that look like they’re safe to eat. Dinner also came with a side of mashed yucca – like mashed potatoes. But it was really rich, and my stomach couldn’t handle it. I barely ate one forkful. And even that was in little nibbles.

I also got a free drink at the bar. Lemonade, since I don’t drink. I went to the hotel front desk and asked if it was made with tap water. Whenever I’ve asked if food or drinks are made with tap water, or are safe for pitiful foreigner stomachs, people just stare at me. But finally I got a proper answer. The lemonade is made with filtered water. So I happily got my free drink, which came with a side of cancha (Peruvian corn nuts). It was delicious. Nice to have a refreshing drink besides water, or water with electrolytes (although the electrolytes I’ve brought are very good).

 

November 13 2022

There are different routes you can take through Machu Picchu. There are about three through the main city, and then some that go other places, like the mountains above. Yesterday we took one route. It splits before you get to the city, and each path goes to a different area. Though there’s also a shortcut you can take to skip the back part of the city. I suppose if the altitude’s getting you, or if you have a bathroom emergency. It’s kinda evil that you can’t see the entire city in one visit. Even though it takes so much time and planning to get up here. 

 

I had to time it right. The sun temple is open until ten. But the condor temple doesn’t open until ten. My entry time was 6 AM. I got there half an hour late to try to get to the condor temple when it opened. I pulled out my video camera and started trying to recreate the tour I’d gotten yesterday. I wanted to record everything while I remembered it. Though since I took a different route, there were several things I missed.

As I was approachingthe main entrance of the city, there was a llama on the terrace above. One of the guards was standing opposite her, and she was snorting at him. As I headed up the stairs, I realized she was standing right on the path. The guard said it was okay to go, so I walked past her. She didn’t even care.

They keep you moving through the sun temple. I focused on taking a video, and kind of missed seeing it in person. Dumb. Oh well, I can watch it at home and see what I missed. Usually I don’t fall into that trap too much. Probably because I focus more on what I’m doing than on making a quality video. I need to remember to walk slowly while taping. And while moving the camera. It’s always more sensitive than I expect. But this temple is built to allow the sunlight in on the solstice.

By the time I’d gotten to the back of Machu Picchu, I realized that I’d misjudged my timing. I had two hours left until the condor temple opened. And you can’t double back to look at anything else. I wasn’t in a particularly interesting part of the city either. So I walked very slowly, just taking a video of the surroundings. Even so, I arrived an hour and a half early.

I found a little rock in the shade and sat down. I wondered if any guards would shout at me for not continuing to move. But none of them were around, luckily. I guess it’s only certain popular areas where they enforce that rule. I pulled out my camera and started deleting a bunch of blurry or duplicate photos. It would save a little time organizing them when I got home, and it gave me something to do. Typical. I’m in Machu Picchu, playing on an electronic device.

The temple finally opened and everyone poured inside. There are these two huge rocks spreading out like wings, and a smooth rock in the middle which could be the bald head of a condor. It takes a bit of imagination, but you can see it. 

And so I said farewell to Machu Picchu. I started walking down the hill. I wanted a good hike. The Amazon hikes were easy, except for the heat and humidity which made them feel hard. The lack of humidity up here was a blessing. I had plenty of time before my train left, and I wanted to go on a hike by myself in the forest. The trail zig-zags and crosses the bus road several times. The trail is mostly stairs. Going up stairs is utterly exhausting. Ramps are far easier. But going down is a lot harder on the legs. Whenever I’ve gone down too fast on tough trails, my legs have been wrecked after. So I took the steps lightly. Which means slowly. One of my knees started twinging a bit, so I tried not to lead with it too much. Luckily it felt fine after.

There weren’t a ton of walkers, and most of them were going down. But several people passed me coming up. Most looked like locals that were probably used to these steep paths. I heard a group of girls approaching from the opposite direction. One of them was talking in Spanish, and I heard the word “gringo” a couple times. They came around the corner and saw me. The girl who had been talking exclaimed, “Oh!” And the others started laughing, mimicking her “oh” of surprise. Smirking, I greeted them and walked past. I wonder what they were talking about. I hadn’t caught most of it.

At the bottom of the mountain was a butterfly farm. I bought a ticket and a guide showed me around. There was a dish of hatching baby caterpillars under a microscope. It’s easy to forget how tiny they start off. Just specks. Then he showed me a row of vases of different plants. There were caterpillars munching on them, of several different species. They were stunning.

Across the room were shelves of containers, each holding a cocoon. Some of them had already opened up to release the butterflies. The guide handed me one of these containers, which held an orange butterfly with black stripes. Then he lead me into a big outdoor aviary. I opened the lid and let the new butterfly out. He collects the eggs from the aviary, and sometimes from outside (hopefully in a sustainable manner - I don’t know). It may seem impossible to find minuscule eggs in a big aviary, but butterflies choose specific plants to lay on. Different species have different choices. An example from back home is the monarch butterfly, which uses milkweed. Or the pipevine swallowtail which uses pipevine. 

I continued on, walking the rest of the way to Aguas Calientes and trying to avoid the dust from passing busses. I had time until my train, so I went back to the bar for another lemonade. It was expensive, at least compared to other Peru prices. But in America, that would be a normal price at a bar. I hung out in there for a while, nursing my lemonade. Then it was time to take the train back to the Sacred Valley.  

On board the train, I got another window seat. The woman next to me had just hiked the Inca trail. She told me about her trek, and I told her about the Earthwatch expedition. She’s interested in signing up for it. Then I found out that she’s written a few books, so we started talking about writing. I even pulled out my computer and showed her my query letter. She said it was good, and made a suggestion that I’d also been thinking of.

Then was a two hour drive to Cusco (I'm not sure why - I think the train goes all the way through). At my new hotel, the Casa Andina, the rest of my luggage was waiting for me.

 

November 14 2022

My legs were a little sore in the morning, but nothing bad. My downhill pacing was successful!  

I had the morning free, so I went to explore. The first stop was the most important. Well, maybe not, but still. The chocolate museum. They had signs explaining the process of making chocolate. And there was a glass-fronted kitchen so you could see them at work. It smelled amazing.

You can’t really walk anywhere in the city without street vendors swarming you. The pushier people are, the less I want to buy from them. I had an idea. Mom did something similar once, to hide a nasty bruise she got from a fall. So I shoved my ponytail under my hat and wore my sunglasses. I hoped that hiding my paler hair and blue eyes make me stand out less. It maybe kinda worked a little?

On to the museum of pre-Spanish art. They had some amazing stuff. Beautiful animal designs, pottery, masks, staffs, metalwork. 

I want one of these owl bowls. 

One thing I’ve seen a couple places is that they charge foreigners more for entrance fees. It costs twice as much if you’re from another country. I guess they figure anyone who can afford to come to Peru can afford the difference. I mean, it’s still not expensive. Entrance here was only 20 soles. 10 for locals. So it was only about $5 for me. $30 isn’t unusual where I live.

In the afternoon, I had one last tour. They picked me up at the hotel and lead me to the Plaza de Armas. A couple people were there already. They deposited us in the Cusco Cathedral, where we waited. They rounded up more people one by one until our whole group was seated together. Then our tour guide started.

There was once an old Incan temple on this site, devoted to the god of cosmic energy. The Spanish took Incan sites and “gifted” them to important Spanish figures. They used part of the original temple to build the cathedral. It took nearly 100 years, starting in the mid 1500’s. The Spanish spread Christian artwork through the area to help spread the religion. And this cathedral was full of it. They have a painting of The Last Supper, with several Peruvian details thrown in. For example, the center dish of the meal is cuy – guinea pig.

And there’s an oval stone about three feet tall, which is an important Incan artifact tucked inside a Spanish cathedral. It’s called the K’uya, the god of Earthquakes. People come to leave offerings of coca leaves, and to touch it to get energy. 

All around the original Cusco city, there are remnants of ancient Incan walls. And those walls are used in new buildings. For example, the hotel I’m staying at has an Incan stone wall alongside the lobby. And there are many others lining the roads. You can tell which walls are Incan, because they’re built without mortar. 

The original old city of Cusco was shaped like a leaping puma (an abstract one). And this site was the head of the puma. 

Then we headed to another Incan site: Qorikancha. You can see some of the loose stone blocks that they use to build the walls. There are notches and matching pegs, so the blocks lock together. Like legos, our guide said. The walls of this site were once topped in gold. Which, of course, was looted by Europeans.

Our guide was friendly and knowledgeable. Having experience as a tour guide, I can relate to some of his behaviors. Like how he frequently counts heads, to make sure no one’s lost. Or as he said, “sometimes not all of the babies are in the nest.” 

We got on a small bus for the next leg of the tour. Our guide shared more information with us. Like in Peru, they don’t say “it’s raining cats and dogs.” They say “It’s raining llamas and guinea pigs.”

We came to an old Incan temple: Q'enqu. On the winter solstice, the sun hits some holes carve in the wall, and illuminates the shadows into the shape of a puma head. The holes are the glowing eyes.

The next stop was Saqsaywaman. Not to be confused with “sexy woman,” our guide reminded us. He’s a native Quechua speaker. They don’t teach Quechua in schools – people learn it from their families. I only heard a few words of it. Like the names of these sights. I wish I’d heard more. This is one of those languages that uses catches in the sound, like on the “k.” When I tried to replicate the catch, I sounded like I was choking. I’ll have to practice.

Saqsaywaman actually means “full falcon.” As in a falcon that’s just eaten. It’s an old fortress. Its building started before the Incan empire. It’s an incredible sight. It took 20,000 people 30 years to build. When the Spaniards first saw it, they didn’t believe the Peruvians could have built such a thing. Unfortunately during the colonial period, people took many of the blocks from Saqsaywaman to build other things. Eventually that was prohibited, at least. 

Our final stop was another alpaca wool shop. They gave us a presentation on how to spot all of the fake alpaca products people sell. For example, alpaca wool garments feel cool, and heavy. Whereas synthetic fabrics are light-weight, and you can kind of feel faint snags from the fibers as they run over your fingers (compared to the silky alpaca fibers).

 

November 15 2022

My time in the Andes is done. I boarded a plane and flew back to Lima.

I still had a lot of the afternoon left, so I picked up a map of the surrounding area and headed for a place several blocks away, called Mercado de las artesanias. But I was disappointed. It was rows upon rows of shops like the street stands around Cusco. All the same things. Well, almost. There were a few things that were new, or actually hand-made. When I first saw a shop selling paintings, I was interested. But then I saw more shops, selling exactly the same paintings. Are they prints? Or is there just some model people use over and over?

I walked back through the Park Central y Kennedy. There are tons of cats there. They must be strays, because people come to feed them. They look well-fed. And they’re friendly, letting people pet them. I took a bunch of photos of cats with the flowers in the gardens. 

I’d been thinking about ceviche, so I asked the hotel about a good place. They pointed me toward Punto Azul, which was a few blocks away. I'd never had it before and it was delicious. At least my appetite was starting to return. 

I wish I could have tried more Peruvian food while I was here. But my stomach had other ideas.

 

November 16 – November 17 2022

Several blocks from my hotel was another ancient ruin: Huaca Pucllana. I circled around the outside, and stumbled upon the entrance. It’s an ancient step pyramid of hand-made mud bricks. They stack the bricks like books on a shelf. This bookcase style helps with earthquake stability. It took 300 years to build, and had been a temple to the ocean and moon, as well as a burial site. There aren’t any rooms inside it. Just the little burial nooks. 

  There was a little native garden in the back. I never knew there was a tara plant before!

They’re still excavating this site. It will take 25-30 more years. Although much of the site has already been built over by the surrounding city. It was originally 20 hectares. But only 6 is visible.

I still had many hours to kill, so I headed over to a big shopping mall: Larco Mar. I’d been hoping to walk down to the beach from there. But it was a cliff, with no visible way down.

As dinner time neared, I found I was hungry. So I asked the hotel if there was anywhere I could try cuy. Guinea pig. The girl at the desk looked on the computer, and marked my map. I was lucky, because that dish is mostly found up in the Andes. I headed up beyond the park and found the restaurant: La Tranquera. It was the most expensive Peruvian restaurant I’d been to. But it wouldn’t have been that expensive in the Bay Area. I ordered cuy.

They brought out this bowl full of glowing coals, with a dish balanced on top. The guinea pig was on it, just the meat, bones, and legs. I put a piece on my plate and tried it. It was delicious. It could have been dark meat chicken. Except it was a lot finer-grain. There wasn’t really much spice added to it, so I could taste the meat. Other people who’d tried it said that the spices disguised the flavor. And it was easier on my stomach than some of the sauces have been. The skin was nice and crispy. I didn’t expect to like it as much as I did. But I’d definitely get it again if it was cooked like this. 

 My flight left late at night. Once more I boarded a plane, and flew to Los Angeles. I disembarked, grabbing my suitcase. They had me walk half way across the airport, dragging my suitcase and backpack. I got to the next airline and stood in line. I checked in my bag, and they let me in. I got through security, and sat down at the departure gate. The last bit of travel before I got home. It was a good trip, but I was ready to get home. And I was tired from failing to get much sleep on the plane. I grabbed a yogurt parfait at a café, relieved that I didn’t have to worry about food safety anymore. And I thought yogurt might be good for my stomach.

I noticed my boarding pass didn’t have a seat number. So I went to the desk to ask. Suddenly it was a nightmare. The travel agency never cancelled my plane ticket from yesterday. Even though I’d been talking to the staff in Peru, and back in California. And somehow Latam Airlines had marked me as taking that previous flight. United Airlines checked me in and let me through security without telling me any of this. They sent me to customer service as the plane was starting to board. And it took them a long time to figure anything out. I was pacing and freaking out because I wanted to go home. I was sleep deprived and had so much to do before work tomorrow. And my suitcase was already on this plane.

After an infinite amount of time, she told me to run to the boarding gate. I ran. But they still didn’t know if they had room on the plane for me. They let me into the boarding door, but told me to wait. There was another lady waiting there on standby. I stood, taking deep breaths and trying to keep calm. The thought of several more hours stuck here was too much. The poor lady said that if there was an empty seat, I could have it. Especially after she heard I was coming from Peru, and that they'd messed up tickets I was supposed to have.

Finally they let me on. The other lady would catch the next flight. Thank you. I'd had trouble with almost every flight on this trip, but this one was the worst. Luckily it was also the last. I made it back to my home airport, and my family gave me a ride home. (Though one cool thing - from the window I saw a strange reservoir in southern CA that was shaped like a dragon).

 Days after I got out of Peru, all hell broke loose. There was a sort of coup, with a power grab, an arrest, and someone else taking charge. People wanted attention for their cause, and tried to disrupt the country to make themselves heard. All this lead to protests, suspended rights, blocked roads, and vandalism. A bunch of tourists were stuck in Aguas Calientes for a while. The government was in a national state of emergency. And the government that took over does not seem good for the people. I had good timing for my trip, but the normal people of Peru didn't. Best of luck to them.