2018 - Tarn's Machu Picchu & Galapagos Trip

We attended a Machu Picchu and Galapagos Tour offered by Friendly Planet in July/August 2018.  These two attractions have been on our bucket list for quite a while, we finally found a tour which covers both attractions.  The following is our detailed itinerary. 

July 23, 2018 - Traveled to Miami to join the tour's red-eye flight to Lima, Peru

July 24, 2018 - Arrived Lima and checked into hotel, then free time to tour Lima City

July 25, 2018 - Lima City Tour

July 26, 2018 - Flew to Cusco, visited Sacred Valley in the afternoon

July 27, 2018 - Took Vistadome train to Machu Picchu, visited Machu Picchu

July 28, 2018 - Optional tour to Machu Picchu Mountain, back to Cusco

July 29, 2018 - Self guided Cusco City Tour, guided tour of Sacsayhuaman and Puka Pukara

July 30, 2018 - Self guided Cusco City Tour, flew to Lima

July 31, 2018 - Flew to Quito, Peru

August 1, 2018 - Visited Middle of the World site in Peru

August 2, 2018 - Flew to Baltra Island of Galapagos and embarked Santa Cruz II 

August 3, 2018 - Galapagos Cruise: Isabela Island & Fernandina Island

August 4, 2018 - Galapagos Cruise: Santa Cruz Island 

August 5, 2018 - Galapagos Cruise: Floreana Island 

August 6, 2018 - Galapagos Cruise: Baltra Island, flew to Quito

August 7, 2018 - Visited Otavalo Market, back to Quito 

August 8, 2018 - Flew back to the US

The travel map for this tour is as follows,

July 23, 2018 - Traveled to Miami to Join the Tour's Red-eye Flight to Lima, Peru

The tour started at the Miami Airport, therefore we had to travel on our own to Miami to get on the red-eye flight to Liam at 2:05am. We arrived to Lima at 6:45am Peru time.

July 24, 2018 - Arrived to Lima, Free Time to Tour Lima City

When we checked into the hotel, it was afternoon already.  We were on our own, so we rested a little bit and then regrouped with friends to venture out to see Parque Kennedy (public park), Huaca Pucllana (clay pyramid) and the seaside mall Larcomar. 

Parque Kennedy is named after John F. Kennedy and more specifically the aid he provided Peru as President of the United States. The park is famous for becoming a haven to countless lost cats over 20 years.  This was our first stop in Lima, therefore, we took quite a few photos out there.

Huaca Pucllana is a great mudbrick and clay pyramid located in central Lima, Peru, It was built from seven staggered platforms. It served as an important ceremonial and administrative center for the advancement of the Lima Culture.  When we got there, we found out that it was not open and we just had to view it from outside.  However, that was enough for all of us.  

Then we walked to seaside mall Larcomar. On the way, we passed by the ice cream and churros shop 'Manolo' recommended by our tour guide, we all got ice cream which was quite good.  Then we walked along Avenida Jose Larco to the seaside mall Larcomar which is an outdoor mall built into the sea cliff, featuring many eateries, stores, a movie theater, and a bowling alley. 

We did shopping and then have our dinner at Mangos restaurant in the Larcomar.  On the way back to our hotel, we passed by several casinos and some of us had to go in and check them out.  

July 25, 2018 - Lima City Tour

Our Lima City Tour started early in the morning.  The first stop was Basilica and Convent of San Pedro. The church and convent are part of the Historic Centre of Lima, which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in1991. Aside from a church and monastery, it also contains a library and catacombs. The convent's library is world-renowned. It possesses about 25,000 antique texts, some of them predating the conquest. Some notable books are the first Spanish dictionary published by the Royal Spanish Academy and a Holy Bible edition from 1571- 1572 printed in Antwerp. The church and monastery were blessed in 1673 and completed in 1674. This church survived several earthquakes without damage in 1687 and 1746, however it suffered extensive damage in an earthquake in 1970. The church is noted for its architecture, a high example of Spanish Baroque which means the intricate shape or decorated with complex patterns. Its granite carved portal would later influence those on other churches.  

The Iglesia y Convento de San Francisco was our second stop.  The main interest here is the Catacumbas below the church. Catacumbas are human bones.  It reminded us the Chapel of Bones we visited in Portugal. 

Then we visited the Main Square of Lima where we had many photo opportunities.

We had our lunch at Museo Larco Cafe Restaurant inside the Museum Larco.  It has shops and a beautiful garden surrounding the restaurant.  We had a chance to do shopping prior to our lunch.  Then, there is an exotic exhibition room next to the restaurant and we did visit it just for fun.  

We took many photos in their beautiful garden prior to the visit of the museum.  

Museum Larco has several permanent exhibitions. The Gold and Silver Gallery showcases the largest collection of jewelry used by many notable rulers of pre-Columbina Peru. 

The Cultures Gallery exhibits 10,000 years of Peruvian pre-Columbian history. This chronology-based gallery provides visitors with a comprehensive view of cultures that existed in pre-Columbian Peru through the extant indigenous art that has survived since the 16th century Spanish conquest. 

We visited the Storage Gallery first.  There are a lot of potteries in each cabinet on different shelves.  The quantity of the collection in this Storage Gallery is the largest we ever witnessed.  

This hall is divided into four areas: North Coast, Center, South and cultures from the highlands. Other galleries include the Lithic, Vault, Ceramics, Metals, and Textiles. There are a lot of Moche (1-800AD), Chimu (800-1300AD), and Chavin (900-200BC) exhibitions.  These cultures are pre-Inca time.   

We had dinner on our own.  Originally we planned to try the Paiche fish from Amazon River served in Amaz Restaurant located in the Hilton Hotel, but it was changed by eating at La Lucha Cafe.  Some ordered chicharrón which is a dish of fried pork belly or fried pork rinds, and some of us tried pork sandwiches. 

July 26, 2018 - Flew to Cusco, Sacred Valley in the Afternoon

We flew to Cusco early in the morning and arrived at Cusco around 11am.  Then, we had a bus ride to Sacred Valley.  Cusco has 2 seasons of dry and wet with 6 months each.  We were in Cusco in the dry season and the weather was pretty good.  Cusco was the capital of Inca Empire with altitude of about 11,000 ft above sea level.  

We rode the bus all the way to the town of Ollantaytambo (or simply Ollanta to locals) which is one of the most popular departure points for Inca Trail. The steep terraces guarding the fortress (which features a ceremonial platform worthy of witnessing after tough steps walking to the top) is one of the few places where Spanish conquistadors experienced defeat in a major battles against the Inca.

Ollantaytambo protected the strategic entrance to the lower Urubamba Valley which also known as the Sacred Valley. The temple area is at the top of a series of steep terraces which helped provide excellent defenses. Stone used for these buildings was brought in from a quarry high up on the opposite side of the Urubamba River, an incredible achievement involving the efforts of thousands of workers. 

Then, we rode the bus to Urubamba to check into the 'Casa Andina Private Collection Sacred Valley' hotel.  For the whole afternoon, some of us were worried about where we were going to stay for the night.  Since we had not spotted any reasonable accommodations along the way, it was to our surprise to check into such a wonderful hotel out of nowhere.  It reminded some of us about lodging accommodations we had when we visited Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.  

July 27, 2018 - Vistadome train ride to Machu Picchu, visited Machu Picchu

We got on Vistadome train in the morning to the famous Machu Picchu which is one of the two main attractions for this trip.  We got on the train from Ollantaytambo Station to Machu Picchu for an 1 hour and 40 minutes ride.  We had a nice ride with seat assignments and nice snacks.  They even brought out a cake to help Serene (one of our tour mates) to celebrate her birthday.  

When we got to Machu Picchu, we went to El Mapi Hotel in Aguas Calientes which is at the foot of Machu Picchu.  We stored our luggages first and then we got into a long line waiting for bus ride to Machu Picchu's entrance.  It was about 12:23PM when we got into Machu Picchu and we stayed there till 3:27PM and went back to town at 4:40PM.

Unknown to the outside world until archaeologist Hiram Bingham rediscovered it in 1911, Machu Picchu is now the most recognizable symbol of the Incan Empire. Believed to have served as a country retreat town for Inca nobility, the complex consists of giant walls, terraces, and ramps constructed from precisely cut rock formations. This impressive architectural feat, in combination with its breathtaking natural setting amid mist-covered green mountains above the rushing Urubamba River, makes for a visually stunning, and even mystical experience.

We followed our guide Jaimie, walked and climbed along with many visitors to the top of Machu Picchu to have beautiful views of the whole Inca citadel (fortified town). It is a 15th-century Inca citadel situated on a mountain ridge 2430M (7970ft) above sea level.

Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was constructed as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438–1472). it is the most familiar icon of Inca civilization. The Incas built the estate around 1450 but abandoned it a century later at the time of the Spanish Conquest. Although known locally, it was not known to the Spanish during the colonial period and remained unknown to the outside world until American historian Hiram Bingham brought it to international attention in 1911. Machu Picchu was built in the classical Inca style, with polished dry-stone walls. Its three primary structures are the Intihuatana, the Temple of the Sun, and the Room of the Three Windows. Most of the outlying buildings have been reconstructed in order to give tourists a better idea of how they originally appeared. By 1976, thirty percent of Machu Picchu had been restored and restoration continues.

Machu Picchu was declared a Peruvian Historic Sanctuary in 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. In 2007, Machu Picchu was voted as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in a worldwide Internet poll.

It was the dry season and popular tourism season when we visited there, therefore, there were a lot of other tourists there.  Luckily we had an experienced guide who led us to spots where we could have better views and opportunities of taking wonderful photos.  There were llamas and alpacas roaming around campgrounds too.

Then our guide took us to the Machu Picchu Mountain's entrance to show us how to start the Machu Picchu Mountain climbing the next day.  It was at that time we learned that we would be on our own for the next day’s optional Machu Picchu Mountain climbing tour.  Neither Friendly Planet nor Jaimie mentioned anything about this earlier.  It was another complaint about Friendly Planet’s lack of planning and the service of our guide.

After our wonderful overview of the Machu Picchu from higher points, we walked into the Machu Picchu to see it in closer distance.  We visited the Temple of the Sun, and the Room of the Three Windows.  These windows represent each part of the world: The underground, the heaven, and the present. These windows also represent the rise of the sun, an important event in the everyday life of the Inca population.

Then, our guide took most of us back to the bus station for the return ride back to town.  He did give the option to some of us who preferred to stay in Machu Picchu for a little bit longer. It was nice to stay longer to enjoy Machu Picchu from the lower part.  

When we got back to hotel, we were treated with the famous Pisco Sour for Serena’s birthday.

July 28, 2018 - Optional Tour to Machu Picchu Mountain, Back to Cusco

We had an optional tour to climb the Machu Picchu mountain today.  6 of us (instead of 8 signed up for the tour) waited at 5am for the bus to take us back to Machu Picchu.  We learned the bus line was longer than yesterday, and some of the youngsters who were in line the night before in order to skip hotel staying.  

We tried to book the Huayna Picchu with Friendly Planet in January, 2018.  We were told by them on May 31,2019 that they could not get tickets for Hyayna Picchu and offered us the  climbing of Machu Picchu Mountain.  We had no other choice but took the Machu Picchu Mountain option.  To our understanding, Hyayna Picchu is a shorter climb but more exciting than the Machu Picchu Mountain.  This is one of our complaints about Friendly Planet’s lacking of pre-planning effort.

We entered Machu Picchu entrance at 7am and arrived to the Machu Picchu Mountain entrance at 7:20am.  They had checked our passports 4 times before we finally checked-in to the Machu Picchu Mountain entrance point to start our self guided tour.  There were a lot of high steps for climbing.  It was a struggle for some of us, but we all climbed to the top around 9:40AM.  The view on the top is breathtaking.  The elevation at the top is 3061M (about 10042 ft).  

The climbing down of Machu Picchu was equally difficult.  It took some of us more than 2 1/2 hours to get down to the bus station.  It was a thrill and tiring day for most of us.  

While we were climbing, we were able to overlooking Machu Picchu from different elevations.  It doesn't matter of which elevation points, the overlooking of the whole Machu Picchu is just breathtaking.

This afternoon, we traveled back to Ollantaytambo station by Vistadome train, then continued to Cusco by motor coach and checked into Novotel in Cusco.

July 29, 2018 - Self guided Cusco City Tour, and Guided Sacsayhuaman and Puka Pukara Tour

There was an optional tour in the morning, however, most of us did not join it and we just did self guided tour of Cusco.  Cusco is 11,000 feet above sea level, and some of us had  high altitude issues and just stayed at hotel to rest.  

After a relaxing breakfast, we walked out to Plaza de Armas which is the central plaza with many churches around it and it was where Francisco Pizarro proclaimed the conquest of Cusco.

Since it was the day before Peru’s Independence Day, there were still a lot of celebration activities with tourists in the plaza.  

We wondered around for a while, and then some of us went to visit the Curco Cathedral which is the official worship place for Cusco. It has become a major repository of Cusco's colonial art. It also holds many archeological artifacts and relics. The cathedral was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the City of Cuzco listing in 1983.

The Incas built the temple known as Kiswarkancha on the main square in Cusco. It was the Inca palace of Viracocha, ruler of the Kingdom of Cusco around a century before the Spanish colonists arrived. When the Spanish conquistadores arrived in Cuzco, they decided to take down the temple and build their Christian cathedral in that prominent site.

The cathedral's construction began in 1559 on the foundations of Kiswarkancha. The location of Viracocha's palace was chosen for the purpose of removing the Inca religion from Cusco, and replacing it with Spanish Catholic Christianity. Because 1559 was only 26 years after the conquistadores entered Cusco in 1533, the vast majority of the population was still of Quechua Inca descent. The Spaniards used the Incas as a labour workforce to build the cathedral. When we visited, there is a local tour guide who provided interesting facts and pointed out art pieces in the cathedral to illustrate objections by some of artists when they painted these colonial art pieces.  For example, in the imitated 'The Last Super' painting, it has a cooked guinea pig lying on a plate in the center of the table.  Guinea pigs are native to Peru and can still be found today on many restaurant menus in Cusco.

In the afternoon, we had a guided tour to visit Sacsayhuaman fortress, an emblematic Inca construction built in the 15th century. The size of the fortress and its massive stones are remarkable, and the manner in which they were transported, cut, and laid is still a mystery.

Then, we visited Puka Pukara, also known as the "red fortress", which is thought to have been a military stronghold. It has many rooms, courtyards, bathrooms, aqueducts, and towers.

Later, our guide took us to visit a native alpaca factory where they rush out a herd of alpacas just to let us to see and to take photos.  Then we did shopping at their local store where quite a few of us bought stuffed animals (alpaca) and alpaca outfits.

The final stop was the Church of Santo Domingo and Coricancha Temple.  The Coricancha was the centerpiece of a vast astronomical observatory and calendrical device for precisely calculating precessional movement.

July 30, 2018 - Self guided Cusco City Tour, Flew to Lima

There was another optional tour, however, most of us chose to stay in Cusco to do self guided tour to visit museums which are close by and included in Cusco Touristic Ticket provided by our tour.  We visited Regional Historical Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, and Folk Art Museum.

Later, we flew to Lima on route to Quito for our Galapagos Tour.  However, there was a delay on our flight and we arrived at Lima Airport Hotel after midnight. Some of our tour members (they only joined the Machu Picchu tour) who were flying back to the US missed their flights and had gone through a lot of trouble to get back home.  Latam Airline is terrible in keeping up with flight schedules.  It makes us to think twice in the future if we have to go anywhere with Latam airline again.

July 31, 2018 - Flew to Quito

We got up early to fly to Quito and arrived in Quito around Noon.  After we checked into  Hilton, we all decided to go to a nearby McDonald for decent hamburgers.  After some of us had issues with Cusco’s water, this was a welcomed choice.  

After lunch, we walked across the street to visit the MuNa Museum.  We had an volunteer tour guide to provide explanations of their wonderful exhibits.  It was a pleasant educational experience.  We spent more than 2 hours in there.  

Then, we walked to the El Ejido Park just across street from our hotel.  After we took some photos, it started to rain, therefore we had to get back to hotel quickly.  After a day of travel and the rain, most of us decided to stay in and have dinner at the restaurant inside the hotel.  We had a relaxing and enjoyable dinner.