Cusco

It was a short flight to Cusco where our guide, Carlos, met us at the gate and directed us to our van driven by Wilson. Cusco is the 7th largest city in Peru with 400,000 people and is the safest city with a no crime culture. There are more women than men, it rains 32 inches a year and their flower is the Kanu. It’s at a very high altitude, slightly over 11,000 feet. 

Our first stop is at the Museo Machu Picchu de La Casa Conca run by Yale University.  Hiram Bingham discovered the ruins in 1911.  It wasn’t until 1914 that the ruins were uncovered and explored.  There are 178 buildings, which housed an estimated 700,000 Incans.  We’ll learn more as we travel.

Our hotel is located in the Sacred Valley along the Urubamba River with expansive lawns and luxury quarters. We couldn’t walk back to our room from the restaurant, up 2 flights of stair without stopping to catch our breath at least twice. 

View of our hotel from the river bank.