Nascar and beyond

5

The Balestas islands were great.  They should be a Unesco sight.  We rode there in a motor boat large enough for all 26 of us.  Almost as soon as we set out a large pod of hammer head sharks pssed through three area.  There even was a baby swimming with its mother.  Quite an experience as they were so close. The ride was smooth except for when we went fast and then it was pretty exciting. Fortunately no one got sea sick. Our guide/naturalist was Eduardo.  We stopped and saw the famous candelabra.

 it is carved in to the hardened sand 40 cm deep.  It is surprising that it doesn't fill with drifting sand. Lasr week there were hurricane force winds and lots of drifting swnf.  Sand, that's all there Is for is miles and miles. I don't think any of us realized how much desert there is in Peru. The islands are a short ride from the coast.   The islands are protected by Peru.   We saw 3 types of cormorant, Inca terns, Peruvian penguins, sea spiders, turkey vultures, sea lions and more. The the sea lions didn't smell as bad as we expected.  My goodness they are immense!  

The females are smaller and much cuter.  We saw the sea lion nursery. The  babies stay with their mother for 2 years.  Some of those young miles were pretty big.  The adult males really look like a lion!  It was all very scenic!  very the water and weather have eroded the ro5cks so there are arch ways andd caves.  There also is a lyot of bird poop. There are people who come every 8 years to harvest the quano.  All to soon it  was time to return to the mainland.  We had time to visit a small market before making the long trip back to Lima.
Back to the Dazzler hotel.almost everyone walked about 4 blocks to a restaurant that some had gone to our 1st night in the city.  They must have been pretty shocked to have a party of 22 when they had 2 servers and one cook.  The prices were very low. Paella was about $17.00 and was filled with seafood.  I ordered it. But my order didn't arrive. I guess they came looking for the person who had ordered it but we certainly didn't hear it.Marilyn and Don, at the other end of the table were eating it.  I waited quite awhile for my replacement!

Day 5 Marlo's  second birthday!😀
We are off to the jungle.  The flight from Lima to Cusco to Puerto was fine. Lots of sitting on the runway though.  Our guides met us at the Puerto Madan airport.  We got in vans for the drive to their office where we will leave our big bags.  There is also an opportunity to get anything we put in the bigger suitcases that we may have decided we need. Then back in the vans for a 45 minute drive to the river. We were given a smack of a banana , banana chips (yummy). A pee break and onto the boat for a 2 3/4 hour boat ride up posted the Tambo Plata river.

The boat held 12 to 15 of us, seated side by side on a long bench on either side of the boat.   It is shaped like a canoe with a flat transom. The captain steered from the rear. We could have trailed our hands in the water but being a wise group, no one did.  Oscar, the guide on our boat, gave us our lunch.  Rice cooked with scrambled egg, chicken and mushrooms wrapped in leaves from the bird of paradise plant. It was delicious.
the passengers were told not to move around on the trip.  2 3/4 hours is a long time not to  move, and our legs were pretty wobbly when it was time to disembark over the narrow end 9th the board that was swaying 8 the water. Then we had a long climb up a very steep set of stairs.  It was dark! As dark as it gets!  We had one flashlight. The other little ones were in the bag with the porters .  After we got up the stairs it was muddy and wet.  There were small hexagon shaped  cement blocks set in the path for stepping stones. If you didn't  balance well and stepped off one your shoes went squish as it sank in the clay mud. Yuck.  It was hard to see and the walk through the night jungle was interesting - to say the least.  Monkeys,  mosquitos, mackaws, mud and god knows what else. Eventually we made it to the lodge, a beautiful open air affair with mahogany floors they just painted. Take your shoes off indoors.  Our group are the only ones staying here so we have the run of the place.  No shoes was fine until it was time to go to our room.  The mahogany walkway was wet and slippery. Very slippery. The manager was behind us and suggested we wear our sandals, we informed him the we were told to pack light so only want one pair of shoes.  He got us slippers from the spa. That was a blessing.
The rooms are open to the outside, no screen, no glass just jungle.  The floor in the bathroom is slats. Don't drop anything or its gone to the jungle.  The beds have mosquito net around them. There were a few holes that I patched with paper tape.  They filter or purify the water but a few of us are feeling the change in it.  We have lights and power 3 times a day as well as hot water.  No so sure I care about the hot water, it's so hot and humid.
We had a delicious dinner when we arrived. Peruvian food.  Chicken, rice, sweet potatoes and some kind of cake.
The jungle sounds lulled us to sleep at the end of day 5 of our adventure.
Day 6
There are 3 tours we will be doing today. The big kapok tree, the forest canopy and traditionaltraditional medicines.  First we outfit ourselves with boots, Wellingtons, and I put my orthotics in mine.  I walked 10 km in them and they were more comfortable than any shoe. What a pleasant surprise.
We were divided into three groups.  We were in groups yesterday so everyone went to the guide they had been with, leaving one poor fellow with no one. Roy and I joined him and 3 others came too.  We went to the big tree and Ulloa, that's not spelled correctly,  gave us a great tour of the jungle. The trails were very muddy in places and we were very grateful for the boots.  It was much easier walking in the daylight.  The trees, cicada towers, pregnant palm (swelling half way up the trunk which holds water), naked palm (sheds it's bark),  hot lips plant, something stick ginger which has a red or white background blossom,  bird of paradise,shoes or haliconia, our lunch  on the way in was wrapped in its leaves.  The kapok tree was about 15 feet in diameter an close to 100 feet high.  Our guide estimated it was about 200 years old.  Of course that's where kapok stuffing comes from.  Peruvian natives feel the tree is sacred and like to be buried under it..

On our way back to the lodge we saw a sloth up in a tree.  It was huge. lunch
Our morning tour was 3 hours.
Back at the lodge we had a snack, a rest and then it was lunch time.  At 3:30 we headed our for our last 2 tours.  Jill joined Maureen,  and Roy and  I and Brian and Margaret joined another group, so now we were 4.  We visited the canopy.  You climb up a tower that is over 100 feet high.  Maureen made it about 1/2 way before she stopped. I went to the top. Hurray for me!😊 I didn't go up the short ladder at the top but heard everything Jill and Roy were hearing  until the mosquitos got too bad and I fled.  Maureen was pretty lonely by herself so I was glad I went down. She is such a nice person.

Roy and Jill saw several birds while up there.
ROY

We went to the medicine garden next.  All of so need to do everything we can to conserve and protect the Amazon rain forest.  So many things we use and need come from here.  Many life saving medicines are made from ingredients often found in very small areas of the forest.  There is a plant that if administered early in a cancer can slow or stop it. That is just one.  So many of the plants are made into a tea.  Shamans administered the cures and they were effective and natural.  There was a menthol plant - boy did it smell good, para para - for the viagra  effect.
It was getting dark so we headed back to the lodge.  We are not to leave the lodge alone.  Fine by me.   On our way back our guide lead us out of the way to see a family of dusky monkies. Very interesting.
We had dinner, again it was very tasty then sat with the group and chatted.  Howard, Doug and Margaret, and Caroline all know Bob King and Carl.
Sadly when we skype Kim we learned that Joe Hutchinson passed away.  It is so good that Pete and Kim and the girls were there the previous weekend and saw him.  He was such a good man it seems so unfair that he was taken at 69.
The skype experience wasn't too successful.   We got through to David, Rose and the three little cuties but the connection was very good.  Considering that we are in a jungle miles from anything it is amazing we have any internet.  We were able to get any connection. The Internet is new to the lodge this week.  We were able to connect with Kim and the girls for a few seconds but could skype messages. We didn't get her emails but got one from David.  We skype Carol and Harry in the afternoon and it was better a much better connection.
We were offered 3 tours for day 7. Roy and I opted out of all 3 in favor of a rest.
It would be okay with many of us to  move on to the next adventure today but of course we are booked and that's the way it is.  It is rather disappointing that we weren't given enough information before we left home.  A much bigger flashlight for each person ,  good rain gear, inside shoes, hiking boots in the dry season, things that dry really fast, spray and towelette deet, after bite.  These things need to be stressed as essentials.
Had a restless night with an itchy bite.  We felt so sorry for Caroline next door.  The ailment that is bothering many of it hit her.  Terrible to be sick away from home.
Day 7
We stayed back and rested in the lodge.  An uneventful morning.
In the afternoon we visited the farm across the river.   Manuel, the farmer, lives there by himself and, yes, it gets lonely. He has 4 cats that he seemed to dote on and quite a few very beautifully coloured chickens.
After lunch Carolne, Sharon and Roy and I walked down to the river. Yup, the same path we walked up in the dark when we arrived.  We all had a good laugh about how much shorter it seemed in the daylight.  We hopped into the boat and we're across the river in a few minutes.  Oscar, our guide had to build some steps in the river bank  mud so we could get up the bank. Sharon had been making jokes about Manuel needing a wife.  She thought maybe he was husband material. When we walked into his front yard he was around back working on something and came to met us sweaty and dirty.  Oscar got a knife and we began our tasting tour of the farm.  He grows oranges, lemons, bananas, plantains, several local fruits and sugar cane as well as avocadoes, I can't remember them all.  He sells his produce in Poerto Malad another every week.  The taxi picks it up on its way down the river.  I guess it picks up other farmers produce too. Manuel has a cell phone way out in the middle of nowhere so he can communicate -they called to say we were coming. When we finished the tour he was all cleaned up so Sharon got a bit of teasing. We motored back across the river, up the steep and winding stairs along the muddy path that has a single row of hexagon shaped stones back to the lodge. A very enjoyable afternoon.  I just hope I can find gum boots like I wore.  They were so comfortable
We have an 88 year old gentleman on the tour with his daughter and son in law.  He fell the first night we were here.  Thankfully he seems to have recovered.  Everyone was very concerned about him as he fell coming out of a restaurant in Cusco and hurt himself. They are going to take him to the boat by quad.  It is too bad they didn't bring him up from the river that way.
The next morning it was time to leave.  I think everyone was ready.  It was an amazing experience and we were glad to have done it but everyone was tired of damp clothing, sweat and  the smell of deet.
We made our way down to the river bank for the last time. How easy it seems now!
Our new guide, Alex Medina met us at the airport.  He is an excellent guide.  We visited Cusco but as our plane was late we only had time for lunch in an Irish pub, where where we hadan alpaca burger,believe it or not. Then a short tour of the square, Plaza de Amas and it's  cathedral.   I believe the first part of the cathedral dates 1532.  the cathedrals are very opulent. Lots of silver and gold  and figures of the virgin.
We  had a walking tour to the hotel.  Roy and I joined Carolyn and Sharon for a bowl of chicken noodle soup and then headed to our room to repack for the Sacred Valley and Machu Pichu.

We got every thing into one back pack and our day bags.  No mean feat!  We could only take 11 pounds.  It was a challenge.   Then to everyone's dismay we could havehave taken more and indeed needed more of some thing sand less of others.  Momograms info has been sadly lacking.
(As an aside: As I write this I am sitting on the shore of Lake Titicacca and there is a lama
outside my window noisily eating grass and a guinea pig squeaking)
*After we left Cusco we stopped at
The Sacred Valley is in a valley in the Andes.  It has been blessed with the perfect climate, soil , etc for agriculture.  The mountains are steep and have very sharp edges, there are no trees on them but they are very green.  The valley is narrow with a river running through it.  The houses are poor by our standards but everyone we saw was smiling and looked healthy, particularly  the children.  The adults do look old for their age due to the climate. The grow quinoa, potatoes, corn, all kinds of vegetables.  There was another important crop but I can't remember it.  We saw shiny pods high, high up on the cliffs - they are hotels.  We met a couple who had stayed in one.  You climb up steel foot holds in the mountain to get to it.  There is a guide and they cook breakfast for you.  It sleeps 2 with a panoramic view.  When you leave you go by zip line.  All this for only $900 a night.
We had lunch at a lovely buffet restaurant that served all the local vegetables.  The steamed veggies were soon good as was the sweet potato doughnut.  The meal was included in our trip, (one of a very few) but the water wasn't and they really soaked us for it.  There was a band playing and we thought they would be a great addition to the folk festival.

The Sun Temple was part òf our tour.  The history is important but more important to me was the fact that I climbed to the top.  It was a steep climb with uneven rock stairs. Some were very tall for short legs. Everyone who had a walking pole blessed it. Roy had to help with some coming down or I'd have had to jump.
We stayed at a very nice hotel in the Sacred Valley. Everyone hated to leave. The Berg's and several others bought bags from the local vendors to put their excess belongings and shopping in.  We stopped at a huge market for 45 minutes earlier in the day.  After a 15 minute lesson on how to tell different kinds of wool we were left with only 1/2 hour.  The consensus was that it wasn't near enough time as this was to be the best market we would visit in Peru.  Oh well, it turned out to be a good thing as no one had any way to carry they  stuff they bought  anyway!  (Lamas have a very loud belch and they do it often)
We left our very nice hotel in the Sacred Valley and took the train to Machu Picchu.  Our expectations of a seedy looking little old train were not met.  No way - we boarded a sleek modern train with tables set and a Vista dome so we could see the mountain peaks. As soon as we for moving we were served a light meal that was delicious.  Nothing could equal the scenery. Wow! And double, triple wow!  Neither of us had seen anything like it. Pictures can't do it justice.  Tall steep mountains that the sharp edges haven't worn off, dramatic narrow valleys just wide enough to reveal more dramatic mountains. The turbulent river that runs along the rail road was muddy and full as they are at the end of the rainy turbulent season. It was as dramatic as the mountains. Unfortunately Roy and I were seated on the mountain side both going and coming so we did get the best view but we weren't suffering. It was worth the price.  Guess it would be like riding the Rocky Mountaineer.
We checked in to our hotel and headed for the bus up to Machu Picchu.  What a ride. We had our own bus to go up which was nice.  The road twists and turns and is only wide enough for one bus. When they meet one must back up and make room for the on coming bus.  There has never been an accident!  Excellent drivers.  Our driver had been an Inca runner.  They start with the bus at the top of the mountain and race the busses.  They use the Inca trail which is tremendously steep, and are waiting for that bus where the road intersects with the trail.  We were told that a young man from Cusco did the Inca trail in 3 hours. People who come to do the  trail take 4 days with porters  to carry their food and bags.  These porters cook, Take care of waste matter both from cooking and the hikers, set up tents, showers, etc and are at the camp before the hikers..
After much oohing and aahing we arrived at Machu Picchu.   You can see it from the bus.   It is beyond anything you can imagine. Sunscreen and hats, walking poles and off we went. We saw all the sights, climbed up and up some more on unevenly spaced steps with uneven surfaces.  Those i

The town, whose name I forget at the base is not very flat.  You have t walk through the market and over a bridge to get to the part of town our hotel was in.  The streets are narrow and not in good repair. We walked  down a street of stairs to get to our hotel. We just got there and the  rain set in, it poured down.  To get to our room you had to go up a flight of stairs just like the ones we had just  come down but fortunately there was a covered walkway.   We were in block 3. There are 4 separate buildings that make up the hotel. Our elevator didn't work and our room was right by the walkway and hotel restaurant so it was very noisy.  I called the desk and they said they'd send ear plugs.  When we  went for dinner I told Shelley think I got it was funny.  She told Alex and we wound up in his room and us in his much quieter room.  We felt bad because he works so hard for all of us.

Well,so it begins
We stayed with the Brownlee's last night so that we could get an early start to the airport.  They have a suite attached to the house and we had a very comfortable night. We were up at 3:45 to leave at 4:30.  Dave had muffins and coffee for us and it was a good start to the day.  We were only sorry that he wouldn't be joining us on the trip. Jill , Roy and I joined the queue for American airlines.  While walking through the airport I saw Shari from guild.  She was flying West Jet but I couldn't hear where she was going.
Shelley, tour organizer, travel agent was ahead of us in the line.  After hello her news was not at all good.  Our flight to Dallas had been canceled due to a snow storm. In Dallas, you've got to be kidding!  Nope.  We lined up in order to have our flight rebooked.  When Shelley got to the desk we all stood over to the right side of the line so people not on the tour could get by.  There we stood for 3 1 /21hours.  Poor Shelley stood at the ticket counter and the American Airlines lady stood behind her computer trying to get us all on flights.   The delicious muffin was becoming a memory.   There was lots of joking in line about going to Winnipeg.   It was terribly disappointing but at least we were safe.  Some 7 people were put on a flight to Los Angeles, yeah.  They didn't have time to clear customs and they came back. Start all over again.   Eventually a few people were put on a flight to New York.  Some were sent to LA and there was talk of Mexico City.  We'd like that. Nope we got San Francisco to Cancun with a 1 hour stop in San Francisco.  Tight if we have to change terminals.
Our flight now leaves at 7:30 pm and as it isn't ten yet we head back to the valley.   Jill would like to repack her bag and I am not happy with our new Rick Steves carrybon.  It is a rolling bag and with my rolling duffel it is to many wheels to manage.  Back to Dave and Jill's vehicle.  Back to their house. We took all but Roy's carry on home with us in case we wanted to change my carry on bag.
First stop - ABC restaurant for something to eat.  It was 11:30 and that 4 o'clock muffin wasn't even a memory any more. I had texted the kids and Carol on the way home and talked to Carol. We called Kim from the restaurant so we could find out how Joe was.  We were sad to learn that he seems to be deteriorating quickly.  Praying for them.
After a welcome meal we headed home and figured out how to connect the new bag to the duffel and had a much needed rest.  I read and napped and felt much better for it.  Roy said he stayed awake but he isn't much of a napper.  Dixie from Maritime called with information about our hotel in Cancun.  What a pain.  We get in at 7:00 am and fly out to Lima at midnight. It will be a long day.  We are sharing a room with Jill.    There are 4 ladies from the tour on our flights.
We stopped at the money exchange and got a few more US dollars and some pesos.  We will have to pay for a taxi and eat in Cancun.
Back at the Brownlee's we reloaded our luggage in  their car and headed back to the airport.  We got an upgrade for free - lots of leg room. We also got aisle seats for the Vancouver to San Francisco but not San Francisco to  Cancun.  That is really too bad as it the longer flight and we won't have the upgrade.
We used our Nexus pass to go through customs and didn't save much time but it was fun to do it.  Had dinner and boarded our flight which was 20 minutes late. This caused a fair bit of worry as we are short of time in San Francisco. What is we miss the next flight? What if we miss the flight and our bags go on to Cancun?  What if...
We are in the air and have made up a bit of time.  The flight crew say we will be fine.  Hope they are right.  Roy is sitting with Elly and Erica, two of our tour ladies, and they are talking a mile a minute. The young couple next to me is young and in love so aren't interested in me.
I can feel my right foot swelling.
Next stop, San Francisco
Well, no frills certainly means no frills.  We did get a small glass of water.  Our flight arrived a little early so we had no difficulty getting to the plane.  We had the emergency exit row again so that is why we got the upgrade for more leg room.
Our day in Cancun has been pretty uneventful.  Arrived ahead of schedule.  They have baggage carousels now.  Not like previous trips when they just put the luggage on the floor and you had to wade through and find iť.  They still have the red button to push to determine if you get a red light or a green light got a customs check.  We got green. Had a taxi van bring us to our hotel.  $110.00 for 7 of us. .Roy just confirmed that they will pick us up this evening. Few of the ladies tipped and the driver was angry!
Our hotel rooms were to be ready for 7:00. They weren't going to be ready til 3;00!  Joy!  Eventually the had them ready just before 11:00.  It took persistance. Jill is sharing our toom. Erica and Elley  are sharing as are Maureen and Sharon.
We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast.  Roy and I went for a walk and to find water.  We walked about  1 to 2 km and it was hot!  There was no water at the gas station we walked to so on our way past the hospital next door to our hotel we stopped in at the pharmacy and they had water for a low price.  Why didn't we do that in the first place?  Oh well, we got a walk.
Up to the roof top to check out the pool then a shower and bed for some shut eye.  Jill was already asleep when we got to our room.  We all got about 3  hours sleep.  Up to the pool for a couple of cervesas then down for dinner and back to the airport.

There was a long long line for our flight.  It seemed to go on for ever.  When we finally reached the desk the clerk asked if we spoke Spanish.  When we said no he replied that he didn't  speak  much English but that we had a much bigger problem.  He never did say what it was but we got to sit together.  Later some one suggested that he had wanted to place us in the emergency aisle but couldn't because we didn't speak Spanish.  That was probably it but we were worried for a few minutes that we wouldn't have seats.
We deplaned, is that the correct term, Lima.  You get out the old fashioned way - down the steps that are wheeled up to the plane a on  to a bus.  We had a freaky adventure.  As we followed the other passengers a young woman asked, we thought, where  we were from.  We said Canada and followed the herd.  We had to go through the scanners again.  These foreign countries!  They make you do such strange things.  The ladies we were with must have been way ahead because we couldn't see  them anywhere.  Strange they would get that far ahead. We had to take our  money belts off and they were quite abrupt about asking. Finally we passed the test only to find there was no way to the baggage claim area.  We had joined the queue to adjoining flights! Duh!  They had to get special permission to let us back out on on our way to  seek our friends who got a head because they went the correct way.  What an experience. We were taken to the Dazzler where we had breakfast and crashed.
It was good to put our heads on a pillow in a real bed.  I washed  the things we had been wearing before I went to bed. Roy was in bed and asleep almost the instant we got in the room. He hit his jet lag wall.  Before I got to bed  a man came to fix our safe.  Just as I was drifting off it occurred to me that I should have put out the do not disturb sign. Ah, who would come knockinhg at our door. Well, they came to get our laundry and awhile later they came to clean our room.  Thankfully I had the presence of mind to ask for more bath towels,   our room didn't need cleaning.
We met up with the whole group for lunch at the hotel. Everyone had tales of their adventure in getting to Lima!  Shelley and her group went to Mexico city.  The people who went to LA had interesting times and the New York group sat 3 hours on the tarmac in NY. Everyone was happy to finally reach Lima.   Travel has become so easy and we take it for granted that we will get on the plane at the appointed time.

Maria or Maggie as she asked to be called is our guide.  We had a tour of Lima.  The areas we drove through were very run down.  The square in downtown Lima was beautiful.  It is surrounded by the city hall, a church built by we think, Pizzaro.  It had amazing balconies but we didn't go inside. The wood for the balconies was imported from Europe and they were the first in Peru and they were copied.  Maggie said there are 500 like them.  We walked to the corner by the church balconies and we're on the Inca trail.  We walked to a museum and church owned by the St Francis of Assisi order.   Lots of tiles imported from Portugal.   Beautiful flowers in the cloister.  We visited the catacombs.  They estimate 50,000 people were laid to rest in the catacombs.  It seemed there were lots of femurs. Long femurs. The church itself had lots of ornate statues,  mainly of the virgin. The library was very old and Maggie said the books,that are not in great condition, have  been copied.   It was a  beautiful library with curved stairs and sky lights but the books are not being cared for.  After the museum we boarded the bus and we're taken back to the hotel. Everyone was pretty tired. We were happy to have some dinner and go up to 803.  We repacked small bags for our trip to the Nazca lines and went to bed.
In Peru  all children are entitled to an education but their parents must pay for it. As it seems to be a country of extremes there are many children whose family cannot pay.  It is so sad.  There are huge shanty towns with so many eking  out an existance.  There is no medical system either.
Day 2 Peru
We set out to visit the Nazca lines and tomorrow Balas as island at 7:00am.  We drove through some prettier areas.  One with a strong Spanish influence and a another was an  artsy community.  We got to a working community and the buildings were much poorer.  There were long lines of tiny blue and white cabs.  3 wheelers like dik diks in India.  I know this because of the best Marigold Hotel!  Some times there are 10 or 15 in a row. They look like minions in Despicable Me.
We drove for 4 1/2 hours to the Nazca lines airport.  One short stop. Ugh and double ugh.  It was not an exciting trip.  I didn't know there was so much desert in Peru.   It is endless.  The Pacific Ocean was on one side of us for most of the trip but it was so foggy you couldn't see it.
Thousands of families must vacation  at the ocean and they stay in rectangular cement boxes with 2 small windows , no paint  no colour, set on plots of sand about 3 times the size of the building.    Electrical lines to the buildings hang low between the  uildings as well as the larger power line.  Very dismal.  March 1st is the first day back to school after summer holidays.  Remember, we are at the Equator.  All the holiday  makers have gone home so it might look more cheerful with the buildings are occupied.
We also saw endlessly long chicken houses. Tarp like walls and thatch rooves. Poor chickens.  The few cows we saw were pretty scrawny.  In this desert  there is fertile land and lots of agriculture. Amazing - how do you grow corn, potatoes, apples lemons, oranges, apples, asparagus.   The potatoes plants grow as high as our corn.  Our guide told us how many different  varieties there are but we  are a little doubtful. We passed through some very poor looking towns.
Finally we reached the Nazca lines.  The while things was much more professional than we had expected.  The planes  are new and the pilots seem to know their stuff. They weigh you when you check in so they can balance the planes.  There are usually 10 people in a plane.

We wound up in one with 12 and we got the funny low seats in the very back.  Before we set out Roy commented that is was going to be bumpy - he was right and you know where it is bumpiest  - that's right -the back.  We were fine but one of the gals was  very air sick .  The pilot makes very tight turns so that the people on both sides of the plane can see the figures.  There is one seat on either side of the plane so everyone has an equal view.  We saw 12 figures. Some are very large and some are quite small, however, it is difficult to judge size from the air.  Some are easier to see too.  It took 35 minutes to fly from the airport to the lines.  We were over the lines for 20 minutes to one half hour and we're enthralled.   What an experience.   They believe the lines might be a calendar but no one knows for sure what they are.  We saw the whale, the astronout, tree, condor,  compass, trapezoids,dog, monkey, hummingbird,  spider,  heron and parrot.

We returned to the airport and as we had 2 who had suffered badly from air sicknesses we went straight to our hotel.  It's 4:00 and we last ate at 6:30. So needless to say their were some mighty hungry folk on the bus.  I had tuna and Roy had short ribs that were melt in your mouth tender.  We sat with fellow travelers and of course talked of were we had been and where we would like to go. A favorite topic after grandkids and kids of course.
Tomorrow we are off to the Balestas  islands. Penguins!!!

There is more, but first time we have been able to use our blog

South America

Well,so it begins
We stayed with the Brownlee's last night so that we could get an early start to the airport.  They have a suite attached to the house and we had a very comfortable night. We were up at 3:45 to leave at 4:30.  Dave had muffins and coffee for us and it was a good start to the day.  We were only sorry that he wouldn't be joining us on the trip. Jill , Roy and I joined the queue for American airlines.  While walking through the airport I saw Shari from guild.  She was flying West Jet but I couldn't hear where she was going.
Shelley, tour organizer, travel agent was ahead of us in the line.  After hello her news was not at all good.  Our flight to Dallas had been canceled due to a snow storm. In Dallas, you've got to be kidding!  Nope.  We lined up in order to have our flight rebooked.  When Shelley got to the desk we all stood over to the right side of the line so people not on the tour could get by.  There we stood for 3 1 /21hours.  Poor Shelley stood at the ticket counter and the American Airlines lady stood behind her computer trying to get us all on flights.   The delicious muffin was becoming a memory.   There was lots of joking in line about going to Winnipeg.   It was terribly disappointing but at least we were safe.  Some 7 people were put on a flight to Los Angeles, yeah.  They didn't have time to clear customs and they came back. Start all over again.   Eventually a few people were put on a flight to New York.  Some were sent to LA and there was talk of Mexico City.  We'd like that. Nope we got San Francisco to Cancun with a 1 hour stop in San Francisco.  Tight if we have to change terminals.
Our flight now leaves at 7:30 pm and as it isn't ten yet we head back to the valley.   Jill would like to repack her bag and I am not happy with our new Rick Steves carrybon.  It is a rolling bag and with my rolling duffel it is to many wheels to manage.  Back to Dave and Jill's vehicle.  Back to their house. We took all but Roy's carry on home with us in case we wanted to change my carry on bag.
First stop - ABC restaurant for something to eat.  It was 11:30 and that 4 o'clock muffin wasn't even a memory any more. I had texted the kids and Carol on the way home and talked to Carol. We called Kim from the restaurant so we could find out how Joe was.  We were sad to learn that he seems to be deteriorating quickly.  Praying for them.
After a welcome meal we headed home and figured out how to connect the new bag to the duffel and had a much needed rest.  I read and napped and felt much better for it.  Roy said he stayed awake but he isn't much of a napper.  Dixie from Maritime called with information about our hotel in Cancun.  What a pain.  We get in at 7:00 am and fly out to Lima at midnight. It will be a long day.  We are sharing a room with Jill.    There are 4 ladies from the tour on our flights.
We stopped at the money exchange and got a few more US dollars and some pesos.  We will have to pay for a taxi and eat in Cancun.
Back at the Brownlee's we reloaded our luggage in  their car and headed back to the airport.  We got an upgrade for free - lots of leg room. We also got aisle seats for the Vancouver to San Francisco but not San Francisco to  Cancun.  That is really too bad as it the longer flight and we won't have the upgrade.
We used our Nexus pass to go through customs and didn't save much time but it was fun to do it.  Had dinner and boarded our flight which was 20 minutes late. This caused a fair bit of worry as we are short of time in San Francisco. What is we miss the next flight? What if we miss the flight and our bags go on to Cancun?  What if...
We are in the air and have made up a bit of time.  The flight crew say we will be fine.  Hope they are right.  Roy is sitting with Elly and Erica, two of our tour ladies, and they are talking a mile a minute. The young couple next to me is young and in love so aren't interested in me.
I can feel my right foot swelling.
Next stop, San Francisco
Well, no frills certainly means no frills.  We did get a small glass of water.  Our flight arrived a little early so we had no difficulty getting to the plane.  We had the emergency exit row again so that is why we got the upgrade for more leg room.
Our day in Cancun has been pretty uneventful.  Arrived ahead of schedule.  They have baggage carousels now.  Not like previous trips when they just put the luggage on the floor and you had to wade through and find iť.  They still have the red button to push to determine if you get a red light or a green light got a customs check.  We got green. Had a taxi van bring us to our hotel.  $110.00 for 7 of us. .Roy just confirmed that they will pick us up this evening. Few of the ladies tipped and the driver was angry!
Our hotel rooms were to be ready for 7:00. They weren't going to be ready til 3;00!  Joy!  Eventually the had them ready just before 11:00.  It took persistance. Jill is sharing our toom. Erica and Elley  are sharing as are Maureen and Sharon.
We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast.  Roy and I went for a walk and to find water.  We walked about  1 to 2 km and it was hot!  There was no water at the gas station we walked to so on our way past the hospital next door to our hotel we stopped in at the pharmacy and they had water for a low price.  Why didn't we do that in the first place?  Oh well, we got a walk.
Up to the roof top to check out the pool then a shower and bed for some shut eye.  Jill was already asleep when we got to our room.  We all got about 3  hours sleep.  Up to the pool for a couple of cervesas then down for dinner and back to the airport.

There was a long long line for our flight.  It seemed to go on for ever.  When we finally reached the desk the clerk asked if we spoke Spanish.  When we said no he replied that he didn't  speak  much English but that we had a much bigger problem.  He never did say what it was but we got to sit together.  Later some one suggested that he had wanted to place us in the emergency aisle but couldn't because we didn't speak Spanish.  That was probably it but we were worried for a few minutes that we wouldn't have seats.
We deplaned, is that the correct term, Lima.  You get out the old fashioned way - down the steps that are wheeled up to the plane a on  to a bus.  We had a freaky adventure.  As we followed the other passengers a young woman asked, we thought, where  we were from.  We said Canada and followed the herd.  We had to go through the scanners again.  These foreign countries!  They make you do such strange things.  The ladies we were with must have been way ahead because we couldn't see  them anywhere.  Strange they would get that far ahead. We had to take our  money belts off and they were quite abrupt about asking. Finally we passed the test only to find there was no way to the baggage claim area.  We had joined the queue to adjoining flights! Duh!  They had to get special permission to let us back out on on our way to  seek our friends who got a head because they went the correct way.  What an experience. We were taken to the Dazzler where we had breakfast and crashed.
It was good to put our heads on a pillow in a real bed.  I washed  the things we had been wearing before I went to bed. Roy was in bed and asleep almost the instant we got in the room. He hit his jet lag wall.  Before I got to bed  a man came to fix our safe.  Just as I was drifting off it occurred to me that I should have put out the do not disturb sign. Ah, who would come knockinhg at our door. Well, they came to get our laundry and awhile later they came to clean our room.  Thankfully I had the presence of mind to ask for more bath towels,   our room didn't need cleaning.

We met up with the whole group for lunch at the hotel. Everyone had tales of their adventure in getting to Lima!  Shelley and her group went to Mexico city.  The people who went to LA had interesting times and the New York group sat 3 hours on the tarmac in NY. Everyone was happy to finally reach Lima.   Travel has become so easy and we take it for granted that we will get on the plane at the appointed time.
Maria or Maggie as she asked to be called is our guide.  We had a tour of Lima.  The areas we drove through were very run down.  The square in downtown Lima was beautiful.  It is surrounded by the city hall, a church built by we think, Pizzaro.  It had amazing balconies but we didn't go inside. The wood for the balconies was imported from Europe and they were the first in Peru and they were copied.  Maggie said there are 500 like them.  We walked to the corner by the church balconies and we're on the Inca trail.  We walked to a museum and church owned by the St Francis of Assisi order.   Lots of tiles imported from Portugal.   Beautiful flowers in the cloister.  We visited the catacombs.  They estimate 50,000 people were laid to rest in the catacombs.  It seemed there were lots of femurs. Long femurs. The church itself had lots of ornate statues,  mainly of the virgin. The library was very old and Maggie said the books,that are not in great condition, have  been copied.   It was a  beautiful library with curved stairs and sky lights but the books are not being cared for.  After the museum we boarded the bus and we're taken back to the hotel. Everyone was pretty tired. We were happy to have some dinner and go up to our room.  We repacked small bags for our trip to the Nazca lines and went to bed.
In Peru  all children are entitled to an education but their parents must pay for it. As it seems to be a country of extremes there are many children whose family cannot pay.  It is so sad.  There are huge shanty towns with so many eking  out an existance.  There is no medical system either.
Day 2 Peru
We set out to visit the Nazca lines and tomorrow Balas as island at 7:00am.  We drove through some prettier areas.  One with a strong Spanish influence and a another was an  artsy community.  We got to a working community and the buildings were much poorer.  There were long lines of tiny blue and white cabs.  3 wheelers like dik diks in India.  I know this because of the best Marigold Hotel!  Some times there are 10 or 15 in a row. They look like minions in Despicable Me.
We drove for 4 1/2 hours to the Nazca lines airport.  One short stop. Ugh and double ugh.  It was not an exciting trip.  I didn't know there was so much desert in Peru.   It is endless.  The Pacific Ocean was on one side of us for most of the trip but it was so foggy you couldn't see it.
Thousands of families must vacation  at the ocean and they stay in rectangular cement boxes with 2 small windows , no paint  no colour, set on plots of sand about 3 times the size of the building.    Electrical lines to the buildings hang low between the  uildings as well as the larger power line.  Very dismal.  March 1st is the first day back to school after summer holidays.  Remember, we are at the Equator.  All the holiday  makers have gone home so it might look more cheerful with the buildings are occupied.
We also saw endlessly long chicken houses. Tarp like walls and thatch rooves. Poor chickens.  The few cows we saw were pretty scrawny.  In this desert  there is fertile land and lots of agriculture. Amazing - how do you grow corn, potatoes, apples lemons, oranges, apples, asparagus.   The potatoes plants grow as high as our corn.  Our guide told us how many different  varieties there are but we  are a little doubtful. We passed through some very poor looking towns.
Finally we reached the Nazca lines.  The while things was much more professional than we had expected.  The planes  are new and the pilots seem to know their stuff. They weigh you when you check in so they can balance the planes.


There are usually 10 people in a plane. We wound up in one with 12 and we got the funny low seats in the very back.  Before we set out Roy commented that is was going to be bumpy - he was right and you know where it is bumpiest  - that's right -the back.  We were fine but one of the gals was  very air sick .  The pilot makes very tight turns so that the people on both sides of the plane can see the figures.  There is one seat on either side of the plane so everyone has an equal view.  We saw 12 figures. Some are very large and some are quite small, however, it is difficult to judge size from the air.  Some are easier to see too.  It took 35 minutes to fly from the airport to the lines.  We were over the lines for 20 minutes to one half hour and we're enthralled.   What an experience.   They believe the lines might be a calendar but no one knows for sure what they are.  We saw the whale, the astronout, tree, condor,  compass, trapezoids,dog, monkey, hummingbird,  spider,  heron and parrot.
We returned to the airport and as we had 2 who had suffered badly from air sicknesses we went straight to our hotel.  It's 4:00 and we last ate at 6:30. So needless to say their were some mighty hungry folk on the bus.  I had tuna and Roy had short ribs that were melt in your mouth tender.  We sat with fellow travelers and of course talked of were we had been and where we would like to go. A favorite topic after grandkids and kids of course.
Tomorrow we are off to the Balestas  islands. Penguins!!!