Over the Andes by Air!

In another airport line, waiting to board another flight!

This time we were leaving Lima and headed to Cusco, with an elevation of 12,000 feet above sea level!

This would be our highest elevation and many of us would feel the effects with body aches, headaches, and extreme tiredness.

Many of us tried many modes of dealing with altitude adjustment, some choosing to go the medical route with altitude sickness pills, loads of water, and simple rest and moving a bit slower.

Some also added into the mix the native coco tea which is supposed to help greatly.

Some of us tried ALL OF THE ABOVE and still fought off the extreme fatigue from being at so high of an elevation.

But it was so worth it!

 

Our flight path!

We are flying over some pretty high mountains on our way to Cusco. 

And our descent was most interesting.  Cusco sits in a bowl – and we circled a couple of times, descending much like a cork screw, finding us lower and lower with each round until we were low enough to make our landing.  Much better than a straight nose dive down!

Photos from the air have always fascinated me and I hope you find interesting colors and textures in the photos I am sharing from this flight.

Blues and greens and some browns!

More browns, and a town in the valley below!

Lots of fluffy clouds!

More ridges…look at those crevices!

A beautiful green valley below.

I’m thinking of the generations who have lived in this place for centuries.

What is life like here?

What would this look like from the ground?

Look closely!

See the terraced farmland?

How much it looks like echoed quilting lines!

There are more photos in the slide show below, all the way from where vast unclaimed wilderness turns to farmland, and the edge of the city appears…finally welcoming us to Cusco, with a burgeoning population of 450,000!

Click the image below if you are unable to view the slide show on your mobile device.  You’ll be taken to the photo album for viewing.

Over the Andes by Air! Peru, 2015

In real time we are leaving the town of Machu Picchu by train this afternoon at 1pm.

2 hours on the train, 2 1/2 hours by bus and back for a very special farewell dinner in our hotel in Cusco.

Early to bed as we’ll be receiving our wake up calls at 3am for a very early flight from Cusco back to Lima, and from Lima to Miami.

We are headed home!

Once we hit Miami we’ve all got separate airlines, separate departure times to get us back to our home destinations.

You know that good feeling of happily exhausted that comes at the end of a successful bucket list journey? I feel like I could sleep for a week or more.
 
Last evening I returned to my room after dinner to find two chocolates on my pillow and a hot water bottle tucked between my sheets.
 
So grateful for this opportunity to travel to Peru and how it has touched my heart and soul.
 
My group has been fabulous and I will miss each and every one of them.
 
The journey home will be grueling, but that too will be so worth it.
 
I'm feeling my inner compass swing toward home.
 
Love from Machu Picchu with more photos to come over the coming many days!


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