Peru - Machu Picchu

Woke to find that our flight to DFW had been cancelled due to mechanical issues and weather in Dallas. Flights on American looked dicey for the rest of the day, so we switched to Delta flights the next day. The rest of the group (Tim, Matt & George, and Matt & Marc) decided to push through and spent the day chasing flight delays and rebooking. They finally got to Lima the next morning, only to be stopped by an air traffic control strike in Lima.

We headed to the airport around 9:30am, hung out in the lounge for a bit. The rest of the group hung out in the airport hotel in Lima for the day. Our flight to Atlanta was uneventful, sat in the lounge for a few hours before our flight. The rest of the group made it to Cusco at 8:30pm, then had a 2 hour drive to the Sacred Valley, where Big 5 (our tour company) had dinner waiting for them. We boarded our flight to Lima at 11pm.

Arrived in Lima at 5:30am, breezed through immigration. Met by a Big 5 representative, he walked us over to the domestic terminal and got us checked in. Spent some time in the lounge, then said hi to our friends Matthew & Jose from San Francisco who happened to be in the airport at the same time. Boarded at 10am, arrived Cusco around noon. Picked up by our driver, had a 90 minute drive to the Sacred Valley. The rest of the group was touring the local area. We checked in to the Aranwa Hotel, really nice resort. Had lunch and then showered and napped. Met up with the group when they got back to the hotel, had a drink by the pool. After sunset we went inside and had a tasty dinner, then it was off to bed.

Had a 7am breakfast, then met our guide Cristian (Cris) out front. The rest of the group headed off to do some white water rafting while we headed out for a tour of the valley. Started at Moray, a large terraced archeological site. Walked around and saw the various sections, very interesting. Then we went to Maras Sal, which was a salt production site spread across a mountainside. There is a natural spring which puts out highly salty (7x more than seater) water and the locals have been using it to produce salt for centuries.

Headed back towards the resort, stopping for a nice tented lunch overlooking the valley. Back at the hotel the rest of the group had returned from rafting, they had a great time. Hung out in the pool for a bit and chit-chatted, then changed and headed to dinner. Got word of a potential train strike for Monday, we'll see what happens. Then it was time for bed.