Flying To Quito

No one was happy with our 6AM wake up call and the need to have our luggage back outside our room by 6:30. We ate breakfast at the hotel, which was another buffet. They charged Janie for her Coke Zero, which was normal, but seemed a little petty for Celebrity not to cover soft drinks at the hotels.

We left the hotel by 7:30 for the trip to the airport, which took another hour in traffic and then we had to lug our bags along the long walk to the airport to check them in. Again we just handled this on our own instead of waiting for Lewis and the rest of the group. We were not sure why he insisted on everyone waiting for him since we all had been through airports many times and knew what to do. It was a short flight and soon we were in the airport in Cusco, where we were greeted with Peruvian dancers. We picked up some maps at the welcome desk and they gave us a llama keychain.

Bus to the Sacred Valley

Our group was split in half and we went with Caren and Jean and Jo-ann and Jim onto the second bus, which turned out to be a great decision as we had Diego as our tour guide instead of Lewis, and that made a world of difference for us. We took the bus towards the Sacred Valley with Diego pointing out key places along the way, including a town called Lamay best known for its fried guinea pig on a stick. Our driver Abel was nice enough to stop so we could get a picture of a woman waving the fried concoction at us through the bus window.

Alta Rinca Hotel

Eventually we found our way to the Alta Rinca hotel for a toilet stop and a chance to look out over the incredible vista down into the valley below.

Bus Ride to Lunch

We climbed back on the bus after our brief stop and drove on to the Sacred Valley and our lunch stop.

Casa Hacienda Orihuela

Lunch was at the Casa Hacienda Orihuela at Hacienda Huayoccari. The Lambarri Orihuela family has lived at this hacienda as a working farm for centuries. The house, built on a mountainside has an outstanding view over the Sacred Valley. Lunch was served buffet style with a wide variety of local dishes. We had time afterward to walk around the grounds and take photos.

Tambo del Inka Hotel

After lunch, we had a short bus ride to our hotel for the next two nights, the Tambo del Inka Luxury Collection. The hotel is in the heart of the Sacred Valley with the Andes mountains in the background and the Vilcanota River flowing behind it. Check in was quick and painless and our bags were already in our room when we arrived. We had a ground floor room so our view was not as nice as others, but we were able to walk out to the river bank and had a small seating area right outside the room.

Janie was not feeling well tonight after the bus ride and decided to take a nap. J. R. went down to dinner which he thought was sub-par. The beef tenderloin was overcooked and drowned in mushroom sauce.