Magical Destinations

We were up bright and early this morning for our flight to Cusco (the price of our flight was included with the cost of the trip - so it was not extra like many other tour companies charge) Our bags were outside the door at 6am and the next time we saw them was hours later in our Casita at theSol y Luna resort in Urubamba!  I call it magical luggage - it disappears and then reappears magically when you need it.  I absolutely LOVE magical luggage, no shlepping it through the airports, no up and down elevators, no on and off buses, Disney does this for us.  They also get our boarding passes and lead us directly to airport security, it is a snap.  No thinking required on my part, how great is that and would be even better for those with families!  This was the quickest I have ever been through an airport.  When we landed in Cusco all we had to do was deplane and follow our guides Ernesto and Chris to our bus that was taking us to a very special place. 


Our first stop today was the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco.  When we walked into the Center there was an open air courtyard where tents and  chairs and tables were set with beautiful linens, china plates,  glassware and flatware .  In the middle of the table were fresh flowers along with baskets various types of potato chips and dipping sauces.  Lunch al fresco, what a great surprise!  We sat down and the food kept on coming  - alpaca ( I liked it!) ,  chicken fingers covered with quinoa ( delicioso!) mashed potatoes (in Peru there are 300 varieties of potato - I think I ate every variety on this trip), ceviche -  Peru's answer to sushi -  Andean corn ( the only thing that I was not crazy about - too starchy) home made rolls (out of this world) chicha morada ( a fruity cold drink made from boiling purple corn and adding pineapple, sugar and cinnamon) this became my beverage of choice in Peru and cheescake for dessert.  We were hungry and everything was delicious!   Our guides Chris and Ernesto told us to eat light because we were at high altitudes and it takes your body longer to digest due to the thin air and your body having to work extra hard.  I am not sure anyone listened to that advice, but I did know that I was starting to feel light headed and climbing up hills was going to be arduos.  My solution for that was to drink the coca tea, after the chicha morada, this was my next favorite Peruvian libation.

 When I originally looked at the itinerary for this day I read that we were going to see a weaving demonstration.  I thought to myself, weaving?  big deal, I have seen weaving demonstrations in every restored village along the east coast of the US. What I did not think about was that this really is not a weaving demonstration, this is their livelihood.  This is the way these women make money for their family so they can eat, have shelter and the basic necessities to live.  We learned how they spin and dye the wool using natural elements such as bark, flowers, fungus, dead beetles (they make the best color red!) etc.  They then showed us how they weave the shawls, rugs, hats, ponchos, table runners etc.  A typical shawl can take one weaver, working on it full time, up to 45 days to make.  I purchased a beautiful table runner and I can attest that there is nothing like shopping, and getting a good buy for an amazing piece at 12,000 feet above sea level!  I spoke with the weaver who made it (each piece has a card with the weavers picture, her name and date of birth on it along with the price and where it was purchased)  She told me it took her over 40 days to make the runner and 10% of the selling price goes back to the weaving cooperative to purchase supplies.  I paid $100 for the piece, $10 went to the cooperative and the weaver took home $90 for 40 days work, of atleast 8 hours a day weaving.  You do the math.  I am in awe of these women they are hard working, kind and beautiful inside and out.  For additional information about the center click here http://www.incas.org/SPChinchero.htm#sup  When putting this tour together Disney had many options of weaving demonstrations in the Cusco/Sacred valley area to choose from ,and I have to say they hit it out of the ballpark with this one.  As I am writing this I believe this is one of my favorite things we did on this adventure - the combination of the women, the magnificent lunch, the beauty of the area - it is something I will never forget.

A funny thing happened to us while we were watching the women weaving it started to thunder and lightening and hailing - pea size hail was raining down around us ( we were under an awning and then moved inside the center) for probably 1/2 hour, and then as quick as it started it stopped.  We were then on our way to the Sacred Valley and to our home away from home for the next 4 nights the Sol y Luna resort in Urubamba.  The scenery along the way was magnificent we saw the majestic Andean mountains, the valley with its tapestry of colors and glaciers  that are "this close" to the equator.


I am not sure what I was expecting when we pulled up to the resort but it surely wasn't the most beautiful property that I have ever seen.  Before the trip I quickly looked at the Sol y Luna website and was not wowed by it.  I guess beauty of this type has to be seen and not photographed, because photography does not do it justice.  Each pair of roommates was assigned a casita - a little rondoval style home.  The landscaping was a riot of colors, everything was in bloom, hummingbirds were everywhere, the Andes was in the background.  I did not know where to look next.  The casita itself was comfortable - ours had 2 beds with fine white linens and a fluffy comforter with a duvet  cover, a very large closet with a safe, a table and chairs, plenty of windows and light and a large bathroom with a step up tub and shower.  I wanted to call my husband right there and then and tell him to fly down.  I loved it!  The absolutel BEST part was that at turndown service they leave a hot water bottle under the covers for each bed.   Every single person on our trip looked forward to their sweater covered hot water bottle each night of our stay there.  It was a fantastic and unexpected touch. Score another one for Disney for this wonderful accommodation.



Just when you thought you could not eat again after the HUGE and delicious lunch, we were asked to meet at the hotel restaurant (just like everything else on this trip, this is NOT your typical hotel restaurant) to partake in some Pisco sours ( a drink made with Pisco - a type of grape brandy that tastes like whiskey and egg ehites lemon juice, bitters and simple syrup - this was NOT one of my beverages of choice on this trip, but plenty of other Adventurers loved them) and a Pachamama feast, dedicated to mother earth.  A Pachamama fest is similar to a luau, where the food is cooked with hot rocks and then covered with burlap and earth and a boquet of fresh herbs and spices.  The food was plentiful and similar to the lunch offerings.  The evening was capped off by an open air theatre troupe that was just for the Adventures by Disney guests. An amazing end to a wonderful day.  Tomorrow we go rafting down the Urubamba, that is a little out of my comfort zone but I am sure I will be up for the challenge.  Good night adventurers.......