So excited to hug some local inhabitants!!
Note the construction of the houses — stones — built 100’s of years ago. And we saw these ceramic bulls on the roofs of many homes. This is an Andean tradition that lasts from generation to generation with the purpose of providing prosperity, happiness and protection to homes.
LOOK AT THESE DARLING LITTLE ANIMALS!! I had one as a pet years ago — and never had the urge to EAT it! Look at the little baby guinea pig white ball of fluff! I yelled to them “Run for your lives!” But they didn’t understand English. And, sadly, here is the end of several of their lives.
Typical tourist: name tag on lanyard, lanyard with ‘whisper” machine to hear the tour guide, phone at ready for a photo, too much flashy jewelry, eating local food from the local market. The only thing I was missing was the binoculars around my neck. But the bread was delicious and worth the chance of intestinal explosion.
OK, I did NOT take these photos myself. Our tour guide, Edgard, was showing off when he forwarded 30 of these photos to us via the WHATSAPP thread. I simply had to show them to you.
The rainbow flag is the flag for the city of Cuzco — not as I thought in deference to LGBTQ+ persons.
I LOVE a reflection photo!! And, as I am learning from observation, to put a person in the shot is priceless!
These are WILD! For the adventuresome tourists, you can rent these for an overnight. You climb up the mountain to get to them!
If I was 30, it would be on my bucket list!!
We (the fearsome foursome) had an enjoyable exit from Peru but I have no photos. (By this time on a trip, I am ready to pay attention to the flight schedules and get the hell home.)
But I DO remember something I won’t forget — The airport authorities calling Joanie to the gate desk, discussing, and then putting poor Joanie in an orange work vest and marching her out the door onto the tarmac, across our view in the waiting room. Jane tried valiantly to get that hilarious photo to no avail. They would not let Edgard accompany her; so he headed out the gate area to find her at the other end.
As they were hauling her off, Joanie mouthed the words “the chargers”. I felt a little guilty because after we dropped our suitcases at the airport Joanie asked me if her two phone chargers were the lithium batteries they talk about which she left in her checked bag. I said “yes, but don’t worry about it, they’ll never find them.” Famous last words!! APPARENTLY they found them.
They were very nice, made Joanie open her own suitcase and pull them out. They let her keep them. She was worried about the popcorn and coca tea she was smuggling out, but they didn’t seem to care about that.
Minutes later, the desk called Lynette up to the desk and had words with her also. They just couldn’t believe she and her sons could be on a trip to Peru with ONLY carry-on’s. But she convinced them and we all got on the plane.
With all this being said, I realize this happened on a intra-country flight, because our entire group was together.
Flying home at the end of the trip, it was just us four in a van to the airport. Jane had a differing flight and airline but we got through Immigration and TSA and met up at the gate. Three of us managed to lose our tour guide by not following directions, so he will never know if we got on the planes safely. It’s like herding cats, with us. Jane flew off first; Joanie left next, and Joy and I flew directly to Miami and then Orlando …. and then on a van to get our car …. and then to drop off Joy, and I arrived home, and happy to be there.
For the next hours and days, we got WHATSAPP texts on the safe travels to their respective homes from all our group.
Here’s my haul from Peru. I bought the pillowcase, and coffee because everyone else did. (Peer pressure)
I bought the ‘eyes’ coffee mug because it was only $5 and because there was no coffee service and I needed a mug to drink out of in the mornings (Jane brought her coffee maker for us to make hot water for coffee the night before). The Nazca Lines coffee mug got broken in the first few days of the trip. So the third mug was my ‘official’ Peru mug, handmade as they have done 100’s of years ago.
This $5 mug CHANGES when it’s full of hot water/coffee!! Cool!
I arrived home June 30 and got back into my real life, walking every morning, paddle boarding, pickle balling, playing mahjongg and canasta until July 10, when I SLIPPED AND BROKE MY KNEECAP IN MY OWN HOME. I was wearing tennis shoes and had just worked out at the gym with Dad and was all limber. So when a bit of rain on the bottom of my shoe slid my leg forward, I did the splits with my right leg and my bent left knee hit the tile floor like a sledgehammer.
I walked around on it for awhile to be sure nothing was broken (even though I heard a “pop” when I landed), made breakfast, took a Meloxicam anti-inflammatory and iced my knee. But the pain level while walking was at an 8 or 9 and I knew the Urgent Care was in my future. Diagnosis; broken kneecap (properly called a patella). It’s the bottom 1/4.
I couldn’t get into the cute surgeon’s office until July 15. No surgery needed if I promised to NOT bend my knee for EIGHT WEEKS! AAUUGGHH!
So here I sit in my borrowed wheelchair. Sister, Dana, has been a Heaven-sent angel!! And my friends and family moved the mahjongg , canasta and game nights to my house.
The political climate has given me caused to watch all the news shows, along with all the comics. And I’ve been through all ten of the new last season of “Suits”. Now the Olympics are happening — so more TV watching.
I have a crochet project that should take a year to complete, but I might get it done before my rehab and recovery.
The only trip I had to cancel was Albania and it turned out both Tom and I forgot to pay for the tour and neither of us got to go. Am I the luckiest person in the world OR WHAT?
I waited 2-1/2 weeks to see the doctor again and because I am a good healer and a good patient, he hacked of three weeks of bone healing and I will start physical therapy 3 weeks from now. I hadn’t realized copious amounts of cheap red wine is good for bone health! I figure I’ll be back at the pickle ball court mid September.
My next trip is a direct flight to South Dakota — piece of cake!!
Leave a comment if you’d like — I’m the only one who sees them!
HAPPY TRAVELS
Love, Linda Jeanne