Don't Worry Be Happy

The Incans had 15 different types of terracing. Most of it was for growing crops but it’s not clear what some of it was for. For example these circular terraces which we visited via a very windy, narrow, single lane (but vehicles going both ways) up to about 3600m. For size perspective you can see people walking on the far side above the terraces.  The Maras salt mine, dug into the side of the mountain high above the Sacred Valley,  consists of more than 3000 small ponds fed by a salt stream that comes from high in the Andes. Each pond   is owned by a different family and provides them with an income during the dry season. Ponds are passed down in families. Solar evaporation takes 1-2 weeks depending on the weather.  If you look towards the top of the hill in the next photo you’ll see the Sky Lodge - a recent innovation advertised as sleeping among the condors. Several large domes perched on the side of the hill provide accommodation- all you have to do is climb 400m...

Lima is at sea level; Cusco, the ancient Incan capital, is at 3300 m so the threat of altitude sickness is to be taken seriously. First, we have Diamox which is supposed to lessen the effects; drinking lots of water is advised; also don’t eat meat or raw fruits/vegetables as your system has to work harder to digest those. Within a few hours of arriving at Cusco, a short walk up a slight incline left me breathless, a tightness in my upper chest, and my heart racing. Altitude sickness can strike anyone no matter their fitness level so its best to be cautious and go slow.  Flying into Cusco you could see these extensive networks of switchbacks below which look quite intriguing.  Cusco has about 300,000 people and is anchored by several large squares with cathedrals. A lot of the churches and major buildings are light brown and combine different architectural styles.  After our first night in Cusco we had a full day of touring the area. First stop was the towering white Jesus...

Of course just to make things exciting the airline decides to cancel our flight the day prior to departing. Actually they only cancelled one of the 3 flights, the one that meant we wouldn’t make it to Toronto on time to catch the flight to Peru. This comes a few months after our original Kelowna/Vancouver flight was cancelled which meant we needed to completely change our plans as well as book an additional night in Lima. Airlines don’t really mind inconveniencing their customers like this, but try to make a small change yourself and hoo boy. We found out first thing the morning before the scheduled departure and after a few hours of scrambling, emailing, calling (and being on hold and hold and hold......) we got it sorted out. In the end the trip to Lima was without any issues thankfully.  Lima is a very old city and the architecture has a very Spanish influence. This photo is in front of a building in central Lima.      This fountain is in the same square ...

Haida Gwaii (formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands) proved to be quite a contrast to my recent trip to Croatia. The number of tourists we encountered was in the 10s, as opposed to 10 thousands; and I saw more sandy beaches in 5 days in Haida Gwaii than my 3 weeks in Croatia! Our trip began with a flight into Sandspit which is at the north eastern tip of the southern island. Haida Gwaii consists of 2 main islands, and 100s of smaller ones. Just outside the airport is this gigantic copper/cedar sculpture of a Coho Salmon: We were staying at the Seaport B'n'B and had this amazing view from our bedroom. As we were a bit farther north and at the western edge of the time zone, the sun set about 10:00. Sandspit is the only significant community on Moresby Island. It has 302 residents and we managed to tour the entire town in, to be generous, 5 minutes. However they've found a way to do away with lawnmowers on the ball diamond: The next day we took the ferry...