Today Craig took us on a tour of the city. We visited the San Fransico Church and convent and then next to the Plaza of Independence. Every Monday the President makes an appearance on the balcony with a procession of decorated soldiers and horses. Quite a production and we had a great spot for viewing. We took time for coffee in the square which was a great spot with all it's history. We are certainly glad that we have Craig and Mariana with us to interpret b...

Today we headed out of the city for a tour with a friend of Craig and Mariana. As we traveled out of the city we began to see acres of rose farms. The roses are beautiful here and export to the US. You can buy 2 dozen roses at the market for $4.00. And these roses are Hugh!! Every restaurant and hotel has an abundance of bouquets. We stopped at the Otavalo Market which is known throughout South America for it's extensive variety of crafts and local art. Nee...

Today we arrived in Quito, Ecuador to visit Craig and Mariana. Great to see them!! Quito is the highest capital city in the world at an elevation of 9350 feet. We stayed at the Casona da la Ronda hotel which is located right on La Ronda street in historic center of Quito. This street was built in 1530 and was a pre columbian trail. It's a cobblestone street with lots of character. It was a Saturday night and it was a bustling spot. It is where many tourists ...

Machu Picchu....Wow!!! We felt this was the most amazing day of our trip thus far! We started our day from Aguas Calientes on a vista dome train ride through the most amazing terrain as we climbed the mountain. We then transferred to a bus for the final climb to Machu Picchu. It is one of the few Inkan masterworks that did not suffer excessive alterations in spite if the passing of time. It was elected as one of the Seven Wonders of the modern world in 2007 a...

Today we took a tour of the Sacred Valley. The views of this valley were beautiful and greens with views of the terraces built in this region. We learned about the farming techniques in this mountainous terrain. We stopped in the town of Pisac and learned more about the silver jewelry making and the baby lama wool products. We then moved on to the Ollantaytambo fortress with 250 steps to the top for an amazing view of the valley. In the Inka period it was a mult...