From the Shores of Lake Titicaca

Sorry for keeping you in suspense about the luggage. Mom's luggage did arrive on Monday, almost five days after she checked it in with Northwest in Albuquerque. We had little access to Internet in Urubamba where we've been for the last four days. On Monday we went to the salineras--salt mines--and saw how they make pools to dry the salt from the earth then harvest it. Then we went to Moray where they have these sinkholes that the Incas terraced and used for testing different varieties of crops because the natural depressions create different microclimates. On Tuesday we met up with Karime and Danny at the market in Pisaq then visited the Inca ruins there with them. We saw the mother of all Inca ruins on Wednesday--Machu Picchu. The ruins are accessible only by a railroad or a 4-day walk through the mountains. We opted for the train trip and a scary bus ride to where Machu Picchu sits at the top of a high mountain. Again pictures would help this description, but I have despaired of being able to add them to the blog until I get home. Then you will get a photo essay of the journey. We saw Karime and Danny at Machu Picchu, unfortunately too briefly. It was a lot of fun spending time with them. Yesterday (Thursday) we took a bus from Cusco to Puno and are now here on the shores of Lake Titicaca, the highest navegable lake in the world. Today we decide if our next step will be to continue through Peru or on to Bolivia. Everyone says that Bolivia is now tranquilo after the political unrest that caused the resignation of the President there. It is not such an unusual occurence for Bolivia, so no one is too excited about it.