Final Thoughts

As a pollster, my job is to ask interesting questions that yield interesting replies.  So, I sent five questions to a number of people on the trip (I only had emails for eight people, and I’m hoping some passed it along to their spouse).  Not everyone answered yet, but I will add replies as they are updated.  It's good to hear what others thought of the trip.

(Sorry about the uneven nature of the formatting, cutting and pasting from different emails isn't as clean and simple as you might think!). 

Here’s the five questions: 

1. What ONE word would you use to describe Machu Picchu, and why                        that word?

  2. What ONE word would you use to describe the Galapagos, and why

                that word? 

3. What was your favorite place that wasn’t Machu Picchu or the                                 Galapagos, and what are some of the reasons it was your favorite? 

        4. What was your favorite animal (land or marine), and why is that one your                 favorite?

5. What was the most interesting cultural part of Peru or Ecuador to you,                     and what about that stood out to you?

Machu Picchu

“Exhilarating.”  Because I never experienced anything like it in all our travels. (Charles)

“Satisfying.”  Machu Picchu was a place I have wanted to explore since I was 13 years old and finally got there.  It was everything I imagined it would be.  Full of wonder, beauty snd mystery. (Carol)

“Awe-inspiring.”  How the Incas knew how to build and then construct their buildings to withstand weather and constant movement of the earth (Sharilynn)

“Enigma.” As impressive as it is, I still have so many questions. (Mary)

“Why?”  Why was it built and what was it used for? Unanswered questions, at least by our guide! (Neil)

“Curious.”  Why would the Inca’s built such a significant community in such a remote place?  God Worship had such a significance to the Incas that it must have part of what the site was used for.  But with so many homes there, that can’t be the only purpose.  Subsistence farming and tending to the Temples is all I can come up with.  (Bruce)

“Breath-taking.” (Nancy)

“Mystical.”  The Peruvian history was unfortunately written by the Spanish conquerors and therefore we do not have a lot of history from the indigenous people.  Certainly this disparity is seen more in Machu Picchu where to this date we don’t know what it was created.  This mystery will continue to remain for the future since it is very difficult to find any written artifacts from the Inca.  (Sanjiv)

Galapagos

“Awe.” The diversity, beauty and life found on the different islands was awe-inspiring. (Carol)

“Adaption.” We obviously see nature’s adaption to the environment, and it is very apparent in Galapagos, where we see how nature, the “wildlife” have adapted to the various environments.  We see land, marine, and aerial wildlife camouflage to adapt for survival.  We see things like cactus growing in an environment that is hostile and could not be imagined for any growth to occur.  It is easy to envision why Darwin fell in love and stayed in Galapagos for such a long time.  (Sanji

“Prehistoric.” I felt that every time we stepped on another island, despite how different each one was. (Mary)

“Evolution.”  This archipelago is relatively untouched by man and how the species there developed provided to me a clearer picture of evolution.  I can see now why Darwin thought what he did about that concept. (Bruce)

“Untouched.”  Alternate universe (Nancy)

“Awe-inspiring.” The natural unspoiled beauty and diversity from island to island. (Neil)

“Unique.”  Interesting from beginning to end.  From the wildlife that exists in the terrain that prevails the entire area from island to island.  In addition, the camaraderie on the ship couldn’t be better, met great people to become better friends.” (Charles)

“Untouched.”  Galapagos is a world of its own (Sharilynn)

Favorite Other Place

Cusco. The people were so friendly and proud of their city. Great shopping too : ) (Nancy)

The three hotels that Nat Geo had us in. Top quality, spectacular places, even if for just one night! Other than that, Lima!  Friendly people, beautiful and clean city.  (Neil)

Hotel del Parque in Guayaquil.  Beautiful hotel, great food.  Area around the hotel very exotic. (Sharilynn)

“Lima, after an exasperating trip from the mainland due to complications at the airport, we arrived two days later than intended.  However our Lima City tour arranged by the concierge at the hotel, including Lima, Miraflores,, Barranco, Isadora was outstanding, with great service from our tour guide David Johnson and Freddy our driver.”  (Charles)

Tambo Del Inka.  This was a very busy tour.  We were given a limited opportunity due to unforeseen circumstances to relax in a beautiful resort situated in the middle of the Sacred Valley of the Inca, giving us a reprieve of the busy days that we had.  In addition to the magnificent room amenities, I also found some interesting life including hummingbirds, hawks, and others.  (Sanjiv)

Cusco-the intersection/clash between the Inca culture and Christianity (or maybe more specifically Catholicism is well preserved in the churches and statutes.  It was thought provoking. (Bruce)

Quito.  The Colonial architecture, the Dancing Virgin, the cool hotel made are final city on the trip extra special (Carol)

Lima. I always love exploring new cities and Lima was both easy and fun. (Mary)

Favorite Animal

Sea turtles.  Fascinating to watch them swim and then come up for air.  (Sharilynn)

Sea lion because they let us get so close and for a large mammal, they were friendly. (Mary)

Galapagos Penguin.  Penguins at the Equator, need I say more. (Bruce)

Iguanas.  I learned Iguanas are not dangerous or aggressive to humans are are unique to the area.  (Charles)

The penguins in the Galapagos. They move so quickly in the water, unfazed by humans and unique to the area.  (Neil)

So hard to choose. I would have to go with.... the sea lions. They were so personable and fun to watch. After getting home, I realized how photogenic they are. (Nancy)

Penguins!  What more is there to say. (Carol)

The one unique bird I found was the Magnificent Frigatebird with the male having the red gular pouch.  The male inflates its distinctive red gular pouch during breeding season to attract female.  It is nice to see aside from the peacocks that it is not the female that is looking for the prime mate. (Sanjiv)

Cultural Part

Peru:  The people! Everyone was extraordinarily friendly and helpful and proud of it! I felt extremely safe while in Peru and I enjoyed their pride in their country.

Ecuador:  Such a primitive way of life. After spending some time in mainland Ecuador, we learned that there is no mail service (it went bankrupt), there are very few paved roads, such significant poverty and a high influx of drugs passing through the country. Guayaquil is a major port and why it is so dangerous. Basically no infrastructure in the country. The people we met were very family oriented and hard working. (Nancy)

The labor unrest in Peru, resulting in a transportation strike and deaths in that country, along with protests in Quito resulting on our guide being harassed by an upset local.  (Neil)

Escaping Peru during a national State of Emergency .  Seems a very South American thing to do. (Carol)

Both Peru and Ecuador/Galapagos are very interesting in their own ways.  Galapagos is a place where humans have had very little influence and one can easily see what nature can do when left untouched.  This is the main attraction for Galapagos and to see how nature works and the resilience gives us hope of adaptability. 

The Peruvians also proved they are very resilient.  Despite the indigenous Peruvian civilization coming through hardships of diseases and war brought on by the Spanish, they were able to survive through ingenuity.  They were able to construct walls and edifices using interlocking stones weighing 25 to 200 tons without any grouting material or machines.  The interlocking of the stones are so tight and precise that not even a piece of paper can slide between them.  (Sanjiv)

Cultural-our guide Alvin-his views on the strengths and contributions of the Inca and pre-Inca civilizations were “interesting” if not a bit grandiose and woke. Makes me curious to understand the provable historical facts that played into his views. (Bruce)

Not withstanding the difficulties we experienced in transit from Machu Picchu to Cusco, I was overwhelmed with the Town Square and the delightful meal and time with spent at Hanz Eatery with Ray, our waiter. (Charles)

Our personal guide in Lima, David.  He was very informative and explained in great detail the Peruvian culture, both past and present. (Sharilynn)

The food. (Mary)