Saturday, August 2, 2014

Today was a day of pure indulgence. We had planned a free day to relax, thinking that we would be exhausted from the Inca Trail. Even though the trail was not to be, we had still been very busy (endoscopies are hard!), and it was good to have a day of leisure. Sanctuary Lodge is aptly named. It is a place to enjoy the beauty of nature and God’s creation.

I got up at sunrise to chase the light around and got a few good shots. I love the mist and the clouds and the blues and pinks.

The queue forms early to get into Machu Picchu:

I came back into the hotel to find my sleeping beauty still out cold, Andrea the alpaca at her side:

We ate breakfast on our private terrace while wearing big fluffy robes and slippers. I felt like a Trump, only with all my own hair.

We all got massages. We had scheduled them to work out all the kinks from four days of hiking. Perhaps they were not earned, but who cares! Greg and I had Inca massages, which seemed to be a combination of deep tissue, pressure point and circulation. Some of it hurt, in the way that a great massage does. Genene got a relaxation massage, which I think is probably lighter. She said that some of it tickled, but she tried hard to stay still. She was glowing. She had better get a good job or marry well, for she does enjoy the finer things in life. (Is there a Tiffany she can marry? It worked for Bingham!)

The front desk had to call us and shoo us out of our room so that housekeeping could come and clean.

We took lunch at the lodge and returned to our rooms for a siesta.

We took a walk in the botanical and food gardens. We saw beautiful flowers, hummingbirds, warblers and lizards.

We had high tea with the Hiram Bingham train riders.

We sat in the hot tub, with its gorgeous view of Machu Picchu, until the sun set.

We dressed for dinner at 7:00. Genene wanted the beef tenderloin again. She said that she did not want to order anything else since last night’s meal was “perfection.” I drank a passion fruit sour, which was fun, and had a deliciously prepared alpaca steak. Poor Greg is trying to find bland things, but it is difficult. He had a grilled trout with potatoes, a very traditional dish. We strolled back to our room, content from our day of resting and recharging.

We will hate to leave this place, but tomorrow we head back to Cusco via the train for more adventures. Our time at Sanctuary Lodge has been a heavenly respite from all the excitement and bustle.

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