Posting video is usually impossible but maybe this will come through.

What we didn’t realize, watching the shearing, is that when he shaved off the wool, it stayed in one piece, which could be then thrown over the large table & inspected.

The sheep shearing demonstration was perhaps more enjoyable for the onlookers than for the sheep.

There were demonstrations of sheep herding by horseback, and, of course, by the wonderful border collie dogs, who relish their jobs like few people do.

Today we’re in Punta Arenas, Chile, and we went on an interesting tour to a local sheep ranch.

We spent some time at El Brujo glacier. It looked a little larger to me this time, rather than four years ago (last pic) but obviously that’s a highly unscientific evaluation.

The view is identical to what I remember four years ago, a hazy, mysterious shades-of-gray kind of austere beauty.

We’re about ⅔ of the way through the Patagonian fjords, on our way to Punta Arenas.

We’ll have a couple of sea days before getting to our next port, Punta Arenas. We’ll be sailing through the wonderful fjords of Patagonia, which rival those of Norway.

We got my favorite table for the first breakfast. Nice view. Good omen.

So, we have flown from Cusco back to Lima, and then on to Santiago, Chile. We were taken to a couple of wineries on the way from Santiago to San Antonio, where we boarded the ship. We have now sailed south at 5:00p, in search of adventure, with the first Dodger spring training game streaming on my little travel speaker. Could life BE any better?! I think not.

In Peru, we stayed in some remarkably beautiful places - some with stately courtyards, and some with beautifully landscaped grounds.

Kinda like this one.

Live music on the train back to Cusco.

José Carlos explaining the sophistication of Incan mathematics - they had the concept of the number “zero” well before a lot of contemporaneous cultures, and used this string tool, with knots tied at certain intervals, as a sort of abacus.

I’m hopelessly old fashioned and just LOVE passport stamps. Been wanting to snag this one for a really long time.

We arrived at Machu Picchu on Thursday, and spent most of the day there. We came back Friday, for more information by a second guide. But the second day, the fog/mist was heavy and obscured a lot of the site. That added an aura of mystery to be sure, but we were just so grateful that we had two days. Here’s the same view Friday, and then the day before. Would have been just tremendously disappointing if we only saw the first view, and not the second.

Proof of the claim below....30 floors!

We’ve climbed more steps in the last 2 days than in the last 2 months

The usual wifi issues....grrr.

It was clear when we arrived, per below photo, but then as we sat for a while and contemplated, wisps of fog rolled in, light rain began to fall, and several thunder claps. Couldn’t have been more perfect.

Many pix of Machu Picchu to follow, but just to kick things off.....*drum roll*....”The Photo”. Been wanting to get this one for a very long time. I may or may not have choked up just a little bit.

So, as far as dinners are concerned, I’ve completed the Peruvian trifecta - three nights ago, alpaca steak. The next night, confit of guinea pig. Last night, goatling in a black beer sauce. Nothing there I would desperately seek out again, but pretty interesting.

Our wonderful guide, José Carlos, demonstrating how to make Incan rope out of fibers, and relaxing on the train.

“Here’s lookin’ at you, kid”

The Hiram Bingham train is a throwback to the glory days of rail travel. We will take it from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu, do our two days there, and then take it back to Cusco.

Among the food items available in Cusco....guinea pig. I had it for dinner last night (the second pic, not the first one). Night before was alpaca steak. “When in Peru.....”

Wifi seems to be behaving itself much better today, so I’ll throw a bunch of stuff atcha. May have to scroll to the bottom & hit “Older posts” if you insist on seeing everything.

This wee one wasn’t 100% sure about this big guy taking her picture.

We visit a local community in Urubamba, where they demonstrated textile-making, homeopathic medicines, and various other indigenous cultural activities. This is not just “play dress-up for the tourists”, this is an ongoing community. This is still the dress seen on the streets, everywhere around town, when you’re this far off the beaten track.

Quite a beautiful area to drive around. With many archaeological sites identified.

Our guide plays an Incan flute, and re-emphasizes the mosaic stone work with utterly massive boulders.

An exterior pic of the aforementioned cathedral - at first glance one might guess the gray smooth stone surface below the cathedral was modern, but it’s actually Inca c. 1450, while the cathedral itself is obviously later Spanish.