Machu Picchu

We are a retired couple looking for a relatively comfortable South American tour that includes Machu Picchu and the Amazon River. Can you advise us?While many tour companies offer trips to the Amazon region and to the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu, most do not combine the sites on the same itinerary. It is more likely that you'll come across tours that include optional extensions to one or the other site.The Massachusetts Audubon Society, for instance, has a 15-day tour scheduled next year called "Discovering Untamed Wonders the Amazon," which is primarily a cruise aboard the 238-foot-long Explorer, a 98-passenger ship, with dining room, lounge, library and lecture hall.

One of Sandy Stosz's favorite childhood memories is of the trips her family took each summer from Ellicott City to her grandparents' home near Cape Cod, and the little rowboat that she and her three brothers were allowed to take out on the Great Bay when they were deemed old enough. "She always loved the water," Stosz's mother, Joy, recalled recently. "Those humble beginnings," as Stosz jokingly called them, led to her pursuing a career in the U.S. Coast Guard and her recent promotion to rear admiral lower half.

Perhaps the Incas planned it this way.With each step away from the arid highlands of Peru's Andes into moist, forested Amazonia, a sense of times past, of spirituality, became stronger. On the edge of these two worlds, where lizards bask in the sun and orchids bloom in the jungle, they had perched their sacred town, hidden behind green-clothed monoliths.As we walked the last downhill mile, the jungle and orchids grew more profuse, the road receded from view, and then we were there, at the classic overlook of the fabled "Lost City of the Incas," Machu Picchu.

One of Sandy Stosz's favorite childhood memories is of the trips her family took each summer from Ellicott City to her grandparents' home near Cape Cod, and the little rowboat that she and her three brothers were allowed to take out on the Great Bay when they were deemed old enough. "She always loved the water," Stosz's mother, Joy, recalled recently. "Those humble beginnings," as Stosz jokingly called them, led to her pursuing a career in the U.S. Coast Guard and her recent promotion to rear admiral lower half.

1911: Amundsen reaches South Pole 1911: Bingham finds Machu Picchu 1912: First L.L. Bean boot 1913: Income tax introduced

I live in Bel Air and last summer I took a trip to Peru, where I visited Machu Picchu, truly one of the wonders of the world. I took a picture of these two Peruvian Native Indian girls at a large outdoor market in Pisac. This town is located in the Sacred Valley on the way to Machu Picchu. The bright colors of the hand-woven material are very typical of the clothing worn by women in this area. The Baltimore Sun welcomes submissions for "My Best Shot." Photos should have been taken within the past year and be accompanied by a description of when and where you took the picture and your name, address and phone number.

Awesome Machu Picchu A MEMORABLE PLACE By Doris Malin SPECIAL TO THE SUN Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Incas, proved a memorable trip for my 13-year-old-grandson, Justin, and me. The mystery of this Incan phenomenon had always intrigued me, and Justin had studied Machu Picchu in his social studies class. Sharing this adventure created a bond between us. Getting there was an adventure in itself. We flew to Lima, Peru, and then to Cuzco. Cuzco was the central city of the Incas before they climbed the heights of the Andes to settle in Machu Picchu.

A Memorable Place City of the Incas rises from the clouds By Brian Andrews SPECIAL TO THE SUN At 5 o'clock on a dark, chilly morning in the Peruvian Andes, I woke to a symphony of raindrops on my tent. My tour group had completed a 25-mile, four-day trek through the mountains, and another few miles this morning would find us at journey's end -- Machu Picchu -- the legendary city of the Incas that I had aspired to see my entire life. I threw on my poncho and stumbled out into the darkness.

Call Charles Lamb's record a streak of luck. As racing editor for the now-deceased Baltimore News American, Lamb correctly predicted in print the winning horses in all 10 races in a single day at Delaware Park.The "streak" came to pass on July 28, 1974, and it's never been beaten, at least not according to the Guiness Book of World Records, which lists Lamb as "Topmost Tipster."Not only did Lamb's published picks match every winner on the 10-race card in Wilmington that day, he also correctly predicted all three exactas and both triples.

The beauty of travel is more than the experience; it's also the memories.P We shape our recollections by telling stories, writing postcards or letters and sharing photographs.P In 2007, hundreds of readers shared their Best Shots from their journeys around the globe: from Peru to Antarctica, New England to Mexico, and destinations in between.P Through their stories, we jumped off a dock; we cheered at a bullfight; we sailed on a ship; we marveled at a crab -- we traveled far from where we are.P Here are some of our memories of the Best Shots of 2007.

I live in Bel Air and last summer I took a trip to Peru, where I visited Machu Picchu, truly one of the wonders of the world. I took a picture of these two Peruvian Native Indian girls at a large outdoor market in Pisac. This town is located in the Sacred Valley on the way to Machu Picchu. The bright colors of the hand-woven material are very typical of the clothing worn by women in this area. The Baltimore Sun welcomes submissions for "My Best Shot." Photos should have been taken within the past year and be accompanied by a description of when and where you took the picture and your name, address and phone number.

The beauty of travel is more than the experience; it's also the memories.P We shape our recollections by telling stories, writing postcards or letters and sharing photographs.P In 2007, hundreds of readers shared their Best Shots from their journeys around the globe: from Peru to Antarctica, New England to Mexico, and destinations in between.P Through their stories, we jumped off a dock; we cheered at a bullfight; we sailed on a ship; we marveled at a crab -- we traveled far from where we are.P Here are some of our memories of the Best Shots of 2007.

A Memorable Place City of the Incas rises from the clouds By Brian Andrews SPECIAL TO THE SUN At 5 o'clock on a dark, chilly morning in the Peruvian Andes, I woke to a symphony of raindrops on my tent. My tour group had completed a 25-mile, four-day trek through the mountains, and another few miles this morning would find us at journey's end -- Machu Picchu -- the legendary city of the Incas that I had aspired to see my entire life. I threw on my poncho and stumbled out into the darkness.

Awesome Machu Picchu A MEMORABLE PLACE By Doris Malin SPECIAL TO THE SUN Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Incas, proved a memorable trip for my 13-year-old-grandson, Justin, and me. The mystery of this Incan phenomenon had always intrigued me, and Justin had studied Machu Picchu in his social studies class. Sharing this adventure created a bond between us. Getting there was an adventure in itself. We flew to Lima, Peru, and then to Cuzco. Cuzco was the central city of the Incas before they climbed the heights of the Andes to settle in Machu Picchu.

1911: Amundsen reaches South Pole 1911: Bingham finds Machu Picchu 1912: First L.L. Bean boot 1913: Income tax introduced

Perhaps the Incas planned it this way.With each step away from the arid highlands of Peru's Andes into moist, forested Amazonia, a sense of times past, of spirituality, became stronger. On the edge of these two worlds, where lizards bask in the sun and orchids bloom in the jungle, they had perched their sacred town, hidden behind green-clothed monoliths.As we walked the last downhill mile, the jungle and orchids grew more profuse, the road receded from view, and then we were there, at the classic overlook of the fabled "Lost City of the Incas," Machu Picchu.

One of Sandy Stosz's favorite childhood memories is of the trips her family took each summer from Ellicott City to her grandparents' home near Cape Cod, and the little rowboat that she and her three brothers were allowed to take out on the Great Bay when they were deemed old enough. "She always loved the water," Stosz's mother, Joy, recalled recently. "Those humble beginnings," as Stosz jokingly called them, led to her pursuing a career in the U.S. Coast Guard and her recent promotion to rear admiral lower half.

One of Sandy Stosz's favorite childhood memories is of the trips her family took each summer from Ellicott City to her grandparents' home near Cape Cod, and the little rowboat that she and her three brothers were allowed to take out on the Great Bay when they were deemed old enough. "She always loved the water," Stosz's mother, Joy, recalled recently. "Those humble beginnings," as Stosz jokingly called them, led to her pursuing a career in the U.S. Coast Guard and her recent promotion to rear admiral lower half.

We are a retired couple looking for a relatively comfortable South American tour that includes Machu Picchu and the Amazon River. Can you advise us?While many tour companies offer trips to the Amazon region and to the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu, most do not combine the sites on the same itinerary. It is more likely that you'll come across tours that include optional extensions to one or the other site.The Massachusetts Audubon Society, for instance, has a 15-day tour scheduled next year called "Discovering Untamed Wonders the Amazon," which is primarily a cruise aboard the 238-foot-long Explorer, a 98-passenger ship, with dining room, lounge, library and lecture hall.

Call Charles Lamb's record a streak of luck. As racing editor for the now-deceased Baltimore News American, Lamb correctly predicted in print the winning horses in all 10 races in a single day at Delaware Park.The "streak" came to pass on July 28, 1974, and it's never been beaten, at least not according to the Guiness Book of World Records, which lists Lamb as "Topmost Tipster."Not only did Lamb's published picks match every winner on the 10-race card in Wilmington that day, he also correctly predicted all three exactas and both triples.