And it's a good thing we did because we had to wait in not the usual 2 lines, but 3! First we waited to check in--this was actually pretty cool because the Lan Peru counter has an electronic machine that tells you when an agent is ready for you, and which counter to go to (much better than what we experience every time we fly out of SFO, when there are so many people and bags and generally so much chaos that half of the machines can be sitting idle and the person at the front of the line is cluelessly holding everyone else up).
After check in, we had to pay an airport tax. I had been warned about the airport tax to leave Peru ($30.25 per person), but not that there would be an airport tax to even fly domestically (around $6.50 per person). Once our boarding passes had the requisite tax stamp, we headed for the security line, which was fairly long but moved quickly. When we got to the front, we learned why: unlike in U.S. airports, they don't want you to take off your shoes, or take laptops and video cameras out of their cases.The one thing Peruvian security was picky about is the baggie for liquids (which we learned was all for show when we discovered a full bottle of water in one of our carry-on bags when we were on the airplane. oops.). They were also suspicious of my hat, which I wore in line because we didn't seem to have to take anything else off. I removed the hat and revealed still-soggy hat hair and all was well.
Oh, one more curious thing we noted in the airports. When you walk in, there are people offering to wrap your bag in plastic. It is for security purposes, but has the added benefit of keeping your bag clean. They put the bags on a turntable and spun them around to cover them with a yellow-green saran wrap. It was fascinating, and I'm sure served the purpose of keeping nosy airport personnel out of suitcases. I told Mr. Y that we should try wrapping our suitcase with saran wrap the next time we travel domestically and see what TSA thinks. hehe
The flight itself was uneventful, much like your average flight from SFO to LA. There was beverage service (during which we discovered Inka Cola, the disturbingly yellow soft drink that is very popular in Peru), and they also provided a box of snacks (a la Southwest).
The Cusco airport was quite small and very full of tourists, as Cusco, the once-capital of the Incan Empire, is the starting point for all things Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. They checked luggage tags on our way out of the airport, though we learned that they only checked one bag, so while Mr. Y had to produce documentation, the fact that I was with him and had a matching bag let me sail right through.
Outside we met a representative of the travel agency, who offered us either an expensive private car to drive us to Urubamba, or a cab driver who would take us there much more cheaply and "drive slow." We opted for the cheaper cab, and met Wilmor the cab driver. The cab itself was nothing to get excited about, but Wilmor did drive at a safe rate of speed, so that made up for the lack of luxury.
We drove through Cusco then through the mountains and down into the Sacred Valley on our way to Urubamba. The scenery was beautiful:
We booked 5-star hotels for most of the trip, but I think we were both a little unsure of what we would get. As it turns out, our accomodations for the entire trip were fabulous, including our first stop in Sacred Valley, Casa Andina Private Collection in Urubamba.
We went to lunch upon arrival in the early afternoon. I ordered the "zucchini lasagna," which I thought would have pasta and a zucchini filling, but instead used the sliced zucchini in place of pasta, with a mixture of vegetables and a sun-dried tomato sauce in between. Mr. Y had a roasted vegetable sandwich, and finally got to try Peruvian french fries, the absolute best potatoes in the world (sorry, Idaho).
After lunch, we napped then went to the spa for a massage (which we had originally planned in anticipation of having altitude sickness). The spa was wonderful! Afterward, we went for a late dinner.
One thing every lunch and dinner in Peru included was a selection of breads. These rolls were served with a dish of olive oil, roasted garlic and balsamic vinegar. 
As it turns out, there isn't much wine bottled in Peru. Tacama is the only winery, according to everyone we talked to, though they do bottle several varieties of wine. We ordered a half bottle for our first dinner there--it was quite good!
Mr. Y ordered trout chowder and lomo saltado, a Peruvian dish beef roasted with onions and tomatoes and served with rice.
I ordered penne pasta with roasted vegetables.
After dinner, we finally were able to get a good night's sleep!
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