One of Seven

Group of alumni, friends travel to Peru to visit Machu Picchu

From The Ichabod - Winter 2018

Checking one of the New Seven Wonders of the World off the bucket list was just one excuse for Marti Dittman, bba ’78, to visit Peru this past fall.

The Washburn University Alumni Association and Foundation traveled with a group of 27 in October to learn more about the culture and history of Peru.

On the trip to Machu Picchu, the group was able to take a train for most of the way despite the winding steep mountains, and then walked to the top. They spent more than five hours on the mountain top. In addition to it being one of the new seven world wonders, Katy Nasse, ba ’94 and bsn ’14, and her husband, Jason, b ed ’95, wanted to see Machu Picchu because of concerns more of it would be closed off and limited to tourists in the coming years.

“We wanted to go while we could still see it up close,” Nasse said. “It looked just like it does in all of the pictures. I was struck by how high up we were and how steep the terraces are. The views were incredible and we were amazed by the human ingenuity that  it exemplifies.”

The trip up the steep mountains was worth the trek.

“Everything was amazing,” Dittman said. “You could see how the Inca civilization lived – their food supplies, water system, how they fed their crops and themselves and their areas for llamas and alpacas.”

While Dittman greatly enjoyed visiting Machu Picchu, she also was mesmerized by the dwindling villages of Lake Titicaca and visiting the floating islands of the Uro people, an ancestral society who inhabits a series of artificial islands built with totora, a reed that grows in the lake. While in Peru, the group also visited Cusco, Puno and Lima.

“They said a lot of younger people are moving away (from the islands), but it was amazing to see how they can get their food around the island, and they continually have to re-build their houses every six months,” Dittman said. “It’s a lot of trouble, but they get to live on one of the highest lakes in the whole world.”

Dittman took the trip with her Delta Gamma sorority sister, Betty Greiner, bba ’77, and Dittman’s brother, Gary. Their small group had previously traveled to Africa together, and they were excited to get to experience another lifelong memory.

“I enjoy seeing how other societies have grown,” said Dittman. “They haven’t developed to where we have, but they have managed to build their lives.”

With a trip to Peru fairly hard to plan and decide the best options, the Nasses decided to explore the possibility of going on the group tour.

“Traveling with a group is lots of fun,” said Susie Hoffmann, bba '87, director, Alumni Association. “Most people comment after a trip with Washburn how they made many new friends, and many of our travelers like the fact that most everything is preplanned on the trip and we always offer free time for our travelers to explore on their own.”

Read more about upcoming Alumni Association travel opportunities.