Slight Change of Plans

This morning (after a night out at the bar and the alarm not going off) we went to the airport to catch our flight to the Amazon. Unfortunately (or fortunately) all of the flights were cancelled. Due to bad weather in Lima, none of the flights had arrived in Cusco to take us out. However, this worked out even better for Kelly and I. We were dreading an extra day in Lima at the end of our journey. We now have another day of rest in Cusco today and we go to Puerto Maldonado tomorrow...hence losing our final day in Lima. For some reason, the gods are shining upon us.

Note: this also allowed Kelly time to sober up, me to nap and both of us to get another hot shower. Life is good! (I also got to catch up on my blog!!)

On the 5th Day She Rested

Back in Cusco at a second rate hotel with running water. I was able to clean up, get some sleep and finally hold solid food. The weather continues to be perfectly sunny and beautiful. Not a very exciting day....just shopping, lunching, lounging. While in the Cathedral, Kelly and I met a cute boy from DC that was traveling South America for 8 months (half Puerto Rican, half Iranian...Yummy!).

In the evening we finally hit the bar (much needed) with a guy from our group and we met up with said cute boy. After nearly a week without a drink it was nice to unwind, get buzzed up, and play darts (badly). It as also nice to see a little action even though I was sans make-up, blowdryer and nice clothes!

The Road to Machupicchu

I don´t know if I can begin to explain the anxiety I was feeling as we set out to begin the Inca Trail. All of those happy hours and couch potato evenings seemed such a mistake as the guide began to describe the physical activity required over the following days. I had my gear from REI and my camera ready to capture the views, but were my legs and lungs ready for the journey before me? At this point, there really was no turning back. The sheer embarrassment of returning to tell my traveler friends that I wussed out and took the train compelled me to march onward.

Fortunately, day one wasn´t so bad. It was a little up and a little down with breaks to take in the ruins and their significance along the way (Salapunku, Llactapata, Wayllabamba). Much to our surprise, the porters that join each group really offer first class service. Don´t get me wrong, squat toilets and lack of running water are no picnic. But before you even arrive in camp the porters set up a dinning tent complete with table cloth and napkin holders. They great you at the trail with a glass of juice and they carry the bulk of all your gear. These men carry HUGE packs along the trail and pass you at neckbreak speeds. It´s really unbelievable.

After making it through day 1 we camped our first night and comfortably rested for the following day. Again, anxiety set in. Day two of the trail is the worst. You climb uphill for 5 hours before descending to the next camp. It´s called Dead Woman´s Pass for the sillouette of the mountain pass from a distance (you pass just to the left of her boob) but I was sure that it derived it´s name from the number of women, such as myself, that had never made it. It was incredibly painful but I did actually make it and surprisingly was toward the middle of my group. My legs were definitely jelly but it was the altitude that really took it´s toll. Those last 1000 or so stone steps at 13,000 feet with no railing were dizzying.

Day three we did two more passes that were somewhat easier, although still a challenge. The trail was more up and down and a lot more pleasurable. Had it not been for contracting ¨travelers sickness¨ on this day it would have been really enjoyable (hiking with a bad stomach is not good. we´ll leave it at that.) We passed several ruins (Runkuraqay, Sayamarca, Phuyupatamarca) and also managed to see a few of the wild orchids along the way.

Day four was the grand finale. We got up at 4am to make it to the sun gate before sunrise and it was worth it! We arrived at Intipunku about a half an hour before sunrise and saw Machu Picchu in the shadows of the valley below us. We sat quietly and watched as the sun slowly came over the mountain tops and drenched the terraces in sunlight. This alone made the pain of the journey worth while. Due to a landslide in the trail (currently being repaired), only those hikers that came via the Inca Trail were able to visit this spot. The remainder of the day was spent touring and exploring the ruins themselves. I also pushed my physical limits one more time and climbed the vertical trail to Huayna Picchu (unbelievable views).

We ventured back to Cusco at the end of the day via Aguas Calientes on the bus, then train, then van. I don´t think I´ve ever been so appreciative of a luke warm shower.

Pacha Mama 101

Of course, I´m behind in posting. I´ve been a little bit busy but wanted to take a moment to fill in the blanks before I forget all the unique people and intricacies that I have come across over the last few days.

On Wed. we left Cusco to explore the Sacred Valley. When I say explore, please don´t take that too seriously. Because we´re on a tour our ¨exploration¨ tended to be quite scheduled and organized. It was really amazing none-the-less. The views from the road alone were breathtaking. Everywhere you look there are beautiful mountain scenes, fields that look like patchwork, golden terraces built into the mountainsides and snow capped mountains in the distance. Occasionally we stopped to take pictures and soak in the scenery. At these stopping points/look-outs, there were always local people there with their children all dressed up in costume and their llamas waiting for the gringos to take their picture for a few soles.

Along the way we stopped at a GAP project supporting the local people (women weave all day while the men are employed as porters for the trail), the Incan ruins of Pisac (saw an Incan cemetary where mummies were laid to rest along with their mummified puppy friends in little holes carved out of a cliff), a pottery shop (horribly touristy with pottery that looked like it was made by kindergarteners), and a local chicha establishment (chicha is fermented corn beer that the locals drink in giant glasses while discussing current events each evening. The smell alone is hard to stomach). The highlight of the day was arriving in Ollantaytambo where we took in more impressive ruins and the fascinating little pueblo.

Ollantaytambo is a small town in the mountains; a portion of which is built on original Incan foundations. Even though it is a gathering place for travelers hitting the Inca Trail, if you head away from the main square you can see a glimpse of what life is like for the local people. I was lucky enough to spend some time doing this and interacting with a few of the local people not entrenched in the tourist business. This is the first place I´ve ever traveled that I really get the feeling that the way of life here is truly lost in time. So many of the indiginous people here really do things they way they´ve been done for hundreds of years despite the fact that they have tourists outside their door everyday. So much of Latin American culture is heavily influenced by Spanish conquest or US interests but here it seems that they are able to tune much of it out and continue their own way of life.

One of my favorite memories of this trip will be playing hopscotch in the square with the local girls. I couldn´t tell which they were laughing harder at....my Spanish or my hopscotch skills.

Higher Heights

We were up before the ass crack of dawn yesterday....seriously, we left the hotel by 4am to catch our flight to Cusco. While I was not a happy camper at the time, I think they do this in order to get you acclimated to the altitude for a longer period. So by 8am we were all sitting in our Cusco hotel, tired as hell and spinning from the high altitude. The magical cure for this, of course, is coca tea. A three hour nap and many cups of the coca tea really hit the spot. (By the way, does anyone know if coca leaves -either chewed or taken in tea- will show up on my 3M drug test that I take the day I get back? Its probably fine but I´m just curious)

Cusco is a major improvement over Lima. The polution is limited to very heavy auto exhaust and the views are spectacular. I explored the city for the afternoon and met a few of the local characters. One of these characters is apparently very popular. Shes a sweet old Andino woman who was sitting in the plaza. I stopped to talk with her and after a while asked if I could take her photo. She was very pleasant and interesting to talk to as she was working a spool of wool as we chatted. As we walked away, Kelly said to me "she looks just like the woman from my (guide) book". Of course many of the traditionally dressed woman from rural areas look similar here. However, over lunch we took a gander at Kelly´s book and sure enough, my new friend Anecita was featured in one of the color photos!

Later in the day, we met Josa. She was kind enough to take us through the local market and explain all of the local delicacies such as cow head and intestines, frogs, and other nasty animal parts. There were also herbs for the local shamen and mummified puppies...just for fun (not really, from what I gather, the Incan descendants burry them with their dead to guide them to their newly reincarnated position in life)

The food has contiued to be excellent. I guess after traveling in Central America my expectations were pretty low. The altitude sickness also wore off pretty quickly which was a big bonus.

Redemption

I arrived in Peru late last night and woke up early this morning ready to explore. The sun was shining through the smog and all was good in the world. So off we went through the streets and plazas of Lima with great ethusiasm. By lunchtime, we were ready for a cocktail! The smog and traffic of central Lima overshadow the beauty of any of the architechture or open plazas. We headed to the coast for a breath of fresh air and some ceviche. Now this is where the city of Lima shines...the food and drink. We sat at a restaurant on a cliff overlooking the Pacific and feasted on the best ceviche Ive ever tasted, scallops with cheese, and marinated beef heart kebobs (yes, heart). Along with that, the ladies and I decided to partake in the local specialty cocktail, the pisco sour. These drinks dont seem like much more than a vodka sour or a really tangy margarita but they are quite potent, or at least the ones at our lunch spot of choice were. After 1/2 a drink I could feel it in my head. This wasnt a usual kind of drunk (which Im quite accustomed to lately), this was more like a high....it goes straight to your head. After just 2 of these wonderful little concoctions we were laughing like three stoned little school girls.
I would not recommend more than a day or two in Lima but the one redeeming quality of this city is most certainly the food (along with, perhaps, friendly taxi drivers). After our feast at lunch, we also had quite a spread for dinner starting with boiled potatoes with a spicy cheese sauce (I cant remember what its called) followed by arroz con mariscos (the seafood is excellent here) and Tacu Tacu con pescado y mariscos (a rice and beans mixture over a giant sole fillet all covered in a creamy seafood sauce).....Yummy Goodness!

Tomorrow morning we are off to Cusco and bigger, better adventures!

Bienvenidos!

Welcome to my new blog.....

Bon Voyage my friends! I'm off on another adventure. Not only am I leaving for Peru tomorrow morning, I've also accepted a new job with 3M. While both are new adventures, they are almost a complete contradiction.

I'm spending 2 weeks exploring Peru; starting in Lima. Then it's on to Cusco, 4 days of hiking on the Inca Trail, and Machu Picchu. From there we head to the Amazon for a few days of extreme humidity, exotic birds/animals and lots of skeeters.

The other half of my new adventure is a position in corporate America. Upon my return from Peru, I'll be wrapping things up at Ryan and entering a life of corporate slavery. No more window office. No more hoodies and flip flops. No more beer fridge down the hall. This is serious business. I'll be managing all aspects of consumer communication for TAMS (that's Taping and Masking Systems for you mere mortals). Exciting right?! Not really, but it's the largest consumer business at 3M and a good opportunity.

Perhaps I should just stay in Peru? Marry an Andean flute player and knit Alpaca wool hoodies? Nah, I'll probably come back. :)