Day 4: It´s About Damn Time!

So...here it is! This is the classic shot of MP. For your enjoyment, there´s one with clouds, without clouds, and with us. Choose your favorite. Honestly, it´s hard to take a bad picture of the area.
















For the nerds in the group, this shot demonstrates how the Incans split stone along naturally occuring fractures. They then used a sand and water solution and some serious elbow grease to shape/polish the stones for placement without mortor. Very impressive work. And mind you, this was all done using rock from nearby mountains and along a narrow ridge at 2400 meters above sea level.

Elvis found a buddy along the way.

Don´t mind me, I´m just riding a puma. Right.

Day 3: Lares Valley to Machu Picchu

Our 3rd morning in the Andes was...um, what´s the word? Freakishly cold! There was a crusty layer of frost on the ground on the tents. It was a long night. After all, we were 4300 meters above sea level. Fortunately, soon after we awoke, the sun broke over the nearby mountains and it quickly warmed up.

We´re a bit tired and cold, but the smiles are fairly sincere as we discussed the final 12 kms of hiking over a hot breakfast. The cook whipped up some veggie omlettes, hot cereal, toast, and the ever-present coca tea.

One of the many local kids who met us on the trail.

The first of two Quechua schools we visited on the last day of the hike.

Megan causing a small riot in the classroom by introducing (with some regret by the teacher) rubber bouncy balls. Note the traditional dress. This wasn´t a tourist stop; this was the real deal.

The intrepid explorer crossing a ¨raging¨river.

The day´s second school visit and lunch spot, nesstled in the valley. We didn´t exactly visit a classroom, as much as bring an abrupt end to the school day by starting a futbol game on the pristine playing field. Once the ball hit the dirt, it was on! Even the bus driver and some of the porters joined in. After all, futbol IS the sport in Latin America.

No children were harmed in the taking of this photo!

As proof, here she is after the mob.

Megan inciting another riot with a rousing game of ¨slaps.¨ They loved it!

The cook and his henchmen preparing the final meal of deep-fried cauliflower, fried rice (a batch for the veggies and another batch with hotdogs and bacon), soup, and a purple juice made from corn. It´s taste closely resembles that of Bubble Yum bubble gum. De-lish.

Day 2 - Lares Valley to Machu Picchu

Our second day was the longest (22km) and highest (4,500 meters).

Waking up in the shadow of a glacier and above the clouds in the valley below.







Halfway between base camp and our second summit.











Roberto our fearless and ever smiling guide chatting with a local kid while the rest of us caught our breath. There must be lookouts for gringos along the trail because everyday we met Andean children awaiting handouts of fruits, notebooks and of course sweets. Most of them spoke only Quechua, farmed or tended heards of llamas and lived off of the land.

This was our third and highest summit of the trip. Chris made it to the top about 30 minutes ahead of me. This gave him plenty of time to rest and cheer me to the top. Exhausted upon arrival, we still had the energy for a victory smile.

Tumbling toward camp.





















A calm moment of reflection in the sun at the
end of a long, hard day.

Day 1 - Lares Valley to Machu Picchu

Ok, we did it! After weeks, no...months of planning, many dollars spent on transporation and gear, and nearly 50 kilometers of rugged hiking through the Andes, we finally made it to the famed Incan Lost City, Machu Picchu! Calves are a bit sore and blisters are slow to heal, but the experience is one we will never regret nor forget.

We don´t want to bore you with all of the details so here is a photo journal of our experience.

After a 3 hour bus ride we arrive at the trailhead. Here you can see our gear, our porters and the local ¨welcome wagon¨.

15 minutes into the hike and Meg is going strong. We shouldn´t mention that the young boy ran past without missing a beat.

We were very proud of the fact that we chose to carry all of our gear while many of our younger trekkers hired porters.

The porters, with a later start, blew past us on their way to set up lunch. When we arrived the cook tent was up, the table was set and fresh squash soup was hot.

We made it to our first summit! Just over 4,000 meters. The lake in the background was where we had lunch.

The horses carrying our food and shelter make their way past us. They certainly had a tougher job.


At the first summit... what goes up must come down. Camp, a warm bed and dinner is somewhere in the far, far, far distance.

5-star camping! Washing off 14km of hiking at our first base camp.

With clean hands, we had our evening snack of fresh popped popcorn.

Just a few shots. The Plaza de Armas is the main "square" of Cusco. The photo doesn´t do it justice; it´s beautiful. Foreigners and locals alike spend hours sitting on benches and watching the world go by. The down side to hanging out in the Plaza, esp for us out-of-towners, is the gauntlet (see previous post). Kids peddling postcards and old ladies pushing ghords occurs around the clock.

Yes, alpacas and llamas do wander relatively free throughout the city. I say "relatively" because the owners are usually close by, eager to ask for money if you raise your camera.





And note the size of the water bottle Megan is slurping from. It was roughly the length of her arm. Hmmmm...bottled water.

The Daily Gauntlet

Don´t get me wrong, Cusco is amazing. The people, the climate, the views...all wonderful. And I understand that people have to make a living, be it as a dentist, police officer, teacher, circus clown or whatever. But there´s something about how many people in Cusco make a living that I find intriguing--and sometimes exhausting. Now don´t take this the wrong way. I´m certainly in no position to criticize how folks earn an income. Note: I´m unemployed. But after two weeks here, I´m somewhat awe-struck by the shear volume of people who are intent to sell me postcards, massages, painted ghords, and...yes, finger puppets. Oh, and less I forget the jungle tours, mountain tours, rafting trips, cell phones, paintings, newspapers, Incan music CDs, Quechua dictionaries, Spanish dictionaries, alpaca sweaters, corn on the cob, ice cream, cigarettes, bottled water and weed. Honest, on any given morning, we have the opportunity to buy not just one or two of the items listed above, but EVERY item above. And I´m certain that I´ve forgotten a few things. But again, who am I to criticize.

Short...of...breath!

Sorry for the delay. We haven´t been operating at our usual pace due to oxygen deprevation. On top of that, during the first week in Cusco we both expeienced some, um, how can I put it tackfully, digestive discomfort. A lot of digestive discomfort. After becoming acquianted with Peru´s medical establishment, we´re finally on the mend. Enough on that!

The flight into Cusco was amazing. We passed over the snow-capped peaks of the Andes and finally landed only to be met by hordes of us (foreigners), vendors pushing everything from oxygen to cabs and an honest to goodness Incan rock group. Well...sort of.

Jonathan, a school rep met us and brought us into town. Cusco was everything we had hoped it would be. The city is nestled in the Andes, completely surrounded by mountains. "Vive Peru" is carved into a hillside, the architecture is a mix of modern, Incan, and colonial Spanish. Even at 7am. the streets were bustling with activity, although the number of cabs seem to outnumber everything else. We were clearly not in Buffalo (or Lima) anymore.

Our apartment is a 5 minute walk from the main Plaza, about 10 minutes from school and close to everything in between. Thankfully, it´s located on a quiet side street with little traffic. It´s a modest apartment, but has everything we need. Okay, it´s lacking an oven but come on, we have cable TV and wireless. And no, we didn´t pack the laptop.

The school is unique for Cusco in that it teaches both spanish to foreigners and English to Peruanos. In the main gathering space, we actually run into more locals than we do English-speakers. It´s a great blend of accents, languages and skin tones. Megan stands out with her red hair and pasty skin, but we´re working on that. Some people might be wondering where the hell I come from...Brazil, Peru? Oddly, noone has guessed Maine yet.

With four hours of class each day, not to mention simply getting by in the city, our Spanish chops are improving. Mabel, Magda, Elvis, AnnaMaria and Jackie are quick to correct our langauge shortcomings, but always with a smile. We´ve become more fearless when speaking in Spanish.

Dogs are everywhere. Most of them seem to be homeless, but are in surprisingly good shape. The local restuarants must offer back-door specials. One day, we even watched the remainder of our breakfast go out the front door to Rosie, a neighborhood Boxer. They seem to hold their own on the mean streets of Cusco. "Benji" apparently isn´t fond of taxis as he chased one at full sprint around the Plaza, barking with every step. He must have been short-changed.

The Blue Room

April 23, 2008

Alright already with the damn beeps. The drive to Sra. Laura´s B &B was interesting, amusing, bumpy and frequently alarmning. We couldn´t help but laugh at all of the cabbies with the fingers poised over their horns. Speed limits, stop signs and traffic lanes seem to be mere suggestions. Buckle Up!

We managed some simple, not always pretty, Spanish with Sra. Laura, but that is what we are here to learn. We welcomed our basic accomdations with open arms. The room was blue with a bathroom down the hall. Chris is still trying to adjust to Peru´s plumbing and the ¨paper in the basket¨rule.

The next morning, Sra. Laura prepared us a typical breakfast of tea, bread, cheese and marmalade. Yum! But I am still a little hungary. With moderately filled bellies, we set out to understand why you don´t need more than a day to explore Lima (at least according to some we have spoken with).

After a few stares and catcalls that would make a New York construction worker blush, we finally made our way to the magnificent coastline of Miraflores. We spent the day walking along the cliff´s edge in the hazy sun checking out the parks, the lighthouse and the people.

One park that stood out was ¨La Plaza de Amor¨with a huge statue of lovers and benches tiled with sayings related to love. Here we met two young ¨lovers¨ who decided to join us on our trip. We would like to introuduce you to Elvis and Mabel. You will see them from time to time throughout our jouney. Fortunatly they are light packers.

We enjoyed our day and a half in Lima but we are ready to move up in elevation, two miles to be exact.