Wrapping up

After a four hour bur ride, 45 minute taxi ride, a redeye flight, and enough time in the airport to get a pedicure for our beat up feet, we have found our way back, safe and sound, to American soil. The only thing we lost in Peru are a few pairs of underwear that mysteriously disappeared when we had our laundry done.  I have to say, we are pretty proud of ourselves, or maybe we should just be thanking our lucky stars, that we pulled this off without any serious hitches. Its been a spectacular trip, but in all honestly we are glad to be back in lovely Vermont, ready to kick off what is already looking like a gorgeous summer. I am always delightfully surprised at how green and luscious Vermont becomes this time of year.

 Since our last post we have done quite a bit, so for those of you I may not see in person very often I have decided to update the blog on the final week of our trip. When we last left off, we were setting out for Colca Canyon, which is said to be twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, at 3 am. After four hours in a cramped, cold bus, twisting up and around hills at what felt like a very unsafe speed, we arrived for breakfast, yet again dry white bread and jam...ugh. (I bought $200 worth of groceries yesterday, breakfast food being a big part of that purchase!) We stopped along the way to see condors, birds that can have a wing span of about 10 feet and live for 70 years, soaring in the canyon below us. The terrain was desert like, dry, hot, lots of cacti, but snow topped mountains in the distance. We set off down the canyon, which was a long, dusty, rocky path, switchback after switchback, for a few hours. The next day was not as tough. We visited a small museum and learned about the way of life of the people who sustain themselves here. It gave Abbey and I such an appreciation for how easy our lifestyles are. In the states, we can hop in our cars and pick up anything we like, or easier yet, sit in our comfortable apartments, pull out the laptop or phone, and order it online, delivered straight to our doorstep. In Colca Canyon the people have to trek at least a few hours up the side of the canyon with mules to pick up any supplies that are needed, including food and water, then trek back down the dry canyon wall. I did it once, and I think that was enough! Oh, and many of these villages do not have electricity, if they do it was only introduced four years ago. Forget hot showers.

After the museum we arrived at a man made "oasis" complete with pools and a volleyball net (but no electricity). We enjoyed the sun until 2pm, when the sun "set" as it dipped behind the canyon wall! We enjoyed playing cards and having a few drinks with our fellow trekkers, who originated in England, New Zealand, Holland, and Argentina. Then it was time to hit the sack early again, since the next morning we had to walk up the canyon wall starting at 5 am, trekking up switchback upon switchback, all before breakfast. It was a gruesome hike, but we were glad to do it before the heat of the sun hit us. Abbey and I joked that we would much rather being enjoying a Switchback beer than climbing these actual switchbacks. We concluded that we would cheers each other with a couple when we got back to the states, which we did last night. They were the most well deserved Switchbacks I've ever enjoyed!

That night we took an overnight bus to Paracas, a small town on the Pacific Coast, where we would stay in our first hotel of the trip, and enjoy the beach for our last few days. It was a great way to wind down during our final few days in Peru, sunbathing with the beach to ourselves, and practicing our Spanish for the last couple times at the local restaurants. We concluded that we didn't learn very much Spanish, as it took two waiters and about five menus for us to communicate when ordering our final Peruvian meal! They were good sports though, laughing along as we struggled through the menus!

Off the coast of Paracas are the Bellestas Islands, a reserve full of birds and sea life. We took a boat tour out on our final day and were treated to sights of thousands of birds (including penguins, pelicans, and Peruvian boobies), sea lions, giant orange jelly fish, crabs, and best of all dolphins. Our boat was sitting in the ocean, surrounded by dolphins arching their fins above the waves. It was amazing, and to top it off, as we started to pull away, several of them jumped up in the air, exposing their entire bodies and performing a show. Abbey caught it on video, it was spectacular to witness!

It was a trip of a lifetime, so many sights, so many new people, so many types of varying terrain. I enjoyed it thoroughly, but it also took leaving my own country to really appreciate how lucky we are as Americans. We have a lot of privileges and opportunities that other people in this world are not given. However its interesting to ponder, which culture is happier? We really don't have a way to measure.

We are excited to be home, to see all our loved ones, and to enjoy a summer in the luscious state of Vermont!

Checking out at 3:00 AM. Again

Hey everyone! Just wanted to give an update on Jenny and I´s whereabouts! We are leaving tomorrow morning on another trek through Colca Canyon.

We arrived in Arequipa from Cusco yesterday morning after a ten hour ¨red eye¨ bus ride.  We chose to ride on Cruz Del Sur, which is considered one of the high-end bus lines in Peru.  Sure, it was a little pricier than we initially thought it would be, but the semi-reclining seats and TV dinner image on the brochure looked appealing.  After eating our mini chicken and rice dinner and watching a Spanish movie, we eventually drifted into an awkward sleep cycle, trying to get comfy and trying to stay warm with the tiny little complimentary blankets.  When we awoke at sunrise, we paid for having closen front seats on the second story of the bus.  We were forced to watch our bus weaving in and out of curvy steep highways, honking and passing dangerously close to smaller and slower vechicles around sharp corners. For my friends who know that I get scared easily in the passenger seat (Nate) you can imagine what was going through my mind. You eventually learn to just give up control and hope the driver knows what he´s doing.   We thanked God that we had been asleep and in the dark for most of the ride.  Once the bus pulled up to the terminal, we were grateful that we went with that particular company instead of another, for we made it alive! 

After we got off the bus, we chose one of the taxi men at the bus terminal to take us to our hostel we had booked. We settled in and just walked around the city most the day.  We shopped, booked some bus rides, and also booked our 2 nights/3 days Colca Canyon trek.  The Salkantay and Machu Picchu trek was still lingering in our minds, but we knew it would be worth it. Oh yes, may I also mention that there are many fine dining options here?  There is a mouth watering crepe restaurant that we´ve visited twice already, the chicken pesto is amazing.  Selecting where to eat our next meal has become an extremely important task to me- I´ve noticed this upon our return from the Salkantay trek.  I´m sure Jenny would agree.  We both can´t wait to prepare our own meals once we get back home.

We also got to see Juanita, the famous frozen Incan mummy.  We paid for a tour, watching a short film on how they discovered this young girl and what they believed happened to her.  It was really interesting to have seen some of the landscapes they showed in the film and to have already visited some of the cities they believed she had originated from.  It is widely believed that Juanita was sacrificed in a sacred mountain to please the Gods.  She was between 12-14 years when she died, and they have determined from CAT scans that she was killed from a fracture to the skull.  Jenny and I could see the small hole in her forehead where she was hit.  It was unreal to see this famous mummy up close, kept in a cold see through freezer box.  She appeared so tiny to Jenny and I, as she was curled up the in the fetal positon so tightly. Most of the Peruvian people we have seen are also very small in stature.  We got to see some of the fabrics she was discovered in, there was darkened blood on the fabric that had covered her face.  After seeing Machu Picchu and seeing Juanita, it´s given me a good sense of how seriously the Incan empire took their beliefs.  In other words it was fun to learn a bit about the history. 

Arequipa is a beautiful place from what we've seen so far. Many of the buildings, especially around the main plaza are made of sillar, which is a pearly white volcanic rock.  Arequipa has the nickname ¨The White City.¨ From our hostel´s window, we can see the snow capped volcano that overlooks the city.  Jenny and I have visited numerous coffee shops on the balconies of some of the large buildings around the plaza, enjoying coffee and creamy cappuccinos.  It is a great place to people watch and safely observe the daily protests in the streets.  Yesterday the workers were marching around the plaza with whistles, signs, horns,  and fist pumping chants.  Jenny and I couldn´t understand what they were saying, but we are assuming it has to do with pay and/or working conditions of the workers.  Today there was a senior citizen march around the plaza.  

From up on one of the balconies, Jenny and I witnessed a transaction between two elderly men in the street of the plaza. A man  running an ice cream stand traded a cone in turn for a piece of bread to a man who was carrying a large bag around the plaza.  It happened very fast and it was humbling to see people trade like that, without money.  Jenny and I are getting pretty good at saying ¨No gracias¨ to the many vendors and people in the street with pamplets.  The people can be quite pushy at times, trying to get your attention pretty much all the time either through talking loudly in your ear, walking along side, or pushing the pamplets on you.  One man who was begging for money hooked one of his long fingers in my elbow, startling me.  Even though it can get annoying at times, I try to remember that this is what these people have to do in order to provide for themselves and their families.  Not everyone in this world is privileged enough to travel, and I have to be mindful of the situations these people are in.  

Anyways, have to head to bed! We are setting our alarm clocks for 2:30am sharp to be picked up for our trek tomorrow.  Wish us luck!  

We survived and lived to tell the tale!

One of our first glimpses of Machu Picchu in the morning light
(and yes, I took this photo)!

Over the past five days Abbey and I trekked along 75 kilometers of ever changing terrain, met people from all over the world, and saw with our own eyes the wonders of Machu Picchu. Writing this post seems like a daunting task, as there is so much to tell. We have broken it down day by day to make it a bit easier.

DAY 1

We began at 5 in the morning on Monday, taking a bus through beautiful valleys, along high cliffs, and catching our first glimpses of Salkantay Mountain, which looms over 20,000 feet above sea level, complete with snow and glaciers. We began our trek through beautiful green valleys with about thirty individuals, who as we learned over our five day span, originated in countries such as Norway, England, Holland, Hungary, Sweden, Egypt, Germany, Spain, Brazil, Austrailia, Slovenia, France, and I´m sure I´m forgetting a few. It was a neat way to get to know people, trekking along and chatting, surrounded by the beautiful and always changing scenery of Peru. At meals we all sat huddled around long tables, waiting for tea time and much needed nourishment. While I was impressed with the cooks, who made a birthday cake for one of our group members and awoke us in our tents with coca tea on the cold mornings, the meals did get a bit repetitive. I never want egg drop soup again and I think I´ve had enough rice for awhile. It left Abbey and I craving some food items that I didn´t even know I liked that much, such as yogurt and fresh fruit, peanut butter, honey nut cheerios, chicken pad thai, the Lovemaker from the Skinny Pancake, etc....

Lets also mention here the bathroom situation along the trek...along the trails there are none of course, and at the campsites there were small outhouses, no toilet paper (thank goodness we brought our own), no toilet seat. And of course there are no showers, although we learned later on that our friends from Brazil braved the cold rivers to get clean, we were not so daring. I have never missed my bathroom so much, or been so grateful for a toilet seat!

DAY 2

On our way UP

Our first night was very cold, our tents all lined up inside a shack to protect them from the wind. The stars that night I must say though were incredible, so bright and vibrant. However it was a rough night of sleep, and the hardest day of trekking was to follow. This included climbing up switchbacks for several hours next to Salkantay Mountain, reaching an elevation around 15,000 feet. It wasn´t our muscles that limited us going up the inclines, it was our lungs. About every twenty feet it seemed we had to stop to catch our breath. I counted my respiratory rate at one point and it was 56...for all of you who aren´t in the medical field-I normally see patients with respiratory rates between 12 and 24. I have never had a pt breath faster than 40 something per minute, and that´s always unsettling to see, even the high 20s can look uncomfortable. This part of the trek proved so difficult that some hikers had to take horses up the steep switchbacks. These are not your average horses, they are maybe half or two thirds of the size, humans look ridiculously large on top of them. These poor horses were covered in sweat at the top. Horses also carried some of our belongings, 5 kilos per person, maybe 6 bags on each horse? We couldn´t help feeling sorry for these animals. 

We finally made it to the highest point, next to Salkantay Mountain. The word I would use to describe it would be mystical, towering tall and proud above us. We saw and heard an avalanche on the way up, the noise was incredibly loud. After almost falling asleep during our break at the top, we began our descent down, into misty green valleys covered with rocks and boulders, some small farms along the way, complete with long stone walls, pigs, sheep, cows, and llamas (or maybe they were alpacas). The scenery reminded many of us of something you would see in Lord of the Rings. It amazed us all throughout the trek that there are people who are able to sustain themselves in these incredibly remote places. 

Soon we were out of the Lord of the Rings scenery and entered a cloud forrest, what you might picture a rain forrest to be like, but high and misty/foggy. This part of the trek consisted of three hours walking downhill, lots of loose rocks making it difficult on your feet, and a bit of rain didn´t make things any easier. The views however were gorgeous, large rivers roaring through the valleys below us, clouds hanging over the valley tops, trees full of bright yellow flowers lining the trail. At camp we were able to purchase a beer to celebrate making it through another day, and our guide Elias, talked to us about a bit of Inca history. Elias is only 23, and went to school for three years to study being a guide. His organization has been quite impressive.

DAY 3


This day started off quite pleasant, considering it wasn´t subzero outside. Elias allowed us to ¨sleep in¨ until 6:00 am. We had porridge in little metal cups, it reminded me of the cream of wheat my gramma makes me. I had about 6 servings including one of my trek mates. I figured I could use all the nutrients I could get!  We left the camp and walked by a fish farm, where we saw a local woman netting a bunch of fish and throwing the big ones to the side.  We walked across this bouncy bridge high across a strong river, there was a rock covering one of the holes in the boards. I actually felt pretty confident about this bridge because there were sturdy side rails.  We walked all day through the side of a rainforest, passing many beautiful waterfalls and streams. It was quite sunny outside, and the view was great of the nearby green mountains.  At a pit-stop we purchased some grenadia (spelling?)  fruit for only one sol.  It is a seedy fruit that tastes like passionfruit.  There was also a tiny adorable puppy bouncing around, trying to sneak milk from it´s skinny mother who was trying to get scraps from us.


When we completed our hiking for the day, a bus was arranged to bring us to lunch.  Little did we know  that there was only one bus for the 30 of us.  Elias ordered the men to sit on top of this tall van with small little rails, and graciously allowed us ladies to sit inside.  It was a hilarious bus ride, the local driver blasted ¨Tonight I´m *Loving* you¨ by Enrique Iglesias.  Bouncing around in a jam-packed van through the hills of Peru listening to club songs was a one of a kind experience.

After lunch we took another bus ride to our camp site in Santa Teresa.  The bus was minus people sitting on the top, but it was x10 scarier than any bus ride I´ve been on.  We sped down this one-way dirt road along the side of the mountain, just clinging to the edge.  I was so scared that we were going to run off the road into the valley directly below us, or plain just head-on collide into another vehicle. The only means of ¨safety¨  was when the bus driver would tap the horn while going around a sharp corner, hopefully alarming another vehicle.  We also got stopped by the police, we were allowed to pass through but never found out the reason we were pulled over.  Scary.


The evening was plain amazing.  We went to a hot springs to ease our sore muscles, it was close enough to a shower for Jenny and I.  The ride back to the campsite was fun, our group all sang along to Red Hot Chili Peppers, Michael Jackson and Coldplay.  At dinner, Jenny and I agreed to have a small amount of beer with the group.  Little did we know what the altitude, exhaustion, and jolly group atmosphere would do to us. To make a long story short, we ended up doing the wave during dinner with the other groups, making frequent toasts with local beer, and heading over to a campfire to start a dance party.  Little green, red and yellow disco lights stuck to this side of this building, a huge flat rock that provided a ¨stage¨ and a booming speaker added to the fun.  I guess you can have a fun party anywhere, even in a small remote town on the side of a mountain.  

DAY 4

We began our trekking by crossing the scariest bridge I have ever seen. At least 50 feet above the roaring river hung a bridge wide enough only for one person, consisting of cables and planks, no supports other than at each end. The cables and planks in some places were loose or broken, and as we crossed it (having to separate into two groups so it would support our weight) it bounced up and down with everyone´s steps. It was the first time on the trek I thought about the fact that I really could die, all it would take would be a broken plank or a slip sideways, and I would go crashing into the roaring river full of boulders below. Luckily we all made it across without such a thing happening. 

We walked for about six hours total this day, some along a road rightfully named The Dusty Road, and again along rivers and valleys, next to a train track. It was a bit scary when a train would roar by us. There were a lot of rocks along the way, which made our feet sore. On this day we got our first views of Machu Picchu and a few ruins near the edge. It was amazing to see, especially since our first view also included a roaring waterfall falling off another cliff. 

We arrived in Aguas Calientes and were rewarded with accomadations in a hostel, finally a bed, and lukewarm shower! After dinner we went straight to bed. I forgot to mention that each night except on day 3 we went to bed before 9 pm and awoke around 5 am. We have been exhausted every night.


DAY 5

We set our alarms for 3:45 am this particular morning. It was the day that we had been working towards.  Jenny and I forgot our flashlight and headlamp at the hostel so we had to stay close to the other people on the way to the base of Machu Picchu.  For some reason I thought the hike up to the Machu Picchu ruins would be a breeze. I thought wrong. It almost felt like a ratrace, for there was a hoard of people competing to get to the top first on a narrow and steep stair path. Jenny and I were scrambling to stay close to eachother and clinging to the other hikers´ source of light.  We sped up the mountain without any breaks, wanting to keep our spot and get up there ASAP.  Jenny and I fondly remember looking up and seeing strings of headlamps zigzagging up the mountain. Quite a sight.


Once we showed our tickets and passports we were allowed into the site.  After walking through a little walkway near a stone building, we were able to lay eyes on the ruins.  To see something that you have always known about and only seen pictures of was surreal.  I thought of my dad, who loves this sort of thing.  I took a video of us walking into the site, hoping to share some of the feelings and views I had with my family.  Getting there early with the sunlight shining on the ruins minus tourists allowed Jenny and I to take some awesome pictures.
We had a 2 hour tour of the area and were then set free to do as we pleased.  Jenny and I walked around the maze of stone walk ways and buildings.  The size of some of the stones was amazing and the way the stones fit together was crazy.  We sat up on a great lookout point and just took it in.  Gazing at this impressive spread among these huge green mountains and blue sky was very humbling and tranquil.  I could really understand how this place is considered so sacred.

Jenny and I literally forced our sore feet and legs to hike up the nearby higher Huayna Picchu mountain (that mountain you see in the center of the photo below) which was included in our ticket.  It was quite steep and even dangerous, but it didn´t take that long and was well worth it.  The view at the top was breathtaking.  We could see nothing but majestic mountains all around us, along with Machu Picchu below us.  We plan to post MANY pics when we get back!!

We eventually took a bus ride back down to Aguas Calientes, which again made us think we could possibly die.  We had a nice dinner along with a coffee to help keep us awake for the train ride back to Cusco.  The train ride was quite fun, we chatted it up with a fellow Salkantey trekker from Brazil.  He didn´t feel too comfortable with English and jokingly asked us if we could help him practice.  We highly recommended maple syrup and apple pie with ice cream and answered his questions about Vermont. He told us about his language, family and his country.    
Anways we made it back to our cozy little hostel after a 1 1/2 hr long bus ride that followed the train ride.  Jenny and I both took a HOT shower upon our return and passed out. It felt so nice to wash my face!! Ha.


The day after....

Awwww....finally a day of rest! We enjoyed the day just lounging around our beautiful hostel, napping and reading on the rooftop terrace. It was a well deserved break from trekking. That night we had made plans to meet a bunch of our trekking buddies and our guide to try some local corn beer and have dinner. From the start of the evening we could tell it was going to be an interesting one. It began with Elias (our trek guide) bringing us to a local part of town and through a twisting hallway into what he said was a local ¨bar.¨ It was just an old, dirty room with a few long tables pushed together. We were served giant glasses of Chicha, a locally made corn ´´beer.´´ It was a thick, yellow, sediment filled drink, smelling and tasting of yeast and vinegar, not appetizing at all. Although Elias seemed to enjoy it, chugging two huge glasses full. A little later he told us this was a fresh batch that had not fermented long, and therefore did not contain alcohol! Some people were brave and finished theirs, Abbey and I took a few sips and left it at that. At least it only cost 2 sols including tip (about 80 cents).

From there Elias left us, saying he had to set out on another 5 day trek in the morning. We were left on our own to find dinner in a local part of town. We walked into the first ¨restaurant¨ we saw, right across the street. The dirty walls, kids running around, and emptiness of the place should have warned us what we were getting into. One of our fellow trekkers asked for a menu, which was a big mistake. Apparently the ´menu´ here means the special, a set meal for a cheap price. The waiter, if you can call him that, started bringing out bowls of some unknown type of soup, spilling it on one of our group members! We were so confused, still thinking we were waiting for actual menus, we wanted choices after five days of eating whatever was placed in front of us! Only one trekker spoke enough Spanish to try to work this out, but he wasn´t getting very far, eventually turning to us and in English saying ´´this woman is either drunk or high.´´ She wasn´t making any sense and was swaying back and forth as she talked...we´re guessing the waiter was doing whatever this woman was as well, as he had spilled soup all over the place. We decided to finish our beers and get out of there, heading back towards the central square in search of a restaurant recommended by Lonely Planet. It was a ten minute wait and so we went to the bar next door, where we caused more commotion. One of our group members leaned back and put his foot on what he thought was a wooden door, which was actually glass, breaking a large pane....he got out of there pretty fast. We finally sat down to a delicious meal in a funky restaurant with couches and vibrant artwork. Its nice to have control over what we are eating again!

Its off to Arequipa in the next couple days, we are ironing out the details, possibly doing another a three day trek through Colca Canyon, which is twice as deep as the Grand Canyon. However at this point its hard to get excited about another trek, so we will see how we feel! For now its time to do laundry, eat a few good meals, and enjoy our last days in Cusco!

The Joys of Cusco

We have spent the past several days in the beautiful city of Cusco. We arrived via a flight alongside the Andes mountains, snow covered peaks reaching the clouds for the majority of the flight. To land the plane had to make an alarming sharp turn, what felt like close to 180 degrees, almost brushing the hillsides and dropping into the valley. This was not like any other plane ride either of us had been on before.

We were taken to our hostel, a cozy, colorful building tucked among many, high on the hillside overlooking the central plaza and cathedrals. It is complete with a rooftop terrace, skylights, a courtyard with trees and plants, and shuttered windows. The only drawback is the steep climb you must make to reach it from town, especially when you are feeling the effects of going from sea level to over 10,000 feet in elevation in less than two hours. We are out of breath every time we reach home, but hopefully this has helped prepare us for our trek.

To reach town we walk down a few narrow cobblestone alleys, carefully watching our step as the stones are polished smooth. At least one of us slips and loses our balance for a moment every time we head down to the city center. The narrow streets are lined with shops, eateries, and travel companies, and every twenty feet it seems we are approached by someone with a menu or artwork, or something else they are trying to sell.  It is especially hard to walk away from the children that approach us with puppets, candy, etc, which they are trying to sell. Also the streets are lined with stray dogs, harmless, they stick to their own business luckily. However the city is quite beautiful, full of cobblestone streets, stone walls, old buildings full of detail, and small parks. It is hard to describe how wonderful it really is here, but we like it so much we have booked another three nights when we return from our trek to Machu Picchu. Which, by the way, we are beginning our five day journey tomorrow morning, bright and early at 4:30 am! After much difficulty deciding on an agent to book through (there are hundreds of tour operators to go through) we are happy with our choice, and so excited to begin this adventure!


Hey this is Abbey, still alive Mom! haha.  Wanted to share an awesome experience Jenny and I had at the local marketplace.    We had spent most of our time around the Plaza de Armas before that, which had a strong tourist feel to it. It is after all the main plaza of the city.  Right around the plaza there are nicer restaurants and shops, where you don´t exactly see many local Peruvians really eating/shopping at.  They are mostly trying to sell things outside the doors or trying to get you to eat at their restaurant.  Needless to say you kind of wonder where the local people go! So we made our way to the central market to check it out. When we walked in, we were shocked. We were greeted by a meat stand with about 6 whole pig heads staring at us.  The smell of raw meat was overwhelming, so many dead carcasses were hanging off hooks, some of them we weren´t sure what animal they were.  There were stacks of what we think were cut off donkey snouts, their teeth almost looking like they were smiling at us. Testicles hanging on hooks, live/dead frogs, whole fish, whole chickens with their talons sticking in the air are some examples. No ice to be found,  and meat was just piled around in this warm weather complete with flies.  Jenny and I seriously got a little nauseous from the smell and wondered how these people can tolerate meats that aren´t prepared in the most sanitary way.  There were women sawing off pieces of carcasses with handsaws and their bare hands. It was then that we decided to make our way to the arts and crafts section. Ha.

Further exploring the market, we noticed how this market really had it all.  Flowers, juice stations, food courts with hot cheap meals, clothing, knickknacks, jewelry, and the best smelling fruit section EVER! It was in the fruit section that we made our first ¨friend¨.  It is funny how you can meet people when you are in a foreign and random place.  We had a craving for bananas and this guy overheard me ask Jenny, ¨¨Where can we find big bananas?¨ The guy chipped in and told us to try the small ones.  We weren´t too crazy about the small bananas and he assisted us to find some regular ones and bargain for a good price. Through conversation we found that he hadn´t had the joy of walking through the meat section yet, so we showed him.  Great conversation starter!  He asked if we wanted to wander along with him to sightsee Cusco, since he was new to the city.  We found out his name is Joey, from California, and he has been traveling around the world for 6 years.  It was so interesting to talk to someone so young with that experience.  To make a long story short, Joey asked if we wanted to meet up with him later that night at his hostel´s bar.  We had an awesome time that night, it was amazing to be around people from places all around the world.  We met people from England, Czech Republic, Israel and more. Jenny and I stayed with eachother the entire time and had a blast dancing and just talking with people.  We had lunch with Joey and a guy from Israel today, and we all went to have a one hour long massage for a whopping 6 dollars.  Things are cheap here if you can gather.

Anyways I´m heading to bed because Jenny and I are being picked up at 4:30am tomorrow morning to start our 5 day trek to Machu Picchu. So excited!! Hope the altitude doesn´t kick my butt too much.

Miraflores for a day

        Just wanted to let people know that we are alive and well! This is my first time blogging so bear with me.  Spending the day in Miraflores taught Jenny and I some valuable lessons that we will carry with us for the remainder of this trip (and life)! First, road safety is vital.  I did not realize the potential danger of traffic in a foreign country. People were whipping their tiny little vans/ambulances/cars around sharp corners, through busy intersections and crosswalks.  Jenny and I eventually developed a system that helped ensure a safe passage through the streets.  Ready? GO! 
    We started the day off hungry, and were pleased to find that our hostel provided tasty orange juice, bread, coffee and eggs. We were able to get some great directions and tips from our hostel attendant man, who was so sweet and eager to help us.  I even felt comfortable to practice broken Spanish-English with him. He was a good sport.  We walked through the beautiful sunshine to a section of ruins right in the middle of the area. It was so strange to see such an old thing among a modern city. We walked through this beautiful park which reminded me of the waterfront in Burlington almost.  Jenny and I were really impressed with how well the parks and coast lines where kept up- I guess Lima is known to be almost desert-like with it´s rocky coast line and beaches. One of my goals is to see a white Jesus statue up close, and we got to see one from afar today.  The hostel man said it would be a twenty minute taxi drive, but there is another one in Cusco that is easier to get to.  While gazing at the statue from a gorgeous lookout point we were approached by a pushy salesman. He eventually swindled me into buying this cute little set of earrings and necklace. Jenny later told me that I was ripped off, and I was pissed! I thought I was getting some sort of a bargain from the way he was talking! But it´s a good lesson. Ha. It won´t happen again. His name was Tupac, which was very interesting to Jenny and I.
We basically walked around all day taking in the scenery and snapping great photos.  I can´t wait to share them. It´s so surreal to actually be here.
Another important thing I´d like to share are the persistent catcalls. If you ever feel down about life or your self-esteem I suggest walking through the streets of Lima Peru on a nice day. We estimated there to be at least 80 catcalls/whistles. It was never scary or intimidating, they kept their distance and we mostly just laughed it off.  I actually felt pretty safe and never scared about being robbed or harassed.  The only sketchy time was when we were invited to a party by a couple surfer boys by the beach where we explained we couldn´t make it due to a plane ride tomorrow am. They were fine with it, but when we walked back, one of the guys practically held/manhandled Jenny´s hand-wrist inviting himself to dinner. It was very annoying for Jenny but I´m pretty sure she wasn´t afraid of this little Peruvian surfer dude.  We laughed after we walked away.
The walk back to our hostel was a little sketchy as well, for it was starting to get dark and the map was slightly confusing to read.  We stuck together close and acted as confident as we possibly could. We avoided looking completely lost to the best of our ability.  I was a little nervous after Jenny´s response to my report of feeling confident.  She swiftly replied ¨We could be jumped and stabbed at any moment¨ It was funny after we finally realized we were doing circles around our hostel.
But anyways, we made it back tired, safe, and happy with our experience today.  We are so excited to fly into Cusco tomorrow morning bright and early.  Hope to write again soon.

We have arrived...

We have arrived at our hostel in Miraflores, a district along the Pacific coast in Lima! This entry is proving difficult to write as the keyboards are different down here and all the words I type are being spell checked, the websites are all in Spanish! After a long plane ride we touched down, made it past a grumpy immigration officer, and eventually found among many signboards the one with my name on it. I have never been so happy to see my name, as this was our ride to the hostel and we had exited the airport an hour after our scheduled pick up time. We checked out the cab doors before climbing in, handles on the inside, check! My sister told me another cab horror story last night (its hard to believe that was last night) about a girl that got in a cab without handles on the inside, leaving her at the mercy of the driver, thanks Annalise. However we had a very kind driver, who just chuckled at our attempts to speak what little Spanish we know. We drove through the city and along the Pacific coast, the radio alternating between American songs and some intriguing Peruvian ones. Although I could not understand the words, they had an excellent feel to them, the type that get you out of your chair to dance. After a long day of travel it is time to call it a night, exploring awaits us in the morning!

Peru, we are coming for you!

It is difficult for me to wrap my head around the fact that in two mornings Abbey and I will be waking up in Peru. A couple months ago Abbey and I came up with a random, wild idea of backpacking through South America. We spent several nights just staring at maps of the continent, scratching our heads, unsure even which countries we were interested in going to. Machu Picchu was at the top of our list for sites to see, a suggestion my dad had thrown out there and I grasped onto. However besides that, we had no direction to go in. To be honest, I knew really nothing about Peru before this trip, I couldn't have even told you where in South America it was located. But the fact is, I have a per diem position for a reason, and I'm going to make the most of it while I can. At my job I watch people's lives completely change in a matter of weeks, days, hours, even just a few moments. It's a constant reminder that I am extremely lucky. Lucky to have good health, healthy loved ones, and on top of that a caring family, the most wonderful friends, supportive coworkers...lucky to be born in this beautiful country and state, to be free, educated, and to have this incredible job. It is because of this job, and the wonderful people I have the privilege to meet there, that I am reminded that time moves much more quickly than we ever count on, we are not immortal, and that its important to live life to its fullest while I can. It's time for a new adventure, and luckily one of my oldest and dearest friends (and coworkers!) is willing and able to do so with me. 

It turns out we still aren't exactly sure where we will be traveling. We will arrive in Lima, Peru at 9pm Wednesday. On Friday we fly to Cusco, a city fifty miles or so from Machu Picchu. From what we hear this may be a stomach in your throat sort of ride...picture a small, rickety plane, fog, and a quick descent from the mountains into a valley for the landing. It was this or a twenty hour long bus ride traversing along cliff sides and mountain passes. When we land we will step onto soil greater than 11,000 feet above sea level. This means we may have the joy of experiencing altitude sickness. We will hang out in Cusco for a few days to acclimate before hopefully setting off on a multiday hike to Machu Picchu. We are hoping to join a guided trip along the Salkantay trail. This hike reaches an elevation above 16,000 feet and runs close to Salkanty Mountain, which is slightly larger than Mt. McKinley. After reaching our destination of Machu Picchu, the plan is to take buses and see some other parts of the country. Here's to hoping winging it doesn't become a royal mistake. While it feels a little unsettling to know we only have accommodations booked for the first five nights (out of  twenty), it also feels quite exciting! This way we can see what others down there recommend and just go with it!

Did I mention I don't know Spanish....after taking a few lessons I think one of the few things I can ask is "where is the bathroom?" And probably the only response I will understand is if somebody physically points to it! Abbey took some Spanish in high school and has been practicing with Rosetta Stone. Hoping that between her and my pocket size Spanish phrase book we can get by. I was checking out at Outdoor Gear Exchange the other day and the girl behind the counter said "Peru, oh yea, my friend almost got kidnapped there. Luckily she knew enough Spanish to know that the cab driver wasn't bringing her to the destination she requested." Comforting. Don't worry Mom, I'm not planning on taking any cabs.

Well, its off to finish packing, gotta make sure I can fit everything in my 60 liter backpack and actually carry it! Vamos!