Hello everyone.

The trip continues!

We arrived in Peru without any problems at all. We had a day and a half in Lima which, I have to say, wasn´t my favorite place in the world. It is (or was anyway when we were there) really overcast and chilly. We did try to make the most of it, and walked around A LOT. We went to two really interesting museums, one about the Spanish Inquisition, where they have wax models in all the torture positions, and one museum which was (well, actually still is) the catacombs for a monastery. Creepy, lots of bones, and skulls and dark tunnels.

We then hopped on our 22 hour bus ride to Cusco. Not as bad as it sounds. The bus was really nice, and more leg room then in a plane. They served us meals, and we watched four movies. Not bad, but that isn´t to say I wasn´t thrilled to get off of the bus by the end. At some point, in the very early morning I woke up briefly and looked out the window, it was the harshest looking farm land I have ever seen, and as we drove by I saw a woman in traditional Incan dress with her two Alpacca´s with her. It was like a dream to watch their mud homes, and farms whiz by.

We arrived in Cusco which has to be one of my favorite cities in the world. It is totally beautiful tucked in the valley of some amazing mountains. There is a ton of art and textiles, and the architecture is just stunning. Because it is a Spanish colony part of you feels as thought you tripped right into a European town with all the impressive churches and balconies over gorgeous squares. But you can´t forget you are in Peru long! There is a lot of culture, and a lot of pride in the Inca heritage.

The Inca´s are incredible, and built these amazing buildings. For their religious sites they used this method of building walls where they didn´t use any mortar or cement or anything, just cut every stone exactly perfectly to line up without a gap or a missed spot. It is, truly, remarkable. The Spanish destroyed a lot of what they found, but one thing they didn´t find was Machu Piccu. Which is where we headed (the long way) next.

So, we went on a four day, three night, trek through the mountains, and through the jungle, up into the clouds, and down over rivers to get ourselves to one of the most sacred, and most beautiful spots in the world. The night before we left we met our group. There were 10 of us total, all couples about our age, and all really cool. 3 Irish, one Scot, 2 folks from Minnesota, and 2 other New Yorkers. We got along great, which makes a huge difference, but the thing that made the biggest difference of all was our guides. There were two men, who were just AMAZING. So patient, and knowledgeable, and smart, and FUNNY! We felt really lucky to have them with us, and I think it made all the difference.

So, turns out- the trek is HARD!!!!! Much harder then I remembered. Especially because we had only had a day to acclimatize to the really high altitude (we were supposed to have more but weren´t able to get the bus we wanted). The first day was the easy day, they say. But we still had to climb about 400 meters (1200 feet). I was really struggling with the altitude, and got mild altitude sickness, very nauseous and faint and headachy. I got a little nervous, but the guides were great. They walked with me, and I took it slow. I got to camp dead last, but Steve was a gentleman and walked with me the whole time, so I didn´t feel quite so left behind!

Day two was going to be the HARDEST day of all, so I decided to stop trying to be brave and to hire a porter to carry my backpack for me (best $20 ever spent!) By this time I was somewhat better acclimatized, and although it was INSANE I didn´t get sick. We climbed 900 meters (about 2700 feet) to get to the top of DEAD WOMEN¨S PASS located at an altitude of 4200 meters! It was up up up, and I tell you those Inca´s loved steps. Step after step after step. But it didn´t end there. We went DOWN step after step after step 600 meters. And then lunch, and then UP another 400 meters! what a day!!! But it was beautiful and sunny, and the views were unheard of.

I am going to interject a word about food here. Our chef was amazing! There were 16 porters for our group who carried everything, and not only were they each carrying weights of 40 pounds on their backs, but they would run ahead of us, set up a cooking tent, an eating tent and prepare an insanely tasty meal. I mean 4 courses, and different every time. Soups, and fried eggplant, and delicious pastas, and just really creative good eating.

More about the porters later!

The second night we stayed at a totally beautiful campsite. On top of the world, and above the clouds. All around us were snow capped mountains, (although much less snow then even 6 years ago when I did this last, and the guides said they have pictures from 15 years ago and there is WAY more snow covered mountains. Global warming hitting this spot hard!), and we were in a field with long grasses and 360 views.

The guides gave us a little macho tea (tea with rum) to help us sleep in those high altitudes, and sleep we did after that day of hiking. By this time I am doing much better with the altitude and really able to enjoy the hike.

The third day was the best. We were now officially in the outskirts of the Amazon jungle, so we were able to start seeing orchids, and butterflies, and gorgeous trees covered in moss. This part of the trail was also original Inca stone. So that felt really special. I loved this day, and we even got to our campsite by midday so were able to relax in the afternoon! Well needed I tell you. That night there was an air of celebration as Machu Piccu was only another 2 hours away. We drank beers and chatted to the guides and the other trekkers. All really interesting people. Things got a little lively but we had to put a stop to it as the next morning wake up call was 4 am!

The next day was really funny. There is a final check point below the last campsite, and it doesn´t open until 5 30, but all the groups try and get up early to be the first in line. Then once the gate opens it´s like a mad race to get to the Sun Gate. The tourist race began, and we all climbed and scrambled and hopped our way forward, all the while reminding ourselves to look around at the trees and the view. We were in a cloud Forest at this point, which is basically like a mini rainforest. Really cool, And it gave Steve and I an itch to see more rainforest (more about that later too!).

Well, we got to the sun gate after climbing thousands and thousands (no exaggeration) of old rock steps and saw.....NOTHING! It was super foggy and you couldn´t see anything but clouds below us for miles! Sort of funny. But, we kept on the final half hour and we rounded the final corner, and as if on cue, the fog started to lift and slowly slowly we started to see something below. Then there was one last gust of wind and Machu Picchu in all its glory and beauty was as clear as crystal below us. I can not tell you the feeling after 3 and a half days of near exhaustion and endless expectation to see it all below you and have it be just as good as you had hoped (or in my case, remembered!)

The Incas had been able to preserve Machu Piccu by covering up the Inca trail and abandoning it, so the Spanish never knew it was there. And aren´t we lucky! Our guide gave us an excellent tour, and explained the significance of all the temples and buildings. Of course, it is all guess work, as no one really knows. The Incas didn´t have a writing system so it was all just passed on generation by generation. And a lot of knowledge was lost with the Colonization.

All very exciting I must say. That night Steve and I went to the hotsprings at Aguas Calientes to ease our VERY achy muscles, and we sipped on Pisco Sours as we soaked.

The train back to Cusco was REALLY weird. It is just for tourists, and pretty expensive. So, anyway, after serving tea and coffee and sandwiches on the train, this guy got dressed up in full Incan costume and did a little dance down the aisle. That was strange but somewhat interesting. But, THEN the train announced that alpacca clothing is special to the region and they wanted to show us some. Then theý BLASTED really bad techno, and the train stewardess and steward put on a fashion show. Literally, they walked half way down the aisle of the train, spun and then walked back. They did this for like half an hour! The clothes were being sold for about 500 soles (almost $200). At some point the train was stopped next to a farm house, as the fashion show was going on. The juxtaposition was almost too much to take. The farm had mud floors, and corrugated tin roofs, no electricity, and probably no running water. Chances are they survive on about 100 soles a month. It was a really weird background for a techno bumping, fashion show, train ride...
Then we had to take a bus (1 sole) jam packed with lots of Peruvian school kids.

And now we are back in Cusco!

But, I do want to say, the real heroes of the tour, and experience are the porters. They were so kind, and sweet, and carried so VERY much, and always made the campsites look beautiful before we got there. They brought us hot water at night to wash our faces and tea in the morning. With 40 pounds on their backs they practically ran up the mountains. They were everywhere from 19 to 45, and they were farmers trying to earn some extra money for their families. They were entirely of the Indian population, and spoke Quechua..with Spanish as their second language. They did so much, and the trek literally WOULD NOT have been possible without them. And they did it for $40 for the whole time! Now I know we say, well $40 goes further here then it does there. Which is true, but it still isn´t much money. A beer costs about $1.50 to $2.00 and a youth hostel for a night for both of us costs between $15 and $20. So, ultimately, no matter how you look at it $40 isn´t much. And they have one of the hardest jobs in the world. And they were so kind, and sweet, and although we must look slow and weak, they were supportive and encouraging.

It was truly another eye opener.

For those of you who knew our plans before, I think they have changed. We really want to spend some time in the Amazon Jungle, so we are heading into the Amazon on a 5 day adventure. It means we may not make it to Bolivia, as there is just not enough time. There is still so much to see in Peru! As many of you know, Steve and I have a tendency to try and pack as many countries as possible into a short amount of time, which means we spend a lot of our time on buses and trains. But, this time, I think we want to take things a bit slower, and spend at least a few days everywhere we go. We are torn as we were really excited about Bolivia. But the jungle should be really great, and this way we will get to explore Peru more in depth. So, there it is.

There will be a ¨jungle update¨ soon!

I always love to hear what you are up to! We are in Cusco for the next few days, so are somewhat connected.

LOVE
Alaina and Stephen