Friday, November 13, 2009
Insect Bites and Such
Ok, so getting into a couple weeks later here and at least the itchiness of the mosquito bites is over. I did want to point out though, that I still have all the marks from the bites. For their teeny size those things sure pack some punch in their bites.
Friday, November 06, 2009
Cindy's Pictures from Peru
Cindy sent me a link to her pictures from Peru and I asked her if she minded if I link to them. She said I could so please take a look at them. She is a much more fantastic photographer than I will ever be. Of course there are pictures from around Peru that I have not been to in her collection but you will also find the Inka Trail and Machu Picchu in there as well.
I figured I might take this post as an opportunity to add a couple more thoughts about Peru. Since it was my first trip to a country where more people are poor than not, I was concerned about what things would be like. Admittedly, I was in touristy areas for almost the entire time I was there but I was able to see some of the less polished areas in and about where I was staying. I did not feel that I was unsafe at any point in time during the trip which I think was a very positve thing. Certainly, not being able to flush toilet paper down the commode was an unusual experience and I was not fond of being unable to drink the local water for the expectation of dysentary but overall I would visit Peru again and I think it eased some of my fears about visiting third world countries. I am not about to run straight out to any war-torn African countries but some of the other place I have been considering seem a bit less dubious. Of course, I know to still be wary in any of my travels and to not try to find myself in dark alleys at midnight in general but it was a small hurdle I had to jump at some point to visit a third world country and I think it was a pleasant enough experience.
I figured I might take this post as an opportunity to add a couple more thoughts about Peru. Since it was my first trip to a country where more people are poor than not, I was concerned about what things would be like. Admittedly, I was in touristy areas for almost the entire time I was there but I was able to see some of the less polished areas in and about where I was staying. I did not feel that I was unsafe at any point in time during the trip which I think was a very positve thing. Certainly, not being able to flush toilet paper down the commode was an unusual experience and I was not fond of being unable to drink the local water for the expectation of dysentary but overall I would visit Peru again and I think it eased some of my fears about visiting third world countries. I am not about to run straight out to any war-torn African countries but some of the other place I have been considering seem a bit less dubious. Of course, I know to still be wary in any of my travels and to not try to find myself in dark alleys at midnight in general but it was a small hurdle I had to jump at some point to visit a third world country and I think it was a pleasant enough experience.
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Kyoto Hotel Selection and Such
Ok, for the time being I have reserved and have everyone reserving rooms in Kyoto Garden Hotel for our time in Kyoto. I have not gotten a confirmation from Marina but the review sites I have found list it as a clean place with good service and a reasonable price in a good location for tourists if nothing spectactular otherwise. Since we are mainly looking for places to sleep rather than a resort spa it seems like a reasonable gamble for me.
If we get commentary from Marina that the place is awful we will cancel and find another place but for my on paranoias I would prefer to have something reserved now so we aren't left with no place to stay when we get there. I did get a vibe that she is not nuts about staying around the palace area but it would make more sense for us to be there as complete tourists rather than to be on the outskirts and have to do a ton of travel to see the sites I think.
Aside from still having to order our rail passes in January I will be keeping an eye out here for our chance to reserve a tour for the Kyoto Imperial Palace. Like the Imperial Palace in Tokyo they provide tours if you reserve through their website. The Kyoto Palace tour is 60 minutes so a bit shorter than the Tokyo tour and I am sure it is provided in English by a headset but all the same I am sure I will enjoy it. Unfortunately they only have dates avaiable to February so far which means I have to wait a bit longer to do so.
If we get commentary from Marina that the place is awful we will cancel and find another place but for my on paranoias I would prefer to have something reserved now so we aren't left with no place to stay when we get there. I did get a vibe that she is not nuts about staying around the palace area but it would make more sense for us to be there as complete tourists rather than to be on the outskirts and have to do a ton of travel to see the sites I think.
Aside from still having to order our rail passes in January I will be keeping an eye out here for our chance to reserve a tour for the Kyoto Imperial Palace. Like the Imperial Palace in Tokyo they provide tours if you reserve through their website. The Kyoto Palace tour is 60 minutes so a bit shorter than the Tokyo tour and I am sure it is provided in English by a headset but all the same I am sure I will enjoy it. Unfortunately they only have dates avaiable to February so far which means I have to wait a bit longer to do so.
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Fast Turnaround To Japan 2010
Just before leaving for Peru I purchased an airline ticket to Japan for March/April 2010. The price suddenly bottomed to $840 the day I was preparing to fly out and I couldn't pass on it as it was a discount of around $300 compared to prices I had been seeing. I have checked since and it has gone back up. I had intended to deal with purchasing the airfare after coming back and sorting out how much I had spent in Peru but circumstances worked differently. The tickets were purchased through United. We'll unfortunately have to fly out through O'Hare but will be returning through San Francisco. It will be the first time I've touched California in my life.
This, of course, will be my second trip to Japan. The first being in October/November 2007. The main intention of this trip is to see Japan during the cherry blossom season of early spring. It will still be a little bit cooler there but spring should be sprung. The intention is to stay a few days in Tokyo and a few days in Kyoto. So far there are 3 others who have purchases plane tickets for the trip. Brien will be returning with his girlfriend Cathy. Our friend Ronni will also be joining us. It will be her second time out of the country but first time to Japan. Scott unfortunately will not be providing his comic relief on this trip as of yet, and may be unlikely too. George has signed on in name but may not be able to attend either. He of course would have to arrange separately anyway for being in Denmark.
I'm working with our contact on the ground Marina to make some preparations. So far the likely hotel we'll be staying at in Tokyo is Hotel Villa Fontaine Hamamatsucho which is in a similar area to the Shiba Park where we stayed last time. We did like the location and it will keep us near to visiting Kaji one day if he is still open! We'll be staying in Tokyo for March 28, 29, 30 and then from April 6 to the morning of April 11 when we fly back home. The in between days will be based out of Kyoto. In total the trip will be two weeks again. We will end up being out of the country for Easter this year.
I am still working out the details of a hotel for Kyoto. I have one in mind but am checking some logistics on it. As soon as I have that sorted out I will be posting that information.
I think I am already excited for this trip. I loved Japan the first time around and sort of made a small pact with myself (similar to the pact to always be out of the US for my birthday, or at least away from home) to return to Japan every couple years or so. I know after cherry blossom viewing I want to get back to Japan in the summer to climb Mount Fuji soon enough.
This, of course, will be my second trip to Japan. The first being in October/November 2007. The main intention of this trip is to see Japan during the cherry blossom season of early spring. It will still be a little bit cooler there but spring should be sprung. The intention is to stay a few days in Tokyo and a few days in Kyoto. So far there are 3 others who have purchases plane tickets for the trip. Brien will be returning with his girlfriend Cathy. Our friend Ronni will also be joining us. It will be her second time out of the country but first time to Japan. Scott unfortunately will not be providing his comic relief on this trip as of yet, and may be unlikely too. George has signed on in name but may not be able to attend either. He of course would have to arrange separately anyway for being in Denmark.
I'm working with our contact on the ground Marina to make some preparations. So far the likely hotel we'll be staying at in Tokyo is Hotel Villa Fontaine Hamamatsucho which is in a similar area to the Shiba Park where we stayed last time. We did like the location and it will keep us near to visiting Kaji one day if he is still open! We'll be staying in Tokyo for March 28, 29, 30 and then from April 6 to the morning of April 11 when we fly back home. The in between days will be based out of Kyoto. In total the trip will be two weeks again. We will end up being out of the country for Easter this year.
I am still working out the details of a hotel for Kyoto. I have one in mind but am checking some logistics on it. As soon as I have that sorted out I will be posting that information.
I think I am already excited for this trip. I loved Japan the first time around and sort of made a small pact with myself (similar to the pact to always be out of the US for my birthday, or at least away from home) to return to Japan every couple years or so. I know after cherry blossom viewing I want to get back to Japan in the summer to climb Mount Fuji soon enough.
Sunday, November 01, 2009
Peru and Machu Picchu Day 9 and Epilogue
The morning started at 5 with a shower and getting myself completely squared away. The hotel was supposed to have a ride to the airport ready for me at 5:50 but the driver wasn't able to get there and they paid for my taxi back, which was nice. The drive is about 10 minutes and there wasn't that much traffic that early on a Saturday.
The airport was fairly confusing and I tried to use the self-service check-in but it wouldn't work. I then waited through the baggage check where they fortunately gave me my boarding passes and I had to pay another airport fee before going through security (this is something to remember, you cannot get through a Peruvian airport without paying a fee). The wait to board the plane wasn't long and the flight was very quick and easy.
In Lima I again had to again pay another airport fee and rescreen security but had plenty of time to get rid of the majority of my soles on a tiny bit more shopping before boarding and being on my way. The flight from Lima to Miami was completely uneventful. I watched Ice Age 3 which I didn't care for that much, then No Country for Old Men, which I didn't see what the hubbub was about and finally didn't get to finish watching Flushed Away.
In Miami I had 3:45 to clear passport control and get my baggage and clear customs then cross the airport to gate D from gate J where I landed, so of course everything went completely smoothly (my bag was second on the carousel). I had what should only have been 3 hours or so to get dinner and hang out before I would have to board but they pushed my flight to Boston back from 8:50pm to 10:30pm which I was very unhappy about. I really didn't want to sit in Miami airport for over 5 hours at all. All the same I had to. Eventually we took off and the flight was uneventful back to Boston where I think I got to the car by about 1:30am (12:30 with the time change maybe) and got my ride home.
Some observations after all is said and done. Peruvians in the highlands don't seem to smoke at all. Perhaps it is because they chew coca, but I really only saw French and Germans smoking. They are also very short. I think the average Peruvian highlander is shorter than the average Japanese by a couple inches. It is the second area where a guy who is 5'7" could feel like a giant I have been to. Peruvian food is overal very enjoyable and if you like eating you can always find good food there.
The people both that live there and the tourists seemed very friendly and certainly on the hike there is a lot of comeraderie which is refreshing compared to my visits to Europe where people seem a bit more standoffish. I was a bit iffy about visiting a third world nation but the experience was certainly much more pleasant than I could have ever expected. The areas I visited were admittedly tourist based areas and seeing some of the more residential areas proved the poverty level however. The guide from the city tour said that 41% of all Peruvians are unemployed.
This trip has the odd occasion where most of what I bought for gifts was actually made in their own country and not China. The labor there is as cheap as Chinese labor I guess. I don't know what it means for the quality but we'll see...
Justino said to tell everyone that, "The Inka Trail is very easy!" This way everyone will come down through his tour company and try it yourselves. I will say one hundred percent the sense of accomplishment when you finish the trail is gigantic and beyond compare of anything I have tried. Cindy said it was the most difficult trail she has hiked which I believe really means something. I would advise anyone who has though of doing it to do so but be aware that carrying your own stuff will definitely make things a lot more difficult. I am glad I tried to do it that way even if it made Dead Woman's Pass very difficult.
That's it for the rundown. I will start to post the pictures fairly soon I hope.
The airport was fairly confusing and I tried to use the self-service check-in but it wouldn't work. I then waited through the baggage check where they fortunately gave me my boarding passes and I had to pay another airport fee before going through security (this is something to remember, you cannot get through a Peruvian airport without paying a fee). The wait to board the plane wasn't long and the flight was very quick and easy.
In Lima I again had to again pay another airport fee and rescreen security but had plenty of time to get rid of the majority of my soles on a tiny bit more shopping before boarding and being on my way. The flight from Lima to Miami was completely uneventful. I watched Ice Age 3 which I didn't care for that much, then No Country for Old Men, which I didn't see what the hubbub was about and finally didn't get to finish watching Flushed Away.
In Miami I had 3:45 to clear passport control and get my baggage and clear customs then cross the airport to gate D from gate J where I landed, so of course everything went completely smoothly (my bag was second on the carousel). I had what should only have been 3 hours or so to get dinner and hang out before I would have to board but they pushed my flight to Boston back from 8:50pm to 10:30pm which I was very unhappy about. I really didn't want to sit in Miami airport for over 5 hours at all. All the same I had to. Eventually we took off and the flight was uneventful back to Boston where I think I got to the car by about 1:30am (12:30 with the time change maybe) and got my ride home.
Some observations after all is said and done. Peruvians in the highlands don't seem to smoke at all. Perhaps it is because they chew coca, but I really only saw French and Germans smoking. They are also very short. I think the average Peruvian highlander is shorter than the average Japanese by a couple inches. It is the second area where a guy who is 5'7" could feel like a giant I have been to. Peruvian food is overal very enjoyable and if you like eating you can always find good food there.
The people both that live there and the tourists seemed very friendly and certainly on the hike there is a lot of comeraderie which is refreshing compared to my visits to Europe where people seem a bit more standoffish. I was a bit iffy about visiting a third world nation but the experience was certainly much more pleasant than I could have ever expected. The areas I visited were admittedly tourist based areas and seeing some of the more residential areas proved the poverty level however. The guide from the city tour said that 41% of all Peruvians are unemployed.
This trip has the odd occasion where most of what I bought for gifts was actually made in their own country and not China. The labor there is as cheap as Chinese labor I guess. I don't know what it means for the quality but we'll see...
Justino said to tell everyone that, "The Inka Trail is very easy!" This way everyone will come down through his tour company and try it yourselves. I will say one hundred percent the sense of accomplishment when you finish the trail is gigantic and beyond compare of anything I have tried. Cindy said it was the most difficult trail she has hiked which I believe really means something. I would advise anyone who has though of doing it to do so but be aware that carrying your own stuff will definitely make things a lot more difficult. I am glad I tried to do it that way even if it made Dead Woman's Pass very difficult.
That's it for the rundown. I will start to post the pictures fairly soon I hope.
Peru and Machu Picchu Day 8
Day 8 was a little bit of a rough start due to my stomach problems overnight that were continuing through breakfast. I ate little in the morning and borrowed some drugs to help with such problems.
We headed out for the train at 8 and I got eaten alive in less than 5 minutes so I had to apply deet really quickly. The train left basically on time and our car was less than half full so we got to spread out rather than all be jammed together which would have been the case if it was full, probably banging knees with the person sitting across from you.
I think I slept through most of the ride until Ollantaytambo. That was the stop where Bill and Cindy and Steve and Kelly got off and we said goodbye. They were going to visit the area and probably stay the night. I am sure each of them had further things to do in Peru and they said so but my brain couldn't retain that much information about what they all were going to do next.
Brian and I rode a bit further to Pacha where we paid 15 soles each for a shuttle bus ride back to Cusco that took almost as long as the train ride. The driver was mostly insane and I had to hang on to the seat in front of me most of the way to keep from being tossed around. He also picked up some locals who didn't smell so good which added to the uncomfortable nature of the ride. Still 15 soles is about 5 bucks and I can't give too much of a complaint about a 5 dollar hour and a half bus ride where I didn't actually get maimed or die.
Brian and I parted at the end of that ride because he was flying out today. I basically got organized at my room and ran to the SAS office to take the city tour just barely in time to get included (the tour started at 1:30 and purchased my way in almost exactly at that time). The tour started with a visit to the Santo Domingo Convent which was built on top of the Inka ruins of Qorikancha. Our guide's name was Odelia and she had a very Indian spin on the tour which was more fun than just a standard explanation of things. She tried to make it seem like we were getting in on a secret rather than just the everyday stuff that is told. I think it worked for me pretty well.
From there we visited the cathedral which was as gaudy as I would expect from Latin influences. It had a lot of gold and such and was built from reclaimed Inka stones. They had to use mortar to build it though and it has been damaged in earthquakes due to its construction. There are some interesting things to see in there though. As I said, she was giving the Indian spin show she showed us all the things the Indians put into the church that were secret representations of their own religion mixed into the Catholic idols and decoration. It did make visiting another church more interesting than just seeing the basics.
Next up was the ruins of Sacsaywaman (it is easier to say it sexy woman) which was a really big site on the edge of town. There are some really gigantic stones here all cut from limestone a bit of a distance away. Some may have been cut into shape in place as well. It is impressive just to see the size of some of them. She explained to us about the 3 planes of life in Inkan religion, the upper, middle and lower. The Condor, the Puma and the Snake. Sort of Heaven, Earth and the Underworld (maybe not hell so much). You could see this aspect through many of the ruins (it was also seen in Machu Picchu by the way).
We followed that with Qenqo which was also very interesting. Qenqo was also very much an evidence of the 3 planes of existence in Inkan religion. They are still digging up most of the ruins in the region and though some are faily large there is yet more to see. Qenqo should have had a statue of a puma but the Catholic Spanish destroyed all the Puma idols they found because they did not like them as being against Catholic ideology.
Next up we looked at and she explained Puca Pucara which was an Inka hotel basically. People had to check in and check out if they stayed there on their travels and they were given food and shelter but they at least did not need to pay.
We then hit the last site which was the temple of water, Tambomachay, that had 3 fountains. It was a fairly brief stop but the fountains are run out of a natural spring and if you look at the wall above them you can see a hand shape pointing to the source built into the wall.
That was the last real stop but we also visited a textile factory on the way back into town and got a short lesson on spotting true baby alpaca wool sweaters as opposed to the fakes.
After the tour I took a brief stop at the hotel then got dinner at Papillon overlooking the main square. I had minute soup which was a noodle and ground beef soup and was good to start. Then I had the cuy which is South American Guinea pig. The skin had a musky odor that carried over to the taste which I couldn't continue eating and had to peel away. The flesh itself had a good flavor but it was a real fight to get what was there off the bones. There really wasn't that much there. It brought a literal meaning to the term, "All skin and bones." All in all I wasn't that impressed but Cusco is not really the right town to get it I am told. I followed up with a coffee and apple pie. The apple was shredded and I quite liked it. I finished off the night with some gift shopping. I found myself haggling over prices though the cost of things were about 10 bucks per tee shirt, much much less than anything I have bought in Europe. Still it is apparently the way you should do things. Never take their first price. All in all though I wasn't terrible fond of their organization (or lack thereof, most things were piled up without heed to size or pattern/color) and I didn't really buy all that much. I then headed in to get packed and get some sleep, which came quickly and it was morning before I knew it.
We headed out for the train at 8 and I got eaten alive in less than 5 minutes so I had to apply deet really quickly. The train left basically on time and our car was less than half full so we got to spread out rather than all be jammed together which would have been the case if it was full, probably banging knees with the person sitting across from you.
I think I slept through most of the ride until Ollantaytambo. That was the stop where Bill and Cindy and Steve and Kelly got off and we said goodbye. They were going to visit the area and probably stay the night. I am sure each of them had further things to do in Peru and they said so but my brain couldn't retain that much information about what they all were going to do next.
Brian and I rode a bit further to Pacha where we paid 15 soles each for a shuttle bus ride back to Cusco that took almost as long as the train ride. The driver was mostly insane and I had to hang on to the seat in front of me most of the way to keep from being tossed around. He also picked up some locals who didn't smell so good which added to the uncomfortable nature of the ride. Still 15 soles is about 5 bucks and I can't give too much of a complaint about a 5 dollar hour and a half bus ride where I didn't actually get maimed or die.
Brian and I parted at the end of that ride because he was flying out today. I basically got organized at my room and ran to the SAS office to take the city tour just barely in time to get included (the tour started at 1:30 and purchased my way in almost exactly at that time). The tour started with a visit to the Santo Domingo Convent which was built on top of the Inka ruins of Qorikancha. Our guide's name was Odelia and she had a very Indian spin on the tour which was more fun than just a standard explanation of things. She tried to make it seem like we were getting in on a secret rather than just the everyday stuff that is told. I think it worked for me pretty well.
From there we visited the cathedral which was as gaudy as I would expect from Latin influences. It had a lot of gold and such and was built from reclaimed Inka stones. They had to use mortar to build it though and it has been damaged in earthquakes due to its construction. There are some interesting things to see in there though. As I said, she was giving the Indian spin show she showed us all the things the Indians put into the church that were secret representations of their own religion mixed into the Catholic idols and decoration. It did make visiting another church more interesting than just seeing the basics.
Next up was the ruins of Sacsaywaman (it is easier to say it sexy woman) which was a really big site on the edge of town. There are some really gigantic stones here all cut from limestone a bit of a distance away. Some may have been cut into shape in place as well. It is impressive just to see the size of some of them. She explained to us about the 3 planes of life in Inkan religion, the upper, middle and lower. The Condor, the Puma and the Snake. Sort of Heaven, Earth and the Underworld (maybe not hell so much). You could see this aspect through many of the ruins (it was also seen in Machu Picchu by the way).
We followed that with Qenqo which was also very interesting. Qenqo was also very much an evidence of the 3 planes of existence in Inkan religion. They are still digging up most of the ruins in the region and though some are faily large there is yet more to see. Qenqo should have had a statue of a puma but the Catholic Spanish destroyed all the Puma idols they found because they did not like them as being against Catholic ideology.
Next up we looked at and she explained Puca Pucara which was an Inka hotel basically. People had to check in and check out if they stayed there on their travels and they were given food and shelter but they at least did not need to pay.
We then hit the last site which was the temple of water, Tambomachay, that had 3 fountains. It was a fairly brief stop but the fountains are run out of a natural spring and if you look at the wall above them you can see a hand shape pointing to the source built into the wall.
That was the last real stop but we also visited a textile factory on the way back into town and got a short lesson on spotting true baby alpaca wool sweaters as opposed to the fakes.
After the tour I took a brief stop at the hotel then got dinner at Papillon overlooking the main square. I had minute soup which was a noodle and ground beef soup and was good to start. Then I had the cuy which is South American Guinea pig. The skin had a musky odor that carried over to the taste which I couldn't continue eating and had to peel away. The flesh itself had a good flavor but it was a real fight to get what was there off the bones. There really wasn't that much there. It brought a literal meaning to the term, "All skin and bones." All in all I wasn't that impressed but Cusco is not really the right town to get it I am told. I followed up with a coffee and apple pie. The apple was shredded and I quite liked it. I finished off the night with some gift shopping. I found myself haggling over prices though the cost of things were about 10 bucks per tee shirt, much much less than anything I have bought in Europe. Still it is apparently the way you should do things. Never take their first price. All in all though I wasn't terrible fond of their organization (or lack thereof, most things were piled up without heed to size or pattern/color) and I didn't really buy all that much. I then headed in to get packed and get some sleep, which came quickly and it was morning before I knew it.
Peru and Machu Picchu Day 7
Day 7 was the actual day to Machu Picchu. It was also my birthday and Justino knew so he had Reynaldo bake me a birthday cake (or perhaps he chose to himself). We had that at breakfast which was at 4:30am. We had toast and pancakes too. They made me bite the cake directly after blowing out the matchstick candle. I was amazed how good a cake he could make with just camping equipment. He even did intricate piping of the frosting which seemed a bit overmuch for me. He did spell my name Tomas instead but I was fine with a more Spanish spelling.
After breakfast we had to hit the trail for its opening time at 5:30. Basically everyone at Winaywayna all piles up in line to get to the last part of the trail which is opened by a checkpoint with park officials. No one can enter the trail to Intipunku (the Sun Gate) until 5:30am. We did not get to the very front of the line because Justino said we would wait far too long that way.
It was about an hour's climb to the Sun Gate. Justino had promised me that the view to Machu Picchu would be cloudy in the early morning but it was totally sunny which I had promised to him instead. I explained to him how a made a trade with the sun god for the rainy day 2 days before. We didn't stay long at Intipunku, mostly just to snap a few pictures, and finished the rest of the hike in under an hour. Justino gave us a 2 hour or so tour of Machu Picchu, explaining history and the purpose of many of the buildings, after we checked our bags at the main entrance to the site (which we had to cross through the site to get to).
Machu Picchu is truly amazing and gigantic. It is unbelievable unless you see it for yourself. When he finished his tour he wrangled us tickets to hike Wayna Picchu (only 400 tickets are given each day but we apparently "gave offerings" of 5 soles per person to get tickets though the day's allotment was apparently already given out) which was very steep and at the very top I had to stop for how narrow the steps were. I saw people climbing the last set of steps to the very top hand over hand and I just couldn't do it with my dislike of sheer drops and high ladders. The rest made it up there but I started down before them because I knew that the some of the steep points of the climb were going to get me a bit and wanted to take my time through them rather than rush to keep up with them. At the worst point a Venezualan couple were coming up and the wife, Mary Carmen, decided her knees couldn't take any more and we decided to travel back down the rest of the way together. She was very nice and funny and actually she was born in Peru but had lived in Venezuala for the last 30 years or so. She said it was her second trip to Machu Picchu but her first time trying to do the Wayna Picchu hike. They took the bus up rather than hiked the Inka Trail. Brian passed us on the way down but near the end anyway and we met back at the starting point where Brian and Cindy eventually caught up with us. They all said the top of Wayna Picchu was very crowded and it was probably just as well that I didn't go to the top because the view was as good at the base tier as it was up there.
We wandered Machu Picchu a little bit more then caught the bus to Aguas Callientes to Hostal Viajeros to shower before the last provided lunch. I don't think I've ever felt this gross on a vacation before. The day turned out very hot and I was covered in sunscreen, deet, sweat and dirt. I actually believe this shower was even more welcome than the shower on day 3 of the hike.
After cleaning up we met downstairs for lunch provided by the tour. Lunch was a buffet which had some really good looking food but for some reason I wasn't very hungry so ate lightly. We gave Justino his tip and he started on his way back to Cusco. He would have 2 days off then he was doing a 2 day Inka tour. After lunch we split up for a bit with the thoughts of going to the hot springs later which we ended up doing and meeting Bill and Cindy's friends Steve and Kelly there. By coincidence it was also Kelly's birthday and they went to Machu Picchu too, but by bus instead of the hike. It was my first time to any sort of hot spring. The water was cooler in most of the pools but we found what was probably the warmest of them and settled there. As the afternoon got later the tourists began to vanish and the place was overrun with Peruvians, especially kids. We made an exit at about 6:30 when the place was becoming far too crowded.
We got back to the rooms and I showered again before we headed to dinner. The hot springs water didn't have a full on sulfur smell but there was obviously something there. The long soak was nice though and I was happy we did it after all.
We went to dinner at Inka Wasi (which means Inka House) but I still wasn't feeling fully hungry so I had a bacon pizza and we all split a couple pitchers of sangria. Some of the dishes had ornate garnishes cut in the shapes of animals. We think they may reuse them since no one ate or destroyed them at any of the table s though I tried to convince Steve to destroy his to see what happened. Since it was also Kelly's birthday they got the waitress to get each of us a piece of cake with candle and sang happy birthday. All in all it was a terrific birthday to have, and one I'll remember for a long time.
I was very exhausted by the time I got back to the room and went to sleep immediately. I did however wake up a couple times in the night with stomach problems unfortunately. It probably explained why I wasn't so hungry during the day. I am usually not prone to such things but I woke up about every two hours to visit the porcelain. I suppose many people get it worse than that though.
After breakfast we had to hit the trail for its opening time at 5:30. Basically everyone at Winaywayna all piles up in line to get to the last part of the trail which is opened by a checkpoint with park officials. No one can enter the trail to Intipunku (the Sun Gate) until 5:30am. We did not get to the very front of the line because Justino said we would wait far too long that way.
It was about an hour's climb to the Sun Gate. Justino had promised me that the view to Machu Picchu would be cloudy in the early morning but it was totally sunny which I had promised to him instead. I explained to him how a made a trade with the sun god for the rainy day 2 days before. We didn't stay long at Intipunku, mostly just to snap a few pictures, and finished the rest of the hike in under an hour. Justino gave us a 2 hour or so tour of Machu Picchu, explaining history and the purpose of many of the buildings, after we checked our bags at the main entrance to the site (which we had to cross through the site to get to).
Machu Picchu is truly amazing and gigantic. It is unbelievable unless you see it for yourself. When he finished his tour he wrangled us tickets to hike Wayna Picchu (only 400 tickets are given each day but we apparently "gave offerings" of 5 soles per person to get tickets though the day's allotment was apparently already given out) which was very steep and at the very top I had to stop for how narrow the steps were. I saw people climbing the last set of steps to the very top hand over hand and I just couldn't do it with my dislike of sheer drops and high ladders. The rest made it up there but I started down before them because I knew that the some of the steep points of the climb were going to get me a bit and wanted to take my time through them rather than rush to keep up with them. At the worst point a Venezualan couple were coming up and the wife, Mary Carmen, decided her knees couldn't take any more and we decided to travel back down the rest of the way together. She was very nice and funny and actually she was born in Peru but had lived in Venezuala for the last 30 years or so. She said it was her second trip to Machu Picchu but her first time trying to do the Wayna Picchu hike. They took the bus up rather than hiked the Inka Trail. Brian passed us on the way down but near the end anyway and we met back at the starting point where Brian and Cindy eventually caught up with us. They all said the top of Wayna Picchu was very crowded and it was probably just as well that I didn't go to the top because the view was as good at the base tier as it was up there.
We wandered Machu Picchu a little bit more then caught the bus to Aguas Callientes to Hostal Viajeros to shower before the last provided lunch. I don't think I've ever felt this gross on a vacation before. The day turned out very hot and I was covered in sunscreen, deet, sweat and dirt. I actually believe this shower was even more welcome than the shower on day 3 of the hike.
After cleaning up we met downstairs for lunch provided by the tour. Lunch was a buffet which had some really good looking food but for some reason I wasn't very hungry so ate lightly. We gave Justino his tip and he started on his way back to Cusco. He would have 2 days off then he was doing a 2 day Inka tour. After lunch we split up for a bit with the thoughts of going to the hot springs later which we ended up doing and meeting Bill and Cindy's friends Steve and Kelly there. By coincidence it was also Kelly's birthday and they went to Machu Picchu too, but by bus instead of the hike. It was my first time to any sort of hot spring. The water was cooler in most of the pools but we found what was probably the warmest of them and settled there. As the afternoon got later the tourists began to vanish and the place was overrun with Peruvians, especially kids. We made an exit at about 6:30 when the place was becoming far too crowded.
We got back to the rooms and I showered again before we headed to dinner. The hot springs water didn't have a full on sulfur smell but there was obviously something there. The long soak was nice though and I was happy we did it after all.
We went to dinner at Inka Wasi (which means Inka House) but I still wasn't feeling fully hungry so I had a bacon pizza and we all split a couple pitchers of sangria. Some of the dishes had ornate garnishes cut in the shapes of animals. We think they may reuse them since no one ate or destroyed them at any of the table s though I tried to convince Steve to destroy his to see what happened. Since it was also Kelly's birthday they got the waitress to get each of us a piece of cake with candle and sang happy birthday. All in all it was a terrific birthday to have, and one I'll remember for a long time.
I was very exhausted by the time I got back to the room and went to sleep immediately. I did however wake up a couple times in the night with stomach problems unfortunately. It probably explained why I wasn't so hungry during the day. I am usually not prone to such things but I woke up about every two hours to visit the porcelain. I suppose many people get it worse than that though.
Peru and Machu Picchu Day 6
Day 6 was the easiest of the 3 real days of hiking. It started with breakfast of banana porridge and an omelet pancake type thing. From there we had a fairly short climb where we should have been able to see the Inka ruin of Sayamarca which we passed the night before but we had a lot of cloud cover. All the same we got glimpses of it.
After that brief stop we had more climbing to the 3rd pass. We had a brief stop there then it was steep downhill for a while. The downhill was kind of rough on the legs but I used the poles to help out. The slope gradually lessened and we came to the next ruins of Intipata. These were awesome ruins with lots of terraces and great views. We spent about half an hour at the site before finishing the short distance to Winaywayna where we dropped our stuff in our tents and had lunch and a couple well needed cervezas at the restaurant building. I had the Cusquena negra which was much better than the standard Cusquena beer to me. Lunch was a vegetable soup and stuffed chicken (stuffed with cheese and hot dogs) with rice, beans, yucca and a salad.
We then had a couple hours of siesta and to organize and relax. We all took our first hot showers in 3 days for the cost of 10 soles apiece. The facilities were a bit scary with the electric water heater right on the shower head with wire held together by electric tape but it really felt good to be clean again. Unfortunately the heater on the shower I used was inconsistent and I got hot then cold rushes throughout the shower. All the same it felt the best...
After siesta we met with Justino to visit the ruins of Winaywayna which was a scientific farming site for the Inka. They experimented with growing different kinds of crops at different altitudes on the terraces due to the idea that each terrace changed soil temperature by 1C each. Mainly they grew corn and potatoes there. The site was spectacular and Brian even admitted to choking up a bit as we explored it. It is sort of sobering to see something so incredibly advanced for over 500 years ago and realize the Spanish came in and pretty much aimed to destroy things without learning remotely as much as they could from the Inkas based on the ideas that they were just savages and couldn't be nearly as advanced as a Catholic nation.
We got back as it got dark and played cards through happy hour then had dinner which consisted of a small veggie pizza, chicken with rice in a tomato base, fried rice, stuffed potato dumplings, stuffed hot peppers, oh and noodle soup. It was finished with a peach in syrup.
After dinner we had our celebration and tipped the porters and chef then headed to bed. We gave generously to both the porters and the chef. I added a bit more for Reynaldo because he carried some of my stuff up Dead Woman's Pass.
After that brief stop we had more climbing to the 3rd pass. We had a brief stop there then it was steep downhill for a while. The downhill was kind of rough on the legs but I used the poles to help out. The slope gradually lessened and we came to the next ruins of Intipata. These were awesome ruins with lots of terraces and great views. We spent about half an hour at the site before finishing the short distance to Winaywayna where we dropped our stuff in our tents and had lunch and a couple well needed cervezas at the restaurant building. I had the Cusquena negra which was much better than the standard Cusquena beer to me. Lunch was a vegetable soup and stuffed chicken (stuffed with cheese and hot dogs) with rice, beans, yucca and a salad.
We then had a couple hours of siesta and to organize and relax. We all took our first hot showers in 3 days for the cost of 10 soles apiece. The facilities were a bit scary with the electric water heater right on the shower head with wire held together by electric tape but it really felt good to be clean again. Unfortunately the heater on the shower I used was inconsistent and I got hot then cold rushes throughout the shower. All the same it felt the best...
After siesta we met with Justino to visit the ruins of Winaywayna which was a scientific farming site for the Inka. They experimented with growing different kinds of crops at different altitudes on the terraces due to the idea that each terrace changed soil temperature by 1C each. Mainly they grew corn and potatoes there. The site was spectacular and Brian even admitted to choking up a bit as we explored it. It is sort of sobering to see something so incredibly advanced for over 500 years ago and realize the Spanish came in and pretty much aimed to destroy things without learning remotely as much as they could from the Inkas based on the ideas that they were just savages and couldn't be nearly as advanced as a Catholic nation.
We got back as it got dark and played cards through happy hour then had dinner which consisted of a small veggie pizza, chicken with rice in a tomato base, fried rice, stuffed potato dumplings, stuffed hot peppers, oh and noodle soup. It was finished with a peach in syrup.
After dinner we had our celebration and tipped the porters and chef then headed to bed. We gave generously to both the porters and the chef. I added a bit more for Reynaldo because he carried some of my stuff up Dead Woman's Pass.
Peru and Machu Picchu Day 5
Day 5 is the really tough day. Though the end of day4 had us climbing a steep climb at the end to the campsite it was nothing compared to the climb to Dead Woman's Pass. The pass is named such because the profile looks like a woman lying down. It is not because anyone died on their way up there. The pass is the highest point of the hike at almost 13000 feet.
The sun was out and the heat was brutal. I started to really lag behind the rest of the group during the hike because they were just far better at it than I am. Justino took some of my stuff and gave it to the chef to carry for the rest of the day when I was more than half of the way up but really starting to falter. The lightened load helped me to get to the top but after the rest had already started on their way down.
As soon as I started down the rain and some hail began and basically continued through the day and night to probably about 11pm or so. Justino said this is not typical. Normally it rains for 2 hours then stops. The downhill was much harder due to the treacherous and slipperfy footing but I did eventually make it to the lunch site which is where most tours finish for their day 2.
Lunch had us eating a pumpkin soup and Aji de Gallina along with potatoes and rice and of course all of it was excellent. After lunch was another climb but much shorter, maybe an hour. This came to the ruins of Runkuracay half way up where we each gathered a rock as an offering to the mountain at the top of the pass. Justino had us all blow 3 times on 3 coca leaves and then offered them to the mountain. Unfortunately it did not stop the rain for the but in some respects this made me more confident for the following days.
We then hiked downward for about another hour. It was very steep. This brought us through the mountain forest which I am sure would have been even more beautiful if it wasn't covered in clouds and rain. We made it to the camp site ahead of schedule and got settled in then went to happy hour to have popcorn and tea. Dinner was roasted chicken and mashed potatoes with rice and vegetables after a vegetable soup. Then we finished off with a spiced tea that sort of tasted like mulled cider and each added a shot of Peruvian rum to the glass. It was very good.
For the record, I have officially used a squat toilet now...
After settling in we did what little bit we could to keep ourselves dry, which was very difficult with the sheer amount of rain, and slept for the night. I personally slept like a rock.
The sun was out and the heat was brutal. I started to really lag behind the rest of the group during the hike because they were just far better at it than I am. Justino took some of my stuff and gave it to the chef to carry for the rest of the day when I was more than half of the way up but really starting to falter. The lightened load helped me to get to the top but after the rest had already started on their way down.
As soon as I started down the rain and some hail began and basically continued through the day and night to probably about 11pm or so. Justino said this is not typical. Normally it rains for 2 hours then stops. The downhill was much harder due to the treacherous and slipperfy footing but I did eventually make it to the lunch site which is where most tours finish for their day 2.
Lunch had us eating a pumpkin soup and Aji de Gallina along with potatoes and rice and of course all of it was excellent. After lunch was another climb but much shorter, maybe an hour. This came to the ruins of Runkuracay half way up where we each gathered a rock as an offering to the mountain at the top of the pass. Justino had us all blow 3 times on 3 coca leaves and then offered them to the mountain. Unfortunately it did not stop the rain for the but in some respects this made me more confident for the following days.
We then hiked downward for about another hour. It was very steep. This brought us through the mountain forest which I am sure would have been even more beautiful if it wasn't covered in clouds and rain. We made it to the camp site ahead of schedule and got settled in then went to happy hour to have popcorn and tea. Dinner was roasted chicken and mashed potatoes with rice and vegetables after a vegetable soup. Then we finished off with a spiced tea that sort of tasted like mulled cider and each added a shot of Peruvian rum to the glass. It was very good.
For the record, I have officially used a squat toilet now...
After settling in we did what little bit we could to keep ourselves dry, which was very difficult with the sheer amount of rain, and slept for the night. I personally slept like a rock.
Peru and Machu Picchu Day 4
Day 4 started at 5:45am with an 1:30 ride to breakfast where we had a bagged breakfast with instant coffee and teas. The breakfast was some fruit and and ham and cheese sandwhiches. This is where I got to meet Bill, Cindy and Brien for real. They are really nice people and all athletic or avid backpackers. Bill and Cindy are married and they basically are just finishing up taking a year off from work to travel the world. They've been all over the place. It is very impressive. Cindy keeps her own blog at The Blonde Wanderer.com and it would be better for you to go there and see what they've done than for me to explain it for you. She's obviously a much more professional blogger than I am so I should probably take some pointers. All the same I guess plain and simple is my own style so I may as well stick with what I know. By the way they are from San Francisco but I believe Cindy is originally from Phoenix and Bill is originally from Chicago. This segues in to Brian who is Cindy's friend from Phoenix. Brian is very athletic (both Bill and Brian have run marathons) and has hiked the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim several times. He was definitely the powerhouse of the group and was well ahead of time on getting to each of the destinations. Even on my best I could never have expected to keep up with him. He works for Intel and was on the end of a sabatical, lucky him. The three of the them are similar age to me though of course Cindy is younger. They were very supportive of my only halfway in shape self. All of us carried all our own gear which was different from the vast majority of the hikers along the trail.
After this stop it was another 1:30 or so ride to the entrance to the park at KM 82. All along the ride there were lots of incredible mountain views and we even got a few glimpses of the various glaciers up in the very high mountains. You will only see snow and ice on the mountains over 15000 feet tall in Peru because of their proximity to the equator. The ride was long but still interesting and fortunately the driver felt very safe even with the winding mountain roads.
We signed into the park with our passports and basically started to hiking right away. The first part of the trail is very much a dirt path with occasional stones and was Peruvian flat as Justino put it, which means that it was a bit of up and a bit of down, wash, rinse, repeat...We hiked for the better part of a couple hours with some minor stops along the way. We hit the ruins of Llactapata where Justino gave us a bit of history about the location and we got a bit of a rest.
After that stop we had longer hike to our lunch location where the porters had to set up a camp. We had asparagus soup as a starter then chicken in a light tomato sauce with spaghetti and a stuffed avocado, which was very impressive, as sides.
After lunch the remainder of the way was mostly climbing. It was tiring but this set us up to start ahead of most of the other tours on day 2 of the hike. The majority of other hikers actually stop for the day where we had lunch. The climb was a couple more hours and even then we made both the lunch and the evening camps ahead of the porters so had to wait a little bit for things to be set up. The rest was very welcome and since we were far ahead of the other groups the camp site was mostly quiet. There were two tour groups that traveled as far as we did. One was an Australian couple and the other was a much larger group, probably the full 16, that was mostly Australian as well oddly enough.
At about 6pm we had happy hour where they served teas and coffee and we played cards for the better part of the time with Justino. It was fun. Then they served dinner which was Lomo Saltado (again but it was much better than the same meal from Paititi) with rice, potatoes vegetables and cauliflower, all in all a very impressive spread. The chef is apparently trained in culinary school though I am not sure how you get trained on a camp stove so well in class.
After dinner we basically got ourselves prepped up and headed to bed for the night. This was only my second time sleeping out of doors (the first being a trip to Sacco, Maine where we were beset by mosquitos for the entire trip). Our tents were on a slight downslope and my sleeping bag would slip down on the mattress pad every so often but all the same I slept well enough. I think it might have been about 40F or so for the night and I did wear my winter cap but I am not sure if it was necessary. During happy hour and dinner I was the one guy not wearing a jacket or extra layers at the least but I really didn't find it to be cold being from up here around Boston I guess.
I am going to apologize for what I've missed because I will be writing these posts from notes I took on my iPhone.
After this stop it was another 1:30 or so ride to the entrance to the park at KM 82. All along the ride there were lots of incredible mountain views and we even got a few glimpses of the various glaciers up in the very high mountains. You will only see snow and ice on the mountains over 15000 feet tall in Peru because of their proximity to the equator. The ride was long but still interesting and fortunately the driver felt very safe even with the winding mountain roads.
We signed into the park with our passports and basically started to hiking right away. The first part of the trail is very much a dirt path with occasional stones and was Peruvian flat as Justino put it, which means that it was a bit of up and a bit of down, wash, rinse, repeat...We hiked for the better part of a couple hours with some minor stops along the way. We hit the ruins of Llactapata where Justino gave us a bit of history about the location and we got a bit of a rest.
After that stop we had longer hike to our lunch location where the porters had to set up a camp. We had asparagus soup as a starter then chicken in a light tomato sauce with spaghetti and a stuffed avocado, which was very impressive, as sides.
After lunch the remainder of the way was mostly climbing. It was tiring but this set us up to start ahead of most of the other tours on day 2 of the hike. The majority of other hikers actually stop for the day where we had lunch. The climb was a couple more hours and even then we made both the lunch and the evening camps ahead of the porters so had to wait a little bit for things to be set up. The rest was very welcome and since we were far ahead of the other groups the camp site was mostly quiet. There were two tour groups that traveled as far as we did. One was an Australian couple and the other was a much larger group, probably the full 16, that was mostly Australian as well oddly enough.
At about 6pm we had happy hour where they served teas and coffee and we played cards for the better part of the time with Justino. It was fun. Then they served dinner which was Lomo Saltado (again but it was much better than the same meal from Paititi) with rice, potatoes vegetables and cauliflower, all in all a very impressive spread. The chef is apparently trained in culinary school though I am not sure how you get trained on a camp stove so well in class.
After dinner we basically got ourselves prepped up and headed to bed for the night. This was only my second time sleeping out of doors (the first being a trip to Sacco, Maine where we were beset by mosquitos for the entire trip). Our tents were on a slight downslope and my sleeping bag would slip down on the mattress pad every so often but all the same I slept well enough. I think it might have been about 40F or so for the night and I did wear my winter cap but I am not sure if it was necessary. During happy hour and dinner I was the one guy not wearing a jacket or extra layers at the least but I really didn't find it to be cold being from up here around Boston I guess.
I am going to apologize for what I've missed because I will be writing these posts from notes I took on my iPhone.
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