My Adventures and Travels

Yesterday, Lucy (my mom's golden retriever) and I tackled Quandary Peak, which is a 14er near Breckenridge. It is one of the easier 14ers in Colorado, and also the first one I've climbed solo (except for Lucy). We had perfect weather, Lucy made friends with every other person on the mountain, and we escaped 99 degree heat in the Denver area for a few hours. I used my old (non-digital) camera so no pics yet (I found this one online!)....but the new digital one is en route!

Last weekend we went camping at a lake called Jumbo Lake, or as Toni calls it, the Puddle on the Plains. This is a big get-together his family has every summer, and everyone brings their toys. Here are some pics!

Go on down for some pics from the Inca Trail and Islas Ballestas! Not the normal quality as they're from a disposable camera, but enjoy!

Well, I made it home safely and, fortunately, uneventfully! I even landed in Denver early, of all things! Although both flights were quite turbulent, I was able to get some sleep. Now I'm enjoying being home, sleeping in my own bed, hanging out with Toni, and playing poker! But, it's not time to pack away the sleeping bag just yet, this weekend Toni & I are going camping at some lake in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of his cousins, which they do every summer, which should be fun. More sleeping in a tent on the ground, but at least I don't have to carry everything in! When I get my photos developed I am going to get CDs too so I can post pics online, so check back in for Inca Trail, Machu Picchu, and Islas Ballestas pictures added to the posts!

I think this is a killing-time blog entry as I have a couple hours before my bus leaves, but had to check out of my hotel room already. Things I'll miss about Peru/travelling: Every meal being an adventure Every time I go somewhere, it's new Cusqueña beer and cheap Chilean wine The cost of living here! The colors The people-locals and other travelers the weirdness of looking around me and realizing, I've never even seen a single one of the plants, trees, or animals before in my life fresh seafood Things I won't miss: poverty, and little little kids begging in the streets and selling things every meal being an adventure the water, unsafe to drink roosters (so much for sleeping in) instant coffee getting lost rice stinky clothes, wearing the same pants for 7 straight days, washing said clothes in hotel sinks unheated rooms camping (at least for awhile) standing out as an obvious tourist due to blonde hair and blue eyes And finally, what I miss about home, and am looking f...

I meant to update my blog last night but the computer at my hotel was occupied, and I accidentally fell asleep at 830! But today was my tour to the Islas Ballestas and Paracas Reserve. It was great! (I admit, sometimes organized tours where someone else does all the planning can be nice). First, I had a boat trip to the Ballestas Islands. Dad, I think I now have some birds on my "life list" (if I had one) that you don't. From the boat, I saw two kinds of cormorants, Peruvian seagulls (which looked like every other seagull I have ever seen), and boobies, which really is a bird name. But even better, I saw Humboldt Penguins, sea lions, and flamingos! I never would have imagined ever seeing any of these animals in the wild, so it was pretty neat. Also saw a mysterious etching in a cliff wall, no one knows if it was made by pre-Inca cultures such as the Nazca or paracas cultures, or by pirates. A stone structure called the Catedral, lots of ocean views, and a red beach. The s...

In a 24 hour period from Friday to Saturday afternoon, I took a train, a moto-taxi (motorcycle pulling a tiny 2-person cart behind it), a combi (small local bus), 4 separate taxis, (one had 8 or 9 people in it at one point), an airplane, and a double-decker bus. Travel can be exhausting. Especially the travelling part! Most of these rides were planned, as I had to get from Aguas Calientes, to Cusco, to Lima, to Pisco, SOMEHOW, but not all of them. You see, when I got off of the bus from Aguas Calientes, there was SUPPOSED to be a bus waiting for me, and a person with my name. There wasn't. I waited and waited, and talked to a couple from CA, and waited some more. Finally decided I'd have to get back on my own. That is where the moto taxi, combi, and taxi full of people came in. Because the train pretty much drops you off in the middle of nowhere. I was exhausted when I got to Cusco, only to find that my reservation at the hotel room had been cancelled by my travel agency, who w...

Day 1 Although it was one of the easier days, it was a little harder than I thought-the guide and maps make it look level, but it isn't! We started around 10am, stopped for a big lunch, saw the ruins of Patallacta on the way, and camped at Wayllabamba. About 12 km (yes, the metric system again!) Day 2 The second day was the hardest-dead womans pass-4000 vertical feet in 10 kilometers-that means a lot of stairs! The pass is 13,776 ft, the highest point of the trek. If that´s just a pass btwn mouintains you can imagine how high the mountains are here! Then we went back down 2000 feet in 3 km. We lose several hours of sunlight every day because the mountains are so high. It's light but cold until the sun comes over the mountains. Happily, we were done by 2 or 3:00 this day so we could rest for the rest of the day. I took a nap, tried to stretch my legs so they'd still work the next day, had tea at "coca tea time" around 5 and then we ate dinner around 7. It gets real...

Yes,I survived the Inca Trail, and this morning, was at Machu Picchu when the sun came up. However, my hotel just informed me that my room is ready and I can´t WAIT to take a shower! More later!