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!

Q'eswachaka bridge. Q'eswachaka bridge. Q'eswachaka bridge. No matter how many times I read it and say it, I can{t remember it! Maybe after I see it, and walk on it, it will stick? I went down to the travel agency this morning to pay and the woman there showed me pictures and gave me a bit of a history lesson. I guess the bridge was originally built in the 15th century, and it is rebuilt every year. Luckily, it is rebuilt every June so it should be in good shape. Still looks a little terrifying (and I thought parasailing was relaxing). It is at 11,811 feet, which I think is the highest I{ve been here, but it's hard to tell when things are in meters. We are also going to the famous 4 lakes of cusco and natural cave of carañahui, according to my fact sheet, so it should be a great day trip! http://www.aboutcusco.com/cusco/tours_peru/tours_cusco/bridge_qeswachaca.asp http://www.dosmanosperu.com/dosmanos/tours/cusco/english/bridge_of_qeswachaka.php Here are a few links with...

It is beginning to seem that a day in Cuzco just wouldn´t be complete without a trip to more ruins. Today, I revisited Sacsayhuaman, site of Inti Raymi, without 5,000 people there for the ceremony. It was great. There were a few tourists, but it is such a big site that you have plenty of space, and quiet. I found myself wondering what would have happened to this area, and in fact this entire group of people, if the Spanish, Francisco Pizarra especially, had made a small change in direction or decision that had not brought them to the area. (Yes, mom, I am reading the Inca book you gave me. And taking my vitamins.) In some ways many of the ruins here remind me of those at Mesa Verde...amazing areas that are difficult to get to, more finely built than what our advanced machinery creates today, empty. I mean, seriously, look at how big the stones behind me are! Historical note: Cusco and nearby Sacsayhuaman were built in the shape of the sacred puma. In the picture behind me, you can see...

I asked my roommate, who has been here for awhile, where to go for an afternoon trip that is left on my Boleto Turisto. She said, hands down, I need to go to Pisac. It was good advice. Yesterday after classes, a few classmates and I EVENTUALLY found the bus to Pisac. This was challenging and required asking many people for directions, but we did it. Anyway, the locals liked hearing us mispronounce Puputi, the street we were looking for. It was about an hour bus ride, 32 km (you know how they are about the metric system in the rest of the world). Anyway, we came around a corner and the view was jaw-dropping beautiful. We were the only gringos on the bus, taking pictures out the window. This part of Peru is known as the Sacred Valley. We got off the bus in Pisac, at the bottom of the valley, where the Urubamba River flows through. To get to the ruins of Pisac, we had to walk through the markets, which were pretty incredible. Then we got to the entrance of the park which was...vertical! ...

Today{s headline in the newspaper? Bill Gates and Cameron Diaz were at Inti Raymi....oh my, is it becoming trendy? It is definitely a tourist event but there were actually more locals there than tourists. So yesterday was the big day, Inti Raymi, festival of the sun, Incan festival held in the 1500´s to wish for a good harvest and for the sun to come back. I must say, it was quite a production! A few downsides: others would say the major hike up, but I think it was good training. I should probably do the same one, every day with a big pack on my back! We left at 10 to get seats but it didn´t start until 2 so there was a lot of sitting on a very steep hill, which eventually got a bit uncomfortable. The ceremony was interesting and fun to watch but all of the speaking was in Quechua, which of course I do not understand. According to above mentioned newspaper, there were audio problems anyway. I think photos will describe this event more accurately than words can, though I will admit I am...

First, a quick update from last night. I tried alpaca in a restaurant. It was okay but kind of dry. Could have used some gravy. Today, Sadie and I met early in the morning, but first, I started my day with breakfast (bread, marmalade, cheese, and coffee) and met a Bolivian girl who I got to practice my Spanish with, since she knew no English! ¨Next, I got a tourist ticket and we went to Temple of the Sun, also known as Qorikancha. Lots of the spellings of ruins and such are in Quechua, which is the indiginous language spoken here, and apparently it has lots of Q´s in it! Anyway, it was originally an Incan temple but when the Spaniards came, they took all the gold and melted it down, and turned it into a church, but some of the original Inca masonry still exists. It was pretty interesting. We had plans to go to several museums this morning as well, but most things are closed for the holiday. The parade started lining up on the main street around 10am. It´s now after 6 and STILL going. I...

Not too much to report, really. The town is still a party: music, dancing, tonight there are also fireworks and a free concert of popular peruvian music. One of my highlights yesterday was a hot shower! I also wandered around Cusco, sightseeing, and actually found a little cafe with no tourists, and a menu only in Spanish. It was a bit of a relief-this festival is the biggest event of the year, with tourists from all over the world here. After class, the school offered a free class on local music and we learned about sikus, and even got to play them! It is hard to describe, but 2 sets of pipes bound together that you blow into, and local to the region. It was actually pretty fun to learn and I think they sell sikus in town! After that I went out for dinner.My new dining experience was chicha morada-purple beer made from corn! It was actually quite delicious-apparently the stuff from yellow corn isn{t as good. I wasn{t adventurous enough to order the quy, or guinea pig, which is quite c...

Well, there is. A huge party, in fact! I have heard conflicting stories about the reason...which is why I need to replace my Lonely Planet book. Anyway, this weekend is the biggest festival of the year in Cuzco (and, I suspect, Peru), called Inti Raymi.It is for the winter solstice, when the Incas begged the sun (Inti) to come back. After living here for just a few days, I can see why! Apparently you are all roasting in CO but it is quite chilly here, as I may have mentioned already. The other reason I have heard for this week´s partying is that it is some anniversary of Cuzco´s becoming a city. Who knows. So, every day this week there is a massive parade through Cuzco with groups of costumed schoolchildren dancing, which ends in the main plaza, where there is music and more dancing. This starts at about 8am and goes past midnight. I finally made it down to the plaza today-I wanted to go yesterday but was having a major case of lethargy-I blame the altitude. It is hard to describe, but...

This is the view of ¨downtown¨ Cusco I get walking down the narrow cobblestone street to the Plaza de Armas. Phew, I have made it to my first destination! After 4 takeoffs and landings in 24 hours, my ears are a little off, and I was huffing and puffing after walking up a hill-you try it at 10500 feet-otherwise things are good! Oh, but it{s winter here, and the keys don{t actually type what is printed on them, so try to excuse the punctuation! Today was a lot like the first day of school as a kid-you hope you can find the classrooms, what if the other kids don{t like you, and you can{t get your locker open¿ But you go home at the end of the day and tell your mom what a great day it was. I had my last flight for awhile, from Lima to Cusco, after a traditional breakfast of bread and cheese, and instant coffee. I am also 0 for 3 on flights being on time but it was nothing like the 3 hour delays yesterday! I was picked up in Cusco by Victor fromt he school, and enjoyed the ride through to...

I have 4 minutes until the shuttle back to the airport arrives. Quick update though-I survived my trip to Lima! Although I was diverted to San Antonio on the way to Houston and every single flight out of houston was delayed by several hours or cancelled. The baby on my flight finally fell asleep half way through the 2nd on flight movie so I could rest! I landed in Lima around 12:30 a.m. but was able to find my ride to the hotel and got here a little after 1...and now I´m up and back to the airport! Will update from Cusco, adios!

Yesterday I did my last hike before I leave, to the Royal Arch in Chataqua park in Boulder. Short, but steep. I am feeling nervous about my Inca trail hike in Peru, mainly because I haven't been hiking with a heavy pack! I'm cheating with the picture...I didn't bring my camera, but did the same hike with my mom last year! So my mom and Lucy (the dog) weren't really there this time. Today was Toni's poker invitational, so I was hoping to leave with some extra travelling money, but that was not to be. I've been running around all over the place taking care of last minute things, but I'm just about ready to go! About 28 hours from now I'll be in Lima! Hopefully will be able to find a computer on Monday to update...

...I will be on a different continent! It is hard to believe, after so much planning and anticipation, but I leave for Peru on Sunday! While there, I will be taking Spanish classes in Cusco. I have also planned my trip around Inti Raymi, the Incan Festival of the Sun, which occurs on June 24, their winter solstice. This is one of the biggest festivals in all of Peru so it should really be something! After my 2 weeks in Cusco, I will set off to hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu! This will be a 4-day hike, and I'll spend 2 additional nights in the town of Aguas Calientes, the nearest town, to make sure I can really see it all, instead of just a one-afternoon tour! Then it will be a train back to Cusco, flight back to Lima, and bus ride to the Reserva Nacional de Paracas-the "Poor Man's Galapagos." This park is on the coast and boasts seals, flamingos, and even penguins! After that, I come home! Machu Picchu is something I have always wanted to see, so this should be...