Last Day in Peru!

This very well may be my final post that I write here in Peru, granted everything goes well with my flight home tomorrow.  Perhaps it's a little early to reflect on my journey, what I've learned, and how it has changed me, but I can say a few things for sure:

I will miss the food here so much!  Everything is delicious, natural, and very, very cheap.  I can eat meals here for about 1-2 US dollars, and for paying US prices ($10-15 per meal) I can eat like a culinary king.  There are also some great dishes I've eaten here that are like none other, like the ceviche, aji de gallina, lomo saltado, and lechón!  Soon, the days will be gone where I could walk away with 4 kilos of fresh fruit for $10!  This is reason enough for one to return to Peru again.

My Spanish has definitely improved immensely during may stay.  I've come a long way, from that guy struggling to understand basic words and phrases to being able to have a full-blown conversation with any local here (although I'm still s.o.l. speaking Quechua).  This was one of my big goals in coming here to Peru, and I can say with confidence that I achieved a lot, although I am no where near perfecting the language and there is always room for improvement.

I won't miss the crazy roads here that much, or the crazy drivers for that matter.  Don't get me wrong, driving on a one-way dirt road at 30 mph with oncoming traffic and a thousand-foot precipice on one side can be exciting sometimes, but not when that road is the principle highway.  Some of you may think that I am exaggerating, and maybe I am in some instances, however sometimes my statement held its validity 100%.  Also, all the drivers just kind of ignore all the established rules of the road and just go for it.  Perhaps they obey two rules:  I'm not stopping unless you make me stop, and objects with larger mass have the right of way lest you wish to be squashed flatter than a pancake.

The local traditions and customs is a big plus here.  In every region, excluding Lima, the people seem to retain strong ties to there roots, and this is evident in their dress, mannerisms, and even language.  Coming from a place with such a blend and even relinquishment of culture, I really appreciate seeing these things still holding strong in other parts of the world.

OK, enough reflecting for now, I still have to get out of this crazy country!  Here's  recap of the last few days:

Mom and I made it safely back to Cusco on Wednesday after our grand adventure to Machu Picchu.  We returned to Marina's hostel to pick up our stayed belongings and perhaps sleep there another night, but unfortunately she was all booked up for weeks.  Nevertheless, we were happy for her to be getting good business and settled for another, less accommodating hotel.  We used her last day in Peru to do some final shopping, eat some good food, and go out to a local bar.  We even made it into the Qosqo Center of Native Art to see a performance of traditional dances (the last time we arrived too late and had to settle watching a Peruvian basketball game).

The next day, we got smoothies at the market, and then I bid her farewell at noon as she had to return that day.  After I said my goodbye, I walked over to my friend Nathan Heald's apartment as he had told me I could stay my last couple nights there.  I was let in by a kind lady and walked up to the fifth floor, were he resided, just in time to catch him.  He welcomed me in and a made myself at home.  During this time, I didn't do much except hang out, however there was the 10th annual Inkafest mountain film festival happening those nights at the Casa Garcilaso.  I went with Nate, who is actually do a presentation of his own tonight, and watched some pretty cool adventure sport films.  Two of those took place here in Peru, one about mountain biking in the Sacred Valley, and another about kayaking in Peru's raging rivers.

Today, I woke up at 8, went to the market and ate, bought some palo santo, then packed up all my stuff.  I said goodbye to Nate and his wife Kerly, and thanked them both kindly for keeping me in their apartment.  Then I caught a taxi to the Cusco airport for my flight to Lima (lucky me).   It was quite crazy taking the 1-hour plane ride, considering the past three times I had to take the 22-hour bus ride on curvy roads.  What a difference those mountains make!  Thanks for buying me that plane ticket, mom!

Anyway, I arrived in Lima a couple hours ago after a few short delays (who knew that the planes would not be on time in Latin America).  I took an expensive taxi ride from the airport to a nice restaurant/cevicheria, had some ceviche, and took another, less expensive taxi ride to the family's house in Surco.  Oddly enough, none of the original family members that were here are here anymore.  Instead I was greated by Victor, another son of the family's grandmother, who has moved back in as well.  Everything is different and a bit strange, but I guess that's what I get for dropping in unexpected.  Anyway, I will only be here til tomorrow in the early morning, when I take another expensive taxi ride back to Lima airport and board my 10:30 A.M. flight back to the US.  How strange it will be to be back.  I think I will have reverse culture shock!

For all of those back in B-town, Indiana, expect me back starting this coming Monday.  Get excited!  Alright, Chao for now!

Machu Picchu Adventure!

This past Sunday we got a late start heading to Chinchero.  Unfortunately, mom had gotten quite a few bad bug bites on her legs and has been trying to deal with the itchiness for these previous days.  We arrived to the ruins around noon, and walked around them for a while.  Chinchero was cool, however after seeing other Inca architecture it is not quite as impressive.  One thing that does set it apart, however, is the Spanish colonial church built right atop the ruins.  There were also very few tourists, meaning we had the place practically to ourselves the entire time, which was pretty relaxing.  After checking out the ruins we tried to score some lunch there but all the restaurants seemed to be closed.  Luckily, I ran into a guide and he directed me to a large familiar home where they would supposedly serve us lunch if we spoke Spanish well (and we do).  At first it seemed like they had just finished eating themselves and that we wouldn't be able to find service, but they were kind and offered to reheat the meal for us.  The food itself was quite good and the family was very kind, although they had a human skull as decoration that kind of made us a little uneasy.  After our meal, we went down to the Sunday market in Chinchero, which is a good deal less touristy than the Pisaq market, and bought some more gifts to take home with us.

Afterwards, we caught a combi back down to Urubamba and decided to buy our tickets to Santa Maria for that night at 9 P.M., so that we would have enough time get to Aguas Calientes A.K.A. Machu Picchu Village the following day.  We went back to the Llama Pack, packed up our bags, made dinner, and then said our goodbyes to Coqui and Alejandra.  We took a Tuk-Tuk down to the bus station and waited there for about an hour and a half until the bus arrived (late, as usual).  The bus ride was a bit long and took us all the way to the other side of the mountains.  We got some good views due to the brightness of the moon, but the winding roads and the squeaky breaks were a little unsettling.

We arrived in Santa Maria at around 2:30 A.M., and our next step was to take a taxi to Santa Teresa.  After packing the taxi with 5 passengers, the driver took us down a curvy dirt road very fast.  The road was actually quite scary, but fun once you got used to it.  To our right there was a crumbly cliff line above us, and to our a left a dark drop-off.  The taxi crossed little streams every now and then, and even  a rickety wooden bridge that could only support 3 tons maximum.  After about an hour of this, we arrived in the little town of Santa Teresa.  Surprisingly, lots of people seemed to be awake at this time so we had no trouble finding a cheap hostel for the night.

The next day, we awoke at ten and got some decent breakfast.  Afterwards, we walked twenty minutes from the town to the natural hot springs of Colcamayu.  The springs were great: cheap, clean, great scenery, and very few people.  We soaked away our troubles an aches for about an hour, then walked back to our cheap, little hostel.  When we got there, the owner offered us to rest a bit there, which we gladly accepted.  The rest turned into a 2-hour nap, and we awoke at 3 P.M., a bit worried that we might not have enough time to make it to Aguas Calientes before nightfall.  We hurriedly packed our belongings, thanked the owner, and then caught another taxi to the Hydro-electrical plant up the river.  The road was similar to that we had just took to from Santa Maria, however it was the day time and we could see the amazing landscapes, including waterfalls, mountains, and the raging Urubamba river.

At our arrival to the Hydro-electric station, we began our two hour hike along the train-tracks to Aguas Calientes.  The trail was surprisingly well used, and the walk was amazing.  The scenery of the Inca Jungle was that of which I had never witnessed before here in Peru.  Dramatic mountains covered in greenery, exotic plants like banana and avocado trees, and the calls of various different tropical bird species.  After about two hours, when the day began to grow dark, we finally arrived to the civilization in the middle of the jungle known as Aguas Calientes.  By this time, were both pretty tired from hauling our gear all that way, and so settled on the first hostel we could find there.  It wasn't too cheap, but then again nothing in the Machu Picchu Village is.  After grabbing some pizza and beer, we reluctantly went to go buy train tickets back to Ollantaytambo, seeing as that we would not have enough to to return the way we came before mom had to leave from Cusco.  The train tickets were extremely expensive, about $70 each for an hour and a half ride, and what's worse is that the Peruvians are only charged 10 soles a piece.  Feeling hurt by this injustice, we resolved to walk the way up to Machu Picchu the following day instead of buying $20 bus tickets.

The next morning, we woke up at 5 A.M. to get an early start for out big day.  After making a simple breakfast of banana-peanut-butter sandwiches and coffee, we got on our way at 6 A.M.  The walk up to the gates of Machu Picchu was not too easy, about an hour of stairs going straight up.  Luckily for me, I had been so well acclimatized that in the lower altitudes I was not winded whatsoever.  Mom had a slightly more difficult time, yet we made it to the gates at 7:30.  When we entered, the clouds were still covering the sight but we caught some glimpses of the amazing Inca Citadel.  We decided we should use our Machu Picchu mountain passes before the checkpoint closed, so we did another two hours of walking straight up to the tallest mountain above Machu Picchu.  The path was not easy, a bit sketchy at times, and at the top the clouds were still to thick to see anything, but we made it nevertheless.  We hung out for a bit, ate some snacks and fruit, then decided it was time to head back down.

Once we got back to the bottom, we got our first real views of Machu Picchu.  Being on of the wonders of the world, everyone has seen it in pictures, but it is truly even more spectacular in real life.  Not just the buildings and the architecture, but the landscape surrounding it and all the wildlife within.  We walked around the sight, maneuvering our way through the herds of tourists, getting our pictures and checking out various parts.  Honestly, it was a bit much to take it all in at once.  Mom was also very tired from the mountain we had conquered.  After spending several hours marveling at the genius of the Inca, we decided it was time to head back.  On our way out, we encountered several llamas who were employed as full time lawn-mowers for Machu Picchu.

We walked all the way back down the steps, back to Aguas Calientes, and grabbed some lunch before our train.  We realized that the longer we stayed in that area, the more money we would spend.  Even though the sight was amazing, we were glad to get out of the tourist trap.  We boarded the over-priced Inca Rail at 6:30, and were on our way back to Ollantaytambo.  After several delays, and making a few friends with the people sitting next to me, we finally arrived to Ollantaytambo at 9:00 P.M.  From there, we caught a auto to Urubamba and decided to stay another night in the Llama Pack Hostel.  Upon arrival, we encountered a group packing up for their 4-day llama hike to the surrounding communites in the mountains-sounds like fun!  We made ourselves a modest dinner, took showers, and got some much deserved sleep after a long day.

My consensus:  Machu Picchu is amazing and is totally worth the journey no matter how you get there. However, it is a bit expensive and very crowded.  After visiting other Inca ruins in the Sacred Valley, the architecture was not quite as shocking, in fact mom and I both found it comparable to Pisaq, however the surrounding mountains and jungle make its location very special.  If you're in Peru, you ought to go, but perhaps check out some of the other sights as well, they are also quite amazing.

Today, we are heading back to Cusco to stay one more night in Marina's hostel before mom returns to the U.S. tomorrow.  I myself, am returning this Sunday.  Looks like we'll be taking it easy these next few days, but I'll keep you all informed on what's up.  Hope to see you all soon when I get back to the States!  Alrighty then, Chao, amigos.

This past Wednesday, mom and I caught the bus down into Urubamba.  I paid the driver a little extra to drop us off right in front of the Llama Pack Hostel.  When we got there, there was only one American staying there named Matt.  We talked for a bit, and then I saw Coqui and his son Borja in the backyard so I went to go say "hi" to them.  We were happy to see one another and reconnect, and I told him all about my amazing time in Huaraz.  After moving our stuff into a room, we went downtown to grab some lunch at Kaia Restaurant.  We had a good meal and were served by a nice, but very forgetful hippy waiter.  Afterwards we went to the Urubamba market and picked up some food and fruits to eat for dinner and dessert.

Thursday, we went to the town of Pisac to visit the ruins.  We got there around noon and began the long, 2 and half hour hike up through the incredible archeological sight that seemed to go on and on.  In the entrance, there was a man making a beautiful sound on a traditional Peruvian wooden flute, so we decided to tip him a bit.  The walk was a bit strenuous for mom, who was still getting used to the altitude, but the area was astounding.  It seemed to go on and on, with many different parts to it.  Towards the end, it started to get dark, cloudy, and windy, and we almost turned back, but we decided to soldier on through and arrived at the top of the ruins.  Right about then, it started to rain so we took a taxi ride back down into the town.  In town, we grabbed some good lunch at Ulrike's Cafe, and encountered a German man with his cheeks stuffed like a squirrels with coca leaves.  After eating we went to the Thursday market in Pisac and picked up a few gifts and souvenirs.

On Friday we went to Ollantaytambo.  First, we checked out the archeological ruins that I had never been inside before (due to their cost), and walked around them for a while.  They were actually quite cool up close and I was glad that I had bought my boleto turistico.  After spending an hour or two there,  we got lunch at La Esquina.  The service was a bit slow, as usual, but the food was great, and after our meal the owner, Ryder, gave us complementary cookies.  Since it was still early by the time we finished, we decided to hike up the other ruins which I had been to before.  It was amazing how easy that hike felt the second time, after being well acclimatized.  Finally, we checked out the Cocao Museum in Ollantaytambo.  We got a free tour with free samples, learned a lot about chocolate, and decided to have some chocolate fondue as well while we were there (because we're  on vacation, after all).  Lastly, we went to a local chicheria I had been to before there and picked up some chicha amerilla.  Mom was very surprised at the homeyness of the chicheria, with little cuy (guinea pigs) running around on the dirt floor and all, but the chicha itself was top notch.

Today, we woke up early, around 6:30, and headed up to an old Inca experimental agricultural sight called Moray.  It was a very neat place, terraced in concentric circles dug into the ground.  Apparently they were trying the different effects of temperature, wind, and sun at each level to grow different types of crops that would otherwise not grow in that climate.  The sight itself is small, but amazing, and you can really feel a temperature difference as you walk down into the circles.  Afterwards, we had our hired taxi driver, Feliciano, take us to the Salineras which were nearby.  The Salineras are basically pre-Inca salt harvesting pools which are still used to this day, and whose stark whiteness really stands out among the surrounding landscape.  We walked along the salty pools, all the way back down into Urubamba, which took about 45 minutes.  From there, we caught a combi back to the center of Urubamba and got some fruit juice smoothies at the market.

Later, around 2 P.M., we joined in on a hike to go see the llamas with Coqui and two other American girls.  It was neat because my mom had not seen them yet, and there was also a newborn baby llama there for us two see.  We hiked up a little bit up the hill where the future llama park will be, and had a little lunch that Coqui had prepared for us beforehand.  We talked about the benefits of llamas, and then hiked back down with Coqui's assitant, Sergio.  On the way back to the Llama Pack, it started to rain but only very lightly.  Then, the sun broke through the clouds and we got an amazing glimpse at a full on double-rainbow!  You don't see something like that everyday.

Tomorrow, we plan on going to Chinchero to check out the archeological sight there and to also buy some stuff at the Sunday market.  Monday we head to Santa Teresa, maybe check out a hot springs there, and then walk to Agua Calientes.  Tuesday we are going to see Machu Picchu!  I am very excited, because it is the must see destination in Peru, and I think it will really wrap my (our) journey up.  Talk to y'all on the flip side, Chao!

Well recently we've been doing so many fun things it's hard to keep track of it all.

First, we bought boletos turisticos to get into a bunch of different sights in and around Cusco and the Sacred Valley.  We went to a couple of museums, which were somewhat interesting.  Our favorite exhibit was about El Inca Garcilaso, a mestizo of royal inca blood and who documented to famous commentaries about the royal lives of the Inca.  In another museum underneath the Qoricancha, we got to see some mummified royal Incas.

We also checked out all the ruins above Cusco, most notably Sacsayhuaman.  Afterwards we walked to different sights including Zone X, Tambo Machay, Puka Pukara, Q'enqo, and the Templo de la Luna.  Though they were less spectacular, they were still very interesting and we got some good hiking in.

Aside from sight seeing, we changed hostels to an Air B&B listed online.  It is in a nice location and hosted by a nice Peruvian lady, Marina.  At first, it seemed we had to hostel to ourselves, but it soon turned into a sort of Caravan Sarai after many other guests from all over the world showed up.  Anyhow, we met some nice people here including a Turkish/Russian couple.

We have also been eating out a lot, trying lots of different types of restaurants, including Indian food, a menú restaurant, a gyros place, and others.  We also went to the market yesterday and cooked for the first time, making a vegetable stir fry with quinoa.

This morning, we went and bought our tickets for Machu Picchu and the mountain above it for this coming Tuesday the 7th.  We are very psyched for this, but first we are headed down into the Sacred Valley.  We are going to stay at the Llama Pack Hostel, to  llama trek, and visit various sights including Pisac, Moray, and Ollantaytambo.

Lots of good stuff planned before we head home!