About this Blog
This blog is a journal of a trip four friends took to Peru in June 2006. It's best to start at the beginning by reading the first post. Although I wrote the posts after we returned from Peru, I dated them according to our actual time there.
There are two purposes of this blog. 1) To act as my travel journal and 2) provide information to future travelers to Peru.
Enjoy.
Love,
Michelle
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
FINAL THOUGHTS
So, if I would do it over again, what would I do? Would I do anything differently?
Sure…
I don’t regret the hike one bit – I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. I am very proud I did it and I firmly believe that the hikers get more out of Machu Picchu than the typical visitor. I’m so glad we arrived on June 21st – it was worth the extra coordination to be there on that special day. It was such a thrill.
I do regret getting sick, but you can’t control or forsee that. I would have still done everything – I would have just packed even more American pharmaceutical drugs that I did.
I would have recommended that Anika and Jon skipped the hike, or instead, have done the 2 day, 9 mile Royal Inca Trail hike. She could have done that one, still saw Machu Picchu and not have gotten so sick. I still feel horrible that they suffered so much, paid so much money, and never saw MP. So I wish something could have been done about that. But none of us knew that she would get so sick, even when she was taking the altitude pills.
I wish I shopped more. I decided to shop in Cusco after the trail, but by then, we were sick and coming home early. I wanted to bring back art, textiles and chocolate.
I wish I could have gone to a church service at a local church in Cusco or Lima.
I loved Peru and I’m so glad we visited it. Even though we got sick, we had an incredible time. I hope we go there again – there is still so much to see and do and the people are just beautiful. Next time, I’ll probably take the train to MP, but who knows, maybe I’ll hike it again.
Gracias Peru.
So, if I would do it over again, what would I do? Would I do anything differently?
Sure…
I don’t regret the hike one bit – I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. I am very proud I did it and I firmly believe that the hikers get more out of Machu Picchu than the typical visitor. I’m so glad we arrived on June 21st – it was worth the extra coordination to be there on that special day. It was such a thrill.
I do regret getting sick, but you can’t control or forsee that. I would have still done everything – I would have just packed even more American pharmaceutical drugs that I did.
I would have recommended that Anika and Jon skipped the hike, or instead, have done the 2 day, 9 mile Royal Inca Trail hike. She could have done that one, still saw Machu Picchu and not have gotten so sick. I still feel horrible that they suffered so much, paid so much money, and never saw MP. So I wish something could have been done about that. But none of us knew that she would get so sick, even when she was taking the altitude pills.
I wish I shopped more. I decided to shop in Cusco after the trail, but by then, we were sick and coming home early. I wanted to bring back art, textiles and chocolate.
I wish I could have gone to a church service at a local church in Cusco or Lima.
I loved Peru and I’m so glad we visited it. Even though we got sick, we had an incredible time. I hope we go there again – there is still so much to see and do and the people are just beautiful. Next time, I’ll probably take the train to MP, but who knows, maybe I’ll hike it again.
Gracias Peru.
SICK OF BEING SICK
Jared was sick for only a few more days. Most of the pain was during the trail and in Cusco so by the time we got to the city he was on his way up. He had no stomach problems really – his appetite and digestion were back to normal within a day or two.
Me on the other hand? Not so lucky.
It took me about a week to feel remotely healthy. I had a nasty cold/cough my first week back. What was worse was my stomach problems. I didn’t eat breakfast or dinner (no appetite to do so) but I forced myself to eat a small lunch. However, whatever I consumed was out of my system within a few hours. It was horrible, just horrible.
I saw our awesome family physician, Dr. Reid, on Tuesday. He told me I had normal traveler’s problems and that stuff should clear out in a couple weeks.
Great.
Every few days, things got better. My appetite slowly returned and instead of being sick within a few hours, it would only happen once every couple days. My cold was gone after a week and a half. It’s been a month and my stomach stuff is pretty much gone. I’m not sick anymore but my body isn’t um, what’s the most appropriate term? Regular. But I feel fine.
Jared was sick for only a few more days. Most of the pain was during the trail and in Cusco so by the time we got to the city he was on his way up. He had no stomach problems really – his appetite and digestion were back to normal within a day or two.
Me on the other hand? Not so lucky.
It took me about a week to feel remotely healthy. I had a nasty cold/cough my first week back. What was worse was my stomach problems. I didn’t eat breakfast or dinner (no appetite to do so) but I forced myself to eat a small lunch. However, whatever I consumed was out of my system within a few hours. It was horrible, just horrible.
I saw our awesome family physician, Dr. Reid, on Tuesday. He told me I had normal traveler’s problems and that stuff should clear out in a couple weeks.
Great.
Every few days, things got better. My appetite slowly returned and instead of being sick within a few hours, it would only happen once every couple days. My cold was gone after a week and a half. It’s been a month and my stomach stuff is pretty much gone. I’m not sick anymore but my body isn’t um, what’s the most appropriate term? Regular. But I feel fine.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
SAN FRANCISCO, HERE WE COME
We flew from Orange County to Oakland Airport and arrived around 11am. I hate the Oakland Airport, it needs a makeover. SFO is so much prettier.
We were debating whether to take BART or splurge for a shuttle.
Pro-Bart Team:
Cheaper, about $10 total
About 45-60 minutes, airport to door
Supports local transportation efforts
Pro-Shuttle Team:
Typically, a lot faster
Drops you off at your door, instead of at the Montgomery Station, which means no bus or cabs
We were sick, exhausted and had a lot of luggage so we opted for the shuttle. We knew today was the Pride Parade so traffic would be insane, for either BART or a shuttle. We climbed in and two ladies, no relation, were on the ride with us. Both had never been to San Francisco before and were staying downtown.
Our driver wanted to drop off one woman first, whose apartment (the Marriott on 4th) is right in the heart of the parade. I told him that if we did that we’d get stuck in traffic, but he didn’t listen. Guess who was right? ME. He should have dropped her off last and then hopped back on the freeway to go to the airport again. The traffic from the hotel to the freeway (south of market) was great, it was getting from the parade to my apartment and the other woman’s hotel, which was nuts.
So, after an hour of parade traffic, we finally arrived at our apartment.
HOME SWEET HOME.
We dropped our luggage and just collapsed. I think it took us two weeks to finally put our luggage away.
We flew from Orange County to Oakland Airport and arrived around 11am. I hate the Oakland Airport, it needs a makeover. SFO is so much prettier.
We were debating whether to take BART or splurge for a shuttle.
Pro-Bart Team:
Cheaper, about $10 total
About 45-60 minutes, airport to door
Supports local transportation efforts
Pro-Shuttle Team:
Typically, a lot faster
Drops you off at your door, instead of at the Montgomery Station, which means no bus or cabs
We were sick, exhausted and had a lot of luggage so we opted for the shuttle. We knew today was the Pride Parade so traffic would be insane, for either BART or a shuttle. We climbed in and two ladies, no relation, were on the ride with us. Both had never been to San Francisco before and were staying downtown.
Our driver wanted to drop off one woman first, whose apartment (the Marriott on 4th) is right in the heart of the parade. I told him that if we did that we’d get stuck in traffic, but he didn’t listen. Guess who was right? ME. He should have dropped her off last and then hopped back on the freeway to go to the airport again. The traffic from the hotel to the freeway (south of market) was great, it was getting from the parade to my apartment and the other woman’s hotel, which was nuts.
So, after an hour of parade traffic, we finally arrived at our apartment.
HOME SWEET HOME.
We dropped our luggage and just collapsed. I think it took us two weeks to finally put our luggage away.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
LAX
We finally arrived at LAX. The realization that we were home in the US was wonderful. We still weren’t home in San Francisco, but being near my family and friends was a great consolation prize. The joy and excitement overtook our physical ailments for a brief couple of hours.
Anika and Jon picked us up – it was so good to see them. They drove us to my parents home in Orange County and we chatted about the Inca Trail – what they missed, etc. We all agree they made the right decision about turning around.
I walked into my parents home and collapsed on the couch. We went to the drug store to get drugs and later my sister Andrea came over with my two awesome nieces, Meghan (5) and Katie (1).
I had been craving a Coldbuster from Jamba Juice for the past few days. My parents went out, drove forever trying to find it, and then when they brought it back to me, I was too sick to even drink it. I had no appetite whatsoever although the thought of it sounded really good. Sorry, Mom.
We changed our Southwest flight from Monday to tomorrow, Sunday. It was nice being home with my family but I was craving my own bed, apartment and city. I wanted to be home.
We finally arrived at LAX. The realization that we were home in the US was wonderful. We still weren’t home in San Francisco, but being near my family and friends was a great consolation prize. The joy and excitement overtook our physical ailments for a brief couple of hours.
Anika and Jon picked us up – it was so good to see them. They drove us to my parents home in Orange County and we chatted about the Inca Trail – what they missed, etc. We all agree they made the right decision about turning around.
I walked into my parents home and collapsed on the couch. We went to the drug store to get drugs and later my sister Andrea came over with my two awesome nieces, Meghan (5) and Katie (1).
I had been craving a Coldbuster from Jamba Juice for the past few days. My parents went out, drove forever trying to find it, and then when they brought it back to me, I was too sick to even drink it. I had no appetite whatsoever although the thought of it sounded really good. Sorry, Mom.
We changed our Southwest flight from Monday to tomorrow, Sunday. It was nice being home with my family but I was craving my own bed, apartment and city. I wanted to be home.
KILLING FOUR HOURS AT MEXICO CITY AIRPORT
We arrived in Mexico, went through customs to get our “transit” stamp and then tried to find our terminal. Signage at Mexico City Airport is HORRIBLE – they should hire the awesome environmental graphic designers at my firm to re-do it. Anyway, they only post where a flight is about two hours before the flight takes off. So for several hours, you have no idea what’s going on. It’s lame.
Our tickets said a specific gate, so we went to that gate and sat around watching my video iPod. We kept checking the screens and the gate we were at and no information was coming up for a flight to Los Angeles – and our flight was an hour away. So we decided to move around… we then saw another screen and realized our flight was at a different gate so we finally found it. I wish they had TV’s like other airports that posted flight information. It’s really frustrating.
And the “informacion” people have no computer and only a piece of paper of flights so they were no help.
Anyway, we made our flight and had three more hours of flying until we were in LA…
We arrived in Mexico, went through customs to get our “transit” stamp and then tried to find our terminal. Signage at Mexico City Airport is HORRIBLE – they should hire the awesome environmental graphic designers at my firm to re-do it. Anyway, they only post where a flight is about two hours before the flight takes off. So for several hours, you have no idea what’s going on. It’s lame.
Our tickets said a specific gate, so we went to that gate and sat around watching my video iPod. We kept checking the screens and the gate we were at and no information was coming up for a flight to Los Angeles – and our flight was an hour away. So we decided to move around… we then saw another screen and realized our flight was at a different gate so we finally found it. I wish they had TV’s like other airports that posted flight information. It’s really frustrating.
And the “informacion” people have no computer and only a piece of paper of flights so they were no help.
Anyway, we made our flight and had three more hours of flying until we were in LA…
Friday, June 23, 2006
KILLING SEVEN HOURS AT LIMA AIRPORT
It was around 5pm, we had our tickets and our luggage and we just needed to wait for our flight at 12:30am. We grabbed a luggage cart and made our way over to the shopping area. As we were walking, we saw some kid with a McDonalds drink up – we both saw the cup, looked at each other in awe and eagerness, and then ran… yes, they had a McDonalds.
It’s funny – we never eat McDonalds here. Well, I guess you should never say never, so maybe it’s best to say that once a year we may eat it. Don’t get me wrong, we love hamburgers and French fries and milk shakes. It’s just that we go to various diners or restaurants in the city when we crave one, including In-N-Out Burger at Fisherman’s Wharf. Why go to McDonald’s and get a hamburger whose ingredients you aren’t exactly sure of, when you can get one down the street that’s real and is the same price. It’s not like we hook up the drive-thu thing here in the city.
Anyway, after two weeks of straight Peruvian food (which is good, but come on!), we were elated, ELATED to see Mickey-Dees. Lima Airport also had a Dunkin Donuts and Papa John’s… Jared really wanted Papa John’s Pizza (they don’t have it in SF), but after multiple attempts at horrible pizzas in Peru, I had no appetite whatsoever for it.
So we ordered McDonald’s and it tasted great. Really salty, and I love salt, but you could really taste it and you know what, it was awesome. It was the only meal I ate that day and I ate more than I had in over a week. I ate one and a half of my cheeseburgers and half my fries. If I ate that meal today I could completely clean my plate off, but considering my lack of appetite and stomach for food for an entire week (while hiking too), it was a big accomplishment.
I was feeling great – I had American(ish) food in my stomach, we had our flights, I called home and told my parents we’d be seeing them the next day, I spoke to Jon and Anika finally… but the honeymoon quickly ended.
Before I get to that – a quick comment about calling home. Calling home SUCKS in Peru. I was sold calling cards, none of them worked, but at the Lima Airport they had this rad little store set-up where you pay to call home by the minute (1 sol per minute). It was awesome. No muss, no fuss.
Anyway, by 7pm, I went from happy Michelle to sick, I-want-to-curl-up-and-die Michelle. Fever, chills, coughing, stomach problems – you name it, I pretty much had it. We went to our terminal and I just camped out on some chairs and tried to rest. It was horrible. Jared was still in bad shape, but I was definitely worse.
Midnight finally came and we got on our flight. We had six hours to cover before we would land in Mexico City. It couldn’t come any faster.
It was around 5pm, we had our tickets and our luggage and we just needed to wait for our flight at 12:30am. We grabbed a luggage cart and made our way over to the shopping area. As we were walking, we saw some kid with a McDonalds drink up – we both saw the cup, looked at each other in awe and eagerness, and then ran… yes, they had a McDonalds.
It’s funny – we never eat McDonalds here. Well, I guess you should never say never, so maybe it’s best to say that once a year we may eat it. Don’t get me wrong, we love hamburgers and French fries and milk shakes. It’s just that we go to various diners or restaurants in the city when we crave one, including In-N-Out Burger at Fisherman’s Wharf. Why go to McDonald’s and get a hamburger whose ingredients you aren’t exactly sure of, when you can get one down the street that’s real and is the same price. It’s not like we hook up the drive-thu thing here in the city.
Anyway, after two weeks of straight Peruvian food (which is good, but come on!), we were elated, ELATED to see Mickey-Dees. Lima Airport also had a Dunkin Donuts and Papa John’s… Jared really wanted Papa John’s Pizza (they don’t have it in SF), but after multiple attempts at horrible pizzas in Peru, I had no appetite whatsoever for it.
So we ordered McDonald’s and it tasted great. Really salty, and I love salt, but you could really taste it and you know what, it was awesome. It was the only meal I ate that day and I ate more than I had in over a week. I ate one and a half of my cheeseburgers and half my fries. If I ate that meal today I could completely clean my plate off, but considering my lack of appetite and stomach for food for an entire week (while hiking too), it was a big accomplishment.
I was feeling great – I had American(ish) food in my stomach, we had our flights, I called home and told my parents we’d be seeing them the next day, I spoke to Jon and Anika finally… but the honeymoon quickly ended.
Before I get to that – a quick comment about calling home. Calling home SUCKS in Peru. I was sold calling cards, none of them worked, but at the Lima Airport they had this rad little store set-up where you pay to call home by the minute (1 sol per minute). It was awesome. No muss, no fuss.
Anyway, by 7pm, I went from happy Michelle to sick, I-want-to-curl-up-and-die Michelle. Fever, chills, coughing, stomach problems – you name it, I pretty much had it. We went to our terminal and I just camped out on some chairs and tried to rest. It was horrible. Jared was still in bad shape, but I was definitely worse.
Midnight finally came and we got on our flight. We had six hours to cover before we would land in Mexico City. It couldn’t come any faster.
MICHELLE CRIES HER WAY HOME
So we arrive in Lima around 3ish and our next step in getting home is switching our flights on AeroMexico from Sunday at midnight (so technically Monday morning) to tonight at midnight (technically Saturday morning).
When I called AeroMexico from Cusco they said we had to go to their offices in Lima to do anything. Before we grabbed a cab and left the airport, we decided to at least check with their offices at the airport.
The airport office was hard to find and by the time we found it, we were told we had to go back to get a security pass before we could come in. I spoke to the security officer and he would only allow one of us to go at a time. Why? I have no idea. So, off I went to change our flights, leaving Jared, sick and miserable, standing guard over all our luggage.
For the next two (yes, count ‘em TWO!) hours, I was the sole guest at AeroMexico’s offices at the Lima International Airport, trying to change our flight. Their computer systems was very low-tech (dot matrix printers, Linux operating system, etc). and it took them about 15 minutes to realize anything, and the two girls helping we were completely competent and very sweet. The system itself is just horrible.
At first we were told we could change our flight – there was room on the plane – but that it would cost us about $200 per person. I wasn’t happy about this but I agreed to do it. Jared was super sick, I was starting to feel pretty ill, and the idea that we bailed on the Inti Raymi festival to stay in Lima was not a happy one. We were going home immediately, end of discussion.
After about 30 more minutes of my two senoritas typing, calling and more typing, they told me that because I bought my flight earlier, I was in a lower class and it would actually cost us around $550 each to change the flight. This was just under what we actually paid for our tickets and I was not paying $1100 for us to fly home, and it would still be on coach!
I started crying….
My family and close friends know I can cry on queue (a talent the Lord has blessed me with, I know), but this was not an act. This was me being tired and worried… about Jared, about me, about my friends, about just wanting to get home. Being sick sucks when you are in your own bed and have your mother looking after you and the Ellen show to watch, but being in Peru with NO medicine and NO chicken soup and NO cool tv shows and NO mom made being sick absolutely miserable.
So the tears spilled…
The ladies instantly ran around the office, grabbing tissues, trying to comfort me. They asked me what was wrong, why was I crying? I told them that my husband was very sick. They asked what kind of sick and was he able to travel. After I confirmed to them that he was able to travel but that we just needed to get to our own doctor, they turned from sweet AeroMexico ticket agents to just angels. They started calling people on their walkie-talkies, phones, grabbed their boss, etc. I just sat in my chair, crying, blowing my nose, and sniffling.
An hour later, a grinning AeroMexico agent told me had our flights for cheaper. I asked how much and she told me it would be $50 per person – the standard fee for changing any ticket.
That act of complete service and generosity started the waterworks all over again. I hugged both of them and 30 minutes later, I had my tickets.
I was still crying when I exited the elevator. Jared, who had been waiting for two hours wondering where his wife had disappeared to, sees me finally and I’m completely in tears. He of course was asking me what happened, why was I crying, did I get the tickets… All I could do was barely croak out “we got them” and still cry.
After a few minutes, I was able to tell him what happened and that because of two very nice women and his emotional wife, we were able to secure our midnight flight for $100 total.
So we arrive in Lima around 3ish and our next step in getting home is switching our flights on AeroMexico from Sunday at midnight (so technically Monday morning) to tonight at midnight (technically Saturday morning).
When I called AeroMexico from Cusco they said we had to go to their offices in Lima to do anything. Before we grabbed a cab and left the airport, we decided to at least check with their offices at the airport.
The airport office was hard to find and by the time we found it, we were told we had to go back to get a security pass before we could come in. I spoke to the security officer and he would only allow one of us to go at a time. Why? I have no idea. So, off I went to change our flights, leaving Jared, sick and miserable, standing guard over all our luggage.
For the next two (yes, count ‘em TWO!) hours, I was the sole guest at AeroMexico’s offices at the Lima International Airport, trying to change our flight. Their computer systems was very low-tech (dot matrix printers, Linux operating system, etc). and it took them about 15 minutes to realize anything, and the two girls helping we were completely competent and very sweet. The system itself is just horrible.
At first we were told we could change our flight – there was room on the plane – but that it would cost us about $200 per person. I wasn’t happy about this but I agreed to do it. Jared was super sick, I was starting to feel pretty ill, and the idea that we bailed on the Inti Raymi festival to stay in Lima was not a happy one. We were going home immediately, end of discussion.
After about 30 more minutes of my two senoritas typing, calling and more typing, they told me that because I bought my flight earlier, I was in a lower class and it would actually cost us around $550 each to change the flight. This was just under what we actually paid for our tickets and I was not paying $1100 for us to fly home, and it would still be on coach!
I started crying….
My family and close friends know I can cry on queue (a talent the Lord has blessed me with, I know), but this was not an act. This was me being tired and worried… about Jared, about me, about my friends, about just wanting to get home. Being sick sucks when you are in your own bed and have your mother looking after you and the Ellen show to watch, but being in Peru with NO medicine and NO chicken soup and NO cool tv shows and NO mom made being sick absolutely miserable.
So the tears spilled…
The ladies instantly ran around the office, grabbing tissues, trying to comfort me. They asked me what was wrong, why was I crying? I told them that my husband was very sick. They asked what kind of sick and was he able to travel. After I confirmed to them that he was able to travel but that we just needed to get to our own doctor, they turned from sweet AeroMexico ticket agents to just angels. They started calling people on their walkie-talkies, phones, grabbed their boss, etc. I just sat in my chair, crying, blowing my nose, and sniffling.
An hour later, a grinning AeroMexico agent told me had our flights for cheaper. I asked how much and she told me it would be $50 per person – the standard fee for changing any ticket.
That act of complete service and generosity started the waterworks all over again. I hugged both of them and 30 minutes later, I had my tickets.
I was still crying when I exited the elevator. Jared, who had been waiting for two hours wondering where his wife had disappeared to, sees me finally and I’m completely in tears. He of course was asking me what happened, why was I crying, did I get the tickets… All I could do was barely croak out “we got them” and still cry.
After a few minutes, I was able to tell him what happened and that because of two very nice women and his emotional wife, we were able to secure our midnight flight for $100 total.
FAST ESCAPE
We woke up feeling horrible. Jared felt worse and I wasn’t feeling that great either. Plus it was raining. Cusco is 3,000 feet higher in altitude than Machu Picchu or Aguas, and that wasn’t helping the situation either.
We decided to try and go to AeroMexico to see if we could fly back a day early – Saturday afternoon – instead of on Sunday afternoon. We dropped off our dirty Inca Trail laundry with our hotel and left to grab a taxi.
The city was already in full party mode at 10:30am and the Inti Raymi festival wasn’t until tomorrow. It was gorgeous – the rainbow was a sort of symbol of the event and people had rainbow ribbons everywhere. People were dressed up in costumes, kids dancing, etc. Most of the streets were closed and we couldn’t get a cab so we walked to AeroMexico’s office. It’s not a far walk, maybe a mile or so, but when you have a sick spouse and you’re butt is still store from hiking 30 miles, every step is painful. And it was raining! If the sun was shining, I’m telling you we would have been in much better spirits.
We decided to try and go to AeroMexico to see if we could fly back a day early – Saturday afternoon – instead of on Sunday afternoon. We dropped off our dirty Inca Trail laundry with our hotel and left to grab a taxi.
The city was already in full party mode at 10:30am and the Inti Raymi festival wasn’t until tomorrow. It was gorgeous – the rainbow was a sort of symbol of the event and people had rainbow ribbons everywhere. People were dressed up in costumes, kids dancing, etc. Most of the streets were closed and we couldn’t get a cab so we walked to AeroMexico’s office. It’s not a far walk, maybe a mile or so, but when you have a sick spouse and you’re butt is still store from hiking 30 miles, every step is painful. And it was raining! If the sun was shining, I’m telling you we would have been in much better spirits.
We finally see a llama!
Cool costumes.
Music, vibrant colors and.... rain.
We showed up at the office, grabbed a number (about a dozen people were ahead of us) and after 20-30 minutes, this awesome lady helped us. She said that Saturday was completely sold out and poor Jared looked like he was going to pass out. She said that we had two options really: there was a 2:00 pm flight to Lima today (Friday) or we would have to wait until Sunday for the flight we were currently booked on.
It was 11:30am. We had to be at the airport, packed and ready to go by 1:00pm. We also still had to go to Q’ente’s offices to finish paying for our tips (Anika and Jon borrowed cash when they left early on the hike).
We went for it. As much as we wanted to see Inti Raymi we knew we wouldn’t enjoy it if we both were completely ill.
We booked our tickets and hurried as fast as we could. Getting back to our hotel was nuts… we realized that the best thing to do was to split up. Jared found a cab and went to Q’ente – I walked back to the hotel to pack.
When I showed up at the hotel it was noon and I completely forgot about the laundry service – the amazing people at Ninos Hotel tracked down my laundry and had it back to me in an hour. Can you believe it? They outsource their guests laundry to a place across the city and did all of this amazing maneuvering to get me our clothes so fast. I LOVE NINOS HOTEL.
I was packing like a madwoman… we left our hotel in a shambles when we left that morning. We basically dumped everything out so we could do laundry so I had to organize everything, fold it, pack it, etc. Jared showed up at 12:45pm – the same time our laundry got here. There was no way we could have packed and gone to Q’ente together.
We made it to the airport and got on our flight just fine.
Now all we needed to do was switch our LAN Peru flight from Sunday night to Friday night…
I was packing like a madwoman… we left our hotel in a shambles when we left that morning. We basically dumped everything out so we could do laundry so I had to organize everything, fold it, pack it, etc. Jared showed up at 12:45pm – the same time our laundry got here. There was no way we could have packed and gone to Q’ente together.
We made it to the airport and got on our flight just fine.
Now all we needed to do was switch our LAN Peru flight from Sunday night to Friday night…
AMBIEN + JARED = NAKED SLEEPWALKING
At around 4am, I heard some noises and I woke up to see Jared naked walking around our hotel room. It’s freezing at night in Cusco and you can see your breath sometimes, so this was super weird…
Michelle: Jared?
Jared: (no response)
Michelle: Jared, what are you doing?
Jared: Huh?
Michelle: What are you doing?
Jared: I’m going to take a shower… (mumbled)
Michelle: Oh…
So I go back to bed. We woke up at 10am – we slept for 12+ hours and it felt great. Jared had no recollection of his naked sleep walking the previous night. He did wake up naked though.
I guess those rumors about Ambien are true.
At around 4am, I heard some noises and I woke up to see Jared naked walking around our hotel room. It’s freezing at night in Cusco and you can see your breath sometimes, so this was super weird…
Michelle: Jared?
Jared: (no response)
Michelle: Jared, what are you doing?
Jared: Huh?
Michelle: What are you doing?
Jared: I’m going to take a shower… (mumbled)
Michelle: Oh…
So I go back to bed. We woke up at 10am – we slept for 12+ hours and it felt great. Jared had no recollection of his naked sleep walking the previous night. He did wake up naked though.
I guess those rumors about Ambien are true.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
AGUAS TO CUSCO
Jared woke up feeling worse than before, if that was possible. So while he stayed in bed, I walked to the pharmacy to try and purchase another South American drug that “may” work (which we all know by now, didn’t.)
I couldn’t believe the climate change… gone was the sunshine and blue skies and in its place were tons of misty clouds. It was lightly raining and you could hardly see 100 feet about you – the mist was that low.
I convinced the mean staff at our hotel to let us check-out at 11am instead of 9am (who checks out at 9am?!) and we left our bags at the hotel, tried to eat lunch and then camped out at a cush internet café. The café was rad, right off of the square where there’s this giant statue of the ninth Incan King, Pachacutec.
Jared woke up feeling worse than before, if that was possible. So while he stayed in bed, I walked to the pharmacy to try and purchase another South American drug that “may” work (which we all know by now, didn’t.)
Jared sick and looking to "escape" Aguas.
I couldn’t believe the climate change… gone was the sunshine and blue skies and in its place were tons of misty clouds. It was lightly raining and you could hardly see 100 feet about you – the mist was that low.
I convinced the mean staff at our hotel to let us check-out at 11am instead of 9am (who checks out at 9am?!) and we left our bags at the hotel, tried to eat lunch and then camped out at a cush internet café. The café was rad, right off of the square where there’s this giant statue of the ninth Incan King, Pachacutec.
By now it was raining and with the weather change and Jared’s illness, we decided not to back up again to MP. I was starting to feel a little sick too – more of a lack of energy than anything from not eating more than 400 calories a day for several days.
At 3:30pm we boarded our Vistadome train to Cusco. The train has glass ceilings and everyone was taking pictures of the scenery except Jared and I. Why? Because we already hiked through it!
At 3:30pm we boarded our Vistadome train to Cusco. The train has glass ceilings and everyone was taking pictures of the scenery except Jared and I. Why? Because we already hiked through it!
Jared and I on the Vistadome train - exhausted and sick.
I did peak over and saw people’s pictures of MP that day through their digital cameras… wow, were we lucky. You could hardly see MP, it was completely covered in mist and rain. We really lucked out that we had such good weather thoughout the entire hike and especially at MP. I would have been so bummed if we couldn’t have seen MP through the Sun Gate because of some dumb cloud.
The train also had a fashion show - the train attendants changed into alpaca fashions and modeled it for us. One of the techno songs they played was about San Francisco.
Modeling the latest in Alpaca fashions...
A Q’ente van picked us up and took us to our hotel, Los Ninos. Two doors down was an internet café, so we sent off a quick email to our doctor in SF to ask him what we should do about drugs for Jared, who at this point just seemed to be getting worse by the minute. Then we each took an Ambien at around 8:00pm and went to bed.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
AGUAS CALIENTES
Most of the hikers and tourists who visited Machu Picchu that day were already gone - they took a train home that day. When we booked our trip, we wanted to stay longer at Machu Picchu (ideally two days) so our train wouldn't depart until the following day. We had no idea 1) Jared would be sick, 2) our friends wouldn't be there and 3) it would rain the following day.
When we arrived in Aguas, Miguel took us to a farewell lunch. We barely touched our lunch – our appetites still hadn’t returned. Miguel saw us to our hotel, where a porter met us with our bags and said goodbye…
Our hotel, La Canada, was lame. The only people we met in the entire country of Peru that were rude. I do not recommend staying there. We did get a big room though.
We showered and made an appointment for massages that evening, which we were both looking forward to. I wasn’t as sore as I was when I hiked Half Dome, but I was definitely sore. It took me two days to walk normal again (stairs sucked). Funny, my legs really weren't sore until after we stopped hiking.
Everywhere in Aguas advertises pizzas, so we decided to go out and get one for dinner. Bad mistake. Peruvians for some reason can’t make pizza! I don’t know why – they have all the ingredients and tools necessary for a decent pie. And it’s not a part of their local cuisine so you know they are only making it for gringos like us. We determined it's the cheese - they can't seem to make mozarella.
Anyway, we basically took a bite each of our “pizza” and that was dinner. We hobbled our way back to bed and waited for our masseuse . It was awesome… We each got an hour and it was only $25 USD per person, which is way more expensive than it would be in Cusco, but we didn’t care.
Our hotel, La Canada, was lame. The only people we met in the entire country of Peru that were rude. I do not recommend staying there. We did get a big room though.
We showered and made an appointment for massages that evening, which we were both looking forward to. I wasn’t as sore as I was when I hiked Half Dome, but I was definitely sore. It took me two days to walk normal again (stairs sucked). Funny, my legs really weren't sore until after we stopped hiking.
Everywhere in Aguas advertises pizzas, so we decided to go out and get one for dinner. Bad mistake. Peruvians for some reason can’t make pizza! I don’t know why – they have all the ingredients and tools necessary for a decent pie. And it’s not a part of their local cuisine so you know they are only making it for gringos like us. We determined it's the cheese - they can't seem to make mozarella.
Anyway, we basically took a bite each of our “pizza” and that was dinner. We hobbled our way back to bed and waited for our masseuse . It was awesome… We each got an hour and it was only $25 USD per person, which is way more expensive than it would be in Cusco, but we didn’t care.
Jared was super sick by now… we made a couple trips to the pharmacy and I explained to them in my poor Spanish what was wrong…
“Mi esposa es muy infermo” and then I would make a coughing noise.
We bought and tried cough syrups, pills… nothing worked. We just hoped that Jared would wake up the next day feeling better.
One other thing... this was the first time during our trip that the ugly American tourists were present. A lot of people arrived in the evening to stay the night and see Machu Picchu the following day. I was horrified at their behavior and system for bartering for prices. One American girl, maybe 13 or 14, was with her parents and wanted a Machu Picchu t-shirt that was of really great quality and priced well - $12. She kept bartering with the salesperson to lower the price - I was horrified. He finally relented to $11. She was thrilled. I was disgusted that she was so happy about taking away $1 when it means nothing to her and something so much to someone else. DUMB.
THE WINTER SOLSTICE AT MACHU PICCHU
We got to Machu Picchu at around 6:30am – we were the first hikers there and already people were everywhere, which, quite frankly, pissed me off. The gates to MP opened at 6am to the nice-smelling, rested, showered tourists while the hikers were refrained from getting there any earlier. I’m still mad about this set up. They should let the hikers leave whenever they want!
Anika and Jon weren’t there – quick side note. We found out that Anika and Jon both got altitude sickness and had to get to sea level, so instead of hanging out in Lima, they decided to go back to LA. I am super bummed they came so far and never saw MP.
After looking for Jon and Anika, Miguel took us to the Temple of the Sun to wait for the sun to rise over the mountain range. As we were walking around, people were staring at us – I guess you could tell from looking at us we had been hiking for several days. Miguel was rad – he was so stoked about seeing the Winter Solstice that he was just giddy, which was very infectious. Miguel said the solstice wouldn’t happen until 7:20am – everyone else was saying it would happen sooner – but Miguel was right – just before 7:20am the sun peaked over the mountain and reflected through the Temple of the Sun. It was incredible!
Anika and Jon weren’t there – quick side note. We found out that Anika and Jon both got altitude sickness and had to get to sea level, so instead of hanging out in Lima, they decided to go back to LA. I am super bummed they came so far and never saw MP.
After looking for Jon and Anika, Miguel took us to the Temple of the Sun to wait for the sun to rise over the mountain range. As we were walking around, people were staring at us – I guess you could tell from looking at us we had been hiking for several days. Miguel was rad – he was so stoked about seeing the Winter Solstice that he was just giddy, which was very infectious. Miguel said the solstice wouldn’t happen until 7:20am – everyone else was saying it would happen sooner – but Miguel was right – just before 7:20am the sun peaked over the mountain and reflected through the Temple of the Sun. It was incredible!
The Winter Solstice in action. As the sun rose over the mountain, a perfect shadow of the window can be seen over the altar of the Temple of the Sun.
There are two windows in the Temple of the Sun. The one in the center is for the Winter Solstice. On the Summer Solstice, the sun shines through the Sun Gate (where we hiked through) and then through the other window in the Temple of the Sun. Super cool, but that’s the only thing that happens on the Summer Solstice…
The exterior of the Temple of the Sun. The windo at the top is where the Winter Solstice shines through. It was created from a large natural boulder that miraculously disappears into little carved stones.
On the other hand, there are other happenings on the Winter Solstice… A Southern Cross is made (our picture sucks, sorry!) and also a shadow reflects on the eye of the Puma, which is by the Sundial. We missed the puma thing – it happened simultaneously with the Temple of the Sun – and Miguel said the Temple of the Sun is better anyway.
The three windows. The shadow of the Southern Cross can be seen on the left-hand side. We missed the time when it was perfectly aligned, but you could still see the shadow of the cross.
We did see both llamas appear. There’s a compass stone by the Three Windows that is diamond shaped and points N, S, E and W. On the Winter Solstice, a llama’s head appears twice. Once with one ear and again with two ears (profile shot). How rad is that?
Shadow of a llama with two ears on the compass stone.
Miguel was so excited – he has been to Machu Picchu more than 100 times and had never been there on June 21 and was just so happy to finally see it in person. He brings pictures of the solstice holograms on his tours to show people what happens on June 21, but had never actually seen it with his own eyes.
The Temple of the Condor was super cool – I love the massive wingspan and the combination of boulders and carved rocks.
Temple of the Condor. The stone on the ground is its head and the two boulders are its wings.
I really loved and was so impressed by the stonework… the detail is just amazing. It was great seeing so many ruins along the trail because we understood MP so much more – what things meant, what the purpose was, etc. I think what impressed Jared and I the most was the way the Incas used natural stone with cut stone. The seams were flawless and it was such a beautiful way of combining natural elements within a city. Miguel also explained that holy places (temples) used the finest rocks and craftsmanship.
Jared and I with our backs on the Temple of the Sun. On the left is fine stonework, denoting a holy place and on the right is jagged rocks, which mean it's for regular use.
Flawless stone walls.
The Incas used stone that was naturally on the hill (boulders) along with their carved bricks. It was just beautiful.
I also love the lone tree that’s centered in the courtyard. So pretty…
Us at MP with two fellow hikers (Canadian college students) we befriended along the trail.
After running around and seeing all the solstice happenings, Miguel gave us a great tour. I’m so glad we had a guide and especially Miguel, who is just rad as can be. Not only was he better than all the guides on the hike but he was better than the other MP guides! All the guides knew him and you could tell he was the coolest. I can't recommend him enough, from his amazing knowledge of Inca culture and Machu Picchu, to his really great personality and patience with our lack of hiking ability.
Jared and Miguel at the quarry. Miguel was explaining how the Incas cut the massive stones.
There were two main things I wanted to accomplish at MP:
1. Read Neruda’s poem, The Heights of Machu Picchu
2. Have Jared sketch
I accomplished #1 as I waited for the winter solstice to happen. I ideally wanted a quiet place to do this, away from everyone else, but I completely felt peaceful and Neruda’s words hit me so honestly. I had read that poem before several times and understood in a completely different manner as I read it at that place. It was a favorite memory and feeling of the entire trip.
#2 never happened. Jared, who was fighting a nasty cold the entire hike, had put his body through too much. While we were at MP, Jared looked and felt horrible and needed to go to bed (and get drugs) soon. We weren’t leaving until the afternoon on the next day, so we decided to go down to Aguas, look for Jon and Anika (at this point, we didn’t know what happened to them) and we could always come back to MP the next day.
So around 11:30am or so, we left MP and headed down to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo). The funny thing is that maybe 10 percent of the morning crowd was still there – everyone was gone by 9 or 10am. Miguel said that the reason why the hike is so important is that the hikers appreciate MP more than the typical tourist.
“To them, Machu Picchu is just another attraction, like any cathedral or museum. They show up, walk around for an hour, and leave. But to those who hike the Inca Trail, they appreciate it much more. It becomes an experience for them and they won’t forget it.”
1. Read Neruda’s poem, The Heights of Machu Picchu
2. Have Jared sketch
I accomplished #1 as I waited for the winter solstice to happen. I ideally wanted a quiet place to do this, away from everyone else, but I completely felt peaceful and Neruda’s words hit me so honestly. I had read that poem before several times and understood in a completely different manner as I read it at that place. It was a favorite memory and feeling of the entire trip.
#2 never happened. Jared, who was fighting a nasty cold the entire hike, had put his body through too much. While we were at MP, Jared looked and felt horrible and needed to go to bed (and get drugs) soon. We weren’t leaving until the afternoon on the next day, so we decided to go down to Aguas, look for Jon and Anika (at this point, we didn’t know what happened to them) and we could always come back to MP the next day.
So around 11:30am or so, we left MP and headed down to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo). The funny thing is that maybe 10 percent of the morning crowd was still there – everyone was gone by 9 or 10am. Miguel said that the reason why the hike is so important is that the hikers appreciate MP more than the typical tourist.
“To them, Machu Picchu is just another attraction, like any cathedral or museum. They show up, walk around for an hour, and leave. But to those who hike the Inca Trail, they appreciate it much more. It becomes an experience for them and they won’t forget it.”
Amen, mi amigo.
INCA TRAIL: DAY 4
Before anyone can leave camp to Machu Picchu, you have to go through a checkpoint and it usually doesn’t open until 5:30am and Miguel said that groups get there early to line up since each person has to be checked through. By now it was just the three of us and I hated the thought of waiting behind all these big groups of people so we got there at 4:20am. Luckily, due to the winter solstice that day, they opened the checkpoint at 5:00am and we were the second group through. The race had begun.
Before anyone can leave camp to Machu Picchu, you have to go through a checkpoint and it usually doesn’t open until 5:30am and Miguel said that groups get there early to line up since each person has to be checked through. By now it was just the three of us and I hated the thought of waiting behind all these big groups of people so we got there at 4:20am. Luckily, due to the winter solstice that day, they opened the checkpoint at 5:00am and we were the second group through. The race had begun.
Us at the checkpoint, waiting for it to open. Jared was feeling terrible that morning and hardly slept the previous night.
Miguel said it is about an hour to the Sun Gate, where we get our first glimpse at Machu Picchu. We were hauling - we were supposed to meet Jon and Anika at MP and I wanted to see them and MP so badly. I lasted about 30 minutes without stopping once, took a quick one minute water break and then we were off again. It got very steep, a lot of stairs and I kept moving fast until I couldn’t breathe anymore. Jared forced me to stop, tears were streaming down my cheeks and we waited about 3 or 4 minutes for me to catch my breath.
Then the infamous stairs, or what I think is best to describe them as, a ladder. 50 steps that go up, almost straight up vertically. I had to climb it with my hands and feet and I made it all the way to the top without stopping (I also didn´t want to stop on that ladder, for fear of falling off to my death). We took a quick breath and then Miguel cheerfully told us it was only 10 minutes more to the Sun Gate. We had one group in front of us already and one had passed us, so my competitiveness pushed through. When we got to the Sun Gate and saw Machu Picchu, I again started crying. So many emotions consumed me at once - relief that the trail was almost over, disbelief that I had made it, etc. Most of all, I couldn’t believe that I was staring at Machu Picchu, a place I had wanted to see for so long. It looked glorious - dawn was breaking and the light was lovely. We caught our breaths, took some photos and were off to Machu Picchu. And we made it in only 45 minutes!
THE SUN GATE
The Sun Gate. Words can’t describe, but here I go trying to do just that.
There’s a stone “doorway” and as you walk through it you turn to your left and there it is. It’s just amazing… We made it to the Sun Gate in 45 minutes, a very good time – we were the third or fourth group there I think, and we were the first to take off and arrive at MP.
I can’t imagine seeing MP for the first time any other way. This is the way it’s mean to be seen, from the trail, not from a parking lot. There I go with my bragging rights again…
We were at the Sun Gate for just a few minutes – I wish we would have stayed longer – but I was eager to see Jon and Anika and to find a good place to watch the Winter Solstice in action.
Photo taken on our way down to Machu Picchu. We were irritated to see people already there, standing in front of the Temple of the Sun for the solstice. They looked so warm and clean!
HEADING DOWN TO MACHU PICCHU
As we were walking down to Machu Picchu, another 30-45 minute hike but luckily downhill, we saw some tourists walking up towards the Sun Gate to get a picture. They looked at us with complete quizzical faces – I later realized that most people don’t know about the Inca Trail and they wanted to know how we managed to beat them to the top… they had no clue that we HIKED our way there.
We were the first hikers at Machu Picchu, arriving around 6:30am. Tourists were everywhere. I wish they opened the gates later for the people who just take a train and shuttle to the ruins, it’s not fair. The hikers can’t leave when they want to and we show up and there are people everywhere, fresh from showers and warm. Grrr. They look at the hikers all funny, like "why are you sweaty and limping?"
We went straight to the ticket booth, no Jon and Anika. It was early, so Miguel took us to the place of the first formation for the winter solstice, the Temple of the Sun.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
INCA TRAIL: DAY 3
The best day, but still very hard. You hike the most mileage and we had two peaks to climb and some stairs going down, so Miguel wisely advised to leave about an hour earlier than everyone usually does. The second peak (first of the day) was hard. It was only 600 feet up in elevation, but it still took almost two hours. Stairs and stairs going up, up, up.
A porter running up the stairs. How do they do it?
Jared inside a carved tunnel. There were two of these along the trail on Day 3.
Jared and I walking the trail.
Knife ruins.
Running water! 
The best day, but still very hard. You hike the most mileage and we had two peaks to climb and some stairs going down, so Miguel wisely advised to leave about an hour earlier than everyone usually does. The second peak (first of the day) was hard. It was only 600 feet up in elevation, but it still took almost two hours. Stairs and stairs going up, up, up.
Us at the start of Day 3.
A porter running up the stairs. How do they do it?
At least the stairs can be pretty sometimes!
Then we had my favorite part of the entire trail (minus Machu Picchu of course) - the trail turned into a nice, rolling road that went up and down and occasionally had stairs, but it wasn’t bad at all. We passed more ruins and hiked in this beautiful tropical climate. Orchids everywhere, cool moss, water springs... Jared was taking pictures of all the plants - maybe 50 different flowers? And the orchids! My mother-in-law Kathy would have love it. Miguel knew all of their names.
Jared inside a carved tunnel. There were two of these along the trail on Day 3.
Jared and I walking the trail.
Orchids everywhere!
We passed several ruins in the first two days, but Day 3 gave us some very spectacular sites. One of the first of the day was a "look-out" ruin in the shape of a traditional knife. One of our favorites was quite large and had running fountains of water, 6 or 7 I believe (Machu Picchu has 16).
Knife ruins.
Another cool ruin - just amazing.
Running water!
Ruin in the hillside.
The third peak (second of the day) also was a little tough but very doable. But then we had another staircase going down! I hate those stupid downward stairs! We knew Day 3´s campsite had hot showers and I kept thinking those two words over and over again, "hot shower", and we got into camp at around 4:30pm.
Heading down the stairs, ruin in the background.
Us at the end of Day 3.
Miguel took Jared to a ruin that was near the camp and on a very steep hill. Jared loved it.
The camp site felt like a European hostel. We were all in tents still, but there was a cafe that served food and drinks and all the hikers were partying that night. Everyone was in good spirits to see Machu Picchu the next day.
Monday, June 19, 2006
INCA TRAIL: DAY 2
Jared was pretty sick all night at camp from day 1 - blowing his nose, coughing, etc. so both of us didn't get much sleep. Day two is the worst (most difficult) day of the trail, as anyone will tell you. Today the goal is to climb Dead Woman's Pass and all morning long it was stair after stair, stair after stair. Hardly anything was flat so you could catch your breath...
Endless stairs on Day 2.
Anika hadn’t been feeling well since Arequipa so Jared and I passed her and Jon and we said we’d meet them for lunch. Miguel stayed behind with them. Jared and I arrived at lunch, in a lot of pain of course from stair-climbing all morning, just after 11:30am. Anika and Jon didn’t show up until 1pm. Anika looked terrible. She was completely sick and just collapsed. Everyone was worried, Jon especially. Anika didn’t want to eat, the thought of food made her nauseous and she already had been vomiting. Lunch was at about 12,500 feet, only two hours from the first pass and was the point of no return. If they wanted to turn back, now was the time. Once you pass that peak, you have to go all the way to Machu Picchu. Miguel was pretty sure she had altitude sickness.
Miguel/Anika/Jon decided it was best to turn around. I was crying - I felt guilty and horrible that they spent so much money on the trail itself, had hiked half-way there and Anika was so sick and had to turn back. Miguel's assistant walked with them back to the campsite from Day 1, which meant they now had to climb down all the stairs they had just climbed up. A porter ran ahead to the campsite at Day 2 and then ran all the way back and had their bags at the first camp before they arrived (those porters are incredible!). Miguel stayed with us.
At 2:30pm, we said goodbye and Jared and I headed for the peak and Jon/Anika went back to the first campsite. At almost 14,000 feet, Dead Woman's Pass was horrendous. The altitude was hurting Jared hard. His sinus pressure was exploading in his head... We made it to the pass in just over two hours, which I was very proud of, but then we had another obstacle before camp that night - a steep staircase going down, descending all the way to 11,500 feet.
Jared and Michelle at the top of Dead Woman's Pass at 13,776 feet.
Warning: very girly/emo moment is ahead. On the way up, I really wanted to quit - my friends had left, Jared was sick, I was tired, and then I saw the cutest little yellow flower poking up in the middle of some rocks and, well, I don’t know how to explain it really, but it encouraged me to go on. I saw it and instantly thought of my mother. Miguel said the flower is the Andean Daisy. Later on I saw the flower everywere, out of all the beautiful and exotic flowers we saw, it for sure is my favorite.
I’m terrible with stairs, I trip walking on flat land as it is, and so it took me a long time to complete the descent (it usually takes 1.5 hours). Jared wanted to get down so badly due to the altitude but I kept slipping. Porters were literally running down the granite steps with their giant loads on their back. Some of the steps were so skinny that my foot wouldn’t even fit on it sideways. Jared held my hand and we made it and it good time too.
Jared was pretty sick all night at camp from day 1 - blowing his nose, coughing, etc. so both of us didn't get much sleep. Day two is the worst (most difficult) day of the trail, as anyone will tell you. Today the goal is to climb Dead Woman's Pass and all morning long it was stair after stair, stair after stair. Hardly anything was flat so you could catch your breath...
Endless stairs on Day 2.
Anika hadn’t been feeling well since Arequipa so Jared and I passed her and Jon and we said we’d meet them for lunch. Miguel stayed behind with them. Jared and I arrived at lunch, in a lot of pain of course from stair-climbing all morning, just after 11:30am. Anika and Jon didn’t show up until 1pm. Anika looked terrible. She was completely sick and just collapsed. Everyone was worried, Jon especially. Anika didn’t want to eat, the thought of food made her nauseous and she already had been vomiting. Lunch was at about 12,500 feet, only two hours from the first pass and was the point of no return. If they wanted to turn back, now was the time. Once you pass that peak, you have to go all the way to Machu Picchu. Miguel was pretty sure she had altitude sickness.
Miguel/Anika/Jon decided it was best to turn around. I was crying - I felt guilty and horrible that they spent so much money on the trail itself, had hiked half-way there and Anika was so sick and had to turn back. Miguel's assistant walked with them back to the campsite from Day 1, which meant they now had to climb down all the stairs they had just climbed up. A porter ran ahead to the campsite at Day 2 and then ran all the way back and had their bags at the first camp before they arrived (those porters are incredible!). Miguel stayed with us.
Saying good-bye. The peak can be seen over Jon and Anika's head.
At 2:30pm, we said goodbye and Jared and I headed for the peak and Jon/Anika went back to the first campsite. At almost 14,000 feet, Dead Woman's Pass was horrendous. The altitude was hurting Jared hard. His sinus pressure was exploading in his head... We made it to the pass in just over two hours, which I was very proud of, but then we had another obstacle before camp that night - a steep staircase going down, descending all the way to 11,500 feet.
Warning: very girly/emo moment is ahead. On the way up, I really wanted to quit - my friends had left, Jared was sick, I was tired, and then I saw the cutest little yellow flower poking up in the middle of some rocks and, well, I don’t know how to explain it really, but it encouraged me to go on. I saw it and instantly thought of my mother. Miguel said the flower is the Andean Daisy. Later on I saw the flower everywere, out of all the beautiful and exotic flowers we saw, it for sure is my favorite.
I’m terrible with stairs, I trip walking on flat land as it is, and so it took me a long time to complete the descent (it usually takes 1.5 hours). Jared wanted to get down so badly due to the altitude but I kept slipping. Porters were literally running down the granite steps with their giant loads on their back. Some of the steps were so skinny that my foot wouldn’t even fit on it sideways. Jared held my hand and we made it and it good time too.
A little after 6pm (remember, we left late because of Anika’s sickness) we hobbled into camp, just as it was getting dark. My knees were throbbing, I was worried about Anika and Jon, they too had a steep descent back to camp. Jared was so sick he didn’t even eat dinner - he just went straight to bed. Camp that night was at 11,500 feet.
Beat up after a long second day.
Sunday, June 18, 2006
INCA TRAIL: DAY 1
Lunch, like all the meals from Q’ente, is amazing for camp food. We show up and they have a dining tent set up with table and chairs, a three or four course meal, water and soap and towels to wash our hands and face, etc. Then the porters pack everything up when we leave and run ahead to have everything set up for dinner and sleeping when we get to the night camp. Amazing!
In the afternoon, we started to climb higher and my breathing started to get very problematic. Miguel told me to slow my pace and take big steps but slowly and that helped immensely. It changed the way I will hike forever. I could go much longer without taking breaks because my breath remained under control - I didn't have to use my inhalers at all.
We snapped a photo at the start of the trail (Km 82), had our passports and tickets checked/stamped and we were off! Miguel had a day pack with a first aid kit (including oxygen), Jared and Jon had day backpacks, I had a shoulder bag and a carrier for a water bottle and Anika was free. The porters went ahead to check-in separately and would run ahead to the lunch spot to set up and cook lunch before we arrived.
About water: Peruvians who live along the trail and at the campsites sell water, gatorade and snacks. This lasts until Day 3. Then you are on your own until you reach Machu Picchu. It was overpriced but worth it (for us at least) to purchase bottled water and even better, gatorade.
The hike started off at 8,528 feet elevation: nice and easy, some climbs, but okay. We passed a beautiful ruin in the shape of a snake - Llactapata– one of my favorite out of the entire trek. The Incas have three gods, each representing a different world. The condor is the sky, puma is the earth and snake is the underworld.
The hike started off at 8,528 feet elevation: nice and easy, some climbs, but okay. We passed a beautiful ruin in the shape of a snake - Llactapata– one of my favorite out of the entire trek. The Incas have three gods, each representing a different world. The condor is the sky, puma is the earth and snake is the underworld.
Lunch, like all the meals from Q’ente, is amazing for camp food. We show up and they have a dining tent set up with table and chairs, a three or four course meal, water and soap and towels to wash our hands and face, etc. Then the porters pack everything up when we leave and run ahead to have everything set up for dinner and sleeping when we get to the night camp. Amazing!
In the afternoon, we started to climb higher and my breathing started to get very problematic. Miguel told me to slow my pace and take big steps but slowly and that helped immensely. It changed the way I will hike forever. I could go much longer without taking breaks because my breath remained under control - I didn't have to use my inhalers at all.
Camp was made at Huayllabamba, which is at around 9,600 feet.
The four of us at the end of Day 1.
BEFORE THE TRAIL BEGINS
On Sunday, June 18th, we were picked up at our hotel at 5:30am in a tour bus that was freezing cold and we drove for 1.5 hours to Ollyantambo to pick up the porters for our trip. We needed 10 people to take care of the four of us!
About the porters, wow... these people are just amazing. They are peasants, many are farmers who can’t afford land, and they carry heavy loads on their back (60lbs?) and literally run the Inca Trail. It´s crazy. Every year they have a marathon over the Inca Trail and the record was under four hours. What takes us four days takes them four hours! And they wear sandals or sneakers, drink no water and just get their energy from coca leaves... They are amazing. Now there is control over how heavy their load is, each porter must weigh his or her load (before regulations, some of them would carry over 100 pounds). Our company pays them 150 soles ($50 USD) for the trek, which includes food and lodging, and that is considered generous. Insane. We tipped our porters after the trek, we loved all of them, especially our guide Miguel, but more on that later.
Ollyantambo is a large ruin site and we had breakfast while the company sorted out the porter situation. Then we drove for a little while longer to kilometer 82, the start of the trail. They weighed our bags, we had to be less than 15 pounds each and both Jared and I were 12.
On Sunday, June 18th, we were picked up at our hotel at 5:30am in a tour bus that was freezing cold and we drove for 1.5 hours to Ollyantambo to pick up the porters for our trip. We needed 10 people to take care of the four of us!
About the porters, wow... these people are just amazing. They are peasants, many are farmers who can’t afford land, and they carry heavy loads on their back (60lbs?) and literally run the Inca Trail. It´s crazy. Every year they have a marathon over the Inca Trail and the record was under four hours. What takes us four days takes them four hours! And they wear sandals or sneakers, drink no water and just get their energy from coca leaves... They are amazing. Now there is control over how heavy their load is, each porter must weigh his or her load (before regulations, some of them would carry over 100 pounds). Our company pays them 150 soles ($50 USD) for the trek, which includes food and lodging, and that is considered generous. Insane. We tipped our porters after the trek, we loved all of them, especially our guide Miguel, but more on that later.
Ollyantambo is a large ruin site and we had breakfast while the company sorted out the porter situation. Then we drove for a little while longer to kilometer 82, the start of the trail. They weighed our bags, we had to be less than 15 pounds each and both Jared and I were 12.
Below is a map of the Inca Trail in detail that Q'ente gave us.
Saturday, June 17, 2006
CUSCO
What a lovely city - high altitude though - 11,000 feet! The four of us spent the two days in Cusco doing light walking, heavy shopping and some sightseeing.
The city was bustling in anticipation for the Inti Raymi festival, which was less than a week away - school children were practicing all over the city. We visited the Cathedral, which was gorgeous as the tour books promised, but was so large it was almost daunting. I couldn’t believe how big it was. We also climbed half-way to the top of the La Campania de Jesus, which provided a great view of the Plaza de Armas.
School children dancing in front of the Cathedral in preparation for Inti Raymi.
Jared and Michelle at La Campania de Jesus.
View from La Campania de Jesus.
We all really enjoyed visiting Qoricancha, the Temple of the Sun, which shows both Incan and Spanish architecture. When the Spanish invaded, they stripped Qorikancha bare of its gold and then built a Dominican church on top of it. Today, visitors see both styles of stonework.
What a lovely city - high altitude though - 11,000 feet! The four of us spent the two days in Cusco doing light walking, heavy shopping and some sightseeing.
The city was bustling in anticipation for the Inti Raymi festival, which was less than a week away - school children were practicing all over the city. We visited the Cathedral, which was gorgeous as the tour books promised, but was so large it was almost daunting. I couldn’t believe how big it was. We also climbed half-way to the top of the La Campania de Jesus, which provided a great view of the Plaza de Armas.
School children dancing in front of the Cathedral in preparation for Inti Raymi.
Jared and Michelle at La Campania de Jesus.
View from La Campania de Jesus.
Anika and Jon with a local girl and lamb. We gave her a sol for taking the photo with them.
We all really enjoyed visiting Qoricancha, the Temple of the Sun, which shows both Incan and Spanish architecture. When the Spanish invaded, they stripped Qorikancha bare of its gold and then built a Dominican church on top of it. Today, visitors see both styles of stonework.
Courtyard inside Qoricancha.
Spanish and Incan stonework at Qoricancha - it's amazing to see how much better the Incas were!
View from outside of Cusco and the valley.
Anika, Jon and Jared checking out the view.
We ate a few times at this great café called Los Perros (at Teqsiqocha 436 at Tigre). Incredible, incredible food – a nice escape from the typical Peruvian fare. Amazing sandwiches, great appetizer dishes and they were playing the World Cup on TV. We all loved this place.
Our hotel, Los Niños, is adorable. It’s my sister Laura’s dream home. Spanish style, open court, so cute. The best part? All profits go to help orphans and needy children in Cusco. They also offer a cheap 24-hour laundry service, which is soooo nice. Like most hotels in Cusco, they are used to hikers leaving to go to Machu Picchu and were happy to store our bags for us. When we arrived, they offered us coca-leaf tea and yummy cookies. We all really loved this hotel - I highly recommend it.
Our hotel, Los Niños, is adorable. It’s my sister Laura’s dream home. Spanish style, open court, so cute. The best part? All profits go to help orphans and needy children in Cusco. They also offer a cheap 24-hour laundry service, which is soooo nice. Like most hotels in Cusco, they are used to hikers leaving to go to Machu Picchu and were happy to store our bags for us. When we arrived, they offered us coca-leaf tea and yummy cookies. We all really loved this hotel - I highly recommend it.
On Saturday night, we went to Q'ente´s offices (our Inca Trail company) and met Miguel, our tour guide, who explained everything to us. This is also when we paid the remaining portion of our money. We immediately felt very lucky to have Miguel - he's probably the best guide at Q'ente and he chose our hike because it was small and we were arriving at Machu Picchu on a very important day: the date of the Winter Solstice. We had a few things still to buy (rain ponchos, warm hat and gloves) so we said good-night and hit the streets to do some last-minute shopping. We were nervous but excited for tomorrow.
Jon shopping for Trek gear.
Anika, Jon and Jared (hiding) walking down a street in Cusco. Amazing original stonework.
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