"There´s nothing but a lot of trees....looks like Bigfoot country."

...or so my dad said after looking up the city of Puno on GoogleEarth. Turns out there is civilization and we didn't see any Sasquatch ...sorry Dad. Ok...this is my second attempt at posting this blog. After spending an hour and a half on the first one this morning, I somehow managed to erase everything. I'm not sure I have ever experienced frustration quite like that ...good times!

Alpaca

Xavi and I tried alpaca meat kebabs in Cusco from a roadside stand. Not only were they delicious, tender, and seasoned perfectly, they brought out a rather carnal side of Xavi.

Puno, Carnavale, y mas......

We arrived in Puno, a city in the south of Peru that borders Lake Titicaca, early in the morning Saturday. We rested a bit, then head out on the town to get some lunch and head on to Las Islas Flotantes (the Floating Islands) - that was the plan, anyway. We walked right into a parade in the main Plaza, with some traditional dancing (lots of hopping and twirling of scarves). From there, we wandered a bit, bought some alpaca pies from a street vendor for one sole each (that's about 40 cents), and returned to the square to find a large crowd thoroughly enjoying music being played by some gringos. When a police officer came up to presumably ask them to leave, it was met with much protest from the crowd (see pic). What happened next is a little blurry. A parade of drunken, costumed, thoroughly excited Peruvians danced and sang their way through the square, spraying silly string and tossing confetti at the crowd. I was somehow swept up in the craziness, various people were twirling me around, and my vision was obscured by silly foam and confetti. We ended up in a large room on the square filled with people and slowly realized we were honored guests at a huge extended family's Carnavale celebration. Pisco sours, beer, and the best tamales I've ever had rotated around the room, as did hugs, kisses, and many photo ops with the gringos. We celebrated for hours, paraded en mass to another location with 15 musicians in tow blaring marching tunes, and danced, sang and joked for another few hours. When we decided to leave, it took us about an hour to work our way through the goodbyes. Needless to say, we didn't make it to the floating islands that day.

Islas Flotantes

Visiting the floating islands was one of our favorite experiences yet. We took a 30 minute motorboat ride from Puno and arrived to an island made of reeds. Our guidebook warned to avoid stepping on rotting areas, as tourists who have done so ended up disappearing, only to be found days later wandering aimlessly on the streets of Paris. The islands are perpetually rotting from the bottom, which means they constantly have to be replenished by placing more reeds on top. The Uros people originally established the islands in an attempt to escape the Inca expansion. We ate the totora reed stalks (tasted like iceberg lettuce) and went for a ride on a reed boat. We spent the night in a chosa (tepee) made of reeds, feeling the subtle ebb and flow of the island as it rocked with the waves of Lake Titicaca. With no cable TV available, we had to entertain ourselves with camera tricks using a candle at night. The restaurant on the island had an extensive menu featuring fried trout, pan seared trout, steamed trout, fillet of trout, diced trout, trout ceviche, and marinated trout. And all we wanted was some Spam.....

Taquile (ta-KEE-lay)

The next morning, we waited in the cold rain for an hour for a boat to Taquile. After a nauseating 3 hour boat ride on stormy lake waters (Laura and two other little kids got sick. -X), we arrived to a sunny and serene Taquile. The terraced hills were lined with stone fences and archways, and mud houses, livestock, and gardens dotted the landscape. This island of about 1,800 people is known for its detailed textiles. Everyone produces textiles from a young age. Men are routinely seen knitting chullos as they walk along the rocky paths. Chullos are hats with a large ear flap, they are red for married men and red and white for unmarried men. There are no dogs, streets, or motorized vehicles or any sort. They are a quiet group of folks, generally speaking to one another in low voices, even the children weren't boisterous. Xavi says it was like being in the computer game Myst.

We were greeted by a friendly fellow in traditional dress (black pants, white shirt, black and white vest, a multicolored waistband, and a chullo), named Santiago. Every man on the island dressed this way and every woman dressed in a calf length black skirt, blouse, and black shawl with bright multicolored balls on the end. This wasn't for the benefit of tourists, this is their traditional garb. In fact, according to our talkative boat captain Gonzalo, tourists didn't visit the island until the 1970's. Santiago offered us a place to stay in a small mud hut without electricity or running water that he referred to as his hospedaje. For 60 soles ($25) we slept on a reed mattress and ate dinner by candlelight (room service by Santiago) while seated on a plank of wood supported by two large stones.

The next morning, Xavi went hiking about the island and I stayed around the homefront and played with Santiago's kids: 5-year-old Beatrice and 3-year-old Charles (pronounced Char-LEZ). We played in the garden, and they taught me the names in Quechua and Spanish for various plants. I visited for a while with their aunt, Nancy, too, and when I was getting ready to leave go meet Xavi at the port, she ushered me inside her home to meet her daughter. This is when I really could have used Xavi's Spanish knowledge. I participated in a ceremony I only half understood, but this is what happened: after I entered the hut and met her adorable 4-month-old daughter Lis-Beth, we were joined by three other women (Nancy's sisters) and Beatrice and Charles. One of the women brought a plate of quinoa (a grain grown on the island) and some scissors. I finally understood that they wanted me to cut Lis-Beth's hair, from what it looked like for the first time. I thought maybe a snip of a lock would be sufficient, but they encouraged me to give her a thorough trim. I did so and was given a bag containing the quinoa and her hair. They explained that I was now Lis-Beth's companion for life, and when I returned to the island, I was to bring the hair back. Gonzalo, the boat captain, provided further explanation, saying that I was now essentially a Godmother to her. I felt really honored and consider this experience to be one of the highlights of the trip so far. I just hope I didn't get in over my head!

Arequipa

We arrived Thursday in Arequipa, after a 6 hour bus ride where we rode in the very front of the second level of a double decker bus, constantly finding evidence that death was imminent (rain leaking through the window seal onto our shoulders, sudden swerves and constant illegal driving maneuvers made by the driver, dangerous mountain curves at 15,000 feet with 3 foot visibility through the clouds, Bondo holding the frame together). We arrived A-ok and happy to not have to ride any more buses this trip. Arequipa is known as the white city, as many of its colonial buildings are contructed of white brick. We are staying in a hotel housed in an old colonial building built of white volcanic rock and brick in the 1700's, with high domed ceilings and a cool gothic feel. Tomorrow we're headed on a 2 day trek to the bottom of Canyon Colca!

Horseback riding around Cusco, Machu Picchu, and more......

Hey folks! We´ve had busy few days. The first train available for Machu Picchu wasn´t until Thursday, so we spent Wednesday on a horseback trek on the "mystical tour"of some of the ruins in the mountains surrounding Cusco. Our guide was a soft spoken 16-year-old named Javier, who frequently broke into spontaneous bursts of hysteric laughter, especially at our attempts to learn Quechua, Javier´s native tongue. We spent the first part on horseback, trotting through a forest of eucalyptus trees, parked the horses for a bit to go to "zona equis" and crawl through some short caves. Apparently, a bunch of hippies went there in the 70's because of the magnetic energy of the area. It is believed that there´s a long network of trails underground, and a few college students tried to map them a few years back. They got lost and only one of them survived. Later, we rode to the ruins of the Incan "Temple of the Moon", a location beleived to have been used as an astronomical observatory and sacrifice location. We returned to our hotel room that afternoon, our groins hurting, but feeling quite refreshed.

Thursday morning we caught the 6am train to Aguas Calientes, a disgustingly overpriced tourist town outside of Machu Picchu. We took the Vistadome train, again overpriced, but it gave excellent views of the gorgeous Sacred Valley, which we rode through during the 4 hour ride to Aguas Calientes. PeruRail has monopolized the railroad industry in Peru, and Aguas Calientes is accessible only by train. Aguas Calientes is the closest place to stay to Machu Picchu, except for a hotel right beside the ruins which starts at about $700 a night. Thursday evening, we visited the town´s namesake hot springs, a series of pools filled with suspiciously murky water and lots of people. Despite the questionable hygeiene of the water, it was relaxing.

We woke up at 5 am Friday morning, with the idea of possibly hiking the steep 2 hour climb to Machu Picchu. Surprise! I wussed out and we took the bus. (Later, after a steep, sweaty climb

to Wayna Picchu and 11 hours of walking around the ruins, Xavi thanked me for my wussiness.) We arrived to a misty, cool, uncrowded Machu Picchu. Nothing I have ever heard, read, or seen compares even slightly to experiencing Machu Picchu in person. I think both of us were stunned for the first few hours, just walking around soaking it all in. We climbed first to the Hut of the Caretaker of the Funerary Rock, where the classic postcard view of Machu Picchu is. There were also quite a few friendly llamas hanging out up there, sitting, watching, and eating. From there, we trekked to the Inca Drawbridge. Up until a few years ago, it was open for visitors to walk across. Then, someone fell off and wasn´t very pleased with it.....because they died. Now it can be viewed from a distance. The Incas designed this to provide more security to the city since the path is cut off by a cliff and the only way to continue is over the drawbridge. (Side note: We would have liked to hike the Inca trail to Machu Picchu, but its closed in February for maitenance).




We feel compelled to provide a brief history about Machu Picchu for those of you who are interested: Machu Picchu is located admist gorges and mountains in a boundary region between the Andes and the Amazon. It was one of several mountaintop citadels built during the height of the Incan empire. This empire really only existed about 100 years, but spanned a huge area stretching from southern Colombia to central Chile, including also the Andean regions of Bolivia and northern Argentina. The Incas were around before that beginning in the 12th century, but until the early 15th century only occupied the Cuzco valley region. Machu Picchu is comprised of temples, palaces, shrines, plazas, streets, paths, baths, dwellings, and terraces. Machu Picchu (old mountain in Quechua) was shown to Hiram Bingham, an American explorer and history professor, by a local farmer in 1911. There are no historical sources that mention the existence of this place, therefore the names and functions assigned to its buildings adhere to Bingham and other researchers' contributions. It took a little research on our part, because its not widely published, but Machu Picchu is believed to have been contructed around the mid 15th century. We both thought it was built earlier than that. Also, there´s a bit of drama surrounding the saturation of tourists visiting M.P. daily. It seems that the ruins have become a victim of their own success. Unesco has warned the Peruvian government that the site cannot support more than 500 visitors a day without sustaining damage. (Daily estimates now are 2,500+, and that´s not even tourist season(¿gross, eh?).)

Back to our visit.....around 11:30, we started the steep climb to Wayna Picchu, the mountain directly opposite the ruins with constructions surrounded by terraces at the top, probably used as an astronomic observatory or for a religious cult. We arrived at the summit out of breath, sunburned, thirsty and waterless, as we couldn´t bring ourselves to pay $4 for more than one 300mL bottle of water at the base. The views were spectacular, and we spent a few hours just basking in the beauty of the mountains and the mysticism of our location.

After hiking back down, we hiked around the ruins for a bit longer. We found a remote area with great views and hunkered down to savor our remaining time at the ruins and to watch the sun fade over the mountains. We took the bus back down the mountain, exhausted and filthy, but renewed. That evening, we had nourishing meal at a vegetarian restaurant run by Peruvian Hare Krishnas....very interesting mix! Now we're off in search of El Bastón del Sol (aka Sonny´s walking stick........)

and finally.......Peru!

Howdy folks! Geoff and I arrived safe and sound to Lima about 1 am Friday night. We stayed in Lima Saturday night to catch up on sleep and explore the city. It was quite the booming metropolis. We heard varying estimates from cab drivers on the population - from 3 to 8 million. Riding in a cab provided more of an adrenaline rush than 5 simultaneous rides on the Big Bad Wolf at Busch Gardens. You though NYC was bad. Only one of the 5 cabs we took had seat belts, and my eyes were either glued shut, praying that we did not become statistics or laughing hysterically out of nervousness and sheer enjoyment. That night, we explored the town square, saw the changing of the guards at the president's palace, and treated ourselves to the local favorite, ceviche (raw fish marinated with lime juice). Talk about fresh! Yum!

We arrived in Cusco Sunday, gasping for breath at the end of the climb to our third story hotel room (with a lovely balcony I might add). The elevation here is about 10,900 feet, so altitute sickness is almost a given. So far, I've had some dizziness, but it is getting better. Geoff has been hit harder, however, with nausea, dizziness, and general malaise. Blah. One thing that helped us immensely is mate de coca (tea made with coca leaves - see pic). Cultivation of the coca plant dates back 5,000 years around here and has always been used medicinally and ceremonially. (NOT the same as cocaine). Last night, we had some traditional Peruvian fare. Geoff had chicharrones (pork cracklings) and I had a traditional dish of beans, eggs, cheese, rice and herbs (I'm forgetting the name). We haven't yet gathered the courage to try cuy (guinea pig) or alpaca.

Today, we explored the city a bit more. While Geoff went to the market in search of chiramoya (a fruit he has been obsessed with since living in Spain and hasn't had in years), I checked out Iglesia Santo Domingo. It was originally an Inca temple, and the foundation is still remarkably solid. After being taken over by the Spaniards, it was turned into a church and destroyed several times by earthquakes. (This is a common historical theme for churches and temples in Peruvian history). (See pics of view from street below). I also stopped into the Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco (even if you don't know Spanish, you can probably figure that one out). Its one of few nonprofit organizations that promotes the survival of traditional Andean weaving. There were live demonstrations (see pic). On my way back, I took some pics of incredibly cute girls dressed in traditional costume carrying baby alpacas, puppies, or sheep. They purposefully stand outside touristy areas waiting for suckers like me to pay them a few soles for a picture. It worked beautifully.

Geoff found his chiramoya (the last one at the market, apparently!) , and we enjoyed this delicious mix of a pineapple, pear, and apple on the balcony with the afternoon light hitting just right. Brief note on the weather - the nights are chilly and the days are beautifully mild in the 60's-70's, usually with an hour or so of rain in the afternoon (though none yet today). Now we're off to enjoy a cheaper and more authentic dinner of only food only from stands (aren't we rebels). For dessert, we'll probably have some Cipro. Until next time....

Ummmmm, yeah....about India......

So, up until about 10pm last night, I was hell bent on going to India. I thought I needed this rite of passage, an experience that could challenge and enliven me, something to shock me out of my mundane routine. What I realized when I took the time to sit with what my gut was telling me, (and with the help of Xavi's convincing evidence) was that 2 weeks in India was not only a tease, but would be more stressful than anything else. A 24 hour journey, followed by jet lag and exposure to fun new amoebas, an extremely stimulating environment, and my travel companion's, er, lack of enthusiasm sounded like more stress than I wanted. With a $200 fee, I can get another ticket before August with the $ towards the India ticket (Greece, anyone?).

So, after careful and thorough deliberation of what we should do instead lasting about 6 seconds, Xavi and I decided Peru would be quite a lovely option. Same time zone, 8 hour flight, Machu Picchu, warmer climate, beaches, the Andes, the Amazon, endless hiking/camping opportunities and $500 rountrip....need I say more? So, at 11:51 pm Friday night, we arrive in Lima and hopefully begin a restorative, eye opening, realization of a long held dream to visit this mystical, diverse country. Its not that I've written off India alltogether. I still feel an immense pull to visit. But with more time, as in at least 2 months. Ehem, back to packing........