Machu Picchu and the Amazon region

Day 4 - "Boy there had better be agua caliente in Aguascalientes... Or you are gonna see one crazy dude," said one of our team mates before we got onto the train where I wrote my last blog. I am glad to say that when we arrived at the base of Machu Picchu, there was indeed hot water for weary trekkers. 

As Jose, our guide, walked Nate and I from the train station to our hotel, he mentioned how a member of our team had given him some Graval to help him sleep on the train ride. He proudly stated that it had no effect on him and then dropped us off in the lobby. At 5:30AM Nate and I sat in that same lobby waiting for our unstoppable trekking guide. 5:45AM, we start wondering about the Graval (much like Dramamine). 6:00AM  I start looking up the team on fb to send out an alert that Jose hadn't shown up for his first pick up. 6:01AM Jose comes running up to our door. The poor guy had taken a second one and slept through his alarm. 

We all had a good laugh about the Canadians drugging our guide and headed to the bus station for a pre-sunrise arrival at Machu Picchu. 

It was amazing. Yes, it looks just like the pictures, but Jose's connection with his people and their history makes him a VERY passionate teacher. I think his only regret would be that he could not have squished even one more fact into our brains. For 4 days he had been teaching, reviewing, and quizzing us. He chose amazing locations like mountainsides, secluded streams, and private Quechua terraces for his teaching moments. Amazing. 

After our last "class" we had the opportunity to climb Huaynapicchu. This is the taller of the two peaks seen in pictures of the ruins. Our trekking company accidentally put Nate's and my names on the list of those allowed to go up (this is a trip with a cost and limited daily entrance). 

In short, the hike to the top was super steep but since we were at a lower altitude (8,000 ft) it felt like a normal hard hike. I loved it for this! I finally felt good while hiking again. The view from the top was worth it!

At the end of he day we said goodbye to our team and were dropped off back at our hostel in Cuzco (following train and bus rides). Some sleep and pizza at my favorite restaurant on the Plaza de Armas made a great close to this part of our adventure. 

Background on our tour guide:  Jose is a mestizo (native/Spanish mix). He was raised in the traditional Quechua lifestyle in the highland areas of cusco. His grandmother is now 89 yrs old and still treks better than all of us.  Jose was raised farming and speaking the Runasimi language, also called Quechua. When he was 13 he was sent to Cusco to go to school. This was a difficult time for him as he found learning a new language challenging. Jose also struggles against the Spanish culture which he sees as invasive on the native peoples and their ways.  Our excellent tour guide began his profession as a porter and then when he graduated from college he began leading treks. His favorite trek is the Lares Trek (ours) because of its connections to his people. He was moved nearly to tears on a number of occasions as we travelled and learned. Jose is now 33 years old and although most men with his level of degree have moved to managerial positions, he still hikes 26 days a month with groups from around the world. 

(Jose took this pic of our team at MP)

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Tambopata Eco Lodge, part 1

Surreal. That is the best word to describe this final Peruvian adventure. 

Nate and I are spending 3 nights in a bungalow in the Amazon region. While I write the mosquito netting keeps hitting me in the face and I lay in bed with a candle and my iPhone to light this space that we share with another couple. 

Earlier this evening there was an eruption of noise from a neighboring hut. Three boys share a room where they had just spotted a lizard (originally identified as a snake) which subsequently left a gift on one of their beds. The young men were screaming and jumping around the room partially clothed trying to decide whether to blow their emergency whistle. Nate and I were enjoying the chaos and finally yelled over to see if they were ok. We offered the suggestion that they not blow the whistle, which would bring a host of staff, but rather walk to the bar to ask for assistance. Sometimes you just need a voice from outside the craziness. 

We have been in the Amazon for a little more than a day now. It is surreal. 

Last night we went on a night walk. Our guide Josmel pointed out a "wandering spider" which can jump and deliver multiple bites with a venom for which there is no antidote.  Death by asphyxiation. We then proceeded to find about 15 more of them on the rest of the hike. That is enough to make you a little jumpy. Hands down our favorite night hike finds were the snakes. Our guide even pulled two of them out of their sleeping spot in the tree so that we could touch them. (Cat eye snake and whip tail snake)

Our group this time contains 6 of us 2 British and two Swedish and us. Two others had to leave early due to illness.  Most of our current group also did a Machu Picchu hike last week and they are in their 20s so the atmosphere is much the same.

(At the oxbow lake)

Today we went on a hike to an oxbow lake. We saw amazing things. At one point our guide showed us some prints in the mud for a peccary. He explained that these wild pigs are rather dangerous. They hunt in packs and surround hunter, waiting for their leader to give an attack signal. The only escape is to climb a tree. We asked Josmel if he has ever encountered this with a group. He said he had and we asked how long ago. "About a week and a half," was his answer. This type of conversation was surprisingly common today. 

In addition to snakes, spiders and peccary tracks, we have seen monkeys, an electric eel, capybara, crested owls, many colorful birds, leaf cutter ants, caymans, a bizillion butterflies (including a blue morpho) and the Milky Way.  

One of the Swedes noted this afternoon, "I don't think I like the animals you have here." This was after our guide asked if we had heard about the peepee fish (not it's scientific name). He proceeded to tell us that although this skinny fish is best known for attaching itself inside the gills of larger fish, the local people also know that it is attracted to the chemicals in urine. Those who pee while in the river or one of the oxbow lakes, run the risk of having this small fish lodge it's little body and catfish-like spikes into his or her urethra. Apparently it is rather complicated to have it removed. 

Beautiful birds, Brazil nuts cracked open with the lever beside the bar and a parrot that calls "hola" from the tree tops add to the wonder of this place. I hear we are searching for an anaconda tomorrow... 

Notes from the trail (not proofread:))

(Heading into the mountains. Nate is the hiker in the back)

Day 1-  Here we are lying in our tent. The distances travelled today was exhausting. The shock came when we learned that the children in this village ages six to 11 walk this same path every day to and from school. The life span in this community of 150 is 110 to 150.  

We begAn this day with a 3 hour twisty dirt road drive. I felt carsick which was quite discouraging for a while there. Nathan kept trying to help, but what can you really do?  Then a song came in the radio about 1/2 hour from our destination. It was a song I have used in class before called Esposa Mia. The song is by a Christian artist talking about his unconditional love for his wife. I translated for Nate and found I could rest enough to calm my stomach. Soooo thankful. 

We are a team of 7 Trekkers with 7 support staff. Most of the team is in their 20s. I am the slowest member of the group. Coming to terms with that was humbling but healthy. The life lesson there is you can't walk faster than your heart can hAndle. I guess we each can apply that in our own ways. 

(Nate is in the blue jacket giving candy to the little boy)

So... The climb is really hard. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. In the first ten minutes, I though I had made a real mistake. But this evening we are in a little villAge and got to give gifts to the kids, we learned aboutant kinds of mediconal plants and local anal identification in our many 10 minute seminars by our guide Jose. We even saw a mummy that was discovered only months ago. The archeologists will arrive in the next month or so. 

I don't know if it is the altitude, the exhaustion or my small device but I am making tons of errors here. 

Too tired to write more or fix them. Tomorrow we hope to hit our summit. This would also ( I think) bring us to the top of our Everest challenge. I hope I can do it in the time allotted  

Slowest trekker on team Jaguar... Signing off. 

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Day 2.  My glasses were found on the ground outside the tent this morning by one of the team with ice on them. It is actually 6:30 AM on day 3.  Exhaustion describes why I could not blog before bed. 

I have to be up soon to start hiking again soon, so I will jot down a few memories while I am fresh and then put my pack back on. 

We made it over the mountain, Condor Pass.  Physically it is the most demanding thing that I have ever done. My legs were hardly strained because I could not go ver fast. My breathing was very labored and I was unable to speak well.  Nathan was amazing, never leaving my side unless another team member was suffering. He would send me ahead and stay behind as an encourager. My spirits remained good throughout and when I asked god to send me help, as the unending climbing revealed one peak after another, it began to rain and snow. It doesn't sound like much of a help, but it was incredible!  The moisture in the air somehow opened my lungs more and I began to be able to keep a slow pace behind the lead group. What a team. The 20 something's would set a goal for all of us about 20 feet ahead. I could not speak at all really, but I could smile and nod. We went this pace for the lAst hour from the top (15,300ft). 

Jose had put our 13 year old horse driver as our guide for this time. He was always visible ahead of us in his traditional red poncho and sandals. Jose kept the horse behind to help our team member who suffered the most. I was impressed with how discreet Jose was with his aid. We would never have known that our team mate was given oxygen and carried to within feet of the pass on the horse, if he had not eventually told us himself. 

This was an amazing and difficult day. God is good and I am glad we were all here In this remote valley surrounded by trees and the occasional horse or cow wandering. It's time to get moving down the mountain today. 

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Day 3- today we descended 3,000 feet. That is like hiking down blue mountain 5 times. It took about 4 hours. Today's lectures were on courtship (what flowers to pick to win the girl). And the history of the Quechua people, tragic yet amazing when being taught by a Quechua in the Andes mountains. 

The trip was not nearly as hard as yesterday, but the exhaustion was hanging on so when we finally arrived in the town of Ollantaytambo I put in a request to get a room for an hour or so. The nap helped me to rejuvenate while the others shopped. 

Now we are on a bus traveling to the town of Aguascalientes and tomorrow we will get up early to take the bus to Mach Picchu.  I had to laugh as we moved from our restaurant to the train station. If we had been a regular tour group instead of a trekking group we probably would have taken a taxi. But there we were with our backpacks and duffels trekking the 1/2 mile or more through dark streets. 

A note about the makeup of our team:

There are seven of us, 4 Canadians and 3 Americans. Three of us are teachers, one is a pharmacist, one is a lawyer, another is a dietician and Nate is a builder. There are 4 women and 3 men.  Most of the team is in their early to mid 20's, the lawyer is in his 30s and that makes Nate and I the oldest on the team. 

Time to just relax on this evening train ride...

Last minute details...

That,referring to the title, is what today has felt like. We ran around searching for electrolytes and guinea pigs in the Last Supper painting. We carried a list all day and now at 8:53PM, we are finally crashing into bed. Something had to go, so we never made it to the puma's head from yesterday's post. 

I have to say that I am a little scared about trekking tomorrow...  Today my face started tingling- the tingling is not new, just the face part. I felt relieved when another trekker in our group of 7 said, "Mine too! I looked it up and it is normal."

Last night I dreamed a friend of mine came to encourage me with a Psalm:

He stilled the storm to a whisper;the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm,and he guided them to their desired haven.  107: 29-30

Anyway, here we go... And a few pics from the day :)

The street where we live. 

The parades continue here in Cusco. 

3 Days in Cusco

June 11

Today we are hailing from Cusco, Peru, one of the cities of the ancient world.  Cusco has served many purposes and taken a variety of forms.  It is the archeological capital of the Americas and you can't be here long without being introduced to the ancient layout of the old city in the shape of a puma.  Our hostel is located just above the back of the great animal, venerated by the ancient world.  Tomorrow we hope to hike 800 ft up to the puma's head where there is an Incan archeological site called Sacsayhuamán, pronounced similarly to "sexy woman" as many English speakers point out.

We have been here two days, mostly acclimatizing to our new altitude of 11,000ft above sea level. The first day we crashed at 6:00PM.  Breathing can take a lot out of you.

Since our arrival we have enjoyed getting the lay of the land.  We have seen a number of large celebrations attended largely by the locals as they celebrate the Sun(?) and the anniversary of the city of Cusco.  I asked on local how old the city was.  He sat there puzzled a bit and finally said, "I don't know. Very ancient."

We have explored and purchased trinkets from a zillion shop and street venders, celebrating when we bargain well and making up for it by paying way too much for other items and supporting the local economy with our tourist naivety.  Nate has had to yank me out of the way of on coming cars on a number of occasions.  It is taking me a bit to get used to sidewalks that vary from 2.5 feet to six inches (I am not kidding) in width.  "This is all I get!?" was my reaction in the first couple hours as cars zoomed past me in a space only inches wider than their side view mirrors.

On the whole we have shopped well, eaten well, rested, read and enjoyed watching the biggest hummingbird we have ever seen in our lives (which feeds right in the gardens outside our room).  Before we leave on our 4 day trek to Machu Picchu, we have a list chores and site-seeing to accomplish.  

Tomorrow we hope to hunt down a very famous painting in one of the local cathedrals: Jesus and the disciples eating guinea pig at the Last Supper.  This is such a telling portrait of culture and faith.  Nathan referenced it once in a sermon.  I love that the native painter illustrated Jesus as meeting us right where we are.  I was hoping to eat some guinea pig while I was here (called "cuy"*), but our trekking company asked that we not do it before the hike, and I don't expect to have time after the hike before our next flight.  

One day left in Cusco.  Head of the puma... Here we come!

*Note: cuy is originally from Peru and is a farm animal prized for its meat

Sent from my iPad

The view of our hostel from our room.  This is where the hummingbird feeds :)

Out to dinner tonight.  No cuy for us but we did have more pumpkin soup and lomo saltado :). And Inca Cola!  Yum. 

Adventures in Urubamba

June 9

Imagine a hobbit house (a reference to the Lord of the Rings for those who are not familiar), minus the circular windows and doors, and you have our little home away from from home in Urubamba, Peru.  It is not underground, but its low ceilings in some rooms give way to vaulted ones lined with dark beams and it is neat as a pin.  Bilbo Baggins would feel right at home.

We arrived in South America's Andes mountains yesterday (6/9/14) at noon.  Having stopped in both Miami and Lima and filled ourselves with Diamox and water... we landed at 11,000 feet above sea level.  I kept thinking that there must be a comic strip out there somewhere about people who take Diamox when traveling to high altitudes.  An unfortunate side affect of this useful drug is that you have to go to the bathroom every 1.5 hours and your need for water is huge (4 to 6 liters a day).   The cartoon would be drawn by the Family Circus artist and it would have a plane full of people traveling to Machu Picchu.  In the illustration the seats would be empty (other than a few native-dressed women) and the aisle would be nothing but a long line of people crossing their legs and jumping up and down.

That said acclimatization has gone well so far.  With 2/3 the oxygen up here there are many concerns for travelers from low areas.  Carlisle is only about 300 ft. above sea level and by Saturday we will have reached our peak of 15,000ft. So we had to take a picture of the soda looking can they sold in the airport.  Big Ox.   Who new you could sell 4 breaths of flavored, yes flavored, AIR.  For the low price of $20 USD, you can buy peace of mind.  Nate just laughed.  I was considering it.  The label read:

"good food, clean water and unpolluted air containing oxygen are keys to a healthy lifestyle..."

When Nate and left our lovely compound today, I must say that seeing the Big Ox in the taxi was a comfort.  In case you are wondering what flavor options you can have when buying air... try "tropical breeze", "citrus" and "mint".

So after an awesome fusion dinner (pumpkin spinach soup and a traditional peruvian drink I can't spell) delivered right to our chalet followed by a delightful rest for me and Nate up to visit the John six times, we woke to a beautiful, cold Peruvian morning.  I looked up at the rafters, which are tied together with animal skin (some still has the hair on), and saw some serious equatorial sunlight streaming in through the double doors that lead to our porch.  Beautiful!  A nice warm shower and some hand washing of laundry left me light headed and with tingling fingers and feet.  A gentle reminder that Pennsylvanians need to take it a little slow in Peru.

At breakfast (quinoa, yogurt, eggs, fresh bread and jam) we arranged for a taxi to show us around town.  We visited the town of Chinchero to learn about Peruvian textiles and then to its mixture of Incan ruins and  a Spanish Conquistador cathedral.  After Chinchero we drove to Moray, the location of an ancient Incan agricultural laboratory.  On the sides of a natural depression in the landscape, the Incans built terraces.  It is estimated that they could experiment with 20 different climates in this one area due to its unusual landscape.

We left Moray to visit the Salineras. This was the area I most longed to see because it is ingenious, I suppose Moray was too, but oh!  As we approached a canyon a mile or more of glistening water lined the far wall like shining crystal tidal pools.  Each one was about the size of a king size bed and surrounded by rocks hand laid into the hill side thousands of years ago.  I got out of the car and stepped onto a windy overlook.  My hat blew away and my hair swirled in my face like crazy.  Apparently this is attractive to older Japanese men.

We all had a good laugh after the two lovely older gentlemen had taken about 15  pictures of me with the salt pools in the distance.  Finally we went down to the parking area where our taxi instructed us to walk through the mile or so of salt pools then head toward the end of the mountain on the right.  "Take a right at the river," she said, "and I will meet you at the suspension bridge with the car." Strangest directions we had every gotten.

Within moments of saying good bye to our taxi, we ran into our japanese friends again and proceeded to have more pictures taken and we exchanged emails.  We finally escaped my moment of stardom when we got far enough into the salt pool maze that no one was following us.   Apparently no one else got the instructions about heading toward the end of the mountain, taking a right at the river, etc...

So I found these salt pools captivating.  The Incan people had discovered 1,000s of years ago that the spring that fed this gorge was salty.  They created hundreds of pools with tiny channels to direct the water to each one in turn.  As the water evaporated in one, the salt would be left behind and collected, then sold.  This ingenuity persists today as the same families harvest these unusual salt mines.  Boy, I hope my pictures turn out.

So in the end we found the suspension bridge (after an hour and a half of hiking) and we returned happily to our hobbit hole.  Tonight it is Chicken quesadillas delivered right to our door.  The fire will be going... Did I mention it is pretty cold here?


Sent from my iPad

Moray - an Incan agricultural laboratory

The salt mines

The drive to survive

As winter set in we resigned ourselves to spending 20 minutes at a time climbing up and down the church stairs (not to mention a few for times around the block).  Not glorious hiking, but the weather was nearly perfect.  Gaining 160 to 200 feet of altitude in a climate controlled space was slow going but comfortable.  That all changed on December 28th as I sat at my computer writing a check for Luke's animation summer camp.

"What are you doing!?" Nate gasped as he entered our room.

"Getting Gabe and Luke registered for camps."  I answered thinking Nate was commenting on the insanity of planning for July in December.

Machu Picchu, Peru

"You can't fill up our Summer!"  He said as he turned around the computer he was carrying.  It had a picture of Machu Picchu (Peru) on it and I was blown away!  Every Spanish teacher can identify the ruins of the famous Incan city from a mile away.

So gaining 160 to 200 feet of altitude with every visit to the church stairwell was not going to cut it as a means of preparing for such a famous hike.  Nate had decided that if we were ever going to do some crazy mountain hiking in the heart of the Andes Mountains, it might as well be while the altitude would count toward "Climbing Everest".

Nate is leading the way as we
pass a dying raccoon (bottom right)

And so I have stepped up my days at the gym.  I keep saying I will get a shirt that says "I am here because I don't want to die on Machu Picchu".  I go 2-3 times a week (Nate goes to the climbing gym 3x/wk) and we are trying to make an additional day a weekend altitude hike.  Since December, we have returned to Hawk Rock (Duncannon) twice with a gain of 1,530 ft of altitude.  Both hikes were done in inclement weather as a way to test out our hiking gear for Peru.

A beautiful sunny day
awaited us at the top

Machu Picchu is located among impressive peaks and claims some of the most famous hiking in the world.  In an effort to avoid the crowds of the popular Incan Trail, we have chosen to hike the Lares Trek.  It will begin at 10,500ft above sea level and cross through a mountain pass at 15,000 feet. for a total 21 miles of high altitude hiking with nights of camping and hostels.  We will end at the ruins with our guide to fill us in on the amazing history.

So, as we repeatedly ascend to Hawk Rock in the snow in February... and I step on slippery patches, have to use the bathroom outside or my toes fall asleep... I remember that I am choosing to do a ridiculous 3 day hike through freezing temperatures for my summer vacation and this is only the 90 minute practice version.

Our second climb was done while it was snowing

The drive to survive in Peru is certainly doing wonders for our altitude gain on our Everest Adventure.  Nate really knows how to motivate me and he has also been able to open more presents from his 40th Birthday last September.  Most recently he opened a hiking bandana with survival tips on it and a night at a Bed and Breakfast.  Go Team!

Harpers Ferry, Maryland

At the bottom, elevation gain: 0ft

There was a little white Terrier that was climbing the mountain with more grace than I was...  Last night, Nate and I drove to Maryland in search of a mountain with an altitude of over 1,000 feet.  We want to see our progress bar go up a bit.  And Nate wants to open a prize for reaching his first camp.

An internet search should have made it simple. Hikes are labelled with altitude gain, but we discovered a wrench in the works.  Some people judge "gain" by subtracting the lowest altitude from the highest altitude (this is what we are looking for), others count the altitude change on the way up and in the descent for a number twice as large (this one makes you feel accomplished), and a third group counts every step in an upward direction (although these numbers are lower than the previous... they are still inflated).  In the end we did the math ourselves using topographical maps.  If you are going over "Everest", padding your altitude points is cheating.

So our search finally lead us to the Maryland Heights Hike (aptly named).  The website lists it as a gain of 1600ft. (It uses the every-upward-step-counts method) but we bought an app that would keep track and then compared it to the topographical map (which agreed) and our resulting gain was a WHOPPING... 1,150ft!  The only disappointment...

At the top.  Notice and differences in our apparel?

was that Nate is still 300ft shy of opening his prize for reaching "Icefall" on our Everest to-do list.

Will we ever do a hike that gains over 1,000 feet in the first 1.5 miles again?  Good question.  I had to stop many times and Nate gave me his hooded coat so that my ear would stop throbbing from the 40 degree temps and light breeze.  Last night, we stayed in a hotel in Maryland and watched the Everest disaster movie Into Thin Air.  The movie is second rate, but the adventure is gripping and tragic (five chilling deaths).  I kept thinking how glad I was not to be on the real Everest as we trekked up that steep mile and a half.

Nate conquering Maryland Heights

The remaining 3.5 miles were totally beautiful!  We could see Harpers Ferry and the river with each step.  The sun shone on that side of the mountain and it was very pleasant.

Before we left the area we stopped at a gas station.  It struck me as oddly third world looking.  Inside I had a "God really sees me" moment.  The store owner was from Nepal and was selling "Top of the World"  Everest T-shirts and other Nepalese paraphernalia.  Encouraging.  We took advantage of the real Everest coming to us and now own the authentic T-shirt!