9/30 - 10/5
We went back to our original hostel for the night since we got in after 10pm. We woke up the next morning and moved to Loki Hostel which is bigger and has more people. Loki is an awesome hostel. The building is 450 years old. The beds were pretty comfortable. We had originally planned to stay one night but Sara ended contracting pneumonia and had to stay at the hospital for two nights. Loki is a relaxing place that overlooks the center of Cusco. The only problem is that I feel like I am in England and not Peru because 75% of the people staying here are English. We are currently working out plans to go to Bolivia. We have talked to a lot of people and although it is recommended not to go there by the US media we have found out that the areas of the country we would like to see are safe. We feel comfortable going to bolivia and are very excited to see the sites there. More later.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Sheer Exhaustion
9-26-08
So the 4am wakeup wasn't too enjoyable. The taxi was late so we could have probably slept in till at least 4:20. We were taken to a market where we met the rest of our group. The van they had hired only had 9 seats and we were eleven so me, an Australian named Glenn, and Karin (one of the Swedes). I slept in the taxi, 1. because i was tired, and 2. because I didn't want to be awake to see our crazy driver drive off a cliff. We arrived about 25 minutes before the rest of the group (again I was trying to figure out why the taxi drove so fast since we were so far ahead of the rest of the group). We met the rest of the group, ate breakfast, and started our trek. We started in the town and walked along the road most of the first day. Although walking along a road where trucks and vans past was not the greatest experience the views of the Andes were indescribable. 19km (12 miles) later we arrived at our campsite. We had views of both the Salkantay Mountain and another enormous glacier mountain. It was cold that night and we were all exhausted so we played some cards, ate dinner and went to bed very early.
9-27-08
We woke at 6am and hike 4 miles up to the highest point we would hike during the trip. Unfortunately it was very cloudy and we were not able to have a full view of the Salkantay Mountain but we did get an idea of how big it was. We were 4600 meters which is about 15000 feet above sea level. We continued on and hike and additional 14-19km (9-12 miles)(our guide was a little funny about the numbers so we are not sure exactly how far we hiked, but it was far. We arrived at our second campsite and the sky opened up about 10 minutes later. It poured all through the night.
9-28-08
We awoke extremely tired from two days of difficult hiking. We hiked through the jungle and along a river. The scenery was amazing and although we started seeing some bugs around the hike was still very nice. We arrived at our campsite which was abolutely infested with bugs. They were everywhere and absolutely loved Unger. He had a cloud following him around everywhere we went. A van took us down to the hotsprings at Santa Teresa. It was relaxing after 3 days of hiking. The night was definitely the worst night of sleep since the ground was uneven and there was a lot of noise since our campsite was next to a road. We all woke up eaten alive. I have bug bites all over my arms and lets and 5 days later there still big welts and they itch a lot. We found out they are sand flies which in my opinion are worse than mosquitos.
9-29-08
The last day was the worst day of the trek. The guide did not give us the option of doing the first half of the hike in a van or walking and it was along a road with lots of cars kicking up dust. We ate lunch at the hydro-electric power plant where the train station starts. We spent the second half of the day walking on train tracks. It got very repetitive, difficult and boring. We did however see our first glimpse of Machu Picchu very far below the mountain, so that was nice. After 4 days of hiking and 70-80km which is about 45-48 miles of hiking we arrived in Aguas Calientes. We had an option to climb up another mountain that overlooks Machu Picchu but I decided I was a little too tired. Unger and Elli went. I ate lunch and relaxed. We went to dinner with the group and had pizza.
9-30-08
We woke up at 4:20am and waited for the bus to Machu Picchu. We were able to get on the first bus. We got in and went straight to Huayna Picchu mountain which is the famous mountain that is behind Machu Picchu in all the pictures. They only allow 400 people up each day so we were happy to be the first people up the mountain. It was a difficult time since we were all still tired from our trek but the views at the top made it worth it. We stayed up there for about an hour and then went back down to meet our guide for the tour of Machu Picchu. Unger and I decided only to do part of the tour and instead just sat there and looked at the incredible ruins from a lookout point at the top of the ruins. We then walked down to Aguas Calientes, ate lunch, checked internet, and met the group for happy hour at a bar down the street from the hotel. We caught the train to Ollantytambo and then caught the bus into Cusco. Overall the trip was a success and I was happy I was able to accomplish it.
So the 4am wakeup wasn't too enjoyable. The taxi was late so we could have probably slept in till at least 4:20. We were taken to a market where we met the rest of our group. The van they had hired only had 9 seats and we were eleven so me, an Australian named Glenn, and Karin (one of the Swedes). I slept in the taxi, 1. because i was tired, and 2. because I didn't want to be awake to see our crazy driver drive off a cliff. We arrived about 25 minutes before the rest of the group (again I was trying to figure out why the taxi drove so fast since we were so far ahead of the rest of the group). We met the rest of the group, ate breakfast, and started our trek. We started in the town and walked along the road most of the first day. Although walking along a road where trucks and vans past was not the greatest experience the views of the Andes were indescribable. 19km (12 miles) later we arrived at our campsite. We had views of both the Salkantay Mountain and another enormous glacier mountain. It was cold that night and we were all exhausted so we played some cards, ate dinner and went to bed very early.
9-27-08
We woke at 6am and hike 4 miles up to the highest point we would hike during the trip. Unfortunately it was very cloudy and we were not able to have a full view of the Salkantay Mountain but we did get an idea of how big it was. We were 4600 meters which is about 15000 feet above sea level. We continued on and hike and additional 14-19km (9-12 miles)(our guide was a little funny about the numbers so we are not sure exactly how far we hiked, but it was far. We arrived at our second campsite and the sky opened up about 10 minutes later. It poured all through the night.
9-28-08
We awoke extremely tired from two days of difficult hiking. We hiked through the jungle and along a river. The scenery was amazing and although we started seeing some bugs around the hike was still very nice. We arrived at our campsite which was abolutely infested with bugs. They were everywhere and absolutely loved Unger. He had a cloud following him around everywhere we went. A van took us down to the hotsprings at Santa Teresa. It was relaxing after 3 days of hiking. The night was definitely the worst night of sleep since the ground was uneven and there was a lot of noise since our campsite was next to a road. We all woke up eaten alive. I have bug bites all over my arms and lets and 5 days later there still big welts and they itch a lot. We found out they are sand flies which in my opinion are worse than mosquitos.
9-29-08
The last day was the worst day of the trek. The guide did not give us the option of doing the first half of the hike in a van or walking and it was along a road with lots of cars kicking up dust. We ate lunch at the hydro-electric power plant where the train station starts. We spent the second half of the day walking on train tracks. It got very repetitive, difficult and boring. We did however see our first glimpse of Machu Picchu very far below the mountain, so that was nice. After 4 days of hiking and 70-80km which is about 45-48 miles of hiking we arrived in Aguas Calientes. We had an option to climb up another mountain that overlooks Machu Picchu but I decided I was a little too tired. Unger and Elli went. I ate lunch and relaxed. We went to dinner with the group and had pizza.
9-30-08
We woke up at 4:20am and waited for the bus to Machu Picchu. We were able to get on the first bus. We got in and went straight to Huayna Picchu mountain which is the famous mountain that is behind Machu Picchu in all the pictures. They only allow 400 people up each day so we were happy to be the first people up the mountain. It was a difficult time since we were all still tired from our trek but the views at the top made it worth it. We stayed up there for about an hour and then went back down to meet our guide for the tour of Machu Picchu. Unger and I decided only to do part of the tour and instead just sat there and looked at the incredible ruins from a lookout point at the top of the ruins. We then walked down to Aguas Calientes, ate lunch, checked internet, and met the group for happy hour at a bar down the street from the hotel. We caught the train to Ollantytambo and then caught the bus into Cusco. Overall the trip was a success and I was happy I was able to accomplish it.
Cusco
9-22-08
We woke up early and went to the airport to catch our flight to Cusco. They almost bumped us from the flight. Unger had a standby ticket and I had a real ticket but of course I would not abandon my friend so I was willing to wait if he had to wait. But instead we were able to get the last two seats on the plane, in which we sprinted across the tarmac and raced to our seats just as they were closing the doors. We arrived in Cusco, took a taxi to our hostel and walked around Cusco for a few hours. Highlight of the day was finding a restaurant called Mijunachis. It had 3 menus that ranged from 10 soles ($3.00) - 15 soles ($5.00). The menus were three courses which included an appetizer, soup, and entree, and also tea or lemonade. We ordered Alpaca (our first time trying this food). It tasted kind of like beef but probably a little gamier. We ultimately ate there 4 more times during our stay in Cusco. Great city.
9-23-08
Sara and her friend Elli were checking into the hotel as we were waking up. We decided we wanted to continue to get acclimitized by walking around the city some more (on a side note I had been taking altitude sickness pills for two days and they caused blurry vision which I thought was altitude sickness. It wasn't fun not being able to see for two days but once the pills wore off I got my vision back) We took Elli and Sara to Mijunachis and they liked it too. We started looking for a tour operater so that we could do the Salkantay trek. We went to South American Explorers and they recommended a company called Quechuas. The owner seemed like a nice guy and quoted us a price of $210 for 4 nights, 5 days, entry to Machu Picchu, hotel on the last night and train back to Cusco. This price was a lot better than the $430 that Unger and I almost spent to do the Salkantay Trek. We decided to book the trip that would leave on September 26. We went back to the hostel relaxed for a little while and then went to the store to buy food since Unger and I were cooking dinner for the girls that night. We made chicken and pasta but the pasta turned out soggy and clumpy (Not our fault, we didn't have a strainer). We then decided to watch a movie. We started Hostel which I thought was completely appropriate since we were staying in a hostel in South America but when we got to the point in the movie where the guy cuts the kids achilles tendons I was forced by the other three to turn the movie off. We watch 40 Year Old Virgin instead; not a bad second choice.
9-24-08
We wanted to do some excercise to make sure we were ready for our trek. We took a taxi up the the ruins that are about 6 miles from Cusco and then hike down the mountain stopping at about 4 or 5 sets of ruins on the way (a little advice if you are ever in Cusco: don't leave your hotel wearing just shorts and a tee shirt because the weather can change very very quickly. We left and it was about 80 degrees and by the time we got to the top of the mountain the wind had picked up and the temperature had dropped. I ended up buying an alpaca sweater which I very much overpaid for. Peruvian crafts people = 1, Brian = 0) The ruins were interesting and we got lost several times and had to ask for directions on how to get to the next ruins. I'm pretty sure we left Unger in charge of directions. The last set of ruins we encountered before Cusco were incredible. There were 3 tiered walls that probably went up about 100 feet or so. It started to rain so we made our way back to Cusco. We met the Swedish girls and went to a restaurant called Kusikoy. We proceeded to order our entrees and Unger, Sara, and I decided it was time to sample the little Peruvian delicassee, Kuy. We had actually decided earlier in the day, hence the restaurant's name Kusikoy. Now this is a very special dish and takes about 40 minutes, since I guess they put it on a rotisseree or something. We ate our entrees and about 10 minutes later the waiter brought the little critter out. Now, the best part about this meal is that they don't filet, skin, remove paws, head, etc. The cook the little guy up, full body intact and serve it just like that. It arrived with teeth still intact as well and a huge pepper in its mouth. I thought it was a nice touch. I can't really explain how it tastes so I will just say that it tastes like the dark meat of chicken, with a little bit of a difference. I enjoyed it but will probably never eat it again. Scratch that off my list of things to do before I die. I am unhappy to say that the most expensive meal by far I have eaten in South America was a rodent. The good news is that I didn't get sick.
9-25-08
It was a very uneventful day. We wanted to try to conserve some money, since at the moment with Machu Picchu and Galapagos we are haemorrhaging money. So we hung out at the hostel, went to the store to buy water and snacks for our hike, ate at Mijunachis, and returned to the hostel. We met with our guide so we could go over a little pre-trek information and then I went out to dinner with an Irish girl we had met in Quito who happened to be staying at the same hotel in Cusco. I had to finish packing up before our 4am wakeup and I barely slept about 2 hours.
We woke up early and went to the airport to catch our flight to Cusco. They almost bumped us from the flight. Unger had a standby ticket and I had a real ticket but of course I would not abandon my friend so I was willing to wait if he had to wait. But instead we were able to get the last two seats on the plane, in which we sprinted across the tarmac and raced to our seats just as they were closing the doors. We arrived in Cusco, took a taxi to our hostel and walked around Cusco for a few hours. Highlight of the day was finding a restaurant called Mijunachis. It had 3 menus that ranged from 10 soles ($3.00) - 15 soles ($5.00). The menus were three courses which included an appetizer, soup, and entree, and also tea or lemonade. We ordered Alpaca (our first time trying this food). It tasted kind of like beef but probably a little gamier. We ultimately ate there 4 more times during our stay in Cusco. Great city.
9-23-08
Sara and her friend Elli were checking into the hotel as we were waking up. We decided we wanted to continue to get acclimitized by walking around the city some more (on a side note I had been taking altitude sickness pills for two days and they caused blurry vision which I thought was altitude sickness. It wasn't fun not being able to see for two days but once the pills wore off I got my vision back) We took Elli and Sara to Mijunachis and they liked it too. We started looking for a tour operater so that we could do the Salkantay trek. We went to South American Explorers and they recommended a company called Quechuas. The owner seemed like a nice guy and quoted us a price of $210 for 4 nights, 5 days, entry to Machu Picchu, hotel on the last night and train back to Cusco. This price was a lot better than the $430 that Unger and I almost spent to do the Salkantay Trek. We decided to book the trip that would leave on September 26. We went back to the hostel relaxed for a little while and then went to the store to buy food since Unger and I were cooking dinner for the girls that night. We made chicken and pasta but the pasta turned out soggy and clumpy (Not our fault, we didn't have a strainer). We then decided to watch a movie. We started Hostel which I thought was completely appropriate since we were staying in a hostel in South America but when we got to the point in the movie where the guy cuts the kids achilles tendons I was forced by the other three to turn the movie off. We watch 40 Year Old Virgin instead; not a bad second choice.
9-24-08
We wanted to do some excercise to make sure we were ready for our trek. We took a taxi up the the ruins that are about 6 miles from Cusco and then hike down the mountain stopping at about 4 or 5 sets of ruins on the way (a little advice if you are ever in Cusco: don't leave your hotel wearing just shorts and a tee shirt because the weather can change very very quickly. We left and it was about 80 degrees and by the time we got to the top of the mountain the wind had picked up and the temperature had dropped. I ended up buying an alpaca sweater which I very much overpaid for. Peruvian crafts people = 1, Brian = 0) The ruins were interesting and we got lost several times and had to ask for directions on how to get to the next ruins. I'm pretty sure we left Unger in charge of directions. The last set of ruins we encountered before Cusco were incredible. There were 3 tiered walls that probably went up about 100 feet or so. It started to rain so we made our way back to Cusco. We met the Swedish girls and went to a restaurant called Kusikoy. We proceeded to order our entrees and Unger, Sara, and I decided it was time to sample the little Peruvian delicassee, Kuy. We had actually decided earlier in the day, hence the restaurant's name Kusikoy. Now this is a very special dish and takes about 40 minutes, since I guess they put it on a rotisseree or something. We ate our entrees and about 10 minutes later the waiter brought the little critter out. Now, the best part about this meal is that they don't filet, skin, remove paws, head, etc. The cook the little guy up, full body intact and serve it just like that. It arrived with teeth still intact as well and a huge pepper in its mouth. I thought it was a nice touch. I can't really explain how it tastes so I will just say that it tastes like the dark meat of chicken, with a little bit of a difference. I enjoyed it but will probably never eat it again. Scratch that off my list of things to do before I die. I am unhappy to say that the most expensive meal by far I have eaten in South America was a rodent. The good news is that I didn't get sick.
9-25-08
It was a very uneventful day. We wanted to try to conserve some money, since at the moment with Machu Picchu and Galapagos we are haemorrhaging money. So we hung out at the hostel, went to the store to buy water and snacks for our hike, ate at Mijunachis, and returned to the hostel. We met with our guide so we could go over a little pre-trek information and then I went out to dinner with an Irish girl we had met in Quito who happened to be staying at the same hotel in Cusco. I had to finish packing up before our 4am wakeup and I barely slept about 2 hours.
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