The Inca Trail Briefing

We had a good nights sleep and got up to go to our Inca Trail briefing at noon.  We met the rest of our group (very Intl) and our guides.  We got all the logistics.  Overall we are managing the altitude a lot better today and expect it should be fine by tomorrow.

We are picked up by the outfit (Andean Inca Adventures) at 6 am and then bussed three hours to the head of the trail.  We will be descending in altitude to get to the trail head.  Our first day will be taking us only a little ways back up in altitude.  The next day will be an all out climb to reach the top most altitude of 13,000 ft.  It is by far the toughest climb of the whole trip.  By the third day we begin a slight descent to Machu Pichu.  

We get there on the fourth day but dont enter the site until the next morning.  It will be bright and early again but it will be worth it as we will get a guided tour and be the first in the park.  Just as we are breaking up to explore on our own we will the rest of the tourists arrive by train.  

We are very excited and felt a little better about it after the briefing. We have some great guides.  We leave tomorrow morning and we will be camping all along the way for the first three nights.  So we will have no access to technology to post.  No worries as we return Thursday but probably wont post until friday about our experience.  So don't worry. 

guinea pigs

oh i forgot to mention (mostly because i wanted to forget it) we don't recommend the guinea pig.  it was beautifully cooked and the seasoning was good but it just takes a lot to get over.  

Travelling and Arrival

Thanks to Forrest's mom we got to the airport bright and early thursday morning.  We got to LAX and this time were in the newer international terminal.  it was better than last time but LAX still does not hold a special place in our hearts.  

The flight to Lima, Peru was good.  We flew LAN and were very impressed.  The plane was  a 767 800 and it was very spacious.  I have to say i think i prefer going long distances in a 767 rather than a 747.  8 hours later we arrived very late in Lima.  The airport there was great and we literally had to walk across the parking lot to the hotel. We later realized there was a sky bridge and could have avoided the taxi gauntlet but nevertheless we survived.

We greeted by a wonderful hotel staff and got two free drinks.  The local specialty is a  Pisco Sour.  It reminds me of the traditional Daiquiris. Not the strawberry monstrosities we serve in the US but if you have ever had one you know that unique Daiquirie flavor.  We dont have them in Washington only strawberry and they arent the same.  Anyway these drinks were like the old ones except more bitter.  

The next morning we got up and got on a LAN to Cusco. It took one hour.  The LAN crew were amazing and efficient.  We were only in the air one hour but got drink service and a snack. (a considerable snack).  We met four sisters who were in Peru for the first time too.  They were very nice and we had a pleasant conversation with them.  

The descent into Peru was a little hairy but the view was nothing short of spectacular.  Imagine a very high up (12,000 ft) valley with a city in it surrounded by mountain peaks.  And the people are so polite rivaling Costa Rica.  We arrived at our hotel and we couldnt figure out why everyone was insisting on doing everything for us and wanting us to relax and take it easy.  It was only after we got a introduction and welcome, personally, by the owner of the hotel (Torre Dorada-- we highly recommend btw) that we understood why the insistence.  We were 12,000 ft up.  we had gone from sea level to 12,000 in one hour.  To avoid altitude sickness we have to take it easy, drink coca tea and stay hydrated.  The altitude was only first evidenced to us after climbing two banks of stairs.  We were short breathed, struggling, feeling faint and woozy.

It is supposed to take two to three days to acclimate.  We met an Australian couple on the way back from town.  They have been here 36 hours already and the gentleman was still struggling.  He had to have oxygen (which the hotel has on hand).  

We went to the square after a four hour nap for dinner.  We ate at the Inka Grill and had an amazing Pepper Steak.  We started off with a great appetizer too and finished with a fresh made chocolate tart.  It was a much needed, anticipated and enjoyed meal.  We walked briefly around the spectacular plaza at night before succumbing to our altitude induced limitations.  

A good start.  Tomorrow we have our meeting with the Inca Trail tour group.  We will soon see just how challenging this hike will be.  We leave on Sunday for five days.  Thankfully after we see Machu Pichu we take the train back.  

That will more than likely be the next post.

And We're Off.....

We leave tomorrow for our South American Tour. This is an exciting trip for us, as the trip has each of our dream spots. I wanted to do the Inca Trail and see Machu Pichu. Lee always wanted to go the Galapagos. 

We head of tomorrow for Peru, arriving in Cusco two days early to get used to the altitude before doing the Inca Trail. It is a five day adventure (all between 9,000 & 13,000 feet) along the orginal trails cut into the rocks by the Inca. Cusco itself is at 12,000 feet. We then have a few days in Cusco and might do a sidetrip to Lake Titicaca. 

We head to Lima, where Lee will relax in luxury (or whatever hotel I put him at), while I head down to see the Nazca Lines. They are figures created in the desert miles wide by a pre-columbian civilization we know little about. 

The off to Quito, Ecuador - the first UN hertitage site. This is the best preserved Capitial city in all of South America. We are back up high again at 11,000 feet. We booked some down time in this city too. 

Towards the middle of May, we head for Guayaquil, Ecaudor to get ready for the Galapagos cruise. We are going with Lindblad, which is the cruiseline if National Geographic. There will be National Geographic Photographers onboard. We could have never affoarded this cruise without the bad ecomony, so it will be a treat. 

Now comes in the audience participation part. We arrive in Buenos Aires May 24th for two whole months. We have a two bedroom apartment on the border of Palmero/Recoleta. The extra bedroom is for whomever wants to come stay. We will have US phone numbers during the stay, so if you want to call us, just send an email. 

We are back in Seattle in late July for a few weeks, then off to Europe until we are broke. Everyone keeps asking what will we do after traveling. That is easy - WORK! Lee is thinking about going back to school, but unless he finds a sugar daddy, it will be work for both of us. 

We will have internet access off and on throughout the trip, so look for posts. If you do not see a post for a week or so, you know we are someplace remote. 

Monte Verde and Arenal

We drove in from the Pacific Coast Friday to San Jose. It was Forrest's first real driving in the country since we rented the car. It took us about four hours total but we made it fine.

Along the way we had stopped for lunch in another beach town just north of Quepos. It was full of surfers (mostly foreigners) and was really hopping with activity. We ate at a taco bar called, Taco Bar. It was really a cool place. the eating area was like a bar setting with stools on the inside and then on the outer seats swings. like playground swings. in the middle of this circle of seats was a salad/ taco fixings bar. you ordered your tacos, and how you wanted the meat seasoned then they bring it all out to you on these long wooden platters.

the food was great, simple and hot. Forrest wants to open one up now. it was quite clever and it seemed to be THE place to eat.

We arrived in San Jose in the afternoon and stayed in the hotel we had stayed before for one night and then we headed out to Monte Verde early the next day. The drive was very pleasant but the roads get a little bumpy and curvy outside of the central plateau of San Jose. The cloud forrest was beautiful and the eco lodge we stayed at was very nice.

The next day we headed around Lake Arenal, a beautiful area, and headed to fortuna which is a town at the base of Mt Arenal. The volcano is a perfect cone shape. in fact if you asked a child to draw a picture of a volcano they would be drawing this one. it is perfectly cone shaped with steam coming up out of it. we were told by a naturalist that it is very similar to Mt Saint Helen's in the type of volcano that it is. It is also the most active one in the country.

We went zip lining and met some really nice people, including a delightful family from Colorado. After the zip lining we had to ride down from the canopy area by horseback. it was my first time on a horse. I was terrified but survived. My horse was a sweetheart. Forrest's had a little spunk but nothing he couldn't handle.

In Fortuna we stayed at this private resort. The owners were absolutely wonderful and really made us feel at home. Their property was beautiful and close to everywhere. It was a peaceful and relaxing setting. in the evening we took a guided tour of the jungle and the mountain at nightwith a nature guide.

The next day we got up early and headed for the airport. Along the way we stopped off at a zoo that specialized in local species. it was wonderful. saw an Ocelot and Puma up close. beautiful animals.

The airport itself and ride home was uneventful. We landed in LA and got to the hotel by 4 am. We are taking a break here to give me a chance to talk with the British Consulate about some paperwork and documents i have been waiting on. i have a contact now and someone to help me with the process.

We plan on staying here until friday before finally arriving home.