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Craig and Steph's First Adventure Life Trip: Peru

By : Craig and Steph
Trip Begins May 10, 2002
Trip Ends May 26, 2002

This was our first real international trip, and it changed our lives. We explored the Southern coastal region, Lake Titicaca, and the Cusco area, and made life-long friends with guides Carlos and Vidal. Text and photos from www.craigandstephsvacations.com
See my photos : Craig and Steph's First Adventure Life Trip: Peru

Want to go? Panoramic Peru

I went to: Peru, Machu Picchu Ruins, Paracas
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May 10, 2002
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Arrival in Lima

Lima, Peru

Craig and I have known about Peru for as long as we can remember. I recall doing a book report on Machu Picchu in 4th grade. The pictures just captivated my imagination. So we decided to investigate trips to Peru. Craig found Adventure Life on the web. He had some very informative and friendly e-mail communication with Mary, and we decided on the 17 day Panoramic Peru tour. We decided we wanted to investigate whether or not any immunizations were required for the trip. I found the Lahey Travel and Tropical Medicine Clinic online. They are located in Burlington, MA. I called in December and left my information on an answering machine. About a week later , they called me back to schedule our first appointment. Our first appontmnet was on Jan 23. We met with Dr. Ooi, who was very knowledgeable about travel medicine. We gave her our itinerary and she recommended several immunizations. She gave us each a typhoid shot and a Hepatitis A/B shot, and Craig also got a tetanus/diptheria shot. Our next appointment was on February 27. We got our second round of Hepatitis A/B shots, as well as yellow fever shots. Craig got a MMR booster, and I got a Tetanus/Diptheria shot. Our final appointment was on June 1. Craig and I got our final Hepatitis A/B shots, and she prescribed some medicines as well. She gave us Cipro for traveler's diarrhea and Diamox for altitude sickness. We were told to only take them if necessary. The Lahey Clinic was great; very well-organized and expert in their field. It is a very easy, efficient process, and we highly recommend them if you are traveling to a foreign country that might pose health risks.

The trip we booked includes a variety of different destinations, some coastal, some desert, and some highlands (Andes mountains). It includes Machu Picchu, Colca Canyon, and even a homestay with an indigenous family on an island in Lake Titicaca. Not knowing how altitude would affect us, we didn't choose a trip included a 2 or 4 day hike of the Inca Trail. Looking back, we wish we had had the chance to do the Inca Trail. We did some hiking on the trip, and it left us wanting more. Oh well, there's always next time!

We also lucked out on this trip, because noone else signed up for the same time period. The tour had a minimum of two travelers, so the trip went as scheduled, and we wold up with private guides. This was wonderful, as we had lots of individual attention and became quite close friends with our guides. Because this trip was so long and varied, we have split it up into three distinct sections. Page 1 covers the first week of the trip with our guide Carlos. Places include Lima, Pisco, Nasca, Arequipa, and the Colca Canyon. Page 2 covers our trip to Lake Titicaca. There we visited the man-made Uros Islands, Taquile Island, and spent the night with a local family on Amantani Island. For this section of the trip, we were with Henry. Page 3 covers the end of the trip with our guide Vidal: Puno, Cusco, Sacred Valley, and Machu Picchu.

We woke up at 6:00 and finished getting ready. Craig's Mom picked us up at 9 and brought us to the airport. We arrived there at 9:40. By 10:10, we had completely checked in and passed through security. We had plenty of time prior to our 12:30 flight to Miami, so we ate breakfast at Burger King. We arrived in Miami about 3 hours after takeoff. We had an hour layover. On the flight from Miami to Lima, we were seated next to Babs, an older woman from NYC who had some amazing travel stories about taking cruises to view eclipses, etc. She was on her first trip to Peru, and we had a great conversation with her. We had beef stew for dinner. This flight was about five hours long.

We arrived at 9 pm local time (they don't do Daylight Savings Time, so they were an hour behind EDT). We passed through passport control and customs. We then ran the gauntlet of taxi drivers and found a guy who had a placard which bore our names. He paid the parking fee and then let us into his white Toyota Corrolla (they, along with old school VW Bugs, are probably the most popular cars in Lima). There were a lot of police in the airport area. Getting driven to the hotel was interesting. It was Friday night, and there were people everywhere. Lots of pedestrians and lots of traffic. Few traffic lights and stop signs, with cars just racing through intersections beeping their horns. Lots of urban sprawl, with casinos and lots of establishments named after Hollywood (one was called "Hello Hollywood." We couldn't tell what it was). After about half an hour we arrived in Miraflores, a more affluent part of the city which was calmer and prettier. There was a golf course, gorgeous parks, beautiful houses, and lots of trees. We arrived at the hotel (Villa Molina) and were buzzed through the gate. The driver said goodbye, and that he would see us tomorrow. We got a little confused and were wondering if he was indeed a cab driver or whether he was our guide. I guess we'd find out tomorrow. We were shown to our room (403) and in order to go up the stairs we passed through their gorgeous courtyard. Our room was very clean and nice, with a Spanish bed and windows on two walls. It had a nice bathroom, and we were first introduced to the concept of throwing toilet paper into the trash. The plumbing pipes in Peru are only two inches in diameter, so they can't accommodate paper. Though it was hard to get into the habit that first day, we got used to it very quickly. We watched the Discovery Travel Channel for a while (nice satellite TV channels) and then went to bed.

May 11, 2002
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Lima to Pisco

Paracas, Peru

We woke up around 6:30 and had a liesurely morning with hot showers with good water pressure. The weather was around 70 and sunny but with high humidity. We turned on the Discovery Travel Channel and they had a show about Machu Picchu and Nasca! Unreal! We watched for a while getting more and more excited about what was to come on our trip. At 9:30 we went downstairs for breakfast. A hotel worker who spoke English showed us to the dining room, where bread, jelly, ham, cheese, and fresh squeezed papaya juice (as thick as nectar) awaited us. The room was gorgeous, with art and a nice chandelier. We chatted with a couple from Argentina who were in Lima for a family wedding. We drank some mate de coca (coca tea) made with a teabag. The waiter motioned that it is good for the stomach (and we also know that it is used as a remedy for altitude sickness, so we assumed we'd see a bit more of it during the course of the trip). We stood on the patio overlooking Miraflores. There were skyscrapers in the distance and Spanish influenced houses on the block. It was gorgeous. There was a really beautiful church nearby...very modern yet Spanish influenced. It looked like half a cylinder turned on its side, with a very stylized steeple. We read the guidebook and wrote in the journal while we waited for our guide to meet us. Then we checked out and sat in the courtyard, under a piece of cloth draped over the courtyard for shade. The black Lab that lives at the hotel came to visit us.

At 12:30 our guide arrived. Turned out that it was not our driver from last night, although the driver was there as well. His name was Boris, and he was there to drive our guide Carlos to the bus station with us. Carlos showed us a place to sit at the bus station while he checked our backpacks. Then we chatted with him for a while, just getting to know one another. Carlos was born and raised in Arequipa, and still lives there with his family. He is of Quechua and Spanish descent. He seemed like a really great guy right from the start, and he promised that he'd show us more of Peru than just "ruins and the church." We went into the lounge at the bus station and he bought an Inca Kola and let us try some. This is a truly Peruvian soft drink...bright yellowish green and tasted like bubblegum. It is so sweet. We boarded the bus. It was a double decker "royal class" bus, and we were right in front on the top deck so we had a gorgeous view. Carlos gave us some strawberry creme cookies. The bus was scheduled to leave at 1:30, but really left around 2 (this, we were told, was "Peruvian time.") We had headrest, armrests, footrests, air conditioning, and even TV. Getting out of Lima was a trip.So many cars, buses, etc...no lanes...a total free for all, everyone beeping their horns at every potential conflict. We laughed the whole way out of Lima because of the chaos of it all. Once out of Lima we were on a normal highway (the Panamerican). We passed shantytowns on the outskirts. People can squat on land and petition the government for a title to the land. The government usually grants it, but as with any bureaucracy it takes time. In the meanwhile the people need to stay on their land in a temporary shelter (otherwise others will squat on it and take it from them). People usually need to squat for 4-6 months straight. After that, when they are granted a title, they usually need to go to work in the city to earn money to actually construct a permanent house.

Sales tax in legitimate stores is 18%, and most residents of Peru can't afford to pay that. So they set up little markets and outdoor concessions where they sell to one another without the burden of sales tax. We passed a large furniture market that operated in this way. The landscape was gorgeous. There was desert in one direction, ocean in the other, palm trees, huge sand dunes, and lush green valleys with crops such as cotton, corn, grapes, and asparagus. Shantytowns were springing up in gorgeous locales along the ocean. In the U.S. this land would be developed by hotels and resorts. In Peru it is given to locals free of charge by the government. There were big, boulder-like islands off the coast that looked fake because they were illuminated so perfectly by the late afternoon sun. They started to play a movie: "Meet Joe Black." The sound was carried over speakers (rather than headphones), so we could hear the movie at all times. Although we were looking out the window rather than watching the movie, the sound creeped into our subconscious and after a while we found ourselves entertained and interested in the movie in spite of ourselves. The audio was in English but it had Spanish subtitles. A girl brought around some snacks...cups of Inca Kola and a little cellophaned tray of food. There was a pastry, a hard candy, and a chocolate cupcake. I decided to start with the pastry. It looked like a small fruit pie. What was inside? Strawberry? Papaya? Orange? Imagine my surprise when I took a bite and found a room temperature hot dog inside. Not exactly what I was expecting! It wasn't bad...just a surprise! Craig said the look on my face was priceless. I just started laughing hysterically. Just as the movie was at its dramatic climax, the TV shut off, and that was it. So now we've seen about 85% of "Meet Joe Black," and we feel compelled to see the ending...just because. It was so weird. We drove through Chincha, where most of the black population of Peru lives (they were initially brought there as slaves of the Spanish). There was a rotary with a lot of traffic (cars, buses, motorized tricycles, etc.) Our bus went the wrong way around to take a short cut to the bus station. It was exciting!

We arrived in Pisco at around 5:00. After collecting our bags Carlos ushered us quickly into a waiting cab, whcih drove us a few blocks to the Hostal Posada Hispana. He whisked us inside the gate. It was a whirlwind and we felt like celebrities with bodyguards or something. We were shown to our room on the second floor. It had a clean bathroom and a window that overlooks the street. There were a lot more cars around here than at our hotel in Miraflores, so the general atmosphere was a bit more chaotic. We had a little time to unwind in our room, and I wrote in the journal while Craig flipped throuigh TV stations. It was Saturday night, so "Sabado Gigante" was on! It felt like we were home. It seems to make a bit more sense here, though, than it does from home. And we saw its competition...an equally bizarre variety show called "Sabadazo." We met Carlos at 6:30, and wandered through the town. We saw our first Plaza de Armas (main square). It was pretty and well-lit. Tourism is starting to arrive here in Pisco, but for the most part there weren't many tourists. There were a few street vendors trying to get our attention, as well as some girls trying to coax us into their restaurants. We went into one restaurant, but when Carlos looked at the menu he thought that the prices were too high. So we ordered Pisco sours (the national drink of Peru), made of Pisco grape brandy and egg whites. Carlos taught us some Spanish phrases. Craig felt something furry brush past his leg under the table. After a brief moment of confusion Carlos reached under the table and emerged with a small orange and white cat. She was adorable, and loved the petting that Craig gave her. We were told by Carlos about the abundance of internet cafes in Peru. Tourism wasn't the impetus behind them. Most Peruvians can't afford a PC, nor can they afford the monthly charge for personal internet access. So instead, there are public internet places just about everywhere, and people can pay very cheap rates (one or two soles per hour) for access. After our drinks, we headed to another restaurant: De Oro's S.R.I. Craig and Carlos got Cristal beer, and I had Chilean white wine. We ate lomo saltado (beef mixed with red peppers, onions, and french fries, with white rice on the side). It was delicious. Here we were first introduced to Carlos' love of picante, and we mixed it into our food for a spicy treat. We had a great conversation with Carlos about U.S. and Peruvian politics, Peruvian society, etc. It was quite enlightening. We left around 10:15 to go back to the hotel. As we left the restaurant we could see that there was a party later that night that was being set up. We spoke to Carlos about the closing time of bars in Boston, and he laughed and said that in Peru, parties START at 2 a.m.

May 12, 2002
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Pisco, Islas Ballestas

Carlos' words about parties echoed through my head as the thumping of amplified live music reverberated through our room and bed. I looked at my watch. 2:10 a.m.. Carlos wasn't kidding! Between that and the the beeping horns of the traffic, it wasn't a terrific night sleep. We got up at 6. Our "wake up call" came at 6:20, as a hotel employee knocked on our door. We were quite tired at first but quickly recovered. We threw on some clothes and went downstairs to meet Carlos for breakfast. We ate fresh bread and jelly and drank orange juice. We were allowed to leave our luggage in the room while we went out sightseeing, which was very convenient. We took a bus to the Pisco port. A local guide, Manuel, was on the bus with us and about 12 other tourists. When we arrived at the port, vendors swarmed the bus, reaching in and trying to sell us hats, film, etc. We didn't have hats, and the sun was very strong. A kid named Martin (whom Carlos said looked like St. Martin, a popular saint in Peru) offered us hats that had an embroidered "Islas Ballestas, Paracas, Pisco, Peru" sea lion logo for 10 soles each. We bought them from him gladly. We went to the bathroom in a local restaurant (which only provided recycled toilet paper. Best to bring your own. The toilets also didn't flush and the woman had to flush them by dumping water down them) and then waited for our boat ride. There is a fish processing plant nearby, and it produced an unpleasant odor that we could smell from the shore. Once we got into the boat, however, we could no longer smell it. The ocean was calm and the weather was around 75 degrees and sunny. The breeziness of the boat ride felt good. The Islas Ballestas (a.k.a. the Little Galapagos) are about 25 km from the Pisco shore. "Ballestas" means "bow", and it is so named because there are many natural arches in the rock formations. You can't dock at the islands, as they are protected as a guano collecting facility, but the boats can drive by. On the way out to the islands, we passed the Candelabro, a large pattern in the sand on the side of a mountain that has been there for many years. Noone knows why it was made or who made it, though its image has been likened to a candlebrum or a mezcal-producing cactus. The reason that it has survived so long is that it never rains in Pisco. Manuel saw his first substantial raiun at age 22 while visiting Cusco. Also on the boat ride out to the islands we saw at least 4 bottlenosed dolphins playing in our wake. Once we got to the islands we saw lots of species of birds: Peruvian boobies, Inca terns, turkey vultures, and gulls. We saw rocks literally covered with sea lion females and pups. When pups make noise, they sound like lambs bleating. Adult females sound more like Chewbacca. We saw some caves where some of the sea lions live. Vampire bats also inhabit the caves, and feed on sea lion blood. There are about 4,000 sea lions there, down from 8,000 prior to the last El Niño. El Niño has devastating effects to some wildlife, but can help others (e.g. scallops flourish after El Niño because all of their major predators die).We saw inedible spider crabs clinging to the rocks. We saw several Humboldt penguins. There are only about 100 in Peru, and they face extinction. When the Ballestas were first harvested for guano, it was done in a very environmentally unfriendly way. The penguins create nests in the guano, so their homes were completely wiped out. Now the guano is collected in a more environmentally friendly manner, so that the penguins can continue to live there. We saw the maternity beach where several male sea lions impregnate the females. Sea lions were playing in the sea and being washed up onto the shore with each wave. As they hit the shore, the sea lions already on the shore would start barking at them immediately.

We got back to shore about 2 hours after we had departed. Then we hopped into a car with Carlos, Manuel, and a driver. We drove for about 15 minutes to the Paracas Reserve. There was a small museum outlining the biodiversity of the area. Carlos told us that they had had problems with litter on the reserve, and had instituted a program through which Peruvians could pick up the litter and for every so many plastic bottles they collected, they could trade them in for a tee shirt. This worked very well, and helped to raise awareness about the dangers of pollution. We went into the Julio C. Tello Museum, which had some great anthropological artifiacts from the area. As we entered the courtyard there we saw a small monument, a cross, and some fresh flowers. Manuel told us that it was a memorial for Frederik Engel, an archaeologist who devoted his life to studying Peruvian artifacts and history. He had just died, and his ashes had been scattered there...yesterday. The plaque even states "1908 - May 11, 2002." Unreal! There were mummy bundles inside of the museum. There were also very old textile pieces. We saw a cradle which was used to deform babies' heads into different shapes (depending on social class/profession). More conical heads belonged to warriors, as they would put some sort of protective covering around their heads in battle. There were actual deformed skulled in the museum. It was amazing...like the ConeHeads...for real. There were also skulls that had undergone surgery ("skull trepanation") for tumors. Mescaline and chicha (corn alcohol) were used as anaesthetics. There is debate as to whether the skull deformation was in part responsible for some of the tumors these people developed (45% of the pre-Inca skulls found in the Paracas area had had this kind of surgery). You could actually see places where the bone started to regenerate and heal itself around the wound. By studying the skull regeneration, they have determined that some individuals lived up to an additional 20 years following the surgery. Wow!! After marveling at the museum, we drove through miles of desert landscape (no "proper" road, just tracks from other cars, and nothing else in sight). It was like another world. The desert is not made up of sand as we had pictured...it was more of a hard rock crust that was the color of sand. Almost like a layer of sandstone. We saw the Catedral, a gorgeous stone formation on the Pacific Ocean. There was even a fisherman precariously perched on an edge. The contrast between the desertscape and the seascape was fantastic. There were turkey vultures, and Manuel told us that sometimes when he has been walking there they would circle around him, trying to make him dizzy. Their hope is that he would plummet over a cliff so that they could then eat him. We then drove to a beach where there were some little food stands and small fishing boats. This was Mother's Day (in U.S. and Peru), so nobody was really fishing that day. Carlos bought some Dore crackers which were like a cross between saltines and butter crackers. They were delicious! We touched the Pacific Ocean. The water was a bit warmer than at home, but still kind of chilly.

We returned to Pisco for lunch at around 2:00. We ate at the same restaurant we had been to the night before. We had ice cream as a first course, as Carlos wanted to make sure that our pallettes were clean and we could fully appreciate the flavor. My kind of guy! The ice cream had sort of a sorbet consistency and was reddish-orange in color. It was made with a fruit called lucma, and it was delicious! We had cebiche mixto (mixed raw fish including octopus and kingfish) marinated in limon that came with corn (huge kernels) and a slice of sweet potato. We had wanted to try cebiche last night, but Carlos told us that it is more of a lunch food. It was very acidic but good. I really liked the octopus. I had a pot roast (with slices of carrot in the middle of the meat slabs) with white rice and a slice of potato. Craig had beer and Carlos and I had Inca Kola. This is where we learned about the concept of "yapa". I was trying to translate the Inca Kola bottle and didn't know what "yapa" meant. I asked Carlos and he said that it means the little extra. Like when you buy a dozen apples at a market and ask for "yapa", and they thorw in another apple for free. He said that tourists don't usually know about yapa. He took tourists to a market once and the tourists asked for yapa, and the seller was quite surprised, as if Carlos had given their local secret away.

We went back to the hotel and showered. We met Carlos at 4:00 and took a taxi to the bus station. There was a mute guy working at the bus station whose pen ran out of ink, so I gave him one of mine. The bus was scheduled for 4:30, and arrived around 4:40. We checked our bags and were seated on the upper deck. The snack was a chocolate cupcake and a small (2" X 2") ham sandwich, accompanied by a hard candy and mate de coca. The journey to Nasca took 3.5 hours. It got dark around 6, at which time they turned off the interior lights. We drove through Ica, and (probably due to the fact that it was Mother's Day) there were many flower stands on the side of the road doing a lot of business. When we got to Nasca it was sprinkling. We got a taxi that took us to the Hotel Della Borda, which is a few miles from the center of town. It's near the airport, where we planned to take a small sightseeing plane the next morning, so the location was very convenient. It took us about 10 minutes to get to the hotel. The hotel is gorgeous. It used to be a farm hacienda, but has been converted into a hotel compound with swimming pool, restaurant, bar, pool table, courtyards, etc. When we went to our room it was quite dark. There was a lagoon in front of our room with a little island in the middle. It was devoid of water and had no barrier around it, and in the dark it wouldn't have been too difficult to fall in. We dropped our stuff in the room and then met Carlos by the pool. Juan Carlos, the jack of all trades of the hotel, made Pisco sours for us. Then we played two games of pool in the outdoor bar area. The pool table had about three balls missing, two duplicate balls, no rack, no bridge, and one cue. The surface was made of plywood or something, so it made for a very unpredictable game. Some shots caused a ball to do a spontaneous U-turn. It was kind of a combination of pool and golf, because for every shot you had to read your lie. We played getting any balls in that we could (8 ball has no special significance) and the one with the most balls at the end is the winner (and if you scratch you have to put one back). The radio was tuned to "Radiomar Plus," a station that played salsa and merengue music, occasionally interspersed with the "beep beep" of the roadrunner. The station had a very distinctive announcer. Carlos taught me a few salsa moves. He is a dance teacher as well (and also knows Shiatsu massage!). What a catch...and he's single, ladies! We had some deep conversations about marriage, religion, etc. We looked at the stars (first glimpse of the Southern Cross!) and then went back to our rooms at around 12:15.

May 13, 2002
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Exploring Nasca, and the Night Bus to Arequipa

Nazca, Peru

We woke up at 7 and met Carlos for breakfast at 8. We took some motion sickness medication as we planned to do a small plane ride first thing in the morning. It was cloudy but that soon burned off. We ate bread, jelly, and mate de coca. We talked a lot about politics this morning. At 9, a van picked us up and drove us to the airport. We started to watch a video about the Nasca lines while we waited for our turn to fly. But it turned out the weather had been unfavorable for flying earlier in the morning, so they had a backlog of people. Carlos decided we should do our tour of the city of Nasca first, and come back to the airport later when it was less crowded. We picked up Enrique ("Kike"), our local guide, and then went to see Alberto Seguro do a demonstration of Nasca pottery techniques. He studies Nasca pottery, so he is allowed to own many authentic Nasca pieces. He demonstrated how pots were made using terra cotta colored malleable clay. Stones were used to smooth the pottery, and minerals were used to color it. There was no glaze. Minerals (when fired in the kiln) could produce a variety of colors. His pottery shop has a gorgeous courtyard that contains some exotic birds that are pictured on the old Nasca pots. There was a pygmy owl in a cage (about 4 inches tall) and some 10 inch burrrowing owls running along the ground. There was a large spider weaving a web. Senor Seguro was a very nice older man who had worked with National Geographic at one time (as attested by an article hanging on the wall). He had a shop where he sold his work. We bought a plate, and ocarina, and some small stones etched with Nasca line figures, as well as a postcard. The whole lot cost us $20 U.S., including a $1 tip.

Afterwards, we headed to the aqueducts. These aqueducts are very old and still function as a means of getting water from the mounatins to Nasca (a distance of 25 km). The Nascas dug trenches which are filled by spring water. They lined the trenches with rocks and then covered them...creating in effect a stone pipe. At various points there are access points to the aqueducts. Trails spiral down to the level of the water table, and there is a veritable manhole cover which can be lifted to access the water. The people of Nasca still use these aqueducts to provide them with clean water. The only stipulation is that they need to maintain the aqueducts and clean them out once a year. It started to get a bit buggy near the aqueducts, and I got a few small bites. We put on some deet bug spray, and then the bugs totally left us alone. This would be just about the only day we would encounter bug bites on the entire trip. Kike was a great local guide. You could tell that he loves Nasca, and that he is quite intrigued by its history. He took us up a hill to view a trapezoid which had been carved into the Nasca desert. We saw the desert close-up. It is covered with small rocks (slightly larger than gravel). When these rocks are pushed aside, a dark brown layer of soil is exposed. If you rub this layer with your finger, you can expose a layer of lighter colored gypsum. You can tell that this is how the Nasca Lines and figures in the desert could have been made. But the scope of them is truly amazing. They are each made with one contiguous line. The shapes are so perfect and precise...and they are so large! Kike told us about Maria Reiche, a German woman who studied the lines. She believed that the figures marked the location of the sun at the equinoxes, solstices, etc., perhaps as a kind of calendar which would let the people know when to prepare for rain. Reiche's work was taken over by Germany after her death, and only parts of it were released. Kike is disappointed that the published books do not contain all of the specifics of her research about the Nasca lines as they relate to the heavens, so he and his friends have vowed to camp in the desert at various times of the year and create a celestial calendar that relates to the the placement of the Nasca Lines. Kike is really into astronomy, and he and Craig had some great conversations about the stars of the Southern hemisphere.

We were then told that we would visit a "small mummy museum". The original itinerary had called for a visit to Chauchilla, where mummies sit exposed in the desert, but Carlos learned that Chauchilla was closed to tourists for two weeks for some unknown reason. So when we were told of a mummy museum, we pictured a little conventional museum (like the Julio C. Tello Museum in Paracas yesterday). The van pulled over to the side of the road and we crossed the street into someone's yard. A boy was balancing on a soccer ball and a woman was cooking over a fire. There was laundry hanging on a line. Where was the museum? It turns out that (as you would expect) grave robbing has been a big problem in Peru. Many Nasca mummies were dug up for gold and textiles that they may have been buried with. In an effort not to damage the textiles worn by the mummies, grave robbers would break the arms and heads off of mummies so that they could more easily remove the clothing. A woman who lived in the area was appalled by the broken skeletons which would litter the ground in the wake of the robbers, so she started to collect the bones and keep them on display in a little reed shack in her yard. This is the "mummy museum". We entered the shack and saw all kinds of skulls (some with skull trepanation scars, and some with head deformations). There was even one skull with hair that must have been four feet long. There was a plastic bucket full of femurs. Best of all there was a mummified baby, just sitting there in a cardboard box. It looked like something out of the X Files. Very creepy and very well preserved. We couldn't get over the fact that all of these things were just sitting here on this woman's property. It was much better than a conventional museum. We saw the woman herself, who looked very old. After this we went to a bank in Nasca and changed some money. The bank didn't give us a very favorable rate. We were glad Carlos was with us because it seemed to be a very bureaucratic thing. He had to put his bank card into a machine just to get a number at the bank. There were armed guards standing at the door.

Next we returned to the airport for our Nasca Line flight. We watched the video about various Nasca Line theories, and then hopped into the 4 seater plane with just the pilot and Carlos. It was very hot in the plane, and of course, our motion sickness medication had since worn off. Craig sat in the front and Carlos and I sat in the back. We really saw the lines and figures in great detail from above. You could even see that the monkey has 9 fingers (which some think symbolizes 9 years of drought, and that the figure was created to get the gods' attention so they would send rain). We saw the whale, the astronaut (the only Nasca figure on the side of a hill...the rest are on the pampas), the hummingbird, the monkey, the hands, the condor, the dog, and some others. Our pilot circled each line several time counterclockwise, followed by several times closkwise. He titled the wings so we would get a better view. After a while Craig and I each started to feel dizzy and needed to close our eyes. The circular motion and the extreme heat in the plane caused us to be pretty uncomfortable at times. But it was worth it. We really wanted to see the lines and they are amazing, but three loops in each direction around each figure was a bit excessive. The flight lasted about half an hour, and it cost us $40 U.S. per person (and that was with Carlos getting a deal for us).

After the flight we went back to the Hotel Della Borda. The grounds are just so beautiful! They have llamas and alpacas, chickens, dogs, hummingbirds, parakeets, beautiful flowering trees (including a red bougainvillea near the pool table)...just gorgeous. We ate lunch at around 4:00. Craig had fried chicken, rice, and french fries. I had sopa de criolle (Creole soup with noodles and what seemed to be a chicken broth) and papas a la huancayna , which were cold boiled potatoes in a yellow peanuty mustardy sauce. Carlos has bistek el pobre (poor man's beef) which had beef, french fries, rice, a fried egg, and fried bananas all piled onto a plate, almost overflowing. For dessert we had a mixture of vanilla, strawberry, amd lucma ice cream. After that we went for a swim in the pool. It was chilly but refreshing after a hot day in the desert. Then we changed back into our clothes. From the room we could hear a llama which was apparently upset by the noise of the power generator, because it kept squawking at it. Then we went to the lobby and tried to call home from a pay phone. We didn't have an international phone card, but Carlos told us you can dial direct from a pay phone for under 10 soles. Well, you need coins for the phone, and all we had for soles were bills. We tried to get change in coins from Juan Carlos and some other folks at the hotel, but noone seemed to have any coins. We ran into Carlos and he generously let us use some of his change. But after much fooling around with the phone, we came to the conclusion that it was just not to be. The lady at the desk said they had been having problems with the phone service. We settled our tab and played a couple games of pool. We each won a game.

A taxi took us to the center of town, where we waited in a hotel lobby for the night bus to Arequipa. The bus was scheduled to leave at 9:30, but as Carlos had predicted, it was an hour late. While waiting, we walked down the street and bought a phone card. After much help negotiating the phone (thanks, Carlos!) we were able to speak to our parents. Then we went back to wait for the bus. Carlos was a little concerned, as there was to be a strike the next day. What started out as a strike in the city of Arequipa had expanded to be a nationwide strike to protest President Toledo's plan to privatize water and power. The strike was supposed to start at midnight. We weren't sure what that meant for us. Strikers in Peru often block roads, and throw rocks at cars that break the picket line. Tear gas often is used by police to get things under control. We were afraid that no matter what happened, this might make the U.S. news via CNN, so we were glad we got to explain this to our parents ahead of time and let them know that we were in Carlos' capable hands. Wouldn't want them to be worrying. We were on the upper deck of the bus, which had padded comfy seats that recline. We were served tea and a biscuit. Movies were playing with the sound turned way up ("The Man Who Knew Too Much" was just ending when we boarded, followed by some Jackie Chan movie. Yeah, Jackie Chan is conducive to sleep!) Anyway, we dozed (me more than Craig). It was a bit chilly on the bus. We found out after the fact that the bus provides blankets if you ask for them. Oh well!)

May 14, 2002
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Arequipa

Arequipa, Peru

I woke up around 2 a.m., and we were going around some very curvy cliffs, with a sheer rock wall on one side of the road and vast nothingness on the other. Craig said that at 1:57 we had gone off the road a little when another bus was coming in the opposite direction. There were remnants of rockslides in the road, and it was a little scary. I was up for another hour, but then fell asleep again. I woke up for real at 5:30, as it was getting light. We were arriving in Arequipa as the sun rose over the city. Luckily, none of our roads had been blocked by strikers, and we arrived at the bus station unimpeded at 6:30. We waited a few minutes (maybe 5?) at the bus station, and then our driver Señor Andreas arrived. He would have beaten us there except he was detoured by some striker roadblocks on his way to the bus station. He drove us to the El Sauce Hotel. Every street corner we passed had at least two police officers stationed there. We checked into room 102. Carlos went to his house to freshen up while we showered and I wrote in the journal. We met Carlos and Señor Andreas at 9-ish. The plan was for Señor Andreas to drive us to the center of town, and then to some other nearby destinations. Well, Señnor Andreas only managed to drive us around the block and dropped us right back off at the hotel. Strikers were on the move, and were marching and burning tires in the street. From several blocks away you could hear them chanting and clapping. They had blocked a street with a tree branch, and when a car tried to turn down that street, they mobilized. We hopped out of the van and decided to walk to the center of town. Carlos and Señor Andreas decided they would be in touch by cell phone. If the strikes ended by noon, Señor Andreas would pick us up and drive us around. If not, he would go home for the day.

Carlos wanted to take us to a local (not touristic) market, and we left all of our valuables with some travel agent friends of his so as not to be in harm's way. But because of the strikes, the market was closed. We walked to the Plaza de Armas and saw the cathedral whose steeple had been damaged by the earthquake which hit Arequipa last June. There is major restoration work being done on the church, and the steeples were surrounded by staging. There were police in riot gear lining the street parallel to the Plaza de Armas. But there were a lot of people in the plaza and the surronding streets, just carrying on their business. At this point most strikers seemed good natured and happy. Some were marching with their babies in their arms. Arequipa is known as the white city both because of the white stone of volcanic ash used in construction and the fact that Spaniards are considered "white". We went into the La Compañia Jesuit Church (some other people, no relation to the power/water strike, were on a hunger strike outside this church). This church was across the Plaza de Armas from the cathedral. It had beautiful stone work outside with large wooden Spanish doors. The church is beautiful, and people were inside praying. The altar is covered in gold. We went in back into the chapel where there were gorgeous religious paintings on the walls. The walls and ceilings themselves had gorgeous frescoes in deep jewel-tone colors. Carlos explained the process by which the natives were converted (in a way, tricked) into Christianity. Because natives worshipped the mountains, Christians would place a cross atop every mountain. So by worshipping the mountain they were automatically worshipping the cross. They would integrate condors, pumas, and snakes into art and architecture, as these are important symbols in the native traditions. The condor symbolizes a kind of heaven, pumas symbolize this world, and snakes symbolize the underworld. After our tour of the church, we were quite hungry. We were also hot, as we had worn too many layers of clothes. Sure, it had been chilly when we got to the bus station at dawn this morning, but the day had heated up just fine.

We went into a small restaurant/bakery. Craig and I got papas rellenas (potatoes stuffed with meat, hard boiled egg, onions, and olives).It was delicious. Carlos had the same thing, but in a pastry shell. There was also a salad of tomato and onion with lemon juice as a dressing. We drank Fanta (all soda pretty mch comes in glass bottles in Peru). Every once in a while you could hear various groups of strikers pass by the restaurant. We were on the second floor, which had no real windows. Right before we entered the restaurant, Carlos saw something that concerned him a little. One particular group of strikers (from a university) were very animated and marching with pro-communism signs. Carlos said that most strikes are peaceful, but when the pro-communist people get involved there could be trouble. As we ate we noticed (with our limited view of the ground floor) that someone was trying to close the metal grate over the door. We could hear strikers approaching. Then all of a sudden SMASH! Breaking glass. Carlos ran downstairs to help. Turns out they hadn't gotten the grate shut fast enough (it got stuck) and when the strikers saw that the proprietors were shutting down, they threw a glass bottle in the door. It smashed the bakery case, ruining many pieces of gorgeous pies and cakes. It was a little scary at that point. We finished our lunches (no cake or pie, it goes without saying) and walked downstairs. They were still cleaning up the glass and the front door was still closed. We walked through the kitchen to a side door that popped out in an alley.

We continued our tour of the city, and even crossed some streets where strikers were marching in the midst of us. But Carlos knew what he was doing and we felt very safe. We saw the cloisters of La Compañia. It was a very nice courtyard. There were some alpaca stores. Carlos took us to Alpaca 21. He said that in Arequipa you can get "baby alpaca", but it other cities you get "maybe alpaca". We felt vicuna wool, which is very soft. Scarves cost $900 U.S. We also felt baby alpaca (the next softest), alpaca, and llama (the most coarse). The women working in the store were quite helpful. I wanted to get a baby alpaca sweater with a Peruvian design. They didn't have the one I wanted in my size, so she called another Arequipa Alpaca 21 store from a few streets over and they delivered one. It costs $50 US. I also got a small bag with an embroidered picture of a Peruvian lady and a llama. The woman offered us a discount for paying cash, but we were concerned about our cash reserve and charged it to Visa (the preferred card down there), despite losing the discount and incurring an additional service charge. The lady gave us yapa...a pin with a llama made from embroidery thread, and a pin of a zampona (pan pipes). Carlos called Señnor Andreas at noon and found out the strikers had not relinquished their road blocks. He told Señor Andreas to go home; that we would walk the rest of the day.

Craig and I went to the Monasterio de Santa Catalina, while Carlos waited outside after telling us he's not really into convents, plus they don't allow external guides. The convent dates back to the 15th century and once held up to 500 nuns (now there are around 30). A young woman took us (along with an American, two New Zealanders, and a Swedish woman whom we all met on our Islas Ballestas boat ride) on a tour. Girls would apply to the convent at the age of 13 and only 8 were accepted each year. There was a caste system whereby first class nuns were of Creole (Spanish) descent and paid a large dowery to the convent to secure their spot. They led very good lives inside the convent, with many priveledges granted only to them (servants, the ability to play and listen to live music, etc). Second class nuns were mestizas (mixed Spanish and native) and did not lead as good a life as the first class nuns. The native girls were servants to the first class nuns. While first class nuns were able to have their own individual houses, third class nuns had to sleep dormitory-style and could only bathe once per month. All nuns could only bring 25 possesions with them to the convent. One of these could be a religious figure. Some of these figures were arranged in a life sized recreation of the last supper. Some of these figures were very elaborate, including one of Jesus with human teeth and a mirror in its mouth. The teeth and the echo made by the mirror gave it the illusion that it was alive and speaking to the native girls, which helped along their conversion to Catholicism. Nuns were only allowed to talk to their families once a month through a series of screens that resemble how prisoners are allowed to talk to visitors. They could receive letters and strictly regulated gifts, which were passed to them on a turn table. They were not allowed any physical contact with family. They were not allowed to discuss anything about convent life to their families. Their conversations were monitored. The nuns at this monastery were (and are) nuns who pray and try to get closer to God spiritually, rather than nuns who teach or tend to the sick and poor. One Mother Superior tried to reform the caste system of the convent, and the first class nuns (not wanting to give up their cushy lives) tried to poison her three times. In the 1870's the convent was successfully reformed, so that all nuns had the same rank and shared in all the daily chores. The third class nuns (since they were essentially slaves and had not taken vows) were free to stay or go. 50% chose to stay on as common nuns.

It was quite interesting. Afterwards, we saw an man with a gray beard wearing a red dress and stretched out panty hose lift up his skirt and take a pee in the middle of the road. The cops on the corner saw it and made eye contact and said hi to us, as we were all chuckling. It turns out that Señor Andreas was not able to go home because the strikers had blocked all of the roads, so he took a siesta in one of Arequipa's nice parks and got home around 3 p.m. We walked with Carlos to La Quinta, a gorgeous restaurant which was an oasis in the middle of town. They had a nice balcony, a lawn, and a couple of alpacas in a pen. We tried tostado (toasted corn kernels with lots of salt). Craig drank Arequipeña beer and Carlos and I had papaya juice. We tried cuy (guinea pig). It was just as Carlos has said...lying spreadeagle on its belly, head and all. It was very crispy and tasted like chicken. We had to rip it apart to eat it. We kept laughing, as did a table of French people seated nearby. The cuy was served with the onion/tomato/lemon juice salad that we had at lunchtime. We had a red pepper stuffed with onion, meat, and custard. There was also a cheese and potato pancake. Carlos posed the guinea pig so that it was holding its head (dolor de cabeza...guinea pig headache!). It was so funny! For dessert we had frozen queso. It was like ice milk, with a very crystalline texture and cut into cubes and sprinkled with cinnamon and cocoa.

After dinner we headed down to the lawn for a game of sapo. "Sapo" means "frog" in Spanish, and this game involves a wooden box with 12? holes in the top. Each hole is connected to a chute which leads down to one of the numbered chambers in the front of the box. In the middle of the game board is a brass frog with its mouth open. The holes in the front row have "mariposa" ("butterfly," in Spanish) brass paddlewheels above them. You stand about 15 feet from the box and lob a series of 10 brass coins at the box. Each chute is numbered from 100-5000 points. The sapo (frog) is 5000, the mariposas are 1000 or 2000, and the other holes are multiples of 100. Players take turns accruing points until someone reaches 5000. It was so much fun! So simple and yet addictive. The sapo was near the two alpacas (white and black). We petted the black one, and one of them started talking to Craig. They produce a much more soothing noise than the llamas do. They sort of hum. He went back and forth with Craig for a while...it was a riot. They were definitely communicating! The weather was gorgeous. We had crystal clear views of Misti and Chachani (two volcanoes). The sun started to set and it got cooler and darker and no one was around. We forgot we were in the middle of a city. We kept playing sapo until it was dark. At 5:30 we settled our tab and walked back to the hotel. Carlos went home. I wrote in the journal and we watched some TV. We saw news footage of the strikes in various cities across Peru. Arequipa's Plaze de Armas was on the news, but we didn't see ourselves. We watched the end of the movie "Mystery Men", in which Tom Waits appears. At 9:15 we fell asleep.

May 15, 2002
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Colca Canyon

Colca Canyon, Peru

We got up at 6 and had a continental breakfast delivered to our room at 7:30 (bread, jelly, papaya juice, and mate de coca). Carlos and Señor Andreas picked us up at 8:00. The strikes were over and all roads were now opened. On the poor outskirts of town Carlos explained why so many houses in Peru are left unfinished: once you finish them you need to begin paying taxes on them. We stopped at a store and bought candy, water, and postcards. The woman gave us a postcard of a condor as yapa! Back in the van, Carlos gave us each a mini banana that he had bought, and he let us taste some of his strawberry soda. We were on our way to Colca Canyon. We passed Misti (volcano that has been smoking ever since last June's earthquake - this is a classic volcano with one peak), Chachani (volcano with many snow topped peaks) and Pichu Pichu (which means "many peaks" in Quechua. The Quechua language pluralizes words by repeating them) which is also known as "the Indian lying down". As we drove up ito the mountains we saw vicuna, which look kind of like deer but they are really cameloids. They can only be shorn once every two years, and their wool is very precious. They are endangered because poachers used to kill them, but now the locals round them up, tag them, shear them, and let them go back to living in the wild. Next we saw some herds of llamas and alpacas. Carlos explained how to tell them apart: Llamas have long ears which are usually pointed up, no fuzzy fur on their face or below their knees, and a tail that is usually pointing up. Alpacas are smaller, with fuzzy wool all over their bodies (face, neck, lower legs included), with ears and tail that are usually down. There was a white baby alpaca that was very cute. We saw some pink Chilean flamingoes in the salt flats in the mountains. We stopped at a restaurant which served coca tea (made with the actual leaves) to help with the altitude. We bought some postcards and used the restrooms. We ran into the group from the Ballestas Islands and the convent, and we said hello. Then we got back into the van. Carlos and Señor Andreas were determined to find a vizcacha (rock rabbit) so the van pulled over and Carlos clapped his hands to try to get them to jump into view. No luck. Then, as we were driving, Señor Andreas and I spotted one in the road. We pulled over for a closer look. They are like a cross between a rabbit and a squirrel, with a big bushy curled tail. Sñenor Andreas was very happy to stop anywhere we or Carlos wanted to stop. He spoke no English, but he was a lot of fun, and we laughed a lot.

There was a section of land where there were all kinds of small rock cairns. We pulled over here. Several women were selling blankets and other items. One of them had a son who looked to be around two years old. He was eating some snow he had found on the ground. I asked his mother if I could get a photo; he was so cute! She said yes. I took a photo. As Carlos talked to us about the place, the little boy stayed near us and followed Craig. At one point he held out his hand and offered his snow to Craig. It was so cute and generous! Craig accepted it and after a few seconds the boy wanted it back and started whimpering a little. I snapped a photo as Craig handed it back to him. At this point we were at about 16000 ft, and Craig started to feel a bit lightheaded. We continued driving to the village of Chivay, a large village in the Colca Valley. We ate lunch there. Teere was fresh hot bread that expanded as you cut it. Our appetizer was a huge tortilla (which resembled a combination between an omelette and a pancake) with green beans and carrots inside. This was followed by alpaca steak with french fries. The taste of the meat was a little strong, and Craig loved it. For dessert we had pie that had a layer of cactus fruit over a layer of pureed sweet potato. We drank mate de coca (the real kind, with leaves). Noone can ever accuse Peruvians of skimping on food. All of our meals everywhere have been so big (and tasty!) There was a traditional Peruvian band called the Kollawas playing. They consisted of two men and two women. They were very good, and we bought a CD from them. They were friends of Carlos'. Craig and my entire lunch cost 31 soles, which means about $5 U.S. apiece. Unreal!

We left Chivay and drove around. Lots of agriculture in this area, and you'd see people working potato fields everywhere. The fields were terraced and looked gorgeous. There were farmers with bulls, sheep, pigs, and burros in the road, and Señor Andreas often had to beep to get the animals out of the road. He moo'd at some particularly stubborn bulls, which was quite funny. We all had a good laugh. We took a 1.5 hour hike through some 1400 year old ruins (Uyo Uyo). It was a nice hike that overlooked people working their potato fields. People in this area dress much more traditionally than any people we had seen up to this point. The altitude was about 12000 feet. We felt ok, but as we hiked we had a hard time catching our breath and our heart rates went way up. Carlos grabbed some muña plant, gave us each a sprig, and told us to crush it in our hands. We did so, and then breathed in the vapors. It was kind of menthol-ish. Immediately our heart rates went back down and we could breathe easily. There is definitely something to be said for herbal remedies. This was amazing. We hiked past some ruins of warrior's houses. Most houses were made of irregular stones, but the ones of perfectly fitted regular stones were the homes of nobles. There was a waterfall at the top of a mountain and an elaborate system of channels had been constructed to supply the village with water.

We met back up with Señor Andreas and he drove us the remaining 5 minutes to the Colca Canyon Lodge. It was a beautiful compound with a common room, fireplace, game loft, etc. As soon as we entered we were served coca tea. We checked into our room and then met Carlos in the hot spring. You follow a little path from the hotel down to the banks of the river, and there are some amazing hot springs. When we got there it was still light out and we were the only ones there. The water was very comfortable, like a consistently warm bath. The pool was fed by another pool which was very hot (85 degrees C). You could see stars even before the sun set. As it got darker and darker you could see more and more. Southern Cross, Magellenic Clouds, the Big Dipper (upside down), the Milky Way...unreal! Some British, Scottish, and Irish people joined us, and we had some good conversations. We saw a ton of satellites fly by. All told we were in there for about an hour and a half, and were quite pruned when we reluctantly got out. We went back to our room (Room 7) to change and then met Carlos and Señor Andreas in the dining room at 7:30. We sat at a table next to a large fireplace. It was nice to have Señor Andreas eat with us (often the drivers eat with each other rather than with the tourists and guides). Dinner was good. It was $8 apiece. We had fresh hot bread. For an appetizer Craig had queso soup (which included tons of cheese and potatoes) and I had quinoa soup (made from quinoa, a local grain which is currently being used for astronaut meals by NASA). Both were very tasty, and there was a lot of each. I had chicken in peanut sauce and mashed potatoes. Craig had beef stroganoff and mashed potatoes. I had orange mousse for dessert (it was kind of like a souffle). Carlos complained (jokingly) to the waiter that his dessert was too small. Then Carlos went to the desk to get our passports photocopied. While he was gone the waiter brought him a second dessert. I said "yapa!" and the waiter and Señnor Andreas started laughing. We went back to the room at 9:00. I wrote in the journal and we went to sleep at 10. It will be an early morning!

May 16, 2002
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Craig's Birthday

Colca Canyon, Peru

We woke up at 5:30 and met Carlos and Señor Andreas for breakfast. It was Craig's birthday, so Carlos, Señor Andreas, and the waiter sang "Felices cumpleanos" to him and each gave him a hug. A female tourist came over to shake his hand and wish him happy birthday as well. It was great. We had scrambled eggs, ham, orange juice, and coca tea (from a tea bag). The restaurant at the lodge is definitely more touristic than others we have been to thus far. Last night at dinner they played jazz, today at breakfast they played classical. The food was more American than other places. At 6:45 we checked out and headed for Cruz del Condor. On the way, we stopped where some women were selling thngs. We bought an embroidered passport holder from a woman with a young girl on her back (probably around 3 years old). The girl's hat was taken by the wind and flew down a slope. The woman said she'd go after it later. The girl was adorable. I asked the mother about taking a picture. She said yes and told the girl. The girl got all excited and smiley and put both hands to her face in an embarrassed giggle. It was so cute! When we left, the girl called "Ciao!" to us. Carlos showed us the hanging tombs where people had been entombed in a fetal position (not mummified). They probably had to dangle over the mountaintop on ropes to get the bodies in there. But because the bodies were in the mountain, they were closer to god. We saw some green parakeets flying in the wild. It seemed weird to see them any place other than a cage in someon's house. The views of the canyon were spectacular. Fault lines are visible near the road, where the earth has just cracked. In some places, the road is even sunken. We saw a large truck full of potatoes that toppled into a shallow ravine. Potatoes were everywhere. Hopefully noone was hurt. I don't know how they'll even get the truck out though. The road was kind of dicey.

Then we continued on to Cruz del Condor. The condors were already flying when we arrived. Most people were all jammed together at the main lookout point. We parked to the left of it, and stood by ourselves. At first the condors were flying near the other people. They were pretty low in the valley. Carlos explained that adults have wing spans of up to three meters. Adults have white stripes on their back and juveniles are black and brown. Señor Andreas looked at the condors for a few minutes and then had to change a tire on the van. As time passed, the condors flew higher and higher. They changed their flight pattern so that they were closer to us. They were so majestic! Their size made it possible to observe many details about them with the naked eye. As they soar they use their tail as a rudder, and their head darts back and forth looking for prey. At one point one flew directly over our heads. It was amazing. We then did a short 30 minute loop hike. This hike was flatter, but even so, we found that we were much more acclimatized to the altitude today. We saw another condor while hiking. At the end of the trail, some women were selling things. We bought an embroidered tapestry which had a picture of a condor, farmers, and fishermen for 25 soles. As yapa she gave us and Carlos some prickly pear fruits, three red and one green. She cut them open with a knife for us. They were very good and juicy.

On the drive back we stopped at another scenic lookout. Here we met the mother of Carlos' godson. In Peru there are different godfathers and godmothers for different occasions. Carlos was the godfather for her child's first haircut. We bought an embroidered change purse from her for 4 soles and took her picture. We drove some more and stopped to view the snow-capped peak that is the source of the Amazon. We stopped in the village of Maca (maca is a plant the Peruvians use like Viagara). We had a few laughs about that and then drove back to Chivay. We ate at the Casa Blanca Restaurant, owned by one of Carlos' friends. We ate outside in a courtyard. As an appetizer we got choclo con queso (huge kernel corn on the cob served with two blocks of cheese on the side). I had papas rellenas with white rice and onion/tomato/lemon juice salad. Craig had an alpaca steak and mashed potatoes. Carlos had pork chicharron (deep fried but not battered) and he let us taste it. It had a dry texture but was quite tasty. I had Fanta and Craig had a Malta Arequipena. We had a quinoa cake (sort of like a shortcake) for dessert. Then we drove back to Arequipa, which took about 3.5 hours straight through. We hit a lot of oncoming traffic, as it was late afternoon and that is when the trucking lines set out from Arequipa. It was very dusty and you couldn't see very far. Pichu Pichu was barely visible. Carlos said that we had the benefits of the strikes the day before. Roads had been closed so cars didn't kick up as much dirt. We had had beautiful view of the mountains in Arequipa the previous two days. I guess this dustiness is what it's usually like. So, the strikers had helped us out. We got back to the hotel and said goodbye to Carlos. We were sad, as we had gotten close to him in the past few days, and it was hard to say goodbye. He was a fantastic guide, and we really got to be good friends. He had to catch a bus to Puno, but Señor Andreas would take us to te airport in the morning. We channel-surfed through some TV. We had fun watching dubbed Spanish versions of "Simpsons," "King of the Hill," "Hey Arnold," and "Rocket Power. "All the male lead characters seemed to use the same voice over actor. We showered and then went to bed around 10:30.

May 17, 2002
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Puno

Puno, Peru

We woke up around 6:00 (prior to our alarm). We got our things together to prepare for our flight to Puno this afternoon. At 8:15 we went to the dining room for continental breakfast, which was included in the trip cost. We opted for the additional cost of the "American" breakfast, as we didn't know if we'd find as place to eat lunch. We had bread, butter, jelly, coca tea, ham, cheese, orange juice, and scrambled eggs. Although my appetite had been less in Colca Canyon (a symptom of altitude?) it was back to normal here. At around 9 we set off on our own for the first time since our arrival in Peru. We found public internet access for 1.5 soles per hour. We each got a machine and pretty much as soon as we started typing, the place lost its connection for a few minutes. When the connection came back Craig's machine was very slow. Turns out it was trying to download a Limp Bizkit mp3, and once he disabled that, it was much more reasonable. We read some mail and sent some mail home. While we were still logged in, we got some mail from Steve and Jared, which was nice. It felt good to have some contact with people back home. We spent about an hour and a half at the internet place. On our way back to the hotel, we stopped at a bodega for some water and lucma ice cream cones. Yum! They were very refreshing in the heat. Then we walked through Arequipa's gorgeous park and dipped our hands in the cool waters of a fountain. Then we walked back to the hotel.

We had gotten a message saying we would be picked up for the airport at 2:15. It was 11:30, and we needed to vacate the room by 1. We got back to the room (which had been made up), grabbed a beer and fanta out of the minibar, and headed out to the courtyard, which was right outside of our room. We saw a hummingbird. We checked out of the room at 1:00 and then ordered lunch in the courtyard. Lunch was a grilled chicken sandwich with tomato, lettuce, and mayo. It was delicious! Anna Maria called and talked to Craig, to make sure that we had gotten the message about the pickup time. Craig paid our bill and Anna Maria, Patricia, and Señor Andreas arrived to take us to the airport. We were happy to see Señor Andreas. When we got to the airport, Patricia took care of checking us in, and then she left. Anna Maria stayed with us. We bought some stamps and mailed some postcards. We went up onto an observation deck to overlook the airport.We could see Misti and it had a circular ring of smoke around the top. Our flight time had changed from 3:15 to 4:15. Our plane was a 727, and there were no assigned seats. They gave us a newspaper, and we read as many of the Spanish news stories that we could during the flight.

We landed in Juliaca around 4:45. The baggage claim had all kinds of dolls in Peruvian dress, and there were various native costumes on display throughout the airport. A Peruvian band was playing (Inkamaru), and we bought a CD from them. Drivers were circulating in the baggage claim area looking for their passengers. Noone seemed to have our name, so we went outside. There were some drivers waiting there. We were very excited to meet our new guide, Vidal. We saw a driver holding a placard that said "Vidal". We asked if he might be looking for us as well but he didn't know. We spoke to one nice girl who spoke English and noone seemed to know what had happened to Vidal. She found us a driver who would take us the 45 minute ride from Juliaca to the Q'ElQatani Hotel in Puno. We got into the van hoping we were doing the right thing. This was the first time we had to negotiate such a transfer on our own. It got dark on the ride. We reached the hotel, and we wondered if we should pay the driver, but he left before we got a chance, so I guess not. We checked in and told the woman at the desk that Vidal was not with us. She was surprised and called Milagros, the trip coordinator in Lima. They gave us coca tea and we sat in the lobby. Not five minutes later, a young woman came in and told us that she would pick us up at 8:15 the next morning. We explained that Vidal hadn't arrived. She asked if we wanted to be taken to the docks by tricycle or bus. We didn't know if we were supposed to make this decision ourselves, but in Vidal's absence, we chose tricycles. The woman worked for a third party company called Edgar Adventures which coordinates the Titicaca trips. She recommended a restaurant around the corner for dinner. We went there (Hero's) because it was close by. Craig got a meaty alpaca steak, fried potatoes, beans, carrots, and cauliflour. I got spaguetti bolognese which was kind of salty and didn't have a lot of sauce. I enjoyed it, though. Craig got two Cusquenas (grande) and I got two orange Crushes. The place was nice but touristy, with only one other couple there (also American). After dinner we had a nice chat with them: Chip and Marie from Colorado. We went back to the hotel. Still no word on Vidal, so all we know is to be ready at 8:15 in the morning.

May 18, 2002
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Spending the Night with Locals on Amantani Island

Amantani Island, Peru

We woke up at 6:45 and ate a continental breakfast in the dining room (bread, ham, cheese, juice, coca tea, and crackers). Still no word on Vidal. At 8:15 a woman from Edgar Adventures showed up to collect us. We rode on the front of a tricycle to the docks. The roads are narrow and busy, so this was an exciting ride. When we got to the dock we bought some bananas, apples, and sugar as a gift for our host family. It cost 7.50 soles. We got on the boat (a wooden boat where you could sit either inside or outside). There were about 20 other people. We met the Edgar Adventures guide (Henry) who would take care of us for the next couple days. After 45 minutes in the boat, we arrived at he floating Uros Islands. These are man-made islands made or tortora reeds. We landed on the island of Santa Maria. Some boys were making kites out of reeds and plastic bags and flying them in the breeze. We got to sample a taste of totora reed, which is eaten as a source of iodine. It tasted like a water chestnut. Houses on the islands are also made of tortora reeds, as are their small boats. We bought two handmade embroidered tapestries of the Uros islands for $20 U.S. The woman threw in two necklaces as yapa.We rode a reed boat to one of the other islands. We were amazed at how buoyant and stable the boat was, even though we were all packed in, and people were sitting mainly on one side of the boat. We passed the island that contained the school. Once the school island floated away, and they needed to go after it in boats and reel it back in. We stopped at one of the other islands, where Henry and our boat met us. We bought a reed boat and two reed boat Christmas ornaments for 15 soles. Then we got back onto our boat for the journey to Amantani Island. We ate a banana on the boat while Henry told us some facts about the islands and Lake Titicaca.

We arrived at Amantani around 2:00. We had brought all of our stuff with us, which was a bit of a mistake: two large backpacks and a carry on bag. We hadn't realized that we'd need to hike with all of that stuff...Amantani is a steep island. If we did it again, I would leave some stuff in Puno and take only the essentials. We hiked up a steep slope and there, waiting at the top, were a bunch of women from the village, waiting for us. They were all dressed in traditional clothing: black embroidered veils, colorful skirts with petticoats, white blouses with bright colored embroidery, and woven belts. On their feet they wore rubber sandles made from old tires. Henry matched each of the tourists up with a local woman. We were matched up with Valeria. She grabbed our carry on bag, slung it over her back, and scurried up the hill. Locals offered to help with our luggage, but we didn't want to make them carry our packs. The altitude was very high here (Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world) and it was a steep climb in the hot sun. Eventually the women of the island ran off ahead of us tourists, so that they could start cooking lunch. Henry walked us to our houses, with plenty of breaks for water and rest.

Valeria's house was very nice. It had a courtyard where potatoes were drying on a tarp in the sun. There was a main house, a kitchen, and a storeroom. Our room was on the seond floor. We were expecting rustic conditions, but it was great! There were three twin beds, lots of warm blankets, a light, and a radio (Valeria and her family are some lucky ones on the island who have a solar panel). The door was very short. The threshold was about 8 inches above the floor, and the door was only about 4 feet tall. I hit my head just about every time. Henry stopped in to make sure we were settled in. We used the outhouse (which was very clean and fresh) and then stood in the courtyard. Valeria speaks Spanish (not all Amantani residents do; most only speak Quechua) and she beckoned for us to enter the kitchen.

The kitchen was a small structure about 8x12 feet, made of adobe with a ridge vent in the roof. It was dark inside and it took a minute for our eyes to adjust. I heard a squealing sound and I didn't know what to make of it. Was she boiling something alive? But she gestured and said "Cuy." Ahhh, guinea pigs. They live in the kitchen (and are occasionally cooked on special occasions). When they saw us they scurried under the stove, where they hide for warmth. The stove was a piece of iron that had a place for a fire in the bottom and several holes in the top, where pots and pans could be balanced with shims. We sat on a bench along the right hand wall of the kitchen, and Valeria sat on a stool made out of a tree stump. When the cuy were comfortable with us they wandered out and ran around our ankles. They were chattering profusely. Although lunch was nearly ready, Valeria was peeling potatoes at lightning speed, making the coil into one long peel. These would be for dinner later in the day. She was great at multitasking. She cut up tomotoes and onions. She was cooking a soup on the stove, and she picked up the cast iron pot by its handles with her bare hands. She gave us quinua and potato soup which was delicious! She followed that up with a full bowl of boiled potatoes and hard boiled egg. She made a fresh salad of onions and tomotoes, and she squeezed some limon and sprinkled a little salt on top. It was delicious, but I think the altitude affected my appetite and I couldn't eat it all. She then made mate de muna. We told her we were familiar with muna and had breathed it to help with the altitude and she was happy. It was a minty tea but not overpowering. She simply threw a sprig into boiling water. She fed the cuy (there were 5 adults and 2 babies) some grass, and we happily watched them eat. Valeria let Craig borrow a hat so he wouldn't be cold.

At 4:00 we headed to the small football field. One of her friends had just finished knitting a hat and Valeria grabbed it and lent it to me. A few people played football, and then we went for a hike with Henry (just the tourists, the women stayed in the village). We had the option of hiking Pachatata (which all of the other tourist groups were doing) or Pachamama (which was higher). The tourists in our group who decided to do a hike (around 12) all chose Pachamama (named for Mother Earth...it is a very sacred mountain). Craig and I took it slow and easy due to the altitide, but we eventually reached the top There were arches along the way, and if you step with your right foot first and make a wish as you pass through each, your wish will come true. There was a gorgeous view out over the lake. We kept forgetting that it was a lake; it looked as vast as an ocean. We could see the snow capped Bolivian moutains to the east, glowing red with the sunset. We climbed a small tower at the summit, and saw a temple. We hiked back down in the twilight and then the light of the almost-full moon. A woman saw us and knew we belonged to Valeria, and called for her. She showed up right away to lead us back to the house. We rested for a few minutes in the room and then headed to the kitchen with our bag of presents. Valeria's husband Elias was back from a day of working the fields, and he spoke to us in Spanish. Both of them were very happy with the presents we brought, and they thanked us and shook our hands. Like Valeria he was very personable. He asked us where we were from and what we did for work. We replied "computadora" and he smiled and nodded. He told us that he works in agriculture. He asked if we had kids. We said no, and he laughed. He and Valeria have 2 kids, Melissa (10) and Raymi (2), but they were at Valeria's mother's house (probably because we were sleeping in their room). He asked how long we had been married and I believe he said they have been married for 12 years. Valeria and Elias were quite amused that we had eaten cuy on our trip. And when Craig identified quinua in the soup, Valeria was quite pleased. Carlos, you taught us well! Thanks for everything! Valeria then served dinner. Huge bowls of quinua and potato soup (that tasted different than the one we had eaten at lunch), and large elbow pasta with rice. There was so much food. She then gave us muna tea, and we all watched the cuy eat. They were quite entertaining.

After dinner, Valeria took us to our room armed with a big pile of clothes. She dressed us up in their traditional garments: Craig in a pancho and wool hat with ear flaps. Dressing me was a bit more difficult. There were so many layers and they all needed to be fastened just so. Valeria was very helpful, but as she is much shorter than me, she had a hard time reaching to fasten a lot of the ties. It was quite funny and we all had a good laugh. I wore a petticoat, flouncy red skirt, beautiful white blouse with bright colored embroidery, a woven belt wrapped around my waist several times, and a black veil with bright colored embroidery. It was wild! We took a very short walk to their rec center (a long rectangular building with no electricity; someone kept pumping a camping lantern and hung it on the wall to provide light). There were two bands, one on each end of the room. They took turns playing. There was a woman selling beer, Coke, and water. It was neat to see all of the tourists dressed up in traditional clothes. As soon as we got there, Valeria grabbed me and taught me a traditional dance called the huayno. You hold hands, stand about two feet apart, and shuffle your feet and twist your hips so that your skirt flails out. Then you extend your arms out to the side (still holding hands) so that your bodies are closer together and you spin clockwise for four beats, counterclockwise for four beats, clockwise again for four beats, and then counterclockwise again for four beats. It was a lot of fun, but the songs are very long. Combine the altitude with the fact that we hiked a mountain, had very full bellies from supper, and were wearing many layers of clothing, and we tuckered out sooner than we normally would have. Craig got a Cusquena beer and he bought me a Coke. We sat down after the first dance to have a drink and catch our breath, but Valeria grabbed Craig right away and started to dance with him. Then Henry grabbed me. He was a very grandiose dancer with exaggerated movements. I hadn't even had a chance to catch my breath from the last dance, and he was spinning me all around. I almost careened into some of the other tourists on the sidelines. Then everyone on the dance floor got into a big circle and started running around the perimeter of the room. As we were all holding hands, some of the locals ran really fast and ended up whipping the rest of us around. It was fun but quite tiring, and the song seemed to go on forever. After that we each sat out for one dance to recover, and then we took turns dancing with Valeria. She was very eager to show us a good time, and didn't want us to have to be sitting idle for one minute. Craig offered Valeria a drink. She seemed kind of embarrassed and asked for a cerveza negra. Craig got it for her and she was all smiles and giggles. She shared some with her friends. At one point when Valeria was dancing with Craig, another girl asked me to dance. And then when I was dancing with Valeria, another girl asked Craig to dance. The tourists and their host families started leaving to go to bed.

Eventually Craig and I were the only tourists left. Craig asked Valeria for the last dance, and Henry playfully accused me of not having danced at all (couldn't he see that my face was beet red?) and said that I would have one more dance with him. He wore me out! Henry shared some beer with Craig and we got our pictures taken with him. He said that he would stay up drinking with the locals for hours. We would stay to have a few more drinks, but we knew we'd be obligated to dance more, and we just didn't have the energy. We went back to Valeria's house and said goodnight. Glad we brought our flashlight, as we never would have made it to the outhouse otherwise. We went to bed around 9:30. I tried to write in the journal, but I had not one ounce of energy left, and I couldn't get my hand to work, so I gave up. We slept in separate twin beds with our travel sheets with three wool blankets each. We were quite comfy. We fell asleep at 10.

May 19, 2002
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Amantani, Taquile, and Puno

Puno, Peru

Valeria knocked at our door at 6:50. While we were getting ready she brought breakfast to the room: potatoes, hard boiled egg, bread, and muna tea. We went downstairs and said goodbye to Elias. We got a picture of him and Valeria in the courtyard. He gave us their address and asked us to recommend them to others. We certainly will, as they were the perfect hosts! We plan to send them photos that we took while on Amantani. Valeria walked us down to the dock (it was much easier going down the mountain with our packs than it had been going up) We gave her some Tic Tacs and she seemed quite happy. She shook our hands at the dock and we got a photo with her. We boarded the boat and the women stood on the dock and waved to us. The boat left at 8:20 for Taquile, and we waved to Valeria as we pulled away. We talked to some of the other tourists, and it seemed that they had a much different experience than we had. Some of them just stayed in their rooms the entire time and their meals were dropped off by the families. Some of them didn't even eat the food. We were quite thankful for our experience, because it was truly magical. These people are authentic and generous. In this particular village in Amantani, they have only had tourists for the past four years, and it is strictly regulated, which keeps it more pure. The main village in Amantani has had tourists for many more years. Sitting in the kitchen with Valeria and Elias was wonderful. We were able to communicate and laugh together. We were able to see how they go about their lives in such a simple manner, taking care of the necessities. And they are just so genuine and happy. There is a lot to be admired about the inhabitants of Amantani Island, and we hope to return there again sometime. We hope that it remains as unspoiled as it was on this trip.

We arrived at Taquile Island at around 9, and took an hour hike to the top of the island. We got a great view of Amantani in the distance, and saw how high Pachamama is...we hiked that! We felt really proud. It was sunny and cool, so it was a nice hike, although steep. We arrived at the top of the mountain where the Plaza de Armas was. We bought some chocolate, Oreos, etc. and browsed in the cooperative shops. Taquile's main industry is tourism. There were some beautiful items in coop, but they were expensive (150 soles for a tapestry). Luckily Carlos had told us that the best place to by woven tapestries is Puno, so we held off). Henry explained to us about some of the native crafts. We went into a nice, candle-lit chapel, and then into a small Taquile musem. Quite a few children asked for money and candy here, a side effect of the tourism industry.

We took a short hike to the restaurant. Craig got the all inclusive meal (quinoa soup, fried kingfish, french fries, rice, and tea for 10 soles.) I wasn't all that hungry (altitude) so I got just the fried kingfish, french fries, and rice for 8 soles, and a Fanta. After lunch, we used the restroom (the only real pit toilet we encountered, outside of Amantani). As we were walking back into the restaurant, a young man approached us and asked if we were the Smiths. It was Vidal! He apologized for being late: he had been on a bus to Puno that had broken down in the middle of nowhere. His cell phone battery died and there was no public phone service. He couldn't get in touch with us nor could he contact Milagros. When a new bus came along, only the women and children were allowed to go first, so he had to wait yet again. He arrived in Puno around 8:30 on the morning that we departed...just minutes after our boat had left. So he stayed in Puno overnight and then caught the first boat to Taquile to meet us the next morning. It was amazing that he met us there, and we were quite impressed. We walked with Vidal down 540 steps to the docks. A supply ship had just gotten in, and the locals were carrying supplies up the steps. We couldn't believe it when we saw an old man carrying a Singer pedal sewing machine and its table on his back up 540 steps!! We boarded our boat and left the island at around 12:55. We spoke to Jeroen and Sascha from the Netherlands on the ride back to Puno. There are some of the Uros floating reed islands where they do not like tourists. The tourist boats drive by but do not stop there. In fact, our boat had driven through just a week before. Apparently the inhabitants don't even like the boats driving by, because they started building a new island right in the boat's path! We and another boat got stuck, and it took some negotiating (and all of us to stand in the back of the boat) to get free.

We arrived in Puno about 3.5 hours after leaving Taquile. Vidal got us a cab and we went back to the Q'Elqatani hotel. We took an hour to shower and freshen up and then met Vidal in the lobby. He asked what we wanted to do. We said we wanted to change money and buy a woven tapestry. We went to a money change house, which gave us a better rate than the banks. However, as we had known, U.S. bills need to be pristine in order to be accepted. Our bills had started out pristine, but took a bit of a beating. One $20 had a very tiny tear in the corner (no paper missing, just a little tiny rip) and they would not change it. They tried to negotiate and offered us the equivalent of $19. We said no thanks and kept that bill. But other than that changing money was easy. We walked through the gorgeous Plaza de Armas, and then Vidal took us to a small market to look for tapestries. They didn't have the kind I wanted, so he took us to a larger market. It wasn't a touristic market, and I found a woman selling blankets. Higher quality blankets cost 25 soles. (Compare to 150 soles for very high quality on Taquile). We bought a green one for our living room wall. We also bought a pink one for Craig's mom and a blue one for my mom. We went to another small market and got hats and gloves for 5 soles each (the hats were supposed to be 6 but she gave us a deal). We went into a gift shop and bought some more souvenirs for us and our family. They claimed to take Visa, and we tried to use it, since we didn't want to spend our cash. They had a manual credit card slider, but it wasn't calibrated, so it didn't make the imprint. The clerk ended up rubbing it over the carbon paper with a pen for the imprint to come out. It took a long time. Then she ran down the street to call in the credit card over the phone. She came back and said it had been rejected (she must have just gotten the number wrong, as we were able to use the card later in the trip), so we just sucked it up and used cash. Would have done that from the get-go if we had known. Then Vidal asked where we wanted to eat and we told him to choose someplace he likes. We walked inside a restaurant and saw Jeroen and Sascha, and they invited us to join them. We had some great conversation and a lot of laughs. Craig had alpaca en vino and I had a vegetarian lasagna (in its own little crock in a red sauce with lots of cheese). At around 9:20 we said goodbye and headed back to the hotel. Before falling asleep we flipped through the channels and came across "The Osbournes" (a show we never had a chance to see at home). The funnist thing was that it was completely uncensored. The audio track was in English, and the f-word was flying. They only censored the Spanish subtitling.

May 20, 2002
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The Road to Cusco: Pukara, Sicuani, Raqchi, & Andahuaylillas

Cusco, Peru

We woke up at 6:30 and met Vidal in the dining room at 7 for our continental breakfast (ham, cheese, tea, juice, and bread). Then Vidal took us for a 15 minute walk around Puno. This was Monday morning, and it was a diffferent place. There were businessmen, schoolchildren, etc. walking the streets, buying things from street vendors. Vidal bought some quinua con manzana (a hot drink of apples and quinua) and let us have a sip. It was very tasty and hearty. Our bus arrived at 7:30. It was a single decker with a bathroom and comfortable seats. There was a Dutch couple, a Danish man, a driver, Vidal, us, and a guide named Marita. At around 9:45 we stopped at the Pukara archaeological site. There was a nice church off in the distance. This is a town where small cramic bulls called "tauritos" are sold. We saw a sunken plaza where human sacrifices used to be performed. There were underground galleries that have since been blocked off due to accidents. We got back onto the bus after a short tour. The bus pulled over briefly in Ayaviri. Marita jumped out and came back with a sample of lamb meat. She let us all sample it. It was delicious, tender and flavorful. I thought it tasted like rib meat. We stopped in La Raya to take photos of the snow-covered mountains. There were people selling items, and we bought 4 bananas. It was too touristic, though, with little kids dressed up (hugging baby alpacas) holding their hands out for tips.

A little after noon we stopped in Sicuani for lunch. It seemed like the middle of nowhere, and the restaurant compound was walled in. The bus backed in through a tiny gate, and we were suddenly in a nice outdoor oasis with lush vegetation and alpacas. We ate outside in the courtyard. We had a nice buffet lunch including beef stew, carmelized chicken with onions and green beans, tomatoes, beans, bread, dried sweet potatoes, dried bananas, rice, and julienned potato. Craig got a beer and I got a Fanta. The waiter was goading the alpacas, getting them to spit. It was clearly a show for our benefit. There was a pudding for dessert that tasted like vanilla, but I guess it could have been something else. We had a nice conversation with the other tourists and Vidal. After that we drove to San Pedro to the Raqchi (pottery) ruins, site where lots of pottery was made in the Inca times. There were aqueducts, colcas (round storage houses), and a huge wall that was once part of a temple. There was a house for the Inca (which was only used when he visited; about once every ten years). On our way back to the bus, we visited some booths where women were selling pottery. I bought a red ceramic Andean cross necklace for one sol. Something interesting in Peru is that once you buy an item, everyone else in the market tries to sell you more of the exact same item. Suddenly fifteen women were showing me all of their collections of Andean crosses. We saw some nice ceramic plates with beautifully painted designs. We were tempted, they were 2 for 5 soles. But we had already bought a plate in Nasca. We offered a girl 2 soles for one, and she said no. So we walked away. All the other women tried to sell us similar plates for the same price (2 for 5 soles). When it was evident that we were going to board the bus without purchasing a plate, a group of women swarmed after us with plates. The original girl we had talked to agreed to 2 soles, so we bought one from her. Our next stop was Andahuaylillas. We saw the Saint Peter Apostle Church (the Andean Sistine Chapel). It was gorgeous. No photos were allowed inside, but they sold postcards. The outside of the church looked like nothing really special. Vidal pointed out that some of the stone blocks had obvious Inca carving on them: the Spanish had created churches with Inca stonework that they stole from temples, as well as Inca gold. The Inca stonework's presence made some of the natives more comfortable going into a Christian church as they were being converted to Catholicism.The ceiling of the church was painted in gorgeous geometric designs, and the wall was covered with frescoes (some of which have been damaged by earthquakes and moisture). The altar was decorated with 24 karat gold. There were lots of large religious paintings in ornate gold frames. It was originally a Jesuit church, but is now run by the Dominicans, who don't want to sink money into restoring it. There were also a lot of religious icons and figures throughout the church. It was gorgeous!

Then we drove to Cusco. We got to the El Balcón Hotel and had some coca tea (made with leaves) in the dining room while Vidal explained our options for the next few days. Although it wasn't on the itinerary, he said that we might be able to hike part of the Inca Trail if we wanted to. This sounded good to us. It is something we had wanted to do from the beginning, but we were unsure of conditions and how the altitude would affect us. Now that we were in Cusco, we were fine. Lake Titicaca had been much higher, and we felt perfectly fine in Cusco. Vidal would still need to get the permits and everything, but he thought it shouldn't be a problem, as we were trying to do it the day after tomorrow. We went to our room and started consolidating our luggage. If we were to do some hiking, we would take only one pack (Vidal would carry it). We would take the train to km 104 and hike the 2 day Inca Trail segment in one day. This is doable in one day. Usually the hikers stop at 2 p.m. one day and camp, setting out early the next morning so they can catch sunrise at the Sun Gate. We wouldn't get the benefit of the sunrise, but we could hike all the way from km 104 to Machu Picchu in one day, and then take the bus to our hotel in Aguas Calientes. Vidal went off to try to pull the permits, and then collected us at the hotel when he was ready. The street our hotel was on was narrow and steep, and its sidewalk was actually a series of steps. We walked to the Plaza de Armas, which contained two gorgeous churches and a fountain, all of which were brightly lit. The hillsides were dotted with light and looked spectacular. We went to an ATM (we couldn't get our normal ATM card to work, but we got a cash advance on our Visa), and bought some film and a postcard. The city was bustling. There were a lot of kids here accosting us, trying to sell postcards, so you couldn't stand in one place for too long. Once kid was actually hanging from my sleeve. We went into a music store and bought a Peruvian CD (the one they were playing over speakers in the store). We then went to the A Mi Manera restaurant, which is owned by Vidal's best friend Marco and Marco's wife. Marco's wife was there, and we got to meet her. We sat in a booth in a window niche that overlooked the Plaza de Armas.Craig and I shared meals. He got the alpaca stuffed with ham, cheese, honey and spinach. It was served with potatoes, veggies, and quinua. I got the lasagna bolognese, once again in its own little crock. I got a Pisco sour and Craig got a Cusquena. We had our first nice, long, in depth talk with Vidal. He is Quechua, and still speaks the language. He is married and has a one year old son. We really got to know Vidal that night. He is a great guy, and we got along quite well. We went back to the hotel at 10 and went to bed.

May 21, 2002
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Pisac, Moray, & Ollantaytambo

Ollantaytamno

We got up at 5:30 and finished consolidating our luggage. We then showered and headed downstairs for breakfast. Vidal met us in the lobbby at 7:15. We left our extra bags in storage at the hotel. We met our driver (named Carlos) and he drove us to Pisac. We took a several hour hike through the Inca and pre-Inca ruins which exist there. The stonework was beautiful. We hiked up a trail in the mountains. As the day progressed you could feel warm breezes blowing up the side of the mountain from the valley below. Aha, these must be the updrafts that the condors catch when they fly. It was amazing just how warm these breezes were. We took a picture of two local women with their babies whom we met on the trail. We met Carlos at the van and then drove to the center of Pisac, where they have a huge market. We got woven water bottle holders for 3 soles each. Craig got a Cusquena T-shirt for Steve and one for himself as well, for 10 soles apiece. We entered a courtyard where there was a stone oven and a woman was baking fresh empanadas (dough containing tomatoes, onion, cheese, and oregano). Vidal bought one for each of us. They were delicious. Craig bought himself and Vidal another one, as a fresh batch was coming out of the oven. Then we tried chicha morada, a purplish black drink made from black corn, lemon juice, and spices. A woman had a bucket of it. She rinsed off some glasses in a bucket of water, and took a ladle-full of chicha morada out of the bucket. I was a bit apprehensive about what a purple corn drink would taste like, but it was delicious. It tasted almost like grape juice. We swilled it down. There was a traffic jam and Carlos couldn't get the van out, so we stuck around for a while longer. We bought some water and snacks in a little bodega and then resumed walking through the market. We saw women selling many different varieties of corn, grain, vegetables, etc. When Carlos was able to free the van from the gridlock, we drove to the town of Urubamba. We passed houses which had two tauritos and a cross on the roofs. Vidal explained that these were put up to keep missionaries away (i.e. expressing that the occupants are already Catholic). We saw more crosses than tauritos, though, as apparently local kids use the ceramic bulls as slingshot targets. On the way to Urubamba, we passed a religious procession. People in the street were carrying ornately decorated crosses, and there was a band playing bugles and cymbals. We ate at a nice restaurant. Again, it looked like nothing but a gate from the outside. But once you entered, it was a gorgeous compound with outdoor and indoor tables. We ate outdoors under a tent. There were llamas, macaws, and a Peruvian band. We ate a lunch buffet including tomatoes, cucumbers, avacado in a strawberry sauce, a hot cereal made of lupin seeds, chicken, potatoes, and pork stuffed with cheese, ham, and honey. It got kind of crowded, as just about every bus passing through stopped here to eat. It was nice, though. For dessert Craig had Jello and I had a piece of chocolate cake.

After lunch, we drove through the center of Moray. It was around 1:30, and school had just let out. There were many schoolchildren in their uniforms crowding the streets. Streets are very narrow (only room for one car) and the children started racing the van and running after us. They were smiling and shouting, and some of them even grabbed on to the bumper. We weren't sure quite what was going on, but figured the kids were just playing. Carlos pulled over and Vidal opened the sliding door of the van, and kids started piling in. They were sitting on every available surface (except an entire vacant seat that held nothing but our pack. They were very respectful of it. Only when Vidal repositioned it did they take advantage of the empty space and sit there). Carlos started to drive and the kids were ecstatic. We still weren't sure why. Was a car ride this much of a treat? What was going on? We counted, and there were 13 boys and 1 girl who had boarded the van. They were all happy, and Vidal started to ask their names, ages, and what grade they are in. The boys ranged in age from 6 to 14, and the girl was 9. It turns out that they all live in the mountains. They get up at 4 in the morning to begin their 2+ hour walk to school, in the dark. Often their parents discourage them from going to school at all, as they would like them to stay home and help in the fields. But the kids are determined, and despite all of the personal sacrifice involved, they go to school each day. When Vidal has room in the van he will give kids a ride up the mountain to save them from walking. It is very steep and warm, and the kids wear multiple layers of sweaters with the school uniforms. Some of them don't usually get home until 5 p.m. So it made sense that they were so happy. And what a nice guy Vidal is to provide them with this opportunity. It was amazing. Such an impromptu thing that became such a highlight of the trip. These children were so friendly and happy, and they are so determined to value their educations...it really makes you understand how much we take for granted in the United States. We drove with them for at least fifteen minutes, up and up and up. When we got to our destination, they got out. They said gracias to Vidal. (They speak Quechua and some Spanish). We introduced ourselves in Spanish and told them our ages. They practiced saying our names and waved goodbye to us. Vidal took us on a hike through structures that were used as herbal laboratories for the medicine men of the Incas. These were terraces constructed in concentric circles. The center of the cirle was the lowest down. The terracing used to create microclimates, so the medicine men could experiment growing different herbs in different conditions. A shaman and some patients were conducting a ritual there. We saw three of these structures (first the largest, then the medium-sized one, then the smallest) and met a burro on the path. Through much of our hike we could still see the silhouettes of the school kids standing up on the ridge. Eventually they began walking again. In the distance we could see snow-capped peaks and mountain glaciers. There was barley growing in the foreground and it looked beautiful.

We drove back down to the center of Moray, and passed some other schoolchildren who were still walking home up the mountains. They all waved and smiled and said "Hola." Then we drove to the Maras salt mines. We had never seen anything like this before. It was amazing. There were countless terraced pools which were glimmering white in the sun. Salt water from within the mountain flows through a series of channels and can be diverted to various pools. Once the pools are full, they are left until the water eveporates and leaves nothing but salt behind. The mines are communally run. The inhabitatnts of the town take turns working there, and they share in the proceeds from the sale of the salt. We walked along a trail in the midst of the pools. We tasted some of the salt. It was salt alright! Vidal jumped into what he thought to be a dry pool, but he misjudged it and ended up getting his boots muddy. It was weird for Craig and myself because you would be walking on a narrow trail covered with a crystalline white substance. We kept expecting it to be slippery (like snow and ice), and we couldn't get past that. At the end of our 1.5 hour hike, we walked back to the van. Craig and I touched the waters of the Urubamba.

Carlos drove us to Ollantaytambo. We checked into our hotel and met Vidal's sisters, who were nice enough to make the 1.5 hour trip from Cusco to drop off our Machu Picchu tickets. It turns out that since the office had been closed the night before when Vidal had inquired about Inca Trail tickets, we had not been able to get the permits (which require 36 hour advance notice). Carlos drove us a couple blocks to the archaeological ruins, and then drove Vidal's sisters back to Cusco. We arrived at 4:45, and the ruins were supposed to close at 5. They told us we had 15 minutes. We saw a fountain and then climbed up the many many stairs to the top of the ruins. We had a great view of the other mountains, including the Inca face in the mountain, as well as a face which looked more Spanish. There were colcas in the surrounding mountains as well. There were huge stones which had been carved very precisely. They had floated the stones across the Urubamba from the quarry, and had then pulled and used a system of ramps to get them up the mouintain and into place. We sat on a carved stone bench and looked at the stars. This bench had been used by kings and architects/engineers to look out over the city. The old part of the city is shaped like an ear of corn, with larger city blocks near the center of town representing large kernels at the base of the ear of corn, with blocks getting smaller and smaller as they extend outward. The moonlight was so bright after the sun had set that we cast a shadow. It was so peaceful (except for the occasional dynamite blast that shook the mountain as road construction was done). We walked down the stairs at 6:15 in the moonlight. There was a huge stone at the bottom which contained three grooves which was apparently used to grind and smooth other stones. Earlier in the evening local kids had been using it as a slide. After leaving the ruins we bought some snacks and walked around the Plaza de Armas. It is a small city, and there were lots of people out and about, buying meals from street vendors. We ate dinner at a restaurant right off the plaza. Craig and I got a pizza. We had been seeing them everywhere and thought it was a really touristy thing to eat, but they looked good and we felt as though we had tried just about everything else. We got chorizo and ham on a thin crust pizza with very little sauce and lots of cheese. It was very good. Vidal had lomo saltado, which we tasted. We were back at the room before 8. I tried to change my dead camera battery, but realized I had brought two extra batteries for my old camera, and they didn't fit this one. Stupid! This is a very small town, and I didn't even know if they would have lithium APS camera batteries. I went to the lobby and luckily Vidal was still there (making reservations for tomorrow morning's train). I told him our plight and he gladly walked the two of us to the Plaza de Armas. We found a shop that sold camera supplies (two camera batteries, a couple of cameras, and several rolls of film), and they had one and only one battery of the right size. Hooray! We went to bed shortly after 9, and as soon as we got under the covers we began to hear drums. This was soon followed by bugles...and then fireworks. Some sort of festival tonight!

May 22, 2002
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Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu Ruins, Peru

We heard the band sporadically throughout the night, as they marched and passed under our window. It got so loud at points that we just started laughing. Craig heard the last drummer going home around 2 a.m. Despite all of this, we did get a good night's sleep. Guess we're getting used to Peru! We got up at 5:30 and had a breakfast of scrambled eggs, juice, bread, and jelly at 6:15. Vidal met us and we took a taxi to the train station. We asked Vidal if we'd have to pay extra for last night's "entertainment" and he said he had thought the music had all been a nightmare. Vidal had been able to exchange our 9 a.m. train tickets for 7 a.m. tickets (we had to pay extra, but it was worth it to get an early start). The train was one large comfortable car. There was snack and beverage service. Craig and I pocketed our small ham and cheese sandwiches for later. Craig got coca tea. I was just thinking that it was strange that all of the plates, cups, bowls, etc. were ceramic on such a windy train ride when SMASH! A tray full of perfectly stacked cups and plates crashed to the floor, shattered. This would happen one more time on the course of our 1.5 hour train ride. I have one word for you, PeruRail: plastics.

We got out at km 104, crossed a bridge over the Urubamba, and went to the checkpoint. As our papers weren't in order, they would not let us hike the trail. We looked at the Chachabamba ruins (which had very steep roofs) and then hiked along another trail which parallels the Urubamba. It was very much a cloud forest here. We saw a blue crowned marmot, a bird with an iridescent blue head. It was a great hike that passed some local houses. After about 6 km we reached some ruins that are not yet open to the public. There are archaeologuists actively working there. It was intense, and we walked through one of the sites. Vidal's plan was to continue on the trail, which will eventually bring us to Whinyhuayno, and meet up with the Inca Trail. If noone gave us a hard time we could continue up the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Vidal was miffed because although they had told us we couldn't follow the Inca Trail the whole way up to Machu Picchu, they said we could follow it from Machu Picchu back down, which didn't really make any sense if they were trying to control the number of people on the trail. But anyway, we got turned around almost immediately after these ruins, so we hiked the 6 km back to km 104.

Vidal said that we could catch the next train to Aguas Calientes, drop off our stuff, and go to Machu Picchu if we wanted to. We waited about 15 minutes for the train, but the next train to arrive was a local train. Tourists are not allowed on local trains. They can only take the highly priced tourist train. In this case, we had an expensive tourist train ticket, but only wanted to catch the local train as quick transport to the nearby Aguas Calientes. Carlos had told us on the first half of the trip that they had recently instituted this policy, and that lots of tourists were upset, because they'd rather ride a train with Peruvians than just with other tourists. We got on the local train and stood near the door. There wasn't much room, and I ended up balanced over a sack of potatoes. The conductor was none too pleased to see gringos on his train, and Vidal needed to explain. The guy took our passport info and asked us some questions . Then another conductor came along and saw us, and immediately questioned us. The other guy explained he had taken down our info. It was a bit nerve-wracking, and we got to Aguas Calientes none too soon. When we stepped off the train a stern looking security guard looked us up and down. The conductor said something to him and he let us go. We walked down to our hotel and checked in. The proprietor was very nice and offered us our choice of rooms. We chose a room that had a queen bed and a balcony overlooking the Urubamba. The roar of the river was intense from the room. Only one day of Machu Picchu was included in the tour, so we bought bus tickets ($9 apiece) and entrance tickets ($20 apiece) so that we could visit Machu Picchu today as well.

The bus crossed the river and then went up a series of switchbacks until it reached Machu Picchu. It took about half an hour. The entrance fee seemed very high compared to other Peruvian attractions we had seen, but you could tell the money was going into restoration. There were lots of workers with sickuls and machetes cleaning weeds and grass from in between stones. Machu Picchu was short on guides that day. They asked Vidal if he could take on another couple of people. He said no but they kept asking him. His love of guiding and teaching people about Peru eventually led him to ask us if it was OK. We said of course. So a family from L.A. (mother, father, adult son) joined us. The son had just completed two years as a missionary in Chile. It was cloudy at first but later the sun shone through. We wandered the ruins from 1:30-5:00, with Vidal giving us invaluable information. In my opinion, the most impressive thing was the Temple of the Condor. It was a temple where mummies were placed. The walls looked like condor wings, and there was a carved stone on the ground that looked like a condor body, with head, eyes, and white neck collar. However, when you stand behind it, it looks to be the exact shape of South America (with a vein running right where the Amazon River would be). There are other rocks where Central America, Mexico, and Easter Island would be (and Easter Island architecture is very much like Peruvian and could be related). It just blew my mind. How much did the Incas know in their day? Their world view seems so broad. What would they have achieved by now if the Spaniards had not wiped out their culture? There were some llamas on the various terraces. What really struck me about Machu Picchu is that from the pictures I had seen in text books, etc., I never realized how tall the ruins were. I kind of expected all of the walls to be about two feet tall, really ruins. But most of the structures are very much intact, and walls are taller than we are. I don't think that really comes across in pictures taken from above. Vidal pointed out some of the old (bad) restoration that had been done. They replaced some damaged lintels with wood (not used in authentic Inca contruction), and they also used cement to replace some missing stones. At least with the high entrance costs today things are monitored and the restoration taking place now is more authentic.While touring the ruins we saw a hummingbird, a large millipede, sparrows, a lizard, and a fer de lance (poisonous snake). We took a bus down to Aguas Calientes at 5:15. Chaskis used to be messangers in Inca times. Today, little boys dress up in chaski outfits. As a bus leaves the top of the mountain, they run down stairs and meet the bus at each switchback yelling "g-ooooooooooooo-d-b-yyyyyyyyyy-eeeeeeee" and "aaaaaa-di-oooooooooooos!" and waving at the bus. At the bottom of the mountain the busdriver lets the boy on and he collects tips from the passengers. They really work for their money, as they look absolutrely exhausted after running down the mountain.

We wandered through Aguas Calientes. We saw a really neat metal statue in the Plaza de Armas that depicted a condor and all kinds of Peruvian historical symbols. Some young local boys were playing with tops near it, and Vidal told them a little bit of the history. We ate at the Tucano restaurant. We were the only ones there. We sat inside near a window, and also near the stone oven. Craig and I ordered a hot sausage and pepper pizza. Vidal put his ham and cheese sandwich (from this morning's train ride) into the pizza oven. When it came out all nice and toasted, he shared it with us.Some musicians were walking by in the street, and there was a guy with a gorgeous harp. I pointed to him to show Craig. Never point in Peru unless you are really interested in something. The guy saw me point and got a big smile on his face. About five minutes later I looked out the window and he was still there staring at us, smiling. He said something to the proprietor and the proprietor asked if we'd like some live music. We said sure. The guy hastily put on a pancho and hat and ran in the door. A young woman followed and set up a table with a CD and a little doll of a guy playing the harp. The music was fantastic. The guy (whom we learned was Juan Quispe Patiño) was very talented and the harp had a superb sound. He played "El Condor Pasa", and then the girl played a song. They then played a song together (each using only one hand). It was beautiful. We heard about 4 or 5 songs total, and then we bought his CD for 35 soles. He was very appreciative. We went back to the hotel at 8:30.

May 23, 2002
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Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu Ruins, Peru

At 2 a.m., Craig woke me up and asked if it was really hot in the room. I replied that it wasn't, and he instantly knew he was going to be sick. He ran into the bathroom and vomited. He came back to bed feeling much better, but one hour later, the same thing happened. And it continued to happen, like clockwork, every hour on the hour. Was it that pizza? It would figure that after all we ate on this trip, the pizza wouldn't agree with him! Craig tried to take a shower at 3 a.m., but only our hot water was working (what do you expect in a town called Aguas Calientes, I guess) and it was too scalding to take a shower. We were supposed to meet Vidal at 6 for breakfast, and then take the 6:30 bus up to Machu Picchu. We were planning to see sunrise near the Temple of the Sun and then hike Huayna Picchu to get gorgeous view of Machu Picchu. By this time Craig was still getting sick, so there was no way we could go. I met Vidal downstairs and told him the situation. He was very nice and told me not to worry, and sent me back to the room. A few minutes later the proprietor appeared with room service breakfast for me. That was so nice! After Craig's 6:45 bout of sickness we gave him some antibiotics, hoping he'd at least have an hour before getting sick again so they could start to take effect. Vidal came at 7:20 with a thermos of tea and some medication specifically for vomiting. Our shower still only had hot water, so they moved Vidal to a different room and let us use his shower. Craig then went back to bed. At 8:45 Vidal came to check on Craig. At around 10:30, Craig had gone almost four hours without being sick. He got up and we went to the bus station. He felt very weak, but was a very good sport.

We got to Machu Picchu and resumed our tour, walking through a royal house. After climbing some of the steps Craig found he had no energy. Vidal was a total sweetheart and made two trips to the store for Gatorade. Craig drank the Gatorade and started to rehydrate, but he still had no energy. At 1:30, he urged Vidal and I to finish the tour on our own. We found a nice bench overlooking the valley, and he sat there while we continued on. It started sprinkling, just enough that a rainbow appeared above the valley. Vidal and I saw a room that was used for skull trepanation surgery. There were some small houses used by dwarves, and a storehouse for llama food which was built in such a way that llamas could not get around the sharp corner. We saw a hummingbird and a lizard. We saw the Temple of the Sun (which has one window facing the summer solstice and one facing the winter). We also saw the royal tombs. At 2:45 we picked up Craig and boarded a bus. Our chasquis looked especially tired today. At 4:00, we caught a train to Ollantaytambo. In the market near the train station I bought a yellow Inca Kola shirt for 12 soles. On the train we sat across from Deano (a British trance d.j.) and a guy from Chile. We had very interesting conversations with them for the entire ride. Carlos picked us and Vidal up in Ollantaytambo. After a stop at the Ollantaytambo hotel to use their restroom, we drove to Cusco. We checked into the hotel and collected the luggage that we had stored there. I dropped Craig in the room. The rooms here were great; they had little doors within a door so you could open it and have a view of the entire Plaza de Armas. Vidal and I went to the drugstore and bought Craig an Electrolight drink. Then we went to a restaurant to get Craig some take-out chicken soup. I ordered a Hawaiian sandwich (four slices of bread, ham, cheese, and pineapple, all toasted). Vidal and I drank Fantas while waiting for the food. We chatted and I tried the sapo game. When the food arrived, Vidal walked me back to the hotel. Craig and I ate in the room and went to bed. Vidal was so helpful during Craig's illness...we really appreciated it!

May 24, 2002
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Saqsayhuaman, Pukapukara, Q'enqo, & San Blas

Cusco, Peru

We woke up at 7:15 to the sound of a bell tolling for several minutes.This was followed by fireworks, which we were told are often set off by churches in the morning hours. We had breakfast at 8:30 (hot bread, orange juice, jelly, and coca tea). Vidal picked us up with a taxi at 9. We were all glad that Craig was feeling back to his normal self. We stopped at the San Cristobal church, which gives a great view of Cusco. Then we went to Tambomachay, some ruins with three fountains fed by channels. There were some niches that are believed to have held monoliths in a certain pose. Vidal took a picture of Craig and I standing in these niches. We then went to Pukapukara, which were some other nice ruins which were practically right across the street. After that we went to Lacco (the Temple of the Moon). The taxi driver left, as we would walk from here on. This is a large volcanic set of rocks which is very sacred. Just as Vidal was telling us how rituals are still done here today, a shaman rolled up in a van, and hopped out carrying wood and woven fabric. Two other men followed him. They went to a little area and lit a fire to do their sacrifice. It was amazing. Such a rich, living, breathing culture. After that we walked to Q'enqo. There were lots of people riding horses around this area. We saw many carvings of pumas, condors, and snakes, but as with most places that the Spaniards found, the heads of the animals had been smashed. After Q'enqo we walked to Saqsayhuaman. We walked through a cave that was pitch black inside, and we needed to feel our way through to the other end. It was wild. There is another larger tunnel, and there are all kinds of legends that it runs the length of the city, and that it has a history fraught with curses and Inca gld. This larger tunnel has been sealed up because people have been lost in there. There were lots of kindergarten school kids on a field trip there in their red uniforms. They were walking, holding hands, and singing. They slid down a big rock. One was looking at us and the teacher told her "Don't stare at the gringos." We walked around and saw all of the beautiful stonework. We sat for a while atop the hill overlooking the valley. This is where people still to this day watch the Inti Raymi festival during the summer solstice. As the schoolkids were walking away, they saw us on top of the hill. They waved and yelled "Ciao gringos!" It was priceless! After Saqsayhuaman, we walked through the San Cristobal district of Cusco. We passed a lot of friendly locals and said hello.

Then we walked through San Blas, where Vidal grew up. The streets were narrow, and many houses were perched atop hills and only accessible by long staircases that seemed to lead to the heavens. Vidal took us to his parents' house. His mother was making chicha. We were introduced to a young girl and Vidal's nephew Dennis, who shook our hands. Dennis was carrying a small lamb in his arms. We sat on the couch and listened to Quechua blues. Vidal gave us some bottled, carbonated chicha morada which was very good. He showed us some books about Peru. The milkman arrived on his daily visit, bearing a plastic jug full of milk. The propane delivery man also arrived. It was so nice tof Vidal to show us his parents' house. Next we went to the San Blas church. It was gorgeous, but no photos were allowed inside. There were beautiful works of gold and silver. But the most impressive thing was the pulpit, which was carved from a single block of cedar and was suspended from the ceiling. The carvings were so intricate. There were apostles with movable arms, etc. There was even a real human skull poised on top.

Afterwards we went to a nearby restaurant to eat lunch. We sat at an outdoor table. A woman approached us, selling belts and calabash gourds. We said no thank you. She started chatting with me in Spanish, about how she is Quechua but also knows Spanish, whereas her mother can't speak Spanish at all. She was a very nice woman. She sat down next to our table, wrapped some thread around her foot, and started weaving right there. She had two wooden paddles, and she just wove with her fingers. It was amazing. She was doing a two color work that was very intricate. After that I couldn't say no. Her work was amazing, and she did it all herself. I bought a brightly colored alpaca belt for 40 soles. The woman was very appreciative, said she had five children at home, and shook my hand, saying gracias. She then showed us the gourds, which are hand decorated by her husband. They were very intricate, and you can shake them and the seeds make noise. Some told a story with words and pictures, others had just pictures. We bought one that had a condor, puma, and snake, as well as a festival with a band on it for 32 soles. We said that it would always remind us of Ollantaytambo. Craig got lomo saltado and I had lomo with an onion and tomato sauce with rice. It was delicious and tangy, and I loved it, despite the fact that I spilled it all over my pants.

After that we went to a bank that had a Cusquena beer exhibition. There were also some museum rooms with Inca artifacts. They built on top of the Inca walls that already existed there. We walked down a street that was devoted to chicharron restaurants. We toured the Qoricancha, or "Gold Museum", a Dominican convent. It is a church built on Inca ruins, and you can go into various rooms to see both Inca architecture and Spanish Catholic relics. There was a nice plaza that had all kinds of arches and was decorated with gorgeous potted plants. There was a nice garden near the old Temple of the Sun. After our tour we quickly went into the church. A Mass was going on, and it was just gorgeous. As we walked through Cusco we noticed many ornate wooden balconies overhanging the street.

We took a cab to a local market. This was an enclosed market that was set up kind of like a U.S. flea market. People were selling breads, fruits, vegetables, wedding dresses, llama fetuses for sacrifices, candy, shoes, etc. It was wild. We were the only gringos around. Vidal bought a knitted mask that is used in festivals. The mask was made of white yarn, and when Vidal put it on, the clerk joked that he looked like us. There were knockoff Jansport backpacks that instead of "Jansport Made in USA" said "Jansport Style in USA." People were selling rolls of toilet paper, soap, coffee beans, and chocolate. We walked to the Plaza de Armas. We got money from the ATM, bought film, bought a book on Peru for 65 soles, and two maps of Peru for 25 soles each. When walking through the Plaza, we noticed one street was blocked off. There were hundreds of Catholic school girls marching down the street, praying and chanting. One woman had a bullhorn and was leading the prayers. We crossed the procession and went into Norton Rat's to play pool. There was a balcony from which you could watch the procession, and I took a couple pictures as a big lit up float of the Virgin Mary came by, followed by a marching band. Craig and Vidal got Cusquena and I got a rum and Coke (but since it was happy hour I got two for the price of one). First we playerd cutthroat. I won. But we noticed that there was a duplicate ball, so the numbers didn't work out right and cuttroat wasn't realy fair. So we played the way we had played with Carlos, only with some rules that you can only hit balls on a certain side of the tableuntil you have sunk all other balls. I got some papas fritas to eat. There was a wood stove going, and it was quite warm in there. Vidal won the next two games. We got a picture of the three of us. It was a lot of fun. We walked back to the hotel and said goodbye to Vidal, which was another sad goodbye.

May 25, 2002
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Lima

Lima, Peru

We woke up at 5, ate our continental breakfast, and were picked up for the airport by Carlos and Humberto. At the airport there were porters standing in front of each parking spot. As a car pulled in, the designated porter would run and grab your bags. Humberto showed us where to go after we had checked in. We paid our airport tax and then had a lot of time to kill in the airport. Our flight departed at 8. For a one hour flight, they gave us a chicken salad sandwich, a pastry, a drink and a newspaper. Better than a three hour domestic flight in the U.S.! When we arrived in Lima, we collected our baggage. Boris was there waiting for us. He was on the cell phone wth Milagros, who had been tryng to contact us the day before, but we had been out all day. Craig spoke to her and she asked if we'd mind having lunch instead of dinner with her. It was fine with us. Boris drove us to the hotel, and we showered and watched some TV. Milagros arrived at 1 and drove us to the Cafe de la Paz in Milaflores. In Miraflores we got to see a little more security in action. In her car, Milagros locked her purse in the trunk while driving, and at the outdoor restaurant she asked for a chair that had a leather strap to secure her purse. We talked for several hours with Milagros about the trip and Peru in general. We didn't have one complaint about the trip. It was so much more than we ever had expected, and we feel changed because of it. Craig and I both had lasagna and garlic bread, with one last lucma ice cream for dessert.

Milagros dropped us off at the Indian Market in Miraflores, where we spent a couple hours just roaming through the booths looking at all of the amazing stuff: carved boxes, tapestries, alpaca rugs, furniture, pottery. We ended up buying a chess board (Incas vs. Spaniards) for 30 soles At 5 we walked back to the hotel. We got a little lost because of the way the streets are laid out surrounding Arequipa Avenue, but we asked a security guard and eventually saw some landmarks that directed us to Teruel St., where the Villa Molina was located. The clerk at the desk of showed us a map of the nearby restaurants. The only really close things were American franchises. We had avoided them until now, but we just needed a functional meal. We got to a roundabout that contained Friday's, Chili's and a splace called the "Backcow Steakhouse", which had the same logo and font as the Outback. We settled on Friday's. The Celtics playoff game was on, and we ended up watching it. The Celtics came back for a very improbable win. I got a chicken finger dinner and a huge margarita. Craig got a grilled chicken sandwich and a Pilsen beer. We had seen signs for Pilsen everywhere, but were never able to try one until now, on our last night. We got back to the hotel at 8 to watch some TV.

May 26, 2002
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Departure

Lima, Peru

The phone rang at midnight, and we were confused as to whether or not it was our wake up call. After several minutes of frantic watch-checking, we determined it was a wrong number, and went back to bed. We got up at 3:00, and our cab took us to the airport at 3:30. We were very foggy. Though some discos were just letting out, the streets were very empty and everything looked very different than in the daylight. We arrived at the airport at around 4. We checked in and went through customs. After we paid the airport tax we had a lot of time to kill. We ate a ham and cheese croissant. I had some papaya juice and Craig had a Fanta. We had wanted to bring some Inca Kola home, but there were no newsstands or stores that sold snacks once you got through security. Luckily, the restaurant was able to sell us 2 small unopened bottles. The flight was supposed to take off at 7, but there was a security issue. A man's baggage got on the flight, but he didn't, so they needed to remove the bag. Of course it was the first bag in the baggage hold, so it took them 45 minutes to find it. I sat next to a sweet Peruvian kid, and we shared some lemon candies and cookies with him. We got to Miami around 2:30. We had to clear customs and pick up our luggage, but they had a problem getting the luggage off the plane and it took a very long time. We ended up missing our connecting flight by 5 minutes. We went to the desk and they had already ticketed us for the next flight. Craig and I went to the terminal and had some pizza. Craig called his folks and informed them of the change in plans. Our flight took off at 5:15. We were in an exit row. We got to Boston around 8:30. We took a cab to Craig's grandmother's house in Revere, and Craig's mom picked us up there and brought us home.

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