Today we take flight to Peru! We are quite excited as we both have been working and studying immensely, and desperately desire to go somewhere else in the world and forget ourselves. With a short drive and a bunch of puddle jumping between airports we made our way down to Peru. This actually saved us a nice sum of money, instead of taking a direct …

Our sleep was brief, and our flight to Cusco was even shorter. Surprisingly I slept for a bit of the ride, I accused Kelly of drugging me but she swore she didn’t. It was a beautiful flight in, full of snow-capped mountain peaks, green valleys, and all the beauty only higher elevation geography offers. As we flew into Cusco, a sea of …

We awoke early to a nice continental breakfast supplied by the hotel staff, spread out before us of varying treats, breads, meats, and poultry products. I had a cup of the local coffee, which poured out in a consistency comparable to molasses. I usually make a thick cup of cowboy-coffee myself when I go camping, but this brew put all to shame. …

Leaving Cusco, it took us nearly five hours to reach the small town of Ollantaytambo, which would be our last hotel stay before our four-day hike up the Inca trail to famous ruins of Machu Picchu. We took many side trips before arriving at our hotel, visiting communities engaged in the ancient art of textile production, Peruvian salt mines, and …

We awoke early and had our bags in the lobby by 7:00 a.m. The Canadians were already eating breakfast when we entered the lounge, so we quickly joined them and ate a delicious meal of eggs, fruit, and a pancake similar to a crepe. Ayul suddenly appeared out of thin air and with a blink of an eye we were at the Inca trailhead. Hikers and porters …

Warmiwanusca is what the indigenous people call this behemoth of a climb, but better known to tourists as “Dead Woman’s Pass.” Towering close to 14,000 feet, we would ascend from our base camp 4,000 feet up steep winding trails, massive stair cases carved in stone, as well as battle an unrelenting sun, and depleting air supply. …

We slept like newborn babes that night, only to awake to the sweet sound of cocoa tea being poured just outside our tent. “Gosh papa!” A Quechua phrase we heard Ayul say over and over again to the porters. When we enquired what it meant, he said, “It’s like saying thank you very much.” So naturally we took it upon …

Although the temperatures dropped to below freezing last night, Kelly and I were bundled away in our sleeping bags, like caterpillars within their cocoons. However, instead of emerging as butterflies, we would appear in our gray thermals and brightly colored alpaca hats. The stocking cap I brought from home wasn’t nearly as warm as the local …

Already missing the synthetic housing I called home on the trail, I awoke in the comforts of a soft bed and hot shower. The pleasures of modern conveniences were all there, however lacked the ambiance and the greatness of the outdoors. Breakfast was of course a large spread, offering anything you could ever desire and more. We met up with our …