Content with a cup of chai!

If only I could find a good place to start to explain the adventures I have had in the last week! But im afraid no matter what I say, it wont do it justice. But ill give it a go anyway.

I am sitting in the Lima airport, drinking the largest cup of starbucks chai tea I could buy! I am more than content with life! (Starbucks isnt my favorite local coffee shop - but man does my chai taste like home!) It was a bit of a splurge - my PC readjustment allowance is running out fast! Its amazing how many cool and delicious things one can find to spend their money on, when on vacation!

Alright - about my adventures!
It all started last monday (my first day in Cusco). I arrived on an over-night bus from Arequipa (my new favorite Latin American city). After finding a hostel and dropping off my stuff, I left to see some of the city. I met a travel buddy on the bus and we were staying at the same hostel so we decided to explore a bit together. We walked around the city, visited the Plaza de Armas and went to visit the Inca fortress up on the hill. Cusco was orignially spelled Qosqo in Quechua - but like most indigenous langages when translated to spanish (or english or whatever) lots of things get changed. According to the Incas, Cusco was the center of the world - its ombligo or belly-button. It is located in a valley and it is said to have been designed in the shape of a Puma.

It was a full day of walking around and seeing the sights. Due to the altitude (and the fact that I was on antibiotics) and even with a few coats of sunscreen, I managed to get a bit toasted by the sun. I took the morning to think about my options for my week. There are tons of outdoor activities to do in and around Cusco (hiking, rafting, parachuting, bungie jumping - the last wasnt at the top of my list...but the others were!) I was undecided how would be the best way to spend my 6 days in Cusco. I knew I wanted to do some hiking and definately wanted to visit Machu Picchu but didnt know what woudl be best. After some serious thinking I decided that a longer hike to Machu Picchu was what I had been needing.

After lunch I started looking for the right tour agency that would take me on the Salkantay Trail to Machu Picchu, a 5 day, 4 night ¨trek¨ (see my explination of trek below) There are millions of tour agencies in Cusco, ranging from small outfitters to huge tour companies. Most of them offer pretty much the exact same tour for almost the same price. The trick about booking a tour (at least now, during low season) was to NOT book ahead. If i have booked my tour in advance it would have cost about 450$. But because I just arrived and started asking around, it was only 180$. (A pretty serious difference - which is good on a tight budget and when you find out the transportation at the end of the day story)

By late afternoon I had talked to bunches of tour companies and gotten the scoop on prices, departure dates and what was included in a tour. Because I was a solo-traveler, tour companies were hesitant to take me because they prefer when you travel with a friend. Which is fine, but didnt help my self-esteem when they asked, ¨well, couldnt you find a friend?¨ (I thought to myself: Um...no. Im traveling alone. Dont you have other people that want to hike and make new friends?? Please, it is unnecessary to make me feel like shit. Thank you, Ill find another agency.)

I found a company that was: 1. nice to me 2. had good prices 3. A departure date for the next day 4. an all inclusive package. It seemed like a winner to me. So I ran to the ATM and got my mula and signed up. I just need to make a few arrangements, pack my bag and get some sleep. Easy I thought.

Not so slick.
I needed to book a bus ticket to leave sunday (the day after my return from the ¨Trek¨) to Lima (a 22+ hour bus ride, 40$) I was sure there should be a bus leaving sometime in the moring that would get me into Lima on time for my 12:30 flight to Bogota (the one Im waiting for now). The people at the hostel were unsure of the departure times so I had to run (take a taxi) to the terminal and check out the bus schedules. At the terminal I found out that there was only one bus, leaving at 8am that was ¨scheduled¨ to arrive by 7am the following morning in Lima. However, Peru is entering its rainy season and there can often be bus delays. And the only bus that was leaving was very similar to Paraguayan (shit-excuse me) buses. The other option was a one-way (130$) flight to Lima. Considering my options, of maybe having to cancel my (already paid) for trip to Salkantay to get back for the bus or bite the bullet and get a plane ticket, I decided on the plane ticket.

It was already about 8:30pm at this time (remember I only half slept on the bus the night before) and was needing dinner, still didnt have my plane ticket bought or bag packed for the trek, needed to buy some snacks and toilet paper. I was starting to get a bit wigged out. I tried to buy my ticket online but the prices jumped 70$ when LAN found out I wasnt Peruvian and the only way to get the ticket for the lower price was to pay for it at the LAN office the next day. (My tour was scheduled to pick me up at 4:30am the next more...no time for an office visit). I was lucky enough to be staying at a hostel with highly helpful and friendly employees who said he could run and pay for my ticket the next day. Saved.

All that was left was packing and sleeping (and emailing my mom so she did worry about me while I was gone!)
Packed and in bed by 12pm. Unfortunately I had swolloed a bit of tap water while brushing my teeth and my stomach kept me up most of the night with its dance marathon.

4:15am rolled around, and the bus arrived early to pick me up. I threw my clothes on and hoped on the bus. My stomach was still prepping its Cir de Sole routines as we picked up the other members of the trip. Closing my eyes and praying to anyone who would listen that it would pass. We picked up 15 other people and headed to Mollepata (the start spot for our trek).

Upon arrival I visited the restrooms a number of times and seriously considered throwing in the towel and heading back to Cusco. But after such an ordeal the night before and my excitement for the hike I didnt want to think about not getting to hike. So I took a bit of stomach meds and drank a bunch of water and hoped for the best. By the time the group had eaten breakfast, sunscreened-up and bought their last snickers bar - I was feeling like a new woman! I was shocked how fast the meds kicked in and I was ready to take on the trail!

(The following post will have details about the actual trek...and MACHU PICCHU!!!)


Trek - it might just be me, but i have noticed that among travelers (the outdoorize ones) like to discuss their past and future trips and adventures when they first meet. But there is an underlying competition that isnt directly discussed but arrises out of the conversation about TREKS. What is a Trek? I have poled a few fellow travelers and the definitions vary, but if you ask me its just a pumped up word that means ¨walking in the woods¨. But you can have a discussion with other hard-core travelers about, how many days they ¨walked in the woods¨ because that would sound wimpy. Its much better to talk about your ¨trek¨ to Machu Picchu or your ¨trek¨ through the jungle. Clearly as outdoor-adventurers, trekking is the thing to do because we are not just strolling through the park.