Machu Picchu, Peru 5/23/06

Machu Picchu, Peru 5/23/06

A land slide now visible from my sunny spot at Machu Picchu forced us to change course on the Inca Trail yesterday and we headed into Aguas Caleintas, a small town that acts as the home city to Machu Picchu.

We stayed last night in a small hotel which was bitter sweet. After two nights on the ground and 3 days of long hard hiking a shower and bed were nice, even though we only had cold water. A night out at some bars with our fellow hikers was also fun but coming by bus early this morning to Machu Picchu was not how I pictured my arrival to this historic spot. Plus another evening under the amazing Peru night sky, no matter how cold I was on the previous nights, would always be welcome. But I can’t do much about a landslide taking out the trail leading in so I can’t really get mad and it hardly takes away form the grandeur of this amazing place.

We arrived here this morning before sunrise. We were one of the first groups to enter and there was still heavy fog sitting on the site. The scene was amazing; very quiet and peaceful. Even now with probably a hundred tourists spread throughout the ruins it still seems very peaceful. It's hard to describe this place. The first thing that jumps to mind is that it is a huge man made piece of art sitting in a natural frame. When put together the scene leaves your soul in a state of awe.

Our tour guide, Maria Elena, gave our group of 8 a tour of the city for about an hour. She led us to some of the special areas like the Temple of the Sun, The Palace section, and the scared rock.

Dave, MJ, and I followed along like eager students. Unfortunately Nij continues to have some health problems and chose to stay closer to the restrooms just outside the entrance. I still have not seen him yet and I hope he is feeling better and is able to enjoy this possibly once in a life time place.

After Maria Elena’s tour we had hours of free time to discover things on our own. This of course for me meant climbing the towering mountain in the back of every picture of Machu Picchu and officially called Huayna Picchu. I had been excited about doing this ever since Pat told me about it back in West Palm Beach a few months ago. MJ and Thomas, our young English hiking buddy, joined me and we took off up the steep trail after signing in with the ranger’s station.

The view from Huayna Picchu is amazing!! The fog had lifted by the time we made our accent and the green grass and gray stone of Machu Picchu far below were crystal clear and sharp. Wow!

My time here is quickly ending. I'm currently kicking back in the grass on one of the upper terraces with the now sunny layout of Machu Picchu laid out in front of me. Wow, what an amazing place. We have seen many amazing Inca ruins along our hike to this point but of course this blows them all away. My back is against a stone that was probably placed here hundreds of years ago. I am very relaxed and don’t want to move. I could probably just keep staring at the scene before me for hours….but a Frost poem comes to mind and it’s time to start on my journey again.

It's now time to grab MJ and go find the rest of the gang. Tonight we head to Cusco and the trip in Peru begins to quickly wrap up; quickly as in a few days. I still have some days to wander in Cusco and Lima and of course nights to enjoy with old friends and new friends in both cities too. I truly love "this". An experience I can only describe as wandering. I hope it's not long before I can do it again and for longer duration.

"...and miles to go before I sleep."

MJF

Inca Trail, Peru 5/22/06

Inca Trail, Peru 5/22/06

The porters on the trail are great examples of what the human body is capable of if the mind pushes it. They carry enormous weight in hodge-podge packs, racks, buckets, or just a bunch of items wrapped together in a sheet and strapped on their back. I don't even want to speculate on the weight that they carry but I'm sure it's much more than most people would want to carry from their car to their house let alone up and down a mountain.


The shoes they wear vary from old boots, to flat sole sneakers, to simple sandals. They strap the loads on their back and then, still hunched over, with internal fierce determination but a relaxed outside demeaner they take off; uphill, downhill, flat straight-aways they maintain a steady gallop.












































Our tour guide Mary Elaine just told us to follow one of our porters to lunch; a rare sight on this trip because the porters are usually racing ahead. So one of our porters, Santiago, was left to lead us. He smiled at us then, in usual form, he took off at the normal porter pace.

My pack probably weights about 25 lbs. I have full hiking boots on that were technically designed for comfort and stability and retailing for $140. My pack has 4 areas of tension control and a padded hip and back support. I could barely keep up with him.

The rest of the group was gone from sight and sound in moments. We ran on the flats, jumped down the steps, flew around corners, it was fantastic. I stayed with him all the way to the lunch camp which is where I sit now. My breath has just settled down so I grabbed my little book to get this entry in before the rest of the group arrives and lunch is served.

It was only about a 20 minute run with Santiago but I loved it and I feel great now. I love just letting everything go and physically exerting yourself. This vessel has carried me to some great places and feelings.

It’s about time for lunch now. More on this great trek later.

MJF

Inca Trail, Peru 5/21/06

Inca Trail, Peru 5/21/06

I just made it to the lunch camp on day 2 of my hike to Machu Picchu. Dave, MJ, & I are making great time. I arrived at 9:50 a.m. and they arrived just a few minutes after me. It seems a little early to already be at the lunch stop but oh well. It will be a nice long rest before the remaining 5 members of our group, including Nij, arrive and lunch is served. Now is the perfect time for a quick entry in the journal which has been hard to find time for.

So far the Inca Trail has been amazing! Everything I wanted and an experience I will never forget. We started out yesterday at about 7 a.m. The Trail was mostly flat in the morning and the temperature rose quickly. The heat continued into the afternoon and I shed layers down to shorts and t-shirt at lunch. The mostly flat trail changed to mostly up hill in the afternoon and by the time we reached the base camp we were very happy to be done with steep rock steps.

Since yesterday afternoon, Dave, MJ, and I have been very far in front of everyone else. There aren’t many options to take wrong turns so we can hike at our own pace and not get lost. The trail is easy to follow but it’s either uphill or steep downhill so it’s definitely physically strenuous. The hike is hard but the body is holding up well. Of course I love every second of it.

The scenery is gorgeous; green mountains in every direction, lush valleys, bright flowers, jagged cliffs, and rushing rivers, make every angle a picture I hope my mind will never forget. I also must mention how much I love that Dave and MJ are here with me. M.J. said it best this morning. As we were huffing our way up to the highest elevation of the trail and a perfect mountain pass, he said “You know most people will never see anything like this in their life.” I said “Yep, and even fewer get to see it with two of their best friends since childhood.”

The rest of our group is made up of two couples. Jeff and Melinda are about our age and live in Atlanta. This trip was Melinda’s idea and Jeff is not holding up so well. He was joking from the beginning about not being real excited about the physical demands of the hike and after last night it sounded like he had good reason to. Add into a tough physical day high altitudes at night and it was easy to see he was not enjoying himself. Apparently he could be heard getting violently sick all night. I say apparently because I fell asleep pretty quickly and other than hearing some early groans, over MJ's flatulence, I slept through everything else. We are anxious to see him at lunch and see how he’s holding up…and what “they” do if he’s not. It’s not like there is a road anywhere around here for an EMS rig to pull up.

The other couple are young Backpackers from England, Thomas and Sarah. I have not talked to them much yet but I’m anxious to get some travel stories out of them. They are on a long, multi-country, trip so of course I’m very jealous.
Right now us early birds are kicking back on a grassy hill leaning against our packs. Dave is trying to take a little nap. M.J. is doing a sketch of the scene in front of us; a flowering Peruvian tree hanging over a thatch roofed building. Pass that is a continuation of the green mountain range that we just crossed. It is steep with a sheer cliff running down one of its axis. In the distance you can hear the rushing water of another river. I’m sure my words won’t paint the picture as well as M.J. can draw it but it is the only tool I have at my disposal. Well that and the memory I will have after lunch when I climb over that ridge. I’m sure that will be pretty vivid. Dave is now staring at the mountain and the little white dot of a person climbing it which indicates the direction the trail leads; a direction best described simply as, up.

“God that is gonna suck!” he says.
True, I think to myself. It's funny how something could technically suck but also be so much fun!
Time to go find some water now and fill up my bottle. I have 2 more days before I get to the grand finale of this hike, Machu Picchu. I hope I have time to get more entries in but so far when I’m not walking or eating it’s to cold to get the pen out. To sum up: I LOVE THIS!!!

MJF

Puno, Peru 5/16/06

Puno, Peru 5/16/06

The busy, exhaust filled streets of Lima are far away now. It was a fun city to see and of course I loved it but when we flew into Cusco and then onto Juliaca my eyes were glued to the window of the plane. Again I am captivated by mountain ranges and the view of the Andes were beautiful in every direction.

We are now at roughly 3,870 meters above sea level and I didn’t know how my body would react. My guide book and everyone I spoke to about the trip warned me to be careful about the altitude and relax upon arrival in Puno. I have trusted their advice and so far I’m doing well, other than a headache in the morning and the almost un-noticeable shortness of breath I experienced climbing the steep streets back to our hostel after dinner. Dave basically feels the same way.

Nij unfortunately felt the affects as soon as we got off the plane. Last night, Dave and I thought he was joking when he wanted to take a cab a short 4 blocks but it was uphill and when he flagged down a cab we realized he wasn’t kidding. I hope he starts to feel better soon.

Backing up a little, my night out in Lima before I met up with Dave and Nij was fantastic. After missing Pasqual a few times at the hostal we finally set a time to meet and so at a little after 6 p.m., as I stood in front of the Hostel El Patio, up walked a balding man; mid-30’s, jeans, long sleeve shirt, and a down vest.

“Are you Mat?”
“Are you Pasqual?”

A hand shake, a hello, and off we went. Minutes later I’m zipping through the streets of Peru, trying to take in the sights while chatting with Pasqual like we were old friends rather than two people that barely knew more than each others first names.

So how did I come to meet Pasqual? It’s another small world story as well as another great example that my network of friends and family is my greatest asset. Pasqual is the brother of Pat Zuloaga’s Sister In Law. Pat is a guy Jillian went to high school with. (Jillian is my girlfriend of about one year). Keep in mind I have never met Pat’s brother, let alone his sister in law. I’ve actually only met Pat a couple times but in the few times we have met in the last year we realized we have a lot in common; from running to wandering the world. So while chatting at a party a few months ago he told me he was originally form Peru and I immediately started asking travel questions. Pat gave me a lot of good tips on hiking Machu Pichu but when it came to things to do in Lima he just said “I’ll put you in touch with some friends there. They’ll take you around I’m sure”…which is how I met Pasqual. Simple right!?

Pasqual and I hung out at a few bars and his girlfriend Ursula, and a friend of hers, Farah, met up with us. Eventually we headed out to a party at a friends house in LaMolina, a suburb of Lima. It was a late night ending at almost 3 a.m.. I was exhausted from the long day but giddy inside. My kind of day; wandering a new city in a new country, meeting new people, soaking up new cultures, exploring ancient ruins, laughing over cold beers. Fantastic!!

Speaking of cold beers I’ve tried two Peruvian beers and I really liked them both. Cristal was pretty good but I definitely lean more towards Cusquena. Once I think I’m past this possible altitude sickness I can see myself having several more of them.

Puno has an interesting feel to it for me. My international travel is still limited but I see Puno as an eye opening experience. As soon as we landed in Juliaca it was very clear I was no longer in a typical English speaking backpacker town. As we rode in the tiny cab through the bumpy dirt streets of Juliaca on our way to Puno the sides of the streets were lined with workers on bicycles loaded down with stuff. The Sun had just about set and you could see little light bulbs starting to be turned on, hanging directly from the chord in the occasional crowded shop which were nothing more than single rooms with small roll-up doors. Everything looked like it had a layer of dirt or dust on it, worn out, dilapidated, etc.

Puno is pretty much the same way only more dense. Very narrow streets and the town is built on a hill rising up from the shore of Lake Titicaca. The shops, restaurants, bars are all very small and very authentic. Guinea Pig, Alpaca, and trout are the main items on all the menus but you can still get a pizza at every location. There is a kind of main street the caters to travelers but I would call it far from touristy compared to what I know it could be.

It's time to wrap this up and go see some stuff. Today we are planning on checking out more of Puno in the morning. There is an area called Huajsapata Park that reportedly has a great view of the City and the Lake. The guide book says it’s a steep climb but this morning I realized our hotel sits more than half way up to it so half the climb is already done. Nij will be happy with that.

This afternoon we have a tour booked that will take us to the ruins of a pre-Inca civilization. Sounds interesting but I’m really looking forward to tomorrow. Our day gets stared at 6 a.m. and we take off for a day long tour on Lake Titicaca. Boats, island, sun, on the water… I can’t wait!

Now it’s time to go find Dave and borrow some aspirin. The headache is growing. Let’s hope its temporary!

MJF

Lima, Peru 5/13/06

Lima, Peru 5/13/06

Welcome to South America! A new continent! I almost thought Ecuador was going to sneak in as my first country visited in South America, just beating out the number one contender and my planned destination, Peru. I flew out of Miami last night at Midnight, well that’s not exactly true. I got on the plane at midnight and was asleep before the plane took off at around 1 a.m.

Typical flight sleep for me; In and out of consciousness. Missed drinks, food, head phones, etc. Good thing I had a window seat so nobody had to climb over me this time. During my intermittent wake ups I would look at the little TV in the head set in front of me. Before I conked out I turned it to the flight status channel. I woke up in time to see Panama below and that was about it until I woke up when the little plane icon that represented my place in the world in that moment was less than a quarter inch from Lima, my destination. I rubbed the eyes for a few minutes, and got out a pen from my carry on, and filled out my arrival papers. I laid my head back after this thinking I would just rest my eyes for a few minutes before the touch down startled me awake. Well that was my thought at least.

I woke up again obviously hours later because the sun was now shinning. We were making our decent and a nice female voice was telling the plane in Spanish over the PA what I assumed were the same lifesaving instruction that you hear on American flights. How my seatback raised 1 inch is going to save me I’ll never know.

As the English translation started over the PA I notice my little plane icon was no longer pointed South and the names around it were towns I didn’t recognize, most notably Guayaquil which was the name my plane was landing on. Now I have woke up on flights landing in New York instead of Boston, Charleston instead of Atlanta, even Phoenix instead of San Diego. But as I flipped open my trusty Rough Guide book to my map of Peru to find out how far Guayaquil is from Lima the thought of them being in two different countries did not even cross my mind. When I found the city of Guayaquil on a side map I laughed out loud. My South American adventure had definitely started!

I spent roughly 3 hours sitting on a plane in Ecuador. We could not disembark which is why I don’t count Ecuador as an actual visit . Layovers don’t count in my mind. 2 hours after that I finally touched down in Lima as the heavy fog that prevented us from landing the first time was starting to lift. One last note on this little travel story. At no time on the plane did I hear one person complain and it’s not because I didn't speak Spanish. Everyone just took it in stride. I’ve seen Americans line up by the hundreds to bitch at a desk worker about a snow storm no human could do anything about. Today I sat on a plane for over 12 hours on what was supposed to be a 5 hour flight and every one just smiled. It was very nice.

Another first for me today: A driver at the airport holding a sign with my name on it. “He’s bewildered by the plane ride and the immigration line until he sees his Christian name upon a cardboard sign” Well, it was actually a dry erase board but seeing “Mathew Forrest” in a row of other names held chest high by a row of drivers still put a smile on my face.

The cabbie arranged by the hostel I was staying at had waited, or come back, for me. Not bad service for a $14 ride and a $25 room!

I am staying at the Hostel El Patieos and even though I have not seen my room, it isn’t quite ready yet, it looks like a great place. Lots of character! I am here in Peru for the next two weeks. Of course I wish I could be longer but the sale of my condo has gone slow so I’m still waiting to launch my big trip.
Dave and Australian buddy Niranj “Nij” Patel arrive tomorrow, uhhh manana that is. This Gringo is determined to start thinking and speaking more Spanish. I feel stupid!

Dave, Nij, and I will wander up to Juliaca, Puno, and Cusco before MJ flies in on the 19th just in time to do the Inca Trail with us, and of course what is sure to be the highlight of the trip, a visit to Machu Pichu. Ahhh, I can’t wait!!

Well my lunch at Las Tejar is completed and I’m proud to say I chose wisely off the all Spanish menu without any help; a nice spicy, seafood dish for the record. Now it’s time to go see some stuff. I’m off to find Huacca Pucllana which my Rough Guide book says is a “vast pre-Inca Adobe Pyramid” Sounds perfect!

After that I’m meeting up with a friend of a friend that I have never met or spoken to before. The world gets smaller everyday and I love it!

MJF