solid poos for 3 days and counting

So left Urubamba early in the morning to catch a combi to Ollanta....I happened to read in my guidebook the night before that train tickets to Aguas Calientes (the village to Machu Picchu, which is for the most part only accessible by train or hiking) were not available there, but I was hoping for my luck to pull through, and it did. As the combi approached Ollanta, I though, ooh, this is a neat little village (all old stone building and streets etc). And then we pulled into the main plaza. It contained only tourist cafes and souvenir shops. Bleh. I went to try to get a haircut instead, but the señora was out. The train ride was nice. I was on a car with three tour groups, and I happen to be sitting beside a tour guide whose clients weren't really interested in her, so I got a nice guided train ride with plenty of explanations. Aguas Calientes was even more disgusting than Ollanta. Every single shop was either a tourist cafe/restaurant or souvenir shop, which staff outside trying to lure you in with calls of ¨would you like a drink? happy hour four for 1.... we have pizza...spaghetti?¨ The cafes charged ¨tax¨ or ¨servicio¨ ( I hadn't seen that in Peru yet). My OK room I bargained down to $25. I was planning to spend two nights but after my introduction decided on only 1. I think I was fortunate to spend as much time as I did in the north. The people are so much more genuine. Anyway, for the afternoon I checked out the other side of town, where the people actually live. Coming out of a shop, I had taken a picture of a street, and a little girl who was with an older girl (turns out her cousin) was pointing at my camera, so I sat down and we chatted, and took pictures of things which she could then see on my digital camera. It was fun. She laughed as I counted spanish numbers incorrectly (on purpose, learned that one to tease kids with from my Dad), and as I incorrectly conjugated verbs (totally not on purpose).

Got up at 4:45am the next morning to have breakfast and catch a 5:30am bus up to Machu Picchu. It was covered in fog. After passing through the gates, I started walking, following the signage that I could see (visibility about 5-10m). I thought it was only about a 5 minute walk from the gate to the ruins, so after walking about 1/2 hour in the jungle, I was suspicious. But I couldn't see anything. And I would hate to turn around if the trail was leading somewhere important. I had no idea. There were very few people on the trail. Each person I pass or who passed me was thinking the same thing - where are we and where is this taking us? Eventually I stopped and hung out with two other lost souls, waiting for the clouds to clear. We were h oping for a great view over the ruins. After about 45min, the guy gave up, then after another 10, the girl left. Just 5 minutes later it all cleared (who knew I had this much patience!) Beautiful. I was hoping for a moment of awe, and I got it. I stay up there in peace for quite a while, the only life around me were the birds cutting through the air around me, and pink and blue butterflies the size of my thumbnail fluttering around. Turns out the trail was leading up a mountain, and I had another 45min to go. I went back down instead, walked around the ruins, listened in on tourgroups' guides explanations. I have to say that for me, the sense of awe I got from the ruins was so much greater when I was able to see the whole area as opposed to individual walls and buildings. It's not like Angkor Wat, where there are intricate carvings on so many of the walls. For me the sense of wonder was from the fact that the Incas built this whole complex on the crest of a mountain. So I climbed to the top of a mini peak near by, and enjoyed the view once more. Found a peaceful spot and just took it in. I took it in so much that I fell asleep for an hour (I said it was peaceful!). After heading back down the treacherous ¨stairs¨ (I wonder how many Incas dies during construction by falling off cliffs) I looked around a bit more, then headed back down to the train station, and eventually back to Urubamba. This place is a much nicer place to hang out for a few days.

Today, it being my last day in the Peruvian country side, I slept in (just a bit!) and tried once again to get to the salt fields. I was given a decent explanation by the chef in the restaurant I have been frequenting, so felt optimistic. Well, I missed the turnoff, and had to catch another combi back, but this time I found it. Hundreds of little pools filled with evaporating salt water. Very cool. Continued walking to another place where there are concentric sinking circles built for agricultural purposes (hard to describe in words); ended up paying for a taxi part way once the roads started. Now, it's been said these pits are a bit spiritual. Now I'm not much of a spiritual person, but as I descended into one of the circles, I started to cry. It was very strange. Perhaps I have come to the realization that my time here is almost over?

I finally got back to Urubamba following some debauchery with how much change I had left (I had cut it close after buying a weaving near the pits). Now I am spending the evening packing my bags so that I can spend the day in Lima as I have 15 hours between flights. (Side note: After an e-mail from a friend, I realized that the dates in my first entry do not share the date I am actually coming back - my original flight was cancelled: back in Salmon Arm Saturday, in Vancouver Monday night). And having a great dinner. Pancakes perhaps? The place I go to makes the best hot chocolate. Mmmmm.....

On another note, I got my mark back from the Marketing course I had been doing before I left for Peru (many people can attest that other than work, that was pretty much all I was doing). Now that it's after the fact (I got an A!) I will share that I actually was unable to finish the course before I left Canada, and fired off 2 portions by memory in an internet cafe one night in Huaraz before my deadline (which my prof graciously extended by a few days). I was one percent below an A+, perhaps because I was so cheeky to finish the course in Peru? Well, relief is all I can say.

I'll probably fire off one more commentary in the Lima airport (what else can I do waiting for a 2am flight?) Looking forward to seeing everyone back in Salmon Arm or Vancouver.

hiking with diarrhea is not fun

So Terra and I left the next afternoon on a foggy, but beautiful bus ride to Huari. There is a tunnel at the pass to get to the otherside of the Cordilleras Blancas (the Andes covered in snow) that has the largest statue of Jesus I have ever seen. Massive. Anyways, the bus journey was interesting in that we had to stop for a flat tire (not much new there) AND randomly my window shattered (followed by a girly scream coming from my mouth). We couldn}t figure out what hit it - a strap from the roof perhaps? - but at least I got away with only a small cut on my hand. Huari wasn{t all that exciting, but we were able to pick up some last minute camping supplies. The hike we planned was 1-2 nights, but we were ready for 3 incase we wanted to take it slow and do some side trips. It was different from many other common hikes in that it wasn{t through snow-capped peaks, but it was still supposed to be great.

The hike was fantastic. Day 1 was just 3 hours up to a lake, where we managed to create a campsite on a nearby hill and enjoy the view. We got a bit paranoid by fireflies (or some sort of glowy bug) as at first I thought someone was spying at us from a distance.

Day 2 was a solid 8 hours - up a big hill with some great views over the lake, then a long hike up a lush green valley, complete with LOTS of cows. No matter how remote you think you are, there are always cows, sheep, horses, donkeys, and mules, and local people moving their cows, sheep, horses, donkeys, and mules. It may be a strenuous hike for us, but its just a day in the life for them. It}s really amazing how far away from a village people can work and live. Day 2 brought with it some hail, which was quite exciting. Finding a place to camp was a bit iffy, as we were boiling and purifying stream water, and with all the cows around, along with came lots of cow manure EVERYWHERE. We joked about how the water we drank contained cow poo babies. I had lost a bit of my appetite at dinner. It was cold (we were at about 4300m), and we were eating in the dark and had moths and weird beetles attracted to our head lamps.

Day 3 started with everything covered in ice and frost, and with 4 curious mules hanging out with us over breakfast and our take down. At first they kept their distance, sniffing out some left over asparagus soup and instant noodles we had dumped out. Then they got a bit friendly - trying to eat our plastic bags, searching out packs. We contemplated trying to rope them up to carry our packs over the upcoming pass, but wimped out. Day 3 also started with me feeling ill. Diarrhea. It lasted all day. Terra had suggested that we hike all the way out that day (which I thought impossible as I was really lacking energy due to all food and water entering my body coming straight back out in liquid form). We ran out of toilet paper on day 3 because of me. Terra was a rock. Day 1 and 2 our pack weights were about equal. By the end of day 3 Terra was carrying the tent, 2 sleeping bags, the cooking equipment, and the rest of the food. I just had 1 sleeping bag. Luckily the day was beautiful. Getting over the pass took forever. Terra got to the top and then came halfway down to walk my bag up for me. Again, Terra the rock. She lives at altitude in California, and has worked as a firefighter. A great cow poo baby water companion to have. At the pass, I picked up my bag again, and enjoyed the views as most of the rest of the way was down (although having to stop for washroom breaks much more frequently than I desired to). More beauty. This day the snow capped peaks came into view in the distance. It hailed when we stopped for lunch. By this time we thought it might actually be possible to hike all the way out, and eventually we did, just before sundown. The hike ended in the quaint village of Chacas, which is kind of an italian colony. Everyone speaks spanish though. No fewer than 3 drunk men greeted us on our path into town, shaking our hands a bit harder than a sober person might, welcoming us, and asking if we spoke italian. The town had a great sense of humour. As we were approaching out hostal, we heard a man call out ¨taxi¨. He had a wheelbarrow, and was giggling. I was able to get most of my dinner down after barely eating all day. The only thing I had an appetite for was pancakes, and I wasn{t getting them until I got back to Huaraz the next day.

adventures around huaraz

so i've been in and around huaraz for a few days now. haven't been too impressed with the accomodation here. i looked at 3 placed before choosing one. a lot of backpackers who smoke and drink stay here, which has been annoying, but I have met an american (terra) and a south african (lourens) and have had some good fun. first night here we went up to the lodge up in the mountains owned by the same peoplewho run the hostal in town. a beautiful setting, a great dinner, but too much smoke. the next day the 3 of us for a day hike to a glacial lake. it was a great hike with fantastic sights the whole way. the 3 of us spread out quite a bit, so when I got to the almost very end, i had no idea where to go. every where I went seemed like rock wall, and I had no idea how to get over it, so i waited for hikers closest be hind me to catch up. it turned out the impossible rock face was possible (with 2 people pulling me up by the arms, accompanied by lots of knee scraping). in the end it was well worth it. beautiful lake, sunny day, surrounded by glaciers and mountains. the walk back was a bit too much downhill for my knees, but we made it eventually.

we headed back into the city that night, and the next day rented mountain bikes and caught a local bus to the top of the mountain range on the way to the ocean, and rode down. cold at first, but lots of fun on the dirt road. lourens took a turn a bit too sharply and his face and body ate a bit of gravel. his chin and hand were pretty torn up, but he decided it would take longer to catch a ride down in a truck than it would be for him to ride the rest of the way. terra and i played doctor with toilet paper, water, and duct tape. later on terra and i were walking our bikes down a steep part, and noticed a bike part on the trail. when we caught up to lourens, we found that his front tire fell off due to the missing bike part we picked up. luckily he wasn't going too fast when the 2nd accident happened. all in all he needed two stitches to his face and his pinky nail pulled off. he's quite a sore sight, but in good spirits. today i took off from physical activity, enjoying the views, spending time planning the rest of my days in the north, and figuring out my short side trip to machu picchu. tomorrow terra and i (if all goes well, ie if i don't get sick from all the food i ate tonight) are heading off for another smaller town on the other side of the cordilleras blancas (huari) to hike for 2 or 3 days. and then my time here will be nearing the end :(

ups and downs, literally and figuratively

Up and down No.1 - Hike to Laguna Paron

So Chiara and I caught a combi up to Pueblo Paron (1 hr trip that goes up over 1000m). Then the hike began, which theoretically takes 4-5 hours, and climbs 900m. We took 8 hours. Granted, we did go another hour than planned in order to find a nicer camp spot, and we had two long snack/lunch breaks, but it hurt. The lake is about 4300m I think, and is so fantastic, and so worth the hike, but after 4 hours of joking [media hora[ (half an hour) we were getting tired. The whole trip is up this narrow river valley, and you don{t see the lake until the very end. The blue lake is surrounded by glaciers and snowcapped peaks. The only drawback, I would say, is that it has been artificially drained for safety, and power reasons, and so the lake is a lot lower than I expected. But still, we found a great campspot and set up shop. But because the sun goes down about 6 and is pretty much dark by 6:30, we had a quick dinner of instant noodles and corn soup, a quick (and cold) stargaze (which was FANTASTIC!! I haven{t seen stars that great since camping outback australia), we went to bed. Cold, uncomfortable bed. I swear I didn{t sleep at all, but I guess I must have at somepoint. We knew that the last combi out of Peublo Paron left at 2:20, so we planned to leave by 7am. At 6 we woke up, crawled out of the tent already dressed in all our glorious layers, to find the fly encrusted in ice. We ended up not leaving until 7:45, but by that time the sun had risen over a glacier between 2 peaks, and the instant warmth that sun brought was very welcome. It only took us 4 hours to get down. We had to wait an hour for the next combi to arrive, so played mastermind while the kids from the local school stared at us and asked us for money until their teacher shooed them back inside.

A fantastic journey. Lots of beauty.

Up and down No. 2 - well, mostly just down.- Intestinal infection. WARNING: unpleasant imagery follows

So up at Laguna paron, I felt as though I might be coming down with a cold. After getting back, I felt that I was getting a fever. That night it was full on. Crazy fever, and the tossing and turning and crazy dreams that come with, aches all over (but from sickness or carrying backpack and tent?), and many non pleasant trips to the bathroom. I had been planning to leave the next day, but not like this. The next day I spent completely in bed. I read the health section in my guidebook. I was convinced I had either malaria or dengue fever (a little information is a dangerous thing:) The caretaker of the hostal came in bring back clothes that had done watching, and from that point I had a little Peruvian mother. She felt my head and stomach, arranged to take me to a privat clinic, where after a checkup was told that I had an intestinal infection, probably due to the fact that I, lets see, 1) eat fruit sometimes without washing, boiling, or peeling, 2) brush with local water, 3) eat sketchier food than necessary, 4) rarely wash my hands before eating. I guess I had figured that seeing as during my 6 months in SE Asia, I had only had 2 off days, I had pretty decent intestinal fortitude. Well, on the 12 days of this trip, I have only had 1 day where I HAVEN^,T felt at least a little off. So the night after my trip to the doctor and the pharmacy to get some drugs, I slept decent, probably from sheer exhaustion. The next day was filled with more trips to the washroom, with the addition of dryheaving, since it{s hard to throw up when you haven{t really eaten anything. Last night I actually threw up a bit, after I had drank some water. The whole day wasn{t horrible, but the night was, and I must had a fitful sleep with my head half over the edge of the bed over a bucket. At somepoint I fell asleep solidly, and woke up at 1pm today. My Peruvian mom made me banana crepes. She is always keeping on me to take my [pastilles[ and to dress warmly when I go out because it{s [frillo[. A bit tough as she speaks no english. Anyways, this afternoon I have felt pretty good. Watched a lot of english TV, as I havne{t spoken english in about a week and am missing being understood, or understanding for that matter. [Mama[ is making me tomato soup for when I get back. My plan is to leave tomorrow, based on how tonight goes.... I don{t want another night half spent on the toilet with my head over a bucket.

acclimatizing

So I have been here for 3 full days and it has been fantastic! My spanish is still crap, but I am able to understand an OK amount, but my speaking skills need work. I have been lucky to be able to hangout with Nicole and David, as well as Jessica and Eduardo, the young dentist and doctor who are here on a rural practice, and Rosemary who makes the best dinners for us and many more. It's been great socializing!

Yesterday Nicole and I went for a hike. Most of it was on a dirt road, and a lot of it was flat, but the parts that weren't, really impacted my lungs! I don't think I've ever been at this elevation before, so any physical activity, including walking the short walk from the store where I buy awesome chocolate, up the hill to Nicole's, makes me winded. We walked and walked and walked, and eventually the road ended. it didn't lead anywhere. No villages, no agricultural plots. There was just a caterpillar and some oil drums. Apparently the local government had one road project in the works, and was working on this other 2nd random unneeded road so that it could say it had done road project¨s¨. Peru is getting ready for local elections, so it has been hilarious listening to the debauchery that is local politics.

I can't describe how neat it has been to be here. Waking up to the donkey, pigs, and sheep who live next door. The amzing views (though I am looking forward to the snow capped Andes as I head to Caraz tomorrow). Having Rosemary sit me down so I could tell her how to plan an event (she is the default event planner in the village, including an upcoming National Women's Day in Pamparomas). She has given me the nickname Mina. I've been told it means ¨Little Trina¨.

Apparently there are birthday party plans in the works for me tonight. A cake recipe was picked out. Jessica was asking what gift I wanted - ¨a kiss from the doctor?¨ He has a crush on Nicole :) If the few shots of pisco I had last night are any indication, the birthday should be fun. I've already been treated to guinea pig today.