A fantastic four days

Arriving in Cuzco was uneventful. i had taken a thirteen hour bus ride through some amazing country to get here. it was a bus and somehow i had bought the presidential Gama. i was fed three meals and had a chair bed thing. to be honest i would have preferred to pay less, have them hold the crap and slept in a regular chair, the bed chair thing didn't work for me. i got out of the bus, stretched a wicked stretch and grabbed a cab and headed for the main square, plaza de armes. when i ducked out of the dilapidated cab, i didn't make it one block before i was being personally escorted to a hostel only one block away. one block turned into over four. She just kept saying one block. but i was tired and hadn´t slept on the bus very well and instead of auguring i just plodded along. the room i got, a private was really reasonable. it was getting late and i decided to get it. i had a great view from my window and the promise of hot water for a shower. We i woke at the wee hour of 7 am to the phone ringing in the reception area, i tried to block it out. i was doing pretty well until the son of the owner started accompanying each ring with his own shout "the phone was ringing" soooo helpful.

cuzco, the center of the Inca empire

i came here for the same reason as most, Machu Picchu, the Inca wonder. Hidden amount clouds and mountains, it sits at 2,430 meters. Why the Incas built her is something of an argument. Some say a estate some say a university. Despite this controversy, everyone can agree with its greatness. A seven wonder of the world, its a testament to the Inca civilization which was brutally exterminated by the Spanish as you all should know. This sight, this hidden city in the mountains is said to be breath taking and so we come, tourists, in the thousands to witness for ourselves the marvel in the clouds. It isn't a question of weather or not to go but how you will reach its gates. The famous Inca trail, a right of passage for backpackers is the main route, you end up climbing through mountains for three days, waking up on the fourth day with a mad scramble for the sun gate, descending on Machu Picchu from above. This is so popular you must book far in advance, i tried three months before Peru and wasn't able to get a pass. i had no real idea about when i would be there so booking to far in advance was impossible. I was bummed to say the least but there really wasn't anything i could do about it. All the other options have you ascending on Machu Picchu from below. There are a number of options, i chose a four day, three night, jungle trek. The first day we dropped high into the Andes at over 4,000 meters and plunged down some of the most beautiful mountains i have ever seen, on bikes for three hours.

The crew gets ready

it was awesome, nuff said 

We raced around cut backs to expose amazing vistas at every turn. we were all a little worried about the brakes on our bikes but mine did the job well enough even if half my bike was wrapped in some sort of electrical tape. after our plunge we arrived at a small town at the base of the Andes where we were to spend the night. We had the option of white water rafting, for an additional price, i didn't go. Instead i held a Kobe coaching session. when everyone returned we went to one of many semi decent meals we would share together over the next few days, they always started with soup and always accompanied with a juice that no one could identify. The second day we hiked into the mountains 16 kilometers in total taking us about 8 hours, with plenty of stops to be honest.

so illegal at home, such a part of life here, coca plants

hiking into the wild 

The hike include amazing views rural coca plantations, monkey houses and the best chocolate i have ever had. My group, always a worry when signing up alone on a group tour, was fantastic, almost all couples except for three of us (15 people total). It was semi awkward at fist but they seem to warm up as the days went on. the third day we zip lined our way over canyons and rivers and back again.

i make this look good

facing down the wire

 It was great, i had never done it, not on this trip and i was able to combat my fear of falling pretty well. After ziplinning we had 7 more kilometers to hike until we reached the base of machu picchu. Standing by the river, rain falling, looking up at the mountains that hid the sacred city, i dreamt of what it must have been like to live here. Looking up, even after all the pictures you see of it, you still wonder what you might find behind the walls that were just visible to the naked eye. We woke that next morning at 4 am and we were out the door by 4:30am. Not the whole group but the ones that wanted to be some of the first up the path were. Kelly an English/ Australian and a kiwi named Jaisus hiked beside me as we climbed the 3,800 steps to machu pichu in the dark of morning and as we climbed the jungle came alive and the dark receded and when we reached the top the sun had yet to rise above the mountains and it was amazing to lay my eyes on this...

After three big days and a year of waiting, there it was in all its glory

 practically a pro at self shooting 

 The going wasn't too bad, from all accounts easier then the Inca trail but it was plenty hard to breath, being out of shape at a high altitude. We entered with all the other tourist that decided to wake up later and take the bus up, rolly bag people... But we were all there for the same reason, to view this wonder with our own eyes to judge its greatness not through a lens or screen but in person. If there is one place i can say lives up and goes beyond hype its machu picchu. It was incredible. i thought i would never again see something so inspiring as Angkor Wat but there it was, this most amazing of archaeological feats. It was build in under a century and abandoned much faster and slowly forgotten. It wasn't until an American explorer rediscovered it that the world learned of its greatness. if there is anything i can recommend doing on my entire trip that i believe would never let you down is Machu Picchu. i climbed to the Sun Gate high above to gaze down at the stone that's left and it was there and then that i decided i would be back here again someday not so long from now and do this all again. its one of only a few places i can say that and mean it. i am off now to Bolivia the LAST country on this tour, gasp. i have been camped out on the high altitude lake of titicaca in the town of copacabanna. i am plotting my Bolivian take over as you read this. More to come. this next part of my journey is brought to me by my father who made a giant sized donation, i don't think he wants me to return... many thanks Dad, i make sure to by that tribal outfit you have been asking about. hasta luago amigos

Huacachina Peru

I landed in Lima where i spent two nights and was able to buy the next three books in the games of throne series at Charlies recommendation, i was pumped. on the second day i decided to head to the desert along the coast, 5 mins from Inca. Dubbed the sand boarding Mecca of Peru, Huacachina is a literal oasis. like nothing i had ever seen. surrounded by sand dunes higher then i thought they could ever get. its right out of some fairy tale book. The difference being there are bars and night clubs surrounding the lake i didn't see any princesses either. But i have been fortunate in that i seem to always show up just outside of peak season and this place was quite and serene and seemingly desolate.

it always looked as if a strong wind would cave the dune in and cover the town at any moment

I had come here with a dude i had met, an American named mike, from L.A. when he asked me where i was from and i told him Vermont and his reply was "is that a state", i almost punched him right there and then but after that he turned out an alright dude. we booked a sand boarding tour and this pic is of the crew and vehicle. it was as if you were riding a roller coaster without a given track. it was really awesome. our driver was a pro and we skidded and leaned and dove and careened up and over massive dunes...

...to find places just like this in which to plunge down head first on a wooden plank laminated and waxed. it was pretty fantastic, as good or better then any sledding hill i have ever been on, and i didn't have to hike up the mountain after, i was picked up boyee

some people opted for actual snowboards, if only they had had skis...

Sunset, that's a jeep below flooring it through the dunes. It was an awesome stop in between Lima and Cuzco. But now i am getting ready for one of the "need to do before you die", things in life, Machu Picchu. I plan on posting up in Cuzco with some friends i met in Ecuador for a few days and chose which way i will get to the inca city carefully over beer and lomo a la planca (translated: meat on the plate) a staple in all these Andean countries it seems. miss and love you.

the poor mans galapagos

I had spent four days on the beach in Montenita. The weather was crap, overcast everyday. There was little rain however which i was thankful for and i spent the days on the beach reading and the like. I had been traveling solo for a week and it was time to start thinking about returning to Quito for my flight to Lima. I decided to make one more stop on my way up the coast and i am really happy that i did. I came to a stop of a dusty, dingy, dirty, Town called Puerto Lopez. The only attraction, the sole reason why anyone stops here is to visit Ila de Plata, the silver island. Its also dubbed the poor mans Galapagos. I, being a poor man, listened intently as a tour guide told me of the adventures that awaited me an hour by boat into the Pacific. To say that i wasn't looking forward to that one hour boat ride would be an understatement. i had gotten sick on an 8th grade whale watch and felt sick the whole day and never saw one whale. I took solace in the fact that i had in my possession motion sickness pills with caffeine. After listening intently, i decided to walk more than half a block from the bus station before making any more decisions. i had been accosted as soon i stepped of the bus. He was nice enough but with rain threatening i cared more for a dry place to put my bags as i did a five dollar discount he so eagerly offered if i would just sign up right now. it was raining by the time i found the Sol Inn Hostel. it suited me fine and i set out again to find another agency in which to get a price range. I ended up booking with a company right on the beach.

the day was chalk full of really neat stuff. The boat was as rocky and fast as any i had been on and i was thanking the gods i had taken the pills early enough in the morning to allow me to enjoy the roller coaster that was the sea. When the island came within sight the motors slowed and we ran into, hopefully harmlessly, over a hundred dolphins. this picture does it no justice, it was the most our guide had seen all year. it was really neat to see them for the first time. Dolphins! 

We made landfall and i could tell why the it was called the silver island. it looked silver enough. Later it was told to me that in fact it was only silver because of all the bird poop. wow.

The best and funnest birds i have ever seen are the blue footed boobies. you can only tell the male from the female by the difference in the eyes. Birds!

red breasted something er other. i forgot.

These guys below were all sitting on eggs or new born's or protecting there offspring. pretty cool.

the walk around the island took about three hours and after seeing so many birds in one place, i don't need to look up for quite sometime. we boarded the boat had a sack lunch on the deck, including fresh pineapple, yeah boy! we went snorkeling off the coast for 20 minutes. When i first heard that we would only have 20 minutes to snorkel i was disappointed. but after being in the freezing cold Pacific for about 15 minutes i was ready to come back to the boat but i forced myself to stay in. the biodiversity of the reefs were really fantastic. After we dried off we were off, heading back to the coast but not before we saw some of these bad boys. It was in the peak of the humpback whale mating and migration season and we followed one for a good part of 30 minutes. I got some great pics and some good video. i finally saw a whale. whales! 

It was one great day for under 40 bucks. Thats a lot of money even if it was a whole day packed full of interesting things to do and so i retreated to Quito where i knew i could live well below my budget for about a week. when i got off the bus in Quito i walked into my hostel and ran into Darrel. A great bloke from Ireland that i had coincidentally meet in Banos. He and i had rented a dunebuggie, driven it for 15 minutes and returned to the rental agency after it couldn't make it up the first hill. Well the owner hadn't been to quick to appease our pleas for either our money back or a new buggie. The words flowing from the owners mouth seemed to be getting louder and angrier whilst also gaining speed. I felt a sting on my face and heard a slapping nose followed after. it took me a second to realize that i had just be struck in the face with an open handed slap. i still didn't learn however and persisted to know why i was just hit when we were the ones getting screwed. He darted off for a second and came back with a wrench which he swung over his head and then kicked me in the shins. Darrel had been the voice of reason and might just have saved me from getting my head bashed in when he urged our retreat. Needless to say i was happy to see the chap again and for the last four days we be chillin. But tonight, tonight i fly to Peru, Lima and descend down another rabbit hole, at least the langugue will be the same and i will be just as bad at it. Ecuador was pretty great, greater than i had thought or hoped. I spent exactly one month here and i plan on doing the same in Peru. Ecuador was a first for many things, whales, guinea pig and assaults, its been fun.