The Inka Trail to Machu Pichu

Well I can now say I survived the Inka trail! It turned out to be much harder than I expected but in the end it made for a very memorable experience. We trekked 40 KM over 4 days, climbed two mountains passes over 4,000 meters (+13,000 ft) and were constantly surrounded by breath taking views of the Andes. We had 14 people (7 Aussies, 4 Yanks, a Chinese, a German and a hilarious Irish) in our group and I made some good friends that I plan to meet up with in Bolivia. So where to start...

Day 1 was a 14 Km hike with some climbing but nothing too hard. It quickly became apparent that these guys were going to do everything in their power to make sure no one lost any weight on this trip. For lunch and dinner the platters just kept coming and coming until there was no room left on the table and we were forced to fill our plates to make room for the other platters. It was ridiculous! We had monster sized portions of lightly fried meat, rice and steamed veggies for lunch followed by pounds of pasta for dinner. It is also important to note that over-eating at high altitudes is a death wish...

Day 2 turned out to be the hardest hike I´ve ever done. We hiked 16 Km climbing two +4,000 meter passes and I did most of it on an empty stomach suffering from altitude sickness. After a light breakfast we started our ascent up the first mountain which took 2.5 hours to climb 900 m. For the last hour I had to stop ever 15 feet to catch my breath and rest up for the next 15 feet. I have never hiked at 13,000 ft before but it´s unbelievable how the altitude takes its toll. Upon reaching the top we were treated to unbelievable views as we were now above cloud level. It´s also amazing how quickly the weather can change at that height. One moment I was sweating from the ascent without a cloud in the sky and 10 minutes later we are surrounded by clouds rushing to put on extra layers. From there we descended 600 m down uneven rocks that make your knees feel like jello. After an hour we reached our lunch spot or if you´re part of every other trekking company, your camping spot for the night. I can´t say I was pumped to be the only group climbing both passes in one day (especially with my stomach acting up) but in the end it really worked out for the best. It allowed our group to have the trail to ourselves for most of the trip and avoid the horrible crowds you always hear about on the Inka trail. So after the others filled up on hearty portions we headed off to trek our second +4,000 m pass of the day. I try to black out this part of the day because it was basically mind over matter, one foot after the other. The second part of the day took about 5 hours and I collapsed once we got into camp. The good news is after passing out for an hour my appetite returned and I ate my weight in popcorn! The campsite that night was on a bluff overlooking a cloud forest with Inka ruins scattered on the hill sides. Spectacular!!! I slept like a baby and luckily the worst was over.

Day 3 and 4 were both much easier where we spent the mornings walking and the afternoons exploring Inka ruins and relaxing. We woke up at 3:30 on the 4th day to make sure we were the first ones in line at the entry gate. We were and at 5:30 the gate opened and it was a race to the sun gate where Machu Pichu can first be seen. As we were speed walking the sun was rising over a distant peak lighting up the valley below. It was a great opportunity to take some pictures and catch my breath! After climbing the final 50 steps to the top of the Sun Gate covered in sweat we turned the corner to see the valley below completely covered in fog! Pretty anti-climatic and we all felt a little foolish for pushing it so hard. For the Sun Gate it is a 45 minute walk down to the entrance gate to Machu Pichu and by the time we made it to the bottom the fog had completely cleared and there was famous Machu Pichu before us. We dodged a couple of llamas and headed to the famous viewing area to take pictures. The weather cooperated extremely well I got some amazing pictures but they still cannot do justice to the real thing. The ruins of Machu Pichu are so vast and the panaramic cannot be described. It is truly mind blowing that the Inkas could build something so big this high up.

There are two things that I will always remember from this trek. The first is the crazy porters with their monstrous backpacks overflowing with all our gear charging up mountain passes. These guys are machines!!! Our group kept a pretty good pace but no matter what they would always be waiting in camp with our tents pitched and a warm meal waiting. Some of these guys did it in sandals too. These guys should look into starting a moving company in SF and they could save money on not using moving trucks! The second thing I will always remember is the amazing views. The Inka trail takes you high in the mountains and you are constantly looking down on rivers snaking their way though valleys with the Andes stretching on a far as the eye can see. It was probably my favorite part and something I will always remember!

¡Adios Colombia, Hola Peru!

After Santa Marta I headed back to Cartagena where I spent the last couple of days making sure I saw everything there was to see. I got lost in old town Cartagena taking way too many pictures, attended a baptism and slept in the ghettos of Monteria and took a boat to a beautiful beach with some new friends. Colombia was a very interesting place to start the trip because its still so new to tourist. More often than not I was the only gringo in a particular place and I can count the number of people who spoke English on one hand. With that being said it does make the whole experience that much more gratifying and if I can get by on my limited Spanish in Colombia I should be fine down the road.

So after two wonderful weeks in Colombia I boarded a plan to Peru yesterday morning and spent the day in Mira Flores, just outside of Lima. After spending the previous night sleeping at the airport in Bogota I decided to spend a little extra on a boutique hostel for my one night in Lima. I also decided it was time to confront one of my fears that I have been putting off since I first landed in South America. I have been in desperate need of a haircut but have been putting it off for fear that some barber would take one look at my overflowing mane and decide to make it his rat tail masterpiece. It turned out just fine and for $5 I got a hair wash, masace and nice haircut. Not a bad deal!!!

Before ending this entry I wanted to write about my favorite meal so far on my trip. This part of Peru is located on the Pacific ocean and is known for their ceviche and fish. I decided I wanted to splurge a little so I got a good recommendation from my hostel and ate like a king. I started off with some amazing ceviche followed by a tasty marisco soup all washed down with some Spanish White wine. I was in heaven and after two glasses of wine slept like a baby. Today I fly to Cuzco high up in the Andes to try and get acclimated to the altitude before my trek to Machu Pichu on Saturday.

Santa Marta and Parque Tyrona

As much as I was enjoying Cartagena it was time for a change of scene. Monday I headed four hours up the coast to another popular beach town called Santa Marta. Santa Marta is located next to a mountain range called the Sierra Nevada with spectacular speaks that rise dramatically from the sea and is much less developed than Cartagena. My motivation for making the trip was to spend some time in Parque Tyrona, which is one of the most popular national parks in Colombia because of its lush rainforests which give way to beautiful beaches. It used to be the home of the Tyrona Indians before the Spaniards wiped them out and is still home to some indigenous people.

Unfortunately when I got into town I had to take it easy for a couple of days because my stomach was not cooperating with the local food. After a quick trip to the doctor I picked up some drugs (not that kind) and spent the next two days exploring Santa Marta and some of the surrounding beaches.

Today I hired an English speaking guide named Eddy and headed into Tyrona park. I can’t tell you how lucky I am to have found an English speaking local because NOBODY speaks English around here. Eddy picked me up from my hostel at 6 am and we grabbed a local bus from the market to an unmarked stop about an hour up the road. From there we headed into the thick of the rainforest to start our trek. We hiked for two hours before turning off the road to visit one of Eddy’s indigenous friends. One of the ways the indigenous people make money is by hand weaving small bags (takes a month each!!!) which they can then sell at the local markets for $20. The day before Eddy asked me to pick up a box of sewing needles to give as a gift which the indigenous people can then use to make money. What an idea!!! After handing over the needles we sat around talking and one of the kids made us some fresh juice from one of their local fruits (Eddy told me the name but it went in one ear and out the other). From there we continued another hour to a small settling called Pueblito. This is where the Tyronas used to make their sacrifices to the gods and perform other religious ceremonies. For the most part there wasn’t too much there so after resting for a little bit we continued on to what I surely thought was going to be my death...

At this point we crossed over the mountains and were headed down to the beach through thick fauna. From here the walkway becomes much more enclosed as you’re stepping from stone to stone which have been there for centuries. All of a sudden the combination of the humidity and heat just hits you and the sweat ducts turn on. I couldn’t figure out what the hell had just happened! Did I get bit by some crazy Colombian bug that made me break out into an immediate fever and will shortly have me in cardiac arrest? On top of dealing with the massive amounts of sweat coming off my dome the footing along the trail has become extremely technical where each step must be taken carefully. As we continue on I can’t help but picture the indigenous chief chanting as he slaps my limp body down on the sacrificial stone. After about an hour and 5 mental breakdowns we finally make it level ground and all vital signs returned to normal!!! I was really feeling like a wimp until I looped at Eddy and he was just as nasty as I was.

The good news was after walking for 15 more minutes we came to the beach area. The dramatic change in terrain and weather is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. One moment I’m fighting for my life in the humidity of the rainforest and the next I’m sitting on a beautiful beach staring out at the Caribbean. There was a large camping area with campsites, hammocks and a restaurant so we grabbed lunch and chilled for a couple of hours. Eddy took a nap and I did some exploring. After an intense 4 hour hike it felt like I had stumbled upon some secret paradise that few people know about. Unfortunately as we were resting some storm clouds rolled in. Luckily, we took a much short and easier way back along some beaches because before we knew it it started to rain. It started out light and then grew heavier and heavier as we walked. Before we knew it there was thunder and lighting and the rain was coming down in buckets. The rainforest over us initially provided some cover but the rain was coming down so heavy we had no option but to run. We sprinted for a good 10 minutes jumping from place to place to avoid growing rain puddles before finally getting to the parking lot where the collectivo was supposed to pick us up. I might has rung a gallon of water off my shirt. Sitting under a hut all I could think about was how excited I was to head back to the hostel, take a warm shower and get in a warm bed but then it hit me.... There is no warm water in Colombia and my room is probably pushing 100% humidity.

Cartagena, the Jewel of the Caribbean

A little background for everyone....Cartagena is located on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean and was the main port that the Spaniards used to ship their gold, cocoa and other goods back to the old world. As you can imagine it was pretty popular with the pirates and after a number of attacks they decided to fortify the city and it has remained unchanged since then. If youve ever wanted to get off one of the boats on Pirates of the Caribbean and go exploring this is your place, except the pirates are actually Colombians. Ive also noticed a major change in the way people look. They are much darker than the people in Bogota and their version of Spanish is impossible to understand. The words run together, they drop letters at will and talk way too fast for this gringo!

Ive been here for a couple of days now and I don´t want to leave. I was met at the airport by Robert and his driver Juan Carlos. Robert is the 21 year old nephew of one of my old colleagues at Agilent and he has been great so far. He can speak both languages flawlessly and its so nice to have a local show you around. He assured me that the costensas are much more laid back than people from Bogota and as long as I wasn't walking around with all my bling safety would not be an issue on the north coast.

So what have we been up to??? Lounging on the beach during the day and heading into the old city at night to rumbla (basically get stupid on run, aquardient, and frias). Its amazing how much better my Spanish gets after a few drinks! One night we were drinking some rum in the old town and I picked his brain on everything Colombian. It was interesting to hear his side on the past 40 years in Colombia. Its very confusing to understand all the different groups and how they relate to one another but it sounds like the current president been able to disarm some of the paramilitary groups and as a result Colombia has become much safer over the past 8 years.

So what about the food? Unfortunately Robert only eats one meal a day (major problem for me since this is probably my favorite part of traveling) so Ive had to plead with him to get two meals a day. We had arrepas one night which are little corn pancakes filled with all kinds of goodness. I had one filled with four different types of meat and was licking my fingers all the way to old town. You can order a specially seasoned rice with your main dish called cocoa rice. I'm not sure how they season it but it has pepper and something sweet and it`s bomb!!! Soups are extremely popular and this being the coast we had a green fish soup filled with potatoes and different kinds of fish on the beach the other day. Robert introduced me to Aquaradient on last night and I woke up naked j/k. Its a cheaper liquor made with anise (I don´t know what that is either) that is sweet and will have you seeing double before you know it. I also got a taste of that Colombian cafe Ive been searching for. There are vendors constantly walking the streets yelling "tinto" selling 15 cent steaming hot shots of sweetened espresso. I swear I put back at least 5 a day.

We are going to lay low tonight because the past two days have been crazy. We are planning to head out to some of the local islands one day and I still want to walk around the old town and take tons of pictures. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to upload pictures and videos but will post some when I figure it out.

Day Late but Finally Made it!

I finally made it to Colombia!!! I can happily report the rat tail and mullet are alive and well in South America! First off I must say never fly with Delta and if you book your ticket on Orbitz, Travelocy, etc. you´re on your own if anything goes wrong. Despite not being on a single Delta flight I was informed I would have to fork over a exorbinate amount of money to issue the exact same ticket for one day later even though there were plenty of open seats. So after some intense internet activity I boarded a red eye to Orlando where I had an 8 hour layover before catching my flight to Bogota. So what is the lesson here kids.... be at the airport at least 30 minutes early for domestic flights and one full hour for international!!! Luckily it was a good excuse to drop in on my buddy Jeremy and hang out in world-renowned Orlando for a couple of hours.

I can honestly say I was the only English speaking person on the Jetblue flight with the exception of the bi-lingual flight crew. I´ve heard Colombia is still pretty untouched by backpackers but I expected atleast one other gringo on the flight. After landing I grabbed my bag, changed out some $$$US for Colombian pesos and before I knew it I was on my way into the cocaine trafficing capital of the world!!! Now I have to be honest here, I have been pretty anxious about backpacking alone in Colombia (and by anxious I mean scared shitless) but once I was in the cab I couldn´t help but smile. First of all, I´m finally in South America. Second of all, I´M IN FREAKING COLOMBIA!!! You can´t help but be excited for what is about to unfold when heading into a completely foreign city for the first time. You know there will be some amazing stories and other times when you just want to end it all but no matter what you are going to return a different person. I checked into my fortified hostel and turned it in early to catch some sleep.

After missing my initial flight I now only have half a day in Bogota before I board my flight to Cartagena to meet up with the nephew of an old co-worker. Before leaving for Colombia I had lunch with the same guy to get some suggestions and the one thing he said to see in Bogota was the museo del Oro (gold museum for those that took french in high school). The place is amazing. The Spaniards would send the gold through Colombia to Cartagena where it would board the ships headed back to Spain so they have quite the collection. Gold helmets, masks, nose plates, figurines, etc. One of the more interesting museums I´ve been to in my travels and well worth checking out if you´re ever in the area to pay off the randsome of an old friend. From there I wandered around the streets for an hour, took some quick pictures and grabbed my first cup of coffee at the Colombian version of Starbucks, called Juan Valdez. Pretty good but I was expecting a little more considering the amount of coffee this place exports. From here its a quick quick bite to eat and then back to the airport for Cartagena.