April 22, 2007

Heading into the Jungles of Bolivia

Just wanted to let everyone know that I am heading into very shaky internet regions of Bolivia. We leave La Paz in the next 10 minutes and I am still putting the finishing touchs on the La Paz entries (which was a great time). For the next few weeks I am going to attempt to transpose my personal journal in the blog as much as possible. Also, I do not have high hopes for photos until we get back to the major cities.

Next stop: La Pampas in Rurranbaque, Bolivia

After that: Parque Ambue Ari Game Reserve

Peace out,

Dave

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April 20, 2007

Lake Titicaca: Puno, Peru and Copacabana, Bolivia

Our bus got into Puno at 4am on the dot, and we were immediately accosted by all kinds of locals offering rooms for rent and tours. This tends to happen quite frequently, and has both good and bad ramifications. Its great that you do not have to wander aimlessly into remote foreign cities trying to figure things out on the fly, and its bad that you are prone to be consistently ripped off by seedy locals. If only I did not look like the biggest gringo on planet earth. The magnanimous target on my back can be spotted two miles away.

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April 20, 2007

In Route to Lake Titicaca


Cramped on one of the worst buses I have been on yet…

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We are currently riding on the bus to Puno, Peru…. I do not know much about this place except the fact that its supposedly a huge shit hole, with spectacular views of the floating islands of Lake Titicaca. What are the floating islands of Lake Titicaca you might be asking yourself? Well the plain and simple answer is that I do not have a fricking clue. The only reason we are stopping here is because its on the way to Bolivia. We are supposed to arrive at 4am in the morning.

Lake Titicaca is supposed to beautiful. Also, I am very excited to get to Bolivia to see what all the fuss is about. It should be a really good time. I am rolling with a good crew.

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April 12, 2007

The Inca Trail and Machu Picchu

Photo Credit:Sir Donald Startt
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Im currently sitting in the point (our hostel), relaxing, recovering, and letting the last few weeks sink in. It has been a whirlwind since Don and Chris arrived in Lima. Cusco has been crazy, the trail was spectacular, and Machu Picchu (just realized that I have spelled Machu Picchu incorrectly for about the last month) blew all of our heads clean off of our bodies. I have never seen anything like it.

I do not really know where to begin. So much has happened, in the last few weeks. I could write a novel.

So….We left off the night before Chris, Don, and I were ready to set off on the Inca Trail, a 4 day, 3 night trek through the Andes ending at Machu Picchu. Somehow, we managed to take it easy the night before we took off for the trek. It turned out to be an extremely good idea, as none of us knew exactly what we were getting into. I had Torres Del Paine (5 day trek I did in Chile in Feb) as a frame of reference. All I had heard from other travelers is that the Inca Trail was easier. It turned out to be far from a cakewalk. Don and Chris had never backpacked before and did not know what to expect. I think they were both surprised at how physically taxing the trek ended up being.

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April 6, 2007

Cusco… The Night Before the Inca Trail


Playing Chess with my Irish Buddy Martin overlooking the main square in Cusco

It was the night before the Inca Trail, and all through the hostel, people are partying it up and having a blast. Conversely, I think I either have Altitude sickness or another touch of food poisoning. I am really, really not happy about it.

Nonetheless, Don, Chris (both profiled below), and I have been having a blast this past week. (I just realized that I have not posted in a whole week). Sorry about that, but Cusco is crazy. It feels more like what you would expect traditional Peru to be like than Lima, except that the party NEVER stops. People are constantly coming and going to the Inca Trail. Plus, you have to climatize (we are at 4000 meters) for a few days before taking the trek. We are way high up in the Andes. The first couple of days we had trouble breathing after walking a few blocks. The natural remedy to altitude sickness is Coca Leaves. (Yes, its made of the same stuff they make Cocaine from, but its recommended by all of the tour companies and completely legal.) It actually helps quite a bit.

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