Posts in the Peru Category

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.

Popularity: 2% [?]

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.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Peru, South American Trip (2007), Top Life Travel Experiences, Treks Comments( 8 )

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.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Peru, South American Trip (2007) Comments( 6 )

March 31, 2007

One Day in Rio de Janeiro then off to Lima,Peru

Pictured: Rio de Janeiro, the “City of God”

Well, John is gone. We had almost a full month of traveling together and now he is off to work in a big law firm and to get married. All in all, I think he is really looking forward to it. He is going back to a good job and a great girl. Looking back, we had a fantastic time. We enjoyed steaks and cigars in BA, leisure and relaxation in Florianapolis, and a beach front honeymoon getaway in Bahia together. I hope this trip was just what he needed to blow of some steam after the bar exam and before the official start of the real world.

In the last month we took relaxation to a whole new level. Although, physically we covered quite a bit of ground.

We spent our last day in Rio de Janeiro. Sadly, we both had food poisoning that we picked up somewhere in Bahia. I am not really sure what happened. It could have been bad food, or maybe we drank the water by accident. Nonetheless, in Rio I was waiting for an alien to jump out of John’s belly at any second. Early on, he was doubled over in pain, and much worse off than I. At least the food poisoning waited until our last day to rear its ugly head.