It´s the little things...

I love the little details that make us who we are, as individuals and as a culture. Like how Americans are so used to tipping, and it seems so ridiculous to people here. Or how a lot (not all!) American men don´t dance because they don´t feel macho, and yet here you´re not macho unless you can dance. Or how a man with a bag in the US is looked at strange (I believe they are called ¨manbags¨or the ever-famous ¨murse¨...man + purse), but here it´s typical... men need to carry things too! How Americans like our meat served in such a way where we can completely disasociate it from the animal from which it came. But here, you get an entire fish or guinea pig (in Peru... Cui!) staring back at you from a plate, or an entire hoof in your ambiguously-named soup. You know, just those silly little things.

In both Colombia and Peru, typically food is served with potatoes or rice, and many times with both. That´s like, the first no-no rule I learned of dieting back home... don´t combine your carbs! But that´s a foreign concept here. You´ll never see a plate of food in Peru without potatoes and rice on it. Colombians also fry just about everything, and add sugar to just about everything, even their natural fruit juices (all hail the maracuyá!!!). Consequently, most of them have a barriga (a belly), and frankly, no one seems to mind. It´s refreshing to be in a culture that embraces people of all sizes, after a year of living among the Argentine anorexia/ body-obsessed community.

In Colombia, when you buy something, you say thank you to the person who sold it to you. In Argentina, when you buy something, they thank you. And forget what your Spanish teacher taught you about saying ¨you´re welcome¨in Spanish... you won´t hear many people saying ¨de nada.¨ In Argentina, they say, ¨no, por favor!!¨very animatedly, which always cracks me up. It´s sort of like saying, ¨oh please, it´s nothing!¨ In Peru they always, always say, ¨con mucho gusto,¨ which is super polite. And in Colombia they always, always say ¨a la orden,¨ which loosely translates to ¨at your service¨, which also sounds super polite. They also use ¨a la orden¨ when you first walk into a store, or even as you walk by a store... so there is constantly, all day long, a million people shouting it to me as I walk down the street. I feel so... serviced!

One more little tidbit, before I hang up my nerdiness for the afternoon. In Argentina, the porteños, the word for the Buenos Aires capital city natives, have a reputation for being the worst... as in, the most closed, unfriendly, sort of douchey in Argentina. People from outside the capital (from provincia) tend to view porteños negatively. Its funny, then, to be here in Colombia and realize it is just the same with the rolos, the word for people native to the capital city of Bogotá. The rolos themselves insist they are the best, while the rest of the country (namely the paisas, people from the coffee zone near Medellin, and the costeños, people from the coast) tends to hate rolos. Personally, I can´t tell the difference, but it´s funny how these sorts of stereotypes are universal, I suppose.

I think it´s these small anecdotes that make me love travel so much. I love saying buena onda and genial in Argentina when I like something, and chévere and bacano in Colombia. I love calling people boludo in Argentina and huevón in Peru and Colombia. I crack up every time someone asks me if I´m from Argentina (happens more than you´d think!) because of my porteño accent I just can´t seem to shake (Sho me shamo Erica!). And I love hearing people´s impressions of their own countries and of mine, and sharing stories. I feel like that´s what travel is all about... the little details from everyday life, that make us who we are.

Colombia, te amo.

I just want to everyone know I´m alive, doing great, had an amazing (and incredibly challenging) experience in Ciudad Perdida (it´s beautiful and so, so old it just takes your breath away) and am now happily in Cartagena. This city is magic. I don´t want to leave, ever. I´m staying with two adorable little old ladies, the aunts of the mom of my friend (I know, I´m reaching) and just enjoying exploring the city, hanging out with a friend of mine here, and soaking up all Colombia has to offer, Every moment I spend in this country I fall more and more in love with it.

I plan to be in Cartagena this weekend, then am going to pack in Cabo de la Vela AND Bucaramanga before heading to Bogotá for one last hurrah before BRAZIL on February 5!

Will blog eventually. Right now I´m spending more time loving life than playing with computers. It´s phenomenal.

Oops, need an update! ...Manizales, Santa Marta, Parque Nacional Tayrona, Taganga... and up next..???

Hi friends!!! Oh man, you know how it goes, when you go for too long without updating, the task just seems harder and harder!! So much has happened I will surely miss oodles of things, but I will do my best to fill you in on my wild Colombian adventures. I´ll go backwards, because I remember things best that way.

Right now I´m in Taganga, a fun little town about 20 minutes from Santa Marta. It´s pretty and has a lot of bars and restaurants and things, but is small and the beaches are dirty, kind of like sitting on an ashtray... ugh. (I am told that the very sad earthquake in Haiti has caused the beaches here to be dirtier and the tides higher than usual, but I can´t saywhether or not that is true...) Luckily I´ve had PLENTY of beach time lately and am royally tanned/sunburned (open for interpretation) and am happily using the internet and avoiding the sun.. it is HOT. I don´t know the temperature, but I´d estimate it´s around 100 or higher. I also think all the sun I got the past 4 days in Tayrona really did me in, and I arrived yesterday afternoon to Taganga dehydrated and stomach-achy, and feeling so lightheaded I could barely talk... and those who know me know that if I can´t talk, I must be ill. I took last night very easy though, skipped the Saturday night rumba and opted to sleep for 12 consecutive hours, battling the mosquitos despite my mosquito net, but overall woke up today feeling much better...

Which is why I just purchased my trek to Ciudad Perdida tomorrow!! It´s something I´ve been planning to do on this trip for a long time, and though I thought about wimping out, I finally sucked up and bought the trip... not too bad,it cost me $250 USD for a 6 day trek, which involves 3 days trekking to the site (uphill through the jungle, crossing rivers... w00t!) and then a full day at the site, an ancient ruin believed to have been built in 800 AD by the Tayrona people, and then 2 days trekking back. I think it will be very difficult, and the weather here makes it hard (sweaty! humid! gah!) but I also think its an incredible unique experience that I shouldn´t miss. Unlike Machu Picchu, this trek will be far less overcrowded, more virgin... and its older! Wow, I´m excited! Let´s hope I stay healthy.

Anyway, yesterday I arrived in Taganga via an insane motorboat trip from Parque Nacional Tayrona... the boat was jumping over 10 meter high waves and I think my butt is permamently bruised from the impact... but super fun! I was on the boat with 9 screaming guys from Israel and my friend Pablo from Switzerland I met in Tayrona. I spent 4 full days in Tayrona, and I must say, it is gorgeous. And after the sort of disappinting beaches in Santa Marta (anyone who says they are stunning needs to tell me where to go, because I seem to have missed it), it felt like paradise. It´s no undiscovered treasure though. The crowds are intense and the beaches are far from virgin. But it´s worth it... the beaches are perfect, small laguna areas carved out of the ocean, with enormous boulders in the water and along the paths (I mean where did thesehuge rocks come from?? They are enormous, like they just dropped from the sky.), and the jungle right there next to the beach to wander through. The mosquitos, however, were ruthless. I slept in a hammock 3 nights in a row, which seemed so cool and exciting at first, but now I feel like the thrill is over and I want my back back!! Hahaha well too bad, because I´ll be sleeping in hammocks 5 more nights starting tomorrow in the Ciudad Perdida trek...

Anyway, getting to Parque Tayrona is an adventure in itself. From Santa Marta I took a 45 minute drive in a buseta, which is like a small van bus thing. The drop you at the main gate, where you pay about $17 USD to get in (not cheap!). Then you take a bus ride for about 15 minutes to the second gate. From there you have to walk down a fairly treacherous path through the jungle for about 45 minutes... not too fun in the heat!!! But really beautiful, and an adventure for sure, which I always appreciate. You finally arrive at the beach in Arrecife, and the first thing you see are signs everywhere about how more than 200 people have drowned there and not to swim.. and there you are facing the ocean, drenched in sweat. It´s brutal!

There are about 6 or 7 campsites there around Arrecife where you can pitch a tent or rent a hammock, but I decided to be motivated and hike another 45 minutes to the very end, Cabo de San Juan, which I´d heard was a prettier and more fun option. So off I went, dripping with sweat, passing swimming hole after swimming hole... there´s a lovely swimming area called La Piscina between Cabo and Arrecife that I looked at longingly, but really wanted to put my stuff down so I kept on... finally arrived in Cabo so hot and sweaty, and.... no more room! Sold out! It was really packed, with tents absolutely everywhere. But the beaches really are the best. It´s paradise. Unofortunately that first day I had to head back with my backpack on (luckily, I only had a smaller backpack, because I left my bigger one in Santa Marta) and headed back to Arrecife to find a place to camp. When I finally made it into the water for a swim around 4:30pm it was amazing! The water is the perfect temperature, not too cold and not too warm, just perfect.

I spent 2 nights in Arrecife (but walked to Cabo each day to hang out at least) checking out different beaches and getting a tan, and eating very little because the food is very overpriced. The first night I met a couple British boys who were crazy enough for me to hang out with, and then the second night I was joined by 7 Chilean boys traveling together, who shared with me their 3 liters of Chilean pisco... needless to say, I have forgotten the majority of that night. Then finally on the 3rd day I was able to swindle my way into a hammock in Cabo, so I stayed there my last night and the following day. It really is better, though more expensive. There´s a lot of people, which can be good or bad, depending on what you´re looking for. The shower experience was pretty dreadful, sort of felt like a concentration camp because there´s about 30 people, boys and girls, in line, and they kind of throw you under the water where you quickly scrub yourself down in your bathing suit and then go rushing back out. But whatever, it was great, and I enjoyed my final night by treating myself to an overpriced fish dinner and sipping beers by the beach with a couple Argentines I met and listening to the ocean. It´s really divine, despite the crowds, and I´d recommend that anyone in Colombia not miss a visit.

I have much more to write but am being kicked off the internet in 2 minutes... I´ll try to finish up this blog post tonight and write about Santa Marta and my final days in Manizales with Diana and her family and friends (seems like ages ago) enjoying their annual feria and staying up until I-don´t-know o´clock every night. If not, you will be hearing from me in 6 days after the crazy Ciudad Perdida trek! Please send me the good luck vibes that I don´t get attacked my dengue mosquitos or kidnapped by guerrillas! Thanks! :-)

Love to all, and I promise to write more later...

Carnaval de Negros y Blancos

Was absolutely insane! I have never been so dirty in my life.



All day for 3 days people throw talcum powder and paint and carioca (foamy white stuff) all over you, and it gets pretty rowdy. I had a great time on the road trip to Cali, then to Chachagui to stay on Chris's family's finca for a couple days, and then a couple days in Pasto for the Carnaval. I'm beat, as we drove 12 hours back to Manizales yesterday and then went out and partied for the Feria de Manizales, which goes until this Sunday. I have so much more to say, but I lack motivation for blogging, sorry more later...

Feliz Año Nuevo!

Happy 2010 everyone! I just want to start by expressing how incredibly happy and thankful I am to have such a great life, filled with the best friends, the most supportive and loving family, and the most fun and outrageous adventures a girl could ask for. 2009 was really an incredible year in Argentina and beyond, and I feel like 2010 is going to be another exciting time for me. Who knows what is around the next corner?

Anyway, right now I´m in Manizales, Colombia! I flew into Bogotá on the 29th and spent the afternoon and evening with one of Diana´s friends, Gustavo, who met me at the aiport and showed me around the city. I was absolutely struck by not only the beauty of Bogotá, but also how organized and clean it is. It really has such a great onda and vibe... made me want to spend a lot more time there. I loved the architecture, the cobblestone streets in the La Candelaria neighborhood, the festive lights everywhere, and the feeling of being in a big and lively city, though one which managed to feel more manageable and relaxed than Buenos Aires. I am for sure planning on spending a few more days there before I jet off to Brazil in February.

On the 30th I hopped into a car with Gustavo and one of his friends, plus the friend´s mom and sister... felt like I was in a clown car for over 8 hours on one of the curviest and most insane roads I have ever been on, through the mountains of Colombia to get to Manizales. Luckily I took a real name brand Dramamine and was fine, and really enjoyed the ride and the scenery, even if I couldn´t feel my legs after the first hour. Apparently the bus ride is longer and much more treachurous, so I was thankful for the car. Also, taking the car ride allowed us to make stops along the way for food and new treats like agua panela con queso (tea made from a fruit local to the area called panela, with cheese and fried bread on the side... you soak the cheese in the tea and then eat it with the bread... totally bizarre, but kind of delicious) in the town of Delgaditas, or juice made from fresh squeezed lulo or maracuyá (yummy fruits I´d never seen before), pan maritiqueño (bread made with a ton of butter so it is soft and a bit flakey like a croissant, but in loaf form... its famous all around Colombia, and I see why!) in the town of Mariquita, or my new favorite dish bandeja paisa (a massive mixed heart-attack-on-a-plate of beans, rice, fried plantains, meat, arepa, egg, and chicharrón). Wow, I like the food in Colombia.

Arrived in Manizales in the clown car around 9:30pm on the 30th, and after putting my stuff down in Diana´s gorgeous house and met her mom, dad, and sister (all super nice), I showered and dressed for a night on the town.. went out with Diana and her sister to a bar called Milagros which was decorated kitsch-cool with Jesus and Mary everywhere and filled with people dancing salsa and drinking aguardiente (anis flavored, so I hate it, but when pressured drank it anyway). Manizales is a beautiful small city in the coffee mountains (this region is called the Zona Cafetera) with hills and gorgeous views everywhere, so just enjoyed being out and about in this new place.

Yesterday of course was NYE-- FELIZ AÑO! It was a lot of fun, although it wasn´t quite what I expected. Diana had told me that typically on NYE her whole family gets together, and everyone brings a dish and they have a huge feast, and then go out dancing and partying after midnight... so what a surprise it was when around 7:30pm we learned that no one in the family was bringing anything and her parents were stuck at work, and we basically needed to cook everything for about 20 people!! So we got to work making a curry and a stir fry type thing along with a ton of fruits to snack on (traditionally in Colombia they eat grapes at midnight on New Year, so we had a ton of those especially), not exactly the typical Colombian food I had hoped for, but still turned out delicious. We feasted as planned and hung out at the house. Honestly, I missed watching the ball drop. Not having that image to focus on made me feel a bit disoriented as we counted down the seconds to the new year. The TV had some random image of a building on it, and when asked, no one could identify what building it was, so who knows what I was staring at as the clock struck 12... then HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

First things first, we all made the rounds around the whole room kissing everyone on the cheek and wishing them a Feliz Año. Then Diana went into a closet and dug out a suitcase and told me that traditionally you walk around the block at midnighton New Years if you want luck to travel all year long... so naturally, she and I took a spin around the block with a suitcase, and everyone who saw us made a comment about how we´d be traveling this year-- clearly a commonly known superstition. Let´s hope it works!

After the suitcase walk, a group of us took off to another neighborhood called Fatima, where supposedly everyone goes to party. There is a tradition where the neighbors make life size dolls, sometimes of famous people, and then burn them at midnight. We´d seen that one of the dolls this year was of Michael Jackson, and I was fascinated to watch them burn him in the middle of Manizales... however we arrived late, and when we got there the entire neighborhood had had a power outage and everything was black, and people we listening to music from their car stereos... we soon learned that the people who´d made the Michael Jackson doll had stuffed it with gunpowder, so when they set it on fire, it blew up and exploded into some kind of electric circuit and shorted out the entire neighborhood, right at the stroke of midnight!! Haha Michael Jackson! So yeah everyone was kind of recovering from that and waiting for the lights to come back, so it was I think more mellow than usual... we party hopped for a bit, drank a variety of drinks and met a bunch of people, and eventually ended up back at Diana´s house snuggled up for the night... so it wasn´t the salsa fest I´d expected, but was still a lot of fun, definitely interesting and entertaining and very different at a minimum!

The best was waking up today for New Years to a warm and bright sun! We packed up and drove the whole family to a river where we lounged on the shore and swam and got some sun... well, they did... I am apparently destined to be blindingly white forever.

Now.... the feria de Manizales goes from the 3rd to the 12th of this month that I really want to check out... there is another feria in a town called Pasto way down south called Carnaval de Negros y Blancos, at which everyone paints their faces either black or white and celebrates for a week in the streets. Diana is dying to go, and I´m certainly intrigued, so off we go! Tomorrow we´ll drive to Cali (5 hours south of Manizales) to see the city and pick up her boyfriend Chris. Then the following day we´ll hop in the car and head for Pasto together for the feria. We plan to spend about 3 days there and then drive the 15 hours back to Manizales, so I should be back around the 7the or 8th, in time to enjoy the end of the Manizales festival. There is a running of the bulls involved, which both horrifies and intrigues me, along with a ton of artisans and music and fun, so I definitely want to be back for that.

So yes, wish me luck on my crazy road trip all the way to practically the border of Ecuador and back (funnily enough, I am basically going to sandwich Ecuador, having been to Máncora in the far north of Peru and now Pasto in the far south of Colombia, without ever actually entering Ecuador... whoops) on some of the windiest roads you can imagine, through some of the most beautiful countryside in the world. I have a feeling I am in for an adventure!

A very happy new year to all! May your 2010 be happy, healthy, and full of new adventures!

Merry Christmas, my leg is on fire

Ho ho ho! Sort of. Due to the warmish weather and general total-differentness of Christmas season in Peru, I repeatedly forgot about Christmas this year. But there it was, and I enjoyed it!

They typically celebrate la noche buena (Christmas Eve) much more than the 25th, so I decided when in Rome.. I accepted a dinner invitation last night to go out with my 12 Argentines who I´d met on the Inca Trail, plus 5 more of their friends, plus the other honeymooning Argentine couple I met while stranded in Aguas Calientes after finishing the Inca Trail. So yes, I was out with 19 Argentines, making me the crazy gringa rounding things out to 20 people. We went to a nice place right on the Plaza de Armas in downtown Cusco and I ordered a traditional feast, which involved coca sours (pisco sours with coca), champagne, a stuffed turkey dish, and a quinoa dessert... all was delicious, albeit slightly strange (note: quinoa doesn´t make very good dessert, just sayin´).

At midnight we headed out into the plaza to check the fireworks, and I swear I have never seen anything like it. It´s like the 4th of July on crack. There were so many fireworks exploding at once all around the city that it sounded like a war was going on, and the sky was filled with explosions and smoke. Also there had been an artisan fair in the plaza all day long, and vendors had left trash around, so kids were going around setting piles of trash on fire, so it really looked like a war zone And just to make things extra exciting, the local hooligans thought it was hilarious to not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES throw their fireworks directly at us after setting them on fire, and so they kept exploding at our feet and we´d have to run away as they went off!!! Kind of scary... but also funny in retrospect! I´m just glad my leg didn´t get blown off, so yay for that.



Tonight I´m overnighting back to Arequipa, and will arrive tomorrow morning at Kieran´s once again. The plan is to make a huge Christmas feast and drink beer. The perfect December 26th. Merry xmas to all!

The Inca Trail and Machu Picchu

Yesterday I finished the 4 day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu! I will just come out and say that it was one of the most difficult and rewarding things I have ever done. I am so, so happy I did it, and just feel so lucky to have had the opportunity!

I was in a group of 17 people. That´s a bit sketchy because supposedly there is a 16 person limit, and most are 7-10 people, but mine was 17. It was 12 Argentines from Cordoba, all 19-20 year old Scouts traveling together, then a French couple and an American couple. Everyone was pretty cool, though I could have done without the French (sorry, it´s true, they were anti-social and wierd). There was a bit of a language barrier, as the American couple didn´t speak Spanish and none of the Argentines spoke English, but you know me, I was happy to chat with everyone and play translator. We also had a team of 3 guides and about 10 porters, the guys who carried the tents, food, and equipment. They are incredible! It´s just insane how fast they an go carrying so much weight. We, however, all carried all our own stuff, like clothes, water, sleeping bags, mattress pads, and snacks. Wooooo it was heavy!! But hardcore, and you know I love being hardcore.

So we set off on Thursday morning bright and early form Cusco. In another sketchy turn of events, our group was thrown together so last minute that there were no official camp spots left for us that first night, so we had a really short day 1, which meant we had an insanely long and difficult day 2. Day 1 we walked only about 2-3 hours, then arrived at a camp area next to a river, before even entering the national park area, and just chilled out for the evening, enjoyed the first of many delicious meals prepared for us by the cook (each meal begins with a soup, always yummy, and then we usually ate rice with chicken or meat and some kind of vegetable, plus coca tea-- and pancakes!!-- in the morning and herbal tea before bed), and then headed to bed at 8. My first night I shared a tent with 2 of the Argentine girls... the other two nights I was thrown into a tent with 2 of the boys, the two biggest ones no less. What a spectacle we were, 3 of the tallest people on the trip! They were super nice though, so we had fun and made it work.

On day 2 we woke up at 5:00 am and began the longest and hardest day of the trek. We climbed from 2,400 meters all the way to the highest point of the trek of 4,200 meters, and then we climbed all the way back down to 2,800 before stopping. It was by far one of the most physically challenging days of my life, especially given the altitude, which makes it harder to take in air. I´m thankful that I never felt sick though, as others weren´t so lucky. But I will tell you that after 4 continuous hours climbing thousands of stairs, my legs were absolutely killing me and I thought my lungs would explode. I never stopped eating the entire day, and still was ravenous at the end. All day I snacked on nuts and granola bars and fruit and drank tons of the water I was purifying (don´t drink the water in Peru!!) and just tried to stay motivated. It is an incredibly psychological trek, and requires you to really WANT to finish. I really, really did, and pushed through the pain. Arriving at the 4,200 meter summit was so amazing I almost cried. We all hugged at the top once everyone had made it and were so proud of each other. However we still had about 3 more hours of hiking DOWN the steps before we could camp. And I must say, going down thousands of steps is in many ways harder than going up. My knees were killing me, and my legs were shaking, but we made it.



Along the way we saw so much gorgeous scenery and many ruins, and our guides gave short explanations, though I´ll admit they weren´t very helpful. I mostly just enjoyed taking in the breathtaking views and enjoying being in a place so green and bright and fresh. It´s rainy season right now, but we were so lucky it rained very little. The gods were on our side!!! Or as the guides told us, La Pachamama (Quechua for Mother Earth) liked us. It was cold on the second night, but other than that the climate held out pretty well, and I was fairly comfortable with my t-shirt, long sleeve shirt, and one hoodie. I actually packed very well, especially for me, who is a notorious over-packer. Knowing I had to carry it all for 4 days helped a lot...

Day 3 was very tough too. It was a lot of climbing again and then hours and hours of decending. One section involved over 3,000 stairs going down, so you can imagine how that was on the knees. Couldn´t stop thinking of my dad, we just had knee surgery last week to have his knee replaced. Oh man, it´s a killer, but I did it! Just thankful I don´t have any existing injuries. The scenery and fresh air makes it all worth it though, and the company was great too. I became friends with everyone on the trip and we all motivated each other a lot. Plus it was nice to have yummy food to look forward to 3 times a day. Honestly I was surprised at how well organized everything was.

The third night, everyone on the Inca Trail, which is about 400 people or so, all camp at the same big campground, which has a bar and showers. I was weak and paid 5 soles for a shower, because I smelled soooo bad and it was so tempting. I also had a couple beers because, well, they were there and sounded delicious. We were treated to the best dinner of the trip that night too, a smorgazborg of beef, chicken, rocoto relleno (a traditional peruvian dish of stuffed hot peppers), rice, pasta, yucca, and grilled vegetables. I ate myself silly before passing out at a less reasonable 10pm.

Bright and early at 3:45 we had our wake up call for the final day. I forgot to mention that each morning our guides brought us coca tea in bed in our tents, which was sooo nice and so helpful to wake up. Such service! In the dark we all scrambled out of our beds and got ready for the final push. Had a big breakfast of pancakes and bread with jelly and coffee and hot chocolate, and then made our way to the main gates. At 5:30 they opened, and after all showing our passports and tickets we headed in for about a 2 hour hike up to Machu Picchu. We arrived at the Puerta del Sol (the Sun Gate) around 7:00 am. It´s supposed to be one of the best views of Machu Picchu, but we waited around for a while and the clouds never cleared away. In the rainy season it gets very cloudy, and I was nervous we wouldn´t end up seeing anything, that it would just stay foggy all day. Bummed, we left the Sun Gate witout seeing anything, and continued maybe another hour to Machu Picchu.

Along the way the clouds began to lift and I could start to make out some forms in the distance... it was it!! I started getting really excited and I could feel my feet moving faster. It felt like out of nowhere that suddenly, after 4 long days of walking, Machu Picchu was there in the distance, nestled between us and the bigger Wayna Picchu mountain. The clouds started to disappear and I suddenly had a perfect view of Machu Picchu below. I couldn´t believe my eyes. Was that really it?? It was huge and beautiful, and so much better than any picture I´d ever seen. We came in high above it and enjoyed one of the best views I´ve ever seen in my life. I took a bunch of pictures of course, but mostly just had a moment of giving thanks for my life and how special it has been. I thought about my family and my friends in that moment and wished you could all be there to share such beauty with me. I really was taken aback by the whole experience, and just appreciated every little detail... the clouds lifting... the crisp morning... fewer tourists during the low season... and no rain... 4 days of walking was absolutely worth it, and I´d do it again in a heartbeat.



I wish the story ended there, but it doesn´t. That´s the good part. After taking a tour of Machu Picchu and learning more about the area, the idea was that we´d walk 45 minutes downhill to Aguas Calientes, the city that lies below, and then would have lunch and take a train back to Cusco. However, when I finished the tour I was informed that my tour company never bought my train ticket. Errggggggg!!! So I walked all the way to Aguas Calientes in the rain.. yes right at that point it finally started raining.. and when I got there the guide told me he´d been calling the company over and over but that they weren´t answering the phone, and that I´d probably have to buy another train ticket. Which I´d already purchased. The best part is that I was about 20 soles short of the cost of the ticket, so I started worrying that I was stranded in this lame, overpriced, tourist town of Aquas Calientes. I had planned on enjoying the afternoon before the train ride soaking in the hot springs there, but instead I spent the entire afternoon calling the agency over and over and finally (you know me, I make things happen) getting someone to fax me a train ticket. Problem solved! I made it back to Cusco fine, although I lost the afternoon and came back much later than expected. The good news is that it was an adventure, and I also made some new friends while waiting around, a really nice Argentine couple on their honeymoon (it´s like Argentina is following me!!) and another cool American guy on the train who is teaching English in Peru. So of course I made lemonade out of lemons and all was well in the end.

Overall I had an absolutely amazing experience, and I would recommend the real deal Inca Trail to anyone who has the opportunity. It´s hard and it´s not glamorous, but it´s beautiful, fulfilling, inspiring, and will whip your butt into shape, and in the end you are rewarded with Machu Picchu. This is something I have wanted to do my whole life, and I´m just absolutely humbled by the experience. Yay for my life.

I´m back in Cusco and planning on staying here through X-mas, and then heading back to Arequipa to be with Kieran for the 26th and 27th... we´re going to have a Christmas celebration together then. Today I am taking it very easy, had a pedicure and an hour long massage this morning for a whopping 35 soles total (about $12 USD) and have just been hanging out today enjoying this gorgeous city. Can´t wait to see what Christmas festivities they have! Peruvians tend to celebrate Christmas Eve more than Christmas (actually I think that might be all South Americans), so I think the 24th there will be a lot going on in the city. I hear there is a big craft market that day and fireworks at night. Also, apparently everyone goes out that night, so ¨when in Rome¨!! It´s my first Christmas out of the U.S. and in summer, so I´m sure it will be interesting, and I´m looking forward to seeing what happens. I will miss you all at home very much though, and will be thinking of you. xo