Here is my whole blog for the Galapagos. I faithfully typed it up each night but couldn't send anything as WIFI isn't an option most places on the islands. The one place that had it was on Santa Cruz but I didn't have any passwords. Found out later that I just had to go into a restaurant and pay $5 for theirs.

The whole trip was wonderful -- each day was full of activities and new things, animals and plants to see. Our guide made it special as he lives there and loves his Islands.

We are back in our expensive hotel in Quito. Nice to have access to the internet. We didn't bother with supper as we've been eating too much -- just ate some of the nibblies, crackers and fruit they put out in a lounge that we have access to at anytime.

To Toronto tomorrow via Bogata, Columbia  and home on Tuesday via Calgary. Glad we don't have to do that silly business of going to Vancouver and waiting hours like Warren and Samara had to do.

Signing off until my next trip!!

Anne

Galapagos

Galapagos Day 1
This morning we had to be up by 5 and on our way by 6. "We" are a group of 12 from various parts of the world, including one couple from Vancouver. We flew to the Island of Balta arriving late morning. It was a surprise even though I had been forewarned by a friend (Hi Maura!!). It is flat, dry and has lots of large cacti. We were whisked off by bus to the catamaran used by Gadventures. We had a delicious lunch which included fresh tuna. After this we got suited up for our snorkel experience. Boy those wet suits are tight!

The picture is a bit hazy because the camera came from the air conditioned room to the moist outdoors.

 We snorkled in a little bay to start with as some of us are beginners at this. I'd only done it once before. I saw some cool fish -- one I liked was all black with yellow lips, tail and fins. And we saw several sharks which were much bigger than me! After we did that I had a quick shower to get the salt off then we were back in the zodiacs to explore along the shore.





 Saw my first blue footed boobie! As Don put it -- their feet and legs are "robin's egg blue".

 We also saw a very small heron and lots of frigates. Now, one of those frigates pooped on us -- managed to spray 4 of us in a line. Our guide got the worst of it thank goodness!

Pelican

We had a snack of round baked balls of dough that we dipped in honey. Yummy. I went for a nap then was wakened by a call to see the dolphins. They were the big ones and they were swimming under both bows of the ship. And they jumped a few times. Very exciting but didn't manage to get a picture as my memory card was full. Got it changed so am ready for more tomorrow.
Our rooms are comfy with our own bathroom, shower, bathrobes, and desk. We are on the top deck while some others are on the main. Actually, there is another deck above us -- is a sundeck with deck chairs. Too windy for me today.
Tonite's supper was served to us whereas lunch was buffet style. Soup, chicken, veggies and the usual potatoes. Dessert was a crepe.

Galapagos Day 2

We travelled for most of the night and, as it was quite rough, many didn't sleep well including Don. Not me -- I slept the whole night. We arrived in Isabella before breakfast. We were wakened by music then an announcement that breakfast would be ready in half an hour. We ate at 6:30 and were in the dinghies by 7:15. We first had a dry landing on a little volcanic island with a narrow path to follow.

We saw marine iguanas of all ages. One area is called the "kindergarten" as it is full of little ones. The big ones were about 30 inches long. They lay around all day and only go into the water at low tide to eat algae that grows on the rocks. They were often seen quirting water from the sides of their heads. Turns out this is the way they get rid of the seawater they have swallowed when eating. We then saw sea lions which look more like our seals. They aren't the big monsters we have on our coast. They lie around like all sea lions but if it gets too hot they go under the mangroves. There were little lizards around as well.

Mom and new pup

After this we went to the main part of the island by dinghy. A crazy open bus picked us up and we went to a spot which had flamingos. Next stop was a turtle sanctuary. That was really interesting as we saw the oldsters of 60 years or more plus all ages of younger ones. They don't mature sexually until about 25 to 30 years of age. There is a real conservation program going as the turtles are in trouble. Years ago, they were used as food by the inhabitants plus by passing seamen. These guys would put the turtles in the hold of the ship -- upside down, unfed and eventually to be eaten. It was a way of having fresh food when at sea months at a time.
Then it was back to the boat for a snack and to get changed for snorkling. We saw some awesome stuff today -- 4 of the great big turtles swimming just below us and 2 sea lions which seemed to be playing with us. I'm glad the sessions are quite short as I get cold. It was cloudy today so little sun to warm up with.
Isabella has palm trees which seemed more like what we should find. This island has, I think, 5 volcanos.
We spent the afternoon sailing to the next island which is Floreana. According to our guide it wasn't rough but it did bounce us around a lot. Hard to walk. There were some queasy stomachs and mine wasn't feeling normal. Mind you, I don't know what is normal anymore as I'm still not 100% since being sick back in Peru. I slept most of the afternoon then was wakened by the announcement that a pod (?) of dolphins was going by. There were about a thousand of them leaping in the air as they moved along. An amazing sight.
I've been having my shower when I get in from snorkling. I'm already wet so that gets the salt off me and my hair washed. By the way, my hair is quite curly with the moist air.
Snack today was pizza. We had our nightly briefing at 7 then sat down for supper about 7:45. They waited until the ship was anchored which certainly made it more pleasant. Supper was a lovely salad followed by the main course of something between a porkchop and ham, spuds and carrots. Dessert was bread pudding. At lunch we'd had skewers of shrimp, veggies and tuna followed by strawberries and cream. We eat very well.
We will have a quiet night as we are achored. Tomorrow is another busy day.
Our guide is a naturalist who lives in the Galapagos. He's very knowledgeable plus entertaining during the nightly lectures. He's the one who takes us snorkling and leads all the walks or dinghy rides. Today he told us how the islands got named. There is one species of turtle with a shell like a saddle for a horse. The word "gallop" got incorporated into Gallapagos.

Day 3

We had a bit of a later start today -- 7:30. After breakfast we were into the zodiacs with a wet landing on a beach.

 

Walter putting the postcards back in the mailbox.

 We walked to the "Post Office" which is a box with many many postcards in plastic bags. The idea is to take one with you from your area and hand deliver it. This is where the sailors left their letters and someone going back home would take them. Only found one from BC and we didn't even recognize the name of the place.
Next was snorkling which I really enjoyed today. Saw four or five large turtles swimming just below me. Also watched them eating which was really cool. They nibble at the algae on the rocks. Don't get much with each bite. And we had a couple of sea lions playing around us.
Next we had lunch which again was very good. It's amazing what comes out of that little kitchen. After some rest time (I nap every day!) the others went snorkling again. I get so cold that I didn't want to do it twice. So four of us had a nice ride around these incredible rocks seeing cacti (!), blue footed boobies, sea lions, etc. Then it was everyone into the zodiacs to go for a walk from a black sand beach over to a white one. Gorgeous place with noone around except us. I have fallen in love with the crabs.

They are red with painted designs on their shell. Some are dull but apparently it is getting time for them to molt. There are sea lions here that are golden in color -- only seen here apparently. Oh, the sea lions were bigger today -- we were finally seeing the alpha males. Saw a bunch of young ones waiting for their mothers to come back from fishing. Apparently they are dependent for at least 10 months. And we saw one that was just born today. It didn't seem to have a clue where the milk was! All our shore excursions are very leisurely and our naturalist guide Walter is amazing.
It was the "last supper" for the group as all are leaving tomorrow but us. They were most enjoyable companions for the past 3 days. (Two from England, one from Mexico, a mother-daughter duo from the US, a son-father duo from LA and the other couple from BC).

Our ship Queen Beatrix

We are now underway for the next island -- is 8 pm and feels like time to go to bed! By the way, we are only an hour out of BC time and the same as Alberta. When we fly back to Quito, we will be the same as Peru.

Day 4

After all our companions left this morning, we had breakfast then were in the zodiak by 8. We had a tour of the Charles Darwin Center. We were a bit disappointed as it wasn't much more than the turtle sanctuary we'd been to earlier (except that George, who died in June of a very old age, lived here.) We then wandered into town. This Island (Santa Cruz) has 15,000 inhabitants. The last island (Floreana had 1000). So the town was quite large with lots of souvenir shops. I bought a t-shirt, some coffee and chocolate. Nothing else said "buy me" especially since our house is full of stuff already. We were taken back to the boat about 11 and relaxed until lunch time. The next group arrived -- one couple from Switzerland, another couple from Austria (but she is Mexican), a couple from Indonesia (but he is French) and a woman from the US who is really interesting. She's been in the air force in Afghanistan, Iraq, etc. Has a boyfriend who's from Peru.
In the afternoon Don and I were driven up to the Highlands with our guide. It began to rain, as predicted, as soon as we gained some elevation. Eventually we were at 500 m above sea level. What a difference! Lush and green with crops such as bananas and oranges.Lots of cattle grazing. Our destination was an area where we could see the giant land tortoises in their natural habitat. We put on gum boots as the ground was mucky from all the rain. Saw lots of happy tortoises grazing.This one is about 80 or so years old.

The ones in the sanctuary aren't particularly happy campers. They get fed Mon, Wed and Fri so we saw the feeding both today and Monday. They are noisy chompers. They don't have teeth, so when in the wild they spread seeds all over the place which results in new vegetation. Their poops are rather large!!
The highlands have an odd climate. In the dry season, which is just ending, it is rainy and moist. In the wet season, it is drier and the lower areas get the rain. The males tend to be up in the highlands while the females are lower where it is warmer for incubating their eggs. Our guide told us that they go on facebook when it's time to meet for mating. The males have a concave lower shell to facilitate the mating.
Then it was back to the boat and a relaxing few hours before our nightly briefing and supper. Part of the meal was very salty tonite -- it's happened a couple of times. We had fresh tuna again with a nice sauce on it. Oh, earlier in the day we saw the fish market. Lots of pelicans looking for scraps plus a sea lion right under the table.

Day 5

This morning it was up early again with breakfast at 7. Good breakfasts on the ship: lots and lots of different fruits, granola, yogurt, meat, cheese, eggs plus some extras such as plantain fried with onions and herbs today.
We were in the boats before 8 to visit the sea lions on the Island of Santa Fe. The beach was full of them with the alpha male constantly patroling the beach and braying. The males get very tired as they don't take time to eat. That's when the competitor moves in. We watched them for a long time then walked over a headland to the next beach. The land iguanas were everywhere and as it is mating season, we saw the males following the females. The other thing they do is spend a lot of time under the cactus "trees" as their only food is the flowers which drop off the cacti. They have lost their ability to climb trees.

this one is about 30 inches long

 We saw two snakes as well -- near each other so probably mating as well. They kind of looked like our garter snakes but are actually boa constrictors. After getting to the next beach, we were picked up and taken back to the ship. Next was snorkling. It wasn't as interesting today -- the most fun was watching the young sea lion swirling around me. They seem to like to play with us in the water.
After lunch we set sail for a very small island called South Plaza. It was promised to be beautiful and it certainly was. It was covered with vegetation which was red/orange so lots of color. We walked a long trail around the island seeing many land iguanas, some marine iguanas (which climb the cliffs), sea lions (some of whom also climb the cliffs on a steep path), loads of sea birds, iguana nests (holes in the ground), birds galore, a baby seagull -- one alive and one dead, etc.

 Gorgeous views of the turquoise water, our ship, the colorful landscape.

Most of the land looks barren as the trees are all dormant. That's why the color on this island was so welcome.

Walter can't get his arms around the base of the cactus.

Forgot to say that we saw a long, drawn out fight between two sea lions in the water near where we were snorkling. Wouldn't want to get in their way!
In our lecture tonite, Walter (our naturalist guide) told us some of the history of the islands. Tomorrow we will be at Espanola which is the oldest and most southern. It has a history of 5 million years but the iguanas there have a history of 9 million years. So there was another island which sunk so the iguana moved on. All the islands gradually shrink as their volcanoes implode. Eg Fernandino Island lost 3 or 400 meters of height in the 1980's when the empty volcano collapsed with an earthquake. That's a continuing process -- as is the formation of new islands to the west.
The rocks on the little island today were amazing. They are polished so much by thousands of years of sea lions sliding over them that they shine in the sun. We've seen it before but it was much more obvious today. One spot was like a shiny highway.
I am regaining the weight I lost when in Peru. The meals are great and it is hard to resist taking a bit of each interesting item. Will probably need to go on a diet when I get home. Not enough exercise and what we do is very leisurely. Also I have a nap every afternoon plus sleep all night.

Day 6

Today we are at Espanola Island. The crossing in the night was a bit rough so I took a gravol. Will do that again tonite as well. We finish supper by 8 pm then head for bed on a full stomach. Not a good idea when the boat is rocking and rolling.
We were in the zodiacs by 8 am and had a dry landing. We walked (slowly!!) for almost three hours. Saw the usual sea lions but it was the albatross which we were going to see. They have an "airport" where they land but they can't take off from there. They need to walk to the edge of the cliff and launch themselves from there.

An albatross flexing its wings.

Saw some chicks --- so cute!

 We watched the birds soaring along the cliffs and saw a blowhole. Saw some chicks of the blue footed boobies as well.

Masked booby.

 The birds sure aren't bothered by us. We can walk within inches of them and they don't move. Saw lots of mating dances -- both of the albatross and the boobies.
Then we sailed to Gardner Bay where we had lunch. They always stop the ship at mealtimes which is much appreciated by the servers, cooks and us. Then it was nap time followed by snorkling at 2 pm. Today was really neat as I was surrounded by about 7 or 8 juvenile sea lions. They were eating something which was also interesting to see. One kept coming right up to me and brushed its whiskers on my hand. Then he looked like he wanted to take a nibble so I backed up a bit! Saw interesting things like sea urchins -- big black spines.
I always have a hot shower after snorkling as I get quite cold. We are in the water for about an hour. It might be better is we had sunshine but there's been little of that. It's OK as when the sun does come out, it gets really hot. Today I used the hairdrier because we were going back out onto a beach and I didn't want to go with wet hair. We were dropped off on a white sandy beach with 170 sea lions -- Walter counted them. Also saw two dead babies. Forgot to mention that we saw a whole pile of new pups in the morning.

 One still had the umbilical cord hanging down. Mom was encouraging it to go into the water. They have 4 teats and nurse the pups until they are a year old. They mate again when the pup is about a month but the embryo sits dormant for about three months as the mother needs the hormones for her milk.
Supper tonite was a salad of eggplant baked with mozz cheese, shrimp, carrots, beans, mashed spuds and a custard. A few things are too salty but most are good. Despite the saltiness, I see the others dumping more on!!!
Don didn't come with us today. His feet are too sore and the walking is difficult -- very stoney and exactly what his feet don't like. He's happy to read while we are out. He also won't go snorkling though others do who can't swim. They put on wet suits plus a life jacket.

Day 7

This morning we woke up beside the island of San Cristobal. What a difference! It is an old volcano with high cliffs. Our first activity of the day was to climb up to the open flat area where the birds were supposed to be nesting. It was the first decent exercise I've had in over a week! -- but it didn't last long enough. I can hardly wait to get home and be active again. Anyway, we were supposed to see red footed boobies but only saw a baby and a juvenile. They look exactly like blue footed ones. The foot coloration doesn't appear until they are a year old. A National Geographic crew was there today with their fancy camera. Probably most of the passengers were paying ones.

We then took a slow cruise around Kicker Rock which is a massive rock formation surrounded by water. On the way here we were in the midst of a big pod of dolphins. Again, they were swimming right under the boat. Really neat to see but hard to get a picture of. Saw a humpback whale close up as well as a manta ray surfacing off in the distance.
Lunch was a series of Ecuadorian dishes starting with ceviche -- served with popcorn! I was glad of the popcorn as, when I had it before, I had nothing to balance the acidity of the dish with.
Our afternoon snorkling was interesting with 4 sea turtles along the reef. One came up for air right beside me. Saw a gorgeous, big blue fish. Most are smallish.
After this we had a walk on the little island off the main island. Saw many pairs of blue footed boobies courting plus one mating.

Courting dance. Note the upright tails. They also stamp their feet and do things with their bills.

Also many were already on nests. Found out about how they make the nest boundary. The bird (male and female take turns for 40 days) sits on the eggs (two or three but usually only one chick survives). They face the sun and poop out the back end so, as they change directions, the nest is ringed with guana. This defines the area and possibly is a deterent for bugs.

 Several birds were nesting on the trail so had to put up with lots of people going by. Saw one abandoned nest.
Tonite was our farewell cocktail where the crew is re- introduced and thanked. Dinner was steak, baked potato and veggies. Tomorrow we have about an hour on shore before we head for the airport.

Some observations

Just a few observations that I've made. Am killing time this morning waiting for the craft market to get going in earnest. Things seem to get busier in these countries late morning and into the afternoon.

I forgot to say that the doorman at our hotel is wearing a long coat and top hat! That screams costly.

The beds: In Peru we had layers and layers of heavy wool blankets. Here we have the Europen style quilt with no top sheet. Unfortunately there are no layering possibilities but I appreciate the lightness.

Don had to buy some Tylenol as he forgot his. We of course had to go by its generic name and the cost was amazing! ---- 90 cents for 30 pills. When you buy in a drugstore here you order from one person. She gives you a slip of paper which you take to the cashier. You then either return to the original person or go to a different part of the drugstore to actually get the drug.

Our driver of yesterday recommended some Eucadorian dishes and we were able to get them in the hotel restaurant. I had a thick potato soup with lots of pieces of fresh cheese (the squeaky kind) and avocado in it plus, of course, more potato. It was yellow and I got a hint of curry flavor. Don had shrimp skewers with rice and potato(sort of like potato cakes but long and thin). The shrimp were the largest and meatiest we had ever seen and he got two skewers of them. Shrimp is one of their exports.

On our way back from the drugstore, we saw two street entertainers doing their thing in front of the cars waiting for the light to turn green. Just before it did that, they stopped and went from car to car soliciting money. Seemed to work well for them and the policeman standing there didn't care.

Speaking of police, they are everywhere -- as they also were in Peru.

Lots of street vendors here, either sitting or walking around. One lady had her poodle on a leash. It was wearing a cute coat and booties and she had an armfull of these items to sell.

Yesterday, when we were driving through the city to get to the park on the hill for our city view, we saw a guy going down the street with half a dozen goats. Then there was a lady in the actual park who was herding a bunch of sheep. Not something we would even see in little downtown Salmon Arm, much less a huge city.

I haven't mentioned Don's "champion" effort at canning the peaches before he came. He did 42 quarts. Eleanor----you can have them next year as we will be away again.

Signing off for now.

Friday, Sept 21st (I think!!!)

Note the size of stones that the Inca cut, moved, etc.

Cusco in the background.

Condor flexing his wings. Can you imagine being put in a cage with them in Canada? They aren't too concerned down here about safety! Mind you, they are carrrion eaters and don't kill their meals.

For you dog lovers -- hairless |Peruvian dog.

Interesting rock formation along railway tracks near Aguas Calientes. Gabi and I walked this track for several hours -- my first exercise after being sick.

On the way by bus to Machu Picchu -- early morning light. Note steepness of the terrain.

We are now in Quito, Ecuador but will go back a bit in time.

We had a farewell dinner in Cusco and were taken to a local restaurant which has excellent alpaca. Can you imagine that I ate one of those cute animals!!??? Well, the tenderloin alpaca steaks were delicious.

 Warren had his last pisco sour and then Rob finished off mine. I tried but it was too strong for my newly healed intestines.
The next day we flew to Lima. What a zoo the Cusco airport was! We were given gate 3 to go to as they were getting ready to load our plane from gate1. Good thing Warren was paying attention. That was a long, long day for everyone. We got to Lima mid-afternoon with hours and hours to wait for the kids' plane to leave for Toronto (2 am or so) . I had a hotel room at the Ramada right at the airport. I figured that it would be handy for the kids to veg in while waiting plus Don was coming in at midnight and needed a place to sleep for a few hours. Well, they would only let the kids stay for one hour then I was charged $20 each! Very small of them as they didn't use any resources except toilet paper!!! To spend all that time in the airport would have been a nightmare as they couldn't check in that early and there were no seats except in the food court. (And speaking of food courts --- they go around with menus then get the food for you!) So I said goodbye to them around 1030 so hope everything went well for them on their long trip home.
Don's plane landed about 15 minutes late at 1225 am. As predicted, it took about an hour for the luggage to come plus get through immigration. I was so glad to see him come through that door! We managed a few hours sleep then headed for the check-in 3 hours early. That can be a zoo there but was easy for a change. Then when we went to go through security, a problem emerged. Don didn't have some sticker on his boarding card so they sent him back to the check-in while I cooled my heals with the carry-on stuff. He had to go through about 6 people before someone knew about this sticker -- have no idea what it was all about. But, as I said, that is why one starts going through security early. All was well after that.
When we flew into Quito, I noticed how different the countryside was. It was dry of course but had hills instead of mountains, was quite agricultural and the houses were more spread out. Quito is about 50 km long and fairly narrow as it is in a valley between the two chains of the Andes. The housing is many grades above what we saw in Cusco -- definitely more prosperous looking. The traffic was noticeably different. Whereas in Peru it's a free for all on the roads with many honking horns, the drivers here obey the rules. There is still jostling for position at intersections and corners but they are polite about it.
We are staying at a Hilton hotel and, I must say, quite a contrast to the hotels we were in in Peru! But I guess we are getting what we pay for. This is the "joining hotel" for the tour so is much easier if we stay here. Don't want to see the bill for two nights though!!! We are on the "Executive" floor which has its own breakfast room plus a smaller room which serves cookies, fruit, coffee, pop, etc during the day. All "free" of course!
Our G adventures driver from the airport was very informative on the drive in. Gas is $2 a gallon for super and $1.50 for regular. They use American dollars here with the coins in local currency. The economy is doing well as the US $ brings in investments from various countries. Temperature extremes go from -6 to 25 C.They have elections every 4 years and are happy with their present president. Public education, including university, is free and the private university charges $1000 for 6 months. (have to buy their own books). They have two tiered health care as well. Luis says it is best to pay and get better care. The cost of alcohol has gone up a lot recently trying to stem the alcoholism that the cheap prices brought.
Today we were picked up at 9 am by another Gap employee. Ivan was a nice young man who drove us around in his KIA 4WD (small version). We had a city tour which included the largest church in the world except for St Peters Basilica in Rome. Quite beautiful. Instead of the gargoyles (spelling?) that are usually featured, they used local animals and birds. We then had a walk around the old city which is a UNESCO heritage site. Don's watch band had broken so we were able to get that fixed. Nice to have local knowledge of where to go. We then drove up to the top of a hill for a view of the surrounding city. Next stop was an empanada shop as we headed north to the equator. It was a hole in the wall where they made them fresh. I was so pleased to find their meat one was very similar to the ones I enjoyed so much in Chile. Our lunch for 3 came to $6.30! We had 6 empanadas and three drinks. The cokes and Inka cola cost 35 cents each!!!
Then it was on to the equator museum. First we had a talk about two of the native tribes from the Amazon. In one, the men tie a string around their waist under which they tuck their penis. This is to keep a parasite from entering their body when they are swimming. Otherwise they are naked. We saw their weapons ands I was surprised how very long their blow pipes were! We also heard how they do the head shrinking. Nowadays they use animals instead of humans so that they can keep the practice alive.Then we had a demo with the water going down the drain. Our guide first did it right on the line. It went straight down with no swirls. She then moved the portable sink to the "south" and then the "north". We couldn't believe how such a short distance from the equator (a few feet) made such a difference in the swirl. We did a little exercise with a raw egg -- balanced it on the head of a nail. The yolk goes to the bottom and gravity pulls straight down. I now have a certificate proclaiming me egg balancing "champion".

Our thumbs are in the air because we are attracting energy from the sun.

As we drove back into town, the clouds began to build. It looked like rain to me and Ivan was hoping so. It would be the first of the season. They have been much drier than usual and so have many more forest fires burning. Three people were killed in one of them and some of their parks have been burned. They use planes as well as ground crews to fight them. So, shortly after we got back, the heavens opened starting with pea sized hail stones followed by rain.
Don is doing very well with the elevation -- over 9000 feet. I've learned a lot so was able to pass along the simple solution which is to drink lots of water. He had been feeling crappy but was fine after downing a liter. We did some walking today with a few stairs and no shortness of breath or rapid heartbeat.

Will sign off for today. Tomorrow is Saturday and there will be a craft market in the park across the street. Should be fun.

The Inca Trail

This blog is by Samara since Mom didn't make the hike :(

Day 1:

At the start of the trail

The night before was really rough with Mom and Rob being sick so I was operating on about 2 hours sleep - not great conditions for hiking! I was the slowest that day so got to know Ever, the assistant guide who brought up the rear, quite well.


The scenery was very much like BC except squished together and pushed up. The mountains were so close and so high. The hike was a fairly easy one, rolling terrain with only a few steep, prolonged uphills.
We stopped for lunch at a farm-type area, lots of animals including this REALLY ugly rooster and a very cute kitty. I went to pet him and my sunglasses fell off my head onto him - oops!

We continued hiking for about 2 hours after lunch and then had snack time - popcorn! We ended up having that every day at snack time and always polished it off.

Dinner was only about an hour later so we didn't eat much. And then pretty much straight to bed. It gets dark incredibly fast. I've never been this close to the equator so I guess that's just how it is here. Not like at home where is gets dark over a period of an hour or more - here it's like someone suddenly turned out the lights!

Day 2:
This is know as the hell day so we were all a bit nervous. And it was uphill almos the entire time. However, I did much better and wasn't the last one. I think some of the younger hikers pushed too hard the first day and it affected them. One girl in particular had a lot of problems with the elevation and was way back in the group. She was really upset because she runs stairs at home and is really fit so it was pretty frustrating for her. The elevation affected all of us. Rob and Warren said they noticed it but you wouldn't know from their speed. From the last rest stop to the top of Dead Woman's Pass is supposed to take 1.5 to 2 hours - Warren did it in 34 min. and Rob did it in 47 min. I'd be annoyed but Warren came back down and carried my pack the rest of the way (approx. half way) so I managed to finish in 1 hr 15 min. The elevation at the top is almost 14,000 feet - it felt amazing to make it up there!

At to top!!

Looking back from where we'd come.  Our camp was basically at the bottom of this valley - huge elevation gain in approx. 5 hours of hiking.

We were told that this uphill was steps the whole way (ugh) but it wasn`t. It was uphill with a couple of steps every 6 to 10 feet - much easier to hike than solid stairs. However, the way down to camp was solid stairs...for two hours! Our legs were super shaky at the bottom. The porters RAN down which was crazy to see and really scary as we were on a cliff edge a lot of times and we wondered if they ever lost a porter over the edge and didn`t notice until he didn`t show up at camp!

So the toilets were rather gross - a hole in the ground with nothing to really brace yourself or hold onto. They generally were fairly disgusting as people aren`t used to having to aim. Also, after two hours of downhill, squatting was almost impossible!

Day 3:
This was all of our favorite day. The beginning was a bit of a nightmare though because it was uphill for about an hour and half...all stairs. The elevation was lower than the day before so breathing was easier but still not a nice way to start out. We saw a number of Incan ruins.

Rob in the ruins.

After a couple of hours we were in the Cloud Forest which was beautiful. Mostly rolling terrain through the forest with the mountains showing up periodically at viewpoints. It was supposed to be buggy but we didn`t notice any and didn`t have to use bug spray. At some point I was bitten by a spider. I didn`t notice so I expect it was while I was sleeping. Based on the bite size (you can actually see where both fangs went in), the consensus was that the spider was at least as big as the end of thumb...shiver.... We also decided that it wasn`t poisonous since I`m still here :)

We stopped for lunch on this gorgeous cliffside with llamas and an amazing view. The cooks baked us a cake for dessert - amazing! The food was very good the whole trip - pretty amazing that they can do that when the have to carry everything from place to place including the kitchens. There are no permanent structures on the Inca Trail except the washrooms.

Lunch spot

We made our way to some huge terraces on the side of the hill. You look a the jungle-like growth on each side of the terraces and wonder how long it took to build them - it would have been an incredible effort. As we are sitting there, we can see some bad weather starting to roll in. We don`t want to get wet to we practically run down the trail to the campsite which was about 45 min. away. We made it just in time - the heaven`s opened and it poured. We were actually really lucky with the weather - sunny in the morning, clouding over when it started to get too hot and then rain after we go to camp. That pattern happened all four days which, according to our guide, is highly unusual for this time of year.

Terraces



















Day 4:
Up at 3:45am - ugh - breakfast at 4 and then pack up and ready to go by 4:30. We hiked a short distance to the checkpoint which does not open until 5:30 for safety reasons (someone died falling of the trail while hiking in the dark). So, we were lined up with all of the other hikers waiting for it to open. After it opened, it was approx. 1 hour of fairly easy walking until the Sun Gate which overlooks Machu Picchu. Wow, wow, wow - we made it! After that it was about another hour of downhill into Machu Picchu where we met back up with Mom.
We had an hour and a half guided tour of the ruins and then had some free time to explore them on our own. It was pretty cool.

A neat thing that happened was right before our last group shot - one of the couples on our trip got engaged.  He tried to get down on his knee but he'd had knee surgery a few months ago and after the four day trek, he was pretty sore.  Everyone was crying and hugging and the poor guides were trying to organize us for our picture!  That picture's on Warren's camera so I don't have it here.

Group shot at the Sun Gate looking over Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu from about halfway down

Reunited with Mom!

After that, we took the bus down to Aguas Calientes and had some lunch and then took the train back to Ollantaytambo (Sacred Valley) and then a mini van back to Cusco (about 3.5 - 4 hours travelling). I was sitting way too close the front of the van - the driving is scary - no real rules of the road. After we almost collided with the second truck, I decided to close my eyes and try to have a nap. Ignorance is bliss :)

The hike was physically and mentally challenging but was definitely worthwhile. We all felt amazing that we had accomplished this thing. The only sad thing was that Mom couldn`t be there too.

Update from several days ago

Some observations from several days ago:

They had lots of 3 wheeled taxis in Puno, some human powered and some with engines--are actually motorcycles with 2 seats behind. They are reall cute and have different paint jobs than they had in Nepal. If they have an engine they are called tuk tuks.  This picture is our bicycle taxi that we took to the ferry on Lake Titicaca.

The reeds that they make the islands and their houses out of.

Floating island   

Typical reed boat

our homestay village

Our "mom" and the clay stove she cooks on

 On our way out of Puno, we saw what the poor locals live in. If you can imagine a steep hill with each building partially built over the one below then think of adobe boxes. It looked like a terrible place to live, especially in hot weather. If I had a choice, I would go for the hard life on the islands with their farms, animals, and cooking with wood over a little stove in a little kitchen. At least you would have the outdoors to be in.In the city I'm sure a lot of them spend their days sitting on hot street corners selling something.

The day after arriving in Cusco, we had to leave our suitcases behind and just take what we needed for 5 days. We could leave any extra stuff not needed on the hike at the hotel in Ollaytantambo. It would then be picked up on the way back from the trek. On the way we visited Sacsayhuam (called Sexy Woman by gringos). It is a huge Inca ruin that has only 20% of the stone left. It was used as quarry for colonial houses. tI took nearly 100 years to build and some of the limestone blocks weigh as much as 300 lbs. The blocks are put together without mortar. They have one concave side and one convex so that they mesh. The join between the upper and lower stones is accomplished by wiggling them back and forth on sand. They trim off the high points. Think of the dentist checking your bite then grinding down the high points.
We continued on to the Sacred Valley. They have only a small area on the bottom of the valley so use the slopes for their crops. But they don't do it like in Bhutan or Nepal with their many terraces. Here the plots are on a 20 degree slope which looks very hard to work on. They rotate crops eg. potatoes or grains.
Our next stop was at an animal sanctuary. We had heard so much about their puma and it is exactly the same as our cougar. The male is being released soon but not the 2 females. They were used in some nightclub act and given lots of drugs. They are totally dependent on humans so can't be released back into the wild. Pumas are highly respected here and are only hunted by the occasional bad person. We were told that if a small child was minding the family's sheep or llamas, the puma would go for one of the animals. Also there were three condors. They released them from their cages after we were all inside the fenced and roofed compound. Rob got the best picture of them flying straight at us! I was on telephoto so missed the opportunity. Their wing span is 3.3 m and they eat 4 kg of meat each day.
Our next stop was a weaving/knitting cooperative that is supported by G adventures. We all spent some money as the quality was good and they had some interesting things that noone else makes. Some of you will have to wait until Christmas to see them! We saw the process from spinning to washing to dying the wool.The women knit so fast! And they even knit while walking around. No wasted moments for sure.
We had lunch along the way then were delivered to our hotel in Ollantaytambo -- this is the gateway to the Inca Trail. From here you catch a train to the actual start. After this we climbed another Inca site -- lots of wide stone steps separated by flat areas. As we progressed up the site, our guide stopped here and there to explain things. I was starting to feel funny so decided to go down. Good thing Samara came with me and good thing some instinct told me to back up to a wall on one of the flat spots because I fainted. Never, never have I done that before. Samara caught me and was helped by two others. It turned out I probably got food poisening at lunch, Good thing I wasn't on the steps or I could have been hurt. Sooo, that was the beginning of the worst case of diarrhea I've ever experienced. I went for almost 2 days without eating anything -- just trying to get electrolytes and water down. I saw a doctor in the morning and he said I was in 2nd degree dehydration. He offered an IV but I promised to drink 2.5 l per day. Needless to say, I couldn't do the hike which started that morning.
Rob had a problem in the night which again was probably related to lunch. He was in severe pain so our leader and Warren took him to the doctor. He was given an injection of three drugs to relax his bowel plus a pain killer so he got some sleep and felt fine in the morning. Poor Samara and Warren got little sleep with all the middle of the night action. So they went off on the hike, all three taking antibiotics. Not recommended normally but to be caught in the middle of the trail with no way out would be awful. So today they are on day 2 which is the really tough one. Hope the are doing OK!!!! I will see them again in two days at Machu Picchu.
Yesterday I dreaded the 2 hour bus ride to get back to Cusco. I took three Immodium and managed to get here without a disaster. I saw the Gadventures doctor here and he gave me a different antibiotic plus something to thicken things up plus something for parasites (because of the homestay). He was very good plus very good looking! I'm finally on the mend today and have been having something to eat. Tomorrow Gabriella and I head up to Aguas Calientes which is the town just below Machu Picchu.Then the next day we meet the others at the refuge.
I'm sorry to have missed the Inca Trail but am philosophical about it all. More news after I see the kids again.

Warren and Rob in their bike taxi.
Sunday, Sept ??? ---I've lost track of the days.
Today Gabriella and I had a two hour bus ride and then a 1 1/2 train ride. Since I was still having problems every two hours I decided to take 2 more Immodium at 4 am. The doctor doesn't like that stuff -- says the bugs need to come out. I agree, but after 3 days of diarrhea and hardly eating anything I figure it's all gone. So it worked in more ways than one. My bowels aren't distressed anymore and I felt normal for the first time.
The bus ride was just a repeat of the other day, only reverse direction. We went from Cusco to Ollantaytambo. This time I was interested in looking at the scenery! The Andes look strange with the bare hills below as we are so used to trees. Then it was a train ride. On the way Gabriella pointed out where the kids had started their hike. Aguas Calientes was our destination. It's just for tourists with many, many craft stalls and restaurants. After lunch we had a rest as the sun was too hot to hike. Big mistake! We should have gone out soon after as by leaving at 3 pm the weather had changed. We had an hour long hike along the railway then 20 minutes into a botanical garden with two waterfalls. Well worth the walk, but we got caught in a major downpour for the whole way back! So, Shannon, the jacket kept me dry from the rain and didn't get sweaty inside and we were really hoofing it to get back. And I was so pleased to have my fit body back!! We are at 6000 feet here so no problem after being at 11 and 12,000.
I should explain who Gabriella is. She is a CEO (Chief Experience Officer) with Gadventures. She's been at the job since March and is a natural for it. She's had a rich varied life, speaks 5 languages and has an awesome personality. Plus she's very attractive --- is a native born Peruvian. Her job is to make life easy for us. Everywhere we go we also have a local guide which is why she's been with me while the kids are on the trail. She was a gem while I was sick. So nice to be looked after and not have to fend for myself.

The hotel here is not great but she says they all have indifferent service. Our rooms are noisy and the owners not too interested in their job. It's a captive audience of tourists with no other choices.

Wednesday Sept 12 --- Ethan's birthday!!!!!

I forgot a few things from the trip to Lake Titicaca. Warren dared Rob to jump into the lake then decided to do it himself as well. They were expecting really really cold as we were at 12,000 ft above sea level. Turned out the lake was like a cold Mabel Lake. But poor Olivia from Australia thought when they said "lake" that it would be warmer. Boy you should have seen her swim briskly for the boat!!! whereas the boys just went leisurely.

Rob trying to change his mind when he was already committed!

Warren on his way down.

Olivia in full flight just as her feet left the railing.


Note the dry hills in the other pictures.

Sunday, September 9, 2012
Today we headed for the airport and our flight to Juliaca which is the nearest airport to Puno. What a change in scenery! The hills are bare and dry -- reminded us all of Kamloops. The houses are very basic and unfinished -- found out the reason for that. They don't have to pay taxes until the houses are finished. One hundred thousand people live here and one of the few nice buildings is a new modern looking university. Later on we passed a small village with stone fences -- no mortar, just piled up.
After an hour or so, we arrived in Puno on Lake Titicaca. Puno is a large city scattered on the dry hills above the lake. Lake Titicaca is the largest lake in the world above 2000 m. On the far side is Bolivia. Puno is at 3830 m and the highest place we will sleep on this trip.It is warm during the day when in the sun but quickly chills in the shade. In the evening we need fleece and jackets. We walked to lunch. I really like the way our tour guide Gabriella takes us places instead of letting us flounder on our own. We pay for our own meals but nice to know where to go. I had quinoa soup (full of stuff -- chicken, potato, veggies) and a quinoa dessert (much like tapioca). Rob and Samara had chicken soup which had a whole piece of chicken in it. Warren bailed and had something ordinary as some foods bother him.
After lunch we went back to the hotel and played cards. The altiitude is OK as long as we don't exert ourselves. For supper we went to a BBQ chicken place. Delicious, small amounts and cheap. Then we did a bit of looking around the local supermarket which seemed to have everything except sunglasses. Samara broke hers the first day and Rob didn't bring any. But they managed to find shops with some. It's vital that we protect our skin and eyes as we can burn quickly as this elevation and so close to the equator.
Here is a note for Shannon who likes heavy blankets-- here they are very heavy -- thick and made of wool. One has to wake up to turn over and if you try to sleep on your back, your toes get bent downwards! But we are certainly not cold at night.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Today was fascinating! We were picked up in the morning by bike taxis. We sat in front, in twos, and were pedaled down to the waterfront, about 10 to 12 blocks. It was quite exciting as cars and vans came quite close plus we crossed some very rough railway tracks. We got to the dock where we all bought gifts for our families -- toilet paper, fruit, oil, pasta, sugar, etc. We were not allowed to bring candy for the kids as tooth care is a concern.
We got on our boat along with another 5 Gadventurers (all seemed to be from Australia and had already done the Inca Trail). Our first stop was the Uros Islands which are floating. Each island is about 100 to 150 x 75 feet. They are made by cutting very large pieces of underwater soil which has the Totara reed's root system in it. Eight pieces make up the base of an island. They would tow these to the new spot and tie them together plus anchor them to the bottom. In time the roots grow into each other and anchor the whole thing together. On top they put layers and layers of the reeds. It takes a year to make one and they last about 40 to 50 years. You can only make one if you were born on a floating island. The houses are made of reeds and are moveable. They refresh the top every 15 to 20 days. The cooking area is either kept very wet or they lay down a stone. Fuel is dried reeds or kerosene. There are 165 of these floating islands and they elect a mayor. They have an elementary school and a health center. But, sadly, as the years go by, more and more move to the mainland and may just come out to the islands during the day to sell their crafts. They feed themselves by fishing, hunting birds (with a gun) and gathering bird eggs. Some have solar panels. We had a good history lesson then were dressed up in the local clothes. Samara's hat was different from mine as she is unmarried. Of course they had crafts to sell and S and I did buy some things.
Next was a stop on the island of Taquile. It took several hours to ge there. We then had practice for the hike by a 20 minute climb up stone steps to the restaurant. The boys had no trouble but Samara and I were winded. Lunch was delicious. Warren and I had rainbow trout and Samara and Rob had omelet. It certainly is cheap to eat here. We all had soup and tea as well and it came to about $10 each. Then we looked in at the weaving co-operative. The men weave (very, very fine) and the women spin. They have traditional dress which they wear each day. If a man is wearing a knitted "toque" with white on it, he is unmarried. The hats have a long top which folds and hangs down one side of the head. They wear a vest and a colorful waistband. In addition is a small woven pouch full of coco leaves. The women wear black shawls over their heads and colorful (often red) blouses which indicates that they are married. A light colored blouse is for the unmarried. Works very well, especially since the women are very, very shy.
Next was our destination for the night at a village on Amatani. It is a peninsula of the mainland. The soil is red (iron) and the hills dry but the rainy season doesn't start until October. It will green up then and they will plant their crops. Our first activity was to play soccer with the locals. It was a rousing game that we won but Rob said "they were toying with us". I was amazed at how Warren and Rob could run around at that elevation. Next we were all dressed up. Samara and I had 4 skirts (no wonder the women all look fat!), a jacket, a white scarf which went over one shoulder and a bowler type hat. The boys had colorful ponchos, woven belt and hats with a wide brim. We all had a string of pom poms on our right wrists. Next we watched the locals dance after which it was our turn. As well as doing a simple step and twisting from side to side, we had to fling the pom poms around. After that our local family joined us. Grandpa was pushed aside by his granddaughter and another girl and did they twirl about. We were supposed to be holding hands but it was difficult as they were moving targets. And they showed us up with the skirt twirling. We could see their underskirts but S and I failed that test. By this time it was very dark so our headlamps were used to negotiate the narrow paths up to our "parent's" home.
Our home was interesting. There was a separate section made for the homestay guests which had nice beds and a private bathroom. We were shown to our room and the two kids (girl-5 and boy-7) helped us take off all those layers that Grandpa had put on earlier. (By the way, I wasn't cold anymore with all those layers on top of my fleece and jacket!) The little girl was quite precocious. She insisted on undoing all the buttons and ties which meant I had to be down on my knees. She wanted to hang up Samara's hat but insisted that she had to be lifted up to do it -- no way was S going to do it! Next was supper of soup followed by rice and a medly of veggies done in some sort of sauce. Very good. All this was cooked over a small wood stove that was introduced to the village by a foreign aid agency to get away from smoke filled kitchens. Hard to describe but made of clay and very efficient. We then headed for bed to let the family get on with their normal routine. Now, the blankets -- 5 heavy wool ones plus an extra at the bottom of the bed. It was even heavier than when in Puno.They have electricity for lights only.
Breakfast was at 7:30 but we heard the family up at 5:15. It would be Dad and Mom probably with the kids getting up later. Breakfast was delicious deep fried bread which puffed up leaving a hole in the middle. We ate it with jam. Also had a boiled egg and tea. The kids went off to school and we then "helped" take the sheep down to their enclosure near the water. We started out with our mother (who was 30) but she started talking to someone. We kept following the sheep (15 of them) as they seemed to know where they were going. It was quite funny as we had no idea of the destination and mother was no where in sight. Well, she eventually came puffing across a field, turned them all around and herded them into their enclosure. We were talking to another couple and they had to stake their sheep. Were shown how to tie them but their Dad had to redo it all. We must be such a nuisance! Before we did that we had peeled spuds and carrots and shelled peas for the soup. This was cooking nicely while we were occupied with the sheep. Next we helped with dishes. She scrubbed them with soap in cold water. They get rinsed then put in a bowl to airdry. After that there was nothing to do so we walked a bit then sat in the sun. The chicks were entertaining. It is a beautiful spot with the blue, blue water below. The houses are all made of adobe bricks them make themselves. Warren and Rob had the job of turning them over so they could dry some more. These are made in the dry season then used for building later. Andrew had the hardest job. He helped his father take these large heavy adobe bricks up in a wheelbarrow with father pushing and Andrew pulling with a rope. He was worked too hard in my and his wife's opinion. He's not one of the young ones either. At 11:15 we had our lunch -- quinoa soup with a potato in it, a plate with 3 potatoes (they are small), three Okra, sliced tomato and deepfried fresh cheese!!! This was followed by a cup of barley tea. We then caught the boat back to Puno, a 2 1/2 hour ride.
That's the highlights. It's 10 pm so no time to insert pictures. Will try tomorrow after we get to Cuzco. It is a 7 hour bus ride.

　
　
　
　
　
Thursday, Sept. 6, 2012
Warren and I left Kelowna today. I became a problem as soon as I hit security! That lovely little purse that Kathy made me out of a coffee bag has a foil liner. It was in the cargo pocket of my pants and the wand kept beeping near my knees. So I was asked if I had a knee replacement. Since the answer was no I finally clued in that the offending article was in my pocket. So mystery solved and now I make sure it goes through the xray machine in my purse.
Toronto was hot and muggy even at midnight! Glad I don't live there. We had a decent enough sleep then eventually wended our way out to the airport about 1 pm. We had hours to wait but I had tickets for the Air Canada lounge. What a treat! We had lunch in there, played cards and Warren even had a scotch! Nice perk.
Samara and Rob arrived from their flights in plenty of time so finally I was able to relax. The 8 hour flight went quickly as we played Quiddler and/or crib. We switched seats a few times to add variety. We landed on time but it took forever for the luggage to come. I swear that they were bringing it in wheelbarrow loads instead of the usual carts. The drug and food dogs were very interested in our backpacks of course but the guys accepted our explanations of former food. Our poor driver had to wait 1 1/2 hours before we showed up from immigration. The place was a zoo of signs but when he saw us he waved the G adventures sign over everyone's head. Then it was an exciting drive to the hotel. The roads were even crowded at that time of night plus they don't follow any road rules. The gutsiest wins. There were many near misses. Rob had a big grin on his face.
The hotel was adequate but being disturbed at 6:30 am after getting to bed only four hours earlier wasn't fun. Turned out Samara and I were under the breakfast room and we were listening to chairs scraping. We managed another hour or so before heading up for breakfast ourselves. It was very basic -- fruit,cereal, buns, meat, cheese, juice, yogurt drink and tea or coffee.
Because we missed the morning tour, we wandered along the path which overlooks the ocean. Lima is built on a hill way above the water with little access to the water because of immense cliffs. There are a few sets of stairs which double as evacuation routes in the event of a tsunami and of course some roads at spots. We watched the surfers for quite awhile, examined an interesting huge statue of two people in the "Love Park", bought an interesting lunch at a sidewalk cafe (enpanadsa and tamales plus IncaKola). IncaKola is yellow in color and tastes like cream soda with a hint of bubblegum and ginger ale. It's been bought by Coke but is indigenous to here. The path is well used by joggers, dog walkers, families, etc. Lots of exercise stations as well. Also lots of security.
In the afternoon we had an interesting city tour which included the ruins of a pre-Inca pyramid that was used for sacrifices. We also went into the catacombs where there were bones lined up in types after they catalogued them in the 1950's. There were 25,000 people buried there in lime. One spot had the bones and skulls decoratively arranged!
At 6:30 we had our orientation and met the others in the group -- four from Calgary, two from Norway, two from Washington DC but are English, and one from Australia. Our leader is a lovely young Peruvian woman who has excellent English. After this she took us to a "nearby" restaurant where we could have a choice of local foods.l had ceviche (very fresh raw fish which has been "cooked" in lime juice.) It was delicious but too much of the acidy flavor. I would have liked some bread or rice with it for a balance. Warren had a hot pepper stuffed with meat which he really enjoyed. Rob had that as well as a dish of scallops. Samara had the scallops plus beef heart which was delicious. When we sat down we were given a small pisco sour. A lot ordered a full glass and were surprised to find it stronger than free one! Samara,Rob and Warren all got a very nice buzz out of it. Haven't seen Warren so talkative in a long time!! For those who don't know, pisco is distilled wine and about 50% alcohol. It is mixed with lime juice and egg white.

September 5, 2012

Heading off to Toronto tomorrow then off to Peru on Friday.