The Galapagos Islands & Lessons Learned

I am finally getting around to typing up a bit about the last leg of our journey...the Galapagos. Since we came home a few days ago, we have been busy getting back into the swing of things and I have been feverishly grading papers that are due tomorrow at midnight. So I am happy to sit back and look back to the journal that I wrote in while we were in the Galapagos. It was an awesome place.

Day 8: Quito--> Baltra
We took an early morning flight (getting good at those) to the Island of Baltra in the Galapagos. We got picked up at the tiny airport and taken to a small pier where some dinghies came to bring the guests onto the boat a few at a time. On our way to the boat we saw some sea turtles mating in the water right next to us...obviously didn't care if we were there! It was super organized and really went off without a hitch (the boat ride that is...though I am sure the turtle sex was organized too). We checked in, got to our room and relaxed for a bit before heading to a nice buffet lunch and then to our welcome drink and introduction lecture. There we just learned the basic rules about what not to do on the islands since they are in a protected national park.
After that, we got to take a short nap and then we were already off to our first excursion. We hiked around North Seymour Island for a few hours and that is probably where we saw the most wildlife out of all of our stops the whole cruise. It was awesome. There were huge frigate birds (who were mating...and those are the birds who have the red chests that puff way out when they are mating), tons of different iguanas and lizards, blue footed boobies, a bazillion sea lions...so cute, and many more. Our tour guide, Valerio, was awesome...he was super knowledgeable about everything and he was very interesting to listen to. We did have a few annoying people in our group who asked some ridiculously stupid questions and got way too close to the animals (which they talked to us about only hours earlier) but strangely and magically all those people happened to be in a new group the next day. Valerio must have had some seniority. Good stuff.
When we got back on the boat, they had an ice cream social where we met a few new people and then we checked out the boat. It held 100 passengers plus crew so it was like a mini cruise ship. We liked it a lot!
Here are a few of the bullet points I wrote in the journal that night (pretty entertaining to read back on)
*I want to keep a baby seal as a pet (seriously they were so freaking cute...they loved people)
*I couldn't believe how tame the animals were....just walking around, unphased by us being there.
*There is a really strange couple sitting at our dinner table...Jason thinks they are just your typical New York couple....but I suspect much worse...(I of course end up being right)
*There is a really cool young couple at our dinner table which might make up for the other really strange couple at our table...they are from Australia and near our age. (they did make up for the other couple and were really awesome)
*Had a 'spirit of Ecuador' drink that I would come to regret later that night
*Ecuadorians say 'boobies' in a way that makes me and Jason giggle everytime...again evident that we are in the younger crowd
*Jason did laundry in the bathroom sink with hand soap...what a man
*I watched the beginning of the movie 'Up' on the plan ride to the Galapagos and it made me cry (if you remember...the old lady and her husband's dream since they were a young couple was to go to South America but they never made it...made me feel so lucky we were here)

On the screen on the plane...headed to the Galapagos!

Our identifying badges

On the dinghy headed for the boat!

Our room

The inside bar

The outside bar

Sea Lion just chillin'

our boat

Forget Dora...Jason the Explorer

Frigate...obviously frisky

blue footed boobie...a duh

SO CUTE

an iguana family

mama and baby

Day 9: Floreana
As I may have eluded to...the welcome drink or whatever parasites still existed in my body...did not do me well the first night on the ship. I didn't feel sea sick...despite major wavy-ness...but I did get sick in other ways. So sadly we missed the first hike of the next day. But it was apparently ok because people said they didn't see much.
We slept in, ate lunch, laid out in the sun by the pool and later and since I felt better we then headed to Floreana Island for some hiking and snorkeling. It was a beautiful place. Although the Galapagos were not as lush and green as I expected (mostly due to the season) the water was a stunning color...always changing...and Floreana was a perfect example of that. When we got to the side where the dinghy dropped us off, we saw some greenish gold sand and some darker water but as we hiked across the island we came to a bright blue water and white sand beach. We could not snorkel on that side however, because the beach was covered with sting rays.
The only disappointment was that we didn't see flamingos and this was the island they were most prevalent on. It was super interesting to hear stories about how pirates had lived near these islands at one time and the wild pigs, donkeys, etc. that they brought with them are still alive on the island today...although we didn't see any.
We walked around the white sand beach once we reached it and saw more sea lions (go figure) and a ton of colorful crabs (sebastian!)
When we got back to the side where the dinghies dropped us off, we stripped down and grabbed our snorkel gear and were off to snorkel. I didn't know til literally the moment we were walking into the water that this was the first time Jason ever snorkeled in the ocean in his whole life! I couldn't believe it! A Floridian who hadn't snorkeled...Anyways it was pretty cool (and the water was cold!) we saw sting rays (eek), sea turtles, and tons of fish. It looked just like what it was...a crater of a volcano...you could totally tell the rocks were dried lava under the water so that made it even cooler. I remember at one point I came up, took my mask off and looked around and was in awe. It was that beautiful and like I said...felt like we were in the middle of a crater of a volcano, partially filled with water.
That night we had a BBQ dinner on the deck of the boat which had a beautiful view and then later got to know our new Australian friends a bit better and stayed up to play some cards with them...it was really fun! : ) We were glad they were there. Gab (the girl) and I bonded over the fact that we knew our husbands were going to be the most embarrassing dads ever someday. And when Russ (the guy) said his dad role model is Peter Griffin...I knew we could be good friends. Haha.
A few notes from that day's journal:
*Tummy issues again...shocker!
*Eating lunch was a mistake too...stay tuned
*Bri is not very good at playing Presidents and Assholes
*The couple from Australia is super nice and it is confirmed...the New York couple is SUPER weird
*Sleeping in was necessary today
*Had fun ''star-gazing'' after the bbq dinner...good thing we had an iPad app to help us with stars because the staff didn't know much about stars! Haha

The green sanded side of Floreana

gosh he's cute

Valerio, and our new, NOT annoying group!

a little lizard buddy

I love the blue

sunbathing...anticipating a swim

He decided to go for it!

Our view for the night time deck BBQ

Us

Why would I choose a blue margarita when I was finally feeling better? Good question...

Some cards...Jason was my shuffling bitch. Everyday he's shufflin'

Day 10: San Cristobal
As you may have again suspected, I again got sick that night. If it's getting old to read about...trust me that's nothing compared to how I felt (and frankly still feel). And this night was even more wavy...like afraid I was going to fall out of bed wavy. I felt bad for our poor Australian friend since she gets sea sick easily.
So like the day before we missed the morning hike on this day too. Jason was also not feeling well so we knew our bodies just needed some rest. And rest we did. Man we can be bums.
That afternoon we went to San Cristobal Island to see the turtle hatchery and protection area. This was the only place where I felt terrible during a planned activity...but I made it through. The turtles were pretty big and they reminded me so much of dinosaurs for some reason. It was pretty awesome to learn that scientists think they can live up to 250 years long! Crazy!
When we got back to town, we had time to walk around and get souvenirs, get a drink, whatever we wanted. I had a few tours of different bathroom locations so if you're wondering I have some great suggestions for you. ; )
There were sea lions everywhere in this place. It was the only populated (with people) island we went to that actually had stores and homes on it. But the sea lions just come on up on land and sleep in the middle of a plaza, on the playgrounds, and even hop into people's boats anchored in the bay for their afternoon snooze. It was pretty sweet.
When we go back to the boat, I skipped out on dinner and the nightly activities and just rested...I was NOT feeling good. But Jason got to say goodbye to his favorite New York couple at dinner...I was so disappointed I missed that.

if you look close you can see a sea lion in one of the boats

gorgeous water

hey...i'm a turtle....turtle, turtle!

blagh

a minor road block...

like I said...just hanging out

a mom nursing her baby under the swing set

very pretty!

I LOVE this picture of Jason...he's so cute!! : )

on of our many dinghy rides

they were everywhere!

Day 11: Baltra --> Guayaquil
The next morning we packed up our things and after a lunch on the deck of the boat and goodbyes to our new friends...we headed to the airport and on to Guayaquil. It was very nice because all we had to do was put our bags outside our room by 730am and then we didn't see them again til we got off the plane later that afternoon...now that's what I call service!
We bid everyone farewell and off we went...(I was very jealous of Russ and Gab who were in South America for 5 weeks and not going back home til after New Years...spending New Years in Rio...awesome). I hope we can see them again someday whether it be in Australia or here!

bye bye boat!

Russ, Gab, and us

bye bye Galapagos!

After that we were off to Guayaquil. I had never even heard of this city but it is the largest in Ecuador. Our travel agent told us we had to check it out and it really did end up being pretty cool. I was feeling a lot better thank goodness so we walked all around the city...at least 6 miles we calculated...and along the river. It had a beautiful walkway all along the river with restaurants, lookout points, ponds, etc. and it made Jason and I both wish St. Paul would do something similar...it would make it so much more fun! Our hotel was the nicest of all our hotels and our driver told us they had an amazing restaurant there which they did...it was deelicious...so good we ate there twice!
That night we packed up, laid low, and watched some TV after all our walking around. We reflected on our awesome trip and definitely considered it a success.

From the river in Guayaquil

part of the river walk

one of the lookout points

some guy practicing acrobatics on the side of a pirate ship...random

one of the many pretty trees!

The next morning we grabbed a bite to eat in the restaurant and Jason just looked at me and said, ''this has been so awesome...we've gotten to do so much stuff'' and I of course got teary eyed and totally agreed (man I cry a lot it seems) I couldn't believe it was coming to an end already.

We discussed a few things throughout the trip and here are some key points we would like to share:
*We are going to become douchy world travelers and start using foreign coins and fanny packs wherever we go in America just to pretend to be cool
*In Ecuador they use the Sacagewea coin instead of dollar bills and this elated Jason, so he would like to make that cool again here...we will see how that goes
*All club sandwiches in South America seem to include chicken instead of turkey and most importantly a fried egg....which is REALLY freaking good! I recommend you try it. This was the only food that seemed to sit well with me while we were there for some reason so I tried SEVERAL of them and they were all good!
*All Cocacola was served in glass bottles...which seems to taste so much better for some reason. We are going to bring that back into coolness too...(uh huh)
*Boobies, when said by an Ecuadorian, continues to be hilarious
*Unplanned happenings on trips are always the most fun...(drunk and lost in Lima)
*It IS possible to have a super successful and nice trip planned out by a travel agent...we had nice hotels, very nice tour guides, and all at a very reasonable price considering everything we got to do!
*Traveling opens your eyes to different ways of life which is of course expected...but the pace is so fast in the U.S. and we sometimes forget that it's ok to slow down. I was so happy that when I went to the post office today I didn't get all bent out of shape by the longest line I'd ever seen there. I just took it as it came...I am not going to die waiting in line a few extra minutes than I planned. It's alllll good.
*We are EXCEPTIONALLY fortunate to have had this opportunity. I truly never thought we would get to go on this dream trip before we had children. I am SO happy we went now, it was amazing, life changing, and wonderfully bonding. Traveling is a must for us and we know now what we like...more adventure than just laying around : ) Who woulda thunk...this beach bum likes to do stuff...she likes to hike gosh darn it!
*I can now die a happy woman (but hopefully not for a long time....)

Machu Picchu, Quito, and beyond...

Let me first just say that I typed this all up the day after we went to Machu Picchu and as I was about to post it, the app I was using to type it shut down and instead of auto-saving it as it usually does, it was just allll gone...minus the first paragraph. I had written A LOT so needless to say I was really pissed off and stopped writing for awhile. Instead I wrote stuff down on paper while in the Galapagos. But for now let's focus on the big kahuna...here's what I had:

Well, it's been an interesting couple of days. I am happy to report that our day in Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu were mostly drama free. We have now made it to Quito, Ecuador and just finished a tour here. Here's what's been happening.

Day 5: Machu Picchu

We ended our stay in the Sacred Valley (after an awesome night sleep with open windows and thunderstorms) very early Friday morning. We ate some breakfast and got picked up to go to the train station that would take us to Aguas Calientes and finally Machu Picchu. 

It was pretty nice, we got to be in the vistadome train which had big windows on the top of the car so we could see above us as well as to the side of us. The mountains surrounding us were surreal. 

On a previous tour in Cusco, we met a nice couple from India,they were on the younger side but the girl had little to no interest in hiking up and big hills. I would classify myself as rather wimpy but this girl was well beyond my wimpiness...very nice though. Anyways, we saw them as we got onto the train and were looking forward to talking to them again. I was kind of wondering how she would do hiking around Machu Picchu but didn't think much of it. As the train neared Aguas Calientes which was the final train stop, it made another stop so hikers for the Inca Trail could get off. For those of you who don't know, the Inca Trail is a 4-day long hike to Machu Picchu, very steep and difficult from what I hear. I'd love to do it someday but we were no where near the hiking experience we wanted to have before doing such a trek. So...the train stops so the hikers can get off and the only people to get off are this couple from India! Jason and I literally stood up to look to make sure it was really them leaving for the trail. She was wearing a sweater, jeans, and wedges...we are still wondering what happened to them because something tells me they weren't supposed to get off there. There was no one at the stop to meet them, just them and the jungle. I hope they are ok! We never saw them up at the top...

Once we made it to our train stop and took the bus up the very winding and edge of the cliff sort of road, we finally made it to the top. We met our tour guide and entered Machu Picchu. As we rounded the trail's corner to really get a first view of the whole place I got butterflies.

It was a huge place. Awesome, beautiful, unbeleiveable. The clouds were so close you could almost touch them and the mountains surrounding it were stunning. Machu Picchu itself sat on the top of a very steep mountain...don't look down! 

We walked around the whole place with our tour guide. It was very interesting to hear about how smart the people who lived there were and the mystery surrounding why they left before it was done being built. The craftsmanship was impeccable and everything was still standing after all this time which is so impressive. 

Towards the end of the tour, Jason and I were getting antsy waiting to climb to the highest point and get that classic Machu Picchu view. As soon as the lady said goodbye we basically darted up the many stairs to the top. 

When we got there we just sat and looked and hardly spoke for the next hour. The only thing I think we did say was, ''this is awesome, this is so awesome''. It was truly a breathtaking view. It was exactly as I imagined it. So peaceful, zen, and perfect. I really don't think I can describe the breathtaking views that were there. You need to see it for yourself...you won't be dissapointed. 

When we finally decided we better catch our bus back to the bottom we got up and I noticed a couple who looked like they wanted someone to take their picture. As they posed near the end of the cliff we were sitting on, I snapped the picture and suddenly the girl gasps and lets out a little scream. She was looking in Jason's direction.

I look to my right and all I see is Jason's water bottle hitting the cliff 5 feet below and don't see him anywhere. I let out a bloody murder style scream as he pops up on that cliff with a huge smile on his face. What an asshole.

The guy behind us said, "I think that scream just awoke the Incan Gods"...

I proceeded to hop down the same cliff, smack him on the face and asked him if he really wanted the day that I finally make it to Machu Picchu be the same day that my husband falls of a cliff and dies? He thought it was pretty funny...

Now that it's been a week I guess it's kind of funny...certainly memorable. Oh Jason. 

He did apologize for ruining my zen and we made our way back down to the train and after a long ass (3 1/2 hour) train ride, back to Cusco to our original hotel. On that train ride we got another meal like the morning which was fun and the crew did a fashion show and a little entertainment number. Pretty funny. We met another couple from Australia who were also going to Antarctica on a cruise after Peru...sounds so fun!

When we got to our hotel, we saw that the main square in Cusco had been all decorated for Christmas...it was so cute! We then found a restaurant with a balcony looking out to the main sqaure. We enjoyed a nice meal and reflected on the day...and our time in Peru. It was a fabulous success. No one died ; )

We then hit the hay for our very early morning flight back to Lima the next morning.

Day 6: Lima

On this day we were supposed to catch our plane to Lima, spend the whole day in the city and then catch a late night flight to Quito...it was far cheaper that way and it sounded good in theory. That is, until my sickness hit again.

I think someone was really looking out for me so I could feel better to enjoy Cusco...but then my time was expired and when we were off to Lima-Quito...I had to pay my dues. And pay I did. 

I woke up at 3 am and I was puking my brains out and the whole she-bang. It was awful. Only this time I didn't feel better once I got on the plane. 

Sadly, we had to cancel our ride to the hotel in Lima because I was afraid I couldn't make it that long away from a bathroom. 

Jason was so nice about it and said we'd make a day of it in the airport and it would be ok. 

By the afternoon, I was feeling somewhat better and attempted to eat a few things which probably wasn't the best choice but at least I wasn't puking all day long. 

Lucky for us they had a starbucks with free wifi in the airport right next to the bathroom and also a salon where I got the pedicure I never got before we came on vacation. So it was really not as horrible as I thought it would be. Jason didn't complain once even though it was an incredibly long day. All in all, we spent 13 hours in the Lima airport. 

To go along with that splendid day, the only glitch in our vacation thus far came when we arrived to Quito and there was no one there to pick us up. We ended up cabbing to our hotel which was no big deal because it was cheap as hell, and got it straightened up the next morning. Needless to say, we were beat when we got to Quito and all I wanted to do was sleep! Jason had no qualms with that! 

I still don't really know what made me sick. I didn't drink the water...something didn't like me though...that's for sure!

Day 7: Quito

We woke up after a refreshing night sleep in Quito and looked out our window to a breathtaking view. Since it was the middle of the night when we arrived there we had no idea what was outside our balcony. It was stunning! Right in between two mountains.

Once we got our issues straightened out and realized our travel agent had given the local guide the wrong flight information, we were squared away.

The tour guide totally made up for not getting us at the airport with a kick-ass tour of Quito. We happened to come during the biggest celebration of the year in Quito, the foundation of the city celebration. He took us downtown for all the festivities. It was a gorgeous city surrounded by mountains and hills and lush forests. During the celebration, we saw all sorts of live music on the street, ecuadorian snack stands, and families just celebrating and and dancing around everywhere. It was so fun. The city itself was gorgeous and the 'old town' section was clearly built by the Spainards and had a definite European feel. 

Before we had gone downtown though, we visited the official Equator. We actually STOOD on the equator. At the equator site, there was this cute little museum with all sorts of tid-bits about Ecuador. Fun facts about the giant bugs and snakes of the Amazon, how to make a shrunken head (seriously), and also some fun fact about their local culture. Our favorite parts were the science experiments they did on the equator line. During our favorite one they had a tub of water and set it exactly on the equator line and pulled the drain plug to show that no funnel is made when you empty the drain. They then moved the tub of water to just slightly north and south of the equator to show the water funneling in opposite directions...hence our toilets flush different ways in North and South America. It's really true! The funniest part about the equator is that the spainards had built this giant extravagant monument to the equator and just within the last 10 years someone came with their GPS and noticed that they were off with their measurements...by quite a bit. So we went to the official official equator and all their science experiments proved it to be true. Fun stuff. We are nerds.

Anyways, back to the city celebration. Towards the end of that tour, Jason mentioned he wasn't feeling so hot either so we decided to head back to the hotel. No puking for him but a nap was necessary. As soon as we got back there I felt a little sick myself again. We spent the rest of the afternoon taking a really long nap and ordering room service. It was kind of dissapointing but at the same time kind of welcome because we had been going non-stop for over a week. No regrets...we already decided we want to come back to Quito so we will see more next time. Healing is important! We did not want to be sickies on the cruise : )

The next morning bright and early we were off to the Galapagos...but that is for another post...this is long enough as it is. 

So as you can see, everything has been basically fabulous despite feeling sick sometimes, it never really interfered in a big way with our plans...and for that we are lucky!

Here are pictures from our day at Machu Picchu...I will add the ones from Quito in my next post : )

Cusco & The Sacred Valley

Alright, I was going to try and wait til tomorrow to type things up but as Jason and I were talking over a drink this afternoon we realized how much had happened just in the last two days alone so I figured I better get it down while I can!

Once again I am going to include some photos at the end because it's easiest that way. The photos don't even begin to describe how beautiful it is here. And there are many more photos to come later...I'll probably make one big posting just about my favorite pictures : )

Ok down to business:

Day 3: Lima to Cusco

Well I had a bad feeling I was cursing myself by saying I hadn't gotten sick yet. Wrong choice. Literally minutes after I posted the first update I got sick and was sick most of the night before we left for Cusco. I felt so terrible that I was kind of crying and thinking that there was no way I could survive a plane trip in a few hours let alone the altitude sickness so many people talk about. What was I thinking? Did I really think, me, queen of sensitive stomachs could get through this trip scott free? Not a chance. 

I eventually fell asleep and felt pretty terrible still when I woke up. I choked down some bread for breakfast and we were on our way to the airport. I was trying to have a positive attitude about it because Cusco is what I had been looking forward to the most. Cusco=almost to Machu Picchu. Enough said. So I held that barf bag close in the plane and prayed I would not need to use it...that would be embarrassing...and I should know I have had to use a few barf bags in my day (when I was younger and sick on the way to Disney). But thanks to God or the Incan Gods or whatever it may be, as soon as we took off in the plane I felt 100% better. I was able to eat some more breakfast (this airline serves HOT food! Just like the olden days in the US) which helped even more. 

We flew over some of the hugest mountains I have ever seen to get to Cusco and had to swing around a huge mountain range to make the landing (kinda freaky). But we made it safely and my fear of not being able to breathe due to the altitude was immediately calmed as well...I felt ok, and so did Jason. 

Once again, a super nice guy with a sign with our names on them picked us up and brought us to our hotel. 

He told us all about Cusco and I was immediately in love with the city just as I suspected. It's narrow cobblestone streets, huge center square, and sweet beautiful people were exactly what I had dreamed about ever since I first realized I wanted to come here. 

Our hotel was right off the main square, prime location. And once again a much nicer place than I expected. However, when we walked up hill to get to our hotel for the first time I realized what altitude sickness felt like and I think Jason did too. I had heard about and read about coca tea (made from the coca plant...aka how they get cocaine) and they offered that to us when we got there. It's an energizing tea that doesn't make you high or anything like that but rather just helps your body to acclimate. It did indeed help and I was so happy about that. But during the time I was re-oxygenating my brain, the tour guide was going over a detailed itinerary of our next three days in Cusco. Needless to say I remembered zero of what he said and Jason had to repeat it all to me later...haha. 

After a 20 mintue cat nap we were off to tour the city. We saw some churches and museums as well as an old temple. It was pretty neat. 

If you recall a few paragraphs back when I said I remembered zero of the tour guide's explanation about our itinerary...here's where that comes into play a little more. What I didn't realize about the tour we took after that was that it wasn't just a walking tour of the city but rather we were also taking a bus up to 4 different incan ruin sites. So when I wore my sundress on the tour...the sundress that seems to pick up a lot of wind easily and fly in my face so all can see my ass...I didn't really realize that was such a poor choice. And a poor choice it was! When we got to the ruins it started to rain and was VERY windy. That made for a not as pleasant as it could be rest of the afternoon. It was still really interesting but my sundress issue plus the climbing/hiking to even higher altitudes were not a good combination. It's embarassing to admit really. But it happened and it was pretty funny looking back so it's all good. Note to self: dresses and flippy floppies are not for hiking. Ah duh.

In that tour group as in all others so far, we were the only people from the US. I was so surprised by this, but it makes it pretty interesting to talk to others. Somehow even people from other countries know that Minnesota is cold...they would be right. That's precisely why we are here. Generally a nice 65-75 degrees. I got a nice sunburn on my shoulders to prove it. Youch. 

After the dress debacle and the tour was over we came back and got ready for dinner. We got to go to a traditional folkloric dinner and dancing show across the main square. It had a yummy buffet with all sorts of different foods. Peruvian and otherwise. I put some ceviche on my plate but wimped out and didn't try it. Raw fish...I just am not ready for that yet. I know it's supposed to be amazingly good but it looked like wet cat food to me. Sorry. 

One of my favorite parts of seeing the native culture and people of Cusco has been the people dressed in traditional Incan clothing and the llamas, alpacas, and sheep roaming around everywhere. They are so cute! If you don't know what an alpaca is, look it up. Cutest animal ever. If we ever live on a farm I want one as a pet...and I am not kidding!

So last night at the dinner show, Jason sits down with a plate of food and some seemingly good looking beef or pork. I asked him what it was and he said it was alpaca meat. I almost puked in my mouth and cried at the same time. I know, I know...I eat cows and they are cute...pigs are cute....blah blah blah. But seriously? Alpaca? Eww. No way was I going to try that.

Other than the alpaca, the dinner show was awesome. The peruvian music was very soothing and different and when we were sitting there watching them play music, I had the realization that I am here. In Cusco. I am actually here. I am so happy and so excited and so thankful. And then I teared up. Shocker. 

After dinner, we retuned to our room and used the jacuzzi (or yacuzzi if you're wondering) in our room. Yeah, we are spoiled. After that we were toast and beyond tired. It was a warm night sleep without any fresh air flow or airconditioning but eventually we fell asleep. We are far to spoiled with all our amenities at home that's for sure. 

Day 4: Sacred Valley

Bright and early this morning (as many of you know we are not exactly morning people...but have forced ourselves of course during this trip!) we grabbed our packed up bags, ate some breakfast and headed out on another tour. 

Today was all about the Sacred Valley of the Incas. It was filled with beyond stunning views of mountains and (of course) valleys. We stopped at several scenic viewpoints and a few Peruvian markets. When we got off the bus for the first scenic stop, the guy behind me said, "I see you didn't wear a dress today...probably a good idea". Haha. Turns out one of our fellow group members and his wife were on today's tour as well. And he was right. Today I wore hiking capris, hiking sandals, and other various and sundry hiking friendly clothing items. See, I learn from my mistakes. 

We walked around one big Peruvian market in the tiny town of Pisac in the middle of a big valley. In an effort to not spend too much money, Jason and I decided on one souviner item for each of us. He got a really cute Peru soccer shirt and I got a necklace pendant that is an Incan calendar. We found all these at the market. It was a pretty cool place, it had a ton of woven crafts, clothes, and jewelery like all the other markets we had seen but this one also had fresh fruit, meat, and drinks. We got a fresh squeezed (right in front of our eyes) orange juice which was taaasty! Just as we passed through the food area we saw a huge group of people charging through an alley with a huge banner and big signs chanting something in spanish. I kind of panicked because I was like...oh great we are going to be in the middle of a riot...nah. As we looked closer, some of the signs had pictures of condoms and babies. The people doing the march were students from the local high school promoting condom use for a school project. It was pretty funny because a lot of them looked pretty embarassed to be there. Jason even got a free condom out of the deal. They were passing out prizes...haha. 

After market we got dropped off at different restaurants (according to our pre-organized tour) for lunch. Jason and I were alone at this adorable restaurant in the middle of nowhere between huge mountains. It was quite nice for being so far out. We had a great buffet lunch sitting in the outdoor seating area. Jason had been harassing me telling me that I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't try ceviche and alpaca. I pouted for a little bit and then came back with a little of both items on my plate with no real intention of trying the cute animal meat or the cat food appearing seafood. I just wanted to look cool to him. But then I thought about it and I realized that's what's fun about traveling...trying new things. So I sucked it up and tasted both. Ceviche=eww. Alpaca=meh...tasted like meat but all I could think of was it's cute face. After I ate it Jason told me he had to do everything in his power not to make an alpaca noise as I took a bite. What an ass. 

The waiter at our restaurant was very friendly and nice and spoke great english. Somehow (and not surprisingly) he and Jason got on the subject of football (american football) and to our surprise this guy knew pretty much everything about this year's season so far. We weren't sure if South American's cared about football or not, but apparently this guy did! He was yet another kind, sweet person we met here.

After lunch we went to Ollyotaytambo (probably spelling it wrong) which was an old fortress built by the Incans on the side of the mountain. We took a hike up to the top which was a very good workout. It was very steep! It had great views of the city below and other mountains and valleys. While we were up there we saw the train that will take us to Machu Picchu tomorrow. Ahhhhh can't wait. 

Our tour guide today was very attentive and very nice. We also met our first fellow American today. She was in our group and she has been here for a month teaching english in a school for homeless children. She has two months off work every year and this was her first time out of the country. How inspirational! She is heading back to the states on Saturday but she was a very nice woman to talk to. How brave to travel here alone for over a month! 

The other couple we met that were also with us yesterday are from Australia. They were so sweet and friendly and were enjoying an empty nester's trip which started in Peru and will be ending with a long cruise to Antarctica. Also....very cool! They are going to Machu Picchu tomorrow so we hope to see them again.

And finally, for the best part of my day...

I had found a hotel in the Sacred Valley (an hour and 1/2 outside Cusco) that I really wanted to stay in. It's in the middle of nowhere and looked incredibly peaceful. Our travel agent was nice enough to work it out for us to stay here for one night. So when we left Cusco this morning, our hotel locked up our big bags and we packed a backpack for the next 2 days. We will return to that hotel tomorrow night. But after our tour ended today, we got dropped off at this hotel on their way out of the Sacred Valley. It is exactly as I pictured it. It's gorgeous, peaceful, and fabulous. We have a nice open aired patio outside our room. The windows are currently open and we are listening to a thunderstorm passing through the valley....it's heavenly! 

We enjoyed a delicious Peruvian drink when we got back and sat on the patio of the bar facing the mountains. We were alone and it was wonderful. We talked about how proud we were of ourselves for getting up so early...early enough to eat breakfast every day (that's a feat!) and how proud we were that we haven't taken any naps yet. We like our naps on vacation. 

Well those drinks+appetizers+sun burn+ hiking=we can't be proud of not taking a nap anymore because we took a long wonderful nap! But hey, there isn't much to do here but ''be'' and so we are just being who we be. : ) 

The hotel has a planetarium which has shows each night. It's one of the best places in Peru (maybe even South America) to see stars I've read but unfortunately due to the thunderstorm they had to cancel the show...not many stars to see with all the clouds. But that's ok, thunderstorms are great too. So we ordered room service, are watching a movie and listening to the storms and will likely go to bed soon. 

Tomorrow we are going to Machu Picchu. I can't beleive it. I am SO EXCITED. I hope it doesn't rain too much since I have all my camera equipment with me. Time will tell but I am sure it will be just wonderful. We catch our train to get there VERY early tomorrow, spend the day there, and then take a train all the way back to Cusco and to our previous hotel. Saturday morning we leave for one more day in Lima and then Ecuador. 

The adventure continues....the pictures start with us heading to Cusco : )

The picture above and the ones below are from the start of today : ) Notice I am not wearing a dress...