On Thick Ice

We flew from Buenos Aires down to El Calafate on the 26th of August. El Calafate is a small town in southern Argentine Patagonia. It sits on the south shore of a large lake called Lago Argentino. We were rather surprized when we landed at how little vegetaion there was. El Calafate is on the eastern side of the Andes mountains, and by the time the prevailing wind from the Pacific move through Chile, over the mountains and down onto the plains, all of the moisture has been sucked out of it. The result is a dry steppe landscape of scrubby brush and dusty earth. It still has its own kind of beauty though. It is desolate and quiet, and can be nice if solitude is what you're after.

The main draw in the area is nearby Glacier National Park. The park is very large and covers the Southern Patagonian Ice Fields, which stretch several hundred kilometers to the north. This ice field is the third largest in the world after Antartica and Greenland, respectively. There are three glaciers in the park. The nearest, and most accessible one was the Perito Moreno glacier.


The morning of our glacier walk, we woke to a fine layer of snow on the ground. The bus picked us up at around 9 am and we made the hour long drive into the park. We left the bus at a pull off, and boarded a catamaran to cross the channel where the glacier was. On the short ride, we could see several large chunk of ice floating by, some of them were bigger than the boat we were in.

On the other shore, we met our guides, and they took us down to the shore to explain some facts about the glacier. Petito Moreno, which is the smallest glacier in the park, is 35 km long, and around 5 km wide. It begins up in the mountains near the boarder with Chile, and is only 15 km away from the Pacific ocean. At the front edge of the glacier, it sits in the lake. From the surface of the water up to its edge is about 60 meters, or about 180 feet. Below the surface is another 140 meters of ice, meaning that the entire glacier is around 200 meters, or over 600 feet thick, just at the front edge. We both thought that was pretty impressive. It is amazing to think of how much pressure 600 feet of ice might exert over 35 km (around 21 miles). Our guide also told us that in the summer, the front edge of the glacier may move as much as 2 meters per day. Being that we were here in the winter, there wasn't much activity.

While we were standing there, we heard several loud cracks and pops from the glacier. It sounded deep and loud like thunder rolling across the water. We thought that we might see some of the spectacular ice drops we had seen in pictures, but nothing happened just then.

After some more talk about the glacier, it was time to go for a walk on it. We were a large group, so they split us into two smaller groups to make it safer. We then were fitted with crampons (basically large metal spikes you attach to the bottom of your shoes) and got ready to get on the ice. The guides gave us a couple of pointers on how to walk on crampons, pretty much, they just said ¨don't stab yourself in the leg¨and we started our trek. We had to stomp every step to make sure we had a good grip because some of the ice slopes we walked up and down were pretty steep.

The ice is awesome. It rises and falls in sharp peaks and valleys with deep fissures and caverns everywhere. At one point we had to walk across a narrow ice bridge with deep crevasses on either side. The guides told us to try not to fall in because it would be nearly impossible to get us out again. It was a comforting thought. Anna also pointed out that some day, that bridge is going to melt, and whoever was crossing it at the time was in for a nasty surprise. Thankfully, that wasn't us.

Another thing about the ice is how blue it was. Our guide, Mattias, explained to us that pure ice reflects light like the sky. It absorbs all colors of the spectrum, except for blue. The bluer the ice, the purer the ice, meaning there was no air in it. We saw several caverns where the ice was the deepest hue of blue we'd ever seen.

We tramped our way around the ice for over an hour, taking pictures, and having snowball fights with the other group. The guides made sure to keep us in single file for safety, while they, who were much more comfortable on the terrain, ran and jumped around like it was a jungle gym.

After a while, we came over a hill of ice to find tables set up with glasses. The guides chipped some ice off the glacier, put it in the glasses, and produced a bottle of whiskey for drinks all around. The name of the whiskey was The Famous Grouse. Anna and I were convinced it was a knock off of Wild Turkey. It was strong, smooth, and gave a nice warm glow in the belly. Which was good, since because we were standing on a huge block of ice, it was kind of cold out.


After that, we trekked back down to solid ground and took off our crampons for the ride back to our hotels. On the way back to the boat, we heard another of those loud cracks. This time, a large chuck of ice broke off from the front of the glacier and crashed into the lake. The sound was like a huge thunderclap and the waves caused by the falling ice were over 10 feet tall. It illustrated how big the glacier is. The chuck that fell off was about the size of a house, and it still took about 5 seconds from the time it broke off until it hit the water. It was an incredible sight.
I think that we can put this on the list of one of the coolest things we've ever done, both literally and figuratively. I never thought I'd be able to see a glacier, much less walk on one, until today. It was great fun, and if you ever get a chance to do it, I would definitely do it.

Tomorrow, we leave for Torres del Paine, another national park, on the other side of the Andes in Chile. We´ll be there for a little over a week, and I'm not sure if we'll have internet access there. If we do, we'll definitely update you on what it's like, and maybe we'll even be able to post pictures. If not, we'll talk to you again when we get back to Buenos Aires on September 9th. Ciao! - Scott

Shopping!

Men can just skip this blog, unless you want to know where to buy fabulous shoes and purses. I thought that I would give a quick summary of where to find the best items, since we`ve nearly finished all the countries now. I had a great time shopping as we`ve travelled, and some locations have great bargains. The only thing to be careful of is the body type of the country you`re in. For example, expect everything in Italy to be short and cut for curves. In Japan, the clothes are cut to flatter a slim build. Plan accordingly. And be warned about local concepts of beauty; I got laughed at and called fat numerous times in China for having curvy hips and big feet, so be prepared to handle the criticism while you shop.

(Two leather purses I bought in Argentina.)

For leather, go to Italy or Argentina. Argentina has purses, jackets, equastrian gear, shoes, and especially knee-high boots, for a quarter of what you would pay in America. These things all come in a rainbow of colors and you can find something really original. In Italy, jackets and purses are the usual shades of brown, but personal tailoring is available in every store. And you can commission an item, right down to the kind of leather.

For dresses, go to Greece, Italy, and Japan. The dresses in Greece are exactly what you would expect- flowy and beautifully gathered and draped. I put Italy in there because it`s the home of designers like Gucci. There's a million interesting dresses and other clothing there. In Japan, the shirt dress is very popular right now, as are pleats and shirred waistlines. And there's always the modern kimono, which is sold everywhere.

(Lower necklace is an amber and braided silver museum copy of 1000 b.c. Greek design, above is a silver Celtic design from Island of Skye.)

For interesting jewelry, try Peru, Chile, Greece, China, and New Zealand. Peru and Chile produce good jewelry because silver, unique stones, and shells are plentiful there. Examples include lapis lazuli, spondelis shells, and serpentine. New Zealand has a strong Maori tribal representation, and their symbols are popular to wear. China has all you could ever want in jade and fresh water pearls. There's many high and low quality grades available so you don't have to spend a lot to get beautiful jade jewelry, knick-knacks, and art pieces. In Greece, copies of museum jewelry are common, and most of these are stunning because they are bold and hand made. Really, anywhere there is or was a tribal or ancient civilization there will be a rich tradition of jewelry design.


(A jade bangle from China, a Maori symbol for safe passage over water on left and on the right a spondelis shell necklace from Peru.)

For handicrafts, China, Japan, Peru, Solomon Islands, Egypt, and Morocco are best. I won't go into everything, but I'll name one thing in every country: China has silk rugs, Japan has calligraphy, Peru has alpaca everything, the Solomons makes great wood carvings, Egypt has lots of stone carvings, and Morocco makes rugs and brass lanterns.

(A jewelry roll made of silk from Japan)

For 2D art like paintings and sketches, I like Italy, Egypt, and Japan. Italy is wonderful for street art, especially watercolor. Only buy from people who actually sit and paint in front of you though, to avoid buying a look-alike print. In Egypt, you have to buy a papyrus sketch of heiroglyphics. If you look for the nicest stores in the market, you can find local artists and quality pieces. Again, beware of the crappy print look-alike. Japan has a history of silk screen printing and rice paper or card stock reproductions of Edo period (ancient Tokyo) art.

I hope you enjoyed my shop-the world guide. The only thing I never found was a decent pair of jeans that fit, but then who finds those anywhere? -Anna

Buenos Aires

We arrived in Buenos Aires in the evening and made our way to the Hotel. When we exited the arrivals hall at the airport a guard gave us a piece of paper that warned us against taking taxi rides from un-registered drivers. We were aware of this scam and were prepared for it. They were a little sneakier here though. There were several taxi stands around the hall. I went up to one of them to ask for a taxi, and a guy who was leaning on the counter turned and asked if I needed an taxi. Since he was leaning on the counter talking to the women at the desk, he looked like an employee of the taxi company. I decided to play it safe anyway and walked around him and spoke to the lady at the desk. The guy who had first asked me was a freelance driver who probably would have charged me double the rate of the taxi company. If you travel to South America, or anywhere else really, beware of this scam. It's a good way to waste alot of money.

The hotel we stayed at was an apartment hotel in the Palermo section of the city. It was a studio aparment with a small stove and a fridge. Since we've been trying not to spend so much, we went to the local grocery store, bought some cooking supplies and ate in for a couple nights. It was kind of nice, and made us feel a little like we were back home, cooking for ourselves. The first full day we were in the city, we took a walk to look for some good shopping and see what the city looked like. There were examples of the influence the Spanish had on this part of the world everywhere.

We found that Buenos Aires is a strangely quiet city during the day. We don't know if it is because it is winter here, or if everyone just comes out at night, but over half of the stores were closed, and there were few people on the streets during the day. We had gotten used to going to bed early and so we were usually in our room by 10 pm. Until that time, it seemed that the city was sleeping.
One night we went to a steak house that the man at the front desk had recommended. We went out at about 7:30 and were surprised to find that the restaurant had not opened yet. A guy we had met on the Inca trail, Adam, said that in Buenos Aires, if you go out to eat before 10 pm you were obviously a tourist. Apparently he was right. We went in after 8 pm and were the only people there. By the time we left at around 10 pm, the place was packed.

The city seems to come alive late at night. At 10:30, we saw people walking around the streets, coming home from work, going to the gym, etc. It was strange to see people going about their daily routines so late at night. We had heard that people started partying at around midnight, and didn't come home until after the sun was up, but we never stayed up late enought to figure it out. What I want to know is when do these people sleep? Oh wait, I think we just discovered the reason for mid-day siestas....

One other night we walked around at night and found that our family apparently owns some stores in Argentina (see above). Who knew? What I want to know is when are we going to see some royalties for the use of our names! ;-)
Since we were in Argentina, we thought we couldn't leave until we had taken tango lessons. Anna and I are both decent swing dancers, so we thought that we would be able to pick tango up fairly easily. Let me tell you that tango is a completely different ballgame than swing dancing.
We first took a group lesson at a local hotel that is known to have good beginner lessons. The only problem was that the lesson was in spanish, and besides a couple of older English people, everyone else there seemed to be Argentinians and we much better tango dancers than we were. Needless to say, we both got pretty frustrated and didn't get much out of the first lesson.
We set up a private lesson for the next day. Thankfully, the woman who was teaching us spoke english, and we had a much more productive lesson. At least now, I feel like we wouldn't completely suck on a tango dance floor, but it is still much harder than it looks.
We also tried some interesting coffees and deserts in Buenos Aires. They seem to like separating their coffee into layers here. Coffee, milk, chocolate:

Anna also tried a passionfruit parfait at that steak house that was quite good, and left us wondering if there was more around.

Buenos Aires turned out to be a bit of an enigma for us. We never quite figured out its rythym. Perhaps if we go back in the summer we will be able to figure out more, but for now, we are both looking forward to Patagonia and the prospect of some serious hiking. -Scott

Update

We just wanted to let you know the reason you've stopped seeing photos on the blog. We're in Argentina now, and the wi-fi network here doesn't seem to be strong enough to upload photos. We have tried at several places, but we can't seem to upload anything except text. Hopefully, our writing will help you imagine what the places where we are look like. We will upload more pictures as soon as we are able to access a more powerful network. Sorry guys! It is still great to know that you are there with us while we travel. -Scott

My Machu Picchu

We woke on the fourth morning of our hike at 3:45 a.m. After gathering our things and eating a hasty breakfast, our bleary eyed group got on the trail at about 5:15. Just past the final camp, there was a checkpoint that didn't open until 5:30, so we had to wait. Since all 500 people who had entered the trail on the first day camped there as well, it was a long line; we were somewhere in the middle.
At about 5:25, the park rangers for the checkpoint walked down past the line. There was some scattered cheering and then the line began moving. We made it through in a few minutes, and we began making our way down the trail in the pre-dawn light.
It took us about an hour to reach the stone pillars known as the Sun Gate. The gate marks the entrance to the valley were Machu Picchu site, and offers your first glance of the sacred city. We walked up to the gate with hushed anticipation, and walked through to see...nothing. The sun had not yet risen and the morning mist was still heavy in the valley. The city was blocked by a white wall of cloud, so we, along with several hudred other hikers', sat down to wait.

Shortly after 6:30, the sun rose over the mountains behind us, and the mist began to lift. Slowly, at first, and then more rapidly, we started seeing the outlines of the famous terraces. Then, the clouds parted for a moment, and the city lay there, shining in the sun. It was as beautiful and as breathtaking as we'd hoped for. We sat there for a minute until the clouds covered the city again, and then began the 45 minute walk down to the city.

As we got closer to the city we began seeing people walking up the opposite way toward the sun gate. These were people who had come up that morning from Aguas Caliente, the town at the base of the mountain. Aguas Caliente is the last stop on the train from Cusco. These people had taken the train in the day before. They looked clean and smelled of shampoo. Each time we passed a group of them puffing their way up the trail, I felt a wave of irrational resentment. Not because they had gotten there the easy way, but because they had not gotten there the hard way. I could tell by the looks on there faces that, for many of them, this was just another tourist site. It would be hard for them to imagine the meaning and spiritual importance of this place. They could hear the words that, centuries ago, important people from the Inca capital of Cusco would walk here to take part in the summer and winter soltice ceremonies. That this place was intesely sacred to the Incas and was entirely devoted to the worship of nature. But, until these people had made that pilgrimage, and walked the trail, they would never understand. I felt privilaged to even have the chance to attempt to understand, and even then I felt like I just had the barest comprehension of the meaning of it all. If you have been there, and gone by train, I apologize if I have offended you, but I can only write how I felt.

We made our way down to the base of the trail. It ended at a terrace overlooking the city. This is the spot of many of the famous pictures you may have seen. We took a group photo, and some individual pictures, and then it was time for the city tour.

We rested for about a half hour, and then regrouped to enter the ruins. Hilbert and Valentine took us up the stairs of the city, and one of the first places we visited was the Temple of the Sun. Every Incan ruin has a temple of the sun, they are semi-circular rooms often with niches built into them. But here, they took it to another level. There were two windows in this temple. Each one was aligned so that when the soltices occurred, one in June and the other in December, the sun would shine a direct beam at sunrise through the window onto the alter inside the temple. These solstices were the basis for the major religious ceremonies and celebrations in Machu Picchu.

The city was full of tributes to nature. Below, you can see the edge of one of the walls. If you look closely, you'll see that the wall nearly exactly imitates the line of the mountains behind it. The incans worshipped the mountains, and this was one more way for them to pay tribute.


After the temple, we walked through the main square and up to the sun dial. This was the highest point in the city and was also where the Incas would sacrifice llamas, guinea pigs, and yes, sometimes humans, during their religious ceremonies. Human sacrifices were very rare, and when they did happen, the sacrafice was chosen from the nobility. It was considered an honor to be chosen.

There are stories of screaming victims being dragged from their homes. In fact, common people's children were never taken for sacrafice, and the practive was only done rarely and only during the most sacred ceremonies.
Just below the Sun gate, there was a large open lawn. It was kept short by a resident group of Llamas that were brought in every day for the tourists. They are kind of an endearing animal, and we couldn't help but to stop and take a couple of photos.

We wandered the city for a while longer, and then the tour ended. We left the group to go check in to our hotel. One couple was going to try to climb Waynu Picchu, the tall steep mountain that rises behind Machu Picchu. The authorities only let 400 people climb it per day, and that many had already been let through, but they were going to try anyway. I'm not sure if they made it through.

We spent the remainder of the day recuperating from the hike. It was strange to be back in a proper building again. It seemed unreal that several hours before we had been hiking down the trail. It took some time to get used to. Below is the town of Aguas Calientes, where the rest of the group left us to head home. We stayed an additional night.

The following morning we got up early and went back in to see the city again. We felt we had run through it before and wanted some more time to sit back and take it all in. We got up there pretty early, but there were people who were already there. There were three girls who looked like they had gotten there extremely early and took a nap while waiting for the sun to come up.

We watched the same mist show, but from much closer, and listened to music all morning. The first album we listened to was Billy Breaths by Phish. It seemed to match the mood perfectly, and we wanted to leave you with a few lyrics that fit well:
"It was blurry and green, outer space in between. With a depth and form unclear. Then we saw it up ahead...". - Scott

The Inca Trail: Road to Machu Picchu

On the morning of Saturday, August 15th, we woke very early, made our way down to the SAS Tours office, and boarded a bus with ten other people. The bus left at 6:15, and took us through some very windy roads to Ollantaytambo village. There, at km 82 on the train line, we began our four day hike up the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.
Before I describe our experience, I would like to lay some ground rules for anyone thinking about hiking the Inca Trail. First off, you should be in decent shape. I don't mean that you have to be a marathon runner, or a super athlete, but you should be able to walk for long periods up and down steep slopes/stairs without a break.
Also, you may want to reconsider if you have severe knee problems. Anna did great most of the way on the trail, but when her knee gave out on the third day, it made it harder on her to get down some of the steeper slopes and steps.
Finally, make sure you come prepared. Bring Cipro for traveller's diarrhea. Because we are not used to unsanitary food prep techniques, foreigners are more susceptible to food poisoning here. Most people in our group got sick on the trail, and we overheard most of the other groups around us saying the same thing. I think the only reason we didn't get sick is that I had food poisoning while in Cusco a few days before, and Anna didn't eat much of the food in camp.
Now that I feel that I have done my civic duty by warning you about the dangers of the trail, let me move on to the good stuff.
Day 1
Once we got through the entrance to the trail (they only let 500 people on the trail per day), we crossed a suspension bridge over the Aorubamba river and started on the trail. The first day was relatively easy, with many flat areas interspersed with some ups and downs. We paused at several Incan ruins along the way and our guides, Hilbert and Valentin, explained some of the history surrounding the sites and the trail.

We walked most of the day through a large valley with the glacier mountain Salcontay behind us to the south. The locals call that mountain "the crying mountain" because the glaciers feed the rivers and streams the local farmers rely upon for irrigation. We had several great views of the mountain as we got further up the trail. To the east was the Victoria glacier mountain range, also white-capped.
We stopped for lunch in a small camp on the trail. The porters had run ahead of us and set everything up ahead of time. These guys are amazing. They are all local people who are hired by the tour companies. They carry everything up and down the mountains. The tents, dishes, tables, chairs, bags, and even those big propane tanks for gas grills since fires are not allowed, AND they walked at twice the speed that we did. Talk about tough.
After lunch, we kept walking. After five hours of hiking, we made it to the spot where most of the tour groups stop at for the first night, but we didn't. That camp is at the base of a very long mountain trail leading to Dead Woman's pass. Since the camp would be crowded and noisy, Hilbert had told us that we would keep on for two more hours. The last two hours were straight up hill. It was a healthy climb, but the scenery was worth it. We reached camp at about 6 p.m. and had a wonderful view of the valley below. We also had a two hour head start on many of the other groups in the morning. We got cleaned up a bit, had dinner and settled in for the night. The sky was clear and you could just about see every star in the sky. It was a beautiful, cold mountain night.

Day 2
On the second morning we awoke at 5 a.m. to calls of "coca tea" outside our tent. The locals drink coca tea and chew coca leaves to help with the altitude. Yes, these are the same leaves that cocaine is made from, but in the high country of Peru the leaves are legal because they are such a part of the culture and they contain so little active ingredient in leaf form.
After packing up our gear and having some breakfast we were on the trail by 7 a.m. This was to be our long day. The guides call it "survival day". We would be hiking for ten hours and climbing through two mountain passes.

The first four hours are straight up hill. We moved from the scruby vegetation of the valley into a cloud forest with leafy trees and moss growing on everything. The climb was fairly tough. Imagine being on a stairmaster for four hours, then imagine doing it with only half the normal oxygen.
After a couple of ours we came out of the forest into the high jungle. Since this is the dry season, it was still fairly scruby. Finally, at around 11 a.m. we reached dead woman's pass. The pass gets its name from the shape of the mountains around the pass. On the left, the cliff face looks like an old woman's face, then the pass forms her neck, and a large pinnacle of rock juts up on the right that looks like a breast.
The pass sits at about 13,500 feet above sea level. That would be the highest we would hike on the trail.
After resting for a while we began climbing down the other side of the pass. After two hours of going downhill, we made it to the site where most of the other tours would camp the second night. We used it as a lunch stop, and pressed on.
This might be a good point to describe the trail. It's mostly rocky. Large rocks have been use as rudimentary pavers, although they stick up and lay at odd angles. When the trail gets steep, which it is most of the time, the rocks are made into steps, albeit irregular and deep. This means you have to pay attention the entire time you are walking. This is not like a Sunday stroll through the park; much of the time the trail winds along the side of a mountain, and since it is only a few feet wide, one wrong step or stumble could send you tumbling down a slope that you might not get up from when you stop.
After lunch we began the steep hike up to the next mountain pass. Half way up we stopped at another Incan ruin that was used as a lookout post for the entire valley. From it you can see the back side of dead woman's pass, the valley below that we trekked to, and the majority of a valley that led down to the river. This gave the Incas tremendous power over that valley and the trails through it.
Another forty minutes past the ruin brought us to the second pass of the day. We were still fairly high up, and the clouds partially covered the pass. It was almost mystical how wisps of cloud would blow through the narrow pass as we sat there. After everyone had regrouped, we had a ceremony at the top of the pass. Hilbert asked everyone to sacrifice something for the mountain, such as some coca leaves, candy or a granola bar. We placed everything on a small pile of rocks just off the trail. Hilbert told us that this was an Incan tradition that asked the mountains for safe passage. He explained that the Incas worshiped the mountains as their gods, and had respect for the power of nature. He also told us that the local people who lived in the mountains still practiced the Incan religion and spoke the Incan, or Quechua, language. After that we descended two hours into the jungle to our camp.
Day 3
Dawn on the the third day of the hike was cold. That night there was frost, and the shirt I'd left to dry on top of our tent was frozen stiff, but the sky was clear, and the view of the mountains was spectacular.

This was to be our short day; only five hours to the final camp. Most of it was down hill, with some extremely steep staircases. It was so steep that Hilbert would often come into a resting spot joking "Bloody steps, bloody Incas!"

We made camp at about 1 p.m. and after visiting a nearby ruin and having lunch, we had free time for the rest of the day. There was a hostel nearby and we all took the chance to shower and remove three days of trail dust. Also, after a week of being careful not to have any caffeine or alcohol because of the altitude, I had what felt like a well deserved beer.
We went to bed at 9 pm since we would be getting up very early for the final trek to Machu Picchu.
Day 4
After the 3:45 am wake up call, we started the last 2 hours of the hike. The entry point to Machu Picchu from the Inca Trail is called the sun gate, and the next blog will pick up there.

As a side note, I had noticed that the bars in Cusco always had Johnny Walker whiskey on hand. On the third day of the hike I realized why. Johnny Walker's slogan is "Keep Walking". On the Inca Trail, that's what you do, just keep walking. - Scott

Arrival in Cusco

Today we had a red-eye flight out of Santiago, Chile to Lima, Peru and then finally to Cusco. Now of course we had seen the Andes Mountains in Chile, but that was from a distance. Even then they had been impressive, but the Peruvian Andes are really something else. As we flew from Lima to Cusco, most of the hour and a half flight was over the Andes, which tells you how wide the range is. We saw a few foothills, but then the peaks seem to multiply expotentially in size, until they crowd each other and overlap. The peaks are massively tall. The plane actually had to go AROUND a few, because they were to tall to safely fly over. The Andes make the Rockies look like an anthill.


I don't know how the first Incas, Peruvians, and other cultures in the area ever made it into the middle of the mountain range to build cities and villages. I would say the Andes are a young mountain range, since the peaks are still jagged and very steep. These are not the gently rolling, eroded, round peaks that you find in Japan, South Africa, or Scotland. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been to transport goods through the Andes. It's no wonder Machu Pichu stayed hidden for so long.


Altitude is an ever-present thing once you enter the Andes. Normally, mountains have discrete valleys and peaks, so if you feel sick you just climb down into the valley. Here, that's not possible. As I said, the mountains pile up and run together. This results in a plateau of sorts that sits many thousands of feet in the air, and the peaks rise out of the plateau instead of the ground. The "valleys" where cities like Cusco sit are still 8-10 thousand feet in the air. So all you doctors out there, quit telling people in Peru who get altitude sickness to " go down the mountain," because they can't, except by commercial flight.


Altitude sickness result from the lack of oxygen in the thin air, and symptoms include breathlessness, rapid heart rate, splitting headaches, vomiting, and some severe signs like pulmonary edema and neurologic disturbances. Interestingly, a common preventative medication (which we are also using) is acetazolamide, a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor. The local people use a tea made from coca leaves (i.e. a very, very dilute cocaine tea).


Anyway, the city of Cusco is a nest of walled, narrow streets that wind up and down hills. Bright blue storefront doors pop up out of nowhere, spilling colorful hats, mittens, and art onto the sidewalks. The central square, the Plaza de Armas, is ringed with museums, a carved stone cathedral, and beautiful arched promenades filled with the fanciest restaurants and shopping in town. The Peruvians in Cusco are a short, stout, happy people with dark hair and brown, weathered skin. They are very proud of their heritage, and will readily explain to you that there are many distinct native Peruvian cultures.


One thing we have noticed as we travel is that the happiest people always live in the mountains or on very small islands. That trend is true here as well, although local attitudes are slightly colored by the huge tourist market. The friendliest, happiest people we have met so far are the Berbers in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. Maybe the openness is a result of the small-town effect, or maybe shared difficulties of farming and transport, etc. Whatever the reason, these cultures set a good example to follow. Nothing ruins your impression of a location like rude locals, not that I'm naming names (cough, cough, Australia, cough). We are looking forward to a few more days in Cusco, and then we will begin the 4 day hike along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. - Anna