The End of the Adventures in Ecuador (and Peru!)

Note: This is my last and longest blog post. It also doesn't have too many exciting pictures. However, I think you'll find that if you read on it's packed with adventure, mishaps, crazy experiences, and a happy ending. Thanks for reading my blog, supporting me throughout my trip, and welcoming me home. ~Tina  

So after hanging around Aguas Calientes for a while we were all more then ready to go. Everyone was tired and Jacquie and Shelby still weren’t feeling too great. Through the company we used to book our Machu Picchu tickets we were scheduled to take a 6:45pm backpacker train about half way back and then transfer to a bus to get to Cusco. We were anticipating getting in around 11pm or so. However, this is where the trouble began. First our train was delayed about an hour. We finally got on board only to find the train chilly and loud. Jacquie, Shelby, and Sarah were all feeling ill and a bit feverish – they had terrible chills and were shaking the whole train ride back. Finally we arrived at the town where we were supposed to transfer to the bus. We got out to find lots of people holding signs with names on them and everyone shouting and calling. We looked all around for our names but couldn’t find them anywhere. It was dark and late and soon we were some of the only people left standing outside waiting for our bus. It was chilly, we didn't know where we were, and we didn’t know what to do. Luckily a woman finally came back down the road calling out “Jacquie?, Tina?, Sarah?”. We connected with her and found out we were supposed to be on her “bus” (which was sort of like a very large van). We were confused how we missed our names on the white board she was holding until we looked closer. Our names were there….. “Yaki”, “Sara”, “Chelvy”, and “Kristina”. They were written in twos like a first and last name and we hadn’t even realized they were our names! No matter – we were soon on the bus and even though the bus driver had to pull over half way home to close his eyes for a bit we made it back to Cusco just after midnight. It was freezing there – you could see snow just a bit higher in the hills – and we just wanted to get to bed. After shivering for several minutes waiting to find a taxi, and then briefly getting lost, we finally made it back to the hostel, frantically packed our stuff, took a quick shower that didn’t really get us all that clean, and crawled into warm(ish) beds for a couple hours sleep.

All five of us woke up at 5am the next morning to get to the airport early. We had a morning flight from Cusco to Lima, a 45min layover in Lima, and then a 1hr flight from Lima to Guayaquil. We knew the 45min would be tight so we headed to the Cusco airport early to print both boarding passes and make sure everything was good. Everything went smoothly until we checked into our flight. “Airport is closed for one hour. Weather issues”. That’s when we started to worry.

We asked if there were any later flights out of Lima but found nothing. Our only option was to wait until Dec 30^th (it was 12/26 and we had a flight to the US 12/28) or pay around $800 just to get to Lima. There was nothing to any other cities nearby either. Discouraged we headed to our gate to think about our options. Jacquie had her US phone and was able to contact her boyfriend Dan in the US. We used her phone to look up flights (nothing) and bus companies (the only other option we could think of). We thought we might be able to get from Lima to either Guayaquil or even our final destination of Quito via bus if we really needed to. We didn’t really have any other options.

We soon were able to board and had an uneventful flight to Lima. When we arrived we dashed to the departures board to see if our flight had already left (of course it was right on time and already gone 30min ago). At least we hadn't checked any luggage (we had tried to plan for something like this happening) so we raced as fast as we could to the ticketing agents to figure out if there was any new information about open seats but it was the same – nothing available until 12/30. So, we figured, a bus trip it was! Unfortunately, the group still wasn’t feeling well. Every time we would turn around someone would be running to the bathroom for an emergency stop. We knew that there were two bus companies that go from Lima all the way to Guayaquil and Quito. They are 26 and 34hr trips (respectively) and cross from Peru to Ecuador. We found a little internet café in the airport and learned that one company had a bus at 1pm for Quito and 2pm for Guayaquil. It was 12pm and the station was located 45min away. With no time to waste we ran downstairs, flagged down a taxi, and hurried outside encouraging the driver “rapido, rapido!!”. We squeezed four of us in the backseat and gave Jacquie the front since her Spanish was the best. Luckily our driver was incredibly kind and called both bus companies after he learned of our situation. The other company had no seats but the one we had looked up thought they might have space. We crossed our fingers. 

We finally arrived at the bus company and got into the ticket line. With four people ahead of us we began planning. Looking around we figured out they might not take credit cards. We began pooling our cash trying to figure out how many US dollars we had collectively - this was a team effort now. Jacquie and I anxiously waited at the counter for our turn hoping no one would take the last tickets, hoping we could afford it, hoping the bus hadn’t left yet. FINALLY it was our turn. We asked the lady if there were tickets from Lima to Guayaquil. “Yes”, she said, “I have four left”. One short. We were devastated. “Wait”, I asked, “what about from Lima to Quito?”. She replied she had four for that as well but then paused, looked again, and said she found one more seat. That’s all we needed! Even though the bus was suppose to leave at 1pm it was running late (this should have been our first sign that things probably wouldn’t work out but it wouldn’t have mattered – we didn’t really have another option). We were able to pay in cash, buy some toilet paper from a lady selling in on the street (they don’t have any on the bus), grab our stuff and hop onto the bus.

We figured that if the bus left at 2pm on 12/26 we’d arrive in Quito around 2am on 12/28 giving us about 4 hours until our flights started taking off to the States. It would be just enough time to get to the hostel, pick up our bags, and get to the airport. Jac, Sarah, and Shelby had 6:15am flights, I had a 7:15am flight, and Amy had a 10:15am flight. At this point we could do nothing else but wait and sit…..

The bus was fairly comfy – a small step up from a Greyhound. We had assigned seats and I was in the middle next to a man who was traveling with his family from Chile to Columbia, a five day journey! They were prepared with blankets, toothbrushes, and towels for showers! (We, in contrast, had no clean clothes, no food, and almost no toothpaste left). The other four girls were together in back by the bathroom, both a blessing for those that needed it quickly and a curse because of the smell.

Strange landscape in Peru

We thought this part of Peru looked a bit like something from outer space.

However, the bus did have one awesome feature - dropdown screens in the aisles (like on an airplane) where they would occasionally show movies in Spanish with English subtitles. This did WONDERS to help the time pass. The first movie was Denzel Washington’s “Training Day” which was pretty intense but not bad. Around 7pm I started feeling hungry and wondering if we were going to stop for dinner. I’d eaten through most of my leftover raisins and nuts and was rationing out the rest of my meager amount of food (more raisins, more nuts, a piece of chocolate, a cookie, some coca candy, and a fruit leather bar) worried that it would have to get me through 31 more hours. But around 8:30pm we pulled to a stop and everyone started to get off. It looked like a food place but when we got out they said they were closed so everyone got back on the bus. I worried that was it and now my one chance for dinner was gone.

However, about 10min later we stopped again at a sketchy roadside outdoor food place in the middle of nowhere. They only took soles (Peruvian currency) of which we had very little left (we tried to spend it out since we “knew” we’d be back in Ecuador soon). Both Amy and I were saving some for souvenirs but dinner and water were more important. Sadly we used our gift money to buy water, juice, and a couple light snacks. Jacquie and I tried to find an ATM but all we found were two men standing on a rooftop, dressed in uniform, holding guns, and yelling that we couldn't go any further. We hastily decided we didn’t need any more money.

Strange little roadside stop with nothing else around it

The break was quick and soon we were back on the bus heading along a foggy road into the night. All of us did manage to get a little shut eye during the overnight probably due to the fact that we hadn’t really slept much in days. Around 6am we were woken up by the sun which was very bright and streamed through the flimsy curtains. I tried to drift back to sleep but soon after the woman kitty-corner to me stood up and started speaking in Spanish while holding a book. At first I thought she might be making announcements so I tried to listen. My Spanish isn’t very good to start with but it’s downright awful at 6:30am on a bus in the middle of nowhere after getting very little sleep. It took me about 5min to figure out that in fact she was not making announcements, she was preaching. Bible in hand she was reading and talking loud and clear so the whole bus could hear (whether they wanted to our not). Way too tired to pay attention I turned away and started out the window watching the strange, moon-like country side go by. Where the heck were we?!

Further north in Peru

We made another stop around 11am for brunch at a buzzing touristy town near the coast. Everyone was finally feeling well enough to eat a little food and we ordered breakfast (luckily this place took credit cards!). We stocked up on more TP and even managed to find a place to make a couple calls to the States to let family know we were alive. However, as we watched the minutes tick by we began getting worried. We weren’t exactly sure where we were but we know we were still in Peru and had quite a bit of traveling to go. We were relieved when the bus driver finally moved us all back onto the bus.

Little tourist town near the ocean!

As the clock ticked on I noted it was 2pm… 24 hours down. Despite being smelly, tired, sore, cramped, and thirsty the bus ride could have been a lot worse. (An aside: On Machu Picchu I braided my hair into two pigtail braids to keep it from tangling and getting messy. This worked great expect for one problem. I forgot that I was exposing my scalp to the intense sun. Shelby noticed my part was firey red on day number three and gave me sunscreen but it was too little too late. My head was charred, as was the back of my neck where I didn’t reapply. It was the worst sunburn of the whole trip and it drove me nuts the whole trip back).

More funky landscape near the Ecuador border

A couple hours later we started seeing signs for the border!! We were so excited! Ecuador was familiar territory, a step closer to where we needed to be, and we could use our US dollars again! We also had an Ecuadorian phone that we could use here to call home for cheaper if we needed too! Our first stop was at border control. 

This sign was probably newer then the building we had to go into...

We lined up in front of a small run down building and prepared to enter a tiny room with two security guards. Everything was chaos as people searched for passports, government IDS, and other paperwork. Several people seemed to be missing things and got into lengthy debates and arguments with the guards. I clutched my passport like my life depended on it and after a fifteen minute wait nervously walked up to the small counter. The guard didn’t say a word, just took my passport, stamped it, checked my paperwork, and handed it all back. Thankfully simple. The other girls got through no problem also and we rewarded ourselves with some ice cream from a guy on the street. Yum.

Sign at the border between Peru and Ecuador. Pilsener is pretty much the only beer you can get in Ecuador.

We thought that was it but of course there was another stop at migration. Shoot. Here we found two lines formed in front of a building. The set up was similar to lines you’d find at a bank with a person behind glass waiting for you at the end of the line. We picked a line and began a long, slow wait. After a few minutes a man walked over to an open area next to us. He made an announcement and then brought out a boy. He showed the boy, they talked, and then he pulled up the boy’s shirt to reveal what looked like a hole in his stomach with intestines trying to poke out. Real or fake it was still a bit disturbing and we tried not to watch so we wouldn’t get haggled for money. We felt bad for their situation but this time we really didn’t have extra cash to spare.

We don't know why there are holes in the sign either....

We soon began to notice our line was taking forever while the other line seemed to be going faster. There was someone at the front of the line who seemed to be having all kinds of issues and kept butting back in line to argue with the person behind the window. But while we debated what to do another bus pulled up with more people who quickly populated the other line and the space behind us. We decided it made no sense to switch. How long could it take?

At this point we also realized it was getting late. It was around 4pm and we began to worry that we weren’t going to be making Quito in 8 hours since we knew it was around 10 hours from Guayaquil to Quito and we weren’t even to Guayaquil yet. I decided to step out of line while the girls held my place and ask the bus driver what time he thought we’d be in Quito. He looked at me and replied in Spanish “Oh, around 6 or 7am”. 6 or 7am!? We’d miss our flights!!! I ran back to the girls and asked Jacquie to go verify that I heard correctly and didn’t mangle my Spanish somehow. She disappeared for a moment and returned with a grim look. I was right. There was no possibility we’d be catching our flight, even if we made up a little time.

Now we were anxious, overtired, and still stuck in line. We’d been in line for almost forty-five minutes and our patience was getting worn down. We wanted to get back to the bus and use our phone to call Dan and Jon (my fiancé) to see if they could help us. After almost an hour we made it through and of course it took us just moments at the window to clear. We raced onto the bus, the last ones, and sat down to assess the situation. We turned on our phone to find out, to our dismay, the battery was moments away from dying. Jacquie quickly dialed Dan’s number but before she could even say ‘hello’ the phone went dead. We still had Jacquie’s US phone and were able to make a call (at no small cost) to tell Dan the situation and see what he could do. Soon though Jacquie’s phone died and we were stuck on the bus, no outlets in sight, and several hours until our next break. What could we do but sit and wait?

At our dinner stop we rushed to a phone calling place to get a hold of Dan and Jon. Dan was able to rebook Sarah, Jac, and Shelby onto Amy’s 10:15am flight. I was on a different flight and found out I was stuck until 7:15am on 12/29. It was unfortunate but luckily I knew a hostel to stay at (The Secret Garden) and I didn’t have to pay a rebooking fee. I was prepared for much worse news and figured at least I'd have lots of time to repack, take a good shower, and get some sleep before going home.

Slightly more relaxed we managed to eat a little food, (ignoring the cockroaches scuttling around our feet), and got back on the bus ready to sleep. Again we managed to rest a bit and woke up to another person reading the bible around 6:30am. We were feeling much better this time though as we saw signs for familiar locations just outside Quito. Just after 7:15am we arrived! We jumped off the bus in a hurry and found a taxi right away. We zoomed to The Secret Garden where we had stored our bags. The girls frantically repacked while I booked my room for the night (a private double). They took quick showers and then I saw them off to the airport 45min later. I gave them all hugs and wished them safe flights. I assumed I was now on my own for the next 24hours. 

Trying to figure out how to fit the suitcases

A final picture of the girls as they headed off to the airport (Amy, Shelby, Sarah, and Jacquie)

After they left I went back to the hostel to enjoy their delicious breakfast and relax. I had just finished eating and was drinking tea and chatting with some other tourists when our Ecuador phone (which I now had) started vibrating. Confused I answered it to the sound of a male voice. “Jacquie can’t find her passport, can you call her?”. It took me a minute to recognize that the voice on the other end was Dan. Jacquie’s US phone couldn’t call my Ecuador phone for some reason but she’d managed to call Dan who was now calling me. I jumped up and called Jacquie to find out she’d lost her passport. She was with some policemen who were taking her to the Embassy to get things straightened out. By now she'd missed her flight would need to stay the night with me.

I’ll make this part of the story short but ultimately Jacquie was able to get a new passport because she was smart enough to have printed copies of EVERYTHING. She arrived at the Secret Garden flustered but in relatively good spirits considering an intense ordeal full of paperwork, metal detectors, and Spanish speaking security guards that kept yelling at her. She and I went to get some final paperwork done and to rebook her flight (something you have to do in the mall…. not the airport… go figure). Thankfully she was able to get out on a flight the next morning just before I left. We celebrated with some dessert at the mall and headed to the hostel to shower and repack. We spent our last night enjoying a beer and some dinner, sitting out on the patio, ending the journey in the same place we’d begun.

We set our alarms for bright and early (we were getting to the airport WELL in advance) and slept. Thankfully we had no major problems at the airport the next day. Jacquie had to present a lot of extrapaperwork but ultimately had no issue getting through.

My journey back to the US was relatively uneventful. I had a layover in Houston where I had a Subway sandwich and a Jamba juice and enjoyed the luxuries of a nice bathroom (fully stocked with toilet paper). I arrived back to Portland around 6:20pm PDX time where Jon picked me up from the airport with VooDoo donuts and lots of love. Finally J

Despite the hard hike and the crazy journey home I’d absolutely do it all over again in a heartbeat. It was worth it – the whole thing. Machu Picchu and my whole experience abroad is one I’ll obviously never forget. I saw incredible places, made new friends and strengthened existing friendships, began learning a new language, and reminded myself of what’s really important. The four and a half months were filled with some challenges, surprises, and frustrations but mainly with excitement, fun, learning opportunities, and wonderful experiences. I’m happy to be home but I know Ecuador will always hold a special place in my heart.

Here ends my blog and my Ecuador stories. However, I’m sure there will soon be more adventures to recount, more places to discover, and more exciting journeys to come.

Chao!!! 

Machu Christmas!

December 25th - Christmas Day!!!

That morning we woke up at 3:30am. Apparently I talked in my sleep the night before and said,“Wake up, they’re coming” which freaked the heck out of Shelby (go figure)! Woops! But even though we were tired we were ready to finish the last 2hrs of our trek! My Mom had sent me some fun jingle bell earrings, Christmas socks, and a red & green jingle hair tie. I put those on and Sarah donned a Santa hat that Percy “stole” from another guide. The trail to Machu Picchu opens at 5:30am and everyone wants to get there early. Additionally, the porters leave us here and take a train back at 5:30am so they have to have everything cleaned up in time. This morning was a quick breakfast and a scramble to get everything packed and ready in time. It was a rough morning for a couple of our group who weren’t feeling well so we were the last group to leave camp. 

We had to wait at the gate for a bit but we were treated to beautiful snow covered mountains. A white Christmas after all! 

Even though we were last we had no complaints because we then had the trail to ourselves and we were able to really enjoy the view. The rain had stopped and everything looked gorgeous. We had a moment of silence as we walked across a landslide area where a woman and her guide were killed last year during a terrible rainy season.

Landslide area... scary

About an hour of fairly easy hiking and a final set of 50 almost-vertical stairs we arrived at Intipunku or “The Sun Gate”. It’s the first glimpse of Machu Picchu itself and even though it was too cloudy for the sunrise the view was breathtaking. There was much celebrating and picture taking! We’d made it!!! Below us was Machu Picchu, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the seven modern wonders of the world!

Jacquie, Shelby, Sarah, and I at the Sun Gate! The twisty white part in the middle is the road down to Aguas Calientes and the area beyond that is Machu Picchu!

The last hour in was an easy downhill walk. We stopped half way to look at a large towering rock where apparently a body was found along with the bodies of servants and pets. They aren’t sure who was buried there but it must have been someone important due to the closeness to the city. It’s custom to leave something of importance to the traveler there, however, seeing as we didn’t have much with us we each chose to leave a piece of our hair as our “offering”.

The rock "tombstone" and offering area (the black streaks on the rock are lichens)

We continued on to the main gate feeling tired and sore but very excited. We spent quite a while taking lots of pictures while Percy patiently waited. Then we went to go see if we could find Amy. She had gone up to Aguas Calientes (the town 20min below Machu Picchu) the night before and taken the bus up early that morning. We didn’t see her but we did find a bathroom with REAL toilets and toilet paper! It was amazing (despite the $1 sol it cost to get in). We decided to start the tour and hope that we found Amy on the way. Percy brought us to the “start”. Everyone who visits the city walks in a clockwise direction to help with flow of traffic. It was busy on Christmas but definitely not crowded and we never felt like we were overwhelmed with other tourists. Though it was pretty funny to see other people who had showered and actually looked clean and smelled good!

We've arrived!

Merry Christmas!! (Or, as we said, "Machu Christmas!")

Just as we were beginning we found Amy! After hugs and “Merry Christmases” we were ready to begin. During our 3hour tour we learned SO much, far more then I could put here. However, I’ll give some of the highlights! First Percy started explaining how Machu Picchu probably had three purposes: 1) Religious significance, 2) Training/educational purposes, and 3) Astronomy/science studies. Most of the work that you see is original with only 30% being reconstructed. Most of the buildings and stonework align with the mountains since the Incans believed that everything (rocks, dirt, etc) had a spirit. In fact, the city is surrounded on three sides by the Urubamba River – one of the reasons it may have been placed where it is.

View of the terraces and much of the city

Another angle

The city was actually re-discovered 100 years ago. As I understand it: Some locals living below the city had uncovered it and knew it existed. Back in the late 1800s a local man decided to start exploring the city and looking for gold. He made several trips up the mountain and took much of the gold and then brought some friends up with him. Two of the families he brought actually started living up there. Then in 1911 an American explorer named Hiram Bingham arrived looking for “the lost city” or the last stronghold of the Incans. Instead he met the local man that knew of Machu Picchu and Hiram convinced the local man to bring him up. While the city was mostly grown over much of it was intact. This is why it is believed that the Spanish never found Machu Picchu –it was probably the best-kept secret of the Inca and Quechua people.  

Beautiful!

Walking through one of the incredible doorways!

On the outskirts of the city is the guard tower (where many of the post card pictures are taken from) and a series of terraces. The terraces where probably used to grow some food, to beautify the city, and to protect against landslides. 

The coca tea plant - this is the plant we'd been using to help with altitude all along! They were growing several plants to show how the terraces might have been decorated in the Incan's time. 

This area in particular had many steps which definitely were a challenge on our already sore legs! Soon we entered the main area of the city. The buildings are all built at a slight inward angle, also to protect against earthquakes (brilliant and something the Spanish never figured out – their buildings fell to the ground in the terrible 1950 earthquake). One of the first things we saw were two temples constructed near the middle of the city. There was one large one that was never finished and one facing towards Aguas Calientes with three openings. The openings probably represented the three worlds (underworld, present world, and next world).

The three openings

Just beyond the temple there was also a very neat rock that acted as a compass with one corner pointing straight to magnetic north. There was also a large pile of rocks that seemed to be broken apart. This quarry was probably used for building material.  

Rock area where much of the stone probably came from

Then we came across two pools of water in shallow 2 ft circular indents in the ground. Percy let us take guesses at what we thought they were but none of us were close. In fact they were mirror pools that astronomers used to view the stars. They would spend all night peering into the pools so they could see how the stars moved as they looked at a fixed point. 

The viewing pools

We continued to walk along the city looking at temples and religious areas. The city is set up like a rectangle with a green courtyard area in the middle that was probably used for gatherings. 

Courtyard area and a llama!

From L to R: Me, Sarah, Percy, Shelby, and Jacquie

Shelby, Sarah, me, Jac, and Amy with the city and Wayna Picchu behind us

After about 1.5 hrs we came to the short side of the rectangle and took a moment to pause. As we caught our breath Percy suddenly noticed a gathering of people coming down from a nearby mountain called Wayna Picchu. The summit is a short hike up from where we were resting and the top is apparently where priests and priestess may have resided. Right near the area where you come down Percy saw the Mayor of Machu Picchu (Oscar Valencia)! We were excited to just see him but all of a sudden Percy got really excited as Evo Morales, the Bolivian president, appeared!!! President Morales had just become the first president to climb Wayna Picchu and he had come down to give a speech! Very cool! There wasn’t very much security so it was easy to see him up close!

Bolivian President Evo Morales (in the red hat) and the Mayor of Machu Picchu (in the sash)!

After that we still had a whole other side to walk. Here was where most of the houses were as well as the classrooms where young boys would learn. Here was also one of my favorite parts – the temple of the condor! There was a flat rock on the ground representing the body, eye, and the white “collar” of the condor. Then two huge rocks towered up to the left and right of the rock on the ground. These represented the wings and on the left there was a platform above the wing. Here the Incans would leave mummies – a spiritual representation of the “flight” to the next world. The condor was extremely sacred to the Inca and on the body rock they would sacrifice guinea pigs and llamas. The blood and bones would be swept past the body to a rock tunnel that represented to stomach. Pretty awesome.

The body rock of the condor - the eye is on the left side and the white "collar" beyond that

We also saw the famous “sun temple” which had the most incredible architecture of the whole city. The granite stonework was impeccable and you could see where there was once a wooden door that would have been used for security. This temple was both a religious and scientific center. Inside there was a stone-carved altar where a priest would sacrifice animals and read the future by analyzing the entrails. The temple also has two windows – one faced the sun gate where the summer solstice could be seen perfectly and one facing a slightly different direction where the winter solstice could be seen.

The upper part of the Sun Temple 

Near the end of the walk we also got the view one of the 16 fountains that ran water through the city. They were very impressive and like the other cities the highest fountains were for the wealthiest people. We finally went through the house of the ‘leader’ of Machu Picchu (whoever that might have been). The house was impressive and included four rooms, a bathroom (which probably had a bathtub as opposed to a toilet), a space to hold a torch, and little ‘kitchen’ type area with a built in mortar and pestle. Like all Inca houses there was no evidence of furniture, just spaces in the house to hold trinkets or idols.

A small house or study area

After three hours we had completed the tour, all while mist and clouds rose up and down the mountains around it. Just astonishing! 

The mist

To finish our time we walked around a little more and took a couple last pictures. 

Looking out at the clouds (Sarah, me, and Percy)

Finally, tired and hungry, we headed to go catch our bus down to Aguas Calientes. We were booked on a 6:45pm train back to Cusco so we had some time to kill. The bus ride was a quick 20min incredible windy twisty drive down 400m to the town. I was so sad that the adventure was coming to the end. The experience was just so wonderful – by far one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. We met Percy at a little restaurant, filled out our evaluations, and spent some time wandering.

Over the next 6 hours we did a little shopping, emailed our families to tell them we were alive, ate a delicious lunch, and tried to relax a bit.

"Wish You Were Here!"

Here is where we thought the story would end and I’d say we headed back caught our flights, and went home. However, our journey home turned into a WILD adventure that no one could have predicted. I suppose I’ll have to do one more post to include that adventure, as this story wouldn’t be complete without it! 

Why I Go Abroad!

This entry is for the GoAbroad "Why You Go Abroad"challenge!
(http://www.goabroad.com/blog/2011/11/15/goabroad-giveaway-goabroad/)


GoAbroad has lots of great information about traveling out of the country, including an awesome section on volunteering abroad (details here: http://www.goabroad.com/volunteer-abroad) 

Why I Go Abroad:


To learn
To play
To explore
To be humbled
To understand who I am
To understand where I come from
To meet new friends
To learn
To see something new
To see the same things in a new way
To eat food...lots of delicious food
To experience a culture different then mine
To take a break from my 'everyday'
To figure out what I miss most
To learn
To break down stereotypes
To teach others
To share 
To see places I've only read about in books
To have new adventures
To take risks
To learn, always to keep learning.


 “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” - Mark Twain

This blog is about my five month experience studying abroad in Ecuador during the fall of 2011. In addition to Ecuador I’ve also spent five months studying in New Zealand as well as spending time in England, Mexico, Peru, Greece, the Bahamas, Australia, and the Cook Islands. The more I travel the more I want to keep traveling. India, Antarctica, Chile, Tanzania, Ghana, and Thailand are the top places that I’d like to explore next. I go abroad because every experience is different and presents new adventures and new challenges. The Master’s program I’m currently in has allowed me to take classes in intercultural communication and international studies, which has really heightened my travel experiences. No longer do I travel just to see new lands but also to learn about the people; to have meaningful conversations about culture, diversity, wealth, politics, and opportunity; to open my eyes and my mind just a little bit more. As I mentioned above – the biggest reason I go abroad is to learn. 

Inca Trail, Peru 2011

Machu Picchu - Part Two

It’s been a busy week but I really wanted to make sure I kept working my blog! So here is the second installment of the Machu Picchu adventure! 

After resting at our high point for a bit we caught our breath and got ready for the descent. We were heading down 600m  along a steep path – a mix of trail, cobblestone, and steps. The first 30min were very steep and hard on our quads. Sarah and I ran ahead a bit because we found it easier to bound down the steps. By the time we reached the bottom our legs were shaking like crazy, even just standing still! But the view, again, was incredible as giant waterfalls came into view and the mist began to thin for a while. 

The view from the top on the way down

It felt amazing to sit down and take off our boots and socks. Our feet and legs were definitely sore and we were ready to eat! We bundled up and headed into the tent for some ‘happy hour’ snacks and to play some Uno before dinner. After a delicious dinner we were ready for bed. Everyone was tired and we had to be up at 5:30am the next morning! However, we couldn’t sleep without peering up at the stars for a few moments. The sky was wonderfully clear and the stars went down to the horizon. Incredible.

 It was very chilly that night and even bundled in several layers and a hat I was still chilly. I woke up several times trying to get warm/comfortable. At one point I thought I saw flashing. I unzipped the tent and peered out towards the mountains. In the distance I could see lightening flashing (no thunder though). It was so dark and quiet it verged on a little freaky so I zipped up the tent and went back to sleep.

The next morning we were again woken up with coca tea and we worked on packing up our stuff. When I told Percy about how I woke up in the night he asked if I got out of the tent or saw anything. I told him I'd be crazy to get up - it was freezing! - and that all I saw was the lighting. Percy explained we asked because apparently the campsite we stayed at is haunted. Back in the early 90s before there were guided tours a woman was found dead in the bathroom. I guess those who stay near the bathroom often see figures walking around at night.... 

Today we were prepared for 2 hours up, 1 hour down, and 25 min flat before lunch. After another wonderful breakfast we were off and hiking. We wished each other a merry Christmas Eve and keep a slow steady pace up to our first set of ruins for the day. After an hour we arrived at Runkuracay which is a symmetrical set of circular stones. This may have been a lookout point and the view is certainly impressive. 

Looking out to where we had come from. You can see the waterfall running down the mountain right into our campsite

After a brief rest here we continued up past some beautiful alpine lakes to another high point. From here we climbed around the area, had some snacks, and took lots more pictures. The sky cleared (first time Percy had seen blue sky here in 3months) and we weren’t complaining! It was so nice to not be in the rain and we all felt much better then the day before even though we were still at a fairly high altitude.

Soon it was time for the hour down which was again fairly steep. However, we were rewarded with our second ruins of the day: Sayacmarca. These ruins are built on the edges of cliffs and were pretty fantastic to look at. Here the mist did start rolling in. You’d look off the edge and be able to see everything and a moment later the whole area would be shrouded in cloud.

After we had some time to explore we headed off for a much-anticipated lunch! An easy 30min walk lead us to a great lunch spot were we enjoyed self-serve veggies and quinoa! We even had some time to sit outside and relax in the sun for a bit. It was warm and the heat felt incredible. 

Eating lunch under the red glow of the tent

Yet all to soon it was time for the afternoon hike. We had one hour up and three hours down before we reached our next campsite. I briefly thought I lost my camera but after some scrambling I managed to get it together and be ready to go. The hike up felt relatively easy, especially after all the hiking we’d done at altitude. Part way up we stopped at a little rest site where Shelby noticed by scalp was burning. I had left my hair in braids for 48 hours and my part was so badly burnt. I didn’t know it then but I’d be dealing with that burn for over two weeks. Ouch. We continued on, often spotting Cuzco’s highest snow covered peaks off in the distance. Finally we hit our highest point for the day and great views of Aguas Calientes – the town just a 20min but ride from Machu Picchu. In fact, we could see Machu Picchu mountain too and we knew we just had to make it around the other side of the mountain! It was definitely encouraging.

Unfortunately, as we took our break, the skies started to turn dark and lighting appeared in the distance. We figured we better start down asap since there was quite a ways to go! Before we got too far we soon reached our third set of ruins for the day. The ruins are known as Phuyupatamarca or ‘town in the clouds’ and it truly feels that way. The ruins were the best we’d ever seen. There were even running water ‘baths’ or ‘foundations’. We stuck our hands in for the change to rinse off in the ‘ritual water’. Here we also got to see much of the impressive Incan architecture. The Inca actually built all their houses, temples, and other buildings at a 12-degree angle (tilting inward) to protect against earthquake damage. Very impressive.

The sacred fountain

Part of the city sitting out on the cliffside

Although we wanted to keep looking rain started sprinkling and we started on down. We were some of the last trekkers on the trail and we headed off at a quick pace. Although the rain sprinkled down intermittently and it got a bit chilly we were rewarded with fabulous views of a rainbow pouring from the sky and right into Aguas Calientes. It was really gorgeous despite the threatening black clouds. We took a brief break about half way down but then the rain really started to pick up. We began to jog down trying to stay warm and dry. It was steep and the last half hour involved lots of steep steps and sharp switchbacks. 

The first rainbow we saw

Impending doom...

The second rainbow we saw from near our campsite

We finally arrived to Wiñay Wayna, our final campsite. It was absolutely pouring and we piled into tents to ditch our wet clothes and get warm! It was dinner time by this point and we all piled into the tent to play cards and wait for the meal to finish cooking. We enjoyed a delicious last meal including rice and breaded eggplant for the vegetarians! We knew that tonight there would be a ceremony to thank the porters for all their work. They don’t continue on to Machu Picchu with us but instead head back via an early morning train. We learned this was also the time we needed to tip the porters. We had expected this but getting all our money together took significantly longer then any of us expected (especially because we had to explain to the other man and his son what we were planning on paying because they wanted to follow suit). After some confusion we managed to get everything together and properly thanked all the porters for all their hard work.

To end the night everyone (including Percy) gathered around my tent (this time Shelby and I were together!) and I read “Twas the Night Before Christmas” – a tradition in my family. It was really nice to share the tradition with everyone and we were in bed by 10pm which was the earliest Christmas Eve I’ve had in years!

The last day/Machu Picchu and the conclusion of our journey home coming VERY soon! 

Machu Picchu - Part One

So I realized my Machu Picchu posts are going to take a couple entries. I want to finish them so my blog is complete but it might take a couple days.... So, without further ado, part one:

On Thursday morning we were up at 5:15am. We jumped into the shower but unfortunately the water was freezing! Rough way (but not unexpected) to begin! We were ready to go and met up with our guide, Percy, at 6:30am sharp at the entrance to the hostel. The first part of the journey was a trip in what was basically a 12-passenger van with no heat (brrrrr!). We picked up our porters (there would be 5 porters for the four of us!) as well as a Spanish-speaking Dad and his 16 yr old son who would be sleeping and eating with us but hiking with a separate Spanish-speaking guide. The journey was absolutely gorgeous with mountains on every side and mist everywhere. I was SO excited to actually be starting!! We made a short stop in a nearby town called Urubamba for breakfast where we also enjoyed hot coca tea (helps vastly with altitude!!). Then we continued for another 1hr to “kilometer 82” which is the traditional starting point for the 4-day classic Inca Trail. We unloaded and got ready to go along with many other people who were also gearing up to start.

The "official" starting moment picture! Clean, dry, and feeling ready to go!

We were each carrying a backpack with our clothes, lots of yummy snacks, water for the first two days, headlamps, and other essentials. We also learned that we had to carry our sleeping bags, (a surprise for us!), but luckily there are local women who are ready to sell you anything you forgot including straps to hold extra gear. After a bit of adjusting we were set to go. (Little known to us those straps would break several times throughout the journey but luckily, with a bit of tweaking, we were able to make them work til the end).

We were really pumped to start hiking but after just a couple of minutes we had to stop at the first check in point. Here we got our passports stamped, our names checked off, and then we were off! Percy was a great guide. He told us that if we are breathing so hard we can’t talk then we are “running” and we were “not allowed to run” on Machu Picchu. That was definitely fine by us as we wanted to take our time and enjoy the scenery!

Looking across the river at the train that takes those who aren't the hiking type up to Machu Picchu in mere hours...

We only walked a short way in the morning stopping to talk a bit about the Incan people and the trail we’d be following. The Incan empire existed in the early 13^th century and included a vast part of western South American including Peru and much of Ecuador, Bolivia, NW Argentina, northern Child, and Southern Columbia. Their official language was Quechua and the civilization was based in Cusco. The Inca trail to Machu Picchu was in fact only for royalty in the society. Common people were not allowed to go to Machu Picchu. Additionally, even though it only takes about 7 hours to hike from our starting place to Machu Picchu, (by traveling along the river), the Inca’s instead used this trail. The exact reason is unknown since no written records have ever been found but it may have been a spiritual or ritual journey for the Incas.

Soon we arrived at lunch which was SO incredible! The porters carried all of our food as well as a tent with small stools and a rollaway table to eat on. Each day we received breakfast, lunch, tea/happy hour, and dinner. Lunch and dinner were usually three courses: a small appetizer, a bowl of soup or vegetables, and then a main course. Happy hour was an hour or two before dinner and included popcorn, crackers, and tea and cocoa. As a vegetarian I felt really good about almost everything I ate which was awesome!

Standard squat toilet - this was the last clean one we saw.....

After lunch we had our first “test” – a steep (but very short) climb up to our first view point. Apparently those who struggle with this climb often have a lot of trouble on the second day of the trek. Luckily we all passed with flying colors! The views along the way had been incredible and here they only began to get more amazing. We constantly were reminding each other (and ourselves) that we were actually here, actually hiking, actually on the Inca trail! It was unreal feeling…. Our first viewpoint was of “Patallacta” which was used to grow crops, host religious ceremonies, and house soldiers and messengers. It was a pretty fantastic site to see! 

At Patallacta

After that we  had another couple hours to reach our first campsite called Wayllabamba. Although we slept in tents here it was less like an actual campsite. There are actually several dozen families that live in the area and we stayed on land that belonged to one. We even had a little one room cement space where we could eat and play some cards. Percy and the guide of the other two people that were with us taught us a new game called “Shithead” which we played several rounds of that night and every night after.

Campsite for night #1

We had two tents with two people per tent. It didn’t take long after dinner for us to head to bed. We knew that the next day was going to be hard. Percy, (and several others), explained that day one was the warm-up, day two was the hard day, day three was the pretty one, and day four the prize. We’d be up at 5:00am the next morning and needing to hike uphill for 5-6 hours before lunch and downhill another two hours. No one needed to tell us twice to go to bed!

Happy hour! The green leaves in the middle of the tray are coca leaves!

Holding a baby chick that was wandering around the yard looking cold

At 5am we were awakened by the porters who brought us hot coca tea as we packed up our stuff. We tried to eat a good breakfast since we knew we about to start the hardest hiking any of us had dowe. We would be ascending from 11,000ft up to 14,000 feet on stone steps and dirt paths. Our goal was to reach the top in about 5-6hours and we were ready to go!

Gorgeous morning view

The first few minutes started off well but it quickly began to drizzle around the same time the walking got steep. Percy explained that it's not uncommon for people to turn around early into day two. Altitude sickness is a main reason as well as just generally being too out of shape. While the trail is depicted as moderate I'd say it's more challenging then most people realized and the altitude definitely doesn't make things easier.

READY! Our "day 2" start picture!

About 10min later when I realized it was going to get WARM in gortex!

Both Jacquie and Shelby weren't feeling too well and even Sarah and I (who felt fine) struggled with the steep steps and incline. We soon reached the steepest area known as "grino killer one". Rest breaks for pictures, to chat, and just to try and catch our breath were common. Our lungs often felt like they were burning and it made it challenging to talk. The drizzle soon turned to outright rain and we struggled with keeping our body temps comfortable, drinking enough water, and maintaining a steady pace.

High up on the trail and happy to be there despite the challenges!

Even though we weren't going very fast we reached our main rest break along with many other hikers. Here we had about 20min to use the toilet, catch our breath, add layers, and grab a snack. But all too quickly we had to start again up "gringo killer two". This part is less steep but the altitude makes each steep challenging. There are no switch backs and at times I would walk up a step on the right hand side, walk along the length of the step, and then step up to the next step on the left hand side making mini switch backs. The view, however, made everything worthwhile. Seriously. Snow covered peaks, sweeping green mountains, mist and fog... unbeleivable. 

Eventually the top came into view and we celebrated. We knew we were going to make it!! The feeling of reaching the pass (known as Dead Woman's Pass) was incredible! The rain stopped and the view from the top was the most gorgeous area I've ever seen. Snow covered peaks in every direction! Amazing! We celebrated, took pictures, caught our breath, and grabbed some well deserved chocolate to celebrate! We still had two hours of steep downhill hiking to go but we knew we'd be fine!

The view looking back from where we had just come 

The view looking out towards where we were going!

Friends at the top celebrating!!

Part two to be continued soon....