Machu Picchu here we come

Yesterday was our first major destination on the trip, Machu Picchu.  Before boarding the Hiram Bingham train (Indiana Jones was based on Bingham, a Yale prof with a wealthy wife that he really didn't mind being away from for very long expeditions to Peru), we stopped at a native village to tour the town and get a feel for how the people in the country live.  It's a very agrarian culture with corn and potatoes being two of their major crops.  They still farm on a very small scale basis since the sloping (think of a tall slide at a water park and you have the general slope of the land) isn't very conducive to farming with machinery.  This is the beginning of their growing season so everything was very green and lush.

The village itself was very small and obviously used to some tourist visits as they had the standard mother and daughter that would pose in their native garb for a few cents (or sols) and the children hawking jewelry and woven goods as we stepped off the bus.  We got a glimpse into a standard one room home home complete with chickens, ducks, dogs and cuy (see previous post for a full explanation of cuy.

Continuing on we took the afore mentioned Hiram Bingham train to Macchu Picchu.  More food, more drink.  At our destination we all boarded buses for the twisty ride up the mountain.  The views were spectacular.  At the top we were divided into small groups to take the tour.  And what a tour it was.

Machu Picchu was an Incan village of massive proportions.  I had read books and looked at pictures but it really didn't prepare me for the real thing.  First, let me say, the weather was perfect for our visit - no rain and clouds mixed with blue sky.  The site is filled with stairs, stairs and more stairs.  The Incans were small people with short legs which meant each stair had to be a big challenge.  If you're interested in learning more about it, I'm certain Wikipedia has a great article. 

We did the whole climb, which was a little challenging but nothing we couldn't handle.  We took the postcard/Christmas card photo at the top then started back down for, you guessed it, more food before boarding the bus back down the mountain.  We were on the same train back to Cusco, but this time the bar car hosted a band and dancing and some impromptu singing by fellow passengers.  Liquor flowed freely which made walking in the narrow gauge rail cars quite a challenge.  More food, more drink, then back to one more bus and our hotel.  A fantastic day that did not disappoint.

One person's pet is another person's dinner

Peru has several food specialities, some of which are familiar to us while others might seem a little out of the ordinary.  The potato is actually native to Peru with over 3000 varieties having been catalogued.  I don't think I've had a meal without at least one potato item and sometimes two.  They even serve a sweet potato slice with one of their other specialities, ceviche.

One of their more pleasurable specialities is a drink called a Pisco Sour.  Pisco is a brandy liquor made with first press grape juice.  To this you add lime juice, simple syrup and whipped egg whites.  I have to say it's a very pleasant way to start a meal, end a meal, or just skip the meal altogether.  Our friends on the trip took the opportunity on our train ride today (that's another post) to coax the recipe for the perfect Pisco Sour from the bartender. 

Now for the slightly unusual food specialty - cuy.  First let me say that cuy is so important in the Peruvian culture that there's a painting of The Last Supper hanging in a cathedral in Cusco with a cuy proudly displayed on the table ready for consumption.  And what you might ask is a cuy?  Well, it's one of our furry little childhood pets, the guinea pig.  We actually visited a village today where they were raising them on a dirt floored room.  My understating, although I didn't have a chance to confirm this, is that they bake them with their skin on which becomes crispy.  It's acceptable to eat the cuy with your hands because they are so bony.  Yummy!

The last food item I did try was alpaca.  I actually had it in carpacio form (that's raw and sliced very thin) for an appetizer last night.  That might explain my bathroom visit(s) in the wee hours of the morning where the only thing I could think of was that I had come all this way to visit Machu Picchu and by God I wasn't going to let a  little food poisoning get in my way!  After clearing my system of any remains of dinner (I tried to say that as delicately as I could, but text me and I can give you all the gory details) I was good as new a ready for the climb of my life.

It's only day 2 and I'm exhausted!

Last night we had our "welcome" dinner to meet our fellow passengers and our tour leaders.  There was the usual "so where are you from" along with the general sizing up of who you thought you could possible spend this much time traveling with around the world.  There are all types of people on the trip including a guy who's writing a young adult sci-fi novel set in the Grand Canyon.  A group of kids discover a colony of intelligent amphibians hidden in the canyon.  Well, you know, who thought vampires would be so popular...

We definitely fall on the younger side of the age spectrum although there may be little to no correlation with how well we hold up on the trip.  We seem to have "bonded" with several couples already although dance partners will probably change several times along the road. No one seems to be trying to impress anyone which is good since I discovered my pants have paint stains from a previous trip involving guns and targets.

This morning we were whisked off to the Sanford airport that seems to be reserved for charter operations and a flight school.  Security is a whole lot easier when you're the only flight departing for the next few hours.  Awaiting us on the plane was an array of entertainment/comfort goodies for our perusal.  Each of us has an iPad loaded with guide books, educational shows, lecture notes, and for those not quite so into the educational side of the trip, Angry Birds.  We were also issued Bose headphones, personal transmitters which will be used by local guides at each stop, a personal comfort bag ( tooth brush, ear plugs, etc.), and a bag to store our swag.  Talking about spoiled, I'm not sure I'll ever be able to step onto a Southwest flight again.

Along our route we heard from our traveling experts about Latin American political issues, the earth's climate and the sights of Peru.  We also were served our first of many multi-course meals complete with cheese course and matching wine.  Any delusions I might have had about this being a trip where I could shape up and drop a few pounds where burst with my first bight of caviar.

Upon arrival in Peru, we visited the Larco Herrera Museum, home of one of the largest collections of Pre-Colombian art.  Oh, and did I mention, they also are the home to the largest collection of sexually themed pottery in the world.  I've never seen so many exposed penises in one room, nor realized that if you call it art you really don't feel all that bad taking what amounts to pornographic photos to show Aunt Carol at the end of the trip.

Awaiting us in our hotel room were gifts of silver picture frames.  I think they may be taking care of my Christmas shopping for me if this pattern holds up.  The room is gorgeous, the dinner fabulous and the bed quite welcoming.  Time for bed.  We have an early wake-up call  to catch our flight to Cusco.

Ready, set......

It's almost here!  We leave in less than 4 days for our big adventure.  There's so many last minute items to take care of: call the credit card companies, make a list for the house/cat sitter, order a turkey for Thanksgiving, pay bills, finish immunizations, get cash,  have gallbladder removed.  Gallbladder removed???? Yep, it had a fear of going to foreign locals so my doctor and I decided it was better to leave it at home.  So long, old friend.

This weekend we have all the last minute packing to finish.  We also want to see as many people before we depart just to tell them how much we appreciate them and would miss them if we end up in a foreign jail with no one to post bail (please, please, look sufficiently distraught if CNN asks you if we're worth risking an international incident to get us safely back to the US of A).  We even made last minute trips to see both of the boys. 

I also have had to concede that I will not receive a degree in ancient civilizations before our departure.  I've read several tombs regarding our destinations, but will have to rely on the experts to refresh my memory at each stop.  At least I tried.

Next post: On the Road

Ya Gotta love Swag....

This week we received our final trip documents along with their version of swag - you  know, the stuff you didn't really ask for but love to get because it's FREE.  Because some of the areas we're visiting are not too friendly to a big jet, we'll be traveling on small planes that need small luggage.  The tour company's solution to this dilemma is to send you their 'approved' luggage for these stops.  It's actually not bad (although it's another piece of BLACK luggage that looks like every other piece of BLACK luggage on the airport conveyor belt) and helps define the amount of clothes and other various items we can take with us.

The other swag was more swag in the true sense of the word - sample sizes of bug repellent, hand wipes, sunscreen, ear plugs, a flashlight (hmmm, this one concerns me a little) and an alarm clock.  It also clues me into what I need to go buy in larger sizes to make the trip a little more comfortable.

The final documentation lists the daily activities, a little bit about each location and lists of participants.  Glancing through the list of our fellow travelers we discovered an Ambassador (yep, the type you make major donations to a President to buy yourself an extended vacation in a foreign, hopefully friendly, locale).  Somehow I don't think anyone will get very excited if they happen to Google check the Maloneys!

Next: Time to pack

Questions, questions, questions

I subscribe to a blog called "The Happiness Project" because, really, can't we all be a little happier?  A few days ago I received the following email that seemed quite appropriate for the trip.  I'm going to use it to frame what I should focus on while we're gone.

9 Questions To Ask About Someone's Big, Life-Changing Trip.
 

Every Wednesday is Tip Day.
This Wednesday: 9 questions to ask about someone's big, life-changing trip.

One of my resolutions is to Enter into the interests of other people's lives. When you think of people getting along harmoniously – whether in a family, or among friends, or in an office – people make an effort to enter into the interests of each other’s lives.

My friend Michael Melcher (author of the terrific book The Creative Lawyer -- which isn't just for lawyers) pointed out to me an area where this is often an issue: with travels. It's quite common for people to come back from big, life-changing trips, and feel let down because no one seems very interested in what they saw or thought or experienced.

Part of being a good friend, colleague, or family member is to show an interest, but this can be challenging. Often, people need help finding ways to talk about their travels in ways that are interesting to people who weren't there.

I'm not much of a traveler, myself, but Michael is, and he suggested nine questions that you might ask, to enter into the interests of a newly returned traveler. The point, of course, is not to fake an interest, but rather to find a way to be sincerely interested.

1. What was the best moment of the entire trip?

2. What are two interesting things about China [or wherever] that the average person doesn't know?

3. Tell me about one person you met.

4. Now that you've been there yourself, when you think of China, what's the first image that comes into your head?

5. What was the hardest or most frustrating part of the trip?

6. Did anything go wrong that seems funny now? [I often remind myself of my Secret of Adulthood that "The things that go wrong often make the best memories."]

7. What little, ordinary thing did you miss from your usual routine?

8. What did you learn about yourself?

9. Now that you've been to China, what are two other places you'd like to go?

What am I missing? Have you identified any questions that are good at invoking interesting conversation? And travelers, when you come home, what questions are interesting to answer, and that show interest in what you've experienced? Have you ever been frustrated by the fact that people don't seem interested in hearing about a trip or adventure that was very significant to you? Because I'm not much of a traveler, myself, I know that I haven't shown as much interest in people's travels as I should have. Something to work on.

Photos are Fab

I'll probably get one chance at some of the stops on the trip and I wanted to document them with memorable photos.  While I know how to take those touristy shots Aunt Martha took on her trip to the Hoover Damn, I wanted something a little more professional.  National Geographic has made a living publishing photos that make you go "awww", so they seemed the obvious choice to try to get me to a new level.

Last Thursday in New York City, I attended a weekend photo workshop taught by four professional photographers.  I was a little panicked that I had not spent more than five minutes with my editing software and I really hadn't taken any pictures outside of program mode, but I was signed up and determined to learn at least a little something.  First of all, National Geographic doesn't let their photographers touch up photos, so not knowing how to photoshop in King Kong onto the Empire State Bldg wasn't a problem for this class.  Second, the instructors were determined to get us all to full manual mode by the end of the weekend regardless of our comfort level and they succeeded!

Each day, we were expected to take to the streets and snap, snap, snap.  We were encouraged to get up close and not be afraid to photograph people.  And I mean people you don't know, people that look a little different or are having a "moment".  Having a badge around our necks with the company logo definitely helped.  One girl was photographed so often she now thinks she's the cover for the December issue.  Almost everyone was happy to let us into their world for a few moments.

After time on the streets, we went back to the classroom for a couple of hours for the critique portion of the day.  We had to edit down to 5 to 10 of what we thought were our best shots to submit for comments.  Boy, is that hard!  I found out the first day I had no idea what was really good and what was really bad.  After listening to a couple of hours of our instructors' comments on everyones' photos, I had a much better idea of what I needed to do.  The next session was much easier on the ego.

I should mention that several of my fellow students have spent hundreds of hours behind the camera and it showed.  They took professional quality photos, something worth hanging on the wall.  There were also those that were barely past a point and shoot.  However, we all found something to work on.  The improvement was amazing.  We also learned from each other.  Bonds were formed, addresses exchanged.

Was it worth the cost in time and money?  Absolutely.  Will I do it again?  As soon as I can work it into the schedule.  Are my pictures more memorable?  First, I think I've moved from pictures to photos.  Second, I still have a long ways to go but I think I at least know which direction I'm heading.  I'll let you be the judge when my photos are posted from the trip.  And did I mention I found two people that have taken the same trip I'm taking?  So I now have a before the trip resource which will make my preparations much easier.

Next, what to pack, what to buy