Trip Details - Antarctica/Argentina/Chile

On this trip we slowed down the itinerary compared to our previous trips. We will be spending a total of 5 nights in Buenos Aires. In the past, 3 nights was the max for any particular city. And, when we stepped off the plane we made a beeline to the next destination. But with long flights, where you have to sleep on the plane, I get a little tired. So this time when we get off the plane in Buenos Aires we will make a beeline to the hotel. After 2 nights in Buenos Aires we will then continue south to catch our ship to Antarctica. When we return to Buenos Aires after Antarctica we will spend 3 nights there. That sounds pretty leisurely to me.

We have not planned many sightseeing tours for Argentina. This is also a change from previous trips. I will probably arrange for us to see a Tango show in Buenos Aires and a wine country tour in Mendoza. But other than that we do not have specific plans. We will just take in what each day offers.

Here are the trip details:

Date	Activity
12/27	Leave SFO at 11:55am. There is a 3 hour layover in Miami.
12/28	Arrival in Buenos Aires at 10:15am. Buenos Aires is 5 hours ahead of US Pacific Time, so it will feel like 5:15am to us. We will drop our luggage off at the hotel and then start exploring the city. 2 nights in Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires Hotel: Gurda Tango Boutique Hotel $150/night
12/29	Explore the San Telmo section of Buenos Aires. Go see a Tango show and eat Argentinean beef.
12/30	We will have a leisurely morning before we make our way to the airport for a 5 hour flight to Ushuaia, departing at 2:05pm. 1 night in Ushuaia. Ushuaia Hotel: Hotel Los Nires  $$-Included with the Antarctica expedition.
12/31	We will most likely start the day exploring the nearby glacier. Another option is to visit the Tierra Del Fuego National Park. Embarkation for the voyage is at 4:00pm, New Year's Eve. 9 nights on board, 1 night in a tent. Onboard Accomodations: Ocean Nova - 68 passenger ship
1/1	Day 1, crossing Drake Passage.
1/2	Day 2, crossing Drake Passage.
1/3	Antarctica Accomodations: A tent on the ice.  $195/pp
1/4	Antarctica
1/5	Antarctica
1/6	Antarctica
1/7	Antarctica
1/8	Crossing Drake Passage.
1/9	Crossing Drake Passage.
1/10	Disembarkation at about 8:00am. Take the 11:45am flight back to Buenos Aires. 3 nights in Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires Hotel: Hotel Home
1/11	Buenos Aires
1/12	Buenos Aires
1/13	Travel to Mendoza. Depart at 8:00am for a 2 hour flight. Explore Mendoza. 2 nights in Mendoza. Mendoza Hotel: Park Hyatt Mendoza  $185/night
1/14	Winery Tour
1/15	Travel to Santiago. Depart at 11:10am for a 1 hour flight. Explore Santiago. 1 night in Santiago. Santiago Hotel: Hotel Plaza San Francisco  $179/night
1/16	Explore Santiago. Our flight back to the US departs late at 11:05pm.
1/17	We have a 2 hour layover to get through Immigration/Customs in Dallas. Our flight arrives in SFO at 9:40am.

Antarctica/Argentina/Chile Itinerary

Our itinerary has been finalized. Most importantly we have chosen the ship to take to Antarctica. We have decided upon Quark's Adventure ship departing Ushuaia, Argentina on December 31. Yes, this is the smallest ship of the choices that made our short list. However, we expect this to be a once in a lifetime trip. So we will endure the Drake Passage on a small ship, but we will have a maximum of 68 other passengers with us, we will have 5 days to explore the Antarctica Pennisula, and we have one night of camping. That's right, we are taking a camping vacation this year. In Antarctica!

The advantage of having only 68 passengers on board is that all passengers can go ashore at one time. If there are more than 100 passengers on the ship then the shore excursions have to be broken up into groups of 100 people or less (I believe this includes guides). This is part of a voluntary code of conduct to which members of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Opertators (IAATO) abide. This limits the environmental impact of tourism on Antarctica. The Obama administration has recently expressed a desire to incorporate the 100 person limit into the International Antarctic Treaty. That is one reasons we rushed into this trip. You never know the future impact of government regulations. More regulation always has the potential of limiting access and/or increasing costs.

All of our flights have been booked. As soon as I know the hotels/activities, I will post a more detailed itinerary.

Let me also make an open invitation to any our familiy and friends that might like to join us while we are in Argentina. You can wander Buenos Aires, taste Argentine beef, take in a Tango, shop, enjoy the nightlife, and sip on Malbec in the wine country. Also, don't forget that it is the austral summer in January.

Argentina/Antarctica Dec. 27 - Jan. 17
Date	Activity	Overnight
Dec. 27	Depart SFO 11:55am
Dec. 28	Arrive in Buenos Aires 10:15am	Sleep in Buenos Aires
Dec. 29	Buenos Aires	Sleep in Buenos Aires
Dec. 30	Travel to Ushuaia	Sleep in Ushuaia
Dec. 31/ Jan. 09	Antarctica Adventure ship	Sleep on board
Jan. 10	Disembark/travel to Buenos Aires	Sleep in Buenos Aires
Jan. 11	Buenos Aires	Sleep in Buenos Aires
Jan. 12	Buenos Aires	Sleep in Buenos Aires
Jan. 13	Travel to Mendoza	Sleep in Mendoza
Jan. 14	Mendoza/Wine Tour	Sleep in Mendoza
Jan. 15	Travel to Santiago	Sleep in Santiago
Jan. 16	Depart Santiago 11:05pm
Jan. 17	Arrive in SFO 9:40am

Planning for Antarctica

The planning for Antarctica has begun. We will most likely be going through Argentina so we can plan a couple of stops in that country. There are several popular places to visit in Argentina. There is Buenos Aires, which many claim is the finest city in South America. There is the Lakes District near the Andes. Patagoinia is a wilderness area that attracts me. Let's not forget Mendoza, a world class wine region focusing on Malbec and Cabernet wines. There is also the Iguazu Falls at the Brazilian border, one of the most spectacular falls on the planet. A short hop over to Uraguay and you can relax on a world class beach facing a warm Atlantic Ocean. Did I mention that Argentina is a big country? It only means time and money. That forces you to make priorities.

Priorities, priorities . . . . Ok, the first priority is not even Argentina. It is Antarctica. So first we need to pick a boat, and then Argentina will follow.

Crusing to Antarctica seems like a bold move. You have to be dedicated to set foot on the "White Continent". It is far away and costs a small fortune. There seem to be several tradeoffs. A maximum of 100 people can go ashore at one time. This is an agreement by which most tour operators abide. This is to limit human impact on the continent. That means larger ships do not offer shore trips or if they do they are operating outside of what is considered environmentally friendly. So, on larger ships you generally view Antarctica from the topside of a ship. Can you say you have been to a continent without setting foot on it? I checked the rule book. The answer is no. So, we need to go on a smaller ship. That's great except it costs more and then there is Drake Passage. I have not traveled on many ships so I don't know if I'm prone to seasickness. If you are prone to seasickness, then maybe Drake Passage on a small ship isn't a great idea. Drake Passage is a notorious rough sea. Most of the ships take 2 days to cross Drake Passage. That's a lot of time to vomit.

Let's take a look at some of the options. Here are some of the ships touring Antarctica.

ZEGRAHM & ECO EXPEDITIONS
www.zeco.com

They offer one 3 week cruise that travels several days by the Antarctica Penisula as well as The Falklands, and South Georgia. Prices start at $13,000/per person. The cruise begins on Jan. 3 and ends Jan. 24. The ship takes 158 passengers.

Lindblad/National Geographic Expeditions
www.expeditions.com

They offer both an Antarctica tour and an Antarctica/Falklands/South Georgia tour. The Antarctica tour is 15 days. The ship can accommodate 148 passengers. They do make shore excursions, but it is not clear how they work around the aggreement preventing more than 100 people on shore at a time. It includes charter flights to Ushuaia (Argentina) from Santiago (Chile) and back. It also includes a one night stay in Santiago, Chile. Prices start at about $11,000. Potentially, we could take the tour and then from Santiago go explore Argentina. Mendoza is a short distance away by air or bus. Buzz Aldrin will be on board the Jan. 7th cruise.

Polar Star Expeditions
www.polarstarexpeditions.com

Polar Star Dec. 28 - Jan. 25 $14,000 per person. They use a 100 passenger ship. It looks like a nice trip, but almost a month at sea is a bit much for us.

Quark Expeditions
www.quarkexpeditions.com

Antarctica Adventure - 11 nights including one night in Ushuaia. This is the smallest ship we would consider, 68 passengers. There is an opportunity to camp overnight on the continent. You spend a total of 5 days touring the Antarctica continent.
Dec. 30 - Jan. 10 - $10,000 per person

Classic Antarctica - 10 nights including one night in Ushuaia. Travel is on a comfortable 112 passenger ship. On this tour you spend 4 days in and around Antarctica.
Jan. 6 - Jan. 16 - $7,690 per person

Quark has the most ships and the largest choice of itineraries. We first became interested in a trip to Antarctica because of a Discovery channel program that featured one of Quark's trips. There are cheaper alternatives to the prices I have listed if you can get a bunk in a triple cabin. It is also cheaper if you travel outside the peak season of January/February. The prices quoted here are for a twin cabin in high season.

The short list is between one of the two Quark trips or the Lindblad/National Geographic trip. I am leaning towards the Antarctica Adventure tour with Quark. It is more expensive and on a smaller ship, but I like the idea of spending 5 days near the continent with a small group of people. We would ensure that sea sickness medicine is liberally applied.

The Lindblad trip looks like a high quality trip. The pricing is very reasonable considering the trip duration and also includes the charter flight to Ushuaia.

Decisions, decisions.

Tuesday, June 2 - Going Home

Today was back to the USA day. Easy travel day. Cusco to Lima, Lima to San Salvador, 6 hour layover, San Salvador to San Francisco, San Francisco to home. In all it took about 22 hours from the time we got in that Cusco cab to the time we walked through the front door of our home. We were tired and I was ill for the next two days. I think we should stopped half way in Costa Rica and spent a couple of days on the beach. Maybe we will try that next time, but I am always in a rush to get back to work after a trip.

There is one thing I wish we could have done, and that is to have taken more pictures of the "real" Peru. These are the images of the cities, towns, and villiages where people actually live. The crowded dwellings on urban dirt roads, or all the women washing their clothes in the river. I found these images fascinating, but of course the tour buses don't stop for these views and you don't make time to go out on your own to take these pictures. But we did capture a few of those images, so here they are.

Catholic Procession Notice the adobe bricks drying in the sun Taquille Boy

Monday, June 1 - Cusco

This was the final day in Peru. I think we were all ready to go home. We had a half day bus tour of Cusco in the afternoon. For the morning we had nothing planned and so we had a slow breakfast, and then we basically did nothing. We went back to the pizza place for lunch and then waited for our bus to arrive.

The tour wasn't so bad, churches and Inca ruins. You know the usual stuff. I will say that the large ruins just outside of Cusco called Sacsayhuaman were interesting and provided great views of Cusco and the surrounding mountains. The main cathedral in Cusco is very interesting, especially the huge painting of the Last Supper. Except in this painting, Guinea Pig is being served to Jesus and the Apostles. Remember, Guinea Pig is delicacy and eaten for celebrations in Peru. However, we had the most incredibly disrespectful people with us on the tour.

Can you believe it. The worst people we met on the entire trip were from Texas. I suspect incest was involved. They had no interest in listening to the guide. They would have loud conversations while the guide was talking. They would take off from the rest of the group. Actually that was a good thing, except at least one of them was late getting back to the bus at every stop. At one stop the entire bus booed when one of the latecomers finally showed up. Then we couldn't make the last stop, an alpaca wool shop, which we had been told was a good place to buy alpaca wool items and learn about how to determine if a garment is fake alpaca. Becky had a bit of a fit, and finally the Texans were silenced. Why in the world did these people get on the bus in the first place.

So with great relief we were back at the hotel. We went to a restaurant in the San Blas area. The restaurant was called Pacha Papa and was highly recommended by Fodor's. I was tempted to try the Guinea Pig, but opted for clay pot chicken. It was delicious, and was complimented with a glass of Chilean cabernet. The seating was in an outdoor square with heat lamps. A harpest played in the background while we viewed the constellation of the Southern Cross just overhead. You know we had great meals in Peru, but this was the best of all.

Viva Peru!

The ruins of Sacsayhuaman Highest peak near Cusco, Ausangate - 20,943 feet The Cathedral in Cusco

Sunday, May 31 - Sacred Valley

It was Sacred Valley tour day. We took an all inclusive big bus tour. All entrance fees and lunch were included. It was going to to be a full day. The Sacred Valley is one of the standard tourist attractions of Peru. The valley is full of Inca ruins in a picturesque setting.

We were told that the bus would arrive at 8:00am. That was great so we could sleep in and have some breakfast. This was another of those strange situations where the organizer arrives 20 to 25 minutes early to try to get you going faster. I think the organizers must work on commission and the sooner they can get you on the bus the sooner they can get to the next order of business. I was having none of it. We took a leisurely breakfast, a very nice one I might add. The omlettes were excellent. Then we met the organizer at 8:05am and the bus pulled up shortly after.

Here is how the tour went:

• Pisac The town of Pisac was the first stop. The highlight is the open air market. The local Andean population comes to this to market to buy and sell agricultural products and clothing. There are also plenty of usual tourist items as well.
• Pisac Ruins Inca argicultural terraces and gravesites are found here.
• Urubamba We stopped here for our buffet lunch. It was good. I had stewed Alpaca ribs. Very tasty.
• Ollantaytambo This is a large and very interesting ruins with large terraces, living areas, and a temple to the Sun. Aside from the ruins there was a festival going on as part of a Catholic holy day. Some of the particpants were in a large arena where music was being played. There were a number of horses just outside the arena, but we did not see what part they played. There was also a large procession with participants is colorful attire.
• Chinchero A quaint town high on a mountain top. We went to a co-op where they make wool items. We were given a demonstration about how the wool is prepared, dyed, and weaved for garments. Becky bought a table runner, and Tristan and I bought traditional wool hats.

After the tour, we headed for the San Blas section of Cusco. We had stayed in this area the first time we were in Cusco, but we never had time to explore. San Blas is in a hilly area with narrow cobblestone streets. We had a nice dinner at a place called Macondo with an artsy decor. The cusine is Neuevo-Peruvian. For the second time in one day I had Alpaca with a tasty potato dish.

Pisac Market Potatoes!! Pisac Market Pisac Market Fresh meat anyone? Above the Sacred Valley Preparing the Wool The town of Chinchero

Saturday, May 30 - Cusco

We woke up at 5:00am as breakfast was at 5:30am and the boat was going to leave for the airstrip at 6:00am. It was still raining hard. The consensus in our bungalow was that there was at most a 30 minute break in the rain overnight. Other than that it had been raining solid ever since the morning prior. Before leaving we saw the group that had arrived the day before in the lodge. They were supposed to have gone to the clay lick to view the parrots and macaws. However, the birds do not visit the clay lick if it is raining. It made me feel lucky to have seen all the wildlife we had seen. In fact we had seen just about everything that was advertised, except for a nice view accross the jungle canopy.

We boarded the boat, it was going to be a 2 hour ride to the airstrip. We were all pleased to have had rain gear. We had went out and purchased rain pants for this trip, it turned out to be a great investment. The lodge let us borrow rubber boots for the boat ride as well. Although there was a canopy on the boat, it didn't stop the heavy rain. Of course when we got to the airstrip the plane was still in Cusco because of the weather. A native tribe runs the airstrip and also had a small restaurant/lodge where we could hang out. While we waited I entertained a couple of young local children with my iPhone. We probably waited a good 3 hours before the plane arrived.

We arrived in Cusco and checked into our hotel. Upon entering our hotel room we opened our suitcases. The stench was unbearable. Our sweaty wet clothes needed immediate attention. After washing our clothes in the sink we went to look for lunch. It was sunny and warm. We had the rest of the day free. We had a late lunch at a pizza place that was recommended in Fodor's. The food in Peru is really quite good. The pizza was made fresh and it was delicious. After wondering around a bit we decided to go back to the hotel for the rest of the evening. I called my Mom and Dad from my cell phone, it was my Dad's birthday the day before. Then it was bed time.

A rather large spider hanging around the Amazon airstrip lodge Our Cusco hotel Plaza outside the hotel Cusco - Population 348,000

Friday, May 29 - Jungle Boogie

Our breakfast was at 5:30am. On this morning we were to tour an oxbow lake. An oxbow lake is a body of water that was once a part of the river. Often the river will make a new path leaving a lake behind. That is how an oxbow lake is formed. It is of course a feature that attracts a wide variety of wildlife.

We took off on the motorized canoe down the river and then docked against the river bank. It was a short walk to the lake. At the lake we sat down on a platform that was fixed across two canoes. We sat down on chairs attached to the platform as 2 men sat at the back of each canoe and paddled us around the lake. At first we watched mostly birds, but then we caught the site of a large black caiman. Tristan estimated it at about 8 feet long, we kept our distance. A little later we came up very close to another caiman, this one was much smaller and we were able to take photos. We continued to explore the lake and were able to view another group of Red Howler Monkeys. They were feasting on young shoots of leaves high in a tree. Then we watched as they followed one another to another tree.

The last animal we saw was a Three Toed Sloth. This is a large mammal with, you guessed it, three toes on each leg. It is a tree climber and it must be the slowest creature alive. Its defense is its slowness, other animals don't notice it is there. We watched it eating some leaves, and it really does take a long time for the sloth to grab the leaves and bring them to its mouth. Apparently it can take two days to get down from a tree. We were rather pleased to have seen this exotic animal. As we started to paddle back it started to rain, we didn't know at the time of course but it was going to be well into the next day before it stopped.

We arrived back at the lodge well before lunch, I decided to have a beer and talk to Louis the bartender. He did not know much English so we used both English, Spanish, hand waving, and pen/paper to communicate. A funny thing happened then, let me explain. On the first day when we were first welcomed into the lodge, there was a lady lounging around having a beer. It was 11:00am and I thought, "what kind of guest just hangs around the lodge drinking beer in the morning?". Later I found out that many of the people in that group were from our neck of the woods, Berkeley. At that time we were seated for our welcome/introduction to the lodge which included a juice drink prepared for us. So now, it is about 11:00am in the morning and I am lounging around the bar with Louis and guess what? In comes a new group just off the plane. They come in and sit down for their welcome/introduction and Louis makes up their juice drinks. I wonder what they were thinking about me!! It didn't matter, one of them was probably drinking beer at 11:00am a couple of days later.

After lunch we went to get a view of the jungle canopy. Many jungle lodges have these platforms that you climb up on to get a view over the top of the jungle. However, it was still raining. The platform was about 100 feet high. We climbed up a circular staircase to the top. Just think of a large pole planted in the ground, secured by cables and a circular staircase built around the pole. When we got to the top, well there wasn't a lot to see because of the rain. It was still fun to have climbed up there though. Well that was our last event for our visit. We relaxed in the lodge, had dinner and called it a night.

Bats Can you find the Caiman? Click to enlarge Of course I can't remember the name of this bird Can you get fresher bananas? Hammocks in the lodge Up on the platform

Thursday, May 28 - Amazon Wildlife

Can you believe it, it's another early rising. On this morning we had to be at the boat at 5:00am! We traveled down the river in the pre-dawn darkness. We had to get to the clay lick before any of the birds so as not to scare them off.

The program at this lodge gives you a dedicated guide for your entire visit. On the day we arrived there were the 3 of us and 2 others who flew with us from Cusco. We were all assigned to the same guide. Of the 2 that had joined us, one was an ER doctor from Atlanta and the other was a technical writer from Seattle. So the 6 of us did everything together (OK, we didn't all sleep or shower together), activities and meals.

One thing we have discovered is that it is hard to dress for the jungle. If the sun comes out you are a sweaty mess. But you want to wear long sleeves for bug protection. There are also times when you want to wear rain gear, but even with breathable materials the extra layer keeps you extra warm. The temperature range was 70 degrees to 85 degrees day or night. I found that rain pants seemed comfortable enough and would protect from rain and wet foliage. Typically I would not wear a rain jacket, it was a little too cumbersome and if my shirt wasn't getting wet from the rain it was wet from the sweat.

I have never thought bird watching would be interesting, but in this case it was fascinating. First of all the dynamics of the clay lick. The clay lick is just that, a section of exposed clay on the bank of the river that the birds lick. The birds lick the clay to get salt and minerals, they especially need to do this if they are eating unripened fruits.

We set up in the blind, an elevated structure near the river on the opposite side of the clay lick. We all had our binoculars and we had brought a tri-pod and zoom lens for the camera. Our guide also set up a telescope. Breakfast was served while we waited for the birds. Well then came the birds. First the parrots, there were two types of species, both of them a light shade of green with some yellow, one was larger than the other. The birds do not go straight to the clay lick. On the clay lick the birds are vulnerable to predators, so they start to gather in the high tree branches and then slowly make their way down. All the birds play a game of "Who's going to be first on the clay lick?". Once the first bird lands on the lick and survives the rest follow suit. But if anything spooks them they all fly off, then they have to start to gather all over again.

Finally a parrot landed on the clay lick and sure enough the rest followed suit. There were probably 60-70 parrots on the lick at one time, it made for good wildlife viewing. We could also see a monkey in the distance swinging from limb to limb in the trees that formed the background.

Next it was time for the Macaws. The Macaws are impressive birds, they are about 3 feet long with red, blue, and green feathers. They mate for life and therefore always fly in pairs. Same story as the parrots, they gather up in the higher branches and then start to make their way down until one brave soul lands on the lick (and survives I might add). Then it's "everybody in the pool". While waiting for the Macaws we saw several other species of birds and a Black Caiman. If only that Egret had landed a little closer we might have seen the Caiman take him down.

Next it was back for lunch and a little rest before the next activity

The next activity was another clay lick to wait for a Tapir. A Tapir is a nocturnal animal that is a close relative of the Hippopotamus. We had to hike through the jungle for at least one and a half hours to reach the lick. On the way we saw more monkeys and observed an owl for awhile. This lick was not along a river but just a large section of deep clay that was really a muddy mess. We went up into the viewing platform and there were individual mattresses with a pillow and blanket. Each mattress had its own mosquito netting. We climbed under the mosquito netting and each of us ate our box dinners. Then as the sun went down we waited in silence for the Tapir

We had waited for many hours and no sign of the Tapir. It didn't matter to me as I was able to get quite a few winks in. It was after 10:00pm and the guide wanted to know if everyone still wanted to wait. I said yes, knowing that the guide had been sawing logs as well instead of watching for the Tapir. Everyone else said yes and so we continued to wait. Finally at midnight there was this large sucking sound, there was the Tapir! It was a huge beast, kind of a cross between a Hippo and a pig. The sucking sound was made as the Tapir lifted its leg up out of the mud while walking through the lick. It did not mind flash photography either. For all of us it was worth the wait, plus how often do you get to camp out in the middle of the Amazon.

We left the clay lick at about 12:30am, donning our headlamps we walked back to the lodge. It had stopped raining and there were a lot of things that came out in the night. All kinds of spiders, frogs, and ants. Army ants and leaf cutter ants. Huge moths would fly up into our faces. And by huge, I mean moths that are 4-5 inches wide! We saw huge termite nests and who knows what we didn't see. It was after 2:00am when we got to bed

Our guide identifying birds for Becky and Tristan The clay lick Our comfortable viewing location The Parrots and a single Macaw The Macaws on the lick It's a jungle out there Our bungalow Our accommodations while we waited for the Tapir The Tapir arrives

Wednesday, May 27 - Into The Amazon

On this day we traveled to the Amazon. I must say that I never thought I would travel into the Amazon. You hear about all the strange creatures that call the Amazon home. But now I realize that the exotic nature is the intrigue. Again we are up before 5:00am. We had to meet the shuttle at 6:00am. The schedule that I had read did not have us leaving that early. But, the night before while taking the taxi to the hotel there were cops on almost every corner. I asked the taxi driver, Jesus, about it. He said it was the "huelga", which means the strike. Maybe they wanted to get us to the airport early before we ran into any trouble.

After arriving at the airport we found out that take-off would be delayed. It was raining at the Boca Manu air field where we were to land. We would need to wait for a break. About 2 hours later the break came and we took off from Cusco. The plane was a twin engine prop plane that could seat about 15 passengers. It was un-pressurized, so we needed to put on oxygen masks over the crest of the Andes. Before landing we flew under the last layer of clouds to see the jungle below us. It was quite a site, a thick mass of vegatation as far as the eye could see.

We landed on the narrow grass air field at Boca Manu. We were in the jungle and it felt like it. The air was thick. There was little need for the jackets we were wearing. However, insect repellent was definitely required. Our luggage was gathered and we took off in a large canoe. The canoe could seat about 10 people in 2 columns of seats on each side of the canoe. A hefty outboard motor pushed us along. We then traveled downstream on the Madre de Dios River, a major tributary to the Amazon River. We arrived at the Manu Wildlife Center about 90 minutes later. The facilities were rather nice. The very large lodge had a dining area on one side, a bar in the middle, and a relaxation area including hammocks on the other side. Our bungalow was nice as well, it was raised on stilts. It was completely enclosed with a tight screen mesh covered by latice and topped with a thatch roof. It was made to let the air flow in but keep the bugs out. Inside it had a large bathroom with a propane heated shower. The beds all came with mosquito netting. Our only source of light in the evening was candlelight. We did see one cockroach in the bathroom. It was the only pest we had in the room and if I was in the middle of the Amazon and only had to worry about one cockroach, well that was a good bargain.

After lunch and a rest we had to find some rubber boots that fit. The lodge provides rubber boots for use. You can not hike around the jungle without rubber boots. We then proceeded on our afternoon hike. The amount of plantlife was amazing. Pretty quick into our hike we found some monkeys. These were Red Howler Monkeys. They were about 50-75 feet above us in a tree. They were not happy about our presence. First they tried to defacate on us, then there was the urination, and finally they resorted to throwing branches at us. So amusing. We then continued on and saw two other species of monkeys, Capuchin and a White Faced something or other. We headed back for candle light dinner as that was the only kind of light to be had. The food was pretty good, local Peruvian dishes. Then after another long day it was bedtime.

Flying over the Andes, O2 required Our plane Airport terminal at Boca Manu Our beds, equipped with mosquito netting Tromping thru the jungle Red Howler Monkeys

Tuesday, May 26 - Machu Picchu

So on this day we were going to Machu Picchu. We needed to meet our guide at 6:30am so we could be some of the first visitors in the park. There would be fewer crowds at that time and hopefully the light would be good for photos. But before we could meet up with our guide we had to get down to the train station when it opened at 5:30am so we could replace Becky's lost ticket. We got there right when it opened. They told us that they had been successful in getting us the replacement ticket. The ticket would be sent via one of the trains from Cusco and be here in the afternoon. It was going to cost us $20 US. It seemed very odd that they had the ability to print tickets right there in that office, but a lost ticket had to be sent all the way from Cusco. When we received the ticket that afternoon it was a small form in triplicate that had been filled out by hand. Oh the mysteries of Peru Rail.

Since we didn't have to spend much time at the train station we were able to have the sumptuous hotel breakfast before our outing. We met up with our guide, we were the only ones in the tour, so we had a personal guide. We got on the bus, it was a 30 minute ride to Machu Picchu. These shuttle buses are constantly carrying tourists up and down the mountain side via a bunch of switchbacks.

We entered the park and it was a beautiful morning, with warm sunshine and cloudless skies. The first thing we did was hike up to the guard gate that overlooks Machu Picchu. This is where all the postcard pictures are taken. Machu Picchu is really quite magical. The combination of these old Inca ruins set in a high subtropical mountainous region really makes for unique sight. After a lot of picure taking we sat down overlooking Machu Picchu as our guide gave us a review of the known history. Because the Incas had no written language, most of what is know about the Incas is theory. No one really knows why Machu Picchu was built, or why it was built in this location. It is known that the Incas did not pocess iron tools nor did they have animals to help in the construction. It was all done with primitive stone tools and human muscle.

After our history review, we took off to wander the ruins. Machu Picchu can be divided into three areas, the agricultural area, the urban area, and the temple area. The Incas were sun worshippers, and much of the construction is made to match the rising and setting of the sun at winter and summer soltices. The most odd thing about Inca construction is that they did not carve out uniform stone bricks, instead they would take a huge piece of stone and fit it into place carving out any number of angles in the stone. They would then shape subsequent stones for a precise fit. Some of the stones are several tons. They did this without the use of mortar, you cannot even insert a piece of paper between the joints.

We had lunch in the midst of the ruins and I had to deal with a work issue. Yes, I received email on my iPhone while at Machu Picchu and then made a telephone call to my partner, Eric, to work on a problem. After that we continued on with the tour until about 1:00pm. After the tour we decided hike to the drawbridge, a part of the trail that hugged the side of a cliff. There was a spot where wooden planks were used to cross a section of the path. The planks could be removed in case of attack, and so the name "drawbridge".

It was about 3:00pm and we decided to get back down to town. We caught a shuttle bus back down and went to the train station to inquire about Becky's ticket. Interestingly, Machu Picchu is about at 8,000 feet in elevation. We had no problem with our vigorus hike at that altitude. I guess after being at 14,000 feet, 8,000 is a piece of cake.

We got off the bus and there was quite a commotion in town. There was a demonstration for the protection of Indigenous people of the Amazon. Many of the signs were written in English. I guess if you want the world to know of your plight, Machu Picchu is a good place to get your message out. We went to the train station and there was a very long line. Many people were trying to get out of town before the transportation strike began at midnight. We waited in line for about an hour and received Becky's train ticket. Hopefully we would be able to leave without incident.

We went back to the hotel to enjoy the afternoon tea service and then went back to the train station to board the train

The train we were riding back to Cusco was the Hiram Bingham. This was supposed to be an elegant train ride with entertainment and a 4 course meal. It was expensive but turned out to be a great time. Wine and drinks were included, and we went to the bar car to sing along with the band. Some songs in Spanish, some in English. What fun! Then we had a very enjoyable dinner and struck up a conversation with a couple from Chile.

There was one problem, the train was about 1 or 2 hours delayed. Unknown to us at the time, some of the activists had already blocked the train tracks, the police had to be called. The police let them know that their "strike" was not to begin until midnight, so they unblocked the tracks and we went through without incident. But this meant we might not meet up with our cab driver. At one point on our route I was able to get cell phone service, I called him. We had a conversation in Spanish, hopefully we had communicated! When we arrived in Cusco there was our cabbie, Jesus, waiting for us. We took off for our hotel after a very long day. The cabbies in Peru are the best. I don't think the country could run without them.

That's us at Machu Picchu (not Photoshopped) Machu Picchu Machu Picchu Ruins The agricultural terraces in the background Drawbridge Tristan on the Inca Trail Becky and Tristan making their way through the ruins