Monday, May 25 - Travel to Machu Picchu

Today we were taking the train to Machu Picchu. This was certainly going to be one of the big highlights of our trip. After seeing all the photos of Machu Picchu we were finally going to get to see it for ourselves. We had to leave our hotel at 5:45am to get to the train station. Not to get into all the details of dealing with PeruRail, but we had to pick our tickets up at the train station. Special handling was required of our tickets because of various procedural rules and restrictions. We also had to make special arrangements for our luggage at the hotel, as PeruRail did not permit more than a small backpack on the train. The hotel was accomodating.

Our taxi driver, Jesus, met us right on time. He did not speak much english, but was very helpful. He came into the train station to ensure we got on the train. Good thing he came. The station agent did not seem to know anything about our tickets. She pulled up our reservation number on the computer, it said cancelled!! She was pre-occupied with another task and then all of a sudden she pulled out a bunch of tickets from the desk drawer. There were our tickets. We proceeded to board the train with Jesus's direction. Jesus said he would pick us up the next evening when we arrived back in town.

We boarded the train and took our seats. This was a Vistadome train. It had large windows both on the sides and the ceiling. It was cold when we boarded, so we were hoping that the heat would kick in when the train headed out. The train started on its way but it was still cold. The attendants began to hand out small blankets for our laps. I guess that meant there was no heat on the train. We were discovering that heat is not a high priority in Peru. The temperature was probably in the high 30's that morning and the train attendants all wore wool trench coats.

We were a bit concerned about a "strike". We were told by some travelers in Puno that there had been a transportation strike a few days prior. They were calling it a strike, but we would probably call it more of a demonstration against the government. Many of the local residents and farmers were protesting a water rights proposal. So they would block the rails and roads to Machu Picchu. They would do this by blocking paths to Machu Picchu with debri. One of the travelers had told us that they were on a guided motorcycle tour when they reached one of the blockades. They went through anyway but were harrassed and one of the girls was hit in the back as they roded past the blockade. The next strike was to be on Wednesday, we were returning on Tuesday. The exact timing of these strikes is planned out ahead of time, in this case it was to be one day in duration, midnight to midnight, so hopefully we would avoid any problems.

The train takes about 4 hours to reach Aguas Caliente, the main town that services Machu Picchu. There were a lot of Americans on the train and we chatted with a few. Upon arrival we were met by some hotel staff members. We were a little tired so we decided not to go to Machu Picchu on this day. We had all of the following day availble to us. Even thought I was tired I was feeling much better. We were in a subtropical zone at an elevation of about 6,000 feet, the same as Lake Tahoe. They call this area the "Cloud Forest", an area between the desert of the high Andes and the tropical rain forest of the Amazon. Technically we were still in the Andes. But the weather was extremely comfortable, warm and sunny.

Many things were included in the price of our hotel. Three meals and some optional tours. The grounds are beautifully landscaped. We took an orchid tour of the grounds. It lasted about an hour. We then checked into our rooms and had lunch. I was not expecting much from the meals since they were included with the room. But it turned out we had a full menu to choose from and the meals were excellent. We went back to our room for a rest. Then we went to afternoon tea by the pond, followed by cocktails in the lobby, and then finally dinner. Now we were getting comfortable. I booked a half day tour of Machu Picchu for the next day. We needed to meet our guide at 6:30am. One thing I had not anticipated was all the early morning starts we were having on this trip.

It would have been the end to a relaxing day, but we realized that Becky's return train ticket was missing. That meant dealing with PeurRail, a model of efficiency. We went to the train station that evening, it took 3 people about an hour attempting to handle a lost ticket. Finally, they told us to come back in the morning, they opened at 5:30am. We went to bed not that happy with another very early rise the next morning.

Mount Salcantay at 20,574 feet with Mount Pumasillo in the distance at 19,928 feet The "Vistadome" train An orchid Only firewood for heat here. Gratefully we didn't need it. Most comfortable

Sunday, May 24 - Puno to Cusco

Our transportation to the bus terminal was to arrive at 7:10am. We all slept a lot better than the previous night, not necessarially great but better than the night before. Now I could make it up the four flights of stairs to our room without stopping. But I was still not 100%. We could not be rushed as we would run short of breath. Tristan tried to rush since he was running late and threw up in the sink. Apparently the body adjusts to the thin air at high altitudes by increasng the supply of red blood cells. But it takes a little bit of time.

I went down to the lobby early to check out and get some breakfast. Our ride to the Bus Terminal was already there. They were expecting us to go, but I resisted. This would not be the first time that a ride would be scheduled for a particular time, but they really wanted you to go earlier. I never figured out what was going on.

We were taken to the Bus Terminal. We had a driver and a host in the Van. To get on the bus it was going to take another host, a bus coordinator, the guide, and a Police officer doing security duty to get us on the bus. I didn't know what was happening, but after a few passport checks and some kind of "tax" we were on our way. The bus took off at about 8:00am. We were to arrive in Cusco at about 5:00pm. In the meantime we were going to visit a few points of interest and be served lunch.

As we drove to our first point of interest we drove through the city of Juliaca. Juliaca is a city of about 250,000 people. From discussions with others we knew that it was a city of commerce. It turns out that Juliaca basically manufactures what we would consider illegal goods. Many of the garments sold on the streets of Peru to tourists are made here. That means they are massed produced with nylon materials not handmade from Alpaca wool as the street vendor would have you believe. They also sell copies of well know brands and put a brand name on it. Apparently many of these products also come from Bolivia. So there are a lot of low paying jobs in Juliaca. The main method of transportation is the Tricycle. These are taxis that are powered by peddle power. There are 25,000 taxi tricycles in Juliaca. The town is mostly unfinished buildings with dirt roads. Many people do not finish their construction in Peru, for once construction is finished the taxes are due. It was a fascinating city to see.

As we continued to make our way down the highway the worse I felt. We stopped at a museum to see some pre-Inca art. Then we stopped at the top of the pass, La Raya. This was to be the highest point in our travels, 14,232 feet above sea level. If you have altitude sickness you are not supposed to continue to higher elevations, . . . no kidding?!?

One other thing to mention. On our way to La Raya pass we got a good feel for the rural way of life in this part of Peru. We saw a lot of work done by hand. We saw groups of women doing laundry in the river. We saw harvests done by hand. We saw crops be carried on people's backs. We saw workers carry bundles of tree branches on their backs. We saw fields being tilled with animals. We did not see any tractors in use. No trucks or mechanization out in the fields. Most of the women wore what would be considered traditional Peruvian clothing. That type of dress is not just for tourists. It is difficult to get photos of this lifestyle. The buses do not stop for these scenes. Even though they are just as interesting to me as Inca ruins.

Next we stopped for lunch and of course I had no appetite. We sat next to a Canadian couple from Vancouver. They were both just out of college and this was there big fling before heading off to the workforce. The food was a buffet style lunch that was pretty good. We had a flutist as entertainment.

Our next two stops were quite interesting. First we stopped at Raqchi, an Inca temple. It is the only surviving Inca temple. As a matter of practice the Spanish tore down the Inca temples and used the materials to build a Catholic church. But in this case the locals did not tell the Spanish what the structure was for and so it was never tore down. The Raqchi archeological site also contains the dwellings and terraces built by the Incas. It is a large site and rather interesting. The last site is known as the Sistene chaple of South America, an ornate Catholic church whose interior is wrapped in mostly gold.

One observation I made will we were driving is that very few Peruvians own cars. The basic mode for long distance transportation is a commercial van. The people are packed into the van and any belongings or luggage they might have is tied on to the top of the van. There are many of these vans out on the roads and there seem to be certain crossroads that served as transfer points. Traveling as we were in a large roomy coach seemed to be only for white tourists from North America and Europe.

Finally we arrived in Cusco, it was about 5:00pm. We took a taxi to our hotel. The hotel was nice and roomy. I tried to eat dinner, but I was still not hungry and felt a slight fever. But we were at a lower elevation, about 11,500 feet. Hopefully I would start to feel better. We went to bed as we had to get our cab at 5:45am the next morning to catch the train to Machu Picchu.

At La Raya pass, 14,232 feet Vendor stalls in front of the church The Inca Temple, Raqchi Artist's rendering of Raqchi during Inca times Inca Construction

Saturday, May 23 - More Pictures, Lake Titicaca

More pictures of Lake Titicaca. These are from the island of Taquille.

Isle of Taquille, Boliva in the distance Gringos Lunch is served Becky One of the families living on the island

Saturday, May 23 - Lake Titicaca

On this day we were scheduled for an all day tour on Lake Titicaca. It included the floating islands of UROS and the Island of Taquille. The van was scheduled to get us at 7:15am. I was not feeling well at all. I decided to get out the first aid book and take a look at the checklist of symptoms for Mild Altitude Sickness:

• Headache - Check
• Difficulty Sleeping - Check
• Loss of Appetite - Check
• Nausea - only if I lifted a finger

In addition there is this little description:

Sleep is often fitful, with frequent awakenings and an irregular pattern of breathing characterized by periods of rapid breathing alternating with periods of no breathing

Yeah, it was the periods of no breathing that I found most annoying. So I definitely had altitude sickness, I didn't think I would have this much problem but that's how it goes.

I started taking the altitude sickness prevention medicine my doctor gave me. I took an Advil, Pepto Bismal, and some coca tea. I still didn't feel well and asked one of the hotel employees about Sorroche. The locals call Altitude sickness Sorroche. I didn't think I would be able to go on the tour. She said it usually lasts one to two days and she made me an herbal tea, claiming it would calm my stomach.

Well, I was convinced to give the tour a try. As soon as we got in the Van my stomach settled down, maybe there was something to that herbal tea. We got on the boat and took off for the day.

Our first stop was at one of the floating islands. There are many floating islands in this particular area of the lake. On each island lives several families. The islands are made from reeds that grow in the lake. The dense pack of roots are cut out of the lake bottom. These acutally float and form the bottom of the island. Then the reeds are laid over the top about 2 feet thick and form the top of the island. Upon this are built the houses, also made of reeds. The reeds also used in their diet. It tastes similar to celery. Fascinating.

Upon arrival to one of the floating islands we were all seated on a bench, made of reeds of course, and listened to a short presentation by several of the residents. They talked a bit about how the islands are made and how they live. After the presentation a resident would invite you to see their home. I have to admit, the reed house I visited looked rather comfortable and included a TV powered by solar panels. My host also showed me his trout farm. Finally, we were taken to an area where each household had a set of crafts for sale. We were encourage to purchase the crafts and asked not to just give a donation. The ruling council of the islands wants the people to earn any money received. I bought a mobile for our Granddaughter, Tristan got a small reed boat, and Becky got a tapestry.

Next we took off for the Island of Taquille. This is a large island with an indigenous population that continues to maintain a traditional way of life. We had to hike a ways uphill to reach an outdoor area where we attended a demonstration. The demonstration showed how the natives lived off the land, grew crops, raised sheep, and used plants and herbs. They showed us how they weaved wool into cloth to create their colorful hats.

Lunch was provided by the natives. To get to lunch, we had to continue hiking nearly to the top of the island, now we were near 13,000 feet in elevation. I was still feeling fatigued, but none of the other Gringos were moving any faster than I. We arrived at the dining room, comfortable place even if it had a dirt floor. Lunch was a delicous vegatable soup, grilled trout or an omelette, rice and potatoes. And I felt a little better after eating. After dinner we were treated to a little music and dance. We then proceeded down the other side of the island and took the boat back to Puno.

For the evening we strolled around town for a bit and stopped into a place called Don Piero for pizza. We headed for bed hoping for a better night's sleep then the last.

One other thing about our hotel room. It had a nice modern interior. However, there was no heat. At least the locals could burn dung, we didn't have shit! In the mornings, Puno had an outside temperature of about 28 degrees. Inside our hotel room it was about 55 degrees. On this second night at the hotel they provided a portable electric heater and feet warmers inside the foot of the bed. Well, that bumped the temperture in the room to 60 degrees. Better than nothing.

One of the Reed Islands of UROS, Puno in the background Some of the residents Last known photo of Becky. Last seen in the desert plains of the Andes. Me with my host. Reed boats

Friday, May 22 - Arrival in Puno

We were up and ready to go back to the airport at 8:30am, our flight was to leave at 11:30am. The same taxi driver we had before was taking us back. It was a somewhat sunny day. I did not mention the smell in the air. They air is very dirty in Lima. There do not seem to be any controls on emmissions.

As we were going back to the airport we drove by the ocean, there were surfers in full wetsuits. At this latitude so close to the equator the cold water from Antartica makes it's way all the way to Lima. This is the reason that Peruvian fisherman coined the phrase El Nino. Normally the fisheries are very good, the cold water keeps plenty of sealife available. But during an El Nino year where the Ocean surface warms up, the fishing is noticably worse.

Another thing on the way to the airport, it seemed there was a huge police presence, they seemed to have staked out every other corner on the main road to the airport. It was fine by me, and nobody asked me for a "service" payment.

We arrived at the airport and stood in line to pay the airport tax. Whenever leaving from a Peruvian airport a tax is required. $7 (US) for domestic and $30 (US) international. For some reason they can't just add it to your ticket.

We flew out to Juliaca on the high dessert plain. The plane had a stopover in Cusco. I got up and walked around on the plane and I immediately noticed the altitude, Cusco is at 11,500 feet. Julicaca and our final destination is at 12,500 feet. We got to Juliaca, it reminded me of the tiny airport in Yakatat Alaska which services Boeing 737s. You take the stairs out of the plane and enter a one room airport. Our driver was waiting for us. It was warm and sunny. But we had been warned that nights drop down below freezing.

We drove through Juliaca, a large commercial city. I will talk more about Juliaca as we found some interesting information about it later. We drove the road to Puno, along the way there were farmers harvesting the grain of the field by hand. There were a lot of small adobe buildings, many seem to be in disrepair and abandoned. We questioned our driver about them in our broken spanish, he told us that those were their homes. We found out later that these homes had no electricity, heat, or running water. There is no firewood in this area so dried Llama or Alpaca dung is used for heat during the cold nights.

We arrived in Puno, as soon as we walked into the lobby, I was really impacted by the altitude. When the hotel attendants found out that we came straight from Lima, they offered me oxygen, which I gladly took. They took the luggage to our 4th floor room, no elevator. After the oxygen we went upstairs. We all had to stop 2 or 3 times to catch our breath before we could make it to the 4th floor. It was going to turn out that making Puno the first stop was a big mistake for me.

We had the afternoon open, we had planned it that way so that we might acclimate to the altitude. I had some coca tea, they say that helps. One of the guys from the tour company arranging our activities in Puno came to the hotel for payment. They had wanted payment in $US. That was fine and I was prepared for that, but he rejected 2 of my bills because they had very small tears in the bills. It was a bit annoying, but I found 2 more bills that were acceptable to him. Apparently the banks are very picky about what they will accept. I imagine counterfeiting is a problem.

Currency is a bit confusing in Peru. Some prices are in $US, some in Soles and some in both. Some merchants want $US, some want Soles and some will take both. In general, Soles were used most regularly. One problem we ran into was trying to break a large Soles bill that we obtained from the ATM. At one place I wanted to buy water for 2 Soles, but they would not break a 20 soles bill. 20 Soles is worth a little less than $7 US.

Although my apetite was diminished we found a nice place to eat, where the food was very nicely presented and very tasty. I knew that coffee and alcohol could make the altitude worse so I opted for water only. It was Friday night and there was some concert in town that was attracting a lot of young people. The narrow streets were very crowded and we were some of the only "Gringos" around. I could see over everyone's head. We must have really stuck out. Everyone was very courteous. We were told that Puno was a very safe town, and indeed it certainly seemed like it.

The "International" airport in Juliaca Elevation: 12,557 Feet
Latitude: 15 degrees South of the Equator A little O2 One of the beds in our room Puno, Peru from our hotel room

Thursday, May 21 - Arrival in Peru

We started off on our trip. Our flight out of SFO left on schedule, 1:25am. If you don't sleep well on a plane, as I do not, this may not seem like the best idea. But at $400 for a roundtrip from SFO to Lima the price was right. We used TACA Airlines, a Central America carrier. We slept a bit on the plane and then landed in San Salvador at 8:00am local time for a 7 hour layover. San Salvador is a decent airport with lots of duty-free shops. The airport is a hub for the regional airlines and it appears to only be busy twice a day. Once in the morning when we arrived and then once in the afternoon when we left. In between the airport is practically empty. We sat around while the employees hung out keeping their stores clean. I verified the room for the night via iPhone email and the hotel confirmed a taxi upon our arrival in Lima.

Finally, our flight for Lima took off, 3:00pm. We arrived at 8:00pm. We got out of Immigration pretty quickly and waited for our driver. Our driver arrived holding a sign that said, "Kevin Payne". We walked over to his car. I was a bit leary about driving at night through Lima. Various websites and travel guidebooks all warn about the dangers of taxis in Lima. I was glad we brought Tristan along. Anyway we got in the car, a mid 1990's model Nissan. It did not appear to be in the best of shape and the engine knocked. It also seemed to have trouble getting up hills. As long as we got to the hotel I would be happy. As we proceeded, I made conversation with the driver. I know a small amount of Spanish, he knew a tad of English and we actually communicated. He was quite a friendly guy.

Driving through Lima was a unique experience. There are different rules for the road. For one thing, the road lanes are not always lined. It doesn't really matter anyway, they are merely a suggestion. If you are on a two lane road and your want to pass, even with oncoming traffic ahead, not to worry. Surely 3 cars can squeeze by. Then there is the cross traffic from a crossing street. Now they do not have the right of way but they edge into your lane trying to cross the road. After a while it is apparent that this in the norm, just the way these drivers try to get accross a busy street as fast as possible. Did I mention the honking? Constant honking, since the traffic controls aren't that common honking is the next best alternative.

My first impression of Lima was that it is not as bad as I thought it could be. Yes it was crowded, with a lot of people hanging out on the streets. There were a lot of derelict buildings that were homes for many people. But I think of a lot worse when I think of shantytowns. We reached the section of town where our hotel was located, Miraflores. It is supposed to be the nicest part of town. It was fine and seemed comfortable. We arrived at the hotel after about a 40 minute drive.

Turns out there is a very good reason for having the hotel send a taxi. Not only because they know someone is supposed to get you, but they know the taxi driver they sent very well. They only use a select set of drivers for their customers. This provides better service and better safety.

At the hotel and they gave us two rooms for no extra charge since they could not provide us the triple we had reserved. The rooms were adequate and well worth the $75 for the night, payable in US dollars.

We went out for dinner, we had to get some Peru Soles (the Peruvian currency) from the ATM. Not to worry, there were Policia (Police) all over. Transportation is interesting. There were taxis everywhere. Apparently anyone with a vehicle can put a Taxi sign on their dash become a taxi. There were also vans that allow people to share a ride to various destinations. There were also buses. They did not appear to be city owned and operated buses. They were privately owned and the faretaker would hang out the door and yell out the destination of the bus. There are no bus stops, they just stop whereever riders need to get on and off.

We wondered around looking for a place to eat, and a man approached us solicitating his music club. We told him we really just wanted to eat, he directed us to an Itallian place a couple of doors down. It was a well polished place with delicious pasta. I tried the famed local brandy, Pisco. It was a little bit strong, but I still managed to put it down. The waiter did not know english, so I had to attempt my best Spanish. Amazingly it worked!

We walked to the grocer to get some bottled water. We would be requiring bottled water throughout our trip, as to avoid any tap water. We were told not to drink the water, even for teeth brushing. We went back to our hotel and headed to bed after a very long day.

Disease Prevention

Before going to Peru one of the first places to visit is the Doctor's office. They can tell you about all the bad things you can get there. Then they will provide preventive treatment where possible.

I have had my doctor's appointment. The result was 5 vaccinations, all shots. And 2 prescription medicines. Don't forget the non-prescription medicines you will need. They gave me all 5 shots at the same office visit. It wasn't that bad.

Here are the vaccinations:

• Yellow Fever   This disease is transmitted by Mosquitos and occurs in the Peruvian Amazon. When you are vaccinated you receive a World Health Organization Yellow card. I read that the card is required for entry into certain areas. You do not need the vaccine unless you are going into the lowland jungle.
• Typhoid   This disease is transmitted through contaminated food and water.
• Hepatitis A   Hep A is a virus that is rarely lethal but can often require hospitalization. Hep A is contracted from other people carrying the disease, either through close contact or contaminated food or water. Peru is one of the countries with a large number of carriers.
• Tetanus   You always want to be protected from Tetanus. Included in the Tetanus shot were vaccines for Diphtheria and Whooping Cough.
• Measles, Mumps, & Rubella   I couldn't prove that I had had these vaccinations as a child, although I am pretty sure I had, so I received this shot as well. Oh joy.

Prescriptions

I received 2 prescriptions one for Malaria and one to help prevent altitude sickness. I am not sure I will use the altitude sickness pills, I might just drink the coca tea that is provided by hotels. Yes, that is the coca used to make cocaine. However, I am informed that the similarity ends there.

There is no vaccine for Malaria. Instead you take a medication that kills the Malaria parasite. Therefore you start taking the medication just prior to entering the jungle, during your jungle visit, and then a short time after leaving the area. Hopefully, if you are infected (mosquitos are the source of this evil), the meds will kill it off. However, there is still a chance that you will get Malaria. Of course if you do not go into the lowland jungle you do not need Malaria pills.

Non-Prescriptions

As if that is not enough, you still need to bring more items.

• Insect Repellent - Here's an idea, try to prevent mosquito bites in the first place. Need at least 20% DEET.
• Water Purification - For emergency, in case you can not get bottled water. We will take iodine.
• Imodium/Pepto Bismal - Just in case the bowels get out of hand.
• Tylenol/Ibuprofen - You take them on any trip.