Nazca, Peru...

The night bus from Arrequipa to Nazca took about 9 hours. I arrived at around 7:30 a.m. and was able to leave my bag at the bus station. I hopped in a taxi to the Nazca airport. My main purpose for going to Nazca was to take a small plane tour to see the Nazca lines. The tour that Nino was going to charge me $85 for, I was able to secure at the airport for $55 - ha!

This was my first time in a small plane. I was a bit nervous, but excited too. The plane sat 4 people total, including the pilot. I was in the front with the pilot and a couple from Argentina sat in the back. My nerves were quickly forgotten when we were up in the air. I LOVED it! The whole point of the tour is to fly over and see the ancient figures in the desert. Peru had quickly changed landscape and from Arrequipa to Nazca, it was all desert. The figures are believed to have been created by the Nazca culture between 200 BC and 700 AD. There is dispute as to interrpreting what they mean but religion is a primary theme. The figures range from a hummingbird, tree, condor, spider and monkey to an astronaut. I was not particularly impressed with the figures, but the tour was so worth it, if only for the exhilarating 40 minute plane ride!

After the tour, I took a taxi back into town with the couple from Argentina. I was due for another injection of antibiotics...waaa! I asked at the farmacia where I could get the injection and she directed me to the local hospital a few blocks away. I walked into the hospital and thought "whoa, this place is not as clean as the clinic in Arrequipa..." and it smelled a little like urine...oh boy, again not cool! I asked the admissions lady about getting an injection and she yelled down the hall and then had me follow her. I went into a room with a nurse that was not happy to be there. She grunted at me, took the needle and the medicine I gave her, loaded the needle (again, watching like a hawk, i was...) and stabbed me in the butt. She was not gentle or talkative and it was not unpainful. Ouch lady! The good thing was, I was outta there in about 10 minutes total and it was free...nice! After the hospital run, since my feet and legs still didn't look better, I broke down and bought the pills the Doc had perscribed.

I still had plenty of time before my bus to Lima so, I sought out a hair salon and got my hair done for $11 -big splurge on a day of beauty! I just had to shoot a picture of the white can of aqua net super hold...scary, it brought back bad memories of the hair bear days! I think it's outlawed in the U.S. now. My beautician was very chatty about Obama and something about Nostradamus' prophecies. I think there are some very superstitious people here in South America. I had lunch and limped my way back to the bus station where I took the 1:30 p.m. bus to Lima and arrived at the airport around 8:30 p.m.. My flight to Santiago, Chile was not until 12:30 a.m and it was late leaving. I was drained when I arrived in Santiago at 6:30 a.m.!

Arrequipa For a Quick Minute and the Doc...

Natasha and I took the overnight bus from Cusco to Arrequipa. The trip was about 8 hours and we arrived around 6:30 a.m. When we booked our bus tickets, the lady at the tour office gave us the name of a hostel that her brother owns in Arrequipa and she had the hostel people pick us up from the Bus Station. We had to pay for the cab...that was weird, why did they have to come get us if we just took a cab there anyway? Anyway, upon arrival, we found out that you need two days to hike the Canyon de Colca and I only had one day. My plans were all over the place and I finally decided that I would leave Arrequipa that night and get on another night bus to Nazca. I had 24 hours to make my way to the Lima airport. Natasha decided to stay and take a 2 day bus tour of the canyon and surrounding area.

At this point, I have lost my ankles and I officially have Cankles (my calves and ankles have blended together...thanks Jen and Ally for the reference). I was getting a little worried about my legs over the previous few days because my feet were getting swollen and my bites were really inflamed (nasty pictures attached, although I don't think they really capture how nasty my feet and legs were). I decided that before I developed Thankles (where your thighs, calves and ankles blend together), I better go to the farmacia and see what they say. I went to the local farmacia and the technician referred me to the clinic a few doors down. I waited for about 15 minutes and then was called into the doctor´s office. The Doc was a she and she and I talked for a while, all in Spanish, I showed her my legs and she immediately said I had an allergic reaction and my legs were now infected. Hmmm...is that why they are hot to the touch? She wrote me a few different perscriptions, including 3 injections...aaahh!!! Are you kidding me? I need shots in Peru? Oh boy, not cool. I went back to the farmacia and decided to only buy the injections, which included the needles, and I´d wait to see if I needed the antiinflammatory pills and the Cipro. I went back to the clinic where, like a hawk, I watched the nurse open the needles, fill the syringe and inject my bootie with an antibiotic, a steroid and an antihistamine. The nurse was really good at giving shots because I barely felt it. The entire doctor/farmacia process was so easy, fast and cheap. It cost me less than 10 bucks for the medicine and the visit to the Dr. did not cost me a thing. I took it easy the rest of the day because I felt a little light headed and I wasn´t supposed to be walking around too much.

Later, I had to deal with dodgy Dino at the Inti Punku Lodge. Do not ever go there or deal with this guy for tours or stay at his hotel. He is a dodgy dude. He said he could arrange my tour in Nazca and gave me a price of 85 USD and that he had found me a "great deal" on the bus ticket. After doing some additional investigation, both were completly overpriced so I cancelled them. I never gave him any money and he was not happy. Natasha was staying at his hotel and my stuff was there. He told me I had to pay because I was there and that I had to pay 50 cents for the call we were on. I laughed and he did not like that very much. I said I wasn`t paying and that I was just getting my stuff to leave. So, Natasha and I spent the rest of the day at a café, had some really good crepes...yum and took in a gorgeous sunset. Nothing like great food to cheer you up!

I said goodbye to Natasha (insert big sigh here), for now. I am going to see her very soon when I visit Australia in January. I made my way to the bus station for another cozy nights sleep in a semi cama bus.

Nature Girl - The Recovery and Good-byes For Now Anyway...

I highly recommend the Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu with The United Mice tour company. The food was amazing and we were well taken care of.

The day after our trek, I continued to nurse the bites on my legs. They were not looking too good. Natasha and I were trying to figure our our next move. She had a few days to kill before heading back to Austraila and I knew that I wanted to go to Arrequipa. We decided that that night, we would take the night bus to Arrequipa. We packed our bags and met Lewis and Michaela for lunch where I tried my 1st Inca Cola (tastes like cream soda). We took a trip to the cemetary. November 1st was Dia de Los Santos or All Saints Day. This is the day that the local Peruvian families go to the cemetary and honor their relatives that have passed. They sing music, bring the favorite foods and drinks, bring fresh flowers and clean the grave sites. It was quite a sight. In a way, I felt like I was intruding on their tradition -again, trying not to be the obvious tourist shooting pictures. We didn't stay long, but it was interesting to see. On the way out of the cemetary, we bought these amazing Churros. I think they cost 4 for $1. They were so good. They had banana in them...yum! Later, the 4 of us killed time playing cards. Asshole was the game of choice.

I was so lucky to be a part of this group. We had so much fun and we laughed alot. We had some non-pc conversations that were pretty hilarious. I now have a checklist to determine if a little person is a midget or a dwarf. I am laughing just as I write this. We also don't know how, all of a sudden, Natasha and Jaime became Asian. I have got to get those pictures! Lewis' camera takes pictures underwater and Natasha and Jaime's pictures were hilarious and Michaela is so photogenic, even underwater! When traveling, everyone's digestive prowess always becomes a topic of conversation. I guess traveling brings that out in people, or in some cases, not! Natasha and I were roomates all along the way and I felt like we had known each other for a long time! Birds of a feather, I guess! I will be seeing Michaela and Lewis in Buenos Aires. We plan to go to the River Plate futbol game, eat steak and drink mucho vino tinto!

Along the way, hanging out with an Aussie and the Kiwis, I noted the following:

• Flip Flops = Jandals =Thongs
• Bathing Suit = Togs
• Bangs = Fringe
• Bathroom = Loo
• Shady = Dodgy

Natasha and I said adios (for now) to Michaela and Lewis and we headed for the bus station.

The Big Day - Machu Picchu - Nature Girl - Day 5...

The day finally arrived! We were up at the crack of dawn - 4 a.m., with breakfast at 4:30 a.m.! We said goodbye to Martin, the best cook ever, and we were trekking by 5 a.m.!

Holy mother of goodness - we were on the stairway to heaven to get to the Machu Picchu site! Yes, of course, there are buses that go up the hill from Aguas Calientes to the entrace of the site, but we had walked all that way, it would have been like giving up to take the bus. Up, up and up...it was really hard and I stuggled to get up that hill. When we arrived at the site around 6 a.m., the clouds were still out and you couldn´t really see anything. We stopped moving and it was cold because we were all wet from sweatin´our booties off! Jaime gave us a tour of the temple of the 3 windows, the sundial, the agricultural terraces and the quarry. The architecture of the rocks was amazing, smooth and symmetrical. Hiram Bingham is credited with discovering Machu Picchu, but that is not really the case. Locals here knew about it before he arrived and they guided him to the ruins. The clouds started to clear and we started to get a bit more perspective on the magnitude of the site. According to Jaime, Inca means "the king" and the people are Quechuan because their language is Quechua, but over time this has changed and reference to the Incas means "the people". It was time to say goodbye to Jaime...big boo! He was a great guide. We had a lot of fun with him.

Soo....there´s this mountain, you may have seen it on a post card or poster, called Huayna (or Wayna) Picchu (translation - young peak) . Huayna Picchu is the mountain that rises above the ruins, about 1,200 feet. Well, we decided we were going to climb it. We´ve come all this way...keep going! This little mountain was a beast! I thought coming up from Aguas Calientes was bad - this was worse! Parts of the hike were so steep, we had to pull ourselves up on cables - we were almost rock climbing in some parts. It takes about 1 hour to get to the top. Apparently, the record is 10 minutes which I just can not phathom. Well, finally, we made it! The trek up Huayna Pichhu was worth it. We took in amazing views of Machu Picchu and the surrounding Andes mountains. I know that I would not have been satisfied had I not reached the top of Huayna Picchu.

Now, time to go down Huayna Piccu! It was faster, but really steep. We ate lunch and explored more of the grounds. The llamas that were grazing the terraces were a favorite of mine.

We left the site around 2 p.m. and walked back down those dreadful stairs to Aguas Calientes. I was almost running down because running felt better on my knees. Boy oh boy, I was tired. When we got back to town, we had to wait for our 5:30 train to Ollantaytambo. We hung out, had an awful mojito, a beer and an overpriced dinner where they tack on 20% tip without telling you.

We took a 1 1/2 hour train ride to Ollantaytambo and then a bus was waiting for us and we had a 2 plus hour ride back to Cusco. We arrived at the hostel and I was dead tired. Hot shower, anti-itch cream for my bites and I was asleep. What an amazing day - once in a lifetime!!!!

Machu Picchu - Nature Girl - Day 4...

It´s Halloween! Yippee...now keep walking!

Day 4 was a pain in the butt. We trekked from Santa Teresa to the train station where we had lunch. Then, it was time to continue on along the train tracks to the town of Aguas Calientes, a town Jaime affectionately calls "Gringolandia". I hated it. Walking along those tracks was brutal. You could not look up and there were rocks on the tracks so, sometimes you´d slip or skid out on the rocks. It was methodical and the railroad ties are not evenly spaced so you really had to pay attention to where you stepped. The train came by a couple of times and we had to scurry to the side. By this time, I could tell that my legs were getting tired. We had done alot of trekking up and down some big hills.

We arrived at Gringolandia at 2:30 p.m. We made good time. I think we were all just wanting to get there...make it stop! We were done camping. Our accomodations that night were in a hostel with a hot water shower and a real bathroom - can I get an Amen?!! We showered, ate dinner and were pretty much ready for bed. There were some kids out trick or treating and I was too tired to really notice! But, I wasn´t too tired to appreciate the fact that the next day, I would be visiting the world famous Macchu Picchu site!

Machu Picchu - Nature Girl - Day 3...

Since we were not as high, the night before, I slept much better. Our campsite the night before was at Colcapampa, 3,200m and it was much warmer than the 1st night. From here, we were trekking to La Playa for lunch and then to Santa Teresa where we would be camping.

I chose an alternative trek, the Salkantay trek, to Machu Picchu. By that, I mean an alternative trek to the "classic" Inca trail. The "classic" Inca trail is only 4 days and does not reach the elevation we did nor is it as far. My trek was chosen because it was recommended and because in order to do the "classic" trail, you have to have a permit and there are only a limited number of permits issued. Based on my timing, I was too late. I am so happy with my choice. For the 1st two days, we didn´t see any other tourists - just us and some locals running up and down the trail...and I do mean running! Amazing!

By day three, we are starting to see more people on the trail. We were decending from 3,200m to about 1,900m. There is a definite change in climate, now, we are heading into rainforest terrain. The weather was great, no rain. We trekked through rivers and rocks. Waterfalls were abundant. Jaime gave us a lesson on the Inka religion. We have all heard about the Aztecs and Mayans and the many sacrafices of human beings. The Inkas would only make a human sacrifice when there was a dire need for it - ie. major earthquake, drought, etc. In 1532, the Spanish came and they wanted all the Gold and Silver from the area. The Inkas did not understand this. What value does this metal have? You can´t eat it. With the coming of the Spanish, so came the eradication of the of the indiginous people. They fled to the jungles of Perú.

Trekking along, we stopped at the "Inka Shopping Center" and Lewis discovered the face on the Machu Picchu mountain - ha, the wonders of photoshop.

We made our way to La Playa for lunch. Great food, again - thanks Martin! After lunch, we were hanging out by the Mules and proceeded to get devoured by mule flies or sand flies or some other crazy bug and mosquitoes. I didn´t feel them at all. I looked down and my legs were covered in bites. I had repellant on too! Lewis and I got the worst of it - sux!

After lunch, we said goodbye to Julian and the mules (take those flies with you...) and we jumped on a mini bus to Santa Teresa. Our route to Santa Teresa was interruped by a land slide...what?? The road we were taking was a new road cut into the hillside and it hadn´t settled yet. If we were 5 minutes earlier, those big rocks coming down the mountain would have been hood ornamants! Our driver was crazy. He put the bus in reverse and was speeding down the road, backwards! I was hanging on tight all to the blaring music of Gloria Gaynor´s, I will survive and Amy Grant´s Knock on Wood...uhh...maybe not! Natasha and I were trying to make the best out of it, singing along! It was a random scene. We took an alternative route which took a little longer, but we made it there...whew! There were quite a few other campers at the site and the cutest thing ever...we met Pancho! A cute little monkey like animal (according to Lewis, he´s not a monkey, he´s a different kind of primate, but he looks like a monkey...). There were loads of bugs at this campsite - more bites...ahhh!!!

After setting up camp, we took the bus to the Hot Springs. It was amazing. Huge pools of hot water all of different temperatures. The backdrop consisted of the gorgeous Andes mountains where you could see waterfalls (not landslides...right Lewis?) in the distance. At the pools, we met Steve Strider, yoga guru from Arizona - hilarious - it´s always the coo coo birds that gravitate toward me! Why is that?

We had dinner and were entertained by some local children. They sang and danced and roped Lewis into joining in. Now that was pretty entertaining! We hung out by the bonfire where we were slightly annoyed by the presense of another group - 1 guide and 3 tourists - it was the 2 guys from Brazil that bugged for sure. We called it a night and I slept really well because it was our warmest night so far.

Por que??? Why???

Just some things I have been wondering:

• Why is the U.S. the only country not on the metric system? I am sure this has been asked 1000s of times, but why?


• Why does our mind set tend to be "English only"? I understand the need for English as our main language of communication and if you are in a country to live, making an attempt to learn the main language is the right thing to do, but there is something to be said for knowing several languages - it´s called expanding your knowledge and learning from and about others!


• Why don´t we greet each other with a big kiss on the cheek? From now on, when I see you - watch out - you´re gonna get a big fat smooch!


• Why is smiling and laughing so contangious? Kind of like yawning...let´s do it more...smile and laugh that is, I don´t necessarily want to yawn more!


• Why does Perú have crosswalks when you´ll get run over in or out of them?


• Why do we write the date - month, day, year, when the rest of the world writes the day, month year?


• Why can´t you get a cup of brewed coffee in South America? Nescafe instant is huge here. Juan Valdez and his beans are from here...longing for a real cup of coffee...!