Lima, Peru

 
Today is Dia de los Santos (All Saints' Day), a holiday in Peru along with tomorrow's Dia de los Difuntos (All Souls' Day). For many of Lima's 9 million residents, it's time to prepare offerings of food, usually with little bread renditions of people and animals, to be placed on top of graves of departed family members.

Lake Titicaca, Peru

My breakfast is included in my $10 room rate but Mauro brought me to the restaurant next door. Before I could protest, he had already ordered desayuno for me: a mug of tea, slices of toast and a small plate of jam and butter. No worries, it's libre. Mauro meant that breakfasts are really taken in this restaurant. I'm not sure though if this restaurant is part of Hostal Don Victor but if my breakfast is free, why do I have to bother?

Puno, Peru

 
Just like Cusco, the bustling town of Puno sits on the altiplano at 3,860 meters above sea level. The air here remains just as thin. No worries though, after 10 days in Peru, I feel like having the lungs of a llama now. Thankfully, no more soroche for me.

Puno is at the edge of Lake Titicaca, the massive lake measuring 8,400 square kilometers and considered the highest navigable lake in the world. Tourists come here mainly because of this lake and its islands.

The Inka Express bus which I took this morning left Cusco on time. On a regular bus, the trip to Puno takes 6 hours but since we have scheduled stops along the way, it took a total of 10 hours. That's almost as long as taking the tourist train except the train only has one scenic stop.

Cusco, Peru

Leaving Puerto Maldonado

It was a rainy morning as we waited for our LAN Peru flight to Cusco in Puerto Maldonado airport, raising my fear that the flight might be cancelled as they usually happen here at the slightest sign of weather disturbance. With me on the flight were Australians Robert, Linda, and John with Tita, the Peruvian tour leader for GAP Adventures. I only have my daypack as a carry-on and a whole lot of jungle experience to remember from the last 3 days I spent in Posada Amazonas.

Thankfully, the gray skies opened up and we were allowed to board the Airbus 319 plane. From the lowland jungle to the high Andes, it took only 30 minutes of flight time and I was back in Cusco again. The Australians and Tita stayed in the plane as it moved on to Lima, their final destination. As arranged, I was met at the airport and brought back to Hostal Amaru.

Posada Amazonas, Peru

Sunrise in the Amazon

I woke up very early just as our guide Geraldine had reminded us at dinner last night. But what in the world is that sound so early this morning? It sounded like a coffee machine belching loudly in the kitchen. "It's a red howler monkey" Geraldine said later, showing me a picture of it on their field guide. I couldn't understand how this small hairy creature could amplify it's voice so much. Unfortunately, I couldn't see the monkey in the forest despite its not-so-hard-to-miss howling.

We're up at 5:30 a.m. in order to reach Tres Chimbadas oxbow lake early in the day or else the sun will roast us if we're late. It's about twenty minutes by boat further upstream and then a 30 minute walk along a forest trail. An oxbow lake is formed when a wide meander from a stream or a river is cut off to form a lake. What's interesting here, according to Geraldine, is that the area is a magnet for birds and animals.

Posada Amazonas, Peru

View of Tambopata river from canopy tower

What an abrupt change in location. Just this morning, I woke up in the temperate coolness of the Andes and now I'm sitting on a jungle lodge in the Amazon, wiping the sweat off my sticky forehead while reaching for another dab of insect repellent to keep mosquitoes at bay. This is the wonder of Peru: the varied topography means varied climates which means varied ecosystems.

I checked out of Hostal Amaru early this morning, reminding the staff that I'll be back after 3 days, gave them my duffel bag for storage and my soiled Inca trail clothes for laundering. With my daypack full of stuff for my jungle trip to Puerto Maldonado, I walked down to Plaza de Armas and just basked in the early morning sunshine. The short taxi ride to the airport can wait a little while.

Inca Trail, Peru

Happy feet

Standing next to the Watchman's Hut was the perfect perch for me to see one of the world's greatest wonders. It's past 7 this morning when I finally reached this very spot after hiking all 45 kilometers of the trail. My excitement was sky high. Fog was still covering the ruins and the sugarloaf mountain behind it, giving us a peek-a-boo experience of what we came here for. When the fog finally lifted up, the ancient ruins of Macchu Picchu revealed itself in its full glory. What a goose-bumps moment! It's like seeing a celebrity in flesh. My jaw dropped. I'm awed.

Inca Trail, Peru

 
Having made it this far at the last campsite has all the more heightened my anticipation of finally seeing Macchu Picchu for the first time. I've always told myself that there's nothing better than seeing this magnificent ruins after doing the 4-day trek on the ancient Inca trail used long time ago by chasquis (or Inca messengers). Macchu Picchu, for those not physically-inclined, can be reached by a 4-hour train ride from Cusco combined with a 20-minute bus ride from Aguas Calientes. Thank goodness, the Peruvian government banned helicopter rides for good.

Inca Trail, Peru

Early morning pampering

I was snuggled comfortably in my sleeping bag when I heard my name being called early this morning. I unzipped the door to my single-tent and out in front of me was Luis and two porters offering me a selection of tea. Oh, am I being spoiled on a supposedly rough adventure?

Inca Trail, Peru

 
Our guide Luis reminded us last night of our pick-up time between 5:10 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. in order to get an early start to the trailhead. Even if my headaches hasn't stopped and my sleeping wasn't good, I woke up at 4:30 a.m. and was ready with my daypack and the sack with the rest of my personal stuff for the porter to carry. After depositing the rest of my stuff at Hostal Amaru, I began to worry as by 5:45 a.m. I wasn't picked up yet by one of Andean Life's staff. Did they forget about me? Just as I was about to call their office, somebody showed up at the lobby at 6 a.m. and off we rushed to meet everyone else on the bus that will take us to Piskacucho (or Km. 82), the start of the trail.

Cusco, Peru

Sacred Valley

I woke up today feeling like a bad hangover has hit my head. I was just hoping this headache's caused by having not slept well last night (my mistake: I drank coca tea after dinner). Not even the marvellous view I get of Cusco as I pull the curtain of my room's window could lessen the pain.

After being served a hearty breakfast included in my $20 room rate, I waited for the pick-up service to join the Sacred Valley tour. I met the American couple Derick and Liz who were also joining the tour. I told them of my misery since arrival and when they told me that they've got some symptoms themselves, I felt at least some sense of relief that I'm not alone. I'm just afraid that my headaches won't disappear as the Inca trail trek starts tomorrow!

Cusco, Peru

 
The moment I stepped off the Lan Peru flight that brought me from Lima to Cusco this morning, I began to feel something different. My head started to feel like being osteurized - the headache began to throb. Cusco is 3,360 meters above sea level and the air here is thin. In other words, there's less oxygen to breathe. While waiting for my backpack to appear at the luggage carousel, I already knew that I was suffering from the effects of high altitude, or soroche as it's called here.