2 1/2 Days in Tulum

After the Inca Trail hike I decided to jet off to Tulum, Mexico (1:30 south of Cancun) for a few days on the beach and try and relax.  I had all these grand ideas of snorkeling in the various cenotes and checking out the ruins etc etc.  Well, once I got there, and noticed the sounds of the waves, breeze off the ocean and the fact that the restaurant was located on premises, I never left the hotel area.  It was beautiful and comfortable and everything one would expect at the beach.  I spent a few hours sitting ocean side one day, enjoyed some good food at the restaurant, sat on the cabana porch mostly and tried to catch up on sleep and rest.  Was still not feeling fully functional, so decided to simply take it easy.  The hotel was called Ahua Tulum, and it one of a series of small eco friendly cabana style hotels along a stretch of beach.  Very private and secluded.  I really enjoyed it, and hope to get back.  Below are a few pictures.

JB

Climbing Huayna Picchu

After reaching Machu Picchu and exploring with a tour for a bit, I took a bus down to the base town called Aguas Calientes.  The bus route down was quite exciting with several hair pin turns, but made it safe and sound.  Spent the night pretty much resting as I was exhausted.  Ended up with a Fanta and got some Doritos down in my stomach for dinner.

The next morning decided to get up early as I had a 7:00-8:00 window to get back up to Machu Picchu and climb Huayna Picchu.  They slot the times so only 200 people are doing it at once. Made it with 4 minutes to spare.

It was not easy! (for me, at least)  It took me about an hour and a half to summit. Steep, rocky, a little wet, leaves, did I mention steep!

 To put in perspective, I was still at the top when the first 10:00 climbers reached the summit and a group of 3 18 year olds made it in 20 minutes!  But to my credit, they had not just done the Inca Trail. Ha Ha.

The view of Machu Picchu was beautiful and of the surrounding mountains.  I am definitely glad I completed that final task.  The peak at Machu Picchu.

JB

Arrive At Machu Picchu

I am going to let the photos speak for themselves on this one. I was exhausted but I made it!

JB

The Inca Trail - Day 3

Today wake up call was 4:30. Another long day ahead of us. I am still dealing with the nauseous and promptly begin the morning throwing up. The only thing I will eat the rest of the trip are a peach and some protein bars. But I carry on and continue the journey. Today are some ruins along the way. Runcuracay, Sayacmarca, Phuyuptamarca, Intipata. As always beautiful views - extremely challenging terrain and me huffing and puffing along. I get to camp after 2 hours in the dark and probably my lowest point mentally with the lack of food and energy exerted adding up. But I get to camp and find my tent. Early wake up call at 3:30 for the last trek to Machu Picchu.

Minimum Altitude: 8,856 feet

Maximum Altitude: 12,300 feet

Distance: 10 miles

The Inca Trail - Day 2

The challenge day. Halfway through this day I wasn't sure I was going to make it. I woke up to pretty bad elevation sickness. I was unable to eat anything and just felt completely off. But off we went at  6:30 am starting the day. Again the views are amazing and really one of the reasons the challenge is worth it.  Today is pretty much all up hill and steps until the last 20% or so.  It is just a grueling climb.

Our goal for the up hill portion is called Warmiwañusca Mountain also known as Dead Woman's Pass. For awhile I thought they may rename it Jeff's Death Pass! I slowly chugged my way up the incline way behind the group but always with either one of my guides Mike or Albert checking in with me (they were great - supportive and encouraging) as again I Was the slow cog in the group. Also my fellow hiker and friend David was there for encouragement as well which was awesome. After lunch (which at this point the smell of food was making me nauseous) we were making one last push to Dead Woman's Pass. I believe the first members of our group got there in an hour or so. Halfway into this push the oxygen tank made an appearance but not used. I finally reached the highest summit of the trek after 2:30 hours to claps and cheers by my fellow hikers. I have to say I was worried about slowing things down but they were all so encouraging and supporting. Again the views from the top were worth it. We also with the guidance of our guide Mike completed a ceremony involving thanking Pacha Mama (mother earth) which was nice.

And here I thought the hardest part was over. The next "two" hours were all downhill, only on rocks. It took me 3:30 hours of careful stepping. I suppose I am not as nimble I think I am. The last 30 minutes were in the dark but had headlamps. I finally arrived again to claps and cheers and still had no appetite to eat (a fellow hiker gave me some protein bars which helped) and went to bed after 12 hours of walking time.

Minimum Altitude: 9,840 feet
Maximum Altitude: 13,766 feet
Distance: 7 miles

JB

The Inca Trail - Day 1

The day started off with a 5:30am pickup at the Hotel followed by a 2:30 hour bus ride from Cusco to  the start of our trek at km82. We arrived in Piscacucho which is at 8,790 feet. Our group meets our camping crew etc and start off  across the checkpoint and suspended bridge on our journey. We cross over the Urubamba River which will be around us for a bunch of our trip.  Today is training day to help us just get in a rythem. Although I find my rythem is a bit slower than most of the group. As a sign of things to come, I am the last person to all checkpoints and camps the entire trek, including finishing two nights in the dark. But more of that to come.

The views are truly beautiful and a good thing about going slow and resting is you actually really take them in. A major view on day 1 is the snow capped view of Mt. Veeronica. Really holds your eyes. At the end of the day after about 7 hours or so of hiking I end up at the camp for dinner and comraderie with my fellow hikers. Tent is up and ready to go. I eat a great dinner (my last night I found I could eat anything) and head off to bed.

Minimum Altitude: 8,790 feet
Maximum Altitude: 10,824 feet
Distance: 7.5 miles

JB

Trek Starts Tomorrow!

Hi everyone.  Tomorrow I go off the grid for 4 days! So no blog updates.  I will have a super duper blog update as soon as I can.  Today was another day in Cusco.  I was definitely feeling the elevation effects yesterday and this morning. Also no sleep last night.  But I am feeling better, and also got some elevation meds that either helped, or were psychologically helpful.  There was a big traditional dance competition going on in the main Plaza de Armas with school kids.  Was pretty cool and impressive.  They were all dressed in bright colorful outfits.  I will post a couple pics.  Found a nice cafe for a light lunch (ham and cheese sandwich and a coca cola).  Bought a couple last minute items.  Had our orientation for the trip with our guide Mike who seems cool and excited for the journey.  Tomorrow the trek starts at 5:30 am with an hour and a half bus ride, then breakfast, then another hour ride, and then the hiking begins.  I am excited, with a few nerves, but all will be good.

I will post a few more pictures below, and I will catch you all in 4 days!  

                 Poisonous Red Frog.  About the size of a thumbnail. 

             Walking Sticks.....I invaded their privacy!

Rain in the distance on the Amazon River.  We missed it!

My room at the Explorarama Lodge. Netting worked great.

The masks were a little creepy!

More dancers having a good time. 

Plaza del Armas with mountains overlooking.  The Cusco flag is very similar to the Pride flag, with one extra color. 

Ok - of to bed for hopefully a good nights sleep!  

JB

Cusco and Pictures!

Spent part of the day waking around Cusco.  A pretty cool city from what I could see.  There are quite a few tourists around. Sheesh, who let these tourists in!  I went into one Cathedral only to find out no pictures were allowed.  Lame!  Tomorrow am there is high school aged dance competition (traditional, not modern) that I may check out.  The elevation does seem to be keeping me feeling a little weak, not dizzy or sick, just a bit week. So hopefully another day will help with that. Went to the tour company office to check in and get all paid up and our trek orientation meeting is tomorrow night.  Going to rest tonight.  But, thanks to my amigo David from Mexico who will be on the trek with me, I have access to a laptop to post some pictures. Below you can see what I was able to see. Hopefully they come across as exciting as it was to see in person. 

My first piranha catch.  He was tasty. 

Riding in a motorkar in Iquitos. Roads were crazy!

Can you spot the sloth?

Practicing my dart shooting. Was 1 for 2.

Tarantula!

Amazon Rainbow

More pictures to follow....hope you liked.  

JB

Cusco

I arrived safely in Cusco. Amazing views of the mountains from Lima to Cusco. You fly pretty low and close to them on descent and all of a sudden there is the city of Cusco. They weather between Cusco and Amazon drops about 20 degrees an the humidity is basically gone. So for me - perfect weather.  My ride wasn't quite there yet to pick me up but a quick phone call and all was great. The othe taxi drivers were yelling for me to choose them but I figured I would take the free ride even if a bit late. No worries.

The city is pretty big and much more modern than Iquitos which makes sense. I  looking forward to exploring the next couple of days. My hotel is beautiful and we have a nice open courtyard in the middle. Skybis blue and I am currently listening to some flutes being played down in the Plaza for a celebration. I am going to check that out soon.

I have been drinking the coca tea to help with elevation. Not being a tea drinker it has been pretty good (with some sugar of course). I really noticed getting off the plane each step was a bit more heavy.  I also still find myself once in awhile having to take a deep breath in - but otherwise no dizziness or headaches really. So I should be good.

A few Peru observations:
No Diet Coke here - only Coke Zero
Inka Cola tastes like liquid bubble gum
I feel like a giant here haha - my average height in US would be on tall side here
The people are incredibly nice and friendly
Even being here just 5 days so far I am quickly picking up more spanish

Last night I had dinner at Chi Cha - starter of Trout - with some sort of mushroom and toasted corn which is a little like popcorn but looks like just a kernel. I then had some roasted pork with potatoes an some other corn thing I forget but it was very different than our corn.  I sat at the bar and while the bartenders knew English I asked them to speak in Spanish unless I really couldn't figure it out. They were super friendly and I had fun.

Also still having trouble with connecting the iPad so still working on that! Thanks for following feel free to ask any questions.

JB

Sorry for delay....wifi problems.

Yesterday afternoon I went on another boat ride on the Amazon. We found our way to the mouth of the Manatee River which is black water and when it meets the Amazon which is always brown there is a distinct dividing line. At that juncture we saw both gray and pink dolphins swimming around.

We also saw a few more sloths - tons of birds (including Herons Kate Canada) as a lot of Peruvians using the waterways. It is the only mode of transportation in the area. On our way back we could see two large rain storms where we needed to go - however we dodged the bullets an stayed dry. We were even treated to an amazing rainbow!

A group of 53 came in while I was out a students and adults from a middle school in Indiana here to do some community service and learn about the culture and I am sure have fun. Actually all pretty well behaved.

After dinner went on a night boat ride in a nearby canal to try and catch glimpses of the nocturnal animals - couldn't get a lot of great pictures but saw all the usual suspects - sloths spiders snakes caimen(sp?) butterflies and of course Mosquitos! We went totally dark for about 10 minutes and just listened to the sounds which was great. Every night I went to sleep if hear all those noises.

This morning had a nice last hour long boat ride and now a travel day - in Lima now and heading to cusco shortly. Hopefully I can get some pictures up then.

JB

Jungle Walk & Yagua Tribe

This morning after breakfast went on a 3 hour jungle hike. No rain this time other than the sweat dripping off of me! 100% humidity is no joke! But I didn't even notice as there is so much to see. Was able to see squirrel monkeys, walking stick and other colorful insects, more frogs, tree types of butterflies, lots of frogs again, a couple hawks, heard some toucans but didn't see any.  Also was finally able to coax a tarantula out of hiding. Seeing them in the wild is different than someone's cage. Very cool!

One thing I have learned is that anything beautiful is probably dangerous haha!

Also on this hike we met the Yagua tribe. A native Peruvian Amazon tribe. It was cool to see their historical meeting house and learning some of the culture. Try performed some dances (one of which I joined in) and also the anaconda dance to protect the hunters from snakes. They have us a demonstration of how they hunt with dart "guns" they were highly skilled. I have it a shot and was 1-2 hitting the target. Not too bad!

It was a great morning. The group of 7 I was dining with are leaving after lunch. They are heading to another lodge then cusco and train to MP and the Galápagos Islands! Another place on my list I want to visit!

JB

Explorarama Lodge

Day 2 - Explorarama Lodge

Today started with some 6am bird watching. Saw a ton of different types of birds and a few iguanas.

After breakfast (food here is amazing - I am definitely eating better than I do at home) I went on a boat ride down the Napo River which is a tributary of the Amazon. Saw a bunch of pink dolphins and yes they are pink!  Too fast for a picture but very cool! We continued down the river to some swampy areas and went fishing for piranha. I caught 6 and a catfish. Basically just used a stick- some line and a hook with meat. And then yank when you feel the nibble! Pretty cool - sorry no picture - iPad still having issues. But they will follow. I am not sure how long the poor catfish lasted after taking the hook out and throwing him back.  I was able to taste the piranha at lunch. Not much meat but pretty good.

After lunch I went on a jungle hike around the Lodge property. The Lodge has 1000 acres. I was treated with a down pour for about half of he 2 hour hike - so not too many pictures but a great experience! I was able to see 4 species of frogs - lots of crazy insects and plants. No tarantulas as they dislike the rain.

Took a shower (cold) but nice to get off the layers of bug spray and sunscreen. So far so good in both areas. My guide Renello is awesome and I basically have him 1 on 1 and my boat driver.  The other group of 7 are doing the same things but they stay together. We all eat meals together though and it's nice.   Dinner was great tonight. I find myself going to bed earlier and sleeping pretty good. Not bad under a mosquito net.

I guess a group of 53 is coming in tomorrow so our quiet Lodge will be bustling with activity! Another busy day tomorrow so I am heading to bed and read for a big.

JB

Iquitos - Amazon Day 1

First note: iPad is not cooperating with wifi so using my phone which is not ideal.

Made it Iquitos this morning which is a one terminal airport. Was relieved to see someone was there to meet me. Found out the boat to the Explorarama Lodge would not leave until 1 so I had 5 hours to explore the city. My guide showed me some great spots and taught me a bunch about the culture. Some quick observations:

Did not see one grocery store - a lot of open air markets
Did not see one person smoking.
Took a ride on one of the 3 wheel motorkars - there are no rules to driving that I could tell
Great Vibe in the city - everyone was friendly and seemed to be smiling!

Caught the boat at 1 and went on a 1 hour ride up the Amazon to the Lodge. The River was much wider than I imagined. Great views though. Upon arrival found my room - pictures to follow - pretty neat setup - mosquito netting - kerosene lamps - but a shower and bathroom! After settling in went on a two hour open boat (no roof) trip looking for birds, animals and nature in general. Saw a ton of cool birds and a bunch of sloths and some giant lily pads.

It was just me the driver and my guide. Pretty cool! Dinner at 7 was great and enjoyed meeting the group of 7 - a more experience group than me as far as age goes. Going to hit the hay early as I havnt really slept on 36 hours an getting up at 6 am to go bird watching.

JB

Travel Day

Today was a travel day. Thanks to Amy Pierz I had a ride to the Hartford Airport for a 12:45 departure to Atlanta.  No issues and arrived safe in "Hotlanta."  I remembered my last time in Atlanta for the 1989 Peach Bowl - and not realizing we should hop the train to our gate rather than walk a mile. So I properly transported myself to the international gate. Flight from Atlanta went off without a hitch. We actually arrived 30 minutes early. Managed to watch Captain Phillips and Thor 2 on the way. Was actually quite impressed with Delta and the free (seems like nothing on flights these days are free) movies - tv - music - games etc. Food was also very good. Smooth ride. I was a bit jealous of the first class setup. I need to make more money to fly first class and have a bed! I'm sure my snoring wouldn't bother anyone.  Now here on Lima - I actually did walk outside as I had to go from arrivals and then back in the airport for my flight to Iquitos at 5:40am. So I was outside in Peru for about 8 seconds. I received a confirmation email that SAS (the travel company I am using for the Amazon and Inca Trail will have someone at the airport to pick me up. As long as that goes well - I will be less stressed. Well time to try to close my eyes for a bit. More to follow!

PS - this all transpired June 5 - but couldn't post until 2am.

JB

All Packed Up!

All packed up and ready to go! And to think, I thought the hiking bag was going to be too big.  It should be just perfect.  A lot of prep went into this trip!  From booking flights and hotels, to booking hikes and Amazon stays, of course, working to fund the trip!, Shots and Pills (Hep A, Hep B, Yellow Fever, Typhoid, Malaria).  All that is worth it for the adventure I am heading out on.  Of course I have the 'Cuse hat to represent.  I wanted to take my Hobart hat as well, but lost it up in Saratoga at a restaurant who "cleaned out their lost and found."  Tonight I head to Hartford, CT to stay with Bri and Amy Pierz who will take me to the Hartford Airport tomorrow to begin my flight to Lima.  I will probably have one more thorough check of what I have in these three bags to make sure I have everything I need, and maybe even to get rid of anything I have packed, that I don't need!  A couple of extra pairs of eyes will help.

Work things are completed as best as possible, so I am not going to worry about any of that!  Anything can be fixed upon my return.  Hopefully these entries will be interesting, and feel free to comment or make your own observations!

More to come.....

JB

Peru Is Only A Couple Days Away

Thursday I will embark on my adventure to Peru!  This has been a planning process that began over a year and a half ago, and here I am.  I am extremely excited.  My 16 day trip will include 4 days in the Peruvian Amazon outside of Iquitos where I will spend time checking out nature up close and personal. 3 days in Cuzco as I get acclimated to the elevation, and get ready to begin my 4 day hike on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.  A night in Aguas Calientes (I will be sure to check out the hot springs!), before 1 more morning at Machu Picchu and climbing Huaynapicchu.  Then a train back to Cuzco, before flying out the next morning for 3 days on the beach in Tulum, Mexico.

As always before a trip, nerves abound, and the uncertainty of what I will experience enhances both my nerves and my excitement.  I expect and amazing trip, and hopefully I will be able to share some of those experiences through words and pictures here with anyone who wants to read or see!

JB