09-29-08
Hello everyone,
We arrived safely in Lima late Saturday night (Day 1). We all went out to grab a beer or a Pisco Sour mmm!!!
Yesterday (Day 2), we spent the day on a bus on our way to the Nasca Lines. We stopped to do a ‘buggy ride’ in the sand dudes. It was awesome!!! We also sandboarded at sunset. They told us that the Huacachina Desert is the largest after the Sahara… is that true? One thing I know for sure… it’s beautiful!
(Day 3) We just flew over the Nasca Lines. Very mysterious. And now we are going to see the mummies… more later.
We love Peru! The MS Climb Team
10-09-08
Hi Everyone,
Wow, it´s already the end of out trip, we survived the Inca Trail and are getting ready to go home in a couple of days.
We are so sorry we could not write sooner. Our schedule have been crazy busy and we had limited access to internet.
Bringing you up to speed:
After the Nasca lines, we headed back to Lima. Yes, another 7-hour bus ride, but this time we were set on making it a good one. It was Brian’s 30th Birthday. So we got some local beer Cusquena, because our tastebuds are not used to straight Pisco yet, got some chips and to top it all… the driver had a Karaoke in the bus!!!! YEAH! We had so much fun signing Madonna, ABBA, Queen, The Eagles, Michal Jackson, Ryan Adams… you name it. The BEST bus ride EVER!!!
(Day 4) We left Lima and flew to Juliaca and a 2-hour bus ride later we arrived in Puno late that day. It is important for us to spend time in high altitude to get our lungs ready for the Inca Trail.
Puno is at nearly 14000 feet above sea level… yikes! Every 2 steps we were out of breath. Some of us got altitude sickness. And on top of it, some lucky ones started to have weak stomach and truly felt that meaning of ¨tourista¨ a.k.a the D word. For us courageous ones who did not get sick, we went out to enjoyed a delectable meal of Alpaca meat; it’s really good, it’s a bit gamy. The B’Day boy (Brian) even tried the local delicacy: Guinea Pig. I tasted it, it tasted like duck or quail.
Anyway, so Puno is on the shore of Lake Titicaca. (Day 5) We took a boat to Tequile Island where we hiked and got a feel of what to expect on the Inca Trail. It was a beautiful sunny day, some of us ever got a tan on the top of the boat. On the island, we had a delicious simple lunch of quinoa soup, chicken and the best fries ever at a small Quechua owned restaurant. A local musician serenaded while we were having eating (like in most Peruvian area where you wil find tourist – they work for tips – you get used to it). On Lake Titicaca’s islands, it’s all about keeping the traditional way, especially because now the villages on the islands mainly survive from tourism.
Next we headed towards Amantani Island, where in pair of twos we spent the night in a traditional Quechua family who spoke no English, only Spanish. Actually, the community speaks Quechua. Some of the elderlies didn’t even speak Spanish, only Quechua. It was a fascinating experience. They have no running water and some part of their houses don´t have electricity. And even if they do, they use it to the minimum. So, we all had dinner in our ‘families’, with our new ¨mama¨. After that they dressed us up for the traditional celebration where we got to regroup with the rest of the team at the “discotheque”.
The following day (Day 6) as we were making our way back to Puno, we stopped to visit Los Uros; the man-made floating islands located 5km from the shore of Puno at 3810 metres above sea level. The ground of the island is made of the dense roots of the Totora plant. They also use that same plant (that look like ¨hay or straw¨) to build their house, their boat, it’s also use as food and as many natural protect qualities like fluoride for the teeth. Each island have a life expectency of about 30 years.
As we get ready take another 7-hour public bus to Puno…. Thank God we had the best tour leader (he´s name is Angel) and was able to book us a private bus for an extra $8 US instead of riding on the public bus with the sheeps and the chickens.
So, from Puno we went to Cusco where we finally enjoyed a free day. (Day 7) That night, we got our briefing for the Inca Trail.
Honestly, we had the best Inca Trail guide in all Peru. He´s name is Cesar. What a beautiful soul! He was so passionate and knowledged. We were under good hands.
(Day 8 – 11) Now the INCA TRAIL!!! To be frank, it was hard, but so rewarding; everyone made it to the end. 4 days of no shower just using towelettes… mmm interesting, but believe it or not, it was all worth it. We saw so many inca site. I can’t believe it, we actually walked the same path built over a 1000 years ago.
So we started at KM88, where we passed the 1st check point…
(Day 11) Back down from Machu Picchu, the Peruvian Transportation Stike made us unable to take the train to back to KM88, so we spended the night in Aguas Clientes. What a great little place. Angel had to find us last minute hotel at a decent price. So we stayed at Gringo Bill’s. LOL! I know, funny name, but great little hotel. Charming and clean.
(Day 12) After a great night of sleep… well most of use when out to the bar, so we are a bit tired… some of use went to the Termal Baths. they said to go early as the baths get cleaned in teh morning and you don’t want to stand in the water filed with hikers that did not shower for 4 days. Around 1pm, we made our way in Peru Rail back to 88KM and took a bus to Ollantaytambo where a guide (Benjamin) gave is a tour of some of teh Sacred Valley site. Chinchero, a small Andean Indian village at 3762m above sea level 30 km from Cusco was one of them. That night we were back to Cusco.
(Day 13) Oh my! Another free day! and its a beautiful sunny day in Cusco! Perfect day to get the laundry done, relax, no bus to take, we can sleep in! Tonight, we are going to Roots; a Reggae bar in Cusco. It was a great place. The DJ last week was great, so we are going back as our last offical night in Peru.
(Day 14) We left Cusco to make our way back to Lima. We are all sad to say goodbye to Peru, but then again happy to get back home and share our expereinc withour loved ones.
From the airport, because we got there late afternoon and our flitgh was not until 12:30am, we took a tour bus around town. Angel brought us to a local join where they had excellent ceviche!
At 12:30am, we teared up as we left Angel behind and made our way back to Canada.
Ah… Peru, Machu Picchu… this was a life changing trip! This trip made a difference in our lives and millions of people living with MS.
WE RAISE $155,468!!!! Can you believe it? Now, we hope we inspired you and you will join us in one of our 4 trips this year (2 to Machu Picchu and 2 to Mt. Kilimanjaro) or simply to donate to MS Climb to raise an ambitious $1 million dollars in 2009.
Keep dreaming and live with passion!
Léah Cournoyer
MS Climb Machu Picchu 2008 Climber/Fundraiser
& ready for MS Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro 2009
http://www.endms.ca/control/psa.aspx
