High-Altitude Peru - paco
This trip is my introduction to the continent of South America. My itinerary mainly keeps me in places above 10,000ft (3000m) altitude.

First day in Peru
Puno, Peru
Paul in Puno
I find myself just after midnight in the Lima airport. I just barely made the connection in Houston, but I have learned my backpack has not. Do I stick around another day or do I press on and let the airline take care of it? I opt to press on.
I fly on to Juliaca, then take a cab to Puno and find out later I spent way too much on cab fare. I meet up with my buddy Jason to learn he just had his laptop stolen. Apparently misery loves company!
I check out the town of Puno, which is on an estuary of Lake Titicaca. It´s oddly liberating not lugging around a lot of baggage when in a new place. I´m super-tired and the high altitude is starting to get to me, but oddly enough I am enjoying myself!
written by  paco on October 18, 2009 from Puno, Peru
from the travel blog: High-Altitude Peru

Still hangin´ in Puno
Puno, Peru
Downpour in Puno
I talked with the airline who lets me know my bag is in now at the Juliaca airport. Me and Jason hop on the local bus into town, and then onto a sketchier bus to the airport. The one guy there tells us to come back six hours later, because the fellow with the key to the luggage area won´t be in until the next arrival.
No worries! We´re just exploring the not-so-touristy town of Juliaca and find it´s kind of refreshing seeing a new country off the beaten track. Later that afternoon the keymaster shows up and I get my bag. Unfortunately it´s too late to leave Puno once we saunter back into town.
written by  paco on October 19, 2009 from Puno, Peru
from the travel blog: High-Altitude Peru

Isla del Sol
Isla del Sol, Bolivia
Paul stuck in Inca Labyrinth Trap
Helen, Jason and Paul at Isla del Sol
Isla del Sol is a three hour boat ride from Copacabana. On there are ancient Inca ruins and some spectacular views. A seven kilometer hike takes us from the north end to the south end. I´m slowly aclimating to the high altitude here, 13000 ft (3800 m). The Inca Trail is just a few days away so it´s nice to have some practice. The only sour note to this trip is the three checkpoints on the island where we had to pay a couple of dollars to continue. The amount wasn´t that big a deal but the principle of the thing ticked us off!
On the boat ride back we saw a floating island, which was suppose to be made of reeds but we could tell it was made of a wooden base. The reed boats on there were pretty interesting, though.
Later that night we enjoy a fantastic trucha (trout) dinner and watch the sun set over the lake.
written by  paco on October 21, 2009 from Isla del Sol, Bolivia
from the travel blog: High-Altitude Peru

Border Crossing II
Yunguyo, Peru
Helen teaching English to kids in Copacabana
Border arch into Bolivia
On the way back to Peru, we now have our second illegal border crossing to contend with. Helen (English) crosses in the usual way while Jason and me (American) kind of casually tiptoe our way back to Peru, since our passports say we should already be there anyway. A policeman sees us but doesn´t seem to care enough to stop us.
We take the bus back to Puno, have lunch, and then it´s a much longer haul (8 hours) to Cusco. We get the first place we can find near the neighborhood of San Blas.
written by  paco on October 22, 2009 from Yunguyo, Peru

Exploring Cusco
Cusco, Peru
Paul Over Cusco
The guys running the hostel are jerks so we opt to find a better place in the neighborhood. San Blas has a great view of the city, with narrow cobblestone streets and steep roads that in some cases only hold enough room for pedestrians.
We take care of our plans for the Inca Trail and start to enjoy the city. Plaza de Armas is the main square with two huge cathedrals and a giant plaza where all sorts of activity happens.
Everyone tries to catch up on email and we finally get some do-nothing time.
written by  paco on October 23, 2009 from Cusco, Peru

Inca Trail Prep
Cusco, Peru
Spider-esque VW in Cusco
More exploring of Cusco by going down to the market where all sorts of local food and crafts visited by locals and tourist alike.
We take care of the rest of the arrangements to start the Inca Trail on Sunday. After renting sleeping bags and walking sticks we head to the first briefing for our trek, where we meet our guides and the rest of the campers with whom we´ll be spending the next four days.
written by  paco on October 24, 2009 from Cusco, Peru

Border Crossing
Copacabana, Bolivia
Paul at Peru-Bolivia border
Copacabana dusk
It´s time to leave Puno, and Peru. We hop on a bus to Copacabana, just on the other side of the Peru-Bolivia border. Once we get there we learn there is a change in policy to Americans entering Bolivia. The border guards politely ask for a $135 visa application fee and I politely decline. Note that other nationalities do not require this.
So what to do....we work something out with the border guards where we officially re-enter Peru and then cross into Bolivia with an ¨entrance fee¨ of $20 per head. Now ¨bribe¨ is an ugly word, but we did not get a receipt for this, nor did they stamp our passports.
We finally make it to Copacabana which is a remarkably lovely town on the south end of Lake Titicaca.
written by  paco on October 20, 2009 from Copacabana, Bolivia

Inca Trail - Day One
Aguas Calientes, Peru
Start of Inca Trail
Willkarakay
We start the day waking up at 4:00am to meet up with the crew at Llama Path who put us on a bus and hit the road for a two-hour drive to Piscacucho where we have breakfast and start off on the trail.
We check out some of the ruins across the river and some more again when cresting the first big hill before settling down for lunch.
We find a big tent already set up by the porters in which there are tables and place settings, from which we receive a five-course lunch that was pretty tasty after the long morning. I can´t say as I´ve ever had a complicated meal like that while camping!
The skies open up and we have to pull out our panchos to keep our packs dry as we continue on the trail. By day´s end we have finished 14km and climbed 600m (2000 ft).
Another five-course dinner is greatly appreciated and we do our best not to think about the day-to-come, where things get hairier.
written by  paco on October 25, 2009 from Aguas Calientes, Peru

Inca Trail - Day Two
Aguas Calientes, Peru
Dead Woman´s Pass
Andes at dawn
STAIR-MASTER-5000
We are awakened by our guide who gives us tea to enjoy in our tents, but we then have to quickly pack up before breakfast and we hear what´s ahead of us for the day. Not one, but two passes, both above 4000m elevation!
The sun is shining this morning and we head to Abra Warmiwañuska, better known to gringos as ¨Dead Woman´s Pass¨. I´m reminded of Tolkien´s description of the path from Minas Morgal to Mordor, where all you can see are stairs carved in the side of a steep mountain that disappear into the mist.
A very long morning later everyone is still in good spirits as we reach the high point at this pass. At 4200m (13800ft) we take time to catch our breath and head down to the campsite below at 3600m for lunch and a brief siesta.
Our siesta is cut short as the heavens open up once again and we get ready for the second pass. Part way up we check out the ruins at Runkuraqay and continue up the endless staircase until we finally hit the other pass at a mere 4000m (13100ft) elevation followed by a steep down-climb.
Just before approachig our camp site we check out the ruins at Sayaqmarka. Just before we´re ready to leave we hear the warning ¨There´s a bear coming your way!¨ I couldn´t understand what the joke was, but looking over at the 24-inch wide staircase that leads to the ruin was a 5-ft 300lb bear!
This being the only way out of the ruin you´d think the logical thing to do was hide, but curiosity took over and the foolhearty crew (myself included) ran towards the staircase to get a decent picture of the bear. Unfortunately my pictures did not turn out, but more importantly the bear decided not to engage us and shot up a tree and over the hill beside the ruin.
Back at camp everyone was relieved the toughest day was over and enjoyed another great dinner and compared bear photos. In the end we completed another 16km on the trail. The rest would all be downhill. Later, most of the campers agreed this was the best day on the trail despite the strenuous hike.
written by  paco on October 26, 2009 from Aguas Calientes, Peru

Inca Trail - Day Three
Aguas Calientes, Peru
Flowering from Wiñay Huayna
Above Wiñay Huayna
A lot of down!
The final pass is a mere 80m higher than the morning´s camp site, and then it´s down another 1000m for the rest of the day. A lot of sore knees creek down the steep staircase and I´m very glad I was talked into renting walking sticks, as the steps are also fairly slippery.
We make it to the final campsite at Wiñay Huaya early in the afteroon, where folks have a chance to shower and sleep off the rest of the afternoon (and drink beer!). Later our guide takes us to the nearby ruins at Wiñaywayna which is about 1/10th the size of Machu Piccu without the crowds.
Later that night we have the chance to thank our porters one at a time for all their hard work as our paths diverge the following morning.
written by  paco on October 27, 2009 from Aguas Calientes, Peru

Inca Trail - Day Four
Standing before misty Machu Picchu
Clearing over Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu revealed!
We wake up at an early 3:30 in the morning basically to save our place in line. A quick breakfast and packing with our headlamps then we head down the trail about a kilometer before we reach the checkpoint. By the time the gate opens there are several hundred people waiting to get in, and fortunately we are among the first.
A bit of a climb and we reach the Sun Gate, where we can theoretically get a bird´s-eye view of Machu Picchu, although the fog is just a bit too thick to see anything. We take a break and get ready for the last few kilometers going downhill before entering the park.
When we reach the site the mists start to part just enough to take the postcard photo. Our guide then gives us a one hour tour of the major sites before cutting us loose to explore on our own.
There is way too much to explore here, and after a while my travel companions opt to find a nice shady spot to relax and we check out the sites around us from a relaxed position.
I´d like to covey just how awesome this site is, but I´m just not the poet I´d like to be. The ancient structures, the surrounding mountains, the history, the majesty can only be truly be conveyed by going there. Go visit Machu Picchu!
Later on our tour ends as our groups meets in Aguas Calientes for lunch and then we hop on the train, then by bus where we recap the events over road beers.
In all I had a fantastic time on the Inca Trail. I really want to thank the people who made this trip memorable-
The Fellow Campers - Jason, Helen, Richard, Sally, Eric, Liz, Emily, Sinead, Trisha, Yvonne, Paul, and Claire
The staff and porters at Llama path- their hard work made a huge difference
Our guides, Santiago and Edwin made the biggest difference. Their patience, passion, and good humor made the difference between a good trek and a great trek. Thanks, guys!
Paul over Machu Picchu
Chillin´ with llamas at Machu Picchu

High-Altitude Epilogue
Lima, Peru
San Francisco Monistary in Lima
Paul, Helen and Jason at km0 bar in Cusco
Nursing bug bites, sore knees and calves, we opt to take it easy in Cusco over the next couple of days. I do some exploring around town for a few more photo opportunities, but mainly we spend time being lazy and figuring out the next stage in our respective tours.
The final night in Cusco we head to the km0 bar in San Blas and throw a few back while enjoying a band playing cover tunes into the wee hours of the night.
The next day I part with my friends who head out to Iquitos, presumably for some adventuring in the Amazon basin. I head to Lima in preparation for my flight home.
Killing time, I catch a cab to the Plaza de Armas and do the tour at the San Francisco monastery. In addition to some remarkable architecture and art the tour includes the catacombs below, which include the remains of over 35000 people.
Back to the airport, my tour comes to an end. This time there are no mishaps on the way home, just a very long day.
-Fin-
written by  paco on October 31, 2009 from Lima, Peru

Paul Over Cusco

Paul at Peru-Bolivia border

Paul stuck in Inca Labyrinth Trap

Paul in Puno

Copacabana dusk

Downpour in Puno

Menu from restaurant in Puno

Border arch into Bolivia

Entrance to labyrinth at Isla del Sol

Helen teaching English to kids in Copacabana

Dawn in Copacabana

Helen and Jason at breakfast in Cusco

Spider-esque VW in Cusco

Snacks!

Start of Inca Trail

Willkarakay

Q´anabamba

Paq´ayamayo

Dead Woman´s Pass

Long Stairway

Inca Trail - campers, porters and guides

Rainy afternoon on trail

View from Sayamarka

Paul in deep thought

Staircase at Sayamarka

Andes at dawn

Bear cave through trail

Over Sayaqmarka

Paul under Wiñay Huayna

Above Wiñay Huayna

Flowering from Wiñay Huayna

Standing before misty Machu Picchu

Clearing over Machu Picchu

More hills around Machu Picchu

Surrounding hills around Machu Picchu

Recintos principales at Machu Picchu

Paul over Machu Picchu

Jack-o-lantern view from Machu Picchu

Chillin´ with llamas at Machu Picchu

Paul, Helen and Jason at km0 bar in Cusco

San Francisco Monistary in Lima