Arrival in Cusco
Cusco, Peru
Cusco is amazing. It is much smaller then you would think but that makes it all the better. Once we figure out the maze of cobble stone streets we will really see what it has to offer.
written by  Shawn04 on January 3, 2007 from Cusco, Peru
from the travel blog: South American

Inca Trail
Machupicchu, Peru
The start of the Inka Trail
It is time for me to change the order of my life´s to do list, since the number one slot has finally been obtained "Machu Picchu". The hike was more than I could have hoped for, it was very challenging, rained everyday, but the views and the experience was unbelievable. The entire trip on paper is 4 days of hiking and 3 nights sleeping in tents along the way, but it was much more than that. Erin and I were picked up at our hostel very early in the morning of January 5. We were driven 3 hours to the starting gate, given some last minute instructions, and met our group. Our group consisted of 3 guides, 17 porters (the guys who carry all the food, run by us on the trail carring 100lbs backs, and make us amazing meals), and 16 tourists. In our group we had quite the mix, there were some Koreans, Swiss, Argentinians, Peruvians, and us Americans.
The first day was an easy hike, winding through the valleys and seeing some of the local villages. Our first campsite was located overlooking one of the villages surrounded by mountains. We spent the night getting to know everyone in the group, singing our country songs, and trying to tell jokes.
The second day is the hardest day of the trail, this is the day we reach the highest point of the trail, nearly 14,000 ft. THis was quite the challenge for us from flat land as the steps and the altitude really take hold. Many people take the option on this day to have the porters carry your bag, but Erin and I decided to carry our stuff, not the best decision at times but well worth it. We took many breaks, drank plenty of water, and happy to say we survived much better than others. This second campsite was amazing. It is located just down the hill from the summit, surrounded by waterfalls and snow capped mountains. We woke up in the moring to a rainbow, unbelievable.
The summit day 2
The third day is a mixture of smaller climbs and a final descent, in which you drop down 3,000 ft at the very end. This campsite was located at a campground in which everyone meets in the large building, has dinner with all the other groups, celebrates making it to this point. I did not sleep to well this night knowing that just on the other side of the mountain is Machu Picchu.
To get to the Sun Gate, the first sight of Machu Picchu, before it is crawling with those lazy people we take the train up to it you need to arrive there 7 am. Erin and I awoke at 4, ate our last meal with our group and set off. Walking as fast as our tired legs could take us we hurried to the Sun Gate and looked over the peak to Machu Picchu. This was supose to be the best moment of my life, but as luck would have it, nothing but fog.
First site to see Machu Picchu
No stunning view. We waited and hoped for a while, then decided to continue to walk down to the ruins. As we walked the clouds started to clear, and slowly the beauty of Machu Picchu was exposed. IT was everything I hoped it would be and 1,000 time more. I don´t know if it was the elevation, the anticipation of the 3 day hike, or the fact I was so tired but those ruins just seemed to glow.
Machu Picchu
We spent the rest of the day touring the ruins and learning about what exactly was Machu Picchu. They still do not have all of the answers but they believe that it was some sort of University for the Inca people. Many of the building were constructed to study the stars and the seasons. IT was also a religous place in which many people gathered to hear the news proclaimed by the Inca Priest and the Inca himself. Very fascinating.
The entire trip was more than I could have imagined at the onset. The trail is still in great shape, the views of the mountains and valleys along the way take your breath away, and Machu Picchu is more amazing than any picture gives it credit. Erin handled the difficult hike like a champ, most girls on the trail only carried a jacket and a water bottle, and smiled until the very end. Even though my legs were tired, I would not have done it differently. What a trip.
We made it!!
written by  Shawn04 on January 9, 2007 from Machupicchu, Peru
from the travel blog: South American

Pit stop in Lima
Lima, Peru
We had a quick stop in Lima on January 10th. Erin and I took a flight from Cusco to Lima to pick up my sister Jaime from the airport. Our hostel was located south of Lima about 15 minutes. Lima is very large compared to Cusco. Jaime did not arrive in Lima until 11:00 pm so Erin and I caught a cab to the center of Lima. In most cities in Peru the central plaza is called the Plaza de Armas, it gets confusing when you are in a city the size of Lima, because even the suburbs have a Plaza de Armas.
Plaza de Armas in Lima
There were so many people walking around the square that we could not even find a safe place to walk without running into someone. We had a good meal, ate some icecream and went to the airport to pick up Jaime. She arrived in good spirits.
written by  Shawn04 on January 10, 2007 from Lima, Peru
from the travel blog: South American

Pisco, only for the wildlife
Pisco, Peru
Erin, Jaime, and myself caught an early bus down the southern coast to Pisco. The entire coast of Peru is primarily a desert, nothing to see but chicken farms and sand. The view did not get much better once we arrived in Pisco. THe city is very poor and dirty. Our hostel was very nice, it had a pool which made it nice because it is not safe for "gringos" to go on the beach. We spent the first day laying by the pool and then walking down to the plaza for dinner. One of the few good things about Pisco is that it has some great sea food, their ceviche (raw fish in lemon/lime juice is amazing).
Wildlife in Pisco
Our main reason for visiting Pisco was for the wildlife. Off the coast of Pisco are the Islas Ballestas, also known as the "the poor mans Galapagoes". We took a chartered boat out to these islands which are crawling with birds, penguins, sea lions, and a bunch of other exotic animals.
Sea Lions in Pisco
Ballestas means "caverns" and every island has caverns and other washed out areas beneath. To bad the sea was kind of rough otherwise we would have been able to take the boat into some of them.
The only down fall of the day was that Erin got sick. By the time we got her back to the Hostel all she wanted was to lay down. To bad she had to miss out on another great sea food dinner.
written by  Shawn04 on January 11, 2007 from Pisco, Peru

Sacred Valley Tour
Pisac, Peru
Located just outside of Cusco is the Sacred Valley, a beautiful valley that has been producing corn, potatoes, and many other foods for the Inca people and now the residents of Cusco and Peru. The majority of the people are poor farmers that make a living cultivating the land by hand and selling what they can grow and make at the local markets. Our group, 5 tourists, a guide, and our taxi driver all piled into a single taxi, which has a legal occupancy of 4 people (Good thing the cops will look the other way if you speak their language $). Our first destination was the little village of Chinchero. This was a really small town that had some nice rustic Inca ruins, however the most impressive part of the town was the Catholic church that sits on top of the ruins. This church was painted from head to toe, and the people were packed in giving offerings and praise. On Sunday´s all the locals walk to the local markets, some walk the majority of the day just to get to the market in time to exchange some of the goods they have for things they need. This market was quite small, but it fit in nicely to the city.
Our next stop were the Salt Terreces, located above the city of Urubamba. These terreces capture and dry the water that comes out of a spring in the mountain that is very high in salt content. The most amazing part of these terreces is the fact that the spring that feeds all of these terreces is small enough to take a step over, and the people have been
harvesting salt here since the time of the Inca´s.
After the hike through the terreces we found ourselves in the city of Urubamba, ate an amazingly huge local meal, then started off to our next location, Ollantaytambo.
This cobble stone city is amazing. Almost the entire city is located on the very foundation that the Inca´s laid down.
Ollantaytambo
On top of the hill overlooking the town is an old temple and even the house were the Inca would stay still had running water into it. Very amazing! We made our way through Ollantaytambo very quickly because we were in a hurry to get to the last destination, Pisac.
On Sunday´s Pisac has the largest market in the area as well as some amazing ruins. Our driver drove like crazy to reach there before the sun went down, dodging cows, cars, dogs, and people. Even though he drove like a mad man, we got to Pisac at 6 pm. The same time the market closes and 15 minutes before the sun sets. We drove up to the ruins but were able to see about 10 feet in front of us. I was quite dissapointed that we did not make it to Pisac in time, but it is hard to complain about something like that when the rest of the day was perfect.
written by  Shawn04 on January 25, 2007 from Pisac, Peru

Rafting on the Urubamba
Cusco, Peru
River Runners
On saturday Heidi, Leticia (my house mates), Dante (a teacher at the school) and I spent the day rafting the Urubamba river. There are several options, but we decided to do the one day trip. We met our group at 9:30 am in the main plaza in Cusco and took the bus 1 1/2 hours to the base camp. After some simple instructions we were off. It did not take much time for us to be in the thick of the rapids. I guess we were not the most skilled group, but our raft flipped in the first tough stretch of the river ( i guess we needed some more time to practice). Everyone was fine and I actually enjoyed it, grabbing onto those that did not swim well, and grabbing paddles that were going by. The rest of the float went well and we all arrived back at base camp in one piece. They fed us a great meal, put us on a bus, and said goodbye. Despite the first rapids our team did well.
written by  Shawn04 on January 30, 2007 from Cusco, Peru

Sacsayhuaman
Cusco, Peru
Located on a hill overlooking the city of Cusco are a string of ruins. The first is Sacsayhuaman
which was the originall fortress of the city. During the Inca´s time the city of Cusco was layed out like the body of a puma with the fortress of Sacsayhuaman as the head. The site is pretty incredible, some of the rocks way as much as 300 tons. The next ruin on the road was Qenko. THis is a large rock that the Inca´s carved into stairs and chairs for the nobels to sit. They are not sure exactly the purpose of this site, but one theory is that of ritual offerings. Next, and quite a bit away is Puca Pucara. To get to this site you need to walk a couple of miles on the road. If you have ever driven in Peru or South America, you know that it is not the best place to be caught walking. However, the only problem I had was a car pulled over and a little kid spraid me with silly string. The site of Puca Pucara itself is not that amazing, but it sits over the valley with an amazing view to have lunch. The last stop was Tambo Machay. This is a very small site, but still has a running fountain that is feed by a mountain spring. I made the entire trip with another student at the school from named Virginie. She was good company during the route.
written by  Shawn04 on January 30, 2007 from Cusco, Peru

My life in Cusco
El Peru
Being that this is my last full weekend in Cusco I thought I would share some details of my daily life. Cusco is an amazing city, it is quite small which makes it easy to walk every place, and it is alive with history. Most days I get up at about 7 am. and review my spanish homework prior to my class at 9am. I take 4 hours of spanish classes every day at the Machu Picchu spanish school. It is a small school but the teachers are amazing and they are very helpful. After the class I return back to my house and eat a Peruvian style meal before hitting the books.
My house in Peru
In the afternoon I have the pleasure of volunteering in an afternoon program for children who live and work on the street. These kids spend the entire day selling postcards and begging for money so this is a place were they can let loose for a couple of hours and just be kids.
Working with the kids.
Normally, I play soccer with some of the boys, draw some pictures, and attempt to read stories in Spanish. The kids get a kick out of when I read with them because I don´t alway pronounce things correctly and they like to correct me. I am not helping the kids with their English which was my initial plan, however I am helping provide these kids with a place were they can enjoy being young, if only for a couple of hours, and that is very rewarding.
My little buddy!!
After work with the kids I usually take the long way home and just get lost in the cobble stone streets. I really enjoy living here and am sad that I will be leaving in a couple of days, but then the excitement for my other portion of the trip is taking hold. Look out Brazil!
written by  Shawn04 on February 3, 2007 from Cusco, Peru

Vacation with the Family
Camana, Peru
After my classes and volunteering position in Cusco were ending my host family, along with my house mates, and I went to the beach. I am usually not much of a beach person but I was excited to see how a Peruvian family takes a vacation. We jumped onto a bus from Cusco to Arequipa at 8 pm. The bus ride takes about 10 hours and I was unable to sleep at all during the night. We were in Arequipa just long enough to catch breakfast before taking another bus 3 hours south to the beach. The coast of Peru is incredibly dry and this beach was no exception. We arrived at our hostel at around noon, threw on our suits and headed across the road to the ocean. The beach was full of people and you could rent chairs and umbrellas for cheap. The water was pretty cold but with the hot sun it felt great. The entire day consisted of reading my book, ordering seafood from the local resturants, and just hanging out. In the evening we hung around and just socialized. A very relaxing trip. On Sunday we all caught the bus back to Arequipa. In Arequipa we parted ways, I was heading to Puno and Lake Titikaka and the rest of the family was returning to Cusco. My bus ride was long, I had to sit next to an old guy who did not speak spanish and who had gas, but I made it. My arrival in Puno was also interesting but I will comment on that in my next blog.
written by  Shawn04 on February 14, 2007 from Camana, Peru

Brazil with familiar faces
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Well after one canceled flight and two more delayed I finally made it to Sao Paulo. There waiting were my good friends Reid and Fu. After over a month it was great to see some familiar faces. We did not have to much time to catch up, because we had to pack and make the 6 hour road trip to Rio in time for our tickets to the parade. The parade and Rio are amazing, but more to come on that at a later time.
written by  Shawn04 on February 17, 2007 from Sao Paulo, Brazil

Carnival
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Carnival, what a great experience. Being labeled as the biggest festival in the world Rio's carnival is amazing. Reid, Carla, Fu and I arrived in Rio in the early afternoon on Sunday. We drove straight to Sugar Loaf, which is the main rock overlooking downtown Rio and the harbor. Very amazing.
Rio de Janeiro
Afterwards we caught a quick lunch then we went to Carla's grandparents to drop off our clothes and to get ready for the parade. Carla's grandparents were amazing hosts. Even though we did not speak the same language they went out of their way to make us feel at home.
Since there are some 60,000 tourists that enter the city for the week long festival driving and lodging get very crowded. We took a taxi to the fest grounds which was a good thing because Rio gets very dangerous at night. The stadium which houses the main parade is huge.
Carnival!!
The main idea of carnival is the different neighborhoods in Rio put together a performance and act it out in the stadium. These different parades tell stories and are put to song with costums and floats. Each "school" as they are called gets one hour and a half to complete their program and each school has around 1,500 to 2,000 people marching in this parade. The sounds, colors, and the songs are almost overwelming.
The most amazing part is that this parade goes on for 4 days. Different neighborhoods get to present on different nights. To make a long story short, we watched 3 different schools and still were not able to sit through them all (we left at 4 am. with still 1 more school to go). The next day we spent checking out the beaches.
written by  Shawn04 on February 19, 2007 from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Bonito
Bonito, Brazil
Snorkeling in Rio Sucuri.
Bonito is a small tourist town located on the Southern tip of the Pantanal. We stayed at a farm house located 1 hour outside of Bonito. This house is owned by friends of Fu and was a great glimpse into the country life of Brazil. The main attractions in and around Bonito include crystal clear rivers, caves, rafting, and many other wilderness activities. We did our best to check out all the activities, including the blue lake, tubing, river rafting, and a 7 waterfall tour. By far the highlight of the activities in Bonito was snorkeling in the Rio Sucuri (anaconda). This river has crystal clear water given a blue tint because of the snail shells that decompose on the bottom of the river. Since it is a moving river you really don't swim you just float down the river trying not to touch anything. The entire float takes about 3 hours but the entire time there are fish swimming all around you. Very cool!
View from in the river.
Our days consisted of touring Bonito and our evenings were spent hanging out in the farming community of Nioaque. The people in this community were amazing. The area is quite poor, but the people were so friendly and warm. We were even invited to a community BBQ, were we really got to understand the daily lives of these people. After 4 nights in Bonito Reid and I made our way alone, without the help of our tour guides (Fu and Carla). The good news is we survived.
written by  Shawn04 on February 21, 2007 from Bonito, Brazil

Iguazu Falls
Iguacuzinho, Brazil
Argentina, for a few hours.
After Bonito Reid and I caught an overnight bus to the city of Foz De Iguazu. This is a small tourist town located on the boarder's of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. We arrived in the early morning and took the short trip to the famous Iguazu Falls. The falls are shared by Brazil and Argentina with each offering different views, we decided to visit the Brazilian side first since it is easier and we were tired. I have never seen a large waterfall before and the sight of these 250 different waterfalls all in one valley was quite incredible. The majority of the time Reid and I just walked in silence just trying to take in all of the different views and stopping just long enough to take some pictures. It was a quick little busride from the town. In the town of Foz de Iguazu there really is not much else to do but visit the waterfalls and travel to Argentina and Paraguay so it was a good thing we were there just long enough to see the waterfall from both sides.
The following morning Reid and I scheduled a bus to visit the Argentinian side of the waterfall. Which, to the objection of only a few Brazilians, is by far the better of the two views. We crossed the border and got yet another stamp for the old passport and we were off. What makes the views from this side of the falls much better is the fact that you are so close to the different falls. The paths take you in, on, and around many waterfalls; were as the Brazil side just offers you great long distance photo opportunities.
All the littler falls surrounding the valley are impressive, but the main attraction is the large one called "The Devil's Throat". This was pretty incredible, it is so large that it is almost impossible to take a good photo because of all the mist and water you get sprayed with. We crossed the boarder back to Brazil and caught another overnight bus, this time heading to the coast. Next stop Ilha do Mel.
written by  Shawn04 on February 27, 2007 from Iguacuzinho, Brazil

Ilha do Mel
Paranagua, Brazil
Illha do Mel
Usually I am not the biggest fan of the beach, just laying in a chair waiting for the sun to turn you a different color is not my idea of a good time. However, I have always wanted to learn how to surf and what better location than a carless island off the southern coast of Brazil. This island is paradise, when we read that the island has no cars I still imagined people with motorcycles, atv's, and other forms of motorized transportation, but they were right when they said no cars. People either walk or ride a bike on the beach or through the maze of sand paths. Any goods you want, food, clothes, etc. you buy from the mainland gets brought over by boat and then people either carry it on their back or pull it in a cart. Life moves at a very relaxing pace.
Reid and I stayed in a nice hotel just off of the beach. The owner is a retired pro surfer who enjoys taking people like us out to give lessons and to laugh as we struggle. The entire 3 days on this island were incredible. We spent the entire day in the water working on our surfing skills and our evening checking out the different places to eat and navigating around the island with nothing but flashlights. By the end of our way to short stop on the island, Reid and I were both very relaxed and a little bruised from wrestling with the waves. This island was by far the highlight of my stay in Brazil.
written by  Shawn04 on March 1, 2007 from Paranagua, Brazil

Home
Minneapolis, United States
Well, it is finally over. I am back in the United States. Thanks to all of you who visited and posted on my site, it meant a great deal to me. I hope to talk to or see many of you very soon.
Thanks again.
Shawn
written by  Shawn04 on March 14, 2007 from Minneapolis, United States

My house in Peru

The start of the Inka Trail

Plaza de Armas

Andean Women