Peru Adventures - Machu Picchu

And then the vampire started chasing me through the dense forest.. Tripping over the foliage I slipped down into an embankment. Terror coursed through me as I heard his laughter close beside me somewhere in the darkness. But his laughter changed and now it sounded more like an alarm...?

I rubbed my eyes looking for my alarm which was going off somewhere in the darkness...it read 4:30am. Ugh... I cringed as I slipped out of bed and tripped over the decorative pillows Abizer had thrown onto the floor the night before. In addition to me being unable to coordinate my legs, reading the book Twilight was not helping my sanity nor my sleeping habits I reasoned with myself silently. But I couldn't stop thinking about the book. Sigh I'm still a hopeless romantic. Smack! Hmm I seemed to have found the bathroom door.

I sat on the train and looked out onto the platform. I watched as a little puppy with the most adorable eyes stared back at me from the corner of an orange stall. He was alone and just watching people. We had some things in common, as I sat and watched the busy, bustling locals and tourists navigating through the narrow alleyway lined with eager local vendors selling all sorts of products.

I was knocked out of my observation abruptly as a woman knocked on my train window. Lady! Want rug? Huh? I responded. Then I glanced her over and realized she was carrying a handful of colorful ornamental rugs. They have alpaca one side! Llama on other? Lady?!?!! I smiled back at her and shook my head no. Gracias but no thank you I said in my limited Spanish. But she had another agenda. Like a magician she pulled out hats and finger puppets. Lady! She started, "you not cold!?!" Once again I smiled fascinated by her moving fingers which animated the puppets on them and shook my head no to her second question. All of a sudden I felt a jerk as my train pulled out of the station. Hmm... 4 hours to go before I reach the Inca ruins I frowned thinking to myself.

Mountains and steep cliffs surrounded our now feeble looking train. Passing villages still based on agricultural trade as we chugged along. The peaks of the mountains covered in snow and the lush green valley made a dynamic duo as we inched closer towards the Inca ruins.

Hopping off the train... I was ambushed by vendors selling bug spray, stuffed llama's, those infamous carpets and finger puppets and suntan lotion. It was quite the garbled mess. We had to snake through the local stalls and tiny village until we reached our tour guide. When we reached our supposed destination we trudged onto a bus for another 20 minute bus ride higher up those lush green mountains. Amusing.. I seemed to be plagued by hour after hour on public transportation of all sorts here in Peru.

The ruins were fascinating. Their origin and overall construction was mind boggling to wrap around my mind. They basically carved every niche and cranny of the place with chisels! Sigh! Those Inca men must have been so chiseled themselves. Girlish giggle. I stated as the tour guide went on and on about the symmetry of the rocks and finally I wandered off on my own taking my camera with me. I watched as two llamas ran across the grassy plains in the ruins. They seemed so carefree and soft. Odd combination... For a llama.

Literally thousands of photos later of the ruins, mountains, lizards, and Inca rabbits I debated whether I should set up a stall and sell my "blah" pictures as postcards to unexpecting tourists. Luckily for the locals and sadly for me... my tour guide found me and dragged me along again before I could put my plan into action.. How the tour guides knew to look out for my wandersome and naughty nature I didn't comprehend but it amused me none the less.

Peru Adventures: The Rainforest & Cusco

To visit Peru is to enter a country where culture and history abound where ever you look, a country with an exceptional natural environment framing impressive ruins from ancient civilizations.

Peru's central and southern regions also feature significant cultural landmarks and appealing tourist attractions. In the center of the country, you'll find Lima, the national capital, which is considered to many to be the food capital of the continent. Towards the Andes, you'll find Cusco the capital of the Inca empire. Nearby is one of the worlds most important treasures; the stunning ruins of Machu Picchu. The ruins are renowned for their archetectural and engineering complexity.

I sat breathless as the droplet of sweat started to make it's way down my back. I continued to ignore my body's pleas to go search out an air conditioned abyss. Staring out into the dirt roads from our tour bus I watched as motorcycles and three wheelers passed.

I stood in line waiting for my bags to get checked in. What was the small women with the mouse like face and hair all matted down with sweat saying about the gate? I sat down on the plastic waiting chairs getting ready for a 2hr flight to a small town called Maldonado...Once there a 1.5hr bus ride on roads, that had only been sketched in someones mind but never set into tar and stone, had began. Wishing it was over would be to accept defeat since a 3 hr boat ride down the amazon river was still to come.

What was all this for? To examine life at it's rawest form.. Untouched beauty... In the amazon jungle, the rainforest.

Staggering off the boat I approached what the locals called Wasai expeditions resort... It looked like a dirt road with lights and small huts from far away. From close by though it looked the same way. Sigh. No air conditioner, electricity only from 6pm-10pm, only cold water, no windows just netting, and the amazon river rushing only meters away from my "bungalow". Wow it truly was the Ritz.

Flashlight check, camera check, rainboots check, bug spray check, nerves put together semi-check....okay I was ready to take a night stroll through the Amazon rainforest. It's lonely, yet loud at the same time. I wandered into the forest behind our tour guide... But his speed was a bit faster than mine. Soon I lagged behind and took out my flashlight and looked around. It was dark and eerily quiet... Yet I could feel the forest alive and watching me...

I snapped photos of spiders, crickets, and ants on steroids, hoping my flash would not make them charge at me and bite me. As I sprinted to reach my tour guide I overheard him starting the instructions for a little game he thought would be fun. Gasp. A game in the rainforest? Hmm I was wondering what sort of neurological damage this man had enccured during birth. My train of thought was broken when I heard my name being called in his thick accent. Khush why don't you go first. Gulp. Oh great. He wanted me to stand in the dark for 5 minutes. And then go find the next person waiting. 5 minutes in the dark! Great. And then they left me... screaming inside silently.

Maam! Miss! Groggily I opened my eyes... Anger taking over. What imbecile decided to wake me up from my blessful slumber which just seemed to envelope me. Sigh. The flight attendant stared at me. Yes I replied... Please put your belt on. Another wave of anger swept over me. If we were to truly crash onto the ground I didn't think a feeble belt would keep my head from being decapitated. But regardless of my theories with her glaring at me I put it on and stared out the window at Cusco.

Cusco was 3,400 above sea level. This affects blood oxygen and therefore most people developed a throbbing constant headache along with fainting in some cases on there stay here. In our party of 19 people... 7 were inflicted. The town of Cusco which had a population of 40,000 people had small clay-lined homes which were adorable and llamas everywhere.