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Posts from Base Camp

The Next Big Trip

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

So far, I have been having fun on this blog by withholding the identity of my next destination until I have actually arrived there.  As this next trip is quite different from the others, I’m going to do (most of) “the big reveal” now, although I am not leaving for a few days.

While I visited my next destination 5 times in the first 23 years of my life, I haven’t been there in the subsequent 23 years.  During that time, my travel focus was primarily on “new” destinations and on alpine skiing.  As a result, I have been somewhat out of touch with a very important part of my heritage for a long time.

March 17, 2014 (Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy) - It was an incredble 16'C on the slopes
March 17, 2014 (Cortina D’Ampezzo, Italy) – It was an incredble 16’C on the slopes…and absolutely no lift lines!

A lot has happened in the past 23 years.  My memories of childhood trips to my father’s homeland remain vivid…but I really want to share those memories with my wife and reconnect with the country that has given me, among many other things, my surname and some emotional World Cup soccer tournaments.   And so, in a few days, we will be embarking on a long-overdue trip to the Netherlands.

Large rock on the piste in Cortina d'Ampezo, Italy (March 2014) - the orange sign in front is about 4 feet high.
Large rock on the piste in Cortina d’Ampezo, Italy (March 2014) – the orange sign in front is about 4 feet high.

My wife visited the Netherlands on a high school trip many years ago but she is also looking forward to finally seeing some of “my” places that she has only heard about for the past 15 years.  While we will be visiting some of my childhood haunts, we also look forward to discovering new parts of the Netherlands together during our two weeks there.  It’s important to connect with the past, but it is also important for us to make new Dutch memories of our own.  Accordingly, for the first time, I will be visiting the northern provinces of the Netherlands and also seeing more of the Amsterdam area than just Schiphol Airport.

No zoom lens - this bird flew right up to me at the Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, U.S.A. (March 2014)
No zoom lens – this bird flew right up to me at the Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, U.S.A. (March 2014)

Even though the Netherlands will constitute the bulk of our trip, there is still an element of mystery:  I’m leaving Canada five days early to briefly visit a couple of other countries before meeting my wife in Amsterdam.  Once again, these are countries I have visited in the past but I’ll be visiting specific places in those countries for the very first time.  Through a lot of experimentation with airline websites, I was able to find an interesting 3-stage itinerary that was considerably cheaper than simply flying between Toronto and Amsterdam.

One of the hardier creatures at the Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, U.S.A. (March 2014)
One of the hardier creatures at the Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, U.S.A. (March 2014)

This sort of thing has happened before.  I call them “mistake fares” because they don’t make any logical sense…and they tend to disappear once people start taking advantage of them.  When you find such a mistake fare for travel, especially during the higher-priced summer months, you go for it.  I didn’t really know at the time of booking what exactly I would be visiting during those extra five days, but I had a lot of fun figuring out an interesting itinerary between August 7 in “City A” and August 12 in “City B”.

Heavy Snows in Cortina d"Ampezzo, Italy (March 18, 2014)
Heavy snows in Cortina d”Ampezzo, Italy (March 18, 2014)

The mysterious City A, City B and various points in between will be revealed in the next few posts.  And even if you have been to the Netherlands before, I’m sure that you’ll find some interesting twists in this very personal trip!  In the meantime, this post contains some new photos from my March 2014 trips to Chicago, U.S.A. and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.

Posts from Base Camp

Local trip to Glenora and Odessa

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

I’ve been home from Peru for a couple of weeks now.  Last week, my wife and I decided to take advantage of some great weather to go on a local road trip.

The ultimate goal was to end up in Belleville so that I could spend the remainder of a gift certificate.  However, we thought it would be a great day to enjoy the shores of Lake Ontario, so we took the very long route:  driving to Adolphustown, taking the Glenora Ferry to Prince Edward County, and then finally heading to Belleville via Picton.

Glenora Ferry
Glenora Ferry

Perhaps my perspective has changed after all of the travelling I’ve done this year, but it took hardly any time at all to arrive at the dock for the Glenora Ferry.  Best of all, there was very little craziness on the scenic lakefront highway.  In fact, it felt like we were back in the 1970s, when I used to go apple-picking around here with my family.  Driving in Ontario really does seem to be more sedate than just about anywhere else in the world.

Upon arrival in Glenora, we went to visit The Inn at Lake on the Mountain.  One of my long-time soccer teammates runs the restaurant here, so it was fun to catch up on things with him and to enjoy a nice al fresco lunch.  The lake itself is one of those eternal mysteries:  it’s not really clear how the water gets to the lake, but it is definitely there on the top of the “mountain”.  There is also a great view over the ferry route from the mountain.

Enjoying an outdoor lunch - The Inn at Lake on the Mountain
Enjoying an outdoor lunch – The Inn at Lake on the Mountain

From Glenora, it is only a few kilometres to Picton.  Picton has only a few thousand residents but it still is the largest town in Prince Edward County.  Like most of “The County” (everybody knows what county you are talking about), it has transformed from a largely rural/agricultural centre to a more tourist-oriented place.  There are new wineries everywhere and it seems to be attracting a lot of Torontonians.   However, its roots have not been forgotten:  it is easy to find plenty of remnants from before the tourist boom.

I last visited Belleville in April and, well, it hasn’t changed much in the past three months.  After decimating the gift certificate, we enjoyed dinner at the Thai House restaurant and headed back to Kingston along the pastoral Highway 2 rather than the multi-lane Highway 401.

Babcock Mill (rear view) - Odessa, Ontario
Babcock Mill (rear view) – Odessa, Ontario

Even though it is only about 10 miles west of where we live, we had never really explored the back streets of the village of Odessa.  The persistent daylight allowed us to finally do that and to see the historic Babcock Mill (also shown in the photo at the top of this posting) for ourselves.  I don’t think the interior is open for visits anymore, but we were still able to wander around the site and ruminate about Odessa’s long-ago golden age.  We hope to visit some more local attractions before heading overseas again on August 6.

Having the past few weeks at home has enabled me to do a lot of planning for the remainder of the year.  Stay tuned for my next blog entry, where I will be revealing my next destination!

Posts from Base Camp

Thoughts on Group Tourism

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

As you may recall from my pre-Peru posts, I had never taken a multi-day group tour before.  I was a little concerned with how it might turn out, given my long history of travelling independently.

I needn’t have worried.  Practically everyone in my group was in the same position:  none of us had ever been to South America, nobody was fluent in Spanish, we were all new to group tours, and we were all curious about this country with a legendary archaeological site.  We were all from either Canada or the U.S.A., as it turned out; this was neither good nor bad, but it probably helped to give us a few more things in common.

Hiking to the Sun Gate at Machu Picchu
Hiking to the Sun Gate at Machu Picchu

Although my major trip (almost 3 weeks) in August will be independent, I will not be as quick to dismiss group tours as a travel option in the future.  I doubt that I would ever embark on a group tour in Western Europe, as I have family there and I have been there many times, but that doesn’t mean that a first-time visitor should avoid a European group tour if that will make them more comfortable.

I'm not entirely sure what is happening here, but the police and various other people were quite interested (Cusco, Peru)
I’m not entirely sure what is happening here, but the police and various other people were quite interested (Cusco, Peru)

Of course, you have to do your research.  I chose to use G Adventures for my visit to Peru because they were a Canadian-based company with a long history in Latin America and a commitment to more sustainable and “authentic” travel experiences.  My voluntary visit to McDonald’s (the photo at the top of this post shows the location on Cusco’s Plaza de Armas) was the only international company I experienced while in Peru:  all of our hotels and restaurants were locally-owned.  We also had the freedom to do a fair bit of exploration on our own; on our full day in Cusco, for example, the only scheduled group activity was dinner.   I think the tour company’s approach meant that the others in my group were looking for more or less the same thing that I was.

Llama at Machu Picchu
Llama at Machu Picchu

The big question now:  will I travel with  a group again later this year?  The answer is “yes”!  In fact, two of my remaining trips could be considered group trips, although only one of them is a “conventional” group tour.

Typical street in the San Blas district of Cusco, Peru
Typical street in the San Blas district of Cusco, Peru

Here’s why I chose the “conventional” group tour for my late October trip:  this year is a special opportunity for me to see places that would normally be too remote for a 1-2 week vacation.  There is one destination that I have often thought about but never seriously considered because of its utter isolation, my lack of experience in that part of the world, the language barrier, and a host of other excuses that (especially after successfully visiting Peru) I don’t think should stand in my way any longer.  This destination is ideal for what I’ll call adventure-oriented group travel and I’ve found some tour dates that appear to work.   While I haven’t booked it yet, it is in my internal travel calendar and I expect to complete the formal arrangements within the next few weeks.

Still more from Machu Picchu!
Still more from Machu Picchu!

As for the “unconventional” group trip I have planned for early September, it does not focus on the acknowledged tourist highlights of a particular region.  Instead, it focuses almost entirely on a special interest of mine.  However, I should also have lots of free time to explore on my own because this special interest is not a day-long activity.  Not all of my fellow travellers will be complete strangers, either.   Perplexed?  It will all be clear in about 6 weeks!

Posts from the road

More about Peruvian Food

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(Lima, Peru)

I really enjoyed my culinary tour of Cusco and all of the food that I ate in Peru.  Looking back at my photos, even though I included a number of them in my blog already, I see that there are quite a few more food-related ones that I’d like to share.

I haven’t paid too much attention to appetizers in this blog, but they were invariably very tasty.  One of my favourite dishes was the quinoa-stuffed piquillos with honey and goat cheese; unfortunately, the photo didn’t turn out very well.  Below is a salad and some appetizers from our first day in the Sacred Valley.  There was also a very, very hot pepper that didn’t quite make the photo!

Soup, main course, desserts still to come! Salad and appetizers in the Sacred Valley, Peru
Soup, main course, desserts still to come! Salad and appetizers in the Sacred Valley, Peru

Next, there was the alpaca.  Some people find it too dry for their tastes but I found it perfect for mine.  I don’t eat a lot of red meat and, when I do, I prefer it to be well-done.  My favourite version was probably the blueberry alpaca I had in Aguas Calientes after returning from Machu Picchu.

Blueberry Alpaca in Aguas Calientes, Peru
Blueberry Alpaca in Aguas Calientes, Peru

As a result of my preferences, I didn’t try either anticuchos (skewered beef hearts) or ceviche (raw fish/seafood “cooked” in lime juice).  However, it was easy to find other interesting food to try.  We dined in Lima on both the first and last days of the tour; on both occasions I had a variation on drunk chicken!  On the first day, I had chicken in port sauce over a local version of risotto that was made from wheat rather than rice.  On the last day in Lima, I had chicken in beer sauce with green rice (with a bottle of Cusquena to complement the meal).  It was a nice way to end the trip.

Chicken in beer sauce (Lima, Peru)
Chicken in beer sauce (Lima, Peru)

I also managed to visit another food market in Cusco, the day after my culinary tour.  The photo at top of this post was taken in the “fruit district”; the photo directly below was taken in the “potato district” of the market.  The diversity of food in Peru was astonishing – there were approximately 1000 varieties each of both corn and potatoes.  The corn was often huge:  the kernels were about 5 times the size of what we are used to in Canada.

Some of the potatoes at the Mercado de Wanchaq (Cusco, Peru)
Some of the potatoes at the Mercado de Wanchaq (Cusco, Peru)

Way back in February, Ian B. asked me whether I would ever eat at an overseas McDonald’s restaurant.  Although I didn’t deliberately set out to do so, I did just that on my final day in Cusco.  A variety of factors led to this, including the fact that the Cusco franchise was right on the main square and was showing the Belgium/Argentina World Cup quarter-final.  I settled on the “Chicken McBites” meal, supplemented with both local “aji” sauce and ketchup for the French fries.  The convenience and novelty made it interesting, although the best part of the meal was the aji sauce.

My "Chicken McBites" combo in Cusco, Peru
My “Chicken McBites” combo in Cusco, Peru

I’m now back in Canada until the first week of August.  I expect that I’ll have some more to say about Peru but right now I am enjoying spending a few weeks at home and (finally) getting to play a few soccer games.   I’m also using this time to plan as much as I can for my remaining months of travel.  I’ll be talking about this critical “halfway point” in a future posting – my itinerary will be taking some unexpected but exciting turns!

McDonald's restaurant on the Plaza de Armas in Cusco, Peru. Note the Scotiabank next door!
McDonald’s restaurant on the Plaza de Armas in Cusco, Peru. Note the Scotiabank next door!
Posts from the road

Aguas Calientes and the Machu Picchu Tourist Boom

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(Aguas Calientes, Peru)

A few posts back, I mentioned that I would be returning to the subject of Aguas Calientes later…it is now “later”!

Aguas Calientes is located immediately below Machu Picchu.  From here, it is a 25-minute bus ride (or a couple of hours of seemingly endless steps) up the mountain to the entrance of Machu Picchu.

Big rocks in the Urubamba River (Aguas Calientes, Peru)
Big rocks in the Urubamba River (Aguas Calientes, Peru)

My first impressions were more or less favourable.  We had arrived mid-morning by train, so the initial rush of tourists had already departed for Machu Picchu itself and it was not yet time for lunch.  The town looked somewhat hastily built, almost as if the buildings originally had one or two stories and gradually had additional floors placed on them as tourist demand grew.   The bridges were strictly functional – there was no mistaking them for the beautiful bridges of Bosnia & Herzegovina.  It wasn’t a perfect example of urban planning, then, but the town did seem to have everything we needed.  Besides, we were here to see Machu Picchu!

"Cupido Megadisco" - We did not go here (Aguas Calientes)
“Cupido Megadisco” – We did not go here (Aguas Calientes)

A number of us decided to visit the nearby Machu Picchu Museum.  It was located about half an hour’s walk from downtown; the walk through a narrow valley was pleasant and provided a few “Kodak Moments” along the way.  The Museum provided some useful background information that helped me to  better appreciate the engineering aspects of Machu Picchu the next day.  There was also a serene botanical garden right beside the museum.

Walking back from the Museum to Aguas Calientes
Walking back from the Museum to Aguas Calientes

Alas, upon returning to the Aguas Calientes for lunch, the character of the town had begun to change.  Outside almost every restaurant, an urgent cry of “Amigo!” begged us to visit their establishment.  Somebody in our group joked that “I’ve never had so many friends in one place”.  Somebody else suggested that some Spanish words don’t map up exactly with English, so “amigo” doesn’t necessarily mean “friend” in quite the same way.  In any case, walking through the streets here wasn’t as much fun as it was elsewhere in Peru.  I tried to say “no, gracias” with as much courtesy as I could, but that only seemed to increase the hard sell approach.

I found out later that these “barkers” are basically compensated only when they bring in patrons to the restaurant.  The approach seems to be that the hard sell will naturally repel some people but it will bring in others.  And so the hard sell continues.

99% of tourists take a photo here. Including me...
99% of tourists take a photo here. Including me…

In the past few years, additional limits have been placed on Machu Picchu in an attempt to control the damage that mass tourism can bring to such popular sights.  Perhaps this is why the hard sell is so prevalent:  there is increasing competition for a market that is no longer expanding at such a rapid rate.  However, there is clearly still money to be made:  “Happy Hour” consists not of 2-for-1 drinks, but (unbelievably) 4-for-1 drinks!

While prices were higher in Aguas Calientes than elsewhere, the quality of the food did not suffer at the restaurants we visited.  This is one of the advantages of travelling with an experienced group leader.  I enjoyed my first alpaca steak here and it was so good that I ordered another alpaca dish for lunch the next day.  It was similar to steak, except much leaner and without any gristly bits.

"Alpaca a la Criolla"- the sauce was very spicy...and very good!
“Alpaca a la Criolla”- the sauce was very spicy…and very good!

Aguas Calientes did not detract from my enjoyment of Machu Picchu.  Any discomfort with the hard sell completely disappeared when I caught my first glimpse of Machu Picchu..  However, unless you are a fan of unbridled “wild west” boom towns, Aguas Calientes may strike you as a place that you visit because you want to get to somewhere else…not because it is a destination in its own right.

Posts from the road

My culinary tour of Cusco

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(Cusco, Peru)

July 4 was a free day for us in Cusco, so I decided to splurge and take an “optional” (e.g. for an extra fee) culinary tour.  I am wary of optional tours but this one turned out to be well worth  it.  A bonus was that there were only two of us on the tour, although Miguel also brought along an apprentice to observe.

We began the tour by going to a huge traditional market in a “non-touristed” section of Cusco.  Along the way, our guide Miguel pointed out a number of notable local restaurants and street food vendors…and explained some of the economics.

According to Miguel, a typical Peruvian income is barely 800 soles/month (around US$300/month).  Meals are available for between 3 and 5 soles (let’s say US$1.50).  This contrasts with the prices in tourist restaurants, where main courses are many times more expensive.  However, this doesn’t mean that tourists should run to “eat local”, as there are some issues that could make a good deal become very bad.  It mostly has to do with the different bacteria present in North and South America.  It works both ways; I’ll be talking about this and some other health issues in a later post.

Miguel prepares some fruit for tasting (Cusco, Peru)
Miguel prepares some fruit for tasting (Cusco, Peru)

The market itself was logically organized.   Closest to the entrance were the “fast food” stalls, while farther away were sections devoted to cheese (see photo at top), vegetables, fruit, bread, seafood and other specialties.  Miguel had arranged for us to have fresh samples of cheese, chocolate and (especially) fruit.  I’d like to describe them all, but I can only remember the name of the prickly pear.  There was another fruit (see photo above) from which you had to scoop out a glutinous grey jelly with your fingers – it sounds grim but tasted great.  I bought some chocolate that contained salt from the same salt pans I had visited a few days before.

The "toad bucket" - Cusco, Peru
The “toad bucket” – Cusco, Peru

Just before we left, Miguel showed us the “toad bucket”.  Apparently, toad juice is a traditional remedy for certain male afflictions.  There was also a roadside guinea pig vendor:  these were not pets, however, but lunch.

Roadside "cuy" (guinea pig) vendor (Cusco, Peru)
Roadside “cuy” (guinea pig) vendor (Cusco, Peru)

Miguel hailed a local cab to take us to the restaurant where we would prepare our own meal.  Prices are negotiated in advance:  this ride cost 3.50 soles (about US$1.25) for all 4 of us.  It was chaotic and the rules of the road were improvised…but somehow I didn’t feel unsafe.

At the restaurant, we immediately began work on preparing “Lomo Saltado”, a typical Peruvian dish that actually has Japanese roots.  It is essentially a beef stir-fry with soy sauce and vinegar, although I elected to make mine with alpaca instead.  I had alpaca a couple of times earlier in the trip and it is a lot like steak, except that it is more tender and much less fatty.

Raw materials for lomo saltado are ready for cooking
Raw materials for lomo saltado are ready for cooking

I have even more respect for chefs, as a result of my experience.  I did fine with the chopping and marinating, but mixing and tossing the ingredients over the flame proved to be quite a challenge.  It didn’t help that the hood was quite low and forced me to stand at an awkward angle, but I think I would have had trouble even if I could get closer to the flame.  Some well-timed interventions from Miguel helped me complete the task without any problems.

My completed lomo saltado - I ate mine with brown rice, but French fries are often added too.
My completed lomo saltado – I ate mine with brown rice, but French fries are often added too.

It tasted great – definitely the best lomo saltado I had while in Peru.  But we weren’t done yet!  With a lethal-looking assortment of liquors , it was time to mix drinks!  Our main focus was on the famous Pisco Sour, except that we upped the ante by using passion-fruit liquor instead of lime juice.  I counted 3 heaping ounces of alcohol in this concoction, although it may well have been more.  These variations made the Pisco Sour sweeter and even more potent!  We made another strawberry/pisco/ginger drink after that, but for some reason the details aren’t as clear.  I blame the altitude.

I’m really glad that I took the culinary tour.  We gained lots of insight into not only Peruvian cuisine, but also the dual economies that operate in Peru.  I really feel like I experienced Peruvian life today, even if it was only for a couple of hours.

Posts from the road

Machu Picchu – Part II

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(Aguas Calientes, Peru)

After returning from the Sun Gate (see previous post), our group reunited at the entrance to the site and met our Machu Picchu tour guide.

A lot of people have heard of Machu Picchu and a lot of people have it on their “bucket lists”.   I knew that it was hidden away on the top of a mountain but I certainly didn’t appreciate just how remote it was…or how huge it was.

Some of the agricultural area at Machu Picchu, Peru.
Some of the agricultural area at Machu Picchu, Peru.

It was quite an ordeal just to get to Aguas Calientes, the town from which buses full of tourists depart on a 30-minute climb to the main entrance of the site.  From Aguas Calientes, you absolutely cannot tell that there is a city above you.  You can only see these huge, jagged teeth-like mountains rising up almost vertically on every side.

IMG_3450
Machu Picchu has llamas too!

My first thoughts upon walking into Machu Picchu were “this is unbelievable” and “these people must have had thighs like Olympic speed skaters”.  The entire city is terraced and you need to take very big steps in order to make any upward progress.   It is baffling to contemplate how they moved all of these rocks around without the benefit of the wheel – something that the Inca did not have.  But why did they build such a massive city here?

A nearby little mountain called Huayna Picchu
A nearby little mountain called Huayna Picchu

The exact reasons may never be known, as the Inca had no written language and the Spanish conquistadors never found Machu Picchu (fortunately for us, as their usual practice was to destroy Inca sites).  Machu Picchu was so well-built that 90% of it is still intact, even 500 years after it was built (and even though it was abandoned for 4 centuries).  One thing is clear:  despite the ridiculously remote location, the city was self-sustaining.  The location was picked because there was a source of water; a massive irrigation and watering system is evidence of this.

Some of the agricultural terraces - you can see part of the trail to the Sun Gate in the background near the top
Some of the agricultural terraces – you can see part of the trail to the Sun Gate in the background near the top

Even though the pictures of Machu Picchu are awe-inspiring, the true miracle may be invisible.  It is estimated that between 60-70% of the required engineering is beneath the surface.  The city receives a lot of rain, so both irrigation and drainage were necessary to prevent the city from sliding down the mountain.  The systems still work today.

A "classic" view of Machu Picchu...can't have too many of these!
A “classic” view of Machu Picchu…can’t have too many of these!

The city has managed to withstand earthquakes for all these years – again, the Inca knew what types of construction could withstand such intense stress.  The site has been studied extensively by Japanese engineers in an attempt to improve that country’s ability to withstand earthquakes at the other end of the Ring of Fire.  The Inca knew what inclines and angles would be strongest and how the “energy” of an earthquake could best be diverted from the buildings.

Close-up of Machu Picchu. Even here, the people look small compared to the structures.
Close-up of Machu Picchu. Even here, the people look small compared to the structures.

It is startling to consider that the Inca empire only lasted about 100 years.  It collapsed due to war and disease flowing from the Spanish conquest, but the record of achievement far surpasses most other empires that lasted for centuries or even millennia.  What was so different about it?  Perhaps it was the meritocracy:  talented children were identified at an early age and these children were then groomed to be “the brains behind the operation”.  The child’s parentage was irrelevant.

It goes on and on....
It goes on and on….

I could go on and on about the sheer scale of this city and the unimaginable effort that was involved in its construction.  But I think I will take the easy way out and just say that it is the most impressive historical “ruin” (I use quotes because it really is intact, except for the thatched roofs) I have ever seen.  It truly is something to see and  I hope the pictures capture at least some of its majesty.  On top of it all, the views of the surrounding mountains are great too!

Stay tuned – there’s lots more of Peru still to come!

[E-mail subscribers -for some reason, there was no automatic notification for the previous post.  I hope WordPress has corrected this.]

Posts from the road

Hike to the Sun Gate of Machu Picchu

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(Aguas Calientes, Peru)

July 2 was a travel day to Aguas Calientes (the gateway town to Machu Picchu), but I have decided to record my observations of the town in a later blog entry.  Today’s post will focus on the first part of my July 3 visit to Machu Picchu and more particularly the hike to the Sun Gate.

Hiking up to the Sun Gate (Machu Picchu, Peru)
Hiking up to the Sun Gate (Machu Picchu, Peru)

The Inca Trail is a notorious 4-day trek (camping only) from near Ollantaytambo to the Sun Gate of Machu Picchu.  The idea is to reach the Sun Gate at sunrise on the 4th day for the most dramatic first impression of Machu Picchu.  A guide (and permit) is required to hike the Inca Trail and the number of permits is strictly controlled.

Almost there! (Sun Gate, Machu Picchu, Peru)
Almost there! (Sun Gate, Machu Picchu, Peru)

While it would be an unforgettable experience, my tour dispensed with the Inca Trail and instead transported us by train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calietes and then by bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu itself.   A guided tour of the Machu Picchu is included, but we also had quite a few hours to explore the site on our own.

The other members of my group had done a lot of advance research on Machu Picchu and it was decided that we would hike to the Sun Gate and back before going on the guided tour.  This would allow us to see what the Inca Trail hikers see when they arrive, without some of the discomforts of the 4-day hike.  We also thought that walking to the Sun Gate first thing in the morning might be a better strategy given the intense mid-day sun that often shines over Machu Picchu.

View of Machu Picchu (etc.) from the Sun Gate
View of Machu Picchu (etc.) from the Sun Gate

On paper, it looked like a great plan.  However, our map did not show elevation.  While the guide at the Machu Picchu museum described the Sun Gate trail as “flat”, it was anything but.  The reality is that the hike to the Sun Gate was a demanding slog up a trail that ranged from slightly uphill to nearly vertical steps.  We were still 2800m above sea level, so the altitude also played a role.

Hikers enjoying the view from the Sun Gate
Hikers enjoying the view from the Sun Gate

Nonetheless, upon reaching the Sun Gate, we enjoyed a feeling of tremendous accomplishment.  The views were astounding and we were able to rest and rehydrate in the shade.  We also saw hikers arriving from the Inca Trail.  Interestingly, when we asked them about the hike, they simply said that it was “long” and looked very tired.   Given their reactions, I must admit that I don’t feel sad that I skipped the Inca Trail.  I also wondered how much they would be able to appreciate the site itself after such a demanding hike.  Machu Picchu is not built on flat land and requires a lot of climbing to get around.

Celebrating a successful ascent! (Sun Gate, Machu Picchu, Peru)
Celebrating a successful ascent! (Sun Gate, Machu Picchu, Peru)

After reaching the Sun Gate, it was time to head back to the entrance and take the guided tour.   We had to take the same trail down; the people we passed on the way down looked more exhausted than we did when we were on our way up.  The heat was clearly taking its toll on people.

Even if I were exhausted, however, I still would have been thrilled by Machu Picchu.  Stay tuned for the next instalment of my visit to this incredible place – I’ll explain what it is and why it is so incredible.

Posts from the road

Salt and Agriculture in Moray, Peru

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(Urubamba, Peru)

For the first time ever, I celebrated Canada Day in Moray, Peru.  I don’t think this will be a regular thing…but who knows?

We spent the night in Urubamba and headed out to the Moray archaeological ruins.  Unlike some of the other Inca sites I’ll be seeing in Peru, these ones are exclusively agricultural. The Inca (I’ll use this term even though it may not be strictly accurate) made extensive use of terraces for their agriculture.  Not only did this maximize the use of the mountainous land, it also allowed them to slowly acclimatize crops to different altitudes so that they could be planted elsewhere.  Using the position of the land relative to the sun, this technique created a series of microclimates where you would expect to find only one.

Terraces at Moray, Peru. Notice how small the people are?
Terraces at Moray, Peru. Notice how small the people are?

The Moray site consists of one very large and two smaller-but-still-large concentric and terraced crop areas.  It was fun to wander around the terraces; I had no problem descending down to the bottom but it was still a challenge to climb back up.  I don’t think I have completely adjusted to the altitude yet.

Near the bottom of one of the Moray terraces (Moray, Peru)
Near the bottom of one of the Moray terraces (Moray, Peru)

From the Moray archaeological site, it was a short ride to the Maras salt pans (see overhead view at the top of this post).  It doesn’t sound like a riveting tourist destination but it was a lot more fun than I expected.  Once we got there, that is.  The road to the salt pans was a single lane, gravel road that hugged a cliff edge and had absolutely no guard rail.  I’ve been on some crazy roads this year but this one was the scariest from a structural perspective.  Our driver was more or less prudent here, although he showed some “video game” tendencies the day before when we left Pisac.

Shift change at the Moray Salt Pans (Moray, Peru)
Shift change at the Moray Salt Pans (Moray, Peru)

The salt pans are located just below an underground spring that generates salt water.  As the water flows down to the bottom of the valley, a series of “pans” traps the salt and it is then harvested by hand.  The scale is vast and the collection of salt has been ongoing for hundreds of years.  We were allowed to walk all over the salt pans even though harvesting was taking place.  As a very practical souvenir, I picked up a couple of varieties of Maras salt to take home.  I was able to sample some before buying and it tasted very good on dried plantain.

Harvesting salt at the Maras salt pans (Maras, Peru)
Harvesting salt at the Maras salt pans (Maras, Peru)

By now, we were quite hungry and it was time for another traditional Andean feast.  This time, we were having pachamanca, which is traditionally made by burying the food in the earth along with some extremely hot stones.  However, as this was in a restaurant, a substitute method of simmering all foods together in large clay pots (like a tagine pot on steroids) was used instead.

The pachamanca, just before we helped ourselves (Urubamba, Peru)
The pachamanca, just before we helped ourselves (Urubamba, Peru)

We had some interesting appetizers before the main course, including alpaca carpaccio.   The pachamanca itself contained various unusual potatoes (including oca), tamales, chicken, lamb, pineapple, lima beans (in the pod) and plantain.  There were also a couple of misleading sauces.  One looked like liquid mustard but was actually a mild sauce made from yellow peppers.  Another looked almost like liquid pesto but was made from local herbs (and no garlic).  I cleaned up all of my plates:  it was very heavy food but also delicious.  I’ll be looking for the purple/red flesh potatoes when I get home.

My pachamanca main course (Urubamba, Peru)
My pachamanca main course (Urubamba, Peru)

The rest of the day was enjoyed at a more leisurely pace.  We knew that we had to be up very early on July 2 for our trip to Aguas Calientes, so it wasn’t a late night either.  We are slowly getting closer to Machu Picchu!

Posts from the road

Journey to the Sacred Valley

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(Urubamba, Peru)

June 30 was an exhausting day…but well worth it.

The alarm was set for 4:00 a.m. so that we could be at the airport in time for a 7:15 a.m. flight to Cusco.  Cusco is located in the Andes at an elevation of 3500 metres above sea level, so it will come as no surprise that the approach to the runway was very interesting.

Lima is essentially at sea level and was about 20’C when we left.  We disembarked to a temperature of 4’C in Cusco although we didn’t feel any altitude-related symptoms.  That would come later!

Hiking above Pisac, Peru
Hiking above Pisac, Peru

I have been skiing at elevations up to 3800m, so I thought I would be OK in Cusco.  However, when we began climbing at the Incan ruins above Pisac, the effects of the altitude kicked in loud and clear.  Each step was an effort – my legs just didn’t want to leave the ground.  There were some steep steps that I normally would be able to sprint up.  Here, though, I had to stop after every four steps.  I also felt vaguely dizzy and felt a headache coming on; most of the classic altitude symptoms were there.

The key difference is that I usually have several days to acclimatize to the extreme altitude while skiing.  One hour is simply not enough time to adapt to the much thinner oxygen.   Nonetheless, I explored the Pisac ruins to the extent I could and really enjoyed being up in the mountains.  The scale is much larger than I had expected, even though Pisac is one of the smaller sites that we’ll be visiting.

Terraces and ruins above Pisac, Peru
Terraces and ruins above Pisac, Peru

Lunch was a communal Andean feast.  I took pictures of nearly every dish and almost everything was spectacular.  The coastal cuisine in Peru is understandably seafood-oriented but the Andean cuisine seems more to my taste.  From quinoa to purple corn beverages, it was all very colourful and very tasty.   I’m looking forward to trying more of this cuisine during my time in the mountains.

Some very hot peppers/tamales at Huchuy Qosqo
Some very hot peppers/tamales at Huchuy Qosqo

After lunch, we journeyed to the Incan ruins above Ollantaytambo (shown at the top of this post).  This was even more impressive than the ruins  above Pisac.  The scale is astonishing, but I think the engineering and the Incan insight into the sun, the earth, etc. are even more surprising part.   When they carved faces into the mountains, they also positioned them so that they would be illuminated on June 21 of each year.   Even without the wheel, they managed to get huge rocks on top of mountains.  They also built their structures to withstand earthquakes, using techniques that are still being used today.

Climbing the ruins at Ollantaytambo, Peru
Climbing the ruins at Ollantaytambo, Peru

I also learned that calling them “Inca” is not entirely correct.  The word “inca” means “king”, but our guide said that it is probably more accurate to call them “Quechua” (after the language that all of the people spoke).  After all, there were only a handful of kings.

Some of the practices are hard to understand from a modern perspective.  For example, when a king died, his servants would have to die too so that they could accompany the king to the next world.

Edge of a cliff above Ollantaytambo, Peru
Edge of a cliff above Ollantaytambo, Peru

I noticed a slight improvement in my altitude situation at Ollantaytambo.  I still was badly winded after climbing the steep steps, but the other symptoms had disappeared.  I should be acclimatized well for Machu Picchu in a couple of days’ time.  Tomorrow, we are going to visit a couple of places near Urubamba and have another Andean feast!