Bogota Baby

The last stop on the tour - Colombia. I have been in Bogota for a little over a week, enjoying lazy, rainy days, long walks that are sometimes damp, sometimes not, and the upper class comforts of Brendan's neighborhood. Juan Valdez cafes abound, and the coffee here is killer. Last night I went to see a Colombian film called Bluff, giving Brendan a chance to work on his masters papers in peace and me the challenge of watching a movie entirely in Spanish. I am happy and proud to report that it went very well, and in fact the movie was really quite good. Netflix it y'all.

Tomorrow I go to Cartagena, a city I have wanted to visit since I saw Romancing the Stone a million years ago. ("Joan Wilder?! THE Joan Wilder?! I have read all of your books!" Classic.) Apparently it also has quite a bit of history to offer the interested traveler, colonial architecture, Spanish walls built to keep the bad guys out, and no doubt a 5:1 residents to churches ratio. To be back at sea level, even if only for a few days, will also be a delight.

Mas de Lima

Our first stop in Lima was the beach house and it felt like the lap of luxury! Rocio and her cousin Fiorella have been best friends since childhood.

A few days later we got a personalized tour of the city. The catacombs were creepy, China Town delicious, and the Plaza de Armas enormous. Here are Timmy, Charita and Rocio in the main plaza of Lima.

La Vida Linda en Lima

What is the perfect way to recover from four long days on the Inca Trail? Getting the royal treatment from our cousin's in-laws in Lima. Last summer my cousin Timmy married a lovely woman named Rocio who was born and raised in Peru. They arrived at Machu Picchu the same day we did, although they took the lazy route via train. (I might add that this was also therefore the dry route.) The next day we all flew to Lima and were embraced, literally, by her entire family: aunts, uncles, cousins - from both sides of her family. Their hospitality, warmth, humor and generosity left me breathless and tremendously grateful. Those who know me know that our family is huge and loud and loving and a bit nuts, and I wouldn't have it any other way. It felt so comforting to be around family again, and Rocio's family has to be one of the world's best. They kept us fed and entertained, served us seemingly endless pisco sours, and made us feel right at home. A todos los tios y primos, muchisimas gracias!!!

LAS FOTOS:

Tia Carmen, yo, Tia Ellie

Tio Coco y tio Lucho

Ricky & Charita: Inca Trail Rock Stars

The best part about the Inca Trail is that I was fortunate enough to share it with my cousins Charita and Ricky. They aren't much for hiking, and had never even been camping before, but they rocked the hell out of that trail. Their sheer determination was humbling and I have a tremendous amount of respect for both of them. In total we spent two weeks together in Peru, first exploring Pisac in the Sacred Valley and the city of Cusco, then the Inca Trail and finally Lima with another cousin Timmy, his Peruvian wife Rocio and her amazing family. After so many months alone I was so happy to be with family. We laughed a lot, ate a lot, and walked a lot. I love them dearly and have assured them that having witnessed their triumph on the Inca Trail, I will vouch for their heroics to all our extended family for many years to come. Here we are at the top of Dead Woman's Pass, delighted and dizzy.

Nuestro guia Cesar

Our guide throughout the walk was Cesar. He was very patient and knew everything about the Incas, the flowers we saw, the birds in the sky. He has been to Machu Picchu over 200 times, and last year he actually RAN the Inca Trail in 10 hours. The winners of that particular marathon were former professional runners who completed it in 5 hours and change. It took us four days!

The money shot

I took this photo at the visitor's centre cafe. The weather that morning would not have afforded me the same perfect shot of Machu Picchu.

INTIPUNKU - the Sun Gate

MACHU PICCHU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They woke us up at 3:50 AM the morning of the fourth day, with the intent to be among the first groups to pass through the official checkpoint and reach the Sun Gate as early as possible. Our tents, precariously perched on the edge of the mountain, were made even more vulnerable by the tormenta that poured rain, rumbled thunder, and flashed lightning all night long. Having barely slept, I was eager to leave the dampness of my tent and enjoy the ritual morning cup of coca tea. The rain continued to fall, but still we held out hope that perhaps the clouds would part, the sky would clear and the sun would shine. When we reached the Sun Gate, Intipunku, and caught our first glimpses of Machu Picchu, the fog and clouds sent by Pachamama, the Earth Mother, kept the ancient city shrouded in mystery. After all those long days of walking it felt like we reached our ultimate destination in no time at all, four hours or so. We were cold, tired, hungry, but completely enchanted. There are agricultural terraces, temples, and houses of royals and priests. Llamas, oblivious to the tourists, walked the grounds. Colorful fowers, orchids and lilies among them, seemed blinding on that rainy morning. The misty weather mirrored my misty mind, unable to comprehend the magnificence of Machu Picchu. Get thee there, dear friends, by foot or by train get thee there.

Vistas divinas

Awesome, breathtaking, incredible, inspiring, unreal... My mind was dizzy from the altitude, the exhaustion, las vistas divinas; my spirit was giddy and carefree. I felt so lucky to be alive, to be walking ancient paths far from the suburban sidewalks of New Jersey, lost among the clouds.

El Camino Inka y el arco iris

El Camino Inka was one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my life. We walked for 4 days through breathtaking landscapes to reach Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Incas (well, lost until 1911). The second day was the most challenging; a seemingly endless climb up into the clouds to reach Dead Woman's Pass at an alarming altitude of 4198 meters above sea level, or 13,000 something feet. (Talk about a mermaid out of water!) This photo is from the third day when a rainbow appeared out of all the day's rain to give us a smile and a wink of encouragement.