surrounding the city, heading directly into the Sacred Valley. First stop was the famous Pisac Market, which takes up several blocks of the town of Pisac, and has so many vendors and stalls, it's impossible to see it all in one visit. Loading up on souvenirs, from handcrafted leather goods and woven textiles (blankets, hats, gloves, pillow cases, etc.) to the multitude of other crafts, it's a fun challenge to find that one thing that no other vendor seems to be selling! And bartering is the name of the game, which if I do say so myself, I have gotten pretty good at, plus being almost fluent in the native language always helps to bring the price down considerably! We arrived in the early afternoon at the very nice Casona Yucay hotel, which seemed to be nestled right in the center of the Sacred Valley, mountains soaring up from the lush green plains and the Urubamba river cutting 
right down the middle of it all. After a delicious lunch, and a welcome nap, we headed into the town to see the sights and visit a local pub, and play a few rounds of sapo, a sort of target practice/skeeball gametable with different point-valued holes that you try to throw metal rings into. The very center target is a wide-mouthed toad, and the most points obviously, as that is the most difficult. The lady "barkeeper" informed us that men of the village spend hours at this game, enjoying huge glass after glass of chicha, a sweet corn beer brewed in huge urns over the course of 
several days. We got to sample some of this, along with chicha fresa, or strawberry chicha, which was a big hit. This pub was also the group's first encounter with the concept of the guinea pig farm, or a huge room in the back where there's at least 2 dozen guinea pigs running around freely until they find themselves on a spit, about to be dinner. We also learned that local bars in this area are marked with a red flag, so with this knowledge, we counted about 10 just on the way back to the hotel, most being people's houses! 
usually only on the solstices, or water tourrets that when you lightly ran a finger over the lip of the fountain, completely changed the flow of the water due to the surface tension and volume of water in the pool...absolutely incredible how scientific these people were with such rough instruments and so early on! And to view a figure carved out of the mountain opposite the temple, in the shape of one of the great Incan kings, incorporating a grainary that looked like it was perched so precariously that any attempt to get a load of grain up to it was risking life and limb, was another jaw-dropper of a feat!
the end had to buy drinks for the other team that night! So in between gazing at the amazing beauty of the mountains and the river, once even seeing glaciers up high on some of the mountains, we were devising ways of attack and getting the other team soaking wet! Well, the last stretch of the river before we took out, the other team purposely flipped their boat, amazingly everyone scrambling up on the top of the bottom of the raft and not falling in, so we thought immediately...our golden opportunity since they had nothing to hold onto! We moved in for one last drawn out battle, which turned into a deadlock, but then in a surprise move, the rafting guide from the other team leapt onto our boat, knocking one of our members into the water, causing us a point, and needless to say, even after a last ditch effort to take their guide out, we ended up ponying up for drinks that night...pisco sours all around! 
The next day we set out to start the Inca Trail. Rising early in the morning, we got to the trail head, met our porters and the rest of our team, including the waiter and cook (booyah, this is the way to hike any mountain!), and we were off after checking in at the gate to get the i's dotted and t's crossed on our permits. The first part of the day was great hiking, nice gradual slopes and expansive views of the mountains and valleys. After an amazing lunch that we enjoyed looking right over the valley where we had just hiked, and our first introduction to "Senor Manos Blancos," or Mister White Hands, as our waiter wore white gloves whenever he served us!, the grade increased a bit and we definitely started feeling the altitude. We had a great view of some Incan ruins along the way, and as the afternoon seemed to be a bit long, we thankfully arrived at our campsite just before sunset. An example of how the locals have made a business out of living right along the trail, a woman had set up a small "bar" at our campsite, which entailed an ice-filled bucket with cold sodas, water, and gatorade!
The next day started early and all of us mentally preparing for the long day ahead, as anyone hiking the Inca Trail knows that day 2 is the toughest, hiking all the way up to Dead Woman's Pass, being the highest point on the trail at 13,777 feet. Some members of the group were also ailing from a rough night before, with some gastrointestinal issues. On a side note, having a rating scale (0-5) for GI health was THE best way to check in with people to see how they were doing. People coming back to the camp from the toilet were usually asked right away, "Ok, what's your number?" The company we went with for this trek 
always had a toilet tent set up for us when we stopped for lunch and then wherever we would make camp for the night. This special little 3' x 3' tent involved a small toilet seat stool with a plastic bag liner. The challenge was to not tip the whole apparatus over while completing your hygiene, which was my greatest fear each time I visited the toilet tent. And one other note, let's just say that you'd better have a pretty strong stomach if you were the last one to use it at night or in the morning before we set out. Needless to say, the porter assigned to that duty got a bit extra for his tip...poor guy.
OK, so now that you are probably asking where do I sign up?, back to day 2...the pace was slow going, and the sun was out quite a bit, so it was pleasantly warm. Since the altitude is such a factor, the hiking involved taking 10 steps and then resting, taking another 10 steps and then resting a bit more. (Arthur & Tara--would just like to say again that you guys are my new heroes for gettin' it done that day!) At this part of the trail, we also encountered our first stairs, which make up a large portion of trail, 8,400 steps to be exact. The stone staircases seem to go on forever, and the steps are quite large at times, so much so that after about 5, my hamstrings and quads were screaming. The views were worth ever step though...as we climbed higher, the clouds pulled away to reveal the most magnificent peaks across the valley capped by glaciers, and with the sun shining down on them, it was just breathtakingly beautiful! Our spot for lunch was a rock outcropping overlooking the valley and these same peaks, and afterwards we set off again up toward the pass that we could now visibly see. The wind had picked up a little bit, and more clouds were occasionally rolling in, but overall it was still a nice day, even though it kept getting chillier the higher we went and the closer we got to the top. The name Dead Woman's Pass is quite alarming, but it is so named because of the rock formations at the top looking like a dead or sleeping woman. About an hour after lunch, and the group having spread out along the trail given our different hiking abilities, Charles and I decided to take a break as the going was getting quite tough. I pulled out an orange and started eating it, becoming quite messy as one does when eating an orange. Looking out over the sweeping valley below us and only 500 meters from the top, we started to talk about the year we have had...quite a year, with blood clots, a whirlwind tour of India, and now in Peru, about to come home for good, together. As I turned to face him, I found him down on one knee, to which I immediately asked, given the altitude and how much we had been struggling, "Oh my gosh, are you all right?!" He started laughing, and then I saw the ring in his hand as he asked me to marry him! Of course I said yes, and then upon reaching the top, we shared the news with everyone, including a group of Brazilians that were cheering right along with us! We captured this particular moment all on video, which I've attempted to attach to the blog, so hopefully it can be viewed just by clicking on it.
It was pretty windy and cold at the top, so after celebrating, we started down the other side of the pass, making our way toward camp for that night. It was pretty cloudy by the time we got in, close to sunset again, but the view awaiting us the next morning as we climbed out of our tents and ate breakfast as the sun came up over the mountains was absolutely incredible, as the clouds settled into the valley revealing more peaks covered by glaciers. Shortly after starting 
out, we hit some Incan ruins, and then it was a bit further, up all the way, to the 2nd pass of the trail, to which we could see snow-covered mountain ranges ahead of us and behind us. The sun was out in all its glory, creating a beautiful day. It was mostly downhill, literally and thankfully, from there, past some more ruins, perched as a military outpost looking over the vast expanse of the Sacred Valley, which we got to hike up to and explore. Then it was on to lunch after a hike that felt like we would never get there, especially having run out of water half an hour before arriving at camp. From our lunch spot, we could see the tip of Huayna Picchu, the mountain right next to Machu Picchu, giving us the added push we needed to start hiking again toward camp for that night, leading us through more ruins, some beautiful terraced hillsides that were quite treacherous to hike down through, and finally to the camp. Everyone was pretty tired at this point, legs aching, wanting a shower, but the anticipation about seeing Machu Picchu the next day was running high through our group. That night was our farewell dinner, and the crew we had was just top-notch the whole trail, but they outdid themselves with pasta and wine for dinner, plus bananas flambe and hot fudge for dessert complete with the show of fire that usually comes with it...just awesome, considering we were supposed to be "roughing it"!
The next day we set out pretty early, still dark in fact, fairly even grade except for a ridiculously steep staircase, hiking a few hours before we reached Intipunku, or the Sun Gate, the first vantage point where you are able to see Machu Picchu, and the point that begins the Royal Walkway down to the ruins. When we arrived, there was a thick cloud clover, but it seemed to be moving pretty quickly along, so we decided to just sit for a bit and see if it cleared. After about 5 minutes, the clouds started to thin and lift out of the valley, and then there it 
was, in all its glory, the lost city of the Incas, Machu Picchu. Perched on the mountain ridge, we could see it all from slightly above where we sat, although it was still a good distance away. Not only the ruins, but also the whole side of the mountain that had been cleared away to make way for the road built by the lost city's rediscoverer, American Hiram Bingham, in 1911. It took several different expeditions to clear away the thick jungle that had grown up over the site, and some believe that 1/4 of the city still remains undiscovered. The road winds in switchbacks down the mountain from the ruins, and was 
crucial in getting materials to and from the site when it was rediscovered, as well as now with the amount of tourism Machu Picchu attracts. No one really knows the story of this lost city of the Incas, although there are many theories as to its function. It was never touched by the Spanish conquerors, and there are signs that some believe the town was continuing to develop as a main trading station and dwelling places of the governor and the high priestess. As we set off from the Sun Gate, our guide let us go ahead of him, to let us rediscover Machu Picchu for ourselves. Down the royal flagstone walkway we went, encountering some llamas along the way, and then we entered the heart of Machu Picchu, still quiet in the early morning with wisps of clouds drifting right over top of us. One of the seven wonders of the world, it was hard to grasp being physically among the ruins that have been so photographed and published, so magical and mystical at the same time. After many photo-ops of individuals and as a group on a ledge just above the ruins, we continued down the steps to the main gate of the lost city, where the 8,400th step is located. We had already decided we wanted to take the official tour the next day after resting up, so for the rest of the day, we split into 2 groups, some of the group just wanting to hang out around the ruins, and the others desiring to climb Huayna Picchu, the mountain that overlooks Machu Picchu. Not really sure what I was thinking, but I decided to go with this latter group, even though looking back, I think I had already psyched myself out of it before we started...looking at this hulk of a mountain from the ruins, it appeared very, very steep at times, and very high...but I was pulled along with the rest of the group you could say, and after climbing and scrambling up the path that was mostly switchbacked stone staircases, we found ourselves at the top, on a ledge overlooking Machu Picchu from the north. At this point I could barely move I was so scared of tumbling over the side, which 2 tourists have done recently (information I found out much too late to turn around). To my chagrin, there was another rock outcropping where we scrambled up to for an even higher vantage point over the ruins, then realizing we would have to partially slide down over a very steep rock face that pretty much plummets over the edge of the mountain if you get going too fast, to get back to the trail head in order to get back down. Needless to say my heart was pumping pretty fast and I was producing copious amounts of sweat, mouth going dry, etc. I basically got myself in a zone of concentration so intense it was difficult to respond to anyone until we made it back down to a navigable trail some 30 minutes later. As we passed back through the gates and entered the ruins again, my legs started to feel a bit jello-y and I was ever so glad to sit down to a long lunch with a celebratory cold beverage at the restaurant just outside the main gate of Machu Picchu. Taking the bus down to our hotel in Aguas Calientes, the town at the foot of Machu Picchu, we immediately headed to the hot springs the area is famous for, which helped to take a little of the muscle ache away, then nice hot shower, followed by happy hour with a whole lot of Nutsy, and dinner at the hotel before turning in to sleep in an actual bed!
blessing to help demonstrate what I have encountered all year...how generous and overwhelmingly super these children and every child I have worked with this year have been. Charles and I managed to get together enough candy we had accumulated on the trail (there were about 5 pieces in the snack bags we got every day) to give each kid a piece, and then when we got off the bus, they all wanted their photo op with Papa Noel and our group. And then throughout the day, when they would spot us among the ruins, all you could hear were shouts of "Papa Noel! Papa Noel!" ringing off the stone walls! It was fantastic!
We were able to see the Sun Temple, which was so built that on the winter solstice, and only on that one day, as the sun rises it shines through the Sun Gate on the ridge we came over the day before, and directly into the Serpent Window built into the wall of the Sun Temple! This might not seem so extraordinary, but given the fact that the Sun Gate is only 10 feet in diameter and the window of the Sun Temple is only a foot square, that's pretty remarkable to me! Other innovations we passed included the first known compass made out of stone, that also doubled as a sundial, 
and other pieces of stone that when the sun hit them at certain points throughout the year, it would cast a shadow in different shapes, like the head of a llama, or a condor. The workmanship of every edifice was perfect, each stone being cut to fit exactly. There was a specific section for the farmers, near the terraces, and then the dwellings of the governor and the high priestess, along with the various temples, one for the sun, one for the condor, and one for the moon, and one with three windows to symbolize the 3 realms: heaven, earth, and the underworld. There was the industrial sector, where textiles were made, and the marketplace, where it was believed that vendors from surrounding towns would come to barter and trade their goods. Even a "greenhouse," which was a open grassy area that was surrounded by trees so that it was blocked from the wind and received enough sun to allow growth of whatever was planted. 
Before leaving, Charles and I hiked back up to the highest point of the ruins to look out over Machu Picchu in its entirety, in part for one last look and also to convince myself that I was really here and seeing it. We were accompanied by some llamas, who were just grazing on the terraces, and even though the city has been deserted for quite some time, it was hard not to feel the presence of those that had come before and how Machu Picchu had been quite the hub of activity, perched on the top of this mountain that was never found by the Spaniards and lost until Bingham stumbled upon it, originally thinking it was the ruins of some other lost Incan stronghold. Absolutely incredible to walk in and around this city that was lost for so long.
celebrities were still inside...quite the scene. We were met by our guide and taken to the hotel, got settled in, then went on a guided tour of Peru's capital city. We split up afterwards, some opting to sleep, others opting to go to the casino down the street, and others, including me, heading out to explore the Indian markets and do some more shopping. I had just a few more souvenirs to get, and after fueling up with a hearty lunch from Bembo's...the Peruvian equivalent of Wendy's or McDonald's, we were off and running. The main artesan section of Lima takes up several city blocks, so there are many choices as to where to shop. We picked one market and wandered down and around the many stalls and shops located inside...again, more textiles, woodcrafts, leather goods, etc. Such beautiful bright colors and patterns on everything! Walking back we took in all the Christmas decorations lining the streets and in the store windows...nice reminder that I would soon be home for good, for Christmas. We left for the airport after dinner that night, as our flight was just after midnight, saying goodbye to our group as everyone had different flights out. Sitting in Lima airport with my fiancee, we started to review the year again, and speculate about the year ahead, mostly counting how blessed we both are, and how exciting the year to come would be for us. Quite the roller coaster of emotions in those couple of hours, as I thought about how my year of travelling was ending, but how we had made it through the year and were now coming home together. This year has been full of so many amazing people, places, experiences and opportunities, and I think it will still be sinking in long after I get home. How truly blessed I am...
