Road Trip

I'm sitting at the Denver Airport waiting for my flight to Portland, OR. It's crazy how I have to come the opposite direction to get there. Can't get there from here!

I'm flying to North Bend, OR to help my friends Bill, Wendy and Darrin move to Utah. It is about a 1,000 mile drive. Doesn't seem like it would be that far. I will be driving one of their vehicle while Wendy drives the other. Bill will be driving the U-Haul. The plan is to pack everything up today and take off early in the morning. We'll get as far as Pendelton, OR (or further) the first day and finish the next. Joni is driving down in our new (new to us) 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe. I finally decided to get a reliable vehicle after the front wheel of my truck went flying off last week. That could have been bad. Luckily I managed to not roll the truck and got the truck off to the side of the road. I still haven't heard how much it's going to cost to fix. The Subaru is also in the shop. It smokes so dang bad I'm afraid it's going to catch fire. I traded the old Ford Windstar in for $1,000 even though they really didn't want to take it. First thing I did is get a decent stereo installed. It has a USB port. All I have to do is plug in a flash drive. No more scratched, melted CDs. COOL!

So anyway, Joni is driving down Friday. After getting everything unloaded on Saturday, Joni and I will head over to Park City, UT and watch an Elvis Costello concert at an outdoor amplitheater. I just checked. 40% chance of rain. We'll spend the night there and drive back to Missoula on Sunday. Man, everything is going to have to go as planned in order for all this to work. Now I'm getting nervous.

Peru Videos on Youtube!

Day Ten - LA, SEATTLE and MISSOULA

Sitting on the plane I was finally able to reflect on the past 9 days in Peru. I had just experienced many very cool things and met some very great people. I was thankful to Ricky and his family for being so kind and hospitable. I was also very thankful to Jose for taking so much time with me when he really should have been working. I enjoyed meeting Lenino and appreciated him taking the time to take me hiking, despite the altitude sickness. I was humbled at the friendship and kindness everyone in Peru showed me. I was also saddened when I thought that I may never meet many of these people again.

Joni was waiting for me at the Missoula airport. It felt nice to get a welcoming hug from her.

Day Nine - CUSCO and LIMA

Darrin and Ricky

Nito and Darrin

Angie and Eduardo
Ricky's wife and son

Ricky and Eduardo

With Ricky's Dad

I woke up at 5:00 AM. Jose was sleeping in the next room. I woke him up. We quickly found a taxi and headed to the airport. I was glad Jose went with me to see me off. I was surprised that I was able to check my spear in as luggage. But I was pretty doubtful it would arrive in one piece in Lima. I was wrong. Right along with the rest of the luggage came my spear in one piece. Cool!

I arrived in Lima about 8:30 AM. I called Calvic to see if he would be able to pick me up at the airport. He apologized and said he would not be able to. So I found a taxi myself. I did a pretty good job. As soon as the hordes of taxi drivers knew I was looking for a taxi, they surrounded me shouting for me to follow them to their vehicle. I showed them a piece of paper with Ricky’s address and asked how much. They started at 45 Soles but I kept saying “too much, too much”. I finally talked a guy down to 20 Soles. We had to walk quite a ways to reach his taxi, which looks like it should have been retired years ago and was being held together with duct tape (a very common site). Ricky called while I was in the taxi to check on me. I had him speak with the taxi driver just to make sure he knew where to go for sure. Ricky and his dad were waiting for me on the side of the road.

Went with Ricky’s dad to another client who also had a break in. Crime is a very big problem in Lima. And of course the rich are targeted. We also stopped by the Lima LDS temple on the way there to get a few photos. Once again Ricky’s dad gave me a tour of the city as we drove through different areas.

Ricky and I went to his wife’s and kid’s apartment. They apartment was very nice. It was in an older building but it was clean and very solid. They took me to a Peruvian buffet for lunch. Ate too much. But I was able to eat some more authentic Peruvian food. Angie was very kind. I was glad I was able to meet her.

We headed back home. Ricky’s dad, mom and a guy from the ward went to take a tour at a museum of the Spanish Inquisition. There were Prison cells, torture devices. Ricky’s dad
Next we went to Lima’s china town. Not much Korean. But lots of Chinese. It was odd that I almost felt more at home in that environment.

We then went to the water park. Very impressive. It was made up of probably about 15 different fountains, some of which you could interact with. There was one where people were allowed to run around in as streams of water would randomly shoot up while music played. I couldn’t resist. After about 5 minutes I finally got sprayed. I was wet the rest of the night. But it was worth it. I heard several tourist say this was their favorite part of Lima.

Nito came by. We had a short but nice visit. He had recently quit school to go back to work. I was a little bummed to hear that. But his folks needed the money. It was good to meet him. He seemed like a very nice guy.

I finally took a shower and packed for my trip home. Ricky’s dad cut my spear in half for me so I could get it in my luggage. We ate some dinner, including the bread and cheese Jose’s mom had given me to take home. There was no way it was going to make it through customs. Ricky’s parents have me some gifts to take back to Joni. We visited until it was time to head to the airport. My flight was to leave at 1:40 AM.

Ricky and Miguel took me to the airport in a taxi to see me off. I was sad to leave but anxious to get home too. I Took a Tylenol PM to help me fall asleep on my red eye to LA. It worked pretty well.

More Aguas Calenientes Photos

In Aguas Calientes

Hot Springs in Aguas Calientes

Jose

Marcel and Jose

Day Eight - AGUAS CALIENTES-CUSCO

Darrin and Marcel in Aguas Calientes

Marcel and Jose

Aguas Calientes from our room

We slept in until about 8 AM. I went over to Marcel’s room and woke him up and asked if he still wanted to go hiking up the railroad tracks like we had discussed the night before. He told me to give him a few minutes and he’d be ready.

We found a decent looking restaurant and stopped for breakfast. We each had the “Americano” breakfast for 10 Soles. Scrambled eggs, muffin, bread and some cocoa leaf tea (for soroche).

We hiked up the railroad tracks that continued through Aguas Calientes and wound behind Machu Picchu. There were several tunnels along the way and had to run quickly through one to avoid getting stuck with train. From the tracks you could see the winding road that lead to Machu Picchu. At one point you could see some of the ruins from the ancient city. I thought it was pretty cool that this was a view that most tourist never bothered to see. We continued on for a few miles until we reached a waterfall. We stopped there for a while and took some photos. The 3 of us had a great time talking, joking around and enjoying the new friendships. I had to stop and think how great it was that 3 guys from completely different parts of the world, speaking different languages, could come together and make a connection like we did.

Jose and I decided to head back down while Marcel continued up the tracks. I did some shopping. I bought some ear rings, alpaca blanket, a few rock carvings. I had really been looking forward to going to the hot springs. Jose agreed to go with me. But first we decided to say good bye to Yuri. We met up with Yuri and his wife and visited a while before they had to head back to the office. We hugged and said good bye.

The hot springs were more luke warm but it felt nice. Since we didn’t have shorts or towels we had to rent them from one of the little shops along the path to the springs. There were lots of tourists at the springs, many who had just finished the 4 day Inca Trail hike. It is a bit of a tradition to end the trek at the springs.

We headed back to the train station and met up with Marcel. We are all very tired and mostly slept on our way back. We met Marcel’s parents. They were waiting at the station. From there we found a taxi to take us the rest of the way to Cusco. We noticed lots of rocks on the roads, presumably from the strike. The taxi driver barely seemed to notice as he weaved through the basketball sized boulders in the road driving up to 100 mph.

Jose’s mom gave me some authentic cheese and Indian bread to take back home. I knew there was not way I could get it through customs but I took it with me. She also wrapped the spear for me. I still thought there was no way I was going to get it on the plane…as a carry on or check in.

More Aguas Calenientes Photos

Marcela, Jose and Yuri

Riot at the train station

Yuri, Marcel and Jose headed to the disco

Day Seven - AGUAS CALIENTES

Yuri and Darrin

Strike at Aguas Calientes

Machu Picchu

I awoke to the views of an incredible landscape. Mountain shot up from the village. I was in awe just laying in bed for a few minutes looking at the view. We got up and started searching the town. Everything seemed quiet. We started asking around. The strike was in full swing. Even though the strike was that of the natives protesting, most of the locals supported by closing down as well. We were told there would be no trains running all day, which means I would not be able to get out of there to get to Cusco to catch my flight back to Lima. I tried not to freak out.

I decided to visit Machu Picchu while Jose stayed back to try to get some information on return trains/planes. The bus ticket and entrance fee combined was about $100, by far the most expensive part of my trip. But I had to do it. I was at Machu Picchu after all. I took a windy, 20 minute bus ride from Aguas Calientes to the base of Machu Picchu. I spent about 3 hours wondering around this amazing ancient city. It was truly awe-inspiring. The weather was perfect. Not too hot or too cold. I took lots of photos and video. But nothing can reflect the true beauty of such a place. Words cannot do it justice either.

I arrived back at Aguas Calientes to a huge crowd of protesting natives. It was amazing to see. They didn’t seem to mind that I was taking pictures and videotaping, so I did. I watch as the crowd continued to march on through the town. Some folks seemed very angry and serious about their cause. Others just seemed caught up in the fun of it.

I found Jose back at the hotel. We called Yuri and decided to meet up with him. He works at a small government building next to the police station. The security guard called up to let Yuri know we were there. He came down to greet us and showed us back to his office on the 3rd floor. After the initial handshakes and hugs, Yuri gave me a hand made spear that some of the Natives were using in their strike. A friend of his lives in the Amazon among the Natives and had acquired it. It was cool walking around town with it. Lots of Peruvians and tourists alike smiled or gave me the thumbs up when they saw me with the spear (in apparent support of the strike).

Jose called TACA airlines for me to change my ticket. I was able to get the same flight out the next day, with a hefty fee, of course. But I was happy to get it changed.

Next we headed to the train station to get out tickets for the next morning out. There was a huge uproar at the station. Turns out folks were being told all sorts of different stories and sold different tickets. There were a lot of angry foreigners being very vocal about how they were being treated. We met one guy from Switzerland who was traveling South America for 6 months. We also met Marcel from Holland who was also traveling for 3 months. We quickly connected with Marcel and became fast friends. There was also Andreana from Lima, who Jose found very attractive and quickly started up a conversation with. We discovered that the earliest train would be 6 PM the next day. We took the tickets.

Marcel had mentioned that he had spent $60 for his small hotel the night before so we took him back to our hotel so he could get a room at our $8/night hotel. We met up with Yuri at his office and introduced Yuri to Marcel. He invited us to go to his wife’s family’s hotel/restaurant. Marcel came along. I had a Curry dish. Not as strong as I like but the taste was good.

I was feeling a little tired but the young guys, Jose and Marcel, wanted to continue with the night. I gave in. Yuri’s wife went to bed but the rest of us decided to go to a discotheque. The small club was smoky, loud and crowded. We were seated up in the loft with a view of the entire room. We had to scream at each other to communicate. But we had fun. At one point a local guy got up on the bar and started dancing. It got interesting when he started stripping. He removed his shirt and swung it around a bit. He eventually got off the bar after people lost interest.
We got to our room about 1 AM.

More Cusco Photos

Getting some lunch

At Sacsayhuaman "Sexy Woman" in Cusco

Darrin and Jose

Darrin and guide

Day Six - CUSCO and AGUAS CALIENTES

Doing a little shopping on the streets

Cusco

Jose in Cusco

Darrin and Jose

Ricky was still awake working when I awoke at 3:30 AM for my flight to Cusco. I was a bit concerned about the taxi driver arriving on time but there was a knock on the door promptly at 4:00 AM. Jorge was Calvic’s friend. As it turns out he was LDS as well. Real nice guy. We talked about his family and his trip to the US on our way to the airport.

I met Jose at Cusco airport. I recognized him immediately from afar. We immediately clicked as well. Our first stop was his house about 15 minutes south of Cusco.
Went to his house. He lives with his parents and 2 sisters. The house was very cool. In the middle was an open area to the outside. All the rooms were entered through this area. Jose showed me to my room, which was actually his room. It was on the 2nd story which overlooked the courtyard area, which was filled with lots of plants and caged birds.
I met his mother and little sister. They served us bread and fresh papaya juice. They were very kind but were in a hurry. His mother teaches at a local grade school. His father is a professor at a nearby university.

I got online and saw that Yuri there. I let him know where I was at and that we would be on our way later that day. Jose decided to give Yuri a call. We had heard rumors of a strike in Cusco and thought it would be best to leave for Machu Picchu today. Yuri agreed.

Went into Cusco for some sightseeing. Cusco is a great city. Lots of old buildings and streets. Cusco is the capital of the Inca world and is one of the oldest cities in South America. Since Jose grew up there, everything was commonplace. So he really wasn’t too sure what to show me. But everything was new and amazing to me. We visited the Cusco Town Square. Had a good lunch of one of Jose’s favorite places. It was very rustic but the food was good. We walked through a huge market. I bought some ear rings for Joni and some famous Cusco chocolate for Ricky’s family. They requested it. We met a couple of Jose’s friends and family members along our walk downtown. We went Bought tickets for the train to Aguas Calientes.I realized I needed my passport, which was back at Jose’s house. We headed back to his Jose to get my passport and pack for the trip. I met his sister. Very nice. She is an intern to become a medical doctor. I also went with Jose to his university to check on some paperwork.

We had a couple hours before we had to catch a taxi and head to the train station. We decided to check out Sacsayhuaman, pronounced "sexy woman". Sexy Woman is an area with a bunch of ruins and the man spot for a yearly festival celebrating the Sun. There were several guides waiting around as we stepped out of the taxi. For a very small fee we could have our own guide that would speak both English and Spanish. I thought why not. The tour was very interesting. Our guide had a lot of knowledge or the area.

Got to where we need to catch the train after 2 hour drive in a crowded taxi on mostly a dirt road.
There was a large crowd of people already waiting at the train station. We waited for the departure time. The time came and went. We finally heard that the strikers decided to start early and were blocking the railroad tracks keeping the trains coming back down. After hours of waiting we finally got moving. Because Jose was a local, his train ticket was much cheaper, but also meant he had to ride in a separate car. I ended up hanging out with some folks with from San Diego who were traveling together on a tour. They welcomed me into their group. Fed me pizza.

We finally arrived to Aguas Calientes just before midnight. It was dark, of course. Yuri had called Jose and told him he couldn’t wait for us any longer and that we would have to find our own motel once we got there. That sorta freaked me out but figured it was just part of the adventure.

We arrived at the station at Aguas Calientes. There were people calling out that they had hotel rooms to rent. One lady was saying she had rooms for 20 soles ($7). Jose and I agreed to it. We figured that at that price the place would be crap but didn’t care at that point. Turns out the place was pretty nice. The 2 beds were actually comfortable and a shower that had luke warm water. No soap. But it was clean. It was a new hotel so they were making good deals to build up the business. The owner of the hotel was a very kind man. As soon as we got our room a rainstorm hit. It was quick and intense. Lots of lightning and thunder. Torrents of rain. The power went out for about 30 minutes, which was scary and exciting at the same time.

Day Five - LIMA

Ricky's house

Jaime and Darrin

Ricky and Louis

Ricky's dad helping out a taxi driver

Today was to be a low-key, rest day before my big trip to Cusco tomorrow. I slept in until 8:00 AM.

Ricky’s dad invited me to go with him to check out a potential job. He brought along one of his workers. He had received a call that morning from a friend. This woman is a wealthy woman. Her husband was part of the mining boom from years ago but was killed by terrorists. Both of her daughters grew up and went to work in the US. She lives alone. Someone had tried to break into her home by prying open an iron gate, crawling through and then tried to pry open the huge wooden door. There was also evidence of trying the break in through the garage door. The burglar was not successful. But this woman was now freaked out. Ricky’s father was called to repair the damaged doors and try to increase the security of the home. The house was very nice. Not exceptional by American standards but extremely nice by Peruvian standards. Afterwards I went to the lumber store with him to order some wood he was using to make some sink cabinets for some Dental Offices.

Jaime and I had been trying meet up. We finally decided on today. He came over to Ricky’s house. We called Calvic to come pick us up and take us to Jaime’s.

Had a good chat with Jaime. Ate some dinner at his house. Transferred some samples/loops and programs I brought over.

Calvic let me know he would not be able to take me to the airport in the morning. But he had a friend that might be interested. He called him and the friend agreed to take me for 25 soles ($8). That is a bit pricey in Lima but worth it to me. If he doesn’t make it I am really hoping I’ll be able to find a taxi at 3:30 AM. If not, I’m screwed.

I discovered my cell phone does work in Peru. Amazing! I called Jose and spoke with him over the phone for the first time. I think we were both relieved that we could communicate with each other. He was on his way back to Cusco from Puno and would be arriving at 3 AM. He said he’d hang out at the airport until 7 AM to pick me up. I am really hoping he’ll be there.

Lenino and I were going to try to get together this evening but I really needed the sleep.

Day Four - LIMA and PACHAMAC

Ricky's Mom and Dad

Lima Town Square

Group of paragliders

Bike race at Pachamac

Ricky preparing for the jump


I awoke about 8:00. Ricky spoke with his wife, Angie, who was originally going to come watch us end out lives. She said she wouldn’t be able to make it. The rest of Ricky’s family was getting ready for church. Ricky’s dad made us breakfast and asked us if we were sure we wanted to risk our lives on the Lord’s Day instead of going to church. I told him I didn’t have church clothes. He said I could borrow some. It was all in good humor. I actually would have liked to have experienced a church service in Peru. It would be in Spanish, of course, but still pretty cool.

Ricky and I left for Miraflores to meet Michael. We found a taxi fairly quickly. It was about a 30 minute ride and cost about $5, or less. Just as the taxi pulled up to the address, a car came up to us and I heard, “Hi Darrin.” It was Michael behind the wheel. I recognized him from the Youtube videos. Not sure how he recognized me. He had Ricky and I wait with his wife while he went to pick up some more riders.

Pachamac is about one hour south of Lima. It is a desert area further inland. We saw many ruins on the way. There were 6 riders so Michael got a friend pilot of his to help out for the day. Seven of us crammed ourselves into Michael’s vehicle. There was Ricky and I, Michael and his wife, a very cute Indian couple from Washington DC and a woman from Holland.

The paragliding experience was interesting. Not quite what I had expected. The ride up the barren mountain was probably more dangerous and exciting than the paragliding itself. The roads were narrow, steep and were covered in huge potholes. Michael drove one speed only…fast. It was like a 4-wheeling experience going straight up. I thought it was actually very fun but a couple of the people swore they would NOT be driving back down the same way. They would rather paraglide or walk down. Michael chose me to ride back down with Michaels’s wife after each paraglide ride to pick Michael up and bring him up the hill again. I was glad to do it.

When it came to my turn to glide Michael was a little concerned about the lack of wind and my weight. We climbed further up the hill for our take off site. I carried the chute with me, so I was gasping for air as Michael prepared for the jump. No instruction. No time to contemplate. Suddenly I was strapped to a huge kite and in an instant was thrust into the air. The flight itself was very relaxing, much like skydiving (after the chute is open). Michael worked at trying to catch updraft to prolong the flight. In all our flight lasted about 10-15 minutes, not as long as I would have liked. But the lack of wind and my weight kept us from flying longer.

Coming in for a landing was going well until the last few seconds. We caught some sort of downdraft and came crashing to the ground. I didn’t have time to panic as I saw the ground come rushing up much quicker than it should have. Somehow we managed to crash to the ground without too much injury. I had a bloody elbow and bruised heel. Michael’s hand got scraped up some but nothing major. Luckily I had the video camera running so I was able to capture it on tape (I haven’t watched it yet). Michael said he wanted a copy of it because it was the worst landing he’s had in his 18 year career. Lucky me!!!

As we waited for the rest of the jumpers, Ricky and the woman from Holland discussed Politics of Bolivia and the corruption of the current President of that country. It’s always interesting watching folks speak to each other in English even though it isn’t either of their nataive tongue. But they managed to speak very well.

There were Mountain bike races going on nearby so we stopped to watch them for a while. There were some very crazy, brave riders.

We got a flat tire on the way back. Michael knew to stop along the side of the road at a bunch of guys playing cards. The tired was too damaged to fix so they replaced it.

Michael invited Ricky and I back to his home sometime before I left Peru for a visit.

Back home. Ricky’s dad make me a late lunch of pork chops, small potatoes, rice, salad and an exotic, Peruvian fruit. Took a nap.

Ricky’s dad, mom and I went on an evening tour of historic downtown lima. We took a tour bus to the top of a small hill in the center of Lima. There was a cross on top of the hill. We had amazing 360 degree views of Lima. Ricky’s dad translated for me as the tour guide explained the different sites, interlaced with Catholic propaganda.

We had a Chicken dinner at a fairly nice restaurant. To show my appreciation to them I decided to pay. The restaurant wouldn’t take the $20 bill I handed them because it wasn’t in perfect shape. There was a very small tear at the bottom of the bill. Apparently Peru is notorious for only accepting American currency in perfect condition. Still not sure why. I pulled out a few others I had. None of them were acceptable. I asked if they accepted credit cards. They did. But then they wouldn’t take credit card because I didn’t have my passport with me. They finally took the card with Driver’s License. GEEZ!

Went back home after a long, eventful day. I slept well.

Day Three - TICLIO

Ingrid and Lenino

Promptly at 5:00 AM Lenino woke me up. Within 5 minutes we were out the door and on our way for our hike to Ticlio. We took a small, non-crowded bus to our first stop. As we drove into the outskirts of Lima I began to see the poor areas of the city. The homes and shops became smaller and dirtier. Streets were unkept. The streets became more crowded. Trash became more abundant. I could tell Lenino was a little embarrassed as we passed into these areas. He explained to me this was a poor area, but not the poorest. I could see out into the distance on the hills. It seemed the worst and poorest places were on the hills. The houses were more like little shacks, many without power and water.

We got off the bus at what looked like a central station of sorts. Lots of buses and taxis converged in the one area. Of course, it was all chaos to me. But there must be a method to the madness (that soon became a common inner phrase in my head). We met his friend, Ingrid. Lenino bartered for a taxi as Ingrid and I got to know each other. She works for American Airlines and speaks fairly fluent English. She and Lenino had knows each other for years and have always must been friends. They had traveled to the US together. She explained how Lenino was very frugal with his money, always looking for the best deals. She said originally it was annoying but has found that a lot can be learned from his methods. After about 30 minutes, Lenino found a taxi that met his price satisfaction. The 3 of us crammed the backseat of the tiny taxi for our 3 ½ road trip up the pass to Ticlio.

Ticlio is the world’s highest Railroad pass, almost 16,000 feet. Many Peruvians get altitude sickness simply driving or riding over the pass. We were not only going to the top of the pass. We were going to get out and go hiking once there. What was I thinking?

After 3 1/2 hours of winding roads, we finally made it to the top of the pass. After a couple of minutes I could already feel the effects of “Soroche” (altitude sickness). As we walked just a few steps I suddenly was out of breath and had to stop and sit. I could feel myself getting lightheaded. We walked along a path headed for Meiggs Mountain, our original destination. There was a mine part way up the mountain about ½ mile. The property is protected by security guards. We asked for permission to cross the mine property to continue to the mountain. After many phone calls by the security guard, our request was eventually denied. We decided to turn back and try for another, smaller mountain, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

Altitude sickness feels much like motion sickness. Nausea, dizziness, headache, sick to your stomach. You can literally feel the lack of air. Breathing becomes labored. Any exertion that requires oxygen becomes an effort. A sense of panic begins to set in.

I almost gave up several times along the way. But after resting for only a few moments, the symptoms begin to pass. Then I felt like I could continue on. But the symptoms quickly return. So it’s very slow going having to rest so often. Lenino had brought along some Soroche pills. Both he and I took one in the taxi about an hour before we arrived. If they were helping I was very grateful. I couldn’t imagine feeling much worse.

All three of us felt the affects at one point or another. Ingrid and I finally made it to the top. Lenino was down a little ways laying down on a rock. The views were spectacular on all sides. Having actually made it to our destination I felt a slight boost of energy. I figured coming down would be easy compared to going up. So I thought the worst of it was over. But as it turned out I became even sicker on the way down. By the time I reached the last ½ mile or so, every step was painful. I felt like I was walking through mud. My balance was way off. I tripped with every step and rested every 10 steps or so. I had to put my head down to allow the blood to flow, supplying oxygen to my brain. It was a horrible feeling. I finally made it back to the small station of Ticlio and instantly fell to the ground. I propped myself up against the side of the small building and tried to gain a sense of balance. I was able to rest for a few minutes before our bus arrived. I really wasn’t wanting to move but since the bus didn’t pass that often I wasn’t given a choice. It was all I could do to force myself up the stairs to the second deck of the double decker bus and fall on the first available seat I found. I was very thankful for the comfort of being able to stretch out a little. At this point everything was a haze. My entire body hurt. I could feel myself going through the motions but it was all like a dream. I almost got sick several times but managed to keep it under control. I soon fell asleep. Every time I awoke I felt a little better. By the time we make it down the mountain after 4 hours, I was feeling pretty much back to normal. The thick air of near sea level felt good to breath into my lungs.

Lenino, Ingrid and I has some good conversation throughout the day. We discussed littering in Peru, politics, lack of education in his country, different levels of poverty, diet, Taibo. At one point on the drive up to Ticlio, the Taxi driver ate something and began to throw the garbage out the window. Lenino quickly grabbed the litter and stuck it in his pocket. He explained to me the lack of education in his country allowed people to believe that this kind of behavior was okay. In his opinion, it was a conscious effort of the government to keep people “dumbed down” because they were easier to control. Another point during the day a bus driver offering me the front seat of the crowded bus, calling me “amigo.” Not wanting to offend, I accepted the invitation but felt strange being singled out as a guest while everyone else had to suffer the crowd. Lenino explained to me afterwards that is also part of the lack of education in his country.

We found one his favorite restaurants and had Anticuchos (beef heart). I was actually surprised at how good it tasted. I found out I was Lenino first official friend from http://www.couchsurfing.com/. He was also my first official couchsurfing friend I met. Pretty cool!

Lenino escorted me back to Ricky’s house. He said we should try to get together again before I leave. Perhaps Monday evening??? Ricky, Luis and Ricky’s dad were all in the office putting a computer together for Ricky’s sister in law. I told them some highlights of my day.

We called Michael, the paraglider pilot from Aeroxtreme about paragliding the next day. He said they would have to go to Puchamac due to the lack of wind. But he said if we were still interested, to meet him at his house at 10 the next morning.

Day Two - LIMA

Darrin and Calvic

La Punta, Lima

I woke up about 8:00 AM. Ricky was already gone taking care of an issue at his kid’s school. Ricky’s dad was awake and with the help of their maid (very common for many families, even at a middle income, to hire a helper) fixed a breakfast of eggs, bread, tamales and a shake made from a fruit I had never seen before. The meal was very tasty. I thought if this is how all Peruvian meals are, I have nothing to worry about

Ricky’s dad and I had a great chat over breakfast. He talked about his work, his family and his recent incident he had with a power tool that cut off the end of his index finger. He is remaining optimistic despite the realization that his hand will never be the same. But the finger was starting to grow some and thought he might even have a fingernail again one day. Ricky’s mom came in while we were eating. I met her as Ricky’s dad encouraged her to speak in English. Mom and Dad are going to be visiting the states next month for ½ year. They will be staying with their son, Eduardo, in Washington state.

Calvic came over about 9:45 AM. We called Jaime to ask if he wanted to get together today. He said his wife was afraid I would bring them the Swine Flu. Jaime said he wasn’t worried but thought we’d better wait a couple of days to convince the wife. So Calvic and I decided to take a short tour around Lima.

Our first stop was Calvic’s house. I met Calvic’s mom. She is visiting from the states (Virginia). It had been 12 years since she had been back. She seemed happy to visit her family again in Peru but was anxious to get back to the US.

Calvic and his mother took me to La Punta, the main harbor in Lima. We took a boat ride around the bay on a small tour boat. The weather was perfect. The sky was showing a little blue. The breeze was nice. I had a nice view of the bay area. I saw a few large ships but mostly smaller fishing boats.

After the boat tour we went to Miraflores, Lima’s “rich area”. The area was made up of mostly tall apartment buildings with views of the coast. It was very clean and organized compared to the rest of Lima. We went to Miralfores’ most famous plaza. It was made up of lots of expensive looking shops and restaurants. Not a lot of people. About ½ were tourists. We looked around for a bit. Great views overlooking the bay. Calvic’s mom took us to lunch at Bembos, Peru’s version of McDonalds. The food was pretty good but outrageous in price, in Peruvian costs.

Went back to Calvic’s home to drop off his mom. Calvic went to pick up his children from school while I relaxed at his house. I helped his mom check out her airline reservations online. She is leaving the same day I am to head back home in Virginia.

We came back to Ricky’s. He was still busy working. Calvic and I decided to go check out the Zoo. It was pretty cool. Not many people. Searched for the lions. Finally found them. Not a lot of people there, either.

Calvic dropped me off at Ricky’s. Calvic had a choir performance he needed to get to. A wedding. We had dinner. “Yellow crap” is what Ricky’s brother told me the missionaries call it in Peru. It was good.

I met Miguel, Ricky’s brother. He showed me some photos of some of his hikes. He’s involved with Scouting. Miguel seems more reserved, even around his own family. But Ricky assured me he can be vocal at times. But he seemed very cool like the rest of the family.

Lenino and I had planned to get together after he finished work to discuss plans for the next day’s hike to Ticlio. He called to let me know got stuck at work. We were going to meet up at 8:00 PM. He ended up arriving at 9:00 PM. Once he arrived he said since it was so late why don’t I just sleep at his house so we can get up early the next morning. I quickly packed my pack for the hike. Ricky talked to him for a while and quizzed him making sure he was a good person and that I would be safe going with him. After about 20 minutes Ricky gave him the thumbs up. His girlfriend, Olieka, was waiting in the car. She greeted me with a hug and kiss on the cheek, which surprised me. But I soon realized that was a typical greeting in Peru between men and women. We stopped off at the “Metro” grocery store to purchase a few items for the hike; tangerine oranges and water. He also bought me some of his favorite chocolates, Sublime. He also gave me my “Chullo” Peruvian hat for my hike.

We went to Lenino’s house. His home was fairly small but very nice. I met his mom and we chatted for while. Lenino showed me a few souvenirs he has picked up along his trips over the years. Lenino invited me to sleep on the couch as he took his girlfriend home. I fell asleep about 2:00 AM.