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You might remember that Eaman and I had to cancel our four-day hiking trip to Machu Picchu (here on out abbreviated as MP) after we both got pretty sick, but we weren’t about to let a little salmonella get in the way of seeing one of the wonders of the world. So once we were feeling normal again, we signed up for a four-day Inca jungle trek that fellow backpackers at our hostel raved about.
We left last Monday for a trek that involved mountain biking, river rafting, hiking through the lush, fruit-filled jungle, zip-lining, some pretty rudimentary hostels and the big cahuna: MP.
Even though pictures never convey the true beauty, I feel it’s the best way to summarize the amazing adventure.
So by now you probably know Archana is more of the writer of the two of us. Though I (Eaman) will periodically write some regular blog posts, I will mostly keep you updated of our travels through a Photo of the Week section. I guess you could say I have become a bit of a budding photog ever since I purchased an SLR approximately a year ago. Though it has been a bit difficult to travel with an SLR I think it has been worth it. So here goes with the first photo!
I’m playing some catch up with a picture from my Italy trip a few weeks ago. The above photo is of some tasty grapes (yes, I did steal some and thankfully, didn’t get caught) from a vineyard I came across during a bike ride in Tuscany. This was in the beginning of harvesting season, so the grapes are juicy and ripe. I would have to say Tuscany is one of the most beautiful places I’ve been to thanks in large part to picturesque vineyards like this.
We landed in Cusco last Friday and have accomplished the following thus far:
1. Walked the local neighborhoods
2. Sampled local cuisine at the San Pedro market
3. Visited the Pisaq market and climbed to the mountain top there
4. Contracted gastrointestinal infections
5. Contracted salmonella poisoning (Eaman)
6. Spent a night at the Cusco clinic (both)
7. Missed our four-day trek to Macchu Pichu
Because our time is free flowing and cost efficiency is key, our first flight out included a nine-hour layover in Bogota, Colombia. Unfortunately, it was from 9pm to 6am, which meant all we could really do was sleep–on cold wooden benches. It was less painful than it sounds, but at 3:30am, when we couldn’t toss and turn any longer and I was hungry from the measly airplane meaI, I grabbed an egg McMuffin at McDonalds and split a cheese croissant with Eaman. (“Solomento huevos” and “solomento queso” apparently meant nothing; both came with meat, which we just picked out.)
With food finally in my stomach, we moved on to security at about 4am, and that was when I started feeling sick. Read more »
Whenever I told anyone that I would be quitting my job to travel around the world for a year, more often than not, the response was, “I wish I could do that, but I just can’t” before rattling off a number of things holding them back, including kids, finances and fear of the unknown. I completely respect those reasons, but the one that continues to confound me is that some wouldn’t go unless there was a purpose, which I assume meant a volunteer program or structured job move.
{Looking out over Lake Nasser in Abu Simbel, Egypt, 2010}
A purpose? True, I’m not going into the Peace Corps or starting an NGO in a developing country or taking a new job opportunity, but I’m also not going on this trip to work the hostel party circuit, drink beer on the beach and have one day blur into the next (even though those are all certainly small components of the trip).
Every trip I’ve taken has taught me a lot about my beliefs, strengths, limits and passions in life. This trip is no different. It’s about focusing on myself, recharging after a grueling four years in Manhattan and, of course, having fun. That’s my purpose. Is that so wrong?
I took French in high school, so in the beginning stages of trip planning, I had daydreamed about taking intense, 9-5 Spanish classes in whatever first South American country we landed in. A part of me missed being in a classroom after being out of the school setting for four years, and I’d be able to meet like-minded travelers, maybe befriend the local teacher, who’d then serve up tips only a local would know and get a really cool job out of it. That might’ve happened if I had followed through, but I didn’t.
I realized that the thought of stepping foot into a country without knowing more than “Que pasa?” and “Muy bien” was not just intimidating but insulting as well. Who am I to come to a foreign country and not know at least some basic terms and phrases? Plus, learning the local language is an important part of long-term travel.
So to build that base, I used Rosetta Stone, the CD-based program that’s supposed to be the best of the language learning bunch, probably because it involves speaking (and thus requires a microphone). (FYI I’ve also used Pimsleur, which isn’t great.) Rosetta Stone is an expensive option, but I was lucky enough to borrow a full Spanish set (Levels 1-5) from a friend. So while Eaman used it as a refresher—he had taken Espanol in high school—I started from scratch.
I began my lessons in July, quickly got disgruntled with my slow progress, picked back up a few weeks ago with encouragement from a friend who spent a med school rotation in Ecaudor, went strong a couple weeks ago and fell short this week thanks to my busy schedule before our imminent departure.
That sort of bumpy learning curve has taught me a few things about the program. Here, some tips and lessons learned:
The trip is eight days away. Wheeeeeeeeeeee! But to be honest, it hasn’t hit me at all. I just feel like I’m visiting my parents for a bit, going on a short vacation to Peru and then returning to “normal” life in the States. I truly don’t think any of this will hit me until after Macchu Pichu at the beginning of October; that’s when we have no hostel booked, no bus ticket in our pocket and no plan in mind. (Can’t wait for that moment!)
That said, I knew just how much I needed to get done while at home, so interspersed with visits from my best friends Sara and Avni and a going-away lunch with my extended family, I began to attack my to-do list, which includes Amazon shopping, yet another shot and less fun nitty gritty tasks.
{My mom ordered this from our supermarket because, let’s face it, supermarket cakes are da bomb}
Here’s a look at my list, with what I’ve finished and what’s left to take care of during my last week at home:
I’m more than ready to leave behind the excess and embrace the low maintenance, but I must admit, there’s one thing I’m feeling a bit vain about, and it’s my curly hair. (I’m taking four T-shirts, a couple pairs of shorts and a dress as the majority of my year-long wardrobe; I think I’m allowed one vanity!) Since I refuse to take a hair dryer, flat iron or curling iron—if I’m going to do this trip, I’m going to do it right—I’m trying to reconnect with my curly hair roots.
It’s been a while since I wore my hair au natural (New York weather wasn’t very forgiving), so in effort to get my hair regimen down pat for this year of traveling, I gave up on the heat styling this summer. There was a lot to test out: Which product? How much? What about frizz control?
Yes, I too thought I was being ridiculous, but the wonderful travel blogger Kate of Adventurous Kate made me feel a little less silly with her post about traveling around the world with curly hair. Validation! Huzzah!
See, I’ve had a long and storied history with my natural curls. Exhibit A, 2 years old:
