I'll be home for Christmas... barely!

Took almost 24 hours to get home from Ecuador. Flight was delayed 7 hours in Quito... good thing my mom has taught me the rules of chatting to random people... made friends with a couple from Tennessee in the baggage line and the man took pity on me sleeping on the airport floor so he paid for me to join them in the VIP lounge while we waited for our flight to arrive. Nice! Then I missed 2 connecting flights in Atlanta... due largely in part to the fact that everyone at the Atlanta airport apparently hates life and wouldn't help me out at all, knowing that I had to make it to my gate in 15 minutes.

Back home in Canada.... snow on the ground, and lots of good food to eat. Can't believe that my trip is over already! I had an amazing time! For all of my friends that were with me in Peru (especially Kristina), attached is my favourite video from the trip.... the crazy train ride back from Machu Picchu! You just can't make this kind of stuff up!

Until the next adventure...
K

Here I am, stuck in the middle with... well, just me.

Used my last day in South America well... toured Quito (saw the Old and New towns, as well as many cathedrals), then headed to the centre of the world.. the Equator!

Quito has some beautiful sections, but overall it felt a bit shabby and unsafe compared to the cities I visited in Peru (bought some beautiful hand made scarves, though!). Visiting the museum at the equator was pretty cool... they have experiments that you can do to prove that you are exactly on the equator... like the way water drains and balancing an egg on a pin! Also, you weigh less when standing on the equator since you are at the furthest point away from the centre of the earth and it's gravitational pull... much better idea for weight loss than eating tofu!

Now, I must say goodbye to South America and start the long trek home to Canada! Boo.... but it will be nice to be home for Christmas :)

´South American Time´in full effect.

The joke here in this part of the world that the locals like to say to the tourists goes something like: ´your trip will start at 9:00am South American time´.... which most originally take to mean ´make sure your watch is set properly´. What it REALLY means is that if you are given a time in ´American Time´, you will leave at the correct hour. If you are running on ´South American time´, you should pack a book and some camping provisions, because you will likely be waiting for a long time!!

Our trip back from the Galapagos to Quito today was definitely NOT on American time. We got to the airport on Baltra island at 9:00 am, checked in, waited, waited, and then were told that the plane would not be arriving for another 3 hours MINIMUM. Note: the airport in Baltra is essentially a hut in the middle of a desert... definitely not somewhere you want to spend extended periods of time. Note # 2: while waiting, an English tourist frantically came over the loud speaker asking anyone for Benedryl, as a passenger was having a severe allergic reaction. As per the normal custom of our family, I had a large plastic ziplock bag of every imaginable drug at the ready, and was the only one there that was able to help out! (I could have also given her bandages, 10 other meds, and snacks to last about a week!). Anyway... back to the plane situation. Luckily, a GAP tours rep came to get us and we got to re-board our boat and have lunch there (the passengers we had just said bye to were very surprised to see us!). All in all, what should have been a 3 hour trip took us 11.5 hours today!

Am heading to bed soon, then exploring Quito and hopefully making my way up to the equator tomorrow before heading back to the airport to catch my 10:30pm flight for the long journey home.... to the snow!

The Galapagos Islands: Booze, boats, and boobies!

Flew from Quito to Baltra island in the Galapagos.... all the way out in the middle of the ocean! Made my way to the tiny boat that we would call home for the next 4 days (Mars and mom - you would have been mucho sea sick.. about half the boat was, but not me and my iron stomach). Even on the short journey to the boat, it was evident why the Galapagos Islands are truly unique in the world. There was exotic wildlife wandering around EVERYWHERE.... completely unconcerned with the human activity around them. Within my first few hours around Santa Cruz Island, I walked by massive marine iguanas catching some sun on the sidewalks, bright red crabs on the rocks, blue-footed boobies dive bombing for fish, and a few sea lions taking a nap on the park benches!

The next four days consisted of island hopping on the boat to see different islands that each had its own individual landscapes and resident animals, then going back to the boat each night for drinks and sleep. It was amazing to see how each island was so different given that they were all in such close proximity to one another, and also amazing to see no human inhabitants, as all but 3 islands are deemed national park reserves. Through our travels we saw giant galapagos tortoises (in the Darwin research centre), reef sharks, huge eagle rays, frigate birds mating, sea turtles mating (tis the season!), fur seals, dolphins, giant iguanas, star fish, and about a billion species of birds, fish, and plants. In the Darwin Centre, we saw a turtle named ´Lonesome George´who has now become the symbol of animal extinction. Hunters and pirates hunted all of the turtles on these islands, and most have been brought back from the brink of extinction. However George´s species only lived on one island and they were completely wiped out. George is believed to be the very last one of his kind and has been alone for the past 30 years and refusing to mate with other closely related species. Thus, once he dies, his kind will be extinct... very sad but a great lesson in conservation.

But by far and away the highlight of this trip for me was getting to snorkel with the sea lions. As I said, the sea lions have no fear of humans and we can just (respectfully) walk up to them on the beaches and they just stare at you then go back to sleeping or playing. Twice we had the opportunity to snorkel near the rocks where they lay out in the sun. On the first snorkeling trip, one sea lion jumped into swim with us and he just danced around the water and was curiously looking at us. It was quite an unreal experience, but the best one came the next day... A few of us went snorkeling and there were about 3 sea lions playing in the water. After exploring the reefs for a while, I went back to the are where the sea lions were and was swimming alone when 5 or 6 of them came swimming up to me. The water here is very shallow (about 2.5 feet max) and the tide was coming in which created waves. I swam with them and they floated around me and swam right up to my mask... one even put his nose and whiskers to my hand underwater! Once the waves picked up, a started body surfing the waves and had them all joining me on either side (thanks Dave for teaching me how to body surf)! It was completely unreal that humans could swim with these animals in the wild in their natural habitat, within inches of your face and flippers. Totally worth every penny for this trip... you should all make a point to go here on your travels before you die!

The worst part of travelling is travelling....

Last night in Peru yesterday. Got my drink on with our tour guide Vlad and the Brits Alex and Lucy (who will be with me in the Galapagos). I still can't figure out what the drinks were that we are having in this pic... they are served flaming!Confirmed what the locals already know: white girls can`t salsa. Went to bed at 3, wake up call at 6:45 to catch my flight to Quito, Ecuador. Am currently posting from the airport in Lima.... still legally drunk for sure. Had I been sober this morning, I maybe would have checked my flight status and known that it has been delayed for 2 hours. Alas, will be sleeping in a corner for a while somewhere!

Christmas is has certainly arrived in Peru.... decorations everywhere! Making me miss the weeks leading up to Xmas when mom saddles me with elaborate craft projects and gift wrapping! Passed by a nativity scene the other day complete with dinosaurs, reindeer and a giraffe! Christmas in warm climates is strange. The Peruvians tell their kids that Santa just walks in the front door, since none of them have chimneys!

Will likely not be posting until I am back in Quito on Dec 22, or home in T.O., as I leave for the Galapagos islands early tomorrow morning. Will be on a boat for 5 days exploring the different islands... sweet! Other than the hangover, the massive blisters from the hike, and the burning ant bites, I am have an amazing time!! Can`t wait for my Galapagos adventure and snorkeling with the sea lions. Trip has gone by so fast... can`t believe that I only have a week left! See you all soon!

K

Welcome to The Jungle. Aka Jurassic Park.

Flew from the highlands in Cuzco to the Amazon jungle (Peurto Muldonato). It was insanely humid and there were mosquitoes EVERYWHERE. Rained (poured) lots due to it being the rainy season. Travelled down the river in a motorized canoe to a surprisingly beautiful lodge deep in the jungle. Saw some birds, monkeys and an anteater. Fished for piranhas. On the first night, the most disgusting HUGE bug flew around our room all night... see pic attached from the `Amazon Insect book`. It was hideous and looked like a mutated fly from Jurassic Park or something. When it flew, it`s wings sounded like a bat flapping around... thats how big this sucker was.... size of my palm at least! I contemplated doing battle with it by torching it with bug spray through a candle flame, but didn´t want to get out of my mosquito net!

Kim-ism!: Was the first to follow our guide off the path into the bush as we cut our way through the swamp. Grabbed onto a tree to climb over a big log. Immediately felt my hand catch on fire and looked down to see it CRAWLING with Tambopata Ants... who bite by injecting ACID into their prey! Started screaming at our giude to get them off me (incident happened about 30 secs after the picture on the right was taken!). Ended up with six bites on my left hand (yes, the one that is already injured). The my-flesh-is-melting-off-my-bones feeling lasted for a full 5 minutes, then changed into a dull numb ache. Left hand is now swollen with ant welts. Only me.

On the last day a big snake showed up and freaked everyone out in the tiny jungle airport! Snakes (almost) on a plane!

Cuzco... kind of.

Woke up at 12 today. HUNG OVER. Briefly explored Cuzco and hit the market for some shopping. It is a really beautiful city... has a European feel to it.

Was literally ACHING for a glass of cold fresh milk... obviously nowhere to be found.

Rough day.

Machu Picchu, another hike, and a par-tay!

Woke up at 3:50am this morning. We basically RAN the whole way today... Amazing Race style! We were the first full group to arrive at the Sun Gate before 6 am this morning and were blessed with a clear fist view of the famous Machu Picchu ruins! It was amazing! Everyone reading this should go! I left an offering of a rock that I picked up at my fist steps on the trail on Day 1 to the mountain as a thank you for the great travel and weather, and then we headed down to explore the site. We were really lucky that we arrived when we did, because only a few minutes later, the sky clouded over and you couldn`t see ANYTHING (see pic of the cloud cover!) I think the video really sums up the experience.... there really are no words!

For some ridiculous reason, we decided to do the `full Inca experience` and climb up to the top of the big mountain (Winya Picchu - the mountain looming in the background). It was another greuling hour long hike, and when we got to the top, all we could see was cloud cover everywhere! Guess you can`t win `em all!

After the climb and a walking tour of the site, we headed to the town of Aguas Calientes where I promptly indulged in a huge pepperoni pizza, a soak in the hot springs, and an hour long massage! My legs (along with everyone else`s) were so sore the massage therapist could barely massage them. We then took a really weird train ride back to Ollyantambo.... it had a guy in a mask jumping around to show us a `traditional` Peruvian dance, and then a fashion show up the aisles by the train staff to sell the tourists Alpaca clothing... bizarre. On the bus ride back to Cuzco, we all vowed to complete the renouned `24 hour challenge`from the Inca trail.... when you wake up at 4 am to hike to the site, and then party until 4 am in Cuzco that night! When we arrived back in Cuzco, I thought we weren`t going to make it another 6 hours after dinner, but a few of us persevered! We did a mini bar crawl around the main square.... I didn´t get back to the hostel until 5:30 am. I may not have sufficiently trained for the trail, but I am a freaking Olympic Athlete when it comes to training for the party!

Day 3 of the Inca trail: Santa tries to numb the pain...

Again up before 6 am, and again we immediately start to trek upwards. Line up for the bathroom this morning, because, as legend has it, a woman died at this campsite in the 80s and now haunts the grounds at midnight... making the trek to the gross bathroom even more perilous! All of the porters believe this legend and will NOT leave their tents at night until sunrise the next morning!

The second day of the trail is deemed the hardest because your body is adjusting to altitude and the pace, but no one tells you that day 3 is nearly as bad. Seeing the massive steep pass that we need to climb today from our campsite, I donned the Feliz Navidad Santa hat that I bought in the market a few days earlier for 2 soles (about 30 cents)! Feelings were mixed as to whether I was bringing good Xmas cheer, or was just insane and weird. I told my friends on the trail that when I post this pic of me in the hat, not a single person who knows me from back home will be surprised!

We trekked up and down the `Inca Flat` terrain... passing some great ruins along the way (again, I will spare you the guidebook details here, but very nerdy and interesting). The site in the pic is Winay Wayna (forever young). I did some yoga on the terrace here for a while... very cool and really easy to focus for your poses while you stare at the mountains! The other pic is of me at the top of the last big pass. If I had a parachute, I would have jumped for sure

Also, no one tells you that while climbing up all of the hills is a ridiculous proposition, climbing down is nearly as bad. Your legs feel like Jello and they shake! It was at about this point that I wished I hadn`t had most of the meniscus taken out of my knee..... ouch!! For the first time in what felt like ages, we were able to `buy`a shower at the campsite on this night for 5 soles and wash of the stink of the last few days.... so nice! Most of the crew went to bed early as we have an inhumane wake up call tomorrow, but a few of us stayed up for a while and had some beers with our tour guides as they regaled us with fun stories of the trail. At night, there was a MASSIVE thunderstorm with the loudest thunder sounds I have ever heard. It was really amazing to be in the middle of it while camping on the Inca Trail, however it made us all paranoid that we would have clouds and rain tomorrow and would not be able to see Machu Picchu! (note: must be pronounced Macchu Pict-chew, which means Old Mountain in Quecheua.... when pronounced Macchu Pee-chew, it means Old Penis!)

Day 2 of the Inca Trail: What the hell were we thinking PAYING for this torture?¿?

Wake up at 6 am.... the famous grueling day 2 of the trail begins. Immediately, we began hiking upwards.... alternating between stairs and slopes... but pretty much continually hiking up. This is what the guides call `Inca Flat`which means hills and more hills. It is frigging HOT out today, which doesn`t help the exhaustion. We got to the bottom of the famous big pass called `Dead Woman`s Pass`, so named because the locals think that the outline of the mountain here looks like a woman lying dead at the top (see pic of the path up to the top... yikes). The heat, combined with the altitude and the steep angle of the hill, made the trek up VERY slow and difficult. I hiked up with Lucy and Alex (from the UK). We walked for about a minute, and then stopped for a break because we couldn`t breathe, and then repeated that all the way up! We did the pass in 63 mins, which is apparently a very decent time, but I swear to you I thought I was going to have a heart attack going up.... your heart beats so fast to try and get oxygen that you literally think it is going to explode out of your chest! I have posted a video of us a the top... hopefully it works! When we got to our campsite that day, everyone basically passed out in their tents for a nap. I took me at least a few hours to get my heart and lungs back to normal. In total today, we climbed up 4000 feet. It is my personal belief that the porters that run up this hill are aliens.

Inca Trail Day 1. The Inca Gods must think I have a fat ass....

We loaded into the bus to take us to km 1 of the 46 km, 3.5 day hike. Of course, this being a Kim travel adventure, things went wrong... we got a flat tire and had to get out and hike BEFORE we even started the hike. Sweet merciful crap.... it was already hot and I wanted to hitchhike. The locals in the town we had to haul ass through were laughing hysterically because they normally only see the tour buses (in working condition) fly by... like i need a warm up walk before the trek! Eventually, about 30 minutes down the road, our bus came flying by and picked us up.

We arrived a the official first check point, got some snacks and a banana from our guide, and the porters took off running with the rest of our stuff (we have 11 porters, 2 cooks, and 2 guides for 11 of us tourists!) and off we went. It was a beautiful sunny day, and as we hiked we thought... `this isn´t so bad...`. The first day was hot and had a few hills, but since we all work in various office settings we clearly assumed that somehow we were magically prepared for the challenge ahead. We arrived at our first stop for lunch.... the porters had got there hours earlier and set up a table and cooked a 3 course meal for us! We continued to hike (6 hours total today), passed through more ruins, and then got to our first campsite (again set up by the porters hours earlier than we arrived... they basically RUN with 25kg of stuff each!). In celebration of completing our first day , we had some beers (sold by a local woman... she had to go back down the hill 3 times to get us more beers... I think we put her kids through school that night!) and played cards. All the girls stopped drinking any and all liquids when we saw the state of the `bathroom`(term used very liberally..). It was a weird shack that had a indescribable smell and had bugs crawling everywhere! We dressed in our long johns and got into our tents, ready for the famous `day 2`of the trail tomorrow.

Am asking Santa for a baby llama in my stocking...

With tiny duffel bag and very lightly filled day pack (I learned my lesson from the island!) in hand, began the long trek to the famous Inca ruins of Machu Picchu. We loaded onto yet another bus on our way to Ollyantantambo, where we spent the night at a hostel before our official kick off day of the Inca Trail trek. Of course, we had some cultural stops along the way: a local weaving co-operative where I ignored the weaving demo and tried to abduct Eric (the baby llama!!), an alpaca wildlife reserve where we got to feed the animals (and I took a self pic with one), and then a stop on a cliff overlooking the Sacred Valley of the Incas (where they did the majority of their famous farming... see pic of me overlooking the valley). Then we stopped at the Inca ruins at Pisaq. I´ll spare you the guidebook details here, but the history is interesting and I´m sure you´ll all hear about it anyway from me later. I decided to go ¨exploring¨ here... not listening to the way our guide Victor told all of us to go, a group of 5 followed me up the wrong side... I made everyone scale the wall up and then jump down it, then accidentally put my same injured hand into the middle of a thorny cactus plant and had to pick the needles out.

Next we arrived at Ollyantantambo, an Inca site with a very impressive history and a big-ass terrace. Guidebook in 30 seconds or less: the Incas took huge rocks from a quarry 7 km up the mountain to build the site, and still today no one knows how they transported 60 tonne rocks to the top of the site. When the Spanish arrived here and conquered the area, a few remaining Incas fled to Machu Picchu but the Spanish never followed because they couldn't take their horses that way (hence why the Spanish never found Machu Picchu). We climbed to the top and I think I was about 5 seconds away from having a massive heart attack due to altitude and being a ¨right unfit bastard¨as my Brit friend Lucy called us all. We were all wary of the trek ahead considering our poor performance at this site! Our room at the hostel was freezing, so I bargained with the 2 guys working at the front desk: traded a cheeseburger for a heater (that only worked in the outlet that was in the bathroom!). Tomorrow: Day 1 of the Inca Trail!

Late night + bumpy bus ride = long day!

Explored Puno some more yesterday... It was National Police Day, and we turned the corner to get to the main square and saw a huge gathering of swat team police with their faces painted in camo and holding huge guns!! There were tanks lining the street and tons of people gathered around to watch the military parade... which included a police dog dressed as an officer! Then a few of us hired a taxi to take us to this famous boat docked at the port, except it turned out to be located in the middle of the poorest neighbourhood I have ever seen! In an uncharacteristic move for me, we decided that since it was getting dark and we were the only tourists in the only cab... we should head back to the hotel!! Sketchy! After dinner, we decided to check out a local disco in Puno.... which somehow (though not surprisingly) turned into an unofficial ¨Commonwealth Drinking Competition¨. Since I was the only Canadian and the only girl, I soon joined forces with the 2 English brothers on my trip and we took on the Aussies from another tour group. Not sure who won in the end, since we left to go to another bar after a few hours! Wake up call to catch the bus to Cuzco came promptly at 5:50 am... !! I got some breakfast in me and was doing exceptionally well compared to the British boys!

We piled onto a bus for a very long (8 hours total), extremely bumpy trek along semi paved roads. We added in a few cultural stops along the way for good measure: a pre-Incan temple site, a roadside market in the Plano Alto (high flat lands) of the Andes, and a very ornate and interesting church known as the ¨Sistine Chapel of the Americas¨ (and yes, you better believe I will be using that one in a future Jeopardy category!). At the place where we stopped for lunch there were a bunch of alpacas hanging around. I of course tried to get right close to one for a picture and it jumped up at lightning speed and charged at me (see pic of me jumping away from it!). They are really funny looking creatures, and the pure black ones are used only for sacrifices as they are considered to be the highest quality of the breed.

Health update: other than my (likely infected) hand, a small headache and a nosebleed, I am in excellent shape! A few of the other people on the trip have been pretty sick, so I guess all of the many many health tips I received and followed are paying off! (thanks Aunt Gale!).

Bathroom update: the worst I have ever encountered in my years of traveling... apparently when the Spanish conquered this region, they took all of the flushing toilets, toilet seats, toilet paper, and hand soap too! Yikes!

Tonight I have to pack an insanely small duffel bag that the porters will carry for me on the Inca Trail, along with a day pack that I will carry. We leave tomorrow morning for Ollanta, and then the following day.... the trek officially begins! I am excited to take on the trail, but have talked to some fellow tourists who have just finished it and I get the impression that we are in for a very hard few days! I wont be back from the trail until Wed night, so no posts for a while! I´ll send you all of the great pics from Machu Picchu upon my return to Cuzco (which is an incredibly beautiful city that I will tell you all about in later posts when I have had more time to explore.. aka shop.) Wish me luck on the trail!!

High seas (actually lakes) adventure...

Got up early yesterday and took a tuk-tuk (picture attached) to the shores of Lake Titicaca to board a very rickety boat for a 3 hour journey to explore the islands of the lake. First stop was Taquile Island. The natives there are very traditional, except for the fact that the women spin all of the wool and the men are responsible for all of the knitting (see pic of me sitting beside and old man knitting a traditional hat). After having lunch on the island, we travelled a short distance to Amantani Island. Upon arrival on both islands, our guide took us on a ¨mild¨ hike to the top... we were all sweating and barely made it up. This was the best lesson I will ever get in the virtues of packing VERY LIGHT, as I obviously overpacked and payed for it the whole way up! On Amantani Island, we were split into small groups and introduced to our host families that we will be staying with overnight. While the people of the island are very poor, they are extremely friendly and very proud of their modest homes. We stayed with a couple named Ruben and Mahora, as well as their son Joel and one set of grandparents. We watched Mahora make dinner and I asked (in broken Quechea, the native language) if I could help. She gave me a carrot and a huge dull knife, and I think she was less than impressed by my kitchen skills (see mom - I can cook if I have to... kind of!). We ate in the tiny kitchen and then gave the family gifts: rice, pasta, sugar, candles, etc. After dinner, they dressed us in traditional clothing for the night´s fiesta, where we danced and drank with the locals and another group of tourists. (Mars - there was a guy from Adelaide, but he didn't know Glen!). It was truly an unforgettable experience to see the was these people live... and makes my place on Yonge look like a mansion! (especially the bathroom!!)

After we had a ¨pancake¨breakfast with the family, we got back on our boat and travelled to the floating island of the Uros people. The island is built entirely of reeds about 2 meters deep and floats in the lake. It was built when fisherman fled from the conquering Incas and now they live there and have made the houses out of reeds too!! Crazy!!

Off to explore more of Puno (and the local discos!) and then taking a 6 hour bus ride to Cuzco tomorrow. Stay tuned!

First full day... first Kim-ism injury recorded!

I arrived at my hotel in Lima (with my luggage!!) at 1:15 am and then was off at 9:00 am back to the airport for a flight to Puno high in the Andes! The small group of 10 I am travelling with is great, and very diverse: Ireland, USA, Denmark, England, Peru and even Yellowknife (!). I have had a fantastic day travelling around this city (located on the edge of Lake Titicaca at 3 825m above sea level).

So our guide tells us all to take it easy and just relax for the first few days in the city. So, you guessed it, I convinced my roommate Kristina (USA) and 2 brothers from England to hike up to this huge cliff overlooking the city where there is a statue of the first Inca ruler (Guidebook fact - the first Incan ruler was said to be born from the Sun and landed on the shores of the lake, so the statue depicts him looking out over his birthplace before going off into the mountains to form the Incan civilization). So anyway, the 4 of us hike up to the top (way out of breath form the thin air) and take some great pics (see pic of me sitting on rock) and on the way down there is a concrete slab that the local children have somehow decided to use as a slide. I convince Kristina to slide down with me as all of the locals look on at the "crazy gringas" (see pic of us on "slide"). So on the way down, she panics, yanks my arm and twists me sideways, so that I land very hard, facing backwards, right on my a$s at the bottom. The crowd of locals exploded with laughter and loved it even more when I got up and took a bow! Now one of my 2 pairs of pants and one of my tops is all dirty and I`m only one day in... and then I look down at the nice sized dirty rock that has embedded itself into the palm of my left hand! Never fails! I threw some tea tree on it and am hoping for the best!! (p.s. all computer instructions are in Spanish, so I have no idea how to rotate this picture!)

I have also had some adventurous food as well... Alpaca steak for lunch (no cholesterol and tastes almost like steak!) and GUINEA PIG (called cuy in Peru) for dinner!! It is really popular here and is eaten as a staple by the locals (seriously). see picture attached... you can´t really see it, but the thing comes with its teeth and tiny little paws still attached... I was traumatized by the though of my pet guinea pig from long ago, but had to give it a try! It tasted like really bad extremely chewy chicken... thank god I only split it with some girls as an appetizer! After dinner we hit a fun club for some cerveza and Pisco sours, and I´m now off to bed, as we have to be up at 6:30 am tomorrow to catch a boat to the Uros Islands on Titicaca and our homestay with some locals. Can¨t wait!