Our apologies. It´s been entirely too long since the last post. We were so exhausted after finishing our 5 day trek that we really hit the R&R hard when we got back to Cuzco. A lot has happened since then, so this post may be a bit long.

Tuesday we embarked on our 5 day trek to Machu Picchu. We found what seemed like a great deal ($200/person) at a local agency. Initially, we were a bit suspicious, since the other more reputable companies cost more than $350/person and we had just previously been scammed on the bus to Cuzco. We decided to go for it, and we were picked up by minibus Tuesday morning bright and early at 4:30 AM.

We took a bus to a small town a few hours from Cuzco and had breakfast before we began the trail. There we met our trekking partners: Eric & Tihjs from Holland, Lars & Tor from Norway, and Mark & Isabell from Holland and Peru, respectively. Awesome people. Looking back, I wouldn´t have changed our group for anything. Everyone was very patient and we meshed exceptionally well. Our guide´s name was Kenny, a Cuzco resident who has experience guiding tours in the nearby Jungle where his Father lives. His Mother lives in Arequipa, where I´m writing this post from.

The first day was tough. The occasional flat trail was a welcomed gift after hours of quad-popping vertical climbing. The altitude didn´t help at all either, but thankfully noone got sick. Aside from hiking, most of the day was spent getting to know our new friends and learning about the local flora and fauna from Kenny. We made it to our first camp at the base of Salkantay just before nightfall (which comes early here, around 6ish, mas o menos). Our bags were transported to the camp site earlier in the day by pony, and our porters had our tents and stuff ready to go when we got there. This was common every day of the trek and I am very very appreciative of the hardwork of these men. They would always hike ahead (which was a simple task for them... many of them didn´t even seem to break a sweat) and set up the kitchen tent for lunch, and then later in the night, dinner. The first night was literally freezing cold. Jessie and I had washed some close the day before we left, but since our Hostel was indoors, the clothes didn´t dry. We laid them out on our tent when we arrived in hopes that they would dry enough to be worn the next day, but the next morning we woke up to shirts and underwear frozen stiff the the top of our tent. Oops.

The second day was arduous. No, it was absolute hell. The ENTIRE day was spent hiking to the peak of Salkantay mountain, uphill (in Quechua, Salkantay means ¨Savage Mountain¨ :-/ ). The path criss-crossed up the side of the mountain, and if it had been anymore vertical, we would of had to of used our hands. The sun was scorching in the thin air, but the temperature was brisk and cold. I must have changed my jacket 3 or 4 times.... taking it off and putting it back on; the moment you move into the shade the temperature drops considerably. On the last part before we reached the peak, Jessie put her headphones on to give her an extra boost. I must say, I wish I had had headphones at that moment. She just took off up the path and I was seriously DYING trying to keep up with her! Nevertheless, we all made it and took an awesome photo at the top. The peak was beautiful. All the previous hikers that had made it there had stacked numerous piles of rocks onto eachother; vestiges of human presence at the peak of the savage mountain. Before beginning our descent, I picked up my rock and placed it gently on top of one of the stacks. Much better than a free T-Shirt.

The rest of the day we hiked downhill (which is not exactly easy on the legs). It was amazing to see the changes in climate as we descended. The first day we hiked through high altitude, dry forest. The second day we experienced the dry & cold desolation of the peak as well as the forest again and finally the increasing humidity of the trees that bordered between the dry forest and the lowland jungle. In each of these places different crops are grown and different ways of life are implemented. It was truly amazing to see this vertical ecological system in a span of 2 days. The speed of our hike was perfect in recognizing the patterns and differences in subsistence of the people who lived on the mountain. Our second camp was in a small village in the jungle where farmers were burning their terraced plots on the hills behind us to release nutrients back into the soil for future cultivation. The second night was nice, except for a few swarms of mosquitos (deet solved that problem).

The third day we continued down the mountain. At this point walking had become meditation... repitition after repitition that brought my attention continuously into the present moment surrounded by the lush green foliage of the mountain jungle. Breathing became easier as we descended from the altitude and the release from physical strain allowed for more time to take in the beautiful scenery instead of focusing on ascending the next step. Perhaps it also become easier because we were told we´d reach a beach at the end of the day. The last stretch was a sandy road that led to a small village with a few shops and a sign that pointed down a rocky road that read "Playa" (beach in Spanish). Although I wouldn´t consider it a beach, the rocky bank of the river was still nice to take a frigid bath in. The sore muscles welcomed the cold water and many people hung out on the rocks, bathing in the sun and the knowledge that the rest of the day could be spent relaxing (the hike was only a half day). Jessie, Tihjs, Eric and I played gin and drank beer before dinner. Dinner was the usual: soup, tea, rice, meat, tomatoes. After dinner, our guide Kenny took us over to the one room school house next to our camp site. They were celebrating their 18th anniversary. The children watched from the windows as their parents partied it up and danced inside their school. The desks were pushed to the sides of the room and people sat, talked, laughed, danced, and drank. The man sitting next to me was *very* happy to see us. He informed me of the anniversary and he and I talked of the rural Peruvians relationship to the tierra (´land/earth´ in Spanish). He was also kind enough to share his bottle of beer with me. Jessie was fortunate enough to be asked to dance by one of the locals. Despite her sore calves, she learned the dance everyone seemed to be doing; a suttle shuffle of feet back and forth with a touch of hip movement. I sat and watched her while sharing beer with man next to me; she was having so much fun! I, however, wasn´t so fortunate to be asked to dance (I´m a bad dancer anyways) so after the song was over Jessie and I went outside to the nearby soccer field to watch our hiking companions take on the local children. Jessie and I stood in the shadows and watched with our guide, Kenny. We spoke to Kenny about all kinds of things: The tendency of people in Arequipa to place themselves above those in Cuzco, their supposed disrespect for people who speak Quechua ( a local indigenous language found in Peru & Bolivia), the lack of respect for Americans abroad (based on foreign policy), and the nature of trade between the different ecological zones on the mountain. After the guys got their butts kicked by the local children in soccer, we returned to the camp site and went to bed. Tomorrow we were to hike to Aguas Calientes, the town right outside Machu Picchu.