Cusco & Machu Picchu

My last adventure in South America was a trip to see the famous lost city of Machu Picchu (on the left), labeled by many as the greatest archeological site in South America. Located near Cusco, Peru, the city was built 2,430 meters above sea level (8,900 feet) at the top of a mountain in such a secluded spot that it wasn't rediscovered until 1911.

For any trip to Machu Picchu one must begin their journey in Cusco. Located at 3,300 meters (a little more than 10,000 feet) you find yourself short of breath and dizzy when you first arrive. Given the altitude, its amazing that there are over 300,000 people that live here. Because of its proximity to Machu Picchu, the city itself is touristy - I didn't realize how many friends I had until I arrived in Cusco and everyone and their brother approached me with the expression "My friend...." trying to sell me something. However once you get past the aggressive vendors, you quickly begin to appreciate the city and its history.

Plaza de Armas in Cusco - From Cusco & Machu Picchu

Once the capital of the Incan Empire, which until the Spanish and their diseases arrived was the largest empire in the world, Cusco and the surrounding Sacred Valley offer a wide variety of ancient sites. Touring the various sites you quickly appreciate how advanced the Incans were. Many structures were built with massive stones that weighed up to 80 tons and were cut so precisely that no mortar was needed. In fact their construction methods were so sound that many of the original foundations still remain despite numerous earthquakes that have occurred over the years.

From Cusco & Machu Picchu

After three days in Cusco I set out on a five day trek to Machu Picchu. While most people travel the famous Incan trail to the Machu Picchu (the only way which directly takes you to the site) I was unable to book a slot in time for my trip. Happily there were other options and I joined a tour with five other travelers that took us along the Salkantay trek to Aguas Caliente, the town closest to Machu Picchu.

Mt. Salkantay - From Cusco & Machu Picchu

Passing by Salkantay Moutain, our trek took us up to 4,600 meters (15,000 feet) on the first and second day and then led us downhill into a valley for the following two days. As a result I experienced a variety of climates, going from sub zero temperatures on the first day to sub tropical conditions on the third and fourth days (and a wide variety of biting bugs as well!). Even though I felt like I was in shape, climbing up to 4,600 meters was one of the harder challenges I've faced in a while. At times if felt like I could only go about five steps before I needed to stop and catch my breath. I was lucky enough to have a great group and guide with me along the way, and we all supported each other through the laborious ascent to 4,600 meters.

From Cusco & Machu Picchu

The entire trek was amazing, with stunning mountains, paths along steep cliffs, all types of farm animals along our path in the valley (and unfortunately roosters that woke me around 3:30 am for three days straight), and a drunk cook who kept us up until about 1 am in the morning on our final day of camping. Thankfully he saved this little stunt until our last day and the only real damage was a bad breakfast the next day.

Arriving in Aguas Caliente on the afternoon of our fourth day, we went to bed early in anticipation of an early departure for Machu Picchu the next morning. Rising early we caught a 5:30 am bus to the site with about 300 other visitors. Getting their early allows you to get in line to climb Huayna Picchu, a mountain that rises over Machu Picchu and allows you to get a complete view of the city (in the picture at the top of this post, it is the mountain in the background on the right hand side). Little did I know that this visit would test my dormant fear of heights. With a narrow path built into the side of the mountain and a summit that has structures with ledges and foot paths that border between 500 and 1,000 meter drop offs, the ascent to the top was nerve racking to say the least.

Machu Picchu seen from Huayna Picchu - From Cusco & Machu Picchu

The view from the top... - From Cusco & Machu Picchu

After a tense 30 minutes at the top (with many of my friends wondering if I was going to make it) we descended down to Machu Picchu and spent the next 2 hours touring the city. With much of the city intact you get the chance to peer into the Incan culture like no where else and quickly appreciate how advanced they were (i.e. their use of terraces on the side of the mountain for agriculture and retention). It was and still is an amazing city and I highly recommend that if you get the chance you visit this site. I hope my pictures do it justice. Given it was my last adventure in South America as part of this trip, I am glad I saved this visit until last.

From Cusco & Machu Picchu

From Cusco & Machu Picchu

From Cusco & Machu Picchu

Peru

I was originally booked on a flight back to the US on April 3o, but I decided to extend my stay in South America for over a month and take in Peru on my way home. Hoping to practice my Spanish some more I decided to sign up for a volunteer opportunity for the month. Through my research I came across Bruce Peru, a nonprofit organization set up to help children with basic education. Even better, Bruce Peru also had a small project that involved working with a expat American, Michael, who was trying to set up a Peruvian based business that would make wind generators and solar water heaters. The organization, Wind Aid, was established to provide affordable energy solutions for Peruvians that did not have access to electricity from the grid (approximately 25% of the countries citizens do not have access to electricity). Given my interest in getting into the renewable energy space when I return to the states, it was a great opportunity for me to get exposure to the field. After a weekend stop in Lima (that's the Presidential palace above), where I stayed with my Mom's cousin it was off to Trujillo for the month.

A Wind Aid wind turbine (2 KW) - From Peru

Solar hot water panel - From Peru

Working with Michael and his team of two Peruvians, I helped construct wind turbines and solar hot water panels from basic materials and advised Michael on ways he could improve his production and grow the business. A true start up, the company was based at Michael's house and we used his garage for construction of the product. It was a great experience and I learned a lot about the challenges of manufacturing and operating a business in Peru, where even the process of getting raw materials and parts can at times be challenging.

Building turbine blades - From Peru

You can read more about Wind Aid by clicking on the this link. You can also learn more about Bruce Peru by clicking here.

Cathedral in Trujillo - From Peru

View from the Plaza de Armas in Trujillo - From Peru

When I wasn't working I was able to take in the historic city of Trujillo, the third largest city in Peru, and the surrounding area, which included a number of pre Incan ruins. Once impressive site was Chan Chan, the largest Pre Columbian city in South America. The city lasted from AD 850 to approximately 1470 AD when it was conquered by the Incans. Thought to be the worlds largest adobe city, it is impressive site that spreads out over 20 square km.

Chan Chan - From Peru

In addition to site seeing I also tried my hand at surfing in the nearby surfing town of Huanchaco. While I did barely manage to get up, I found that I do much better when the ground isn't moving beneath me.

Santiago, Valparaiso & Cordoba

Finished up my three week trip in Santiago, Chile on Easter weekend (You can see how much distance we covered on the left). After three long weeks on the road the trip had come to an end. A bit sad leaving the group after spending so much time with them but I was glad to be moving on to a new part of the trip none the less. With a little over a week before I had to be back in Buenos Aires, I decided to spend the weekend in Santiago with a few of the remaining people from my tour, take in Valparaiso (only an hour away) for a day and then head to Cordoba, Argentina, a university town that was supposedly quite nice.

After a farewell tour dinner on Good Friday night in Santiago, it was off to Valparaiso the next morning. A port town that used to be used by ships heading to the west coast of the US before the Panama Canal opened, Valparaiso has been labeled the cultural capital of Chile. With colorful houses, artisans everywhere and amazing wall art (aka graffiti) the city offers much to see for the sightseer. We all had a great time walking up and down the many hills, riding the ancient ascensors (100 year old cars that were pulled up the steep hills by cables) and taking in the amazing wall art.

From Valparaiso, Chile

From Valparaiso, Chile

From Valparaiso, Chile

As the next day was Easter Sunday, we started off by going to mass at the Cathedral in Santiago, where I struggled to follow the sermon in Spanish. Aside from being able to understand that Jesus is life I had no idea what was being said the entire time. To top things off, given that I was not raised Catholic, I was completely lost as I tried to follow the rituals. Despite my best efforts, I found myself kneeling when I should have stood, standing when I should have kneeled and crossing myself at the completely wrong times. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the experience and figured that God probably wasn't too upset with me given I had tried!

The Cathedral in Santiago - From Santiago, Chile

Following the service, 6 of us set out to explore Santiago. It was a beautiful sunny day and we walked all over the city. A modern city by any standards, Santiago is easy to get around. It has a first class subway, the streets are clean and modern and old building dot the skyline as far at the eye can see. The best view of the city can be seen from the top of Cerro San Cristobal, a hill that is about 300 meters above the city. From there you can appreciate how large the city is and how it spans out in every direction. To top things off, there is a 22 meter statue of the Virgin Mary at the top, who peacefully looks out over the city. Despite the ever present layer of smog that blankets the city we were still able to take in an amazing view that day.

The Virgin Mary - From Santiago, Chile

From Santiago, Chile

After spending the weekend in Santiago, it was off to Cordoba, Argentina (after a one day stay in Mendoza). Situated 10 hours by car to the west of Buenos, Aires, Cordoba is the second largest city in Argentina, with approximately 1 million residents. A university town, there are thousands upon thousands of students throughout the city. The city had its share of museums, old buildings, parks and an iconic cathedral (see below), but what I found to be the most impressive was a small museum that had been established to remember those who had been kidnapped by the government during the dictatorship period in Argentina (1973 to 1983).

From Cordoba, Argentina

Approximately 30,000 people (desaparecidos) were taken during this period and never heard from again. As I learned more about this dark period in Argentina, I couldn't help but appreciate how good we have it in the US. Many off those who were taken had spoken out against the government or were part of the academic community. Often their children were given to prominent military families, never to be seen again. And after being tortured, many were flown out to the middle of the Rio Plata and dropped to drown in the river.

The Detention Center - From Cordoba, Argentina

The museum was on the site of a former detention center in Cordoba. With dingy white walls, peeling paint and crumbling plaster, the building was depressing. Pictures of those who had been taken lined one wall along with descriptions of them, who they were and what they loved. Various personal items were also on display, reminded anyone there that these people were real and had lives like anyone else. While it was a chilling visit, it was definitely the highlight of my time in Cordoba. If you want to learn more about this sad period in Argentinean history, click on this link which will take you to Project Disappeared, a site dedicated to remembering this dark time.

Desaparecidos - From Cordoba, Argentina

On my final day in Cordoba I travelled to Quebrada del Condorito, a nearby gorge where Condor's raised their young and taught them how to fly. After an hour and a half hike to the gorge, I was amazed to be able to see dozens of condors glide within 20 feet of me. One could truly loose track of time staring at these majestic birds as they glided the thermals over the gorge.

See the white tips of the Condor? - From Cordoba, Argentina

Climbing a Volcano

After walking on a glacier, my next challenge was climbing a volcano. After two days of travelling from El Charlten we arrived in Pucon, Chili. A small resort town, it is located at the foot of the Villarrica volcano, one of Chili´s most active volcanoes. The town is quite modern and reminded me of similar resort towns in Colorado. (The volcano from a distance below)

From Patagonia

Early the next day we set out with our guide to climb the volcano. While the volcano also offers skiing in the winter, the only way to the top is on foot. Following our guide we moved forward in single file and after an hour and a half we reached the snow line. There we stopped to put on crampons and reviewed how to use our ice picks to stop us from sliding down the mountain in the event we lost our footing, for the next part of the trek was uphill at about 45 degrees.

From Patagonia

Following a switchback pattern, we slowly ascended toward the summit. About an hour into the second part of our trek we passed a thirty year old concrete shell of a ski lift that was destroyed by an eruption in 1973. Thankfully the owners had gotten the hint and decided to build on a different part of the mountain for their next attempt. With the smell of sulphur everywhere we reached the summit and enormous smoking crater (see below). With Pucon below us and another volcano in the distance and countless other mountains around it, it was an amazing view. Perhaps the only drawback was the 100 or other people up at the summit as part of other tours.

From Patagonia

After 30 minutes at the top we started our descent, slowing navigating our way to the snowline, lest we slip and slide all the way down. Reaching the snowline we removed the crampons and other gear which we had needed and were able to bound down the rest of the volcano, as the volcanic ash was as soft as sand. Racing down the mountain it took us less than an hour to reach our transport and a ride home.

Walking on Glaciers

The final part of my trip through Patagonia started in El Charten, a small town that is the self proclaimed capital of trekking in Argentina. At the foot of Mt. Fitzy Roy, one of the world´s most technically challenging climbs, the town exists only during the summer when thousands of people flock in to take advantage of the surrounding terrain. We arrived right at the end of the season, with the town literally in the process of shutting down. Despite the ongoing shut down process a few guides still remained and the next morning a group of us set off on an all day trek to the nearby glacier. Leaving before the sun rose, we wound our way through small hills until we reached a base camp of sorts. There we gathered our crampons and harnesses and enjoyed tea and biscuts before heading out for glacier.

After zip lining across a river we finally made it to the glaciar around mid day. From afar these massive formations of ice usually look quite smooth, however when you are walking on them you quickly realize a couple of things. First they are as hard as rock. Second they are jagged and have a very uneven surface. Rocks and debris cover the surface and small streams can be found everywhere. In addition, alonside the small paths are large drop offs or holes, which if you fall down, as our guide put it, all they´ll pull up is pieces of meat. And given the South American perspecitive on safety (that is that you are pretty much on your own not to act stupid) the guide had no problem taking us right up the edges of these holes or having us walk along narrow narrow paths.

After arriving at the glacier we spent about three hours walking around its surface and doing a bit of ice climbing as well. Climbing up a 20 foot wall of ice was great but it was damn hard. Its all technique, but being a typical guy I tried to muscle my way through the climb and found myself completely exchausted by the end.



At the end of our time on the ice, we hiked back to the river, crossed it once again, had a bit more tea and then it was a race home, trying to reach the town before the sun set. Thanks to some good hiking companions we arrived home in time to use the remaining daylight to navigate our way back to the hotel. (That´s Fitz Roy on the far right of the picture below - taken as we raced home).

On the road across Patagonia

Never realized how big Patagonia was until I took my trip. Miles and miles of nothing. Over a three week trip, our truck covered some 5,000 km which meant a lot of time riding around. At times we would spend over 12 hours in Peggy.
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Saw a lot of beautiful landscapes and a lot of desolate landscapes. We covered a lot of unpaved road, got stuck in mud that was more like clay and stopped at a couple of out of the way roadside haciendas (homes that also offered food). One had even housed Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid during their brief stay in Argentina at the turn of the century.

My favorite though was the one that had a cow, goats, sheep and guanacos that you could pet. Below you´ll see my portrait with the guanaco (a minature llama is the best way to describe these guys).

Perito Moreno Glacier

After our visit to Torres del Paine, it was on to the Perito Moreno Glacier in Southern Argentina, located near El Calafate. One of the most famous glaciers in Argentina due to its UNESCO status as a world heritage site, it draws thousands of visitors each year. Because of this fame, a walkway has been set up near the face of the glacier allowing visitors to get an up close view of this amazing display of nature. One of the most attractive things about this glacier is that is actively moving. Each day it moves forward about 1.7 meters (because it is receding at the same rate, it stays in the same place). As a result, large chunks of ice are constantly calving off of its leading face and the glacier itslef its constanly groaning as ice rubs against ice.

It makes for mesmirzing site and one can find him or herself staring at it for hours and hours, which is what our group did when we arrived. With a footprint of nearly 250 sq. miles and a face that is 3 miles in length and 200 feet high the glacier takes up your entire view. While we never saw any large dramatic displays of ice breaking off from the glacier we saw enough pieces fall and heard enough explosions from within it to walk away awestruck. I hope you enjoy the pictures I´ve uploaded here and on my photo album.

Torres del Paine

Reminder: click here to see my online photo albums and more pictures of my trip

Arrived in Torres del Paine National Park, Chile after two days on the road. A popular destination, the area offers outstanding hiking and is also known for its three large rock towers (the Torres). The first day in the park we went to view the nearby Grey Glacier. Best seen from boat, we hiked about a mile to the lake where we then took a ride by boat right up to the face of the glacier. Being my first visit ever to a glacier I was amazed by how blue the ice was in places. 50 times denser than the ice you find in your freezer, glaciers result from snow compressing itself over thousands of years. With their craggy faces and jagged edges, glaciers up close are both beautiful and scary. Its hard to believe that they shaped much of this planets topography, yet when you see them up close and realize how dense they are, you realize its just a matter of time for them and that as they move forward anything in their path is going to be crushed. After taking in the magnificent view we were rewarded with Pisco Sours from the crew of the boat - not a bad way to start our time in the park.

Despite the amazing scenery, Mother Nature was not in a good mood during our time in the park and it was only on the final day that we actually saw blue sky. As such we were all a bit apprehensive for the following day when we set out on a 20km hike up to a view point to take in the rock towers that give the park its name. While the day started off with brief spots of sun, it quickly turned to rain, turning what should have been a beautiful hike into one of the coldest treks I have ever done. By the time I reached the view point, the rain had turned to snow and the torres were barely visible. Of the 20 of us that set out for the view point, only half of us made it to the view point. Despite being colder and wetter than I can ever remember I distinctly remember reminding myself that the trek was still better than any day I had spent in front of a desk! Arriving back at the hotel at the beginning of the trail, I was greeted by many other cold and wet hikers who had decided to use the radiators in the beautiful lobby as their own personal drying racks. With about 40 of us in there drying our clothes the poor hotel staff did their best to shepherd arriving guest quickly to their rooms, lest the guest began to question their decision to stay there.

From Patagonia

During our final day in the park, we went horseback riding. For some reason that I´ve yet to discover, I´ve been attracted to image of horseback riding for some time now (and even have a dream of owning a ranch in Montana one day). Getting the chance to go riding was something I couldn´t pass up. About 8 of us went that day and it was by far the highlight of the trip for me. After getting set up with our horses we set out with the gauchos (cowboys), two of the coolest cats I´ve ever seen. Both had plenty of facial hair and smoked cigarettes non stop (see picture below). What was amazing about both of them was how much control they had over their horses and the minimal amount of control they used on the horses. They would gallop past me at times, leaning back with one hand in their pocket, cigarette hanging from one corner of their mouth, almost as if they were bored and just hanging out waiting for the next big thing to happen.

So off 8 of us went on our horses, first following the river that ran along side the ranch. It was quite an impressive scene with the mountains in the distance. A pack of dogs from the farm ran alongside us, running in between the horses legs at times and generally being a nuisance. After a certain point, we turned away from the river and headed toward the hills, passing free range horses and cows along the way. Sure enough the dogs in their mischeavous ways took it upon themselves to harras the cows and soon enough there was a full on stampede! Leaving the cows we entered a forrest, where the horses picked their way between old withered trees. Low branches were all around us and we had to be careful to duck low to avoid hitting our heads. My horse seemed to have a sense of humor as he constantly took us right by the trunk of the trees where the branches were lower - he clearly wanted to have me run into one of them!

Emerging from the trees we crossed a bog about a foot deep in water. As we finished our crossing the guy in front of me, Wei, caught the hood of his jacket on a low hanging branch. As his horse continued to move forward he was pulled back. Initially he was able to stop the horse but despite my best efforts to free his hood, he couldn´t keep his horse still (probably because mine was right behind his and started to push his horse forward) and next thing you knew Wei fell right into the bog. Having just gone through the drenching hike the day before, the first thing out of his mouth was ¨damn, I just got these shoes dried!¨ Covered in mud and soaked, the poor guy looked pitiful. And yet it was one of the funniest things I have ever seen! Even the gaucho, normally straight faced, couldn´t help laughing.

Once Wei got back on his horse we continued our ride back into the forrest were we witnessed a second stampede, this time with horses and once again the result of those damn dogs. Emerging from the forrest we had wide open plain between us and the ranch, and the horses took the opportunity to stretch their legs and it was off to the races. What a rush! Despite the weather and the setback we encountered on our hike the day before, ending with this ride definitely made the time in Torres del Paine worth it.

After a fiesta that night at the camp site (everyone was jazzed up from the ride) it was an early start the next day to get back on the road for our next destination, the Perito Moreno glacier. More to follow...

One other thing...

We stopped by a penguin colony on our way into Chile. Saw these little guys up close. They were pretty impressive standing there despite the strong bitter cold winds that were whipping in off the sea. Didn´t seem to phase them one bit!

Ushuaia & Tierra del Fuego

Ushuaia

Just got back from my trip through the Patagonian region of Argentina and Chile and know that I'm long overdue for an update. So here goes.... Signed up for a three week tour with Tucan Tours back in February. One of my friends from school was going and suggested that it would be a good way for me to see more of Argentina and Chile. On a whim I signed up and found myself on March 22 flying down to Ushuaia, Argentina, the last city in the world before Antarctica. Ushuaia relishes its role as the city at el fin del mundo (the city at the end of the world). A touristy town to say the least, it sits on the Beagle Channel nestled up against large mountains which surround the city on all sides. The city offers hiking up to the Martial Glacier and Tierra del Fuego National Park and also serves as a launching point for boats going on to Antarctica. On my second day there I hiked up one of the nearby mountains where I was able to take in a bird's eye view of the city and port. Later that day my group took a boat tour of the Beagle Channel (named after the very ship that later carried Charles Darwin). On the ride we saw numerous sea lion colonies and cormorants (black and white ocean birds that from afar look like Penguins - or so everyone hoped when they were first spotted). We also took in the iconic red and white lighthouse in the channel (at the end of the day its just a lighthouse but it does look picturesque with the mountains in the background).

From Ushuaia it was on to Tierra del Fuego National Park where we took in a full day of hiking. Walking along the La Costeria trail we followed the shoreline were we witnessed breathtaking views of the Beagle Channel and mountains all around. Winding in and out of the ancient forrest full of wintergreen and beach trees I couldn't help but be reminded of the stunning scenes from the Lord of the Rings movies. Although it was early in the trip, this hike proved to be one of the highlights of my entire time on the trip.

The following day we hit the road (we ended up covering close to 5,000 km on this trip) in our big yellow truck which we called Peggy. We spent a lot of time on that truck (up to 13 hours a day at times). Thankfully it came with comfortable seats, games and big windows to take in the Patagonian landscapes. After stops in two small towns to spend the night (Rio Grande, an airforce base town where planes were launched to during the Falklands War and Punta Arenas) we arrived in Torres del Paine national park in Chile. I'll fill you in on my adventures in Torres del Paine in my next post.

Peggy