this year.

‘All Good Things Must Come To An End’ is not just an episode of Star Trek, but the turth when trips near completion.

My time in Peru has been spectacular, enlightening, sad, depressing, and memorable. Last nights Christmas dinner was amazing. 140 people, 12 turkeys, all the trimmings, groups of tables randomly breaking into Christmas carols, The Beatles tunes, Oasis, Radiohead, Bryan Adams, Don McLean etc. The night before was depressing, as I walked through the main plaza after enjoying a lovely Alpaca steak I had to negotiate a maze of bodies, intertwined amungst each other, trying to sleep, and avoid the falling rain. These were the villagers that had come down on the night of December 23rd to set up for the huge market on December 24th. Hands upheld, trying to guilt and steal any money from you that they can. But, alas, you can’t give money to all of them, as much as you feel you should. As we drank and danced the night away, a walk out to the clubs terrance reveals a plaza of filth, garbage, children, and fire. With the firecrackers going off people described it as a tame Baghdad.

(Note to readers who know: I busted out The Shitko at the club. It goes over in Cusco as it does in Waterloo — which means well.)

I sit now in Lima, arriving a day before I depart for Canada, to ensure I made it back to the city. I feel in limbo, a state of pergatory. Nothing to really do but wait for the final taxi to the airport.

See you for New Years Canada.

All good things must come to an end.

Helen had always feared that it would be an anticlimax, that something dreamed of for a lifetime would inevitably be smaller than the dream. She had lived so much of her life in the imagination that it was for her more powerful than reality. But what towered before her was greater than anything she might have conjured. Photographs were as ashes to a live body. Nothing captured Machu Picchu, a kingdom ruined but alive.”

“The power was not just in the configurations of stones, but in the awesome setting. A thousand feet below, the Urubamba river churned through the gorge that cut around the base of the mountain. Surrounding them a circle of snow-covered peaks and green ranges towered into a dazzling sky. The Citadel at the centre.”

from Into the Fire, by Linda Davies

Continue reading ‘Machu Picchu – The Lost City Of The Inca’

The birth place of the sun, and the first Inca as legend goes. A lovely island, that takes about 3.5h to hike across. The south end is very touristy. Every building is a hostel, and everyone of them is going through extensive remodels to get ready for next summers busy season. Great views, great prices. But I continue.

Staying at a hostel on the island I met 2 Canadians, and 2 British birds. We got to hanging out in the evening, and playing cards and this Danish guy had us playing Invisible Ball. Continue reading ‘Isla Del Sol And The Invisible Ball’

Got back yesterday from a 3 day, 2 night trek in the Colca Canyon. Wow. What a magnificant place. Truly beautiful. It took about 3 hours to hike down 1200m to the base of the canyon. On the hike down we (Lisa and I) pretty much followed a few tours, but its pretty hard to go the wrong way. Head down. One tour guide we were talking with lived in the canyon, and his mother still does. She rents out beds for the night to trekers, so we decided to stay their since he was so nice. For 15soles we got a bed, and 2 meals. Fantastic price. So peaceful. No cars, no smog, no horns, no peddlers.

Day 2 saw us rise at 7am and began our walk to the oasis at 8am. The walk took us across the canyon and through remote mountain villages. Some did have power lines down to them, but others did not. The villlages were pretty quiet, and I assume the folk were out working the fields, or in town selling their fare. We reached the oasis after about 3h of walking. As we didn´t follow any tour groups this day, we didn´t take any alternative routes, however that is not to say we didn´t have some forks in the road to mull over. Decending down again to the oasis, and natrually feed pools provided the ideal setting to relax away the afternoon. Lounging by a pool surounded by valley walls, and the constant voices of rushing water.

Day 3 began at 4am, because a bus must be caught to get back to the city by 5pm. The early rise is also due to the Condors. It seems the canyon is known for its Condors. Sadly it is not really Condor season, and they are few and far between. Their lose I suppose. They had only one opportunity to see me. So there we were, 50 or so tourists (some had come from Arequipa just to see the Condors) standing at a cliff look out, looking. It reminds me of the moose crossing signs back home. How do the moose know to cross there, and how do the Condors know to fly here? No condors were seen. Sadly the bus back to Chivy (town where you must switch buses to get back to Arequipa) was extremly packed. It seems had I been a few people back in line to get on, I could have spent the 2h ride on the roof. Man, I would have loved to have ridden on the roof. The people I talked to that were up their said the view was fantastic, and you only had to be mindful of the power lines.

Time is flying to fast, so tomorrow I catch a bus with an Irish couple to Puno, with the intent being to catch another bus to Copacabana (the original), in Bolivia.

Oh, I also shaved off my awful beard. Just couldn´t keep it going. Besides, it´s a crime to hide this mug from the people of the world.

See more photos of the canyon as well as Arequipa on my flickr.

Those who know me know how i feel about ketchup. I love it. I devour it. Grilled cheese and french fries are only tools to allow me to eat ketchup. When we go for breakfast they poke fun at the amount of ketchup i use.

And I don’t care. Continue reading ‘Ketchup’