The things we seek, the stories we tell…

Category: Travels

  • The logistics of getting from here to there.

    The logistics of getting from here to there.

    Planes, trains, vans, buses, taxis, boats, bikes, horses, and of course, our feet.

    I enjoy maps. And I like looking back and seeing what’s been accomplished. I tried two methods of capturing the trek using my iPhone. One was to use a mapping software, the other was to use the Health app. By putting my phone both in Airplane and Low Power mode, I could spend the day taking photos and not drain the battery. I’ve found that the Health app did a really good job of counting steps and miles, but did a poor job on elevation (floors) and was wildly low. But the mapping software was wildly high. I think the GPS struggled with accuracy in the steep terrain and not enough satellites were visible. So for elevation I simply reviewed the topographic maps after the fact and tallied the ups and downs. And I feel this is pretty close.

    The table ONLY includes data for foot travel. And it does not include the 10 mile bike ride in Miraflores. So it’s kinda fun to see that indeed there was a lot of trekking, some of it unexpected. For example, we thought Amantani and Tequile Islands would be pretty easy. But a nearly 1,000 foot climb to the top of Pachatata on Day 14, starting at 12,400 feet, was actually a pretty good haul!

    Interestingly, also on Day 14, I couldn’t understand why there were so many steps for me and not Patricia. And then it hit me. Aha! Dance night! There was a lot of stepping going on and Patricia didn’t have her phone on her!

    Anyway, 302,346 steps, 110 miles, and over 12,000 feet of climbing feels like a pretty good accomplishment for us old people. It was the hardest thing Patricia has ever done and the hardest thing we’ve ever done together.

    But what I really want to say up front, is…

    I’ll probably wander through the experience over the next few days and weeks. It’s nice to be able to roll through the thoughts and feelings and relive them.

    But I feel it’s important to state early on that there was a LOT of effort by Hobnail Trekking and Alpaca Expeditions to stitch this odyssey together! And there were a LOT of logistics to getting us from here to there. Coordinating transfers, having tickets ready, being on time, adapting to changing situations, and on and on. And for two people who can’t speak Spanish, Quechua, or Aymara.

    And it was flawless!

    We’ve never done a multi-day guided trek or tour. We usually like to figure it out for ourselves. But here are some reasons that this 17-day odyssey was an amazing experience:

    • THE GUIDES! – All of the guides were local to the areas we explored. Their knowledge was first-rate and they were excited to share their cultural history. It was information overload and so much fun! They were all true servant leaders too. They were constantly engaged and watching their little ‘family’ of trekkers. When something didn’t go as planned, as when Patricia needed assistance on Salkantay or caught a stomach bug on the Inca Trail the guides were over and above making sure she was taken care of and even adapted itineraries to keep it all going. Kudos!
    • Having all the trip stuff paid up front as part of the package – There were several times in the adventure where there were possible ‘options’ for additional things that we found were already covered. I was excited to learn that I could do Huayna Picchu because I already had a (limited availability) ticket! Or a side trip to Red Valley at Rainbow Mountain. Or that all of the tour stops on the bus were covered. Or that lunch was covered on Tequile Island.
    • Having a robust contact system – WhatsApp is used extensively in Peru and it was easy to reach someone or be contacted. And the guides had satellite phones for the backcountry if needed.
    • The small group size – Hobnail Trekking supports as few as two on a trek. We had three initially, but one canceled before the start. So we had a private tour for three days with guide Ruben. Then we were combined with three others for Salkantay, a total of five trekkers plus the guide Sergio, the chef, two porters and a horseman. For Lake Titicaca, there were seven people under the care of Ricardo. And just us two on the Miraflores bike ride with Amadeo. The small group size felt really comfortable and allowed us to get to know the other trekkers as well as the guides and their team.

    We felt like royalty due to the personal attention we were given. And I can’t say enough about how all of this removed the stress of traveling. I am soooooo glad I did not have to drive in Peru.

    It really allowed us to focus on the important aspects of the trip. You know, like BREATHING.

    So kudos, kudos, kudos to Hobnail Trekking and Alpaca Expeditions! We lift our muña tea cups in salute!

    Onward! Haku! Haku! Haku!

  • So much for the plan…

    So much for the plan…

    In Lima, near the end of our odyssey, I’m relaxing with an alpaca throw in the window of our room on the 16th floor, watching the city wake up. Workers are already cleaning a rooftop pool on the hotel across the street. We’re in Miraflores, and this is probably the nicest hotel we’ve ever stayed in. Comfort technology abounds. Our room card not only is required in the elevator for security, it’s required to turn on the lights in the room. Thoughtful convenience is everywhere, a motion sensor adds subtle light to the bathroom in the middle of the night and the perfect temperature is just a button press away. The Casa Andina Premium is just that, a beautiful hotel and a tambo, a place to rest in the Quechua language.

    Literally 24 hours ago, we’re waking to the light tap on our door by Mama Paula(?)( I still can’t catch the names properly) for breakfast. Her 80-yr-old mother is already up, sitting in the floor of the kitchen peeling potatoes. On Amantani Island, in Lake Titicaca, solar power was introduced only 2 years ago. The light switch to the bare ceiling light is part of the power outlet, down low and on the opposite side of our room from the door (and the bed). We are sleeping quite well under the massively heavy woolen blankets and hard bed, especially after the dance party at the community center. During the night, in order to reach the baño, I step outside to walk the balcony and navigate the steep steps down to the small courtyard. Looking up, I see the Milky Way like few people do, milk spilled across the sky, a flashlight is not necessary.

    Things didn’t go as planned. I had intended on a short play by play for this adventure. A way to share this journey in real time and then backfill later with the experiences, hardships, travel logistics and funny stories.

    But then Ruben, our first guide, walked into our life on Day 2. What started out as Odyssey definition 1, quickly became definition 2, and things (hopefully) will never be the same.

    So for now, I’m going to post a handful of pictures (okay, a big handful) with captions, and when we finally land in our tiny home back in Tennessee, maybe the hundreds of experiences and millions of threads rolling around in my overloaded mind will begin to spill out. Stay tuned and wish me luck…

    Saqsaywaman, some of the stones are 120 tons.
    Looking down from Humantay Lagoon
    Sergio, our Salkantay Trek guide.
    The Trekkers: David, Harry, Emma, Patricia, and Jefferson
    Alfredo the chef, two porters whose namesI need to get, and the horse master.
    The Hobbit Houses were a nice tambo after a long day.
    Picking coffee on a family farm.
    Old school roasting.
    Haku! Haku! Haku!
    Super Chef Alfredo prepares Mama Patricia a reward for her accomplishments.
    The porters rock!
    Waymantay, at first light.
    Trail Ninja climbing the Inca Trail to Wiñay Wayna (forever young)
    Huayna Picchu
    View from the Sun Gate
    Middle Earth
    I’ve never seen this before. Dual rainbows arcing in opposite directions.
    The island leader. His native language is Aymara.
    Reed boats.
    The floating islands of Lake Titicaca!
    Our gracious host Mama P and her mother. Their native tongue is Quechua.
  • We’re going on a Peruvian Odyssey!

    We’re going on a Peruvian Odyssey!

    A whut?

    An odyssey

    (ŏd′ĭ-sē) – noun

    1. An extended adventurous voyage or trip.
    2. An intellectual or spiritual quest.
    3. An epic poem, attributed to Homer, in which are celebrated the adventures of Odysseus (this may have to wait until we get back)

    How did this come about?

    Well, it was unexpected. I mean, we’ve had our biggest travel year ever! But then the February ’23 issue of The Tennessee Magazine arrived in our mailbox, and the cover caught my eye. I mean, I’ve hiked ‘pert near’ all them Smoky Mountains and I ain’t never seen one like this!

    The feature article talks about a little trekking company near Nashville, TN that offers some really cool Everest treks (just click on the cover).

    Everest Base Camp and the Annapurna Circuit seemed a bit of a stretch for us, at least for this year :-). But as we perused the site, we ran across the Peruvian Odyssey! Seventeen days of trekking and touring through some of the most beautiful parts of Peru. Machu Picchu has always been on our bucket list and here was a really neat way to experience it. And you know what? We’re not getting any younger and most of our body parts are still working well, so why not?!

    So follow along as we try to unfold this adventure with you. It will be admittedly haphazard, slapdash, intermittent, and probably corny and clunky in spots as we learn WordPress along the way. But we hope to provide short blog posts when we can and then fill in the details when we return home.

    We’ve had many adventures over the years, some short, some long, some close, some abroad. But this one is a little different because the fine folks at Hobnail and their team in Peru are taking care of most of the logistics for us! And they are providing us with some cool tools to use to help us have a great experience. This unfortunately has made us a tad lazy so we’ll see how it goes!

    Lazy, you say?

    Only in the planning! The truth is, this is going to be a hard trip! Some long multi-day hikes and big climbs at elevations we’ve only briefly encountered before. I mean, the town of Cuzco sits at 11,000 feet, an area where we’ll spend a good bit of our time.

    So we will attempt to share all of our ups and downs, the things we learn, the people we meet, and all the things that might just make this adventure the odyssey it should be.

    Let’s get started…