December 15th - 21st

Well it has been quite a while since I have updated this with any sort of regularity.

Figured it would be easy to get back in the groove again with a week like the past one which has been remarkably uneventful (it is interesting how bitter-cold will do that to a week).

The only occurrences of any real note were the fact that the family got their hair cut. Although even that turned into more of a challenge then had been planned. Kirsty and Hayden were able to get squeezed into the stylist on Tuesday night, but needed to be dropped off seeing as I had a meeting of the McKenzie Towne Council (of which I am now a director). By 8:00 I realized that my meeting would not be wrapped up in time for me to come get them and I sent Kirst a text message to let them know. Fortunately, Kirsty's brother-in-law was able to pick them up as he needed to head over to the Sobey's in our neighbourhood.

At around 9 I received a text from Kirst saying that she was "Outside, and locked out of the house." It seemed pretty silly to me for them to be waiting outside in the cold when they could've stopped by the community center to get a key (and I sent a mess

age saying as much). It took me about 5 minutes before I clued in that they were outside the community center waiting for me. I managed to sneak out and get a house key to them, so all was remedied.

Like I said, it has been a slow week.

However, to cheer you up, here are a couple clips of Fynlee on her walker.

Coming...

and going.

Here everyone is bundled up for an evening out in the cold

And here is a picture of Kirsty's new haircut, more notable is the fact that Hayden composed and shot the picture.

Crawling Baby

Fynlee has started to crawl.

Video proof is below.

Gymnastics Time

Hayden wrapped up his first set of gymnastics classes recently, and I was able to attend to shoot a couple brief videos.

Sorry they are sideways, if anyone knows how to rotate a .mpg please let me know!

And here is his completion certificate:

Playing baseball

Some video from earlier in the fall of Hayden and I playing some baseball.

Now, time for some batting practice:

Of course he won't let me pitch to him underhand anymore either.

Day 4 (May 17, 2008)

We departed in the morning for a tour of the Inca's sacred valley, before spending the night in Ollantaytambo.

Our gear was loaded onto the minibus and we began the climb out of Cusco. Needless to say, while not as 'interesting' as the roads in Lima, driving on the highways outside of Cusco is not for the faint hearted.

Our first stop was to visit a group of locals sponsored by our tour agency who created authentic peruvian crafts using natural dyes, fibres and historically accurate weaving techniques. They harvested the fleece from the alpaca's and llama's in the compound and the dyes from locally grown plants. We then had the opportunity to examine their wares, and purchase that which we found interesting.

I purchased the hat below (made from the fleece of a baby alpaca) for Hayden. Unfortunately for him, I misjudged the size of his head so this fits him rather snugly.

Hayden riding his bike

A quick note today to get some pics and video up of Hayden riding his bike without training wheels.

And what would bike videos be without some post-crash recovery photos?

I guess it was too early to be building jumps in the backyard.

Day 3 (May 16)

On this morning we were able to eat and then head off in a bus to the airport. Without belabouring the drive, it only involved a rolled over tour bus, driving down the wrong lane of a narrow twisty road down the sea-wall, and foggy conditions with a defective windshield defogger.

Safely at the airport we attempted to check in at the LAN Peru desk when we discovered that of our group of 14, 7 of us (myself included) had no ticket for the flight to Cusco. We were short on time for when our flight was to depart, and our guide from the agency was of limited help. Our guide was able to get in touch with someone from the GAP office who arrived in the nick of time before the 7 of us purchased our own tickets for a flight later in the afternoon. It turned out they were able to get us seats on the next flight to Cusco, about an hour later.

Disaster averted, we all successfully cleared security and made it to the proper gate on time. The flight to Cusco is brief, only an hour or so, and beats taking a bus which takes several days to make the drive. Landing in Cusco is an adventure as the airport is located at an elevation over 10,000 feet and is in the midst of peaks taller than 14,000 feet. Needless to say, the approach is involved, and you spend a great deal of time looking up at mountain peaks as the plane is twisting through the valley.

The trip from the airport to the hotel was brief, and we were soon able to settle in to our hotel room before heading out into town to explore.  It was only a few blocks from the hotel (The Prisma) to the main square in town the Plaza de Armas. Cusco was the capital of the Inca empire when the Spaniards conquered them. Many of the buildings in town have Inca stone foundations with Spanish structures built on top of them. An interesting, albeit touristy, town.

Visiting the square it soon became apparent that most of the locals were talented artists or photographers, seeing as so many young men were present selling paintings or postcards. They were also well educated, as most claimed to be there on a day off from school. They must also be very closely related, because a great many of the pictures featured their family, which looked suspiciously similar one vendor to another.

Those that weren't graphically gifted were able to find 'employ' by selling various local crafts like whistles, dolls or other various trinkets. Don't worry about the locals without any talents, as they were able to find an occupation by standing outside of the many restaurants, holding menus, and chasing down tourists with offers of 'free Pisco sours' (It also became apparent that when our group walked together through the area that we were a very valuable target, as we would have a half dozen or more of them harangue us as we wandered by).

That evening our tour group met again to discuss the requirements of the Inca Trail and meet our Trail guide, Victor. Each of us was given a small duffle bag while Victor did his best to alternately frighten and reassure us about the rigors of the trail. Six kilos of gear could be packed into the duffle which would be carried, along with our food and tents, by the local porters. Anything that would not fit into the duffle would have to be packed on my back.

I ended up with about 12 kg (they provided a scale) of gear to be carried on my back. In hindsight, I packed more than i needed, and carried one of the heaviest loads of my group. 

Peru Day 2 (May 15, 2008)

As would set the pattern for my slumber whilst in Peru, I awoke by about 4am and drifted, fitfully, in and out of sleep for the next few hours. After awaking, it was soon discovered that over the next two weeks, comfortable showers would become a rarity.

The Mariel Hotel generously provided a complimentary continental breakfast for their patrons. I was disappointed to find that the continental breakfast on the South American continent isn't nearly as good as those originating on the North American or European Continents. A dry roll, some jam, indeterminate fruit juice, and runny eggs are apparently the breakfast of South America.

Pictures from the hotel room that morning:

Our itinerary required us to move to a different hotel, so we took a cab a few blocks away to the Girasole Hotel. While the distance was short, the route was complicated, and I noted that nearly every corner had either a security guard or a policeman stationed on it. This was a bit of a surprise as my pre-trip research had suggested that Lima had somewhat of a risky reputation for travelers, while with all these uniforms around it made it difficult to even spit without hitting one (don't worry, I apologized profusely to Javier). 

Many of the streets our Taxi driver attempted were in fact blocked by well armed military guards. It was disclosed to us, that the reason for the show of force, was due to an APEC summit being held in Peru. Eventually we were able to arrive at our destination, and our driver well earned his 8 Sol's.

While checking in, we met Steve & Shannon, fellow Canadians (although from Toronto) who were on our tour as well. They had planned to take a city tour in the afternoon, and invited us to join them. We dropped off our bags and decided in the time we had available we would explore Miraflores on foot. Melanie, another Canadian (from Ottawa), arrived and joined us on our adventure.

It was winter time in Lima which meant mild temperatures (low 20's), high humidity, and a thick blanket of fog shrouded the city. We managed to find our way around and noted many familiar brands near the main square (McDonalds, Starbucks, Dunkin' Doughnuts, even Scotiabank branches). There were also displays set up in the park to coincide with the APEC meetings.

We enjoyed the thrill of discovering a new city, found a street money exchanger to pick up some local currency (2.75 Sol / 1 US $), and had lunch at the Haiti Cafe (recommended in the guidebook, but only mediocre). Managing to find our way back to the hotel, we only needed to wait a little while before a van arrived to take us on our tour of the city.

I won't bore you with further details of the crazy nature of the local drivers, but needless to say, stories could be told. Lima is a city full of history. While not an important locale to the Inca's, it was where the Spanish Conquistadores set up their capital in the 1500's. Our tour began with a drive past a pre-inca ruin called Huaca Pucllana, which is a large pyramid built with bricks stacked like books on a library shelf. Unfortunately we were unable to enter the site as it was closed due to the APEC events.

Next we went through some historic areas and arrived at a square with this statue:

I am unsure of what it was about, but the guide thought it was worth a stop to get out. The local beggars and gift merchants were also glad we got out (we also noted small children who would cross the road in front of our van doing cartwheels and such, the come to the window to ask for a tip (at least i know now how to make some extra money if I ever lose my job)).

Next we arrived at the main Presidential Palace area, but were denied entry by large, unhappy looking men, armed with AK-47's (again due to APEC). After being rebuffed at a few different entrances we then walked to the next destination on the tour, the Saint Francis Monastery:

After viewing the bone-filled catacombs, library, chapel, and choir seats, our guide once again attempted to get us into the presidential compound, this time successfully. We were then able to wander about the compound to ourselves (except for all the well-armed men, APC's and such, who had removed nearly everyone else). 

After a few awkward minutes we returned to the tour van, and departed for our last stop on the tour, Parque del Amour back in Miraflores. I suspect the setting might have been more impressive if I were traveling with Kirsty, but the Parque overlooks the Pacific coast, and is dominated by a sculpture of a couple kissing in repose. The beaches in Lima are not particularly scenic, but certainly beat the ones back home in Calgary.

We departed the beach and returned to our hotel just in time to attend our introductory meeting with the Lima G.A.P. Adventures host. In total, our group consisted of 14 people from all around the world. Besides David and myself, our group was:

Cliodhna (from Ireland, but living in Tucson),

Steve and Shannon (from Toronto (or thereabouts)),

Melanie (Ottawa),

Clinton & Nicole (from Australia, but living in London),

Barry (London) & Phillipa (from South Africa, but living in London),

Ceri & Lucy (London),

Ian (New York)

Jorge (from Columbia, but living in Florida).

As you can see it was a diverse group, however we seemed to get along grandly throughout the trip. Many comments were made amongst ourselves as to how pleasantly surprised we were to be in a group with so many genuinely grand people.

My compliments to them all!

Post meeting we headed out for dinner in Miraflores, and ended up in a place called Buffalo Bill's were the food was only so-so, but the conversation and company were excellent.

With an early flight to catch in the morning, we returned to the hotel before it got too late.

Trip review

I had best get going on this before I forget all the many details of the terrific trip I had to Peru recently.

Day One (May 14, 2008)
The post below this gave a bit of a head start on how our trip began. However we managed to make our 7AM flight to Houston on a Continental 737. We were delayed a bit in the air as there were storms in the Houston area (how surprising), and I was a bit let down as the descent to the airport was smooth and uneventful.

David and I had a few hours to explore the large Houston airport (lunch at a BBQ place before a break at Pappadeaux's). We boarded Continental's 757 (yes, it is a long flight in a narrowbody jet) around 4:30 for the 6.5 hr flight to Lima. This would be my longest flight ever, and by the end I was certainly ready to land and stretch my legs a bit (despite being only mildly entertained by the in-flight movie, P.S. I Love You).

Arriving at Lima all the passengers shuffled off towards Customs where I (of course) managed to have failed to fill in my entry documents completely. After a second attempt, my passport was stamped and I was granted entrance to Peru. I managed to avoid/decline the throngs of Cellphone re-sellers in the arrival area (dodging merchants became a talent that would be honed greatly before the trip would conclude) and successfully find my bag which arrived on-time and undamaged.

We exited arrivals and amongst the crowd of taxi drivers and transport agencies I was able to spot a sign-board with a reasonable approximation of my name (it would seem that neither 'Craig' nor 'Gorham' are very familiar names in Spanish.

We were joined shortly there after by a 3rd passenger, who was also a part of our two week Peruvian tour, Cliodhna, and began our adventure through the streets of Lima. Little did I realize how exciting overland travel would become while on the tour. I quickly began to realize that traffic signals, signs and lane markings were installed in Peru more for there ability to break up the scenery rather than provide instruction and guidance to drivers. Honking seemed to be the way most drivers communicated to each other (ie. want to turn left out of the middle lane... no problem just honk a bunch, want to blow through a stop sign... just honk; would you like to stop in the midst of traffic and do a u-turn... you guessed it, just honk a bit).

After a 40 minute drive across town (although it seemed to last for several lifetimes... the whole life flashing before your eyes thing happening) we arrived, intact, at our hotel (the 'Mariel') in the Miraflores district. The hotel staff greeted us warmly and we filled out the documentation allowing us to check in. They then directed us to our rooms and indicated that the route involved entering the coat closet on the main floor. This seemed slightly odd until upon entering the small closet we discovered it was actually an elevator (Max Capacity 4). We shut the door (!!!) on this only slightly oversized dumbwaiter, selected our floors (mine was on the 9th - the top floor), and watched the wall slowly slide down in front of us. The elevator announced its arrival to our floor by a) stopping, and b) lurching downwards suddenly about 6 inches (although let me tell you, in a situation like that, it feels like a whole lot more).

We then safely entered our room and enjoyed the night-time view of the shrouded in fog Miraflores district. After a long day of traveling, a visit to the (ahem) facilities was in order, where the next surprise of the trip occurred. There, boldly mounted on the wall above the toilet, was the following sign:



Between parsing the text on the sign, and noticing the garbage receptacle (tightly lidded) next to the toilet, I realized what the intent was.

That mission accomplished, we descended (via the stairs) and met in the lounge on the second floor for our complimentary Pisco Sours, the (in)famous local drink. Since I am the boring type (aka non-drinker), I was only able to watch my traveling companions 'enjoy' the concoction before our bartenders anxious gaze (it is moments like this where I really appreciate my teetotaling nature; the sour provided to me sat on the table unclaimed for the rest of the evening).

We sat for a while at the table recounting the fact of our survival of both the taxi-ride and the elevator, and discussing our expectations of the trip. However after a long, 23-hour, day we retired, early in the morning, back to our respective rooms.

Lima

been in country for nearly a full day now. Lima is a big city, and this time of year it is covered in a thick blanket of smog.

One piece of advice i can offer is to always be sure about the people you are travelling with... my first worry about this came before we even got on the airplane. The film camera in my bag caused a little bit of a delay as it had to be swabbed at the security checkpoint, however David who was immediately behind me was also held back for a bit. When i came back to see what was going on, i was shocked to see a guard reach his hand into David's carry-on and pull out a large buck-knife. As my mind quickly tried to decide whether i should stay and post David´s bail or continue on the trip independently, i was releived to see them quickly sort it out and let David continue on - sans blade.

The lesson to be learned from this is always to check your 'last minute descision' carry-on bags before you start to pack them. Especially if it does double duty for you as a fall hunting bag.

~craig

Peru Itinerary

For those of you wondering where I will be/what I will be doing for the next two weeks, here is my Itinerary (from the GAP website):

May 14, Arrive Lima

Arrive in Lima about 9:30PM (Calgary Time).

May 15, Free day in Lima

May 16, Cuzco

Transfer to the airport early this morning for the flight to Cuzco. In Cuzco transfer to the hotel and meet your guide. Relax or explore the Inca spiritual sites of Sacsayhuaman and Tambo Machay.

May 17 Sacred Valley / Ollantaytambo

Travel with our local guide through the Sacred Valley and visit ancient sites, including the picturesque town and Inca ruins of Ollantaytambo.

May 18 - 21 Inca Trail

Embark upon a once in a lifetime journey on the ancient trail of the Incas. Though physically challenging, the excursion is within the ability of most reasonably fit people. Each day is filled with spectacular mountain scenery and fascinating ruins. Our local porters and guides take care of the details so you can focus on the experience—and save your strength! On the final day, climb the steps to Intipunku, the 'Sun Gate', to watch the sunrise over Machu Picchu before our tour of the famous Inca ruin. Return to Cuzco in the evening.

May 22 Cuzco

With a friendly, colonial atmosphere, Cuzco offers nearby Inca ruins, cobblestone streets, museums, markets and churches. Active options include rafting, horseback riding and mountain biking.

May 23 - 24 Amazon Jungle

Fly from the high Andes to Puerto Maldonado, deep in the lowlands of the Amazon jungle. Travel by motorized canoe to our lodge in the Tambopata Rainforest Area, which holds the world record for the most bird sightings in one area. Explore the jungle with expert local guides.

May 25 Lima

Fly to Lima via Cuzco for a final night on the town.

May 26 Depart Lima
I depart Monday night around 9:30PM

May 27 Arrive in Calgary
I am scheduled to land in Calgary just after lunch time (after changing planes in Houston).

Hopefully I can post some updates while I am gone.

~Craig

May 4 - May 10, 2008

Well, the past week seems to have begun right where the last one ended off (how surprising), my folks departed Sunday morning to drive down to Billings and visit Ray & Jodi, and the laborious work on the yard continued.

As I sit here writing this, I realize how poor my memory is and how much I struggle to remember what happened earlier in the week. So I hope my (patient) readers will not begrudge my attempts for detail in some of these posts as I have no better hope for an archive than to narrate the family's activities here.

Monday or Tuesday we put in a couple of trees and about half the sod on the front yard. Plus it has been eventful at work, with a new engagement begun that includes the use of codewords (to keep everything confidential - downtown Calgary is so stuffed full of oil and gas people that even a casual comment on an elevator somewhere can undo a several hundred million take-over opportunity) and several late nights.

Wednesday was haircut night at Donna's place, and now Hayden, Kirsty and I are all looking respectable again. My mom & dad arrived back in town after their short jaunt to Billings and were able to spend a bit of time with us that evening (Thursday evening too).

Saturday was soccer morning, and Hayden was able to add a couple more goals to his season's tally. The afternoon was spent putting in the last of the sod in the front yard, before we headed out to Spencer and Gina's place for an enjoyable meal in the evening.

Hayden has become quite the number junkie lately and lets me know how fast I should drive based on the speed limit signs, wonders how many seven '1's would be (1,111,111; one-million, one-hundred and eleven-thousand, one-hundred and eleven) (rapidly followed by the question of how many eight '1's would be - i am pretty good up to about 11 or 12 of them), and he always ask Kirsty to count out loud to a thousand as she puts him to bed (don't worry, she rarely gets past 5- or 6-hundred before he falls asleep).

Fynlee continues to grow like crazy and smile most of the time. She has also started to develop a new little giggle, which with any luck I will try and get posted today.

Things will be different around here for the next couple of weeks as I depart for a two-week trip to Peru early on Wednesday morning. I am pretty excited to go, but expect to get thoroughly homesick (one of the few potential sicknesses I wasn't required to get immunized for) as I have never been away from the family for that long before. If I can find some internet access points I will try to get a few comments up on here while I am away.

~craig

April 27 - May 3 2008

It has been a bit more eventful than most for us.

Let's see...

Wednesday morning Hayden had an early morning visit to the dentist to have a cavity removed. He was very brave, and the pediatric dentist we went to was well equipped to ensure kids stay relaxed and happy. They gave him a drink with some sort of anti-anxiety medication in it which caused him to act kinda drunk. The procedure was quick and painless, for him at least, and he was excited to get to pick out a prize from the treat trunk (a toy yo-yo if you are curious; further note - while yo-yo's look like lots of fun for a four-year-old boy, it would seem that the dexterity required to properly manipulate one eludes their most valiant attempts at operation, dad's however will become quite proficient at re-spooling the string).

Thursday Grandma & Grandpa came into town from Cardston. They were able to spend the bulk of the day with Kirsty and Hayden where they were able to adventure all across town running errands. They also brought a gift for Hayden in the form of an exercise bike for him to ride along with while mom is on hers. That evening, we were able to join them along with Mandy, Jeff, Connor, Spencer & Gina, for dinner at Cravings, a fairly unique market-style restaurant located on Fairmont road. 

Friday night, Nana and Poppa arrived from Vernon. Hayden was quite excited to see them and made sure big hugs were given all around. They brought him a Swing-ball, a 'zim-zam' like tetherball game which has been quite a hit (figuratively and literally) with both him and his cousins. They also brought out a pair of rose bushes from the grower in Vernon for Sean and I to fight over (you would think parents of their experience would have known enough to bring identical items).

Saturday brought Hayden's first week of organized soccer, and my debut as an assistant coach. I would like to think that everyone had a good time, as nine 3- and 4-year olds with soccer balls does not a recipe for boredom make. Hayden is the oldest & biggest player on the team and was even able to open the scoring up for his side (video to follow I hope). He is a pretty kind and generous player (doesn't like stealing the ball from the other team) and Dad has to fight the urge of encouraging him to play 'meaner.'

Well, beyond that, Fynlee continues to grow like a weed (up to 15 lbs this week) and is a very happy and smiley girl, with cheeks chubby enough that she stops a lot of traffic. She also happens to spit up more than any other child I have met which makes for lots of laundry and messy carpets.

I have been working on the landscaping arms race out in front of the house, and preparing for my trip to Peru (bless Kirsty's heart) on the 14th.

~craig

Someplace to start

First off, I am a terrible failure as a diarist (and I am sure my wife and family could add considerably to the list of things I am terrible at).

However a recent conversation (with my mother) reminded me of the fact that there are many things that are important and memorable to me today, but will subsequently be forgotten by my sieve of a brain.

This is where the technological wonders of the internet will hopefully provide a suitable solution for me, via this blog.

We'll see I guess.

~c