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.