Day 29 : Inka Express : Cuzco to Puno

House mom Alicia insists to make me breakfast this morning, even though I must leave so early. She even tries to get me a cab too, but we can't find one in the quiet residential street. So I just give her a hug, put the backpack on my shoulders, and walk to the main street to find myself a taxi. Get to the bus station around 7:00am, I am one of first few to arrive. I find that my seat is an aisle seat, right in the middle of the vehicle, next to the exit door and where the drinks are. It is my fault probably, since I ask the ticket girl to give me the "best" seat on the vehicle. I guess everyone has a different standard what the best seat is. I did say I want a window seat though. So, I don't know. Maybe she mistakened me. Anyway, I ask the Señor at the station whether I can switch to a window seat if available. At the end, they put me to the end row, where the guide and the service lady sits. It is actually not a bad seat at all, I have the side windows and also the back windows, so I have taken a lot of pictures on the 9 hour bus journey.

The bus company is Inka Express. It's a good ride, I would say. Not too tiring, since we stop every 45 to 90 mins for visiting some sites along the way, the ticket also includes beverages, lunch buffet, and a tour guide. Apparently there are two types of tickets: one includes all the entrance fees for all the sightseeing points, one does not. If you want to visit the sites we stop at, you must pay some 21 Soles extra. I paid US$40 for this ride, and it is including all the fees. I think the price is reasonable, since it does have some interesting tours, such as the Raqchi ruins.

A brief rundown of the tours: We first visited Andahuaylillas village, where there is a 400 years old church, which is worth a visit, although I already visited there on another tour 2 weeks ago. The 2nd stop is Raqchi ruin, which is excellent, beautiful ruins and there is a very picturesque church. We have a lunch buffet at Sicuani, which is ok, nothing's too special. La Raya at 4335 meters, the highest point of the journey. There are some beautiful landscapes, we stop there for a few minutes to take pictures. The next stop is Pukara, where we visited an archaeological museum, which is ok. I haven't paid much attention to it. We also pass by some alpaca farms, some half dry river with flamingos. Arrive at Puno by 5:00pm.

Take a taxi to my hostel - Julio Cesar Hoteles, which is quite centrally located, it has cable TV, wi-fi, private bathroom with hot shower, and American breakfast. In my room, there is an extra bed too. I did ask for a student discount, even though they haven't checked my ID when I check in. I wonder if anyone can do that too. It costs 50 Soles (US$16.5) a night. Not the cheapest, but I am more than happy about this choice.

Quickly go to a travel agent All Ways Travel (recommended by Lonely Planet) and book my trips for the next few days, I am going to visit Sillustani, and 2 days islands tour on Lake Titicaca, will stay overnight on Isla Amantani too. Book the bus to Arequipa for coming Saturday. Then I go for dinner, which is kind of scary, because in the middle of the dinner, literally I just put a small piece pizza in my mouth, the whole street's lights go out all in a sudden. There is a blackout on my first night in Puno. I freak a little bit, and hold on to my backpack tight. In my head, I am thinking what I should do, how can I get back to the hotel in the dark. The waiters light up some candles and put on each table. I finish my pizza. I have another order of a garlic bread, I am ready to have it takeout and see what outside is like. But maybe about 10 mins later, the light comes back. Thanks god.

Photos here: Day 29 (Andahuaylillas y Raqchi), Day 29 (La Raya y Pukara)

Footnote: Another bus option is Turismo Mer

Day 28 : Easy Monday in Cuzco

It is the plan to relax for a day after Machu Picchu, so today I pretty much haven't done anything except catching up with the travel blog. I must have been in the internet cafe over 4 hours. In the afternoon, I have a drink with a few german girls (Imke, Britta & Lena) from the Spanish school. I must say I get along with them, and a few individuals very well. I ask them to come to Hong Kong someday, so I can show them around.

Another mission of the day is to take a picture with the house mom - Alicia, and write a note (in Spanish) in her memory book. I get a Mocha cake for her and her family to express my gratitude for her hospitality, and take care of me like one of her own children. Turn off the light when you come down to dinner. It sounds just like my mom. Hehe... :P

Tomorrow, my tour bus to Puno will take off at 7:30am, I need to be there at the bus station by 7:15am, meaning I want to leave the home around 6:30am. Not gonna see Amy and Amanda again so I hug and say goodbye already tonight. But the house mom - Alicia - insists that she would make me breakfast before I go. She is really my mother in Peru. Go to bed around 10:30pm tonight.

I'll be on my own again after tonight, wonder if I will do better than the time when I was in Lima. I sure hope so.

Photos here: Day 28

Day 25 : Toray Day 6 : I lost my camera!

It's my departure day from Toray back to Cuzco. I plan to come back to Cuzco alone, early than everyone, because I have a Machu Picchu trip to go to tomorrow very early in the morning. So, after lunch and after saying goodbye to a few buddies, Aislinn, Maddie, Lena and I go straight to the Pisac market to do some shopping before I get on the bus. I am looking for a small shoulder bag for carrying water and snacks. I have not bought anything for the whole time I am in South America, well, except for a coin purse, so I thought I would buy something for myself for once. Anyway, after shopping and have a cafe with the girls. Around 3:45pm, I get on the bus to Cuzco.

I have been carrying a lot of stuffs today, my small backpack and another shoulder "bump" bag, containing my dirty clothes, flip-flop, some snacks...etc. Anyway, the bus is half way up the hill, I suddenly realize that my jacket pocket is empty, that's where I have my camera. Start to freak out on the bus, knee down on the floor (I am standing at the time), searching all over my bags, and cannot find my camera. I try to chill myself, and debate what I should do, get off the bus and go back to the cafe where I have taken off my jacket for a while to look for it, or just forget it and go back to Cuzco, maybe it's somewhere in my bag (which I am pretty sure it isn't). So, at the end, I decide to ask the ticket guy (in completely broken Spanish) that I want to get off, and go back to Pisac. The ticket guy does not understand me, but there is another passenger right behind me sense what is happening, and he explains to the ticket guy. They let me off at the nearest bus stop. Some other passengers are also getting off. They very kindly lead me to where I should stand for the return bus. One younger guy, named "Dee-do" or something like that, he even wait for the bus with me. We try to communicate, he asks me where I come from, what have I visited...etc, I try my best to understand what he asks, answer the best I can, and ask him the few questions I know. Apparently he works at a restaurant at Machu Picchu, it's his day off for this weekend. A taxi drives by, so I just hop on, hoping to get back to Pisac sooner. Say thanks and goodbye to "Dee-do".

I feel really anxious, I hope that my camera has only fallen out of my pocket while I am in the cafe. That cafe is pretty safe. Arrive at the cafe, search between the chairs, the floor, my camera is nowhere to be found. Go back to the shop where I have bought a shoulder bag, they are already closed. And check at the supermarket we have stopped by a little bit, the shopkeeper says he has not seen anything. Completely devastated, and don't know what to do. I am going to Machu Picchu tomorrow and I have lost my camera today. What a bad timing. I am pretty sure that I have my camera in my pocket, I didn't want to keep it in my backpack, because I want to feel it with me all the time. At least I thought I could feel it. But perhaps I am carrying so much stuffs today, and I lose tracks of it. It is either fallen out of my pocket or someone pick-pocketed. Either way, there is not much I can do, and I must leave Pisac and back to Cuzco before dark. I can't go to Machu Picchu without a camera, so I must buy a new camera, I know it is going to be fucking expensive in Cuzco, even a camera battery I checked, it was like US$60! Now it's a camera, I can't imagine how bad it can be. But again I have no choice really.

Anxious, pissed at myself, depressed, all bubbling in my head together. Get off the bus, crowds, groups of people are protesting again on the other side of the street. The bus stop is somewhat far from the main Plaza, I ask someone, he says it takes 10-15 mins to walk. I head my way to the Plaza, can't wait to pee. Just want to get away from all the people in front of me. I still stop by a telephone booth trying to call Amanda, I need to tell someone about it. The phone fails to connect though. I feel really terrible, get to Av. El Sol, where there are tons of camera shops. I check each one of them out in details, inquire models and prices. If I want to get another Canon, one similar to my old ones, it gonna cost around US$320, it's NOT even the latest model (maybe 2 generations older), it's 10.0 megapixel. It's better than my original camera though. Still, it's some US$300 fucking dollars. It is so expensive and unexpected. I give myself sometimes to sit and think. I go through my bags again to make sure it is really lost. It is! Go to a cafe and check online what the camera sells online in the US. It's like US$200. With tax, maybe US$220. I know it gonna be more expensive here, but it's a US$100! It is a lot of money, I just want to kill myself for losing the camera. But, I tell myself, oh well, shit happens, I can sit and moan, the fact that I lost a camera will not change, I just have to deal with it.

Alright...make a decision that I am getting the new camera. Go back to the same shop like 3 times, almost begging the guy to give me some discounts. My poor sad face is not made it up to pretend I am poor, but it is for real. At the end, the guy sells it for me at US$300 (in cash), which includes a SD card and a camera bag. The other shop does not include the latter two items even though they also let me have it for US$300. I will not mention this figure again, just try to forget it. Look at it in the other way, in a positive way. At least now the problem is solved. I will be able to take picture at Machu Picchu tomorrow, after spending so much money and time to get there. And it's a better camera, maybe it will have better picture. And I saved some money from successfully using the expired tourist ticket which saved me US$20, so it helps even though it is only a tiny little bit. Whatever tiny reasons I can convince myself that this expense is justified. Maybe...somehow... just let me delude myself for tonight.

Get home...nobody's here. Some 30 mins later, the house mom and Amanda come back, turn out Amanda broke her leg while I am gone. She has to walk with the helpers, and her leg is all wrapped up. I tell her what happens to my camera. This is probably not our week. We have a hug... I need it badly.

Anyway, I will try not to let this incident bother me any longer. Especially tomorrow I will have a long hike, gonna go to bed now and get up at 5:40am for Machu Picchu.

Photos here: LOST!

Day 24 : Toray Day 5 : Pisac ruin

Excursion of the day is to visit the nearby Pisac ruin. It's an school activity, so we get a pick up van to take us up the hill, instead of taking a taxi or hike up ourselves. Except Mike (from Canada) who I went to Ollantaytambo with, he prefers to hike so he get off earlier to hike up himself. He is one hack of a hiker! And fast too. He told me yesterday that he went to India, Napel and Himalaya for 3 months last year, just did some trekking. That's pretty cool, I thought, for a person his age (early 20s). Anyway, we get there at the Pisac ruin entrance around 1:30pm maybe, my "expired" tourist ticket obviously still works. No one pays any attention to the date, it seems. The site is huge, it takes us about 2 to 2 and a half hours to hike back down. We takes it slow though, lots of steps, uneven steps. There are some amazing views of the Sacred Valley, the Rio Urubamba, Pisac town, terraces, and farmlands. Among Ollantaytambo, Moray, and Salinas, Pisac is another site around Cuzco I highly recommend to anyone who come to visit.

After Pisac ruins, half of the students need to get back to school for classes, the other half just do whatever they like. I go to my favorite cafe again to edit my photos, just take it easy. Lena (from Germany) join me for a little while, then I am there alone for the rest of the afternoon. I order a small pizza, they make it from scratch, I see them preparing it with the rolling stick rolling the pizza base, put it on a wood block, and then into a stone oven. It is more than delicious. I also have a regional drink called chicha morada (made from purple corn) which is pretty good as well. I should write a brief review of this cafe next. It comes as a surprise that I find a cafe I like so much in this village.

At night, a group of us and a professor plays UNO for a while, as it gets late, one after another leaves for bed and only Alan, Mike and me remains by 11:00pm. Another professor put the The Lord Of The Ring (dubbed in Spanish) in the DVD machine, so we watch about 40-50 mins. It's very interesting. I feel like I am able to pick up a few words here or there. When I will go back to Hong Kong, I need to play Almodovar movies without the subtitle, see if I can pick up more words.

Today is rather peaceful actually, nothing too exhausting or too exciting. But at the same time, I enjoy myself, no need to be adventurous everyday.

Photos here: Day 24

Day 23 : Toray Day 4 : Ollantaytambo

We wake up with a good news from the bathroom, the water is finally back. You can hear it as it runs inside the toilet water reservoir. I am kind of tired since I slept late last night but I still manage to wake up before 7:00am, jump into the shower, it's hot and steamy. That's a good feeling. I rather take a burning hot shower than the cold shower any day.

Plan of the day "originally" is to go to a Spring for a soaking fun. But a few people changes their minds at the last minutes, there are only 3 of us left, me, Mike and Maddie (all Spanish beginners, we are in the same class). We walk to the bus stop, there are some people waiting for buses, so we ask whether this is the right place to catch a bus to Calca, where we are supposed to find some baños calientes (hot springs). This woman at the bus stop has been very helpful, she advises that the hot springs in Calca is not very good, the good ones are in Lares, where it will take us 3 hours to go. That's a bit too long, since it is almost 2:00pm, we have to be back by 8:00pm for dinner. So, at the end, our soaking plan has soaked away. Maddie decides to join the other girls to the market. I am kind of not sure what to do, I don't want to stay in but at the same times, everything seems to be a bit of a way to go to. Mike (from Canada) decides to go to visit Ollantaytambo, an Inka ruin. Since I have never been there, so I say ok, I will go with you.

To get there, we need to take a bus to Urubamba (1 hour), from where we will have to catch another bus or colectivo taxi to Ollantaytambo (30 mins). We first go back to the school to get change for me anyway, since I am wearing my flip-flop for the hot spring. Don't think it will work for walking in an Inka ruin. We finally get on a bus to Urubamba around 2:30pm. The ride is long and boring, I fall asleep a little, then it's Mike's turn. We successfully arrive at Urubamba, but we get off too soon. The bus would be ended at the terminal, where we will find another bus, but don't know what is calling us, we just get off as soon as we see Urubamba. We ask around with broken Spanish, where to catch a taxi or bus to Ollantaytambo. Some taxis quote 40 Soles a piece to take us to Ollantaytambo, when it really should be 2-3 Soles per person. So, we continue on. I ask a lady walking by, and she tells us: walk 5 blocks this way, you will find the bus terminals where we can take a colectivo taxi or autobus to Ollantaybambo.

Arrive at the bus terminal, it is kind of filled with buses and people. The bus costs 1.2 Soles, the taxi costs 2 Soles, but we need to wait for the vehicle to fill up with people before we will go. We mistaken that the taxi would have to fill up with 5 persons going to Ollantaybambo (the same destination) before it will move, so we refuse to get on for quite awhile. The taxi driver says or we can pay 5 Soles each, and he will go right away. We kind of feel like there is some mis-communications and not sure whether we should take that taxi. We finally do jump on it actually after seeing no sight of a bus ready to go our destination. We pay the 10 Soles (US$3) for 2 persons. I later figure out why, basically we have paid for the 3 non-existing pessengers. It makes sense I guess, if you want it to go now, you need to pay extra for it. So, anyway, I am feeling all good, we set out a goal to Ollantaybambo, and we get there successfully.

Ollantaybambo is so much more than what I had imagined, I would have missed it if Mike has not made the call to go there today. It is the biggest Inka sites I have seen thus far. The village itself is beautiful. We get there around 4:00pm, the sun is great on one side but not on the other. Either way, I am excited for being there. My tourist ticket expired since Monday, I am planning to inquire whether I can get an individual ticket for this site. When I just hand my ticket and student id to the ticket official, I say Yo soy estudiente..., before I even shoot out my question, he already punch a hole on my expired ticket, meaning I can go now. He totally misses the date. I tell Mike, this is my day!

There are a few separate parts of the sites, where we need to hike on some trails to get to. The main site we need a tourist ticket to go in, the other side does not but the trail on the free side is poorly maintained, as one should expect. The main site is filled with tourists, a lot of group tours. We finish that part maybe around 5:00pm, since we still have some daylight, so we decide to walk over to the other side, the small hill across from the main site, where we must pass through the town and hike up to. When we get there, the sun is already behind the mountain. The trail is more steep, and the rock steps are all unevenly. Back to my anxious mode, I grab onto anything on the wall as I hike up, even though this is not as bad as yesterday at Salinas. Just don't want to be blown away, since it is quite windy. With some huge effort, we get to some high points. Mike continues going up on the trail (I bet he wants to reach the top), while I am taking some pictures at a massive structure. Before I know it, he is already out of my sight. There are some people there nearby at first, but they have already been on their way down, I am left alone in a ruin at that mid-hill, the sky is clearly getting dimmer and dimmer. I yell out Mike, Mike, Mike, a couple times with no feedback. I know I need to get down before dark. The trail is not well-maintained and I am not that skillful with heights anyway, so I just yell out again, louder, 5 times, says I am heading down. I hope he hears me.

I start to go down, look up a couple times to see if I would spot Mike. I mean, I don't want to leave him up there neither, what if something happens to him, but I need to get to a point low enough to fall secure myself before I can think of his safety. Anyway, finally! I see him coming back down, he is way up there, son of a gun! I yell Mike, he answers finally. When we finally get back down to the town, maybe it was 6:30am, walk back to the plaza, find a bus back to Urubamba (2 Soles) without too much troubles, it is already dark when we are on the road back. At Urubamba, we get off at the bus terminal, just walk across to the other side of the same building, we find our bus back to Pisac (2 Soles again). Arrive around 8:00pm, Grab some water and pastries, we take a colectivo taxi back to Toray. We are late for dinner.

It has been a great call to go Ollantaytambo, but there always have to have some side episode everyday!

Photos here: Day 23

Day 22 : Toray Day 3 : Cactus in my hands

Supposedly, I should have a quiet day today. Since the excursion of the day is to go to Salinas, where I already went with Amanda and other friends on my first weekend in Cuzco. Anyhow, after class this morning, I realize there is no lunch in the house, it's all packed for the excursion (with two sandwiches, a banana, and a box of juice), so I go along anyway after I think about, since I have no other plan. We are on a small van to go to Salinas, about an hour drive from Toray. It starts to rain, and some of us in the back realize that the van does not have windshield wrappers. It is kind of scary really, seeing our driver drives without a clear vision what's ahead. The rain gets harder, what do we know, it starts to lark in at the top of the back door. It drips on my jeans. Meanwhile, it also comes in side way, it gets the back of my t-shirt wet as well. I am like thinking inside, I should have stuck with my original plan to stay in and have it easy today.

Since I am already there, there is really nothing I can do, so just squeeze in tighter to the girl next to me, and the journey continues. We arrive at the town near Salines, and I suddenly realize it is different from my last visit to Salinas. Last time, our taxi took us to the entrance of Salinas up on the hill, but this time we actually go there through a local village and stop at the foot of the hill. Turn out we are going to hike up to the other side of the Salines (salt pans). And from this direction, we don't need to pay the 5-10 Soles entrance fee. Rains are still coming down, I am sort of staying in the middle, there are bunch of more active guys in front of me, and there are some girls behind me. Raul, our housekeeper who only speaks Spanish, insist to lead me via a shortcut. I DON'T LIKE SHORTCUT! (I need to learn that line in Spanish next time!) Anyway, I follow him, and soon enough I realize the kind of dangerous ground I am standing on. I seriously don't dare to look down, the so called shortcut maybe just wide enough to fit both of my feets close together, nothing more. And the hill is REALLY steep. I feel like I would faint if I look down.

I am really freaking scared actually, just hope the shortcut will end soon. I am like, what is this? Adventure of the day! 3 days on a row, I have to have some kind of adventure to go through everyday here. I keep my eyes up on the wall, trying to hold on to the wall, or anything I can grab. Before I know it, my left hand grab on a cactus, holy shit, that hurts! Although it does not bleed, it only hurts like hell. Just a few minutes later, I catch another one (a different type - a small one) on my right hand as well. I really feel like Benny Benny, why am I following him? I should have been more careful about my surrounding and do only what I can feel comfortable to do. We finally get out of that hell of a shortcut and back to the main trail.

On this side of Salinas, the salt pans actually look more pretty, maybe because there are less tourist on this side, and the salt pans go more deeply (vertically) into the valley. The rain continues on and off... it's such a gloomy day. Back to town, a few of us went to our cafe, Ulrike Simic, I have a chocolate chip cheesecake. This is the third dessert I have tried in this cafe. I have not been disappointed once. At night, a few of us are playing some card games in the TV room, including one of the professor. It's midnight before I realize I still have homework to do, everyone goes back to their room, I am hurrying to write a passage about holidays in Hong Kong, while the professor is watching some news program, and Alan is playing guitar alone in the garden.

I think about 12:40am, I go to bed.

Photos here: Day 22

Day 21 : Toray Day 2 : Survivor in the jungle

Day 2 in Toray starts off with the Spanish class, 8:00am-12:00pm, we are in the room that have a wall-to-ceiling window facing a mountain, just behind the temporary white board. Imagine how difficult it is to focus on the white board instead of the yellow and green behind the window. Aislinn (from Boston) and I are in the same class, we are in the classes since the first week. It seems we are going to repeat what we have done last week, not exactly the same way, since we have different teachers, but the topics are roughly the same. I am not surprised if I have to repeat some lectures as I am so bad at listening. I already felt it was moving too fast for me. So repeating what we learned last week probably will do me good than bad.

After the class, we have lunch. Some people just come back sweaty and dusty, they have hiked into the hillside to find a waterfall. Said it's really beautiful, at first they have taken a difficult path and spent 1.5 hours to eventually find to the waterfall, but then realize the easy path is actually just above and it takes 0.5 hour to hike back. So, anyway, about maybe 10 of us are heading our way out to the hill to find the "acclaimed" local waterfall after lunch. We are advised to take the easy path. That is the our original plan anyway, but beautiful things never come easy, don't they? We somehow walk into the difficult path before we know. Perhaps I should not say it's a path, it's really not a path, we just try to get through the bushes, the water and cactus.

At first it is still ok. We have 6 guys and 5 girls. We pass by a door standing in middle of nowhere (it's really just literally a small wall with a door, look like we are breaking into someone's property). Through there, I guess there are two ways ahead, go down or go up. We simply miss the path going up I guess, and we all (except 2 girls at the end) head the way down. We definitely hear the sounds ahead, but the path gets more and more difficult to get passed. At some point, we slide down a slope. Right there, we know it's no turning back. Meanwhile, the other two girls choose to hike upward and that's the path we should have taken! It's too late for us, there is no way we can climb back that slopes (we think, not knowing what lays ahead), we are still a big group, so it isn't so bad or scary. We pass by some rapid water coming down from the mountain, with my see-through walking shoes, my feet got all wet, the white socks literally turns dark brown with mud and water all mixed together. It's really gross.

There isn't lack of beautiful stones, running water and greens around us though. Eventually we do get to the waterfall, or at least we think that's what we are looking for after all. We can see the other two girls standing way up there on the hillside, looking down at us by the running water. At where we are, there isn't really any path one can go up, steep slopes everywhere. I have to say, at that point, we are kind of scattered (scrambled) everywhere trying to find our ways back to the easy path or at least somewhere walkable on our own. A few daring ones try to get closer to the waterfall, while others try hard to climb up the slopes to where the two girls are. I am among the latter, since the sky is getting stormy, rain is coming down. It is really kind of freaky at that point, I am alone at my spot, trying to climb up the muddy wall, standing on some stones sticking out from the mud which apparently isn't the safest things to do and I realize that too, but there is no other ways. I am grabbing grass, tree roots, whatever I can grab to get myself up. At one point, I cannot find another to hold, grass get pulled off, the muddy wall is too loose to stand. There is really nothing I can hold on to, except that I see a tree just a few feet ahead. It is at that point, I really feel like one of the contestants from Survivor! I continue trying to find any tiny spots I can borrow some forces to reach to that tree. I do get there and one of the girls above calls me and I know I am close, thanks God, I really feel relieved. She helps me to get up to the easy path. And I am looking back down and see what I have done. I cannot even see where I have stood, it is that steep. Rain is getting harder, and it start to hail for a few minutes too. I look at my arms get all scratched, like I just fight with a cat, my own jeans get all dirty, and the shoes and socks are just nasty. I throw my socks away after I come back to the school.

It is really a real adventure, which I am glad that I get through without any real harm but I doubt I would try that again anytime soon. Coming back to the school, I throw away my socks, change into my flip flop, we head to Pisac for a dessert and coffee in my latest favorite cafe, where we also play a game of Monopoly (in Spanish). It is kind of funny, for some cards we draw we have no idea what it says. But all good, I won. Back to the school for dinner, all I want is a shower, but we are told that the water is out, except one building for the teachers and the housekeeper. It is still working in the afternoon, what the hack, don't know what happens. Anyway, I don't think anyone takes a shower today, despite that we all dirty and sweaty.

Adventure has not ended in the "jungle" in the afternoon, at night, we are trying to set up fire. We only bought some small woods which will be burn out quickly. The housekeeper said he knows where we can get some bigger woods back, and he needs guys to come along to help out, said it is only 5 mins away. So I just go along in my flip flop, I thought we are just going to BUY some woods in a nearby shop, turn out we are actually going back to the "jungle" in the dark to search for a big piece of woods. We do find it, but that m-f-er piece of wood is triple my weight or even more, we try to lift it up onto our shoulders, but there is absolutely no way to be done. We start to roll it down, it again seems like forever to roll it just a little bit and it at least takes 3-4 guys to push at a time. It's madness. My legs are already kind of sore from the afternoon hiking, and now I wear out my arms as well. The last 100 feet before we get the piece of woods back to the school is hilarious. We load it on a wood ladder, there must have 12 of us, men and women, pick the whole thing up carrying it back to the school. The scene is totally wickedly funny.

Fire is up, with marshmallow on sticks, beers, we sit around the fire. The second day in Toray is really exhausting but the whole experience is not to be traded off.

Photos here: Day 21 (Jungle Fever), Day 21 (Toray y Pisac)

Day 20 : Toray Day 1 : Pisac Market

Meet at 10:00am at school, don't realize it's such a huge group, almost 20 persons - a big band marching to Toray. There are a large numbers of Canadian and German in this group. Of course, I am the only representative from Asia. There is an episode before we even take off. One of the girls, Liz, find her purse lost, either in taxi or somewhere in the morning. The big group is waiting at the bus stop while she and a few others chases back where she might have lost it. At the end, no good news, she has to accept the lost. The bus ride is very pleasant, I sit toward to the end of the bus by the window, the only complaint I have is the noisy kids behind me. Otherwise, I take the whole scenery into my brain. We pass through some beautiful valleys and mountains with terrace farming, small villages are here or there in the valley. Toray is one of them. The nearest major town Pisac (and Toray) is next to a river, the water is running kind of rapid. The bus arrive at Pisac around 12:30pm, after that, each 3 of us takes one of those 3 wheels colectivo taxi, about 10 mins ride, we arrive at our "village" school.

The first impressive of the place we gonna spend a week is like, oh wow, it's almost like a resort. There is a kind of a swimming pool but no water. There are a hut with a snooker pool, a table for table tennis, some hanging nets for just lying around. Very cool. There are lots of floor to ceiling windows and doors, so you can see through into the dinning room and the resting or TV room. We are first settled down at the TV room waiting to find out the bedroom arrangement. Quite frankly, I am very disappointed when I find out that I am going to stuck with the French speaking group again, and worst of all, 4 of us enter the room, I am the last one and left with an additional bed that is next to the door and the stairs to go upstairs right behind the wall. Anyway, later I find out that Mark and Alan's room have a spare bed, so I ask the housekeeper whether I can change room. He is ok with it. Thanks god. So, I move in to Mark and Alan's room.

There is really no big plan for the day, except visiting the Sunday Pisac market after lunch, and a so-called Welcome dinner together at night. At the market, everyone is kind of let loose and bought some souvenirs for friends and family since prices seem to be cheaper than in Cuzco. I am the most frugal one and got nothing but an expensive piece of bread (for 2 soles), I should have inquired the price first before ordering it. It tastes excellent though, with chicken in the middle. After walking in the market for 2 hours, we find a nice cafe to sit down, I have coffee and an apple strudel with ice-cream, which is heavenly. There are nut and raisin in the middle with the apple. It is REALLY REALLY good. After the welcome dinner, a group of us go back to the same cafe, and I have a cup of ice-cream this time.

Walking back to the school in Toray "IN THE DARK" is indeed an adventure. I guess we underestimate how dark it really is without carrying a flash light, and the road is not paved. Alan wearing a pair of sandals kicks the rock a couple time. And along the dark road when we pass by some houses, or where there is light, there are dogs awaiting to bark at us. Whenever there is one of those colectivo taxi drive by, we have to stand to the sides so we don't become the road kills instantly. We have no choice but inhale the mud and dust the taxi kicks up. It is an almost 20-30 mins walk, and seriously, it seems like a never ending road to me. That is one hack of a freaky experience. But it is also fun, if I am by myself, I am definitely not gonna walk in the dark like that.

Photos here: Day 20

Footnote: I am really glad that I am able to move in with Alan and Mark. Not that I don't like the French gang, actually they have been friendly to me too, but when they are constantly speaking french and spanish, I can barely understand a word, it's more hard to connect. I have more things to talk to Alan and Mark anyway, and it is actually a better arrangement in term of using the bathroom, so we have 3 guys in each of two rooms, instead of 4 in one, 2 in another.

Day 19 - The four closest Inka ruins

Plan of the day is to join up with Alan and other students to hike to the four closest Inka ruins to Cuzco: Sacsayhuaman, Qenko, Pukapukara and Tombomachay, with Tombomachay the most farthest. It's good that our plan is to take a taxi to Tombomachay, then hike backwards to Cuzco. Since I already did Sacsayhuaman (the closest to Cuzco), I can skip it and walk back to Cuzco myself.

So, we are supposed to meet at 10:00am. I am 15 mins late myself, because of that stupid window update keeps me in the internet cafe. Not that I plan to update my window the last minutes, but I do not really have a choice. It occurs when I shut down my windows, it just automatically does some updating and give me a warning: do not unplug your computer! It is installing 14 updates, I am like, come on, why now, why now... I finally get there at McDonalds at 10:15am, apologize to everyone for being late. 8 of us take off to Tombomachay in two taxis. OK... let see if I remember everyone name: me, Alan (from UK), Nicole (from Houston, Texas), Lindsay (from Minneapolis), Jessica & Jeremy (from Quebac), Jerome (the Swiss) and Liz (she seems to be from France or Quebac also). Soon enough, we pretty much split into two groups: French speaking and English speaking groups. I am in the latter, of course, along with Alan, Nicole and Lindsay.

It is a good hike, we walk some off the beaten path too and get to the Templo de la Luna. There is this huge rock on a small hill, it is cool just to sit there and the horizon in. We somehow miss the third ruin - Queko. But you know what, I am so done for the day and satisfied with what we have seen. I don't really care anymore. We must have hiked over 4-5 hours. Start at 10:30 in the morning, when I get back down to Cuzco, it is already 3:30pm. Alan, Nicole and Lindsay spend another hour at Sacsayhuaman.

I have my first McDonalds meal, I am so hungry when I come back down, and since I am supposed to wait for them there, I might as well just eat there. It is bloody experience though, in Peruvian standard. A quarter pound burger meal (large) costs 13.50 Soles. I mean with that price, I can get a 4-6 courses meal in many local restaurant. But anyway, now I am affirmed that McDonalds no more.

My legs are sore but this is a good practice for my Machu Picchu trip. I have not gone home to rest, instead, I wait till 7:30pm to meet up with everyone again for dinner and drinks out. We have a big group (15-20 people) this time. At the end, half of us go to a pub to have some burger and sandwiches, the other half go onto have a drink at a trendy restaurant/bar. We later join them again (sort of). It is another good evening, I have really enjoyed the company of this group of people. Oh... by the way, we have a new student in the house. Her name is Amy, from Holland. Every week, there are some new students we meet in and out of the Spanish school, and I would introduce myself again and again. I find that there is something interesting about this process - to introduce myself repeatedly to different people. Through that, somehow I feel like I am more affirm about who I am and what my goal is in South America. Very strange!

Anyway, off to Toray. More late.

Photos here: Day 19

Day 18 - Tipon, Pikillaqta, Andahuaylillas

Supposedly, the group tour begins at 8:40am, but we really isn't picked up by a SUV until 9:00am outside of the Cathedral. The vehicle is very clean and new, so it gives me some instant confidence already that the tour should be fine. It's almost scary though, the guide for today's tour is the same guy who will be guiding me in Machu Picchu next week. It is such a coincidence, provided that today tour and Machu Picchu tour I joined are run by two different companies. His name is Simon, we just talked last night, I really wasn't expecting to see him again so soon. Scary, huh? 7 people joined the tour, 6 of them are Spanish speakers, two from Chile, two from Lima, and the other two I am not sure where they are from but they look very white to me. I am the only English speaker. So, Simon basically have to repeat everything twice, in two languages. I feel like I have created some burdens on him. But he seems to be ok with it. He would say to others, well, now I would have to spend some times with my amigo Benny. The two Chilean and the two women from Lima have been really kind to me, and often ask me if I want to take picture. So, today's collection of photos probably is the collection with me in them the most.

The tour is a bit rushy, I guess I should have expected, 5 hours visiting 3 places, with the tour guide's regular speech about each point of interest, there are really not much time left to explore and take pictures. First off, we arrived at an old old church in Andahuaylillas, hundreds of years old. The small adobe church was painted completely from the walls to the ceiling. Though some parts are faded, but it's really impressive. There is this organ (looks more like a dresser) over 400 years old, made of metal if I haven't mis-heard, can still be played occasionally. It is hard to imagine why this church even exist in such a small village, but prehaps it is so remote, it was not destroyed by anyone over the years, except damages from the natural disasters. The next destination is a pre-Inka ruin called Pikillacta. The stone work is completely different from the Inka's. So it makes a good contrast with the next destination Tipon. Unfortunately, we only briefly go through the easy part in Pikillacta with some stories told about the ruins. I have a couple shots from a distance. If I have gone there on my own, I would have go deep into those stone alleys and explore the structures.

Pass by a village that mainly produces bread. One of the tour members buy some and share with everyone. Very wheaty but I would prefer some marmalade or something with it instead of eating it dry. The third and the final destination is Tipon, another kind of terracing technique the Inka showcased. There is a unique difference in Tipon compares to other Inka ruins - the channeling of underground water. As the guide says, nobody knows where the source of the water comes from. But the Inka found a way to get to the underground spring I guess. I am not sure whether I want to believe it. But this is what I was told. Famous around Tipon are restaurants where you can eat fresh cooked guinea pig. I really want to try it and the guide at first says we gonna do it, because other tour members want to do it too. For whatever reasons, after Tipon, we just head back to Cuzco directly. I am kind of disappointed about that. Tipping seems to be not a custom here. Not one tour members intend to pay tips, after they get off the SUV, they just say goodbye and walk away. The guide and the driver do not seem to expecting it either. Good for me. I have no complain about that.

Treat myself a better lunch, an Andean menu with alpaca loin, soup, salad and tea. Cost 14 Soles (almost US$5). The loin is tougher than I would prefer but good to try though. I guess it kind of tastes like pork. After that, I am supposed to go to the market to meet with my classmates and professor, we are having a field trip to the market to see the kind of exotic food they sell here. When I get there, I can find no one. So, I walk back to school, they aren't there either. I suspect I may have gone to a different market. So finally, I just skip the first half of the class. When they come back, turn out that we have been in the same market but just missed each other perhaps.

Finish the second half of the class, I am already dead tired. I have walked a lot during the tour. Spend an hour online. Then I meet up with Amanda, Maya (from Berlin), John (from Manchester). Nicolas (from Switzerland) is supposed to be there too, but we wait for 25 mins and no sight of him, so we just go to have dinner on our own. The four of us find a sandwiches place in San Blas area, though it is slightly more expensive, but the sandwiches is really good. After that, we go to a reggae bar near the Spanish school, and have two rounds of drinks. They play Marley, other up-to-date reggae (with some beats to them), some rap, some electronica. Kind of a feel good place. I enjoy it. We talk a lot too. This is the kind of size of gathering group I enjoy anyway, 4 or 5 people, we can talk more intimately.

Home by midnight, I can even finish my blog, I have to go to bed straight.... zzzzz.

Photos here: Day 18 (Andahuaylillas y Pikillaqta), Day 18 (Tipon, Market y Raggae Bar)


Footnote: This Sunday, I will be heading to Toray, a small village near Cuzco, for Spanish classes for one week. In Toray, there is no internet connection, the nearest internet cafe is in Pisac, another small town 20 mins away. I may be able to check email once in a while but doubt I would post any entries for the next week. I will come back on my own on Friday, and go to trekking in Machu Picchu on Saturday and Sunday. The next time I post probably will be on Oct 26.

Day 17 - San Blas Church

Visit the San Blas Church this morning, a small adobe church up on a hillside in Cuzco. It is famous for its baroque gold-leafed alter and the exquisite carve work of the pulpit. It is indeed very impressive. I pay for my student ticket, just slightly more than US$2. I get inside, someone already hand me a headset with a self guide tour. The church is really small, it cannot hold more than 150 people. According to the guide, it suffered from two earthquakes, a lot of the original art works on the wall were destroyed, but there are also some leftover for visitors to see. I am glad that I have the self-guide tour, it gives me more insight about what I am looking at. I wish I did that in the Cathedral I visited last weekend as well, but I forgot to ask for it. Oh well. Anyway, the highlight of the San Blas church is really the pulpit, the carvemenship is unbelievable. The gold-leaf alter is almost out of place in this small church. But it is also one of the major attractions of this church. According to the guide, even the Pope (in the 16 century) came all the way to Cuzco to visit San Blas Church and was impressed by it. Among all the churches and museums I have visited in Cuzco, San Blas Church is up there among the Top 3 recommendations I would give to people.

After the church, I visit a tour agent on the main Plaza and join a local tour for tomorrow to visit a few remote ruins and towns, namely Tipon, Pikillacta and Andahuaylillas, they are about an hour away. The tour costs 45 soles, or US$15, for 5-6 hours, from 8:30am - 3:00pm or 3:30pm. Not too bad I guess. But I will probably have to go to school late, and I have to have a quick bite at McDonalds or somewhere near the school after the tour, since it does not cover lunch. Though when I sign up for the tour, there are only 2 people, who knows, maybe the guide will end up bringing up to try another local dish - the roasted guinea pig - which is famous in Tipon. That sounds really interesting. I have already inquired the name: Chicharrones, from the locals. Let's see if I will have a chance to try it.

Today's Spanish class has been good. We have touched on some future tenses. Tomorrow one of the professors is taking us to a local market to see some local foods. Every Friday, it seems to be the culture of this school to have some group activities. I may be still on my way back from the tour so I don't know if I will make it. Anyway, we'll see.

After school, I have a briefing for my Machu Picchu trip with the guide. He seems to be very friendly, but oh man, he needs to brush his teeth or some listenines will do him good. His mouth stinks! Now I get a much clearer idea what we'll be doing. I know I will be hiking with 2 Dutch students and the guide. Total of 4 persons. We will depart at 6:30am, take a bus and train (3 hours) to get to the Inka Trail where marked KM. 104. We will start hiking from there to the first mountain called Wiñay Wayna for about 3 hours or so, we will have lunch there, then hike for another hours to the Sun Gate where we will have our first view of the Machu Picchu, then we will hike for another hour to the entrance of Machu Picchu, but we will not be going into the Machu Picchu on the first day, instead we will take a bus back down to the town where we will stay overnight, wash up, have dinner. As a group, we will decide whether we will like to get up at 3am in the morning, to hike up to the Wayne Picchu (the famous opposite side of Machu Picchu), that may take maybe an hour or so, but since a lot of people are going to do that, we would need to get up early enough to get the tickets or something. I am totally up for it, but since I am in a group, I will have to see whether my partners want to do it. Other than that, we will have a 2 and half hour guide tour inside Machu Picchu on the second day, and a couple more hours to look around inside on our own till 3:00pm or 4:00pm before we will leave. Lunch and dinner are included on the first day but not the second day, so I need to bring some crackers and cheese or something to feed my tummy up on Machu Picchu. Except a few very steep parts in the beginning and at the end, the rest of hike are quite gentle, according to the guide. I ask whether I can bring a walking stick. The guide (gosh, I forgot his name already) offers to bring me one. So, guess I should pay him some tips or something. Overall, sounds like there will be a 5-6 hours hike on the first day, and the second day will be 1-2 hours and lots of walking around inside Machu Picchu. I am totally excited about it though.

Of course, when the guide see my last name, the whole Jackie Chan and Kung Fu deal comes up to the topic again. It seems that they really think every Chinese man practice Kung Fu at home. Seriously, they totally dig into that idea. After the guide and I done with the briefing, we head back to the travel agent office, the tour manager asks me if I am vegetarian, I say No and I give him one more: Hey come on, I am Chinese, we eat anything that moves! The local people seems to enjoy that joke. No harm done. We all laugh, all good.

Day 16 - Museo Inka

Another quiet day. Visit the Inka museum in the morning. I have to say although it's not the best museums I have ever seen in the world, but in Peru thus far, it is by far the best one, with a more extensive collection. Its organization is also up to the standard an official museum should have. It costs me 10 Soles (US$3.3) to get in there. It is cheap, I guess. However, I can only take some pictures in the garden and the corridors.

After the museum, I spend a few hours to email to the hostels and tour agents for my upcoming destinations. I forget if I mentioned that I get a response from an hostel in Easter Island, this one is relatively cheaper, only US$40 or Chilean Pesos 25,000 a night. At first, I didn't pay much attention, until they requested me to pay in Chilean Pesos when I will arrive. So, I start to google the exchange rate this morning, it says US$1 = 552 Pesos. In lonely guide, it is roughly 1:500. Anyhow, if I pay 25,000 pesos for a night, it would actually be equivalent to US$45 or more. I thought that's sneaky. You quote me two prices and want me to pay the more expensive one. So, I send them back an email to inquire what exchange rate they are using. In fact, I would take it too if the room costs US$45, but I rather give business to honest people. So, will see how they reply me.

On the other hand, I use my student trump card again and get some discount for hotel in my destination - Puno - by the Lake Titicaca. In my email, I just added a question, whether they have a student discount for staying 3 nights or more. And what do I know? They do have it. Great then, I get my discount, they get my business. What a fair deal! For the rest of my time in Peru, I pretty much arrange all the hotels and the tours. Chile...? I have not gone that far yet, except I am trying to get the Easter Island arranged ahead. I still get time I guess. So, I am not too worried.

I feel particularly tired today for some reasons. Not like I didn't sleep well. Anyway, I have a hard time focusing in class today. I could barely follow what the teachers said or asked us to do in class. I keep asking the girl next to me, what are we supposed to do? It is like a rollercoaster, Monday was a bad day with Spanish, yesterday was good, today is bad. Would tomorrow be good again?

Yawning... Yawning... Hasta mañana.

Photos here: Day 16

Day 15 - Good day with Spanish

Isn't that interesting? I just mentioned it was THE most difficult day with my Spanish class yesterday, when I felt like I was far behind from everyone. What do I know? Today I feel like I am doing ok afterall. I am even amazed with some sentences I am capable of writing. For instance, in yesterday's homework, I wrote: quiero comprarme un lapicero, lo necesito azul y fino (I want to buy a pen, it needs to be blue and fine-point) or another one: él canta su canción favorita constantemente (he sings his favorite song all the time). Today, we continues with the topics of special words (like, love, interest, disturb, surprise, worry, miss...etc) and reflexive verbs (do something to one's self has a different way to say in Spanish. This kind of expression does not even exist in English). In addition, we also start to learn some irregular verbs which conguate a little differently than regular verbs. I am actually enjoying it, because it has some structures to follow, and with pen and paper, I can write it down properly before I say it. Like in class, I have written today: ¿te alegrar estar vivo? (Are you happy to be alive?) It is such a corny question but I wouldn't expect that I'll be able to say that in Spanish. For today's homework, I write: Despues de partido de fútbol, él se ducha inmediatamente (After the football match, he takes a shower immediately.) I am not sure if it is correct, but it sounds like Spanish to me. Hehe... :P

Apart from Spanish, I visit two more museums this morning: Museum of Popular Art, and an archaeological museum under the Sun Temple. Both are not very interesting, I must say. In US or European standards, the museums here are more an tiny exhibition in the hallway of some office buildings. I guess museums are the strong suits of the South American. They are usually not well-organized, and small. A majority of people come to South America to see archaeological sites, colonial churches, carnivals...etc. Museums... hmm... probably no. Tomorrow though, I am going to give Inka Museum a try, it is supposed to be good. It's better be, cause I will have to pay to get in. It is not included in the tourist ticket.

Have a really good chat with Amanda after dinner. Just the two of us at the table, we must have talked over an hour, just talking about why we come down to South America, work, values and just life in general. I am like 9 years older than her, but quite frankly I see the younger me in her right now, in some ways. Like what she is going through, I have gone through the same path myself more or less. It is a strange feeling honestly, like all these years, there are some things in my head I have been trying to figure out, and at times feel like nobody understands why something seems insignificant matters to me so much, but not to others. But now, I suddenly feel that there are actually handful of people on the same boat as me. Anyway, I give her the most honest advice I can give. :) I hope through this chat, we does not only understand each other better, but at the same time, we get to understand ourselves a little better. Sometimes all we need is a little chat with someone completely new, like he or she also brings some new lights onto the puzzle in our head.

What else...? Oh, I have bought some Vitamin B. Supposedly, it will help to avoid insert bite if I take it starting a week before I go to the countryside. Some people say it will create some odor in your body that the mosquitoes won't like but human cannot smell that odor. Everyone came back from Machu Picchu I have seen so far are badly bitten. If one has put on insert repellent, he or she may still get 10-15 bits, one who has not put on insert repellent, it gets much much worst. So, after seeing Amanda's arms and Alan's legs, I will try whatever that might help! Guess I'll be the test tube child, see if the vitamin B works.

Anyway, again, no picture today. Guess the next time I will take a lot of picture would be this Friday. I also want to take some pictures with my classmates too. This Spanish school experience is really precious, I get to know a lot of interesting people.

Day 14 - Difficult day with Spanish

Guess today is kind of a quiet day. Visit the Contemporary Art Museum in the morning, although it has a rather small collection, there are some interesting stuffs in one particular exhibition room, like some sculptures made by some animal bones. There are also a few paintings (One of Che, one of Marx, one of Einstein I think) I like their styles very much, very creative. Again, unfortunately, I cannot take pictures in the museums, so nothing to show here. Since I got the beloto turistico, and all my classes are in the afternoon for this week, so I plan to visit one museum each morning for Monday to Thursday. Tomorrow I probably will visit Arte de Popular. Will see what the hell it is. Friday morning, I will join a tour to visit some Inka ruins. That's the plan for now anyway.

In my Spanish school, apart from switching the schedule from morning to afternoon or vice verse every week, the professors are also rotated. So, I have two new professors today. Oh man, this is a very difficult day for me. I feel like there is a jump from where we were last week to what we are taught today - verbos reflexivos, verbos especiales. When I don't even know the conjugation of the verb to go yet, I feel like we are already doing something so much more advanced. Aislinn (the American girl) and I in particular are totally lost for a few parts. I don't know how they determine that I am at this level already. It just seems like this week is gonna be a very tough week to get by. I enjoyed my classmates from last week a lot, but two of them (Alan the Brit and Reggie the American) are transferred to a different class in the morning. A swiss guy (the person who I talked to on my first day) and another German girl have joined our class. They both speak so much more Spanish than I do. I totally feel like I am holding the class down. Is this supposed to be a challenge for me? Or just a misplacement of class? Amanda suggests me to try one more day, if too difficult, I should ask to change class.
Anyway, I will give it another try I guess.

After seeing how Amanda came back from Machu Picchu completely exhausted. I decide to stay an extra night in Cuzco after my own Machu Picchu trip, so I can rest up and recharge before taking a long tour bus ride (> 9 hrs) to Lake Titicaca. Now I will leave Cuzco to Puno (the port town on Lake Titicaca) on the 27th instead of 26th. On the other hand, I have written to some hostels on Easter Island to inquire prices, the only one that write back is like US$79 per night. This hostel is somewhere in the budget to mid-ranged, I guess. It takes 8-10 mins to walk to the commercial areas where the restaurants and stores are and it does have a sea view, however, I don't know, I want to find something cheaper than that really. If nothing comes, I probably will take that though. Along With meals and 2 full days' tours, this side trip to Easter Island gonna be bloody expensive as expected.

No pictures are taken today. More tomorrow.

Day 13 - Sunday spectacles, churches, museums

Going out to centro Cuzco after breakfast. The road is surprisingly quiet, in fact, there are parts of the road being blocked on the main avenue, and some high school students are making a painting on the ground. Not only one, every other streets, you see some road blocks and students working on the paintings. As we arrive near downtown, I am not sure where my minivan is detoured so I just get off earlier. As I walk toward the main plaza, I notice everything is decorated in purple and white. Not sure what the festival is, but definitely something is up today. As I pass by a small church, there are men and women in purple gowns with white ropes crowding on the streets, a matching band at the back by where I am, and further down I see an alter with a Jesus picture on it. Still not sure what it is about, I just run up and down the street to take picture, suddenly, thing begins to move, the matching band is playing, soon enough, I see that the Jesus altar is coming at me, I move backward a little, stand at the corner of a building. This is what I see: women flinging their holy smokes, while there must have 20 men or more carrying the alter on their shoulder and matching towards the streets with the ground painting I just walk by, as if it is a path to somewhere. Later, I show my house mom the picture I take, she is like, ah... it's a... (she said everything in Spanish, so I have no idea the exact name really, but it is indeed a Catholic thing). Whatever it is, it's quite unexpected.

As the alter and the crowds matching away, I resume my path and head to the main plaza, what do I know? Another spectacle is awaiting for me. Some military lining up by the flag pole, look like it is a raising flag ceremony. I am not sure if they do this every Sunday, but either way, I am glad that I catch it just in time. About 5 mins before the ceremony, I find myself a seat on the stairs. I intentionally sit by a western girl, she is either an European or American, so I ask if she speaks english and if she knows what is going on. Turn out she is from California, she is just travelling in Peru for a 2 weeks' holiday. This is her last day, and she is leaving in a few hours. She does not know what it is about either, but it looks like an interesting spectacle to watch. So, we just talk a little more (about me mostly) and then we watch the whole ceremony together. She even help me to take a picture of myself in the crowds, and in return, I share my can of altoids (some mints from the US) with her. Haha... She is kind of surprised by it. :) I don't think anyone would expect all the way in Peru, some chinese guy in the crowds would pull out some altoids to share with her. Little thing like that is so insignificant but at the same times kind of an interesting story to tell. In this ceremony, the most eye catching part is probably the kids who are matching along. They are in school, nurse, and military uniforms. They are so cute, I admit. Do check out the pictures on that.

Originally I am planning to do some museums hopping all day today. But after the two unexpected spectacles, my morning time is running out, so I just go home for lunch and continue in the afternoon, I visit the main Cathedral, which is probably the most decorated churches I have ever seen, with many MANY paintings, and the alter are in silver and gold. Among all the paintings, I find The Last Supper most interesting, at the dinning table seated Jesus and his disciples, the main course on the center of the table is a guinea pig - a delicacy in this region - upside down. I bought an expensive postcard on that. You can check out in today's photo gallery. There is a room filled with painting of many saints and all the archbisbops of this Cathedral. I don't know any of them, but that room is just like a room in Harry Potter, as if they are looking down at you, mumbling to each other. Another striking image I find in this Cathedral, there is a black Jesus on a cross.

The next is Museo de Historico Regional. One word to describe it - Boring! It is small and does not organize very well. Most of these museums and churches do not allow taking pictures too, even without flash is not allowed. How disappointing.

Last stop of the day is the original Temple of Sun but now Saint Domingo Church, ie, the church that is built on an Inka temple ruin. I get there at a "bad and good" time. Bad, because there are a big group of students touring the convent (it is more like a museum really), they are noisy and running around all over the place. Good, because the late afternoon sunlight shining on the rock, it gives a very good colors for photos. I think this church and the main Cathedral are both worth visiting. Again I have used my student card to get some discounts, for the Cathedral, student ticket costs about US$4, and the Sun Temple, about US$1.6. In US standard, these are nothing. That museum of regional history is included in the Boleto Turtistico, thanks God, so I don't need to pay extra for that stupid museum.

Inquire with some travel agencies, I want to find some half day tour to some Inka ruins in the Sacred Valley. By myself, it gonna be very expensive, like US$40. It will include the transportation and a guide, it gonna be a private tour. I actually want to DIY if I have some travel partners. To get there by bus is easy and cheap, but to get back, I am not sure how, probably take the same bus or taxi. The difficult part is that the bus would only take you to the main town, then you need to hike 4km to the ruins. And I am not sure how safe it is to do that by myself. Lonely Planet does not have a map either. So, let's see if I can convince someone to join me in school tomorrow. If not, I may do the private tour. Alternatively, if I can find another person to do the private tour with me, the cost will drop half. We'll see.

Photos here: Day 13 (Sunday Spectacles), Day 13 (Churches & Museums)

Footnote: Amanda just come back from Machu Picchu at 10:40pm. She looks really exhausted. I am getting kind of worried about my trekking tour now. She is not even doing the 2 day trekking, but just a train/bus and only hike for the last part to the Machu Picchu, if she is that exhausted, what would I be like after hiking for 2 days (7 hours the first day, 4 hours the second day)? I really need to turn some exercise in this week.

Day 12 - Sacsayhuaman: The sexy woman

Meet up with Natasha and Mark outside of McDonalds at 10:15am, we are going to visit one of the Inka ruin site - Sacsayhuaman - which is actually only a 20 mins hike up the hill, although the road is quite steep. So, by the time when we arrive at the site on the top of a hill, we sit by the ticket booth for a while before we go on. Cuzco has this thing called Boleto Turistico - a combined tourist ticket for 16 museums and archeological sites, it is valid for 10 days. For adult, it costs 130 Soles (US$43), while student ticket costs 70 Soles (US$23). To buy an individual ticket to go to only one site or museum is actually quite expensive. Officially, I am no longer a student, but of course, I intentionally carry my North Park University cap, also bring my old student card, hoping I will get a student discount. And... indeed I get it today. Only pay 70 Soles for the boleto turistico, while Natasha and Mark get the one site ticket for 35 Soles each. Well, Natasha is leaving tomorrow, and Mark is going to spend another 3 months here, so both of them have no reasons to get a 10 days pass.

It is a sunny day, luckily I have my cap, or I probably would get sun burn on my forehead, the sun at this altitude is extremely intense. We bring some foods along for a kind of a picnic. Mark gets banana, nuts, mango, some local cheese, and bread, while Natasha and I contribute more bananas, crackers, water, maracuya (a type of fruits I have eaten the first time, you will see the picture), and another kind of fruit (in green) that I can't remember the name but it is white inside, with black seeds and it tastes quite good. We walk to the first spot where we settle down on a big rock, start eating some fruits and nuts and amaze the views in sight. Some of the rocks might weight hundreds of tons. How the Inka civilization was able to cut and mobilize such massive rocks remains a mystery to me.

After having some foods to fill our tummies, we move to another location, where we are looking at the structure from sort of slightly above. We sit at this place for quite a while, maybe 1-2 hours, I read my guidebook a little, eat some more, Mark lays down by the rock, while we talk about the stupid things in the world, in the United States, the rich and the poor, the tourist visas...etc. Interestingly, so far the people I encountered in South America, I mean the travellers and the backpackers, a lot of them actually have a similar kind of attitude towards the state of the world, governments, and the social structures. Many of them are between 25-35, they are actually very smart people and want to do goods in their lives, but somehow there is a disconnection between them and the society where they come from. Travels give them a chance to stay away from places they don't fit in, but also give them a chance to meet other people who may share the same mindset about many things. If you meet people who disagree with you on the road, it does not matter either, you won't see him or her ever again the next day or the next week. It is not like you are bounded to travel together forever. Surely, this observation cannot represent everyone, there are also a lot, just want to experience something different and widen their horizons before going back home to start their careers. This type of people tends to be younger, just graduated from university or still in university.

As we continue talking, a guy just slowly walk closer to us, he speaks Spanish to us. Among the three of us, Natasha speaks Spanish the best, so this man starts talking to her, I guess it is about the site, the Inka cultures and coca leaves...etc. When he pulls out a rock from his bag to show her, I know what this is about. He is one of those tour guides, just starts chatting up with people, telling the whole scripted story about the site and the local people, and then he will ask for money. Indeed he is. Although I despite this kind of self-inviting guides, he seems to be a nice man and the stuffs he tells us seems interesting. I have to say though, I actually don't understand a word, I can only pick up the numbers, but seeing the pictures and the facial expressions of Natasha and Mark when they are listening, it seems to be something interesting. Natasha does explain a little what the guy says afterwards. Mark says he understands about 60% of it. At the end, they pay him about 15 Soles (US$5). I feel relectant to pay when I don't even know what he is talking about, so nothing from the Chinese.

Tomorrow is probably a day of museum hopping, since I get the boleto turistico now!

Photos here: Day 11-12

Day 11 - Nat´l food 'N Drink of Peru

Have finished the first week of Spanish class, I would say that my Spanish has indeed improved, learned a lot of vocabularies and how to construct sentence, questions...etc. I even write a passage about my family for one of my homework. (Yo escribo un pasaje sobre mi familia) Although it is written in baby Spanish, but geez, let's me enjoy this satisfaction just for a little while. Compared to just a week ago, I wasn't able to say "I am 34 years old", to now I can tell people "I am the youngest in my family". That's a difference. I will attach that passage on the next post. Please pardon the mistakes I made in the passage. :P Anyway, I still don't think I am able to communicate with people yet though. I start to pick up the sound if the other person speak really really slowly, and I am able to ask or say a few things without the dictionary. But if the person really answers me in full and long sentences, I would be totally lost already. But this is the start, I guess. I only report how it really is.

Paulo, one of the professor, wants us to do some activities together as a class, so we go to have the national dishes of Peru for lunch. It is called ceviche, basically it is a dishes of raw seafood marinated in lime juice, plus salt, yellow peppers, onion, served with corn, lettuce, sweet potato and sea weeds..etc. I am pretty much the only one who can finish the whole thing! Hahaha... that is so funny, one of the german girl (her name is Imke) asked me beforehand, that I would need to help her to eat the fish, because she doesn't like eating fish. The other german girl named Myriam is a vegetarian, so she wouldn't even order anything with meat or fish anyway. We first get a bowl of soup with a big shell in it, the two germans have one zap and that's it. I actually like that soup very much, it's very tasty, so I help Imke to finish her bowl. Then, the ceviches arrive, my dish is huge, for 18 Soles (US$6). You know, I would say I like it for the most part, the favor is there but perhaps a bit overpowering, I need water or some drink to balance it. It's interesting to try it though. In term of foods, I don't mind trying. To me, it seems Peruvian cooking is a collision of taste in a very rough way, or in a very macho way. Unlike French or Spanish cooking, which combines tastes in a more sophisticated way, like they would stand by their dishes with their nose sticking up, and making a mmmh sound. Not saying which is good or bad, just different. I am not making funs of Imke or Myriam either, there are things I don't eat myself. It is understandable, the Westerners may not accustom to this kind of food. I told them we Chinese and Latino pretty much eat anything. Actually, I think Imke got the best dish on the table - a deep fried fish tenders kind of thingy, it tastes really good. My ceviche is a mixed seafood, while Alan the Brit has a ceviche of a regional fish. The fish is chopped into cubes. I like his dishes too.

Talk about food, might as well talk about the national drink of Peru. It calls Pisco Sour. It is basically a grape brandy cocktail. I had a few chances to try it, like the Spanish school welcome dinner. We were offered a shot of pisco sour for each of us before the dinner. But I didn't drink it, because of the alcohol. From the people who drank it, they says you either like it or hate it. I am not a drinker so I have no idea what it is like. But here is a receipt from the Lonely Planet: 1 part freshly squeezed lime juice, 3 parts pisco, ice, suger to taste, 1 teaspoon egg white (for frothiness) and Angostura bitters. Salud!

In the afternoon, I book my Lake Titicaca bus ride at Inka Express ticket office. Meet the same woman who I talked to yesterday, and who will give me a discounts, I don't think it's the best price I can find, but it is an acceptable price for me, so I just go for it. Anyway, she is copying information from my passport, and see that my family name is Chan, so as typical as you can imagine, she asks me if Jackie Chan is my brother. I say No. She adds, do you know him? Almost want to tell her that a lot of Hong Kong people does not care for Jackie Chan really, not anymore anyway. But I don't want to disappoint. So we just laugh away. She also asks me if I know Bruce Lee too. How interesting even all the way in Peru in South America, people knows about these two guys. Back home for dinner, we have a good laugh about similar topic, if I know Karate. The house mom is like laughing his heart out. She is like Benny Chang Ching Chang, making that silly Karate motion. It is so silly, but every gets to laugh. I don't mind. It's all good.

After dinner, go out with Amanda again. This time, we go to a different bar, with live band too, although they do not start playing until we almost leave. Get home around midnight, now I am just winding down and getting ready to fall asleep. Tomorrow, gonna head to the nearby Inka ruin - Saqsaywamán or better known as Sexy Woman by the non Spanish speakers. Just gonna have a picnic, read a book or something, I don't know. We'll find out. Hope the weather will be nice for us.

Day 10 - Night out in Cuzco

Because some friends in the Spanish school are leaving, and a few others are departing to Machu Picchu after tomorrow, so we have a dinner out tonight. After that, we go to a bar, which is surprisingly modern, despite it is hidden in all this old colonial building surfaces. I have a frozen lemonade, which looks just like one of those drinks you get on a sandy beach in Thailand, a huge fat glass of frozen lemonade with cherry, half slice of an orange, and a slice of star fruit at the rip of the glass. Just missing an umbrella, I may think that I am in Hawaii. Oh oh...The rip is red-sugar coated too. Yes the kind like a margarita, when the girl bring me the drink, I am like, holy shit, I hope I can still sleep after drinking that humongous thing. They are going to another dance club afterwards, but after I finish my frozen lemonade, I decide to take a taxi home with a german girl who stays with a family not far from mine. I have a morning class the next morning.

This is the first time I go out since I came to Cuzco. I have heard a lot about how Cuzco has many bars and clubs because of the tourists. Now I can see how and why. It's true that there are lots of things to see in Cuzco and around Cuzco, but at the night times, there are really not much to do. Many people select Cuzco to study Spanish, like me. There are also lot of people using Cuzco as a base to visit the nearby Scared Valley and Machu Picchu. So, at nights, especially the young ones love to go dancing at club or gathering at bars. I don't really want to stay out too late, since I am living with a family. One of these nights though, I do like to go to the reggae bar, where they play live music. Maybe this weekend, who knows, since Amanda will in Machu Picchu. I don't have any plans myself. Mark, a Canadian guy, talked about bring some cheese and crackers to one of the closest Inka ruins, and just enjoy the day. I might join him. And we may go to the reggae bar at night.

There is a detour coming up again, the school sometimes run a week of lectures in some rural villages, maybe an hour away from Cuzco. On Oct 18-24, there is opening to do that in a small village called Toray (which is not far from Pisac Inka ruin), it requires 6 persons or more in order to actualize. Anyway, now there are already 13 students signed up, so I pretty much we are doing it. At first, I was not going to do it, as my Machu Picchu trip is on Oct 24, it's sort of overlapped, but my whole class has signed up for it. I might as well join them too, as I would like to visit Pisac anyway, and it will be my last week of Spanish lessons, I rather stick the same classmates so I have to get used to someone new again. And I inquired that I can probably take a bus back to Cuzco on Friday the 23rd, so I won't miss my Machu Picchu trip.

Finalized my Lake Titicaca (over 3800m - one of the highest lake on earth) trip, instead of taking a train (Andean Explorer), I will take a tourist bus instead, combining some tours along the 9 hours journey. I really wanted to take the train in the beginning, because it is one of the highest tracks on earth, over 4000m. But its fare has skyrocketted to US$220 for the journey, there no backpacker class anymore. The bus I am going to take is called Inka Express, with panorama windows. I walk in their ticket office and inquire about the cost, the price on my Lonely Planet is US$25 (in 2007), and the service lady tells me US$45. I say, $45! (exclamation marks flying off my mouth). She shows me a copy of some other people booking online, the listed price is US$50, but because I walk in, there is a discount... mmmh... that's what I am like. So, I say, it is a big difference from my Lonely Planet guidebook, which says only US$25. I know it gonna be higher, because US$25 is the price 2 years ago. But another US$20 seems a lot. She says, ok because I have the book and it says different, she would give me US$40. Like buying a fish, in market price. I bet it can go cheaper, especially if the seats are not filled in at the end. But I think I accept her offer. It's a long bus ride, including lunch buffet, beverages on the bus, an english speaking guide, entry fees to some museums along the road, and will stop for one of two Inka sites, and alpaca protection area...etc. Instead of taking an awful long bus ride, we will stop every so often to see something. Maybe it's not a bad idea. Besides I actually checked two more agents, the quote they give me is like US$50 too, and no tours included, but it's a first stop nonstop bus. I guess they expect you to do some bargaining, but anyway, I can accept US$40 with drinks, lunch and tours. After all, although I am carrying a backpack, I am really not that kind of hardcore backpackers. I am getting old, I guess.

Photos here: Day 10

Day 9 - Meeting with Jesus

Another day in Cuzco, I have developed a schedule for this week, first I have breakfast at home, take a bus to have my Spanish class in the morning, go back to homestay on a bus for lunch. After that, I would join Amanda to go out again (on taxi most likely cause we can split the cost), she attends her afternoon class, while I would do some emailing and blog posting in an internet cafe for an hour or so, around 4:00pm, I start to do some intown sightseeing. And at 6:40pm, I will meet Amanda again to go home together for dinner. Depending whether we have gathering with other classmates, we might go out again at nights. Next week, my class will be in the afternoon, I may have to find a different schedule, but probably I would still spend a lot of time in the downtown areas.

Today sightseeing is called San Cristobal, a huge Jesus statue up on a hill. To go there, one needs to hike up a steep hill. The statue is actually not far from an Inka ruin. At first, I wanted to find someone else to go with, but the Brit and the Swiss already visited there. Amanda has not gone there but she has afternoon classes, her schedule is always opposite from mine, so it won't work. Anyway, at 4:30pm, I just come out of the internet cafe, I see that the sun is shining right on the statue, so I thought, what the hack, just go by myself. The hike itself is quite tough, oh god, I start to breathe really heavily when I am only half way up. The road leads to the Inka Ruin - Sacsayhuaman, but the path to the Jesus statue is not very well-marked. At one point, I don't know whether I walk too far already or not, so I ask a guy who is walking his dog. He points to a path going uphill that is not marked at all, but you can vaguely see it's a path. So, I walk up as I am instructed. From afar, I finally see Him, all white, standing tall, with arms spreading wide open. There are not many people, maybe just 4 or 5 locals, and they are leaving. As I get closer though, I realize the statue is not that big. From the Plaza, I thought the statue would be even bigger. Guess this is not Rio de Janeiro. It's only a small version.

I take my pictures, the sun is about to set, and across the horizon, above the mountains, storms are coming in too. I know I should get down before dark. Since the path is very quiet, I am not sure if it is safe at night really. So, I hurry down, bump into a young man and a girl, they are like in their early teens. He is carrying her on the back, playing along for fun. Soon, we somehow start a conversation in both Spanish and English as we're all going, basically they are inquiring me a lot of questions, where you are from, how many brother and sisters...etc. Anyway, they are not harmful. Although later when I get home, I tell the house mom that I go to San Cristobal today, she asks me if I go by myself. I say Yeah, and then she is like, "No No No Benny, it's dangerous to go there by yourself. People might take your camera and money. Always go with someone." I have my laptop in my bag too, so I guess I am really lucky and haven't get robbed. I can see how it can be dangerous, the path is not guarded.

Anyway, done is done. Right? I will visit that Inka Ruin (not far from Jesus) on Friday afternoon, hopefully I would be able to find a travel companion by then. Otherwise, I will take a taxi up. After today's hike, I begin to worry about my 2 days trekking to Machu Picchu, for which I will hike 7 hours on the first day, and 3-4 hours on the second day. Gosh, today the 20-30 mins hike is already making me out of breathe. This is not good. I need to do some hiking exercises for the next 2 weeks, to prepare for Machu Picchu.

Getting sleepy already, better head to bed. More tomorrow.

Photos here: Day 9