Greetings from our base just outside of the entry point into The Inca Trail!
We are staying at a FAB hotel with lots of coziness all about it. It´s a good thing, too, as this is our last night of comfort for four days! Let me catch you up briefly on what we´ve been doing...
Yesterday was an official guided tour of ´Sexy Woman¨with our guide, Eddie. It was good to get all the background on the history of the site and the Incas. It took up over 30 Hectares of land, and that was only 20% of what the full site used to be. Amazing! In the afternoon we had a tour of some key, city highlights. We were very behind, like herding kittens to be truthful. But we all had a good time and I guess that´s what counts. Well, unless you´re Eddie and you´re trying to keep us all organized.
Today we did white water rafting in wet suits. Now, to be truthful, I was kinda excited about putting on a wet suit, as I thought it was going to be so tight it would hold in my jiggly bits. Actually, I think it emphasized them. Or perhaps that was my imagination. It didn´t help that Willie, captain of the captains of our boats, said ´OK, we have the big suits´...´for you´. And I was the first one he gave it to...oie! I said, ¨story of my life¨and was met with a barrage of supportive comments by my fellow Inca Chicks who reminded me of how far I´d come. Good on them, really! I must admit that my brother had the schwankiest of the suits, with cool colours and sleeveless. We were all jealous!
We had a BLAST on the rapids. It was a great combination of slow and relaxed vs. level 3 rapids, which are kinda aggressive. Well, at least they seemed that way to me, as I got splashed in the face with several waves! It was alot of fun, and we even managed to have a few water fights! I learned a little about myself after the days´events...
- it´s a good thing to give up control to someone who actually knows how to white water raft. This was not something that was easy for some of my boat colleagues, so I found myself reminding them that ¨Jorge really knows what he´s doing.¨ I was hapy to see that I wasn´t a control freak...at least not in the boat!
- guinea pig is a delicacy in Peru. We went to see a Peruvian home in which they were breading guinea pigs for consumption. I learned that I can NEVER EVER eat one of those cute, furry little creatures...did I say ¨EVER¨?!?
- After the stress of trying to reduce the weight of my Inca Trail bag from 20 lbs. to 12 lbs., I learned that I can really live minimally when I don´t have to shower for 4 days. God help my walking partners! BTW, my brother ALMOST sacrificed his deodarant until I guilted him into taking it and using it. It´s a good thing he likes the rest of the people on the tour with us!
It is SUCH a good group of people and we are all bonding beautifully. We are going to have a great time. Eddie, our guide, described the four day hike as follows:
Day 1 - a long day of walking(turns out we will walk 14 KM)
Day 2 - our ´sacrifice´to the Inca Gods...this would be the stairs and the high altitude
Day 3 - Meditation - easier walk, and lots of beautful sights for enjoyment
Day 4 - Inspiration - our arrival into Machu Picchu!
I know this is going to be a good trip. I can just feel it in my entire being. I can´t wait to wear the shirt that says, I SURVIVED MACHU PICCHU !!
Well poppits, it´s been a long day and I need to get my beauty rest. Tomorrow begins the adventure for which I´ve been preparing for 10 months. I can not begin to express my excitement.
Take care and next time I type at ´cha I´ll be telling you of my success!!
(a)yt xox
Monday, May 10, 2010
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Greetings from Cuzco, Peru on May 7, 2010
Hola poppits!
I´m typin´at ´cha LIVE from my hotel in Cuzco. What a great adventure we are all having! The culture is great, the people are pretty cool and the food (of which I am inhaling significant portions) is great! All good...
Crossed hurdle number 1 today. We did a mini hike to a place called ¨Sascsayhuamin¨which we´ve been calling ¨Sexy Woman¨ cúz that´s as close as we can get to the correct pronunciation. There were about 200 stairs and a steady incline after the stairs. It was a good test for us to see how we would fare in this altitude. The key learning for me? Resist my urge to move at my normal pace or I'll be huffing like a fiend! All good learning...
I have been experiencing some signs of altitude sickness, but nothing to be really worried about. The biggest issue for me has been that my body feels really sluggish. Could be all the carbs I´m eating, though, but whatever! Anyway, I´m really glad I did the hike today. It made me feel better about what I´m going to face on The Inca Trail. BTW, when we tell the locals what we´re doing, they get all excited and talk about how beautiful it is...can´t wait!
So far, I´ve learned a few good tips...
- negotiation for better prices is key to a successful shopping trip
- street meat in foreign countries is BAD, no matter what your brother says
- supporting the locals by giving them a few Peruvian soles every now and then goes a long way to building relationships, which are especially important when finding clean bathrooms
- it´s more the exception than the rule to have your lungs collapse when stepping off a plane at high altitude
My Inner Critic has been having alot of fun with me on this trip. But today, climbing that hill to Sexy Woman was the greatest gift to shut her down!! Tell me poppits, what are you doing to shut down your Inner Critic?
I may not be able to type again, so keep sending those positive vibes!!
(a)yt xox
I´m typin´at ´cha LIVE from my hotel in Cuzco. What a great adventure we are all having! The culture is great, the people are pretty cool and the food (of which I am inhaling significant portions) is great! All good...
Crossed hurdle number 1 today. We did a mini hike to a place called ¨Sascsayhuamin¨which we´ve been calling ¨Sexy Woman¨ cúz that´s as close as we can get to the correct pronunciation. There were about 200 stairs and a steady incline after the stairs. It was a good test for us to see how we would fare in this altitude. The key learning for me? Resist my urge to move at my normal pace or I'll be huffing like a fiend! All good learning...
I have been experiencing some signs of altitude sickness, but nothing to be really worried about. The biggest issue for me has been that my body feels really sluggish. Could be all the carbs I´m eating, though, but whatever! Anyway, I´m really glad I did the hike today. It made me feel better about what I´m going to face on The Inca Trail. BTW, when we tell the locals what we´re doing, they get all excited and talk about how beautiful it is...can´t wait!
So far, I´ve learned a few good tips...
- negotiation for better prices is key to a successful shopping trip
- street meat in foreign countries is BAD, no matter what your brother says
- supporting the locals by giving them a few Peruvian soles every now and then goes a long way to building relationships, which are especially important when finding clean bathrooms
- it´s more the exception than the rule to have your lungs collapse when stepping off a plane at high altitude
My Inner Critic has been having alot of fun with me on this trip. But today, climbing that hill to Sexy Woman was the greatest gift to shut her down!! Tell me poppits, what are you doing to shut down your Inner Critic?
I may not be able to type again, so keep sending those positive vibes!!
(a)yt xox
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
45 minutes until I leave for the airport!
And here I sit, watching Glee on my DVR and typing my blog. I'm all packed ... no small feat, thank you very much! I am quite organized for this trip. Well, at least the 5 day climb anyway. I have bags for each day ... no kidding. A bag a day, that's what this trip's come down to!
So, I don't have anything wonderful and wise to say, unfortunately. But, here's a quick update since my last blog:
- I've lost all the weight I gained (5 lbs. - oie!), so I'm back to my total loss of 85 lbs. This was achieved by NOT eating carbs, grains, dairy and tons of sugar! Amazing how quickly it will come off...
- I didn't do any exercising since my 18KM hike. Not sure why, but I did do a workout yesterday. I decided I should do something, even though The Evil One did offer to skip the workout and take me to Cora's for what sounded like ooey-gooey waffles. And, if you can believe it, I actually chose the workout over the ooey-gooey waffles! What's that all about?!? To be truthful, I would have preferred steak and eggs over the waffles, but I'm sure that once I was there I would've succumbed to something decadent. Thankfully, I chose the workout!
- My fear is still there, but it's more like worry. Will the overly-stuffed duffel bag pop one or all of it's zippers?!? Did I bring enough clothes? Are the clothes I packed really dispensible and, if so, will they make enough room to buy all the potential souvenirs I may buy? Do I really have enough baby wipes?!?
Despite my worrying, I am being picked up at 2:00 where I will meet the rest of the Inca Chicks at the airport. I will board the plane and I will land in Lima, then head to Cuzco. I will finish The Inca Trail, getting my picture taken in Machu Picchu with the rest of the gang. I will be smiling and feel fulfilled, even if my hair is out of control curly or (even worse) smashed against my head! It will be the icing on the cake that has been this 10 month journey.
After my workout yesterday, I bumped into Karolina at the GO Train station. She was the perfect person for me to see just before this trip. Karolina has been and continues to be amazingly supportive, upbeat and optimistic. She is always happy, and happy for me. She has high energy and is just really fun to be around. Her parting words to me, said as she was giving me a big hug, were: "You're gonna do just fine, Yvonne." And I believe her...
I am not taking a laptop so, unless I find an internet cafe on The Inca Trail, I will be unplugged until the 19th.
Take care, poppits! And, if you feel like it, feel free to send positive vibes from the 11th - 15th when I'm actually doing the climb - anything will help!
Cheers!
(a)yt xox
So, I don't have anything wonderful and wise to say, unfortunately. But, here's a quick update since my last blog:
- I've lost all the weight I gained (5 lbs. - oie!), so I'm back to my total loss of 85 lbs. This was achieved by NOT eating carbs, grains, dairy and tons of sugar! Amazing how quickly it will come off...
- I didn't do any exercising since my 18KM hike. Not sure why, but I did do a workout yesterday. I decided I should do something, even though The Evil One did offer to skip the workout and take me to Cora's for what sounded like ooey-gooey waffles. And, if you can believe it, I actually chose the workout over the ooey-gooey waffles! What's that all about?!? To be truthful, I would have preferred steak and eggs over the waffles, but I'm sure that once I was there I would've succumbed to something decadent. Thankfully, I chose the workout!
- My fear is still there, but it's more like worry. Will the overly-stuffed duffel bag pop one or all of it's zippers?!? Did I bring enough clothes? Are the clothes I packed really dispensible and, if so, will they make enough room to buy all the potential souvenirs I may buy? Do I really have enough baby wipes?!?
Despite my worrying, I am being picked up at 2:00 where I will meet the rest of the Inca Chicks at the airport. I will board the plane and I will land in Lima, then head to Cuzco. I will finish The Inca Trail, getting my picture taken in Machu Picchu with the rest of the gang. I will be smiling and feel fulfilled, even if my hair is out of control curly or (even worse) smashed against my head! It will be the icing on the cake that has been this 10 month journey.
After my workout yesterday, I bumped into Karolina at the GO Train station. She was the perfect person for me to see just before this trip. Karolina has been and continues to be amazingly supportive, upbeat and optimistic. She is always happy, and happy for me. She has high energy and is just really fun to be around. Her parting words to me, said as she was giving me a big hug, were: "You're gonna do just fine, Yvonne." And I believe her...
I am not taking a laptop so, unless I find an internet cafe on The Inca Trail, I will be unplugged until the 19th.
Take care, poppits! And, if you feel like it, feel free to send positive vibes from the 11th - 15th when I'm actually doing the climb - anything will help!
Cheers!
(a)yt xox
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