It's been a while since I've posted, so I thought an update would be good.
I'm getting used to being back at home-- actually, I got used to being home almost as soon as I got back. The trip was great, but the whole time I was wishing that Skip was there with me. I suppose that's a good thing, though, huh? At least I wasn't feeling awesome that I was gone from my hubby for 17 days! Here's a little recap as to what we did for all that time:
Ecuador: We had a long couple of days of travelling, going from O'Hare to Miami to San Jose, Costa Rica to Quito, Ecuador to Loja, Ecuador (that flight was CRAZY! Flying into the mountains of Ecuador was even scarier than flying into Cusco!). Somewhere in the midst of all that flying, Sarah pointed out that we had not realized the Loja airport was actually about 30 miles outside of Loja (why call it Loja airport, then, huh?), and we already knew that Loja was about an hour from Vilcabamba (our ultimate destination). So when we got there, we had to negotiate a ride to our hotel/resort. Hmm... Looks like it was time to jump into that speaking spanish thing. After negotiating with a couple of taxi drivers, we figured out two cabs to Vilc. (and continued to negotiate price between Sarah and I via the drivers' cell phones once we were on the road). The ride was super dark and scary, the two cabs got separated, we saw a donkey sleeping in the middle of the road, we almost fell off the
side of the road, but we ended up at Izhcayluma safely.
Our two days in Vilcabamba were spent just hanging around, taking pictures, drinking,
horseback riding (and me horseback
falling-- I've got the scars to prove it!), and generally just relaxing with the beautiful backdrop of Vilcabamba surrounding us. We had much more reliable transportation back to Loja in a private taxi, and then we had to negotiate the crowded Loja bus station in order to get to Cuenca. Stressfully, we figured it out, and managed to get our gringo butts on a bus. Yet another dark and scary ride, this time 5 hours long through rain-damaged roads and villages, but we got to Cuenca finally by about 11 pm, and crashed at Hotel Crespo.
We spent our 4 days in Cuenca exploring the city, buying gifts, trying to stay dry from the rain, and taking more pictures, of course. We had the opportunity to visit with Sarah's homestay family from when she was down there for school, and that was great. They were so kind and accomodating (they fed us!), and it was great to see Sarah so happy (yet sentimental at the same time!). We had some amazing Italian food, drank a lot of Pilsener (the local beer), and Andy, Michael and I even tried cuy (guinea pig). Very interesting taste, much more interesting presentation :). Homesickness crept in a little bit for me a couple of times, but phone calls and emails home kept me connected.
The rest of the trip was kind of a winding-down for all of us. We spent one last night in Cusco, then flew out early the next morning for Lima. We left Steph and Mike in the airport, then got a taxi for our hotel in Miraflores. It was nice to have the day in Lima to relax and explore, and that's pretty much all we did. We had a great dinner and went out for drinks, then went back to the hotel.
other parts. We were still glad to see the campsite, though, and it was only lunchtime! We got to take showers at this point, and man did they feel good! I've never felt so refreshed in my entire life. Seriously. After showers we had lunch, then had a couple of hours to just relax and take it easy. That evening we headed to a set of Incan ruins that were right near our site, and explored before dinner. Dinner that night was great, then we got to say goodbye to our porters (some of whom tried to makeout with the gringas...eew)
wanted to rush to get to the Sun Gate in time to see the sun rise over Machu Picchu. I was SO tired by that point, though, that I lagged back quite a bit. No need to hurry. I made it to the Sun Gate in time to see everyone, then started right back again down to Machu Picchu. It was kind of funny, though, because I was trying to beat the sun as it was coming over the mountains, so I was totally running down the trail. I think I probably looked pretty goofy. Getting to Machu Picchu was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, not to mention it was nice to take off the back pack and rest for a while. We had a tour of the ruins, explored some more, then went down the hill to Aguas Calientes for lunch. I have never tasted such the sweet taste of an ice-cold beer and pizza! After lunch we took a train to Ollantaytambo, then a bus back to Cusco, and our Inca Trail adventure was over.
Day two was the rough day. We started up Dead Woman's Pass right from the start of the day, 
and it took about 3 hours to reach the top. 14000 feet is an accomplishment! Down we went from that point to our lunch stop, and then up again to the second pass. By that point we were all really starting to struggle. At least I was. We rested at the top of the second pass before heading down again, towards our campsite. 10 hours of hiking really causes serious exhaustion, so by the time we hit the camp, we were running on fumes. But we made it. So did Michael, after being carried for a little while by the porters. Too bad it was pitch black outside by that point, so no one got any pictures. Lucky bastard...
drove through El Cajas National Park, and then down the mountains into the more tropical area of the country. The living conditions changed as much as the climate, so that was a bit of education for us as wealthy foreigners. I've decided everyone needs to be exposed to extreme poverty at least once in their lives to learn how to appreciate all that you have.
the Miraflores district of the city. Another scary cab ride, I must admit. We arrived at a restaurant called La Rosa Nautica just in time to meet Steph, Mike, and their friend/guide Aimee. Though we were all quite tired, we had an amazing meal literally perched on a pier over the Pacific. Pretty cool, if I do say so myself. After dinner we headed back to the airport where we attempted to sleep until our flight out at 5:30 the next morning. Sleeping on airport floors is yucky.
We had 3 days in Cusco to acclimate to the altitude (10,000 feet is tough!), as well as explore the city. Loooottss of shopping! Everybody got really good at haggling, as well as trying to figure out the Nuevo Sol, Peru's currency. Sunscreen was our best friend because that high-altitude sun is a killer.
horseback riding (and me horseback falling-- I've got the scars to prove it!), and generally just relaxing with the beautiful backdrop of Vilcabamba surrounding us. We had much more reliable transportation back to Loja in a private taxi, and then we had to negotiate the crowded Loja bus station in order to get to Cuenca. Stressfully, we figured it out, and managed to get our gringo butts on a bus. Yet another dark and scary ride, this time 5 hours long through rain-damaged roads and villages, but we got to Cuenca finally by about 11 pm, and crashed at Hotel Crespo.