Happy New Year!

Wow, as I re-read my last blog entry it feels like ages ago that I wrote those words and experienced those feelings. I have done so much and walked so many steps since then, hell I even have a new niece and it's a new year!!

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day passed brilliantly in Cusco. Probably the only time I've enjoy falafel for Christmas dinner and experienced so much rain, but I was with dear friends and ate loads of food so in a sense it was similar to the events back home.

Christina and I left for our Lares Trek on the 29th. There are many hikes and treks weaving their way in and around Machu Picchu and though we didn´t do the traditional Incan Trail, I think we might have got the better end of the deal. We began by visiting various Incan sites in the Sacred Valley (Pisac and Ollantaytambo) as well as woman´s traditional weaving project- learning of their traditional dyes and weaving styles... very interesting for me. We stayed the night in Ollantaytambo and spent 3 days walking through high mountains, valleys and in and around Andean villages and potato fields. Christina and I joined a group of 10 travelers and spent 2 nights in the mountains, seeing no other tour groups; only local people in their colorful ponchos working in their potato fields, herding their llamas and alpacas and watching curiously as the group of plastic poncho wearing gringos traipsed through their landscape. The highest pass we crossed was 4200 m. High enough that I was gasping for breath in the middle of the nights and dreaming of stealing the O2 tank off our ambulance burro named Tortillo. We spent New Years Eve huddled in our dining tent drinking warm wine, wearing yellow underwear (yes, all of us to bring in good luck..) and inventing our new years resolutions for 09. Most of us were actually in bed by 8.30pm, but I awoke 6 minutes to midnight to pee in the rain, so Christina and I shared a new years kiss, made our 3 wishes and fell back into our lucid dreams.

Our last night of the trip we spent in Machu Picchu Town, now called Aguas Calientes, and awoke before the sun to take a train up to the ruins. After many days with more llamas than people, the overwhelming tourism at the ruins was a little staggering for most of us, but regardless we managed to take in this sacred site, that the Spanish never found, with enjoyment and awe. We arrived early enough to climb the neighboring mountain of Wayna Picchu for an over view of the Machu Picchu ruins below. The many Incan stone steps up Wayna Picchu gave us a taste of what the Incan Trail is like, and I must say I think I prefer rambling grassy hillsides. We made wonderful friends with our group and enjoyed many laughs together. As we were taking the train back to Ollantaytambo and busing out of the sacred area, a huge double rainbow arched over us and we drove under it. Sure sign of a wonderful year ahead.

Not pausing for a minute, Christina and I were off and running (or busing actually) south to Puno, the lake side town on the edge of Lago Titicaca... the highest navigable lake at 3810 m. We spent an afternoon in the pouring rain and met up with friends from Cusco to enjoy dinner and drinks and awoke to a perfectly clear and sunny day to boat across the lake and explore a few islands on the lake. Such interesting cultures are preserved here. La Isla Taquile hosts a socialist community that is still going strong today. The people of the island live and work in community, hold weekly community meetings and abide by three rules: don´t be lazy, don´t lie and don´t steal. There you go! These come from the Incan rules of: love, teach and learn. I think our societies can learn a lot from these simple communities. As we walked across the island and caught the sun shimmering on the water below, I felt like I was in the Mediterranean. A truly gorgeous day!

We then boated over to the island of Amantanì where we met our host families and stayed the night, learning of the traditional dances, dress, farming and culture on the island. While some of our group played soccer (I tried my best but could hardly breath at that altitude), I hiked to the top of the island catching great views of the snow capped mountains of Bolivia to the East and the sun setting over the islands on the lake to the West. Very magical indeed.

We returned to Puno via Uros, the floating islands, and learned how the traditional people lived and build houses on floating islands of grass reeds growing on the lake. Another amazing feat of mankind!

Today I find myself in Arequipa, a town in the south of Peru near Colca Canyon, deeper than the Grand Canyon I´m told. The area is also surrounded by volcanoes. Today I visited a mummy, Sarita, over 500 years old. A small girl that was sacrificed to the mountain gods to protect the area from natural disasters. She is on display, while her fellow (and better known) mummy Juanita is off display for preservation. Very interesting indeed.
And on that note, I think I´ll make my way out of this internet cafe and back into the sunlight before it disappears for the day.
I hope this finds you well... be well...