Cusco and Machu Picchu

After a few wonderful days in Lima, Peru we headed to Cusco, Peru. We had an afternoon flight that was canceled due to maintenance issues. After rescheduling our flight for the next morning, getting a ticket voucher and staying in a hotel, we were off on a 7am flight. We landed in Cusco on Monday morning and were immediately struck by the altitude. We had never been to a place so far above sea level (over 3,000 meters). We checked into our hostel and began planning our days. We booked a 2 day/1 night Machu Picchu tour and we booked our bus tickets out of Cusco. In the afternoon we went on a great walking tour. We were able to explore markets, churches, learn about good places to eat and visit a city lookout point. After walking around for three hours we relaxed before heading to dinner. We found a great Peruvian/Australian restaurant.































Fred trying frog soup in the market






Vicuna

On Tuesday we started Spanish class. We booked lessons for ten hours while we were visiting Cusco. We spent the afternoon walking around the main downtown area, taking pictures of the beautiful buildings and browsing for souvenirs. At 3:30 we headed to Spanish. Our teacher was very nice, however she didn't speak any English. This was good in terms of being fully immersed in the language, but it was hard to follow her at times. At one point she held up a cup and started to teach us adjectives. We thought that she telling us the cup was white, small, and smooth. We later found out that she was saying the cup was white, small, and clean. After three hours we were ready for dinner. We headed back to our hostel for dinner and drinks.
























On Wednesday we woke up and headed to Machu Picchu. We took a taxi, along with one other girl from our hostel, to a city about 90 minutes from Cusco. After our arrival, we had two hours to explore the small mountain community. From there we took a train for 90 minutes to the city at the base of Machu Picchu called Aguas Calientes. We checked into our hotel and went to explore. We found a nice market and stocked up on food for the next day. We then walked around the town. It was so beautiful. The city was surrounded by mountains. Although it was very touristy, it was magical. We then had dinner, met up with our guide and headed to bed so that we would be ready for our early morning wake up call.



















On Thursday we woke up at 4am and headed to the bus line. Luckily, we were in line early so we made the first bus to Machu Picchu at 5:30 am. The bus ride up the mountain took about 20 minutes. The turns were terrifying as we could look right off the side of the mountain. Finally, we made it to the top. We entered into Machu Picchu and were full of anticipation for what we were going to see. In reality all we saw as fog. The fog was so thick that it was hard to see a few feet in front of you. We sat around for a while catching glimpses of Machu Picchu as the fog rolled in and out. At 7am we had a two hour guided tour. As the tour started most of the fog started lifting. To our surprise, our friends Sam and Neil from England (that we had met in Lima) were on our tour! What a small world! Our guide was great. He pointed out lots of things that we wouldn't have seen or known the significance of on our own. There are no signs pointing things out or giving information so a guide is needed to fully experience Machu Picchu. Once the tour was over we had one hour before we were scheduled to climb Waynapicchu, a mountain overlooking all of Machu Picchu. After a 40 minute climb we were at the top. The climb was very hard and would probably be an insurance nightmare if it were anywhere in the States. The path was not always clear, so you sometimes had to guess which direction to go. There were no ropes or barriers and one wrong step would have sent your tumbling off the mountain. At some points the path seemed to be vertical. Although it was hard, the view made it all worthwhile. After exploring the top for about an hour we headed down. Going down the mountain was much more terrifying. When we finally made it down to solid, horizontal ground we were very grateful. We walked around some more and took tons of pictures without the fog. In the afternoon we headed back to the city to catch our train back. Fred was on a train 15 minutes before mine. When we were both off the trains we jumped into a small bus for the 90 minute ride back to Cusco. We once again checked into our hostel and went straight to bed.






Our first view of Machu Picchu. It is a good thing that we woke up at 4am!
























The sun was a bit bright.



















View from the top of Waynapicchu.













Climbing down. It was horrifying.













On Friday we slept in and walked around the city before having three more hours of Spanish class. After our class, we met up with Sam and Neil for dinner and drinks. After a fun night out, we headed to bed.

On Saturday we woke up early for four more hours of Spanish beginning at 9am. Our lesson went fast and we found them all helpful. I was reminded of what I had learned in high school and Fred was fascinated with learning another new language. We spent the afternoon with Sam and Neil, having lunch and seeing the sites. We even stumbled upon a parade in honor of Day of the Dead (November 1st). We then headed to a market before catching a night bus to Arequipa, Peru at 8pm. The bus was very comfortable and we felt very at ease for the entire ten hour journey. We had plush seats, we were able to watch English movies, we were served dinner and tea and the seats reclined to 160 degrees. Although we didn't sleep too well, the bus was perfect for such a long journey. We are now excited to explore our last large city in Peru before heading to Chile.












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Welcome to South America: Lima, Peru

On Tuesday evening, after four flights from Hong Kong to Guangzhou, Guangzhou to LA, LA to El Salvador and El Salvador to Lima, we arrived in Peru's capital city. We arrived at our hostel around 11pm and headed to bed. Our hostel is great. It is in a restored mansion in the center of downtown Lima. It was so comforting to arrive at a nice and welcoming place after days of travel.

On Wednesday we slept in until midday before exploring the city. We set off in search of food and followed a recommendation from the hostel. We had lunch at a great restaurant with outside patio seating. Even though it is a bit cold in Lima, we sat near an outdoor heater and enjoyed watching the city pass by. Once we were stuffed we headed to a main square. We walked around the square and observed numerous churches and government buildings. The architecture here is amazing. The buildings are all old, colorful and full of details. We were in awe of each building after being surrounded by Asia's square concrete buildings. After a coffee break we started to head back to the hostel. We stumbled upon a huge festival. We knew that one of the most important religious festivals was taking place however we thought that it was the day prior. We were wrong. We walked right into masses of people, closed roads and armed police everywhere. We watched a processional of people, religious artifacts and observers. As we made our way back we had to dodge thousands of people, street vendors and closed roads. It turned out to be a great unexpected surprise. We decided to stop for dinner at a small restaurant near our hostel. The meal was huge, filling and cheap. Fred had ceviche (fish marinated in lime juice) and I had chicken filet. Our bill for two huge meals and two larger beers was around $10.00! It was a great first day in Lima.











The festival we stumbled upon

On Thursday we woke up and headed to San Francisco Monastery. After a great English tour of the facilities and the connected church we were into the basement catacombs. The small walls and walkways were filled with bones. They were all on display in piles all around the basement. There were piles of femurs, fibulas and skulls. They piles were not covered and open to the public. Our tour guide said that an estimated 25,000 people are buried in these catacombs. A male was buried there about three weeks ago! It was a fascinating yet very creepy tour. We stopped at a very small restaurant for lunch. We each had chicken tamales and I had chicken and rice while Fred had an egg and veggie omelet. This meal was around $4.00! Once we left we headed to the Inquisition Museum. The tour was short but only in Spanish. After nodding along with the group and following their glances as the guide explained the exhibits we headed to another main park in Lima. We relaxed for a while before heading back to the hostel. We hung out in the common area with other guests and learned how to play a Peruvian dice game. We also learned that the hostel owners lived in Minneapolis for five years! What a small world.






Yesterday we woke up with no plans. We decided to go see some ruins, Huaca Pucllana, that are in the center in Lima. We took a guided English tour around the grounds and on the ruins. It was very interesting because it is surrounded by the city. From there we went to a seafood restaurant that was recommended by the hostel owner. It was packed! After a 45 minute wait we were seated. The menu was very difficult to understand however various staff members helped us translate it. Fred settled on a tuna steak and I ordered scallops. The food was incredible! The tuna steak was the biggest we have ever seen. It was seared perfectly and so tender. The scallops were also delicious! After we were stuffed we headed to the beach. After a short walk we were on the beach. It was beautiful but the water was so cold, even for a few seconds on your hand. There is not a proper beach in this area. Instead the coast is covered in stones. We then headed back to the hostel and relaxed in the bar area. We finally tried Peru's most popular drink, Pisco Sour. It is made with Pisco liquor, which is similar to a grape brandy. The Pisco Sour has Pisco, egg whites, bitters, ice and lima. It is sour but wonderful. After a few hours of hanging out with others and the very social owners, Fred headed to bed and I went with the others to a nearby bar. After a drink we were back and relaxing in the hostel.



Huaca Pucllana















Today we woke up and headed to a nearby market. We stocked up on water, fruit and snacks before getting lunch. We went to a popular Peru fast food chain called Bembos. They are suppose to have some of the best burgers in Peru. It was not fast-food like McDonalds but more of a quick restaurant. Fred said that the burger was okay but he isn't craving another. We then walked around and are now in the hostel. Tomorrow we have a flight at 11am to Cuzco, Peru. Lima has been busy, relaxing and intriguing. It has been a great introduction to South America and the time flew by!


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Weekend in Hong Kong

Last Friday we travelled to our final destination in Asia, Hong Kong. The trip from Hanoi to Hong Kong was a bit more stressful than it should have been. We had a tight transfer window in Guangzhou between the two cities where just about everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong: our flight was delayed fifteen minutes, we had to taxi from a runway that seemed like it was in Beijing, the plane did not go to a jetway/gate, and we could not get our tickets for both flights at check-in. The window of 65 minutes suddenly became only fifteen. Luckily an awesome lady at the transfer window was able to help us get our tickets, rush through customs and security, and get to the gate. She was even yelling at everyone to get out of the way in Chinese. It was hilarious looking back at it now, but we were freaking out while it happened.

The rest of the weekend in Hong Kong was much more relaxing. We spent most of our time walking around and exploring the districts of the city. On Saturday we hung out in the business districts and along the waterfront. We found a cool Chinese "diner" for lunch that offered all sorts of weird porridge and other Cantonese dishes (we opted for egg sandwiches and peanut butter toast). At night, we walked into the the main nightlife district to catch the Man U v. Liverpool game. Every pub on the block was packed with foreigners, which made it more exciting. After the game we headed to a good spot along the waterfront to snap some photos of the city.







On Sunday we took a ferry to Kowloon Island. It is known more for its residential life than its business. We found a couple of beautiful parks, a temple, and a handful of traditional markets. If we were not taking so many plane rides, we would have spent a small fortune. In the evening we headed back to the waterfront to watch the sunset and see the lights of the city turn on. After we had a few good photos we headed back to our island, then ate at a sushi-go-round for the second time in three days.



















On Monday we started our biggest travel day of the trip. We spent the morning relaxing and gearing up for the almost 40-hour journey ahead. After four flights and a night on the floor of LAX we arrived in Peru. It's hard to believe that we are here, but so far we loving it. We will post about it soon.

Hanoi and Halong Bay

After we left Mui Ne we headed back to Saigon for one more night. We spent the night walking around and talking with some Vietnamese English majors. They spotted us in a park and started up a conversation to practice their English. In the morning we caught a quick flight to Hanoi.

We checked into our hotel and headed our for dinner. We found a great small place specializing in wrap your own spring rolls. After a filling meal of beef spring rolls, pho and wine we headed back to the hotel.

The next day it was rainy and cool. Although we were excited for the fall weather, we were hoping for a nice sunny day. We suited up in rain gear to explore the city. We wandered through the Old City all day. We passed tons of shops, old buildings, stone streets and markets. The roads were filled with motor bikes and ladies selling everything from fruits to rain ponchos. After a few hours we settled in a tea shop to play cards and warm up. We then headed to a travel agency. We knew that we wanted to escape the city for a few days so we were off to plan an excursion. We decided to go to Halong Bay for 3 days/2 nights. After booking the trip, we relaxed before heading to dinner. For dinner we found a nice quiet place near our hotel. After filling up, we headed to bed.






In the morning it was still raining. We decided to do a little shopping then we sent a large box home. We had accumulated a lot of stuff so our packs were getting full. Once we left the post office we went off in search of food. As the rain poured down we found a western spot that happened to be playing the Rugby World Cup. We enjoyed some pizza as we watched Wales vs. Ireland and England vs. France. The restaurant was full of rugby fans so it turned into a very entertaining afternoon. After a few hours we headed back to the hotel to pack up for our trip to Halong Bay.






In the morning we left at 8am for Halong Bay. We took a mini bus with about 15 others for the 4 hour journey to the sea. Once we arrived to checked into our room on the boat. The room was nice with a bed and our own bathroom. Our room was closest to the engine room so it was a bit loud but not a problem. After a huge lunch of fish, veggies, meat and rice on board we headed off to a floating village. We were able to kayak around and explore all that we wanted. After 90 minutes we were back on our big boat. We spent an hour or so swimming in the warm clear water. We then had a wine and fruit party with all of the other guests. Around 7pm we had dinner and then were able to try squid fishing. Fred tried, along with a Dutch guy, for about 90 minutes to catch a squid. After having no luck, we retired to the deck to enjoy a nice cold beer.









Floating village



Floating village



Floating village





Squid fishing

In the morning we had breakfast before our full day exploring the bay. We were able to kayak again. This time we explored a new area complete with two caves and a lot of bats. We had lunch on board and then spent hours swimming. The water was as smooth at glass and very salty. This made it very easy to float in and a lot of fun to jump into. We then headed to an island that had a nice look out point. After climbing around 400 steps we had a great view of Halong Bay. We then relaxed on the white sand beach before heading back to the boat. We again had wine and dinner on board and were able to try to catch squid (this time we didn't even try).
























Overlooking Halong Bay


Overlooking Halong Bay


Overlooking Halong Bay

In the morning we had breakfast before heading to the Surprising Cave. We wandered the cave for about an hour before going back to the boat. After cruising around for an hour we had lunch then headed back to land. We jumped in another mini van for the trip back to Hanoi. We checked into our same hotel in Hanoi and Fred played the workers in a few PS2 soccer matches. After the matches we headed off to find food. We settled on a nice place that again had make your own spring rolls. We paired them up with some soup and beer. The restaurant was very nice but full of tourist groups. We were the only table that did not have at least 6 members.



Surprising Cave

Today we headed back out into the city to explore. We found a great place for lunch were we ate on a patio overlooking a city side street. After some cards we headed out. After a while we stopped for coffee and to plan out more of our trip. We planned out a little more for both Hong Kong and South America. We are now relaxing back in the hotel. We have one more day in Hanoi before we head to Hong Kong!

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