Machu Picchu - UNREAL!

This is a tough post to do because we know before even starting that there is no way our words or pictures can do justice to this piece of our adventure - but, being first born children, we will try anyway.

Summary:

• We have studied and looked at a lot of pictures of Machu Picchu over the years and one thing is clear: it is bigger than any one photograph can capture. This was evident right away. It was truly an amazing site to see with our own eyes and certainly deserves to be one of the 7 wonders of the world. 
• The water engineering by the Incas is unbelievable. This enthralled dad and G as they tried to process the vast genius in what they have done. Machu Picchu sits about 8500 feet in the mountains surrounded by much taller mountains and it rains a solid 6 months of the year. Without proper drainage the place would just wash away, and yet it stands some 600 years later. There are small channels throughout the entire structure that still operate today. We learned that the Inca Empire actually ran glacial water throughout the entire kingdom, moving water over 3000km, all the way to the coasts in some instances.
• The Trek to get to Machu Picchu was a feat in and of itself. As a family we had to conquer adversity and challenges in ways we have never experienced. To end our two month Central/South American tour here was a treat.  
• One of our best friends joined us for this journey which was truly special and helped combat the homesick feeling that is creeping upon us.
• We got sick! Four of us got very sick (food poisoning) on our third night up at 12,000 feet and it was scary as the dehydration from the food poisoning led to altitude sickness. Thanks for all of the prayers that got us through those 24 hours!
• Psalm 121 was what we clung to for this hike and repeated many times!

So, if you are a glutton for punishment and want more details here you go...

Our first day started out being picked up at our hotel in Cusco at 5AM. We took a shuttle bus to Uramtambo where we had a quick breakfast and ventured further to our drop point. This would typically be the 82km point but because of some construction we had to start at 78km and hike our way to the checkpoint. Fairly flat and easy but it made for a longer day. We eventually reached our checkpoint and entered the official trail. The first day was a 11km hike climbing from about 8923 ft to 9612 ft, moving from Piskacucho to Hatunchaca. It was a fairly easy day and we were very impressed with our food and picturesque lunch stop. They laid down a tarp in a tent and give us a 30 minute nap after lunch time.

Beginning the Inca Trail!

Short rest after lunch

This is a small ruin seen on first day hike

Our guide Saul teaching us about Incas

These are some of the porters or "chaskis" who carry the gear of the hikers, at times they run and most wear tattered sandals, these are incredibly hard working men!

Our 2nd day is known to be the toughest as we climb over "Dead Woman's Pass," which requires rising at 5am. We woke up to a great sky and perfect weather and felt truly blessed as many people have to do this climb in the rain and we were fortunate.  We were all a little nervous not knowing what to fully expect. In total, we hiked about 11.5KM moving from Hatunchaca to Pacaymayu. This hike involved about 6 hours of hiking up to the pass and then another 2 hours down to our campsite. As we climbed, we made reasonable progress and our guide was truly impressed with SJ who worked her way with our oldest at a steady clip. The climbing from hour 3-5 was pretty intense and eventually SJ hopped onto Melcher's (her personal porter when desired) shoulders for the final push which was right about 14,000 feet. After we all made it to the top we rested and basked in our accomplishment and the great views for a while.

Phew!  We did it!

From the top of Dead Woman's Pass

Dead Woman's Pass

Resting in the clouds

Then we start heading down a very steep and rocky path and it promptly began to rain, which made each step slippery, but our spirits were high knowing we had conquered the toughest part. The rain lightened up as we got to camp but most of us crawled into our tents at about 4:00 to rest before dinner.  SJ hiked on her own about 6 of the 8 hours. We ended this day about 11,700 feet and slept well.

Our 3rd day was a mere 5 hour hike and we got the joy of sleeping until 6:30 since it's a shorter trek. We hiked from Pacaymayu to Phuyupatamarca, stopping at some ruins along the way to explore. Overall it was a fairly flat day with our elevation staying about 12,000 ft all day. 

Boys with Uncle Ray at a ruin along the way.

Hiking into a tunnel in the cloud forest

The campsite that we ended at was by far the greatest one yet, as its sits in the cloud forest atop a mountain with amazing views all around. Just below we could see a good sized ruin and the mountain ranges in the distance were breathtaking as one had a large glacier on top. Clouds roll in and out with a slow peaceful motion and the best part was that we had beautiful weather that afternoon to soak it in.

Camp site in the clouds - Phuyupatamacrca

All of us in front of our tents with a llama photo bombing us!

Another great view from our campsite!

Dad and G enjoying the views!

Unfortunately, as the day wore on it took a sudden turn. Around 4:00, our oldest announced he wasn't feeling the greatest and decided to rest some in the tent. Everyone else started feeling a bit queasy and decided to skip dinner, leaving Dad, SJ and Saul to eat together in a rather awkward fashion.  The cook seemed a little annoyed that no one else showed up so Dad tried to get some of the chaskis (porters) to join them but they acted a bit shy and refused.  Before dinner was over three in our group were having serious issues and it escalated violently.  Thankfully the toilet tent was moved in front of our tents as we were having a hard time finding it in our panic as it was a bit down the cliff and getting dark. But one toilet tent wasn't enough for what was happening to us and as Cipro wasn't sticking, dehydration became a serious concern as we were over 12,000 feet. Any liquids ingested immediately came back out. After several non-stop hours of this, we decide to turn on our phones (this is the first place we had been with cell coverage on the hike) and get people praying (thanks to all).  This lasted past midnight and we were so grateful the rain held off as we were all a mess.  We got little sleep and then around 4:30am it hit dad hard and he became a full participant.

By 8am we were not sure what do to. Dad could hardly get up and was weak and a bit delirious. We had a 5 hour hike ahead of us on very little sleep, no fluid, and no energy. The guide had previously mentioned to mom that this day was the most dangerous because of steep cliffs and drop offs, so there was concern about physical safety if we pushed too hard.  The next camping group was encroaching on our tents and it was time to make a decision. Eventually we had to go, and thankfully we were able to keep small amounts of water down as we began our trek down the mountain. Our guides set up a "resting" site about three hours down the mountain where we hiked to, skipping a ruin that is typically seen. There was a bit of delirium on dad and our oldest's part but we did eventually make it to this make-shift campsite where we slept for an hour or two before pushing the final two hours to Machu Picchu. By this point, things were looking better as descending was eliminating some of the altitude sickness and fluids were being maintained. We were able to keep a liter or so of water down and, though tired, we no longer feared not making it. We moved slowly and tried to enjoy the scenery and our last day of the hike together.

Machu Picchu was worth the effort though!  Our final steps were called "Gringo Killers" and we entered the Sun Gate on a beautiful day. We didn't get to enter the city as our tour was scheduled for the following day, but we walked up to the entrance and took photos and embraced the amazing journey we had completed. Other than getting sick, our trek was outstanding and we really enjoyed the whole adventurewith adversity securing a solid memory.

"Gringo Killers" - final steps before the Sun Gate

We made it!  Our view of Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate!

Panoramic from Sun Gate

View from the Sun gate - the switch back road is what buses take

Hiking down from the Sun Gate 

We were originally scheduled to camp our last night just outside of town.  However, in learning some of the details of this camp location, we had opted to find a hostel in town.  What a relief to be in a bed, to get a somewhat decent night's sleep (the Peruvians were partying all night), and to have warm showers after the episodes of the previous night!

The next morning we opted to sleep in a bit and had breakfast at 7:30 and took the bus up the mountain to get our tour of Machu Picchu with our guide. He explained the various temples, rocks, restoration work and history of this amazing site. We then walked around on our own for about an hour and a half before catching the train back to Uramtambo where a bus took us back to Cusco. We had one final dinner at a restaurant we already knew to be outstanding, slept well in a hotel and were ready to leave at 5:45AM for our 8AM flight to Lima. In Lima we had our first Starbucks in 9 weeks before parting ways with Ray as we headed to LA for a couple of nights with grandparents before heading on to New Zealand.

Morning views of Machu Picchu

Dad & the boys

The guys at Machu Picchu

More photos of it all:

Roof Architecture

Water drainage

Sun dial at top

View from Terrace

A favorite photo!

Train!!

Train!!

Cusco, Peru

Our time in Peru started by flying from Iquitos to Cusco on Sunday, September 20th. This was an 8am departure with a connection in Lima and an ultimate arrival around noon – a simple journey compared to our previous. We were greeted by our Airbnb hosts at the airport and taken to their home where they prepared some coca tea and showed us around. We were looking forward to a nice shower and warmer accommodations than our concrete dorm in Iquitos, but unfortunately we found ourselves disappointed. With Airbnb there is always a bit of a gamble as reviews and pictures do not necessarily equate to physically living somewhere as a family. This place had wonderful reviews of their hospitality and the bedrooms matched the description, but the remainder of the home was just a mess. There were cats and dogs (and at least one mouse) and an open air courtyard of sorts that was a bit filthy. The people were super nice but there was no hot water and with Cusco at 12,000 feet the temperature was downright bone chilling. Our room was about 55 degrees at night, which was a far cry from the 100+ temps we experienced in Iquitos. Determined to make the best of it, we settled in and went to find food.

We woke up the next morning hoping to enjoy our included breakfast, which consisted of bread, jelly and some watery porridge designed to help with the altitude. Further disappointment ensued as Airbnb reviews had us expecting a bit more. We tried to warm up and focus on some schoolwork.  When that was complete we headed towards the main plaza of town to connect with our trekking operator and figure out what further supplies we might need for our Machu Picchu hike.

Breakfast in kitchen room

600 years ago Cusco was the capital of the Inca Empire. It was where the royal Incas lived and the pride of locals is easy to feel. There is a bit of a dual culture forming between those who want to preserve their heritage and culture and those who want to grow and expand with tourism being a huge source of revenue.  The Plaza de Armas consists of historical buildings, restaurants and shops and is more or less the center of the old town.  Inca construction consists of very tightly fit stone and it can be seen in many of the beautiful structures here.

We were all a bit cold as we adjusted to the cooler temps up high, and then the afternoon rain showers set in.  We headed to the mall (yes a bit lame but really our only option other than going back to our 'home' to sit in our damp cold rooms, which no wanted to do). Craving some safe and normal food, the boys saw a Chili’s (like in America), and forced our hand for lunch. It's amazing how incredible something known can taste after two months away! We made a few other stops and with the rain now finished, we headed back to the plaza area before returning to our very cold dwelling. We decided that maybe some new shoes might help dad's feet as they were only continuing to get worse and with the Inca Trek one week away, concern was elevating rapidly. The boys tried to discreetly ask mom how dad was ever going to make the hike.

The next day our host was overzealous to coordinate a city tour for us.  We agreed on a tour with an operator which took us to four different historical sites over about a 5 hour period. Another cold rainy afternoon and some communication issues between our host the tour operator made this attempt a bust in the beginning. We were told we would be picked up between 1 and 1:15 and by 1:45 no one had shown up and we'd all been standing in the rain. Our host who was trying to resolve the situation finally hailed us cabs and rode with us to the first stop where we eventually learned that we were supposed to be at that location at 1:40 and we had missed most of the tour at the first place. Buzzkill to say the least. We were cold and wet and not many of us were thrilled about this tour idea at this point . However, the tour guide gave us (and another couple – at least we weren’t only ones) an abbreviated tour of Qurikancha and off we went. We headed to the next stop, a ruin officially called Sacsayhuaman but referred to by all as "Sexy Woman."

Posing with Peruvian women & their llamas and alpacas

The stone work here is unbelievable. One stone weighs 125 tons and is believed to have been moved here over 7KM!

Huge stones, rainy day

From here we drove up to Tombomachay which is a ruin where water flows consistently all the time, no matter what. It could be pouring buckets and the flow is the same all year long. Even more interesting is that, even today, the experts do not know where the water comes from - but the Incas did. Our final stop was and alpaca store where we were taught how to tell the difference from real and synthetic alpaca - of course the "real" stuff is much more expensive.  At the end of the tour everyone had come around and was glad we'd gotten out of the place we were staying to explore a bit.

Tombomachay - not everyone was happy

By the end of our second day, realizing that rain showers were common most afternoons, and being cold around the clock, the homesickness that was setting in was becoming even more pronounced. We were also anxiously awaiting the arrival of our neighbor, Ray, who was flying in to join us on the Inca Trek. We realized the kids had never gone this long without seeing Uncle Ray! Counting down the minutes, no one wanted to be left behind, so we all headed to the airport to greet him. Also, unannounced to the family, dad was looking into different accommodations as the mood has soured in our place and no one was resting too well. With the Inca Trail coming up, we determined we would be smarter to be rested and comfortable before beginning. So we bounced from our Airbnb to a Starwood hotel!  Oh what a treat: hot water, nice beds, a gym, toilet paper can go in the toilet, a hair dryer, and a breakfast buffett to die for - the kids act like they have never seen a hotel before. This was a very nice splurge indeed.

With Ray in town everyone's spirits were lifted and we enjoyed hanging out and getting to catch up. Over the next three days we bummed around Cusco gathering gear for our upcoming trek that we feared was going to be colder and wetter than we'd expected.  We saw several parades as there seems to always be something to celebrate in Cusco!  We walked through the San Blas neighborhood, took a bus to the Sacred Valley and visited the agricultural terraces of Moray, the salt mines at Salineras, and got lost in the little village of Urubamba.  We had treasured adult time at a Pisco Sour-making course at our hotel, and we all enjoyed some fun meals together - it was such a treat to have our days together feel just like old times!

Pisco Sour class!

Moray - Different levels were used for testing soils and temperatures for growing crops

Moray from above

This little stream filled the salt mines below

Each section becomes its own dried up pool of salt

Guinea Pigs being sold for a meal -'cui' is a favorite Peruvian treat!

We celebrated our middle son's 12th birthday in Cusco at the ChocoMuseo with lots of chocolate as he is our sugar sweet son - a thoughtful peace-maker, who's bravely conquered some of his reservations in life on this trip. We sang, the employees sang, and we ate food involving lots of chocolate. By the time the day was over he'd been sung to over 6 times!  It was great to have Ray with us to celebrate, and hopefully turning 12 in Peru was memorable, but it was also certainly tough for our son to not celebrate with friends back home who are sorely missed.  

Happy 12th Birthday!

Iquitos, Peru!

We arrived in Iquitos, Peru on Sunday afternoon (a week ago now) and were met by Osmar, a contact from our friends and church.  He and his lovely wife Nicole took us out for lunch and we had a great time getting to know one another.  We are working with Osmar and Nicole this week helping to rebuild the building that is used for their "club" twice a week and is also where Osmar's parents live.

Iquitos is a town on the Amazon river in Peru.  It is only accessible by air or river and is the world's largest city that cannot be reached by road. We have been intrigued that many residents of Iquitos have Asian ancestry.  This is because the Spanish used Asian people as slaves during the rubber boom that happened here in late 1800s. This means a ton of Asian cuisine is be found as the majority of restaurants are Asain or chicken and rice places called "Pollertias".

 Photo of Asian slaves

Back in 2011 we studied the Amazon & Machu Picchu along with a Vision Forum live adventure.  We watched live-broadcasted episodes on the web, read books, studied the animals and different aspects of the rainforest.  So to be here in person is really amazing!

Osmar introduced us to the club house on Monday.  We hoped to begin work, but the vehicle delivering the wood for construction had several flat tires on the way to drop it off.  The boys enjoyed playing soccer with the local kids and Osmar has a niece SJ's age who was fun for her to hang out with.

Homes in the Sunshine Kids Club neighborhood

Boys playing soccer

Tuesday we explored Iquitos and the Amazon a bit. We started by visiting the Belen market, which consists of homes on floating pads that will rise as the water level rises, and booths of every market-type item you could think of from alligator to skewered worms, and cow head to jungle medicines and herbs.  This is sometimes referred to the "Venice of the Amazon."

Alligator to eat - for sale at the market

Cow head literally cut in half with the brain resting on top

Woman & children exiting boat onto a hill scattered with garbage

Next we headed to the Amazon river and visited some indigenous tribes.  The kids had to pound a drum to announce our entry to the Bora land.  The chief came and greeted us and called his tribe to come perform for us.  They danced and had us join in their celebration.  The kids did well with this new cultural experience, and we all enjoyed seeing the crafts and items these people made with what is available to them in the jungle. 

Announcing our arrival

Dancing with the Bora people of the Amazon jungle

Mom with the chief's wife

We visited the Yahua tribe where we had our faces painted on arrival.  They demonstrated how to use a blow gun and then we each had several chances to shoot it at a target.  3 of the 6 of us hit the target!

G having his face painted on arrival to the tribal grounds

Shooting the blowdart!

Our final stop of the day was to a private petting zoo of sorts, right on the Amazon.  The kids enjoyed this stop as they were able to hold a sloth, parrot, kinkajou, anaconda, and matamata.

SJ not sure about this sloth!

He FINALLY gets to hold a kinkajou!

CB with a boa

G was excited to hold a matamata as he learned about them in Ms. Julie's class!

The temperature here is a humid and constant 100 degrees, and we do not have AC in our concrete dorm room and there is little if any breeze - this is quite the adjustment as only two days prior we were comfortable in an air conditioned yacht.  Osmar has a great motocar that we cruise around in.  It is like a 3-wheeled-motorcycle with a shaded area for the driver, the bench behind him, and then a 3x3 ft area that is like a truck-bed in the back (SJ later told him she liked his "motorcycle truck because it was half motorcycle and half truck").  We squeeze into this along with 2 girls from Guatemala that are here helping with some dentistry work.  There are no lines on the streets and the motorcars are EVERYWHERE - driving is definitely interesting.  Lonely Planet describes it as, "a high school gang of motorcars ganging up on you and racing everywhere," which I thought was fairly accurate!

Riding in a motocar in the streets of Iquitos

Wednesday we were able to begin construction.  Mom and the kids surprised themselves by working these huge beams loose that were stuck in the ground.  They did it by hand as there are very few tools here.  It was interesting to work alongside the Peruvians and share knowledge and application of how to use leverage to accomplish this task.

The pole behind G is 1 of 4 we knocked down!

Dad and Osmar worked upstairs on the walls and floor.  Dad thinks it's funny that he's referred to as the "tall guy" here and was even asked if he was a carpenter for a living back home!  The river rises for about 3 months every year and so the houses are built on stilts.  Many people will often have to evacuate their homes if the water level gets too high, and then they will return several months later. This is just a fact of life for these people.  The wood that their homes are built of typically lasts 3 years before it needs to be replaced.  So while it seems like there should be a better solution to this in American standards, the choice to have club in this area and continue to rebuild the home, is what allows children and families in this poor area to have the opportunity to hear about Jesus.  In addition to human trafficking, alcoholism, rape, and poverty, garbage everywhere, lack of sanitation practices, rodents, and cockroaches have all provided much discussion as we definitely feel out of our comfort zone here.

Osmar & Dad putting up new walls

Wednesday nights are "club" which consists of music and worship, fun activities, and a talk relating to the Bible.  Osmar has built this from the ground up.  We were amazed at how similar to a YoungLife club this was, but it was for kids of all ages.  Our kids had a great time interacting with the new friends and all seem to have a couple of kids that they've connected with which is fun to watch.

Fun with new friends at Kids Club

During club we had the privilege to pray for the Kerr family from our church back home.  We do not know them personally, but they are like family to Osmar, having been here in Peru many times, and our hearts ache for our church family.  Shannon (the mom) and two of the four children were hit by a semi-truck on Monday morning last week.  Here is their CaringBridge site - please keep this family in your prayers.

Praying in Peru for the Kerr family back in MN

Thursday we worked again at the kids club, removing the parts of the floor that were rotted and replacing them with new boards. We sweat just standing still and sometimes don't understand the vision of how a wall or section is to look.  It is interesting to contemplate our efforts here as the Peruvians seem to work so much faster and better than us, but it was a pleasure to be able to serve and even though to us we didn't feel like we did all that much, the people were very appreciative and loving.  Our oldest was able to help the Guatemalan ladies with some dentistry work, which he really enjoyed, and that was a great opportunity for him!  That evening we went out to eat and our oldest tried alligator nuggets while Dad tried a jungle dish of fish wrapped in banana leaves.

The boys helped with new floor boards

Cleaning & prepping dental tools

Friday we ventured about an hour up the Amazon River to "Monkey Island" where there is a rehabilitation center for monkeys. We were able to play with them and see about 5 different types. Additionally, while walking through the jungle to get there, Osmar explained about different plants and trees and their importance. It was a very cool experience.  We'd hoped to fish for piranhas but the water was too low, so instead we headed to an area where there was a good chance to spot the mysterious pink dolphin.  We didn't see one, but we did get to feed piranhas, paiche (the largest fish in the Amazon), and alligators.  On our way back to town we experienced our first downpour!  By the end of this day Dad's foot, which has been bugging him for about 5 weeks now, was quite painful. We were pretty sure the pinky toe was broken as it's been very swollen since our second stop in Guatemala - so much that its new name has become the "little big toe." We figured we should get it looked at, so Osmar drove Dad to the hospital to see a Dr. The doctor barely looked at the foot, never touched it, offered a morphine shot and took an x-ray, which did not show a break (all this for about $30). So we remain perplexed at what is going on here and would certainly appreciated some serious prayers as we head up Machu Picchu in one week. 

Monkeys everywhere!

Saturday morning The Kids Club runs their club from 9-11 which concludes with them feeding all the children (about 100-150 kids). This was an incredible experience to see and our kids participated while being in a play about Daniel taught by Myra (one of the Guatemalan women). They sang worship songs, prayed for us, and had a Bible lesson. Basically a YL club with kids from 2-16. It was a blessing to be a part of. The majority of wood ordered had been used, so there was not much more work for us to do, so we headed off to the local zoo which was a fun easy relaxing afternoon that concluded with a light lunch where our oldest decided to try the local "worm" food.  That evening we all celebrated our time together by going to a beautiful floating restaurant which Osmar's dad had helped to build.  We saw the sunset, were eaten by mosquitos, and enjoyed the fellowship and unique atmosphere.

Acting out Daniel & the Lion's Den

Our family with some of the kids from Sunshine Kids Club

Skewered suri, an Amazonian larvae, or grub... yes, he ate this!

The group we served with at Sunshine Kids Club

Sunday we had tickets to Cuzco, but certainly wish we had more time here. To venture up further into the Amazon for a few days is something we would definitely like to do someday. Additionally, Osmar and Nicole's ministry is heart warming and powerful. They are making a deep impact for the kingdom with their work, and they have made a deep impact on us!  We hope we were able to bless them and the children here as much as we feel blessed to have been a part of their lives.  Their website is www.skcperu.com if you would like to learn more

Our travels from Iquitos to Cuzco was only 6 hours - an easy trip compared to our last few!

We've been asked if we are experiencing any weather/safety concerns due to the earthquake/tsunamis in Chile, and we want to let you know that we are safe and not near the areas being affected.