Transition Day

Yesterday was a transition day for Siri and I in Cuzco. We´d spent the last day and a half in Urabamba, exploring the ruinas at Ollantaytambo and staying at the cutest hotel - Las Chullpas. I think I´m going to have to buy some Brazillian music to listen to in the morning now while I drink my coffee and enjoy fruit and granola. :)

We had a whole list of errands to due yesterday - breakfast, cab ride, drop off laundry, pick up laundry, check into hotel, withdraw more soles from the ATM, pre-trekking meeting, lunch, buy snacks, pick up luggage from South American Explorers Club, check email, meet up with our friend Kristy, shopping, tamales and dinner. whew. we managed to get it all done! It´s been a balance between being relaxed and being on vacation and taking care of responsibilities that needed to get done, like yesterday. But it´s all good. Had a lovely dinner at a Thai Fusion restaurant, complete with soup and amazing dessert - so good to meet new friends on this trip!

We leave in a few minutes for our next trek - around Ausungate, a 6200 meeter peak. It´s the highest peak in this region and the 2nd highest peak in Peru. It´s going to be COLD. It´s Siri and I and 2 other random people who signed up. It´ll be a different dynamic that trekking the Inca Trail with friends. In addition, we´ll have a few horses, 2 porters, a cook, and a guide. Rumor has it, that Apu feeds their clients well. I´ll post updates about this trek & the Inca Trail later.

A few last thoughts on Peru before I catch the van to our trek...corn nuts here have creamy centers - which is actually quite good; granola here means quinoa and not oatmeal - looking forward to trying out this variation at home!; speedbumps mean you speed as fast as you can between bumps (I´m thankful the cars here seem to have good brakes!); stray dogs have learned to follow tourists around in hopes of getting food; there seems to be a strict one raisin per cookie or tamale or granola bar policy, coca leaves are good in tea, candy, toffee, jam and earrings.

Adios!