New Year's Eve Eve Hike

Today was such a nice day so I decided to attempt a hike of Mt. Woodson from Lake Poway. I figured that after three hikes in the last 2 months I was ready, and I was. I started from the parking lot a 10:23, arrived at the top after one food break, and then returned to my car at exactly 1:23. Three hours isn't bad, but now I'm paying for it. I pushed myself a little bit, and I can barely walk. My knees are fine, but my leg muscles are very sore. Overall, it was a good hike, with mild temps and a great view, plus the trail was very uncrowded. I was the only one at the top for a while.

Christmas Night 2006

I had to take this shot, showing how cool my car looks up in the mountains.

Christmas Day Drive

Merry Christmas, everyone! As planned, I took a drive up to the mountains today. I started by sleeping in and enjoying a simple breakfast of frozen waffles and yogurt. Then I made myself a sandwich for lunch, grabbed the camera and headed out. On the way I stopped at the Poway cemetery to say hi to my mom and dad, as well as my friend Gonzo.

This was the first time I'd driven my Mustang up windy mountain roads, and I was stifled by slow cars. But once I got beyond Julian, traffic cleared up and I was free to attack the sharp curves. I used to scare myself on these corners with my Sentra, but since I'm still learning to drive a larger, much more powerful car, I took it easy. To my surprise, there was some snow on the side of the road. It was warm enough that I didn't have to worry about ice, but you can never be too sure. I made the turn off to Laguna Mountains and stopped along the Sunrise highway in various places to take photographs. You have a good view of the desert down below, but I didn't really find a good place to photograph the forest trees. Then again, I was probably rushing, not taking the time I should have to stop and enjoy the view and free, pine air. I did stop long enough in one turnout to each my lunch. It was funny to watch families stop, pile out of their SUV, spend one minute looking at the view before speeding off. I guess they were in a hurry to. Either that or they were worried about some strange guy eating a sandwich alone in a Mustang.

I finished my lunch and headed down to the freeway, where for some reason I speed up to 100 mph, watching carefully for CHPs. As traffic got very thick near El Cajon, once again I wondered why all these people weren't home with their families. I even drove by Iron Mt. again and there were more cars parked at the trailhead this morning than yesterday! So back home I am in time to watch football and relax before my three day work week.

Christmas Eve Light Viewing

Spending Christmas at home this year, I had time to take my traditional Christmas Eve drive around the neighborhood looking at Christmas lights. This was a tradition in my family when I was young. My dad had everyone pile into the Ford station wagon on a night around Christmas, and we'd drive around the neighborhood looking at the Christmas lights. When I got older, we stopped making this drive, but then I began to take the trip on my bicycle. Back then I was a lot braver, not afraid to ride my bike at night with my wheel generator light. I remember one year, I was riding my bike after dark on a road a few miles from my house and I thought I heard someone call my name. So road a little farther up the road and then turned around back to the place and I saw a girl walking alone. I realized that it was Julie, a girl I knew from my science class. To this day I have no idea how she knew it was me. I was riding fast, wearing a thick jacket and there were no street lights. So tonight I took the Mustang out and drove by the rich people's houses in Scripps Ranch. These people electricity bill must be huge, with all the lights and animated snowmen I saw. I heard no body call my name this time. So back home I drove to watch football and drink a Christmas beer. Tomorrow I think I'll take a drive up to the mountains to enjoy the fresh, crisp, cold air and snap a few photos while I'm there.

Christmas Eve Hike

I decided that today would be a great day for a hike up Iron Mountain, and apparently, so did everyone else in town. I thought that people would be spending time with their families on Christmas Eve, and they were, on the same trail I was hiking. Kids and dogs were everywhere, enjoying this crystal clear day outdoors. My goal was to hike up without stopping, which I did in 55 minutes. At the top, the visibility was unlimited. I could clearly see off to the horizon in all directions. I have never seen Downtown looks so clear, the view of the Pacific Ocean was amazing and the mountains off to the east were just as visible. After 10 minutes at the top, I headed down, making sure I was home in time for the Charger game.

Cruise Ship Lights

I drove downtown this evening to look at the holiday lights. As a was driving down Shelter Island, I saw something that at first made me dizzy. It was a cruise ship heading out to sea after spending a day at San Diego. All the lights made me think it was a building, but it was moving and that was kind of disorienting. I parked along the bay and snapped this blurry photo with my cell phone. I also took a picture of downtown, but it turned out really bad. Maybe I'll go down there again but this time I'll bring my camera and a tripod so I can take long exposure of the night skyline.

Peru Photos

Well, I used this cold, rainy day to finish processing my photos from my trip to Peru. By processing, I mean enhancing them in Photoshop. Digital cameras are great, but they don't always capture the true image. So a few adjustments of the contrast, saturation and sharpness does the trick. There are over 90 images in this web gallery, so it might take you some time to look at them all. Might I suggest you sip on a bottle of Karl Strauss Amber Lager while viewing my pictures. That is what I am doing tonight. Cheers!

Karl Strauss: 1912 - 2006

Yes, sadly, Karl Struass has passed away. That news just inspired me to leave my house to go buy some Karl Strauss beer so I can have a drink in his honor tonight.

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Just got back from the store and not only did I buy some Amber Lager, but also two different Stone brews (Smoked Porter and Arrogant Bastard), Port Brewing Whipeout IPA and Racer 5 ale.

This Is Peruvian Art?

What's the deal with me always trying to imitate interesting photos, statues and artwork?

Pisac Market

Do you see me in the background? We explored only a small section of this huge market in the town of Pisac, Peru, located along the Vilcanota River in the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

Another Group Photo at Machu Picchu

This photo was taken using my brother's camera, which has image stabilization. Makes for clearer photos if you have a shaky hand. However, it looks as if the camera was focused on the background, so we are a little blurry, but since the scenery is so majestic, it doesn't matter how we look.

A Slippery Step in Peru

During our tour in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, our tour guide led us up these old steps in the rain. What was funny, is after a few minutes on the terrace above, we simply walked back down to the street on a short, less dangerous, dirt slope. I guess the purpose of the hike was to show us that after hundreds of years, these stones still worked as their original function.

Home For the Holidays

My extended trip to Key West is over and I am home. Flew standby today and arrived home four hours earlier than planned, but still 24 hours later than the original plan. Tomorrow I get to attend my one and only holiday party, where their will be lots of beer and friends I see only once a year (only the friends, I see the beer more than once a year). Christmas in Key West is much like it is here in San Diego, with the warmer weather but still a festive mood and lots of colorful lights around.

Trip to Peru: Sacred Valley of the Incas

Well, I have written myself into a hole here. I didn't mean to write so much about my trip to Peru, but I now need to finish with my last full, eventful day there. We had signed up for a private guided tour of various Inca sites outside Cusco. Allowing ourselves to sleep in a little, the journey began at 9 AM. We piled into the tour van once again with our driver and tour guide, who's name I forgot.

The tour began with a drive up the hills of Cusco, where we were given a great view of the city, which I didn't get a photo of unfortunately. We drove by other sites which we would have seen had we taken the city tour. We stopped several times at scenic outlooks above the city of Pisac, which lies in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. This is the same valley that the train to Machu Picchu travels through, but a different section that we had not seen. The day started out sunny, so the green valley below looked breathtaking.

Our first stop could be considered a petting zoo, but it was a - well, I forget what it was, but it gave tourists an opportunity to feed and learn about llamas, alpacas and other members of the South American camelid (camel) family. It was quite fun, actually, and the stopover ended with time to walk though a gift shop where you could buy locally made goods woven from llama hair. This was to be the theme of the day - at every stop we were either bombarded with locals selling their little crafts, or we were directed into a market, which was to be our next stop.

I guess all tours stop at the street market in Pisac, as the lot was full of buses and vans. We were told that normally people spend an hour here, but since we wanted to cut time off our trip, we compromised on 20 minutes. That time actually went by very quickly and we did buy some stuff. Back on the road, we now had a one hour drive down a road-in-repair before our next and final stop - Ollantaytambo.

The city is still inhabited, with its buildings containing some stones brought down from the Temple of the Sun, which sits on the adjacent hillside. By this time it had started to rain lightly, so we were all wearing our rain jackets and walking in mud or slippery stone streets. We were led up a rather steep and muddy trail to a place where we had a good viewpoint of the city. I don't know if every tour gets taken up here, but we guessed that our guild found us fit enough for the short but tricky climb in the rain. We then worked our way to the entrance to the park, which gave us access to the Temple of the Sun.

Once inside, the guide started talking about the importance of water, wheat, the sun and other natural resources to the Incas. Then he pointed out a natural rock on the side of the hill that resembled an old man's head. You really had to use your imagination to visualize the face, and he then opened a book and showed us a picture that made the figure more clear. The Incas had taken this natural formation and added to it other characteristics such as the sack of wheat on the man's back, which was really a place where they kept wheat on the hill. Once again, without a guide, we would have never of noticed the old man or the llama figure on the opposite hill also made from natural rocks and man-made enhancements.
We then began our walk up the steps to the Temple of the Sun. We were still at a high altitude, and we all tired easily. Our guide, having lived his whole life in Cusco, had no trouble at all. Just like at Macchu Picchu, he pointed out the fine work that went into carving the stones. He said theses large rocks came from the hills on the other side of the valley, so they had to be taken down the hill, across the river and up the steep slopes to their current location. As we continued, there were these indentations in one wall that were acoustically designed, as we found out when we stuck our heads in and talked, hearing our voices reverb deeply within the hole. Our time here was almost over, but we were given one more chance to buy stuff on the way our.

Our tour of the day was basically over, as it would take over an our to get back to the hotel. The ride was very quiet and relaxing and I really enjoyed just looking at the farms on the country side. We had been told that these people cared about only two things, protection and fertility, which explained the meaning of the symbols we saw on each rooftop - two bulls and a cross. They farmed the old fashioned way, with oxen and tools made of wood and metal. I saw young children hearding cattle, wondering how they were able to control these large and powerful animals. Yet in the larger cities, there were school children in uniform walking home from school. What a simple and diverse culture there is in Peru.
Just like yesterday, the driver flew through the towns, passing everybody with no regard for the rules of the road. However, they got us back to the hotel before 5 as promised. The tour was definitely worth the time and price and I'm glad we did it.

After a short break, we went to find a place to eat for our last night in Cusco. We ended up eating pizza, and I tried another beer and Pisco Sour, which made me feel really weird due to the altitude. The next morning we had to check out by 8 but our flight wasn't until noon. We killed some time walking around and using the internet connection in the hotel. Once at the airport, we were early enough to catch an earlier flight to Lima. This actually made the trip to Cusco complete. Every single plan we made was changed for some reason or another. Both flights, the hotel and the train ride. However, I think it all worked out for the better.

Back in Lima, once we found our driver, we went back to the Marriott hotel. At this point we all had mentally ended our trip. All that was left to do was fly home the next day. Since our plane left at 7:30, we needed to be at the airport at 4:30 AM, so the alarms were set for 3 AM. It turns out that for international check-in for flights to the US, it does take some time. Between the time we arrived at the airport and boarded the plane, we must of passed though 10 different check points. There was no way anybody was going to sneak anything on this flight. We departed on time for Miami, and caught our connecting flights to LA and then home. It is good to be home again.

Trip to Peru: Machu Picchu

Since I knew I needed sleep, I forced myself to go to bed at 8 PM, hoping that I'd get at least six hours of sleep before the alarm went off bright and early. I managed to get about that much sleep, but I work up a dozen times with a headache that wouldn't go away. We met for breakfast, where the food was kind of dry, but any food tasted good to me at this point. It helped rid me of my headache. After breakfast, we went to the lobby to meet with our travel arranger, who gave us all our tickets, rode with us in the van to the train station, and then led us into the station to show us where we were traveling to and at what stop to depart from on the way home. We wouldn't be riding the train all the way back, for some reason.

The train left promptly at 6:30. The seats were fairly comfortable but needed more leg room, just like an airplane. The train took forever to leave Cusco. Since the tracks led over a mountain, the train was forced to take several switches. We would go forward for a while, stop, backup, and then switch to another track to continue forwards. The train was very noisy, as I watched woman carrying wheat plug their ears and dogs howl as we passed through neighborhoods. The car was mostly empty when we started, but we stopped at several train stations along the way and by the last one the car was full, and much noisier. They served us a small sandwich and a drink along the way. I spent the whole ride looking out the window at the endless farmlands and mountians. It was very scenic. Finally, almost four hours later, were arrived!

We departed the train and found not our guide, but her friend. She directed us to the buses which would take us to Machu Picchu. The bus takes a dirt road up the side of a mountain and drops you off at the entrance. There we met our guide. She first directed us to the bathrooms, and then the entrance to the park. So after 11 hours of flying, four hours of train and a bus ride, we had arrived at our destination, and yes, it was worth it.

The tour started off slow. We walked in to a point where we could see most of the Inca city. The guide spent some time explaining the history of the city, at least what is known from examining the ruins, since there is no written records from the people who lived here. Then she explained how the city was discovered in the early 1900s. After many photos were shot, we continued on. Having a private guide was very helpful and interesting. If we had wandered around alone, we would have enjoyed the sites, but would have no idea of what we were looking at. She took time to show us the amazing stone work, how all the stones were shaped to interlock and fit smoothly together. She showed us how they created the shape of a condor in the rocks, and how important condors were in their society. We walked all over the place, up and down rock steps that were uneven and awkward to navigate. The two hour tour went by rather quickly. When we were done, she led us out (we could return anytime all day long) and showed us where the food was. We thanked her and said goodbye.

After eating an interesting lunch of chicken, some kind of burger and hot dogs, we returned to the park to explore on our own - we still had four hours left! We wandered around to some of the spots where we didn't go on the tour before we headed towards a trail to an Inca bridge. It was raining lightly at this point so out came the jackets and panchos. We weren't sure what the bridge looked like of how far it was, but I got my "summit fever" and convinced the rest to trek onward. Then we encountered someone who said it wasn't far and was worth the trip. So five minutes later we made it to the bridge. It was interesting, looking at it from a distance (we couldn't get any closer), but not spectacular, as this man had indicated. So a few photos later, we left.

The only other trail we wanted to walk on, for at least a short while, was the famous Inca Trail. People hike this trail from Cusco, which takes four days. We spent less than 30 minutes on it, but at least we were there. The other major hike that people do here is the hike up Wayan Picchu. The is the mountain (or hill) that is in the background of all Machu Picchu photos, including mine. We were told not to hike it if we were afraid of heights, because the trail was on the precipice the whole hike up. Not only am I afraid of heights, but we were not equipped for the hike and it would have taking two hours, so we passed. We talked to some women from Sacramento who had hiked it the day before and couldn't believe we weren't going to try. But then again, they were leaving for the Amazon the next day for their Thanksgiving.

By this time we were getting tired. We saw all we wanted to see and decided to head back to the small city where the train station was. We boarded the bus and headed back down the hill. Once in the city, we did some shopping. I actually bought a Machu Picchu shirt, since buying the shirt at Machu Picchu made it more authentic. The woman first wanted 50 soles, but I talked her down to 20, which is about $7 US dollars. Probably still too much, as the shirt has already shrunk, but the print is embroidery, so it won't fade with each wash.

We had enough time for a light snack and then headed to the train station. Our train was not the same train as we took, but the same class. However, the seats were arranged back to back and slightly less comfortable. The car was only about 60% full, and since everybody was tired, very quiet. Since the sun was setting quickly, most of the ride was dark outside. Since there was nothing to look at, the trip seemed to take much longer.

Finally, our stop had arrived, and surprisingly, most people also departed the train. This must be a popular place for tours to pick up passengers. We were told that we would arrive back at our hotel one hour quicker than the train, and that doesn't surprise me since it took so long for the train to leave Cusco. We found our driver, or he found us, and we hurriedly drove off. It seems that these tour drivers are in some kind of competition to see who can make it back first. I buckled my seat belt and hung on. It seems that the lines down the middle of the road are just a suggestion. Our driver passed cars and busses as he approached blind turns. I wasn't worried. They know what they are doing and I saw no signs of damage on our van. The van trip was very fast, and we were at our hotel before 9 PM. Straight to our rooms we went, for tomorrow we were in for another long tour of the country side.

I must say that I enjoyed Machu Picchu much more than I thought I would. The place is amazing. I do wish that there had been more sun, just so the photos would be brighter. As we departed Machu Picchu, I actually began to feel very sad, probably because I knew that I'd never be back. It was kind of like when I was hiking down Mt. Whitney earlier this year after an unsuccessful summit attempt, I wasn't expecting these emotions. But you never know. If I someday get married, any my wife wants to go to Machu Picchu, I'd go back.

Trip to Peru: Cusco Day 1

We arrived at the airport to check in for our one hour flight to Cusco. When we looked at our boarding passes we noticed that the flight was different and left 15 minutes later, which was fine. While waiting for our plane to board, someone noticed that the Hotel confirmation showed us arriving October 1st! That day had long since passed. What happened? So we boarded the plane worried that we didn't have a place to stay. We arrived in Cusco and found a booth in the airport for our hotel. After talking to the man there who made a phone call to the hotel, sure enough, we had no rooms, and they were booked for one of the three nights we needed. Luckily, a woman at another hotel booth saw us and indicated that her hotel had rooms. So we talked to her and decided to say at the Royal Inca Hotel. It included free transportation to and from the airport, free breakfast and it was cheaper than our original rate. Once at the hotel, the woman, who would become our personal travel arranger, sat us down in the lobby and promptly started the check-in process. She was very nice and helpful, explaining everything to us, bringing us the paperwork, taking our credit cards to the desk for charges, and we were also given Coca tea, which is supposed to help with the altitude. Cusco sits at 11,000 feet, and when you travel from sea level to this altitude in one hour, the body doesn't like it. We all felt light headed and got easily tired.

Anyways, after we paid for our room the sales pitch came. Even though we had reserved our train trip to MachuPicchu, she said she could get us on a later train back so we would have more time there, plus a two hour private guided tour of MachuPicchu. They would do all the work to get us our tickets for the train and entrance to the park. We said "yes" and then also agreed to a private guided eight hour tour the following day of sites outside Cusco. So we handed over cash to her, they like the dollar in Cusco rather than their own currency, and our stay in Cusco was set.
We were then shown to our rooms. Mine was up three flights of stair, and at this altitude the short walk was an effort. The room was small but functional. My only complaint, other than the thin walls, a window that didn't close and hot water that wasn't always hot, is that I had to duck and lean to the left when walking from the bed to the bathroom, while watching not to fall down the stairs. Needless to say having a light switch near the bed was a must. As for the noise, which included music from a disco near by from midnight to 4AM and cats fighting on the roof, earplugs took care of that. I now always travel with earplugs.

After unpacking, I laid down in my bed to rest. They say after arriving in Cusco you should sleep for two hours to help with the thin air. No such luck. The phone range and it was time to head out and explore the city. We met in the lobby and started walking the streets looking for sites to see. We were told that these streets were very safe to walk, but once again, we had to watch out for cars as we crossed the road. Our first stop was the Convento De Santo Domingo Del Cusco. It was interesting, but nothing special. We then wandered to the Circuito Religioso Cusco Basilica Catedral. This cathedral was by far the most interesting one I have seen in my limited world travels. There was room after room of beautifully decorated sculptures, paintings and wordwork. Too bad there were no photographs allowed, I really wanted to take pictures of everything. There was even an underground tomb, complete with a low overhead. We spent as much time as was needed here. The only thing missing was the sound of a pipe organ like the one in Barcelona.

We left and continued our exploration of the city, where we were approached by many people offering us goods to buy. There were two young girls that were carrying a baby llama in a pouch and offered to let us take their photo for what converted into about 3 cents. Sorry, couldn't do it, poor llamas! Back at the hotel we decided just to eat in the hotel restaurant. It was open but no one was eating there. We sat down and as we ordered we tired to order "light" food, since at this altitude food digests slowly, we were once again informed of. Well, soup and salad are light, but I needed something I could sink my teeth into. Our dishes ranged from tasty to barely eatable. However, food is food, and we couldn't complain. So we paid the bill and retired to our rooms for the night. Tomorrow was what we planned for the whole time, MachuPicchu!

Trip to Peru: Lima Day 2

We woke up not too early on our first full day in Lima. Breakfast was in the executive lounge upstairs that we had access to thanks to my sister and all her Marriott rewards. We drank coffee and tried various hot and cold foods.
Our plan for the day was to go downtown to the historic district and explore various museums and monasteries. After talking to some other Americans in the lobby, we decided to hire a hotel limo, which was really a small Mercedes sedan, to takes us there. After a detour around the historic area, which we had seen the day before, he dropped us off near the Monasterio de San Francisco, I believe. During our tour the day before, we found out that this place had underground catacombs. The entrance fee included a mandatory tour, and we quickly joined an English speaking tour guide. She rushed us along up and down stairs, getting unpacient with the slowness of the group. I somehow always ended up at the front, which was good because she spoke very quietly. Finally she led us underground into the catacombs, where the overhead was very low and I had to be extra careful not to hit my head, or even my damaged nose! We looked at hundreds of bones and even skulls, which I guess I had never see anything like this before. The tour ended rather soon and we then were left to exit the building and explore Lima.

Our next stop was a museum on the other side of the historic district. We meandered along the streets, stopping to take photos and listen to some music being played for some ceremony outside a government building. The day before, the tour guild kept telling us to watch out for pick-pockets when we were outside the van. I must say that I didn't feel any less safe than I did walking through Central Park in New York. Yes, there are people there who would like to snatch my camera away, but most people were just going about their daily business. I had joked earlier that the 40% of the population that was unemployed were out waiting for us. I saw no sign on any unemployed people.

We finally ended up at the Museo de Arta de Lima. It had a mixture of old and new painting and many Inca artifacts. There were the usual paintings of the last supper and the crucifixion of Christ, which weren't quite as gory as the ones in Barcelona. However, just like last year, all museums begin to look alike. After we felt we got our moneys worth, we left. Time was going by fast and we decided to go back to the hotel. Rather than calling the hotel to be picked up, we went to a nearby hotel and pretended to be guests needing a ride to the plaza across from our hotel. Their limo was a Toyota, but it had more room than the earlier one.

We were all worn out from walking so much, so we ate dinner once again in the plaza. This time I tried a Pisco Sour, the official drink of Peru. This much hyped drink was not all that good. It contains a local brandy, egg whites and a liquid sugar. It was too sweet, but nice and strong. I needed a beer to wash it down, so I tried the "other" Peruvian beer, Cristal. It was no better that the Cusquena I drank the day before. This vacation ended up been almost alcohol free due to bad beer, high altitude and exhaustion.

After our early dinner, we walked up the main street in Miraflores, the nice district we were staying in. We were looking for a huge bazaar, and finally found it, we think. I had no intention of buying anything, so my sister and I headed back to an internet cafe while the shopper in the group stayed behind. I did attempt to blog in Lima, but Blogger was down.

The night ended with a sampling of desserts in the executive lounge. We needed to pack for our flight to Cusco the next day. Cusco is the gateway to MachuPicchu and that's where the adventure of this trip really begins.

Trip to Peru: Traveling and Lima Day 1

The trip to Peru began in San Diego around noon. We met at the airport for our flight to Miami via Dallas. Those flight were rather painless. We arrived in Miami late in the evening and it was strange seeing the airport so empty. All the shops were closed and there were only eight flights listed on the departure board, with ours being the second to last. Around midnight we left for Peru. The flight was long and I only got about one hour of sleep. A crying baby behind me woke me, and everyone on the plane, up. It wasn't his fault, the air pressure thing hurt his ears really bad. We landed on time just as the sun was rising. After we got our bags and cleared customs, we found our taxi driver, and were handed each a bag with bottled water and a hot towel courtesy of the hotel. We were staying at a JW Marriott in Lima, probably the best hotel in the best neighborhood in Lima.

The taxi driver whisked us away, zipping down the empty streets of Lima. It was a good thing I was sitting backwards in the van so I couldn't see what we were about to come close to hitting. The running joke in Lima was based on a Simpsons episode where the family travels to Brazil. They are warned not to get into an unlicensed taxi because they kidnap tourists. So Homer, my namesake, got into a taxi marked "Unlicensed", the driver changed the sign to "kidnapped". We were giving the same warning. So when the driver made a sharp turn down a small street, we all heard the sign on the van change to "kidnapped". Of course, the driver new the quickest way to the hotel and we were all safe.

We arrived at the hotel very early, hoping for an early check in. No such luck. I guess we didn't plan this part of the trip very well. However, they offered us rooms at half price so we could check in and get some needed sleep. It is amazing how good two extra hours of rest feel. By noon we were ready to head out and have some lunch. We made it as far as across the street to what I called "America Town" (based on a Simpsons episode where they travel to Japan.) There were lots of restaurants, but we ended up at a Tony Romas! Well, we were adjusted to Lima slowly. The food was very good, and that's what counts.

After lunch we had arranged for a tour of Lima. A small shuttle picked us up, as well as two other people from the hotel, and we were given a tour of the districts of Lima. This ended up being very helpful, for it gave us an idea of what to do the next day. The shuttle stopped at several squares, where we had a limited time to look around and take photos. It was then that we found out that it was election day in Lima. This would explain the empty streets, large crowds in the squares and the fact that there were no alcohol sales! After almost three hours, we were returned to our hotel.

We then took a break and once again walked across the street to have dinner. This time we ate at a non-American restaurant and tried some local cuisine, including fish. We had also been warned not to eat the fish because the waters were polluted. Since these were nice restaurants, I can't imagine them being in business if their customers were getting sick. During the whole trip, I ended up basically eating everything. I had an unstoppable appetite and tried all sorts of foods, all of which tasted great. The drinks in Peru, such as orange juice, were all very sweet. The sauces were all very rich. I really didn't eat anything I didn't like. As for the beer, that was a different story I'll talk about later.

After dinner we wandered around the shops for a while and then headed to the hotel for the night I slept very well in my 16th story hotel bed. We had lots planned for the next day and rest was much needed.

Me at Machu Picchu

Yes, it does look so far like I never left the country. I was working on my usual blog entry that began with the trip there and ended with the trip home. So just to prove that I was actually in MachuPicchu, here is a photo of me with the Incan ruins and Wayna Picchu behind me. This is the picture that everybody takes upon arrival.

Me In Lima

This photo was taken on the cliffs across the street from our hotel in Lima. The view from the room was great, except it was cloudy most of the time. We later learned that Lima is cloudy most of the time and gets almost no rain due to warm and cold ocean currents meeting off the shore.

Thanksgiving in Peru

This year we continued a new family tradition of traveling to a foreign country for the Thanksgiving holiday. We spent the week in Peru, visiting the capital of Lima and then traveling to Cusco for a trip to Machu Picchu. This photo was taken at a restaurant outside the city of Ollantaytambo, where we had just been given a private tour of the Incan city.

See you in one week

I leave for Peru tomorrow, and so for the next week I'll probably have no internet access. I won't update my blog until I get back. Then, I'll have plenty of photos and adventures to share with the world.

Getting Ready for Peru!

Hello all. I haven't posted in a while. I've been busy with work and haven't done anything interesting lately. I had four days off last weekend and I spent them sleeping in! Work is very busy and stressful. I was supposed to be on a work trip this week but it got canceled because my fixes to the software were not complete. The more I test the more problems I find. Even today, I found two more critical problems that need to be fixed before this week ends since I'm gone next week.

I fly to Peru this Saturday for a week of much needed vacation. I have never been to South America or south of the equator before. This will be a fun trip, with a stay in Lima and Cusco, where we'll take a train and bus to Machu Picchu. This will be one of those vacations where I'll need a vacation to recover afterwards. Luckily, Peru is on the east coast time zone, so there won't be that extreme jet lag like you get traveling to Europe. Everything will be fine if I can only sleep on the plane from the Miami to Lima leg. Good luck!

More Photos from Big Bear

I couldn't pass up this photo-op. Who knows what the other patrons in the bar thought of me. Probably, "Wow, that guy is so tall his head is in the helmet!". Well, maybe not.



Can't miss an opportunity to photograph a sunset.

Big Bear Lake

On Friday I got unexpectedly invited to stay the weekend at a cabin at Big Bear Lake. So Saturday morning I quickly packed and drove up to the mountains with a friend of mine who knows the owner of the cabin. Saturday evening we hung out in the cabin for a while before heading to diner. I enjoyed my food but no one else did. Then we went to a bar at The Village where a band was playing. So after we arrived, the three people who had been at Big Bear since Friday got tired and left. So the rest of us stayed, drank beer, listed to music and even danced a little.



Sunday morning, after not sleeping so well on a hard floor, we went to breakfast and then drove around the lake to the trailhead for our hike. The hike ended up being almost six miles round trip. Now this was the first hike I had been on since Mt. Whitney, so I wasn't in good hiking shape. I was doing fine until the trip down, and my knees began to hurt so much I could hardly walk. I did finally make it down, last as usual.



After lunch it was already time to pack up and drive home. The drive home was easier because there was much less traffic at the dreaded I215/91/60 interchange in Riverside. On the way up we missed our turn, due to traffic, construction and poorly labeled exit signs. My stay at Big Bear was a nice weekend getaway and I feel more relaxed than I did last week.

Even More Photos From Chicago/South Bend

Time to put on the warm clothing for the big game. However, it turned out to be a nice, warm day at Notre Dame.



So does that mean we are currently in Roseland? I have never seen a sign that says "0" miles.

More Photos from Chicago

Apparently this game is called Cornhole. They really do have nothing to do in the Midwest.



I was afraid to go on a boat, you never know what will drop on you from above.




I found this interesting, not knowing what it was.