Random Thoughts: Arizona versus Utah

Things that are Better in Arizona:

1. 59 cents for a 32 oz soda at gas stations. Compare to 1.29 in Utah. That is more than 2 times as expensive (I have a math minor. I can crunch the big numbers)

2. The feel of a room that has the AC at 76 degrees. Feels amazingly cool in Arizona, but only mediocre in Utah.

3. The number of Costcos. It is truly awe inspiring. There are 13 Costcos in the Greater Phoenix area. Personally, I've already been to three of them. Utah practically hates Costco; there are 9 in the entire state.




4. My blogging record.

Things that are worse in Arizona:

1. No one sells Take 5 candybars. I don’t understand it, because they should be sold everywhere in the Milky Way (candy bar humor)

2. Walking outside. It feels like getting punched in the face by an angry heat wave.

3. Driving. Everything is spread apart. Everything is a twenty minute drive. There might be 13 Costcos in Phoenix, but it will take you 20 minutes to drive to every single one of them. It might not make sense, but it’s true.

4. Buying fruit. You cannot leave fruit outside the refrigerator in Arizona. Bananas are not an exception - you have been warned. You won’t have put away your groceries before your fruit is bad. Fun Fact: that is a slight exaggeration.

Basically, I can drink a huge, cheap Diet Coke, but I have no candy bar to go with it. I can choose whichever of 13 Costcos to go to, but it will take 20 minutes to travel to no matter what. Arizona and Utah are neck and neck. Stay tuned for more comparisons.

Peru Part V: Arequipa and Colca Canyon: May 6-8th

The last segment of our vacation started in Arequipa. It was a beautiful, colonial white city. We quickly declared it our favorite.  

We spent our afternoon there walking around the main square and taking a tour of the Santa Catalina Monastery. 

The convent was quite colorful and fascinating to look around. Apparently, some of the nuns in the colonial times were forced into it. The Spanish culture dictated that the second son or daughter turn to a church profession. So, ironically, they kept many nuns out (the family usually paid a dowry to get them in, they had to be Spanish, and they usually had several slaves in the convent), but some of the nuns didn't want to be in! Interesting.

The next morning was our earliest of all, which is saying something. We got picked up at our hostel at 3:00 AM. From there we drove to Condor Point. 

Condors are the biggest bird that can fly. They themselves are not very pretty - they are clearly and closely related to vultures. But watching them fly across the canyon was amazing. It was so effortless to them and they couldn’t care less that we were there.

From there we started our hike into the canyon. The first day we hiked about 11 miles down one side of the canyon and up the other.

It was pretty grueling with the heat and the high altitude. Luckily, we loved our hiking group. We hiked with Bob and Barbara from England and our mountaineering expert, Juan. Bob and Barbara were hilarious and renewed my dreams of living in the U.K.

Short story: A stray dog slept in Bob and Barbara's room with them (the doors to our little cottages didn't shut too well). In the morning that dog followed us up the canyon. Bob had a running joke about not being able to commit to the dog even though they'd spent the night together. It was hilarious and his dry sarcasm reminded me of an English version of my dad!

The views were incredible, of course, and we ended the night at the base of the canyon at a place properly named Oasis. There was a pretty waterfall and little natural pool to swim in. There was no electricity, but we had a great time eating dinner by candlelight with Bob and Barbara.

The next morning we set off at 4 AM to hike to the top of the canyon. Now that was tiring! It was only 6 miles, but it was very steep. We made it to the top by breakfast time, and I have never been more hungry or eaten so much so quickly.

That afternoon we took a bus back to Arequipa where we caught our flight to Lima to catch our flight to LA.

Peru Part IV: Lake Titicaca May 3-5th

We took a ten-hour bus ride from Cusco to Puno, the town right on Lake Titicaca. I came down with a cold and took the opportunity to sleep furiously throughout the entire bus ride. Ben got to enjoy the few stops on his own and enjoyed hanging out with an eagle for a few minutes.

Giddy Ben with an eagle

Sidenote: Puno was the poorest town that we saw in Peru. Though, honestly, there was a lot more poverty overall than I expected or than I’d ever experienced before. I thought Peru was fairly touristy, and though I knew it would not be wealthy, I didn't expect to see as many poor people as I did. That’s a vague description, but it’s really the best I can do. The few times that Ben and I got cheated a little bit, I had to remind myself that undoubtedly they needed the money more than we did (it was also fairly easy to remember since it was never more than a few dollars). The vacation was an eye-opening experience in that way.

Our hotel was a true case of getting what we paid for - electric outlets didn't work, shower trickled more than streamed, and we chose to sleep on top of the covers as much as possible. We did randomly meet another LDS couple at dinner that night. They were able to identify us foremost because of our wedding rings despite our young age. Then Ben’s perfect Spanish to the waiter in conjunction with his white skin confirmed that he must have been a missionary (little did they know, he’s speaks Spanish mainly because he is Hispanic). We ended up joining tables with them and another German couple we met and having a really great time. This story is not interesting, except to point out that this happened all the time in Peru. We made friends out of random strangers from all over the world almost every day we were there. I don't make that many friends at home.

The next morning we were picked up bright and early to go out on Lake Titicaca. Our boat first stopped on the Uros islands. These are man-made reed islands. 

They have to replace the reeds about every six months. They use the reeds for everything - the island, their food, their clothes, everything! Of course we tried them; they tasted like a mix between celery and lettuce. It was cool, if not a bit of a tourist trap.

Ben sword-fighting on the Uros. A few seconds later the little boy fell dramatically.

We stopped at Taquile next, a natural island with a distinctive culture separate from the mainland. 

There we stayed the night with a local family. It was an incredible experience. The island uses solely solar power and barely any of that. They don’t use tvs or radios and are completely self sufficient for their food. They are self governed and speak the old language of Quechua. Their clothes are also very unique; for example, when the men are engaged, their fiances cut their hair and weave a waist band out of it. From then on, the men always wear the hair waistband (and a specific hat) marking them as married men. They eat a ton of fish and potatoes (there are a ton of different species of potato in Peru. So we ate them everywhere. No objections here!)

Silvano and his family. Gracious hosts!

We hiked around the island with the family and especially enjoyed their son, Clever. He specifically told us that his name meant “inteligente en ingles” (he learned Spanish in school as a second language). 

It’s sad to think that as the world gets smaller, many of the kids will probably leave the island in favor of more education, experience, and prestige. It’s just sad that cultures like that often get lost over time as they get more connected with the rest of the world. One negative side effect.

Ben and Clever. These two had a blast playing soccer, throwing rocks and racing

The next afternoon we left Silvano and his family and caught a boat back to Puno. I was sad, once again, to leave. We ate dinner while enjoying a traditional Peruvian dance performance. We really enjoyed both the music and the dancing while we ate (I tried alpaca for the first time that night - not bad!).

Taquile is known for their handwoven textiles. So I bought one of their hats!

Peru Part III: Aguas Calientes May 1-2

A view of the mountains from Machu Picchu to whet your appetite

Wednesday morning we rode through the Sacred Valley on our way to Aguas Calientes (and Machu Picchu). The taxi ride through the green mountains was stunning.

Our first stop was Pisac. Since most things in Peru are less than $10, we were shocked and annoyed when our entrance tickets came to about $15 each. The taxi driver said he would wait for us for an hour and a half while we walked around. It seemed like overkill for the small cluster of ruins.

We were the first ones there (early morning) and as we walked around and appreciated the beautiful views we became a little less resentful. 

Then we noticed there was a path from the ruins around the mountain to another group of ruins. Less Resentment. As we followed the path we heard running water and noticed the gorgeous gorging river behind the old buildings. Less Resentment. 

After we explored that area we noticed the mountain path keeps going to yet another set of ruins. No Resentment. To our amazement, the path traveled further through a little cave in the mountains to another cluster. Negative resentment. 

We ended up having to run back to the taxi to make it back in time and advised everyone we met on our trip afterward to make time to get to Pisac early in the morning.

Next we drove to Ollantaytambo. Another set of ruins in the mountains. This time we climbed the massive stairs up and down the ruins. The Incas made sure my vacation was a work out. But it was definitely worth it.

That done, we got on our train to Aguas Calientes. The ceiling and sides of the train were all clear glass so that the travelers could appreciate the beautiful mountain views around them.

When we got to Aguas Calientes a representative from our hotel walked us the few blocks to the fanciest hotel I’ve ever stayed in. We were right next to the Urubamba river and were greeted with a fancy mixed fruit drink and cookies. They told us the hours for tea time (free tea and more importantly, cake), happy hour (free drinks), and breakfast. Our room rendered us speechless. The view outside our window of the river and the mountains was breathtaking. When we moved the sound proof patio doors the room was filled with the strong but calming noise of the river. It almost sounded like we were in the river. People from the hotel knocked on our door several times to drop off free truffles.

The view from our room

But after we got our free cake, we decided to leave the hotel and hike up to the local hot springs (after all, aguas calientes means hot waters). Despite the crowd and the warm bath temperature of the springs, we enjoyed ourselves. We looked out over the mountains and had lovely conversation with a Welsh family we met.  

Another view of the river/mountains/town from the beginning of our hike to the hot springs

The real reason we stayed in the fancy pants hotel (besides the free truffles) was the fact that the buses to Machu Picchu stopped at the hotel. So instead of getting up at 3:30 to eat breakfast and go get in line at the bus stop, we got to sleep in until 5. The buffet breakfast at the hotel was immense with food from all over the world. I felt like I was in Harry Potter and wouldn't have been all that surprised if the food had popped up magically on the table.

We got to Machu PIcchu just in time to enjoy the foggy sunrise and walk over to hike Huayna Picchu. The hike was intense but the views made it more than worth it. 

Machu Picchu view from our hike

At the top of the mountain, there were a bunch of large rocks leaning on each other. Ben found a Chinese friend, and the two of them casually jumped from rock to rock taking pictures of each other. Meanwhile, I couldn't stand up on the rocks for fear of falling (or think too much about them jumping). People were laughing and pointing at me in all different languages.

The only thing scarier that climbing up the steep steps on the side of the mountain is climbing down. I scooted down on my butt almost the whole way. Ben wasn’t much better on the way down, nor anyone else for that matter.

Some of the stairs we climbed on our way up/down Huayna Picchu (and yes, there were some ruins  on the steep ledges of Huayna Picchu too...crazy)

We then took a tour of Machu Picchu with a guide named Kenny. His English was decent, and between the two of us, we got a pretty good Spanglish going (with Ben swooping in to save the day with translation every once in a while). We enjoyed learning about everything from Hiram Bingham and the discovery of Machu Picchu to the religious and societal practices of the Incas who lived there. It was especially nice because we had walked around the other sites guide-less and simply read what we could beforehand. It was nice to have someone else tell us about it. 

Just so you know, that tall mountain in the background, is the one we had just hiked

Compare the stonework in the following two pictures. The first one is a temple. That is why the stones are cut and fit perfectly. The second is a walkway for normal people. That is why the stones are kind of hodgepodge. They just stuck them in where they could without cutting them to fit.

We also loved seeing the llamas. There were 10 just lounging around. Kenny told us that the llamas are actually quite spry - they jump from terrace to terrace of the ruins. Hard to believe based on their looks. We also half-chased a few of them to pet them. They didn't seem to mind. They really made me want to watch The Emperor’s New Groove again.

We stayed at Machu PIcchu until it closed, rode the bus back to town, ate the best empanadas I’ve ever tried (oddly at the train station), took the train back to Ollantaytambo, and caught a taxi back to our hotel in Cusco. After an active 20-hour day, we finally got to sleep.

Our last view of Machu Picchu

Us with our guide Kenny before we took the bus down together

Peru Part II: Cusco April 29-30th

We reluctantly left Puerto Maldonado and flew to Cusco. Flying out of the charming, quaint airport was not quite as fun as arriving. Airport personnel searched everyone’s luggage by hand (including the human-size bag of fruit traveling with people in front of us), and we felt our two-hour delay deeply as we baked in the non-airconditioned room. Then our hotel failed to pick us up at the Cusco airport like they were supposed to. That was perhaps the most overwhelmed and confused I felt in the entire trip - being swarmed by a colony of buzzing Peruvian taxi drivers all asking where we were going and if we happened to need a ride. In the end, we paid a few dollars for a ride to our hotel. 

Any and all frustration evaporated when we walked into the center of Cusco. It was beautiful. We visited a few of the cathedrals and enjoyed the views in the Plaza de Armas.

The next day we went on a beginners mountain biking ride between some of the Inca ruins. Someone with common sense might have looked at the mountains around us and thought, “where would beginners bike in this extremely mountainous region? And wouldn’t it be hard at such a high altitude?” Luckily for Ben and I, neither of us has that sense.

We were picked up at our hotel a half hour late and dropped off to begin our trip. We had a guide who responded to all of my questions and comments by smiling, nodding, and repeating random words I said. We began with an easy descent, and Ben kept yelling from 50 feet ahead “It’s like the Shire!”

We eventually got to our first destination, Moray. There were descending, concentric terraces that almost looked like an ancient stadium. The current theory is that the Incas used them for agriculture, since it's hard to farm on a mountain,

When we started to ride again, I was glad that the rest of it would be downhill. However, my relief didn’t last. Soon I was riding on a rocky steep path next to a sheer drop-off. I got suited up like Batman for the ride down and soon after fell on my face. Luckily I was going slow and the armor held up. Ben says that if he hadn’t been worried, he would’ve laughed hysterically. For a few minutes I was moaning and laying on the ground trying to recover with the bike lying on top of me. Unfortunately, no picture. 

After that I got even more scared of falling. So I walked my bike for the last mile or so and I just appreciated the stunning panorama. Unfortunately for me, I then fell while walking the bike - probably the lowest I’ve felt in a while. It was heavy and pulled me down a little too fast, and the fall seemed to go in slow motion as I made one wrong balancing choice after another. Luckily no one was around to laugh at me while I laid on the ground that time. It is a scene that belongs on World’s Funniest Home Videos.

Note that Ben decided to forego all pads. Also note, that he didn’t notice a sharp turn in the path at one point. Like a ninja, he jumped over the bike handlebars and landed on his feet after a 6-foot drop. Lastly note that Ben kept trying to give me bike ninja training so I wouldn’t get hurt, and I only got irritated and yelled “I know how to ride a FREAKIN’ bike”. Unfortunately, I didn’t actually have the skills to back that up.

Ben finished his ride and I finished my walk at the Salineras - aka salt mines. They pour water on the salty earth and mix it up to dissolve the salt. Then as the water evaporates in the sun, they’re left with a huge pile of salt. They were really beautiful and we enjoyed our walk around before getting a ride back to Cusco.

That night in Cusco we walked around the plaza again and the San Blas neighborhood - an old colonial one. Then we met back up with Will and Kenny at a local Italian restaurant. Fun fact: there is a ton of Italian food in Peru. Bizarre but delicious. We said goodbye to them for real this time.

That evening we noticed evidence of a very peculiar sunborn. Evidently, we got burned in the first hour of our bike ride before we put on sunscreen. Luckily for us, we were wearing elbow pads which created a beautiful striped pattern. I now have a slightly tanner version of these arms.