It's Good to be Back ... Now -- onto Honolulu

It's been eight days since my return to Chicago. Last weekend I saw most of my family and several friends for the first time since October and, through a strange twist of self-determination, this Friday I'll be heading to Honolulu for the weekend.

First a Summary of Last Weekend
Last Friday I donned my trusty mullet and went out to celebrate a good friend's half-life at a bar in Old Town. The instructions for the gathering were to dress as a celebrity or rock star; I bent the rules a little and went as Joe Dirt. Not only did I enjoy the night a little more thanks to my mullet, from the comments and looks I observed from onlookers, I think many others at the bar went home with good memories of their own.

On Saturday night, Chico Blanco and I went out with a friend to a Pueblito Viejo, a Columbian restaurant. Arepas, salsa, merengue and good company were enjoyed by all. On Sunday, I had breakfast with a friend, went to church, and visited a friend's house where I saw the Chicago Bears pull off yet another victory, this time against the Green Bay Packers.

And Now for This Weekend
It's complicated and somewhat embarassing, but in the last week I was looking for a reasonably priced way to fly about 8,000 miles before the end of the year. The most reasonable solution I found was a trip to Honolulu, HI for only $540. So, Waikiki Beach, here I come!

As far as I can recall, this will be the first time that I leave town on my own for purely pleasure without a companion, and without going to visit someone. Of course, I end up travelling alone a lot while I'm working, but that is not purely pleasure.

And So
And so, I'll visit Hawaii for the first time. And then, maybe then, I'll come back and settle into the Palacio for a few weeks in a row. But this cold weather already has me thinking about how I might escape once or twice more to warmer air. But for now, all I can think about is lying on Waikiki with a mai tai in one hand and a good book in the other...

Thanksgiving on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

After three days in Cusco of seeing local ruins, hiking local trails, meeting Peruvians and backpackers, and adjusting to the two mile high altitude; Devlin and I left on a bus toward Ollaytaytambo, to begin our hike of the Inca Trail. After lunch in Ollaytaytambo, we left civilization as we know it and began our four day, 43 km hike toward Machu Picchu. And so began my 29th and most memorable Thanksgiving Day.

Eleven porters, two guides, and eleven of hikers accompanied us on the trek. Notable among our group was an Aussie named Bruce who was a good 40 years older than the second oldest in our group. At 75 years old, he showed us all a few things about persistence, pace and attitude. Four Israelis, two Irish, and one person each from England, Luxemburg, Denmark and Spain rounded out the group. And so we went on our first afternoon of hiking.

The idea of the first day's hike was to break us in. I don't think we hiked more than ten kilometers. The second day was a little over ten kilometers, but it included one kilometer of climbing, and about half a kilometer of descent. The third day was the long day, I think about fifteen kilometers, and the fourth day was a short few kilometers before arriving at our first view of Machu Picchu, and then a shorter descent toward that citadel on a hill that we all were there to see in the first place.

Let me say that the 26 mile hike was very challenging! At the end of the longest climb on the second day, I had to stop several times to fill my stomach with sugars and water to keep me going. On the third and fourth day my legs' muscles and joints were tired and sore, but that did not make it much easier to sleep through the nights on the hard, cold floor of the mountains.

Each night, Devlin and I slept in a tent that was prepared by our porters before our arrival. We set our belongings in the tent and then went to a communal tent to share a dinner that was also prepared by our porters. To say the least, those porters were incredible as they carried all of the essentials ahead of us each day.

For the most part, the first three days consisted of hiking up and down mountain passes as we got to know our hiking companions, but the trip climaxed at about 6:30 AM on Sunday morning. Just as our group arrived at the Puerta del Sol, we heard the groups ahead of us applauding. Perhaps it's our inherent cynicism, but Devlin and I were convinced that the groups were clapping because our group (one of the last to arrive) was finally arriving. We were wrong. It turned out that we made it to the Puerta del Sol just in time to see the fog rolling away from the valley, providing the day's first views of Machu Picchu!

For about an hour, we just relished in the exhiliration of having arrived. If it were possible, the views we had of Machu Picchu were more impressive than all of the photographs and videos I have seen before. My eyes and brain were definitely thanking my legs and lungs for bringing them this far. No doubt about it, the four day hike added to the sense of satisfaction that we felt upon viewing this wonder. We were finally beholding the one and only Machu Picchu.

After soaking in the views from the top, we headed down to Machu Picchu itself for a guided tour and then for some free time to explore to our heart's content. To be perfectly honest, for all the exploring and meandering through the ruins that I did, my favorite moment will always be the first sight of Machu Picchu early Sunday morning. For me, there is nothing quite like sitting back and enjoying a view.