Preparing to hike the Inca Trail

Preparing to hike the Inca Trail

(Continued from previous post HOME AGAIN) In order to plan the next trip, I had to stay in touch with Vidal.   I noticed that he would go for weeks and weeks without any time off from his job.  He  answered emails late at night. …

Home again. Follow up to our trip to Peru (part 11)

Home again. Follow up to our trip to Peru (part 11)

We jumped right back in to our lives and now we dreamed of our visit to Peru. The crazy things that happened seemed surreal. One thing I knew in my heart was that I would return to Peru. It was just a question of how. In my mind,…

Traveling Peru: we were the stars in our own documentary (part 10)

Traveling Peru: we were the stars in our own documentary (part 10)

(continued from "My Name is Forever Carved" part 9) The world we thought we knew collided with a very different world. Each of us was struggling with the dawning of the rest of our lives. The students and I had been changed, were…

Peru: my name is forever carved in their stove (part 9)

Peru: my name is forever carved in their stove (part 9)

(continued from "Life in the Andean Lodge" part 8) "Over the river and through the woods" (literally) were the homes of families who had been selected to be the recipients of 3 mud-brick stoves. More than just a fun activity for…

Peru: life in the Andean lodge (part 8)

Peru: life in the Andean lodge (part 8)

(continued from "Peru Comfort Food" part 7)After you've been sick for a while, you get weak and shakey. The first thing to do was to get my son to stand, then walk, then exit the hotel without falling down the stairs. (no elevator)…

Peru comfort food: Chota style (part 7)

Peru comfort food: Chota style (part 7)

(continued from "At Least He Could Walk in to the Village Hosptal part 6)Within an hour of settling in the room, my son started throwing up violently, over and over all night. Then the diarrhea started and there were times when…

Peru: At Least He Could Walk in to the Village Hospital (part 6)

Peru: At Least He Could Walk in to the Village Hospital (part 6)

(continued from "Traveling Where the Paved Road Ends" part 5)Everything was dark except for one lighted sign in the rear of the hospital. The word "Emergencia" glowed in the darkness. After the bus arrived in Chota, the rest of…

Peru: traveling where the paved road ends (part 5)

Peru: traveling where the paved road ends (part 5)

(continued from "Off To Northern Peru," part 4) In spite of the fever, we decided to continue with our planned itinerary. We would take the local equivalent of a Greyhound bus and travel all day over a really big mountain pass…

Off to Northern Peru (part 4)

Off to Northern Peru (part 4)

(continue from "Our Guide, Our Mother and Our Chicha Beer" part 3)Before leaving the hotel for the Cusco airport, Vidal told me privately that my son did not have altitude sickness. Vidal was confident that my son had some kind…

"Nobody knew about our trips to Machu Picchu" by Vidal Jaquehua

By Vidal Jaquehua It took me a while to write my story, but here we go. I been working in tourism for over 20 years as a licensed guide.  At the beginning for some compànies based here in Cusco, and then for some companies that…