Sand Boarding in the Desert

I have grown up in Alaska all my life so I have become accustomed to cold and dark winters with endless possibilities when it comes to outdoor sports.  That being said I have never been big into snowboarding but I can hold my own when hitting the slopes.  Although I am not generally a boarder, I jumped at the opportunity to try out my skills in a whole new arena, one with the same venture of going down a hill with a board, but rather than having a wintery wonderland as the backdrop of this excursion, I was boarding down a sand dune.  

To hash out more of the experience I want to add a bit more detail about the trip.  I started out the day waking up way too early to get on a bus at 7 AM to head toward La Huacachina, which is a common area outside of Ica where people go to try out sand boarding.  After roughly 4 hours in the bus we arrived at the dunes and we were all itching with anticipation to try our luck at sand boarding.  When we headed out in the dune buggies all I could think about was strapping on a board and risking my life boarding in the desert, but I quickly realized that there was way more in store for me. 

Being a die hard adventurist I love to try new things and risk looking ridiculous and getting a few bumps or bruises while doing so, all of which I expected on this outing, but I was not anticipating having the best "roller coaster" ride of my entire life.... The moment we hit the dunes our driver reved his engine, throttled up, and we were off on a thrilling ride through the sand dunes!  For those weary of roller coasters you may not thoroughly enjoy riding in a dune buggy, but for those of you who like a thrill this is definitely a  must if you are traveling in Peru!   

Once we got to the first photo spot there was a group of girls that couldn't hold back their need to run down the dunes so they not only got the thrill of running down them but they also got to warm up the legs a bit by running back up them!  When we arrived at our first location to try out the boards our guides were not wanting us to standup so we all went down on our stomachs to get a feel of what we were doing.  One of our lovely leaders, Kelly, is shown here rocking the dunes with style!

After getting the thrill of going down on our frontside my friend Olivia and myself couldn't take it any longer and we decided it was time to try out our skills and go down standing up.  While the instructors were not too excited about the idea, we were persistant and as you can see we were able to convince them that we could do it.  While I was a bit skeptic of how well a board would slide down a sand dune I was pleasantly surprised with the thrill of the ride!  Although my board was pretty crappy and not meant to cruise around the dunes, I definitely got a taste of what the extensive desert dunes have to offer for the extreme sport enthusiasts out there!  

To top off a great afternoon at the dunes we ate a delicious meal of lomo saltado and lemonade while overlooking the lagoon in La Huacachina.  

All in all I would highly suggest that you go to La Huacachina and give sand boarding a try for yourself!  To get a better look at what La Huacachina has to offer take a look at this website!

• La Huacachina

Exercising While Abroad: Machu Picchu Workout

While studying abroad it is hard enough to try and juggle a new culture, new cuisine, new school atmosphere, and new set of friends, yet alone try to fit in a workout now and then. That being said I have done my best to make do with what I have.

Since the first day of being in Lima I quickly realized that all floors here are rock solid, thus there is not really a good place within the house to do a workout on the floor. While I have not actively been searching for an athletic store, that is something that has been and will continue to be on my list of places to go, in order to get a yoga mat or something to exercise on. Despite not having a cushy floor to workout on I have started to do a 100 Push Ups in 8 Weeks workout plan in order to keep my body active. While I have not always been a push up guy I would highly suggest this to anyone who doesn't have a lot of time or space to workout and they want to stay fit. Whether guys or gals this workout is set up to give everyone a good workout! Here is the link for the workout if you would like to follow along!

• 100 Push Ups

Along with doing some upper body work I have enjoyed going on evening runs in the park here near my house. The first week or two I was running regularly every other day but then I got to a point where I was having extreme pains in my right knee, being so young I was a bit concerned but I ended up realizing that the major cause seemed to be wearing flip flops all the time. While I am not a doctor and can't confirm 100% that flip flops added to my running struggles I would say that due to the lackage of support in the back of flip flops I started to compensate how I walked and ended up readjusting my step. Now that I have assumed flip flops to be the culprit of my pain I have decided wearing regular shoes more often is an easy enough compromise and it has allowed me to hit the streets again and get in some good cardio workouts!

If anyone out there has suggestions of other good workout to do at home with minimal to no equipment or if you live in Lima and have a suggestion of where to go to buy sporting goods stuff please let me know!

I hope you enjoy the video of me and my friend Evelyn doing some push ups at Machu Picchu. We were inspired by seeing some other Americans busting out some push ups so we decided we would join in the fun, get a workout in, and get some awesome footage of Machu Picchu at the same time!

Thanks for reading and please leave comments below!

The Beauty of Machu Picchu

The beautiful Machu Picchu with the Cougar Flag!

Machu Picchu in the morning!

Housing on the side of the hill.

More housing.

Momma and baby llama kissing.

Golden Hour as the sun goes down around Machu Picchu.

After several days visiting Cuzco and the neighboring towns I was already overwhelmed with the beauty I was seeing and all of that was just a glimpse of what was to come...Machu Picchu was definitely the icing on the cake that took my breath away! Our journey to Machu Picchu started Saturday night when we took the train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes.

While on the train I met some ladies from Colorado and we were able to talk about different cultural things we had noticed through our travels as well as talk about our plans for the next day. Since the train ride is scheduled to be two hours I should have done some sleeping but there was no way I could sleep because I was counting down the hours until arriving at Machu Picchu. After finally making it to Aguas Calientes we put our things in the hotel and quickly went off to find some food for dinner. For those traveling to Aguas Calientes you should know that they do often charge a tax so be aware that it may be a little more expensive than you see on the menu. That being said I was able to get a plate of Pollo a la Brasa, which is fried chicken with rice and french fries, for only 8 soles or just over $3. A typical plate that I saw in Aguas Calientes at a decent restaurant was about 8-15 soles, so if you are being charged more then you should look somewhere else.

After finishing up dinner it was time to hit the hay because the first bus to Machu Picchu leaves at 5:30 AM so the lines for the buses start to get pretty long starting as early as 4:30 AM. Luckily we were heading up to Machu Picchu on Easter Sunday so there weren't as many people, but in general it is good to try to get in line thirty minutes to an hour before you plan on getting on the bus. In addition to taking the bus up the mountain there is also an option to hike up to the entrance which takes about an hour to an hour and a half from the main city of Aguas Calientes. If you do choose to hike to the entrance be sure to have your tickets and passports handy because they will ask for them at the bottom of the hill.

After a fairly quick ride up the mountain we were finally at the main entrance of Machu Picchu. At that moment in time I have to admit I was pretty excited to finally get a glimpse of the Ancient Incan Ruins. After getting our tickets and our passports ready we entered into the main park. Shortly after entering the park you reach the first terrace of Machu Picchu which is where you can take the iconic Machu Picchu picture that you see in so many books and magazines when you are preparing your trip. Since I am a die hard Washing State Cougar I took the opportunity to take my picture with a Cougar flag while also capturing the beauty of the ruins.

Following a photo shoot with people from my program we split up our group and headed on our respective hikes. Since Huayna Picchu only has a limited amount of people that can hike the mountain at all times our group was only able to get enough tickets for about two thirds of our group to climb it. I was one of the ones who didn't get a ticket for Huayna Picchu so I actually got to climb Machu Picchu which is a taller but a bit less steep of a mountain and it is located directly across from Huayna Picchu on the other side of the ruins. Seeing how the elevation of Machu Picchu is over 7,000 feet I would highly suggest buying coca leaves or candies in order to help combat the altitude. Even though there was less oxygen where we were I realized that once I started hiking and kept going for more than two or three minutes I started to get into a grove and my heart beat would even out to the point where it didn't sound like I was dying. After an hour and fifteen minutes I was summiting the top of Machu Picchu and I was able to see the abounding beauty of the ruins, the mountains, the clouds, and everything around.

After our hike of Machu Picchu we regrouped and headed on a tour around the ruins. I would definitely suggest having a tour guide when walking through the ruins because there are a lot of things that would not totally make sense without knowing the significance of the architecture and layout of the city. Since I am here in Peru studying Spanish my tour was in Spanish but there are many tour guides that speak a variety of languages so it is fairly easy to find someone who can speak your language and lead you through the ruins.

Since walking around all day will definitely cause you to get hungry I highly suggest that when traveling to Machu Picchu you bring your own snacks. While it may be a bit more of a hassel to bring your own food it is highly worth it in the long run. Once up at the entrance of Machu Picchu all prices for food and drinks have a multiplier of about 5 times as expensive as their retail would be in Aguas Calientes. For instance a normal water bottle in the city may cost around 1.50 or 2.00 soles but on the mountain it costs 8 soles. For this reason a lunch at the food court on Machu Picchu can easily cost 40-100 soles per person and that doesn't guarantee a yummy filling meal either. So in general bringing in water and food is a far superior way to feed your tired body while up at the ruins.

After a long day at Machu Picchu I finished of my day by going to Los Baños which are hot springs located in Aguas Calientes. It costs 10 soles to get into Los Baños but it is highly worth it at the end of the day. The hot water combined with the pebbles that line the bottom of the pools combine to make the end of the day very relaxing!

All in all my trip to Cuzco, the surrounding areas, and Machu Picchu proved to be by far one of the most beautiful and enriching experiences in my life! For anyone who is a lover of history, nature, and a good time I would highly suggest taking this trip! For those planning on making the adventure these sites add a little more detail on the opportunities at Machu Picchu:

• Machu Picchu
• Aguas Calientes
• Wiki Travel Guide

On the way to Machu Picchu!

Peruvian boys loving the job of ripping off tourists by taking photos.

Two woman weaving at Nelly's house.

Preparing yarn for later.

Colorful thread.

Natural coloring supplies.

On the left is a single girl with many braids and on the right is a married woman with two braids.

Beautiful landscape looking out behind the Chicha Brewery.

After a day and a half in Cuzco our group loaded up in the bus and headed to our next location which was Chinchero, a beautiful town with some ancient ruins and amazing weavers. The day before going to Chinchero I had bought a few hats, two sweater, and some gloves so I had a taste of the exquisit designs and the softness of the clothing, but I had no clue that the process behind the whole thing was so complex.

While visiting the town of Chinchero we were able to go to a woman's house named Nelly where she, along with other women, showed us how to prepare cloth and weave traditional Peruvian clothing. After being warmly welcomed with fresh mint tea, we were directed to sit down in order to watch and listen as Nelly took us step by step through the process of weaving. It was fascinating to see how much time and effort goes in to making the thread, yet alone how to weave the thread into an amazing masterpiece! Nelly first described the difference between the wool of lambs, llamas, and baby llamas and the process by which thread is made. After seeing some of the ladies spin their wool into spindles we were able to watch how the yarn gets colored. Since the there is not a convenient place to buy cloth dye Nelly showed us the traditional means by which yarn is colored. The vibrant colors that Nelly produced were not only used for the yarn, but she also put some of the red coloring on her lips and kissed three guys on the cheek. Nelly told us that the natural colors lasted for about 24 so the three guys were expected to have big kiss marks on their cheeks for the next day.

Besides showing us how to prepare thread and weave a beautiful masterpiece, Nelly shared some additional things including how to tell if a woman in their society is married or single. Nelly is married so she has only two braids in her hair and in contrast someone who is young and not married must have tons of braids. For the men in the community they had to wear a hat and depending on where you wore your tassels that indicated whether or not you were single.

After being taught the ways of weaving and identifying the relationship status of those around us we were able to check out the many tables of scarves, hats, gloves, purses, and other beautiful creations before heading a bit further to our next location, Ollantaytambo. While en route to Ollantaytambo we were able to stop off at a local brewery and learn how the Peruvians make a special corn beer. While I am not a drinker it was interesting to hear about the process used to process and ferment corn and turn it into chica, an alcoholic corn beverage.

After learning about the fermentation process of chica we continued on our way to Ollantaytambo and we were informed that we were going to need to walk down the rest of the mountain in order to bypass the avalanche that was blocking the normal road. While not everyone was excited to do some walking it was definitely an exciting walk! While in Ollantaytambo we were able to climb the Incan ruins that surrounded the city. As we climbed the ruins we experienced our first real run in with altitude affects. Many of the people in our group could feel the intensity of not having and air so some decided not to hike the ruins. As I was climbing down off the mountain I actually saw a cactus that had "WSU" etched into it. If you are unfamiliar with WSU that is the acronym for my University in the United State, Washington State University.

As the day wound to a close we dropped our larger luggage off at a local hotel and headed to the train station to board our train to Aguas Calientes, the area where travelers stay before heading up to Machu Picchu. Overall our day at the ruins, learning about weaving, and learning about making an alcoholic corn drink proved to be a very fun and productive day!

If you too are going to be traveling in this area I would highly suggest stopping off in Chincharo in order to get some historical perspective of Peruvian clothing as well as take a stop in Ollantaytambo for the ruins. Above all I would suggest that if traveling to Aguas Calientes be sure to buy your snacks before the train station or wait until you are in Aguas Calientes to find some good priced snacks and water. Rather than learning the hard way and paying $20+ dollars for a small lunch at Machu Picchu I highly suggest buying a variety of snacks in order to tide you over while at Machu Picchu and save your wallet and bank account the sorrow of kissing your money goodbye.

In order to learn more about these areas feel free to click on these links!

• Ollantaytambo
• Chinchero
• Agua Calientes

Trip to Cuzco

Me with some local Peruvians and a cute little lamb...they got me to get in a picture and pay for it...so sneaky.

Second day at Sacsayhuaman with clear skies!

First day at Sacsayhuaman with the overcast skies.

Cougar Pride running deep!

Beautiful statue of Jesus.

Crosses on the hill.

The group of adventures who trekked all over Cuzco!

For the last 5 days I have been traveling through the beautiful city of Cuzco, the neighboring ruins, and the amazing Machu Picchu. Since I was not able to blog throughout the trip I am going to break up the trip into three smaller blogs so I can add more information and more photos.

The first two days of the trip I spent traveling mainly within the city of Cuzco and in the ruins that were located within a half hour of my hotel. When we first got into the city of Cuzco we were nicely welcomed by a line of locals trying to sell us both coca leaves and a variety of woven hats, gloves, and sweaters. While we were all excited to get some beautiful gifts for friends and family, we kept it simple at first and bought the coca leaves which are meant to help with altitude sickness. To put it in context Cuzco is at about 3400 meters above sea level (11200 ft.) which is about twice the elevation of Denver, CO, which is known for giving people some difficulties with their breathing. That being said, we were all willing to do our best at avoiding the sickness by chewing coca leaves and drinking lots of mate de coca, a tea that is made from the coca leaves. Overall I would say these methods really did do a great deal to minimize the side effects of the altitude.

After getting settled in our hotel and eating some food we ventured up to Sacsayhuaman (Sexy Woman) which is a stunning collection of ancient ruins located within a 30 minute hike from the main plaza. Since I wanted to fully experience the area around Cuzco I actually went up to Sacsayhuaman with a tour guide on our first day and then went again the second day to dig a little deeper into the beauty of the area. The second day we were also able to go further on our hike and see a statue of Jesus and a replica of the three crosses that symbolized the crucifixion of Jesus. This past week was Semana Santa (also known as Holy Week) so being able to see such beautiful artistry within the exquisit scenery around Cuzco was really an emotional experience.

Besides being able to see the ruins around Cuzco I was also able to venture around the city and see the fascinating architecture of the city while aslo getting a taste of what the local economy was like. From the moment we stepped out of the airport to the moment we were getting back on the plane we were being confronted by locals who all wanted to sell us their handiwork. Whether it was paintings, hats, gloves, ponchos, sweaters, or the opportunity to take a picture with a sheep or llama, there was always an opportunity to buy souvenirs. Since I have already lived in Peru for a month now I know that the closer you get to a tourist attraction the higher the prices go and the more apt you are to get swindled for all you are worth, although that might just mean paying a typical American price for a souvenir rather than a very cheap price that a local Peruvian would get. That being said I was all for bartering and making sure the Peruvians were treating me more like one of their own rather than the typical American tourist walking through the market.

Just a few tips for those possibly traveling to Cuzco I would suggest that you learn how to say no thank you "No gracias" and learn your numbers in Spanish. When you are looking to buy some gifts it is good to know a base for what you "should" be paying for things so always feel free to ask someone who works at your hotel or any other person that you think has the knowledge of how the market works. Another good thing to know is that for every additional item you buy the price goes down a great deal. For example if you buy one hat they might charge you 12 soles, but if you buy 2 it will be 20, 3 for 26, and 4 for 28 or 30. For this reason always try to think of what you want so that you can buy items in pairs or more so you get a better price. Also when hiking be sure to wear sunscreen because the sun is very intense. Buying coca leaves and coca candies also are a good addition when walking around the town. But most of all be sure to be drinking lots of water so that you don't get hit hard with the altitude sickness.

All in all the time in and around Cuzco really provided for a rich cultural experience of what the ancient Incan society was like and how the culture has developed over time. Be sure to check back and read more about other neighboring areas and Machu Picchu. And if you are looking for more info about Cuzco click on the links below:

• Sacsayhuaman
• Cuzco and neighboring areas
• Tips to prevent altitude sickness

So you think you can dance...

Beautiful costumes covering dancers head to toe.

Skit of ancient King.

Not the greatest picture but I am the one in the middle in blue.

I don't know about you but I am definitely not the world's greatest dancer, nor would I consider myself even an okay dance, but in Peru I would consider myself a horrible dancer. Why would I make such a comment, well growing up in the United States there are not many cultural dances that are being taught to my generation so in general I would say people my age are not that great at dancing and in Peru I am even farther separated from the dancing elite because there are so many intricate cultural dances. I do however make an exception to my assumption of my general of Americans being bad dancers if you consider "dirty dancing" to be an impressive style of dance. While I think many people my age have lost their dancing sense I am totally blown away by people who can step dance, break dance, and do other sorts of modern dances that I could never fathom of being good at. That being said it has been refreshing for me to see the different culture of dance here in Peru.

This past weekend I got to attend a folklore show that included skits and cultural dances native to Peru. Throughout the evening we were able to see a variety of different dances, with names that I cannot recall, that highlighted many different cultures across Peru. My favorite of all the dances was the Alcatraz Dance, which "is danced in couples with a paper tied at the back of the waist. The dancers play with a lit candle trying to ignite the paper. Agile waist movements are used that draw loving encounters." I was going to follow up the description of this dance by saying I really want to learn it, but I want to clarify that I want to learn it as a style of dance...I have not at this point found a "Peruvian Princess" that I am looking to "draw loving encounters" with. Anyways, this dance was very hysterical because the man and woman would go back in forth trying to ignite each other on fire. I do have some videos of these dances I will put together soon but as of now you can look at these descriptions if you want to learn more about the cultural dances.

While I went into the night expecting a fabulous dinner and some great entertainment, I was gradually warmed up to the idea of making a fool of myself in front of the whole audience. After watching a number of dances a few people in our group had the idea of trying to jump up on stage and since I was at the right place at the wrong time I was one of the people who got volunteered to get up on stage. Just minutes after we got the go ahead that we were going to dance I had a pretty "Peruvian Princess" come grab me from my seat and bring me up onto the stage. Since I am not a dancer she graciously showed me what to do and we were able to have a fun time dancing around for the rest of the audience.

Now that I have experienced firsthand the fun that can be had to dance traditional Peruvian dances I will definitely need to get some more lessons and see if I can go back to the US a little more cultured in the dance department.

If any dance savvy Peruvian is reading this and can teach me to do the Alcatraz dance please let me know!