"Caca Agua...see I know Spanish"-Dad

Well well well. This morning we woke up at 6:30 am in order to meet Norka, the lady we booked our Inti Raymi tickets through, at 7:15 in the lobby. Dad woke up sick and now I am paranoid. It's just a cold though so no need to send the mounties. We ran downstairs grabbed a quick bite to eat and went to wait in the lobby. Well, she was on Peru time so she showed up around 7:45. We walked a block down to where we were supposed to meet the other members of our party.

First, some backstory. Dad and I decided that we wanted to attend the Inti Raymi pretty much as soon as we decided to come to Peru. The Inti Raymi is a major Inkan festival which celebrates the winter solstice and allows the Inka's to give thanks to one of their gods: the Sun. We looked for tickets in the U.S. but couldnt really find anything because they dont go on sale (for tourists) until a week before the festival. Luckily we met Norka who was the sister of our cab driver from the airport. She offered us an English tour with seats in the best section of the field. After shopping around we took 'em.

Flash forward, to dad and I sitting in a courtyard with a mother and son from Spain and a family from California (who's father was originally from Peru) who is fluent in Spanish, and a tour guide speaking only in Spanish. Yikes. Luckily the son, Ivan, who is 24 years old offered to translate for us. I was pretty okay following along but dad was pretty much lost (whats new). The whole family helped fill in the blanks when I came up short. We were given a DVD, informational pamphlet, and the best, a radio receiver that was supposed to translate for everyone since the entire ceremony takes in Quechua, the native peruvian language (a mix of Spanish and Inkan).

Dante, Our Guide

The first portion of the celebration takes place at Koricancha, the temple we visited a few days ago. We all waited along the fence and got to know each other a little better. We were packed in like sardines. Finally the horn blew and represetatives of the 4 regions of the inkan empire took the field below Koricancha. Cusco was the capital of the Inkan empire because it was the place that these 4 regions connected. There were warriors, messengers and accolytes from each region, the Inka's wife and daughters and finally, the man himself: The Inka. The Inka is the son of the Sun. He ruled over all the Inka's and lead today's ceremony. It was wonderful to watch all of the different regions displayed with different colors all together on the field.

at Koricancha

After initiating the ceremony at Koricancha we hurried to the Plaza del Armas for the second portion of the ceremony. And by hurried I mean we tried to move through the other sardines as best we could without getting lost. We hurried up to wait. We waited, and waited, and waited at the Plaza del Armas. All the while the masses were pushing and inching their ways into our laps. Finally the Inka processed in and told us all that we should proceed to Sacsayhuman (pronounced "Sexy Woman", dad just likes saying it for that reason) for the official ceremony.

Plaza del Armas

We body checked people out of our way to get to our van and all loaded in, after a potty and water break. The van began the accent up the hill, along with every other van in Cusco. Our guide told us different facts about Cusco and Macchu Picchu, translated of course by Ivan, but it helped to pass the time.

Finally we made our way to Sacsayhuman. This ancient fortress is located high above Cusco. It overlooks the entires city. It is made of stones that were brought there by the Inka people from 5-10 km away, this without a wheel. We made our way through the throngs of people and found our seats. It was like woodstock, people everywhere, selling hats, food, and native Cusqueños (residents of Cusco) sitting on the hill high above the field. We found our seats and found that something had gone right, we had the best seats in the house. We were dead center right in front of the Inkas throne. Our guide left to get our bag lunches while we took the time to people watch. The ceremony began with everyone parading in, but while this was happening we heard a commotion behind us. They had allowed the Cusquños to take seats on the hills behind us! It was a freakin zoo, like the running of the bulls or something. This massive group of Cusquños ran down the mountain all fighting for spots on the hill. At last the ceremony went on.

The hills behind us.

The ceremony included several sacrafices. The first was an offering of Chicha, or corn beer, to both the sun and the mamapacha, the earth. Next a llama was sacrificed (but not really) and its heart and lungs were examined. There was one point where the Inka asked everyone present to raise their arms and pray to the sun god for warmth. The clouds at the time were blocking the sun out and it was actually quite cold. As I turned to dad and told him to raise his arms, believe it or not, the clouds parted and the sun shone down. Dad is convinced it was him but I have my doubts. It was truly a moment I will never forget.

The llama hart and lungs

Throughout the ceremony I had tried to pick up this promised "english transmition" with no luck. No matter how many times I went through the radio stations it wasnt there. As we left the field I joined our guide in cursing the "mentirosas", the liars.We headed back to the van with the other thousands of people who were in attendance. We waited for the van with our group and finally boarded. It took us over an hour to make the normally 10 minute drive back to Cusco. The whole time we chatted with everyone in our group. While talking about cold drinks (or lack thereof) dad asked Ivan if he had been drinking the water here. Ivan said he didnt because he was scared of getting sick. To which dad replied "si, caca agua...see, I can speak Spanish". Ivan cracked up.

The ceremony was the most fascinating part of our trip so far, in my opinion. The Peruvians are forced to lead dual lives because of the past. They have deep ties to the Catholic church from when the Spanish colonized here yet still maintain ties to their Inkan roots. It truly is a situation like very few in the world.

And now, after getting dad some cold medicine (we think) at the Peruvian pharmacy we will be hitting the hay. Well in dad's case passing out of Codine purchased over the counter! Hay Oh! Tomorrow we will be heading out to the sacred valley. We will stop in Moray, Chincheros and end our day in Urumbamba: our last stop before Macchu Picchu. I'm not sure what the computer situation will be but hopefully we will be able to catch you up again. Thanks for reading!

Adios!

Dancing in the streets

Dear readers, tonight we are on a time crunch. The masses have descended upon Cusco. It is the night before the Inti Raymi festival and it seems as if the population of Cusco has doubled, or even tripled.

We started this morning by sleeping in for the first time on our trip. This day was very South American. We took everything at our own pace. Dad woke up twitching so I figured the coca was out of his system. So we needed to get him more pronto. We walked up to San Blas, the artisan neighborhood, and found the store we had been searching for: The Coca Shop. They had everything here: coca leaf, coca candy, coca chocolate, coca toffee, coca cookies, coca brownies and even coca ice cream (the ice cream kinda looked like a turd in a cone, but who am i to judge). We bought a few things (and dad tried some samples...) and were on our merry, or in dad's case very merry, way. Now his mission is to ship it out of the country. My mission is not to be involved.

coca must stunt your growth. look at that door...

We started the morning at the Cathedral. The cathedral is the main focal point in Cusco, it is the most important part of the Plaza del Armas. The Cathedral is actually made up of three different churches. Each more elaborate than the next. My favorite was the main church. It is still used today; Mass is held at 6am and 10am every day. The walls of the main church are filled with miniature shrines devoted to various saints. But unfortunately no photos were allowed in the church (that doesnt mean dad didnt try...again. but this time they didnt come out) There was a special choir loft with individual seats carved out of wood for each member. It was hands down the most beautiful church I have ever seen (but LMU's is a close second). The next portion of the cathedral even had some underground catacombs holding the remains of prominent Inka and Spanish leaders of Cusco.

After we left the Cathedral, we made our way to the Museo del Inka. This museum is home to many artifacts that have been excavated from around Peru. It even had 8 mummies, which kind of freaked me out but whatev. The Inkas were amazing people. Not only did they build homes and buildings that were earthquake proof but had tweezers all the way back in 400 a.c.

From there we decided we needed a really good lunch. Of course this meant going to the store to buy some rolls, salami, chips and 2 crush sodas. Hands down, best lunch we've had. While going to get a refill on my crush dad bought a tamale for 50 centimos, or US$0.15. He says it was delish. We left after lunch to explore the town.

There was yet again another festival in the Plaza so we watched for a while but we made our way to Calle del Sol, a main avenue off the Plaza. This is where the real party was. It was wall to wall locals, selling everything you could think of. Off the streets! There were ladies frying eggs, french fries and meats right on the street. And fresh squeezed juices from ladies who peeled the fruit on the spot. Dad scored a shish kabob from a woman cooking on the street and followed it up with some fresh pineapple. yum! The smells and colors are something that can never be described.

carne on a stick. what kind? who knows.

We went to dinner at this place in the Plaza del Armas called Inka Grill. It was the best dinner we have had yet! Dad had a pisco sour and fettucinne with proscuitto, and I had a club sandwich. superb. We walked around the Plaza some more just watching the amazing sights around us. We decided to head back to the real party on Calle del Sol. There were so many people; it was like a concert, with everyone pushing and cramped together. There were firecrackers going off and the smell of fried eggs and fruits in the air. Men with megaphones put on sugar cane poles yelling "chocolates, 50 centavos" while the man next to him yells into his own pole "50 centavos chocolate", but both are considerate enough to take turns.

The people here have been welcoming and friendly so far. Whenever we seem to have trouble someone is there to help us out with spanish words, directions or making room on a bench. They are filled with a pride I have never observed anywhere else and are true to their roots. It's moving to see customs that have survived not only decades, but millenia.

Tomorrow is the day that will top it all off. The festival of Inti Rymi. It is the day the Inka's pay homage to the father sun, the pachapapa. We will join thousands (200,000 approx) at the ancient fortress of Sacsayhuman up in the hills of Cusco, and we will all be connected by the events we will witness. I may not understand the language but everyone will understand the sentiment in the air. I cant wait. And with that we wish you a good night.

Adios!

Capitol: Sacramento, Governor: Arnold Schwartzenegger, Hasta La Vista, Baby.

Day 3 in Cusco: Still no sign of Kevin. Dad is begining to worry he has lost his BFF (best friend forever)

Well, we've moved on to our next hotel, Casa Andina Cathedral. We said goodbye to our ricketty door, squeeky floor and girls at the front desk who hate us for using the computer for hours at a time :) We moved this morning and got a cab to take us three blocks. But at least it only cost 3 soles or US$1. We arrived here, checked in and had our breakfast. Dad thinks the french toast here is the greatest thing, personally I feel its too soggy but to each his own. After breakfast we decided to head out and try and find the famous 12 corner Inka rock. Its part of the original Inka wall that runs through Cusco. When we arrived we were told "This is the famous rock. More famous than Michael Jackson". (Dad says Michael Jack-stone...dont worry I'm rolling my eyes too) The leaf has gone to his head. This alley was also featured in "Motorcycle Diaries" for all you film buffs out there.


count the corners.

From there we decided to go find a shop that dad wanted to visit. Surprise Surprise it was a coca shop. We hiked up a giant hill (it can be seen as the first picture in yesterdays post). This area is known as San Blas and is where all the artisans lived in the heyday of Cusco. It is filled with litle shops and hotels. Dad and I hiked around taking in the scenery but damn, the shop was closed because it is the sabbath. Dad still has not recovered. Only now has he stopped crying but i'm sure upon reading this his hysterics will begin again. We went back down the hill and decided to make our way to the Plaza del Armas. We were treated to the pleasant sight of a woman peeing in the street between 2 cars. She tried to be sly but nothing gets past dad, especially if it involves bodily functions and fluids. Sorry no picture (not to say dad didnt think about taking one.)


There was another festival in the plaza today. This one involved miltary marchings, and much more Inkan influence. as we were walking around the Plaza we were stopped by a little boy who claimed to see us yesterday and we told him that we would get a shoe shine from him today. So dad took a seat on a park bench and he got to work. He told us that he was all alone and that he slept beneath Koricancha in the big field there (the ruins where we took the tour yesterday). He also told us he was trying to save up money to buy a dancing hat for his school´s show. Meanwhil a bunch of kids spotted the candyman and had heard of the crazy american handing out ring pops and grinding his teeth. So they staked out a spot to watch us. The finished product is kind of remarkable. I could do my makeup in dad´s shoes. they hurt to look at. But we gave him and his cousin some candy after paying him and were on our way.


We had lunch on a balcony above the Plaza del Armas. And when I say lunch I mean dad and i split some nachos and i had a soda and dad a pisco sour. So far we have our doubts about Peruvian food. I mean who screws up nachos? They cheese is like a powder and all of our drinks come lukewarm with barely any carbonation. But it{s a small price to pay for the experience we are having (but thats not to say I wouldnt kill someone for some chicken strips...dont forget Ranch. and a freezing cold diet coke) After lunch we parked it on a bench in the square and people watched. We noticed 2 people sitting about 50 feet up on a balcony of la compania de jesus. They were taking pictures and had a great vantage point of the festival. We spotted them soon after on a bench near by and dad went to ask them how to get up their. They gave us directions and we were off.


We bought our tickets into the church and took off Amazing Race style to find the staircase that would take us up. Eventually dad found it and we had a balcony all to ourselves. It would never be allowed or legal in the US to sit where we sat. Dad took some contraband pictures inside the church (sinner) and we continued to explore. It was a beautiful church. It was built by the Jesuits and had several murals and painting of St Ignatius Loyola (the namesake of both LMU and Ignatians Service Org) so it was a pretty special thing for me to experience.




our overlook is on the left bell tower above the man's head. that archway is where we sat.

this was the view. you can see how high we are!



inside the Compania de Jesus

After dad broke as many laws as he could inside the church, and you'll see first hand the fruits of his labors we decided to check in at the hotel. We had had problems with our power converter (thanks mom) and by problems i mean it exploded my battery charger.

***20 mins later***
Sorry readers! Dad and I just heard a parade going by our hotel so we ran out to meet them. Of course dad took forever to put on his shoes (I really need to get him some velcro ones) we ran outside to catch up only to find it was a marching band from Juliaca, near Lake Titicaca! Lord knows I cant resist a good marching band! They even played grandma's favorite song. We followed them for at least a half mile before deciding to go home. How those wind instrument players kept up is beyond me, these hills are steep and all cobblestone!







for a duck may be somebody's mother...

Where was I? Oh yea we went on a quest for a converter (Un transformador). We needed to go from the 220V they use here in Peru to the 110V we use in the U.S. We went to 2 different places and finally found it. Since we have felt perpetually hungry since arriving we caved in and went to Jack's again for some burgers. As we were waiting in line I noticed a girl 2 parties in front of us who looked oddly familiar. It ended up being Dani Dirks, a new member in Delta Zeta. Small World. Dad warned me this would happen but i didnt believe him. She is interning here in Peru for 2 months and is enjoying it a lot. We ate our burgers and busted out to cruise around the city. We ended up walking around the Plaza and went beyond to this little bakery just southwest of the Plaza. We shared a chocolate strawberry torte (the strawberries are small here, the size of rasberries) dad had a mocha and i had some half-and-half aka milk here.

We went to the market to buy some bottled waters to brush our teeth and were walking back to the hotel when a little boy approached us. he was selling finger puppets. We told him "no gracias" but he followed us and asked where we were from. Dad said the United States and he said "washington d.c.?". Dad said "California" and the brainiac responded in broken english (but better grammar then dad) with "Ahhh capitol: Sacramento. Governor: Arnold Schwartzenegger. Hasta La Vista Baby. I'll Be Back. Terminator 2". This kid was all of about 10! He was pretty legit. We gave him a ring pop and he went on his merry way. After that amazing encounter we walked back to the hotel, watched some good ole fashioned drag racin until we heard the band and now our night has come to an end.

Adios!

who can make the sunrise, sprinkle it with goo...(and chew) the candyman can

So...last night was good. Except for the part where we blew up my (well acually it was Dad´s) battery charger for my camera. So this morning after being woken up from MUCH needed sleep we decided to head off and try to find another. We went downstairs, ate our free breakfast and took off . Before we did, Dad grabbed a handful of coca leaves and tried chewing them. I´m scared this will become a habit and an intervention may be necessary. Right now he is just twitching in the corner and picking his head but we have more important things to deal with now. Finally we ended up buying one from some hole -in-the-wall store and we thought we had lucked out and found one. Little did we know that when we turned the corner to buy our tourist tickets that we came upon a WHOLE STREET with friggin camera shops. Every place was selling the exact thing we bought. Sonofa.

So we bough our tourist ticket and took advantage by going to see a convent near the Plaza del Armas. It was pretty cool. the nuns have to stay there all the time. but we saw one. she was a rebel. So then we made our way through the Plaza del Armas where there was another festival going on. But dad did not enjoy it as much as the last :( We then wandered around a bit and went to the history museum. It was legit and had a bunch of colonial art from the 17th century. Sorry no pictures were allowed.

We decided to wander around some more when what should we come upon? But the Calle de Santa Clara! Of course Dad felt the need to score some more coca to chew, this time a whole sack for 1 sole (no kidding its really a problem.) Dad is jazzed about being the candyman so he is hounded by kids. I fear that soon he will be handing our coca to gain more followers. We made our way down and happened to find the market that dad had been really jazzed about going to.

if not for dad, think of the kids...

As we made our way into the market we were the only tourists there. It was all locals. The market is seperated into different sections. There was a meat section, fruits, crafts, fish. You name it, it was there (except tourists i guess). The meat section featured everyone´s favorite: whole pig heads. Whole pigs, whole chickens. The Peruvians are nothing if not economical. They dont waste anything. The colors were beautiful. We made our way to the back where the fresh lunch is served in the hopes of finding this soup that we had seen on "Anthony Bourdain". After to talking to um...pretty much everyone we decided to ask one more lady. Luckily there was a man who helped me fill in the Spanish I couldnt remember and the word for potatoes came to me right before we got to her stall (papas BTW). We ordered two bowls of soup for 2 soles ( aka US$ 0.60, each, holla). It was pretty delicious. It was just broth But you just belly up to the bar and start scarfing.

We decided to try and take in one of the sacred places in Cusco and made our way to Quoricancha. This was a main temple for the Inka people of Cusco. We luckilly found a guy who gave us a private tour for 20 soles ($US7). The temple was for the Sun, moon, stars, ranbow and lightning gods. But when us Spaniards came we decided to destroy their temple and build a church over it, a-holes. He showed us how to decifer between Inkan walls and counterfeit wannabes. The Inkas used no mortars between tehir stones. And their work is amazing and done entirely by hand. It really is something that cant be described unless you can get up close and personal with it. It´s ever earthquakes proof having survived 3 major ones already. (in 1353, 1653 & 1953, every 300 years. FREAKY. the next ones comin!) Ugo, our tour guide, also let us know that the Inkas celebrated the Inti Raymi (the main festival we are here for) on June 21st, but when the Catholics came they changed it to the 24th (which it still is) in order to coincide with the feast of St. Joseph. Also that the Inkas used 3 symbols (see the picture below) to represent the upper world, the middle world and the lower world: The condor, The Puma and the snake. And Cusco is in the shape of a Puma, since it was the capital of the Inka world. It was definitely a highlight.

After that we meandered around a bit more and made our way back to the Plaza del Armas for dinner. We (stupidly) tried to give pizza a chance and was dissapointed, yet again. but dad claimed that if you put hot sauce and guacamole on it, it could work. The Plaza del Armas was packed! There was a concert tonight and there was literally no room to move. We grabbed some desert. (gelato, i know in Peru!) and Dad scored some more coca (please send help) . And as we were sitting in the room watching the Tony Awards (hahah Dad) when we heard fireworks going off outside. We ran outside to watch and were joined by two douchebags from Tennessee who told us "I would rather take the chance of getting Malaria then take those pills". A gem, I know. We here you are cookin in the Yay area. And here it´s 39 degrees (at night). and the computer is outside. and i somehow have to detox dad before bed. So we bid you goodnight. Until mañana.

A NOTE TO OUR READERS: you do not need to print out copies of our blog. It will be here until I decide to take it down. Thanks for reading :) (this means you grandma, love ya!)

Adios!

Kevin, Jaque and Jen take over Peru

narrow streets & cobblestones

Well let me tell you , coming off another night of only 4 hours of sleep we are pumped to be in Cusco. We landed bright and early this morning from Lima. Last night before hitting the hay we walked over to airport and got ourselves a little MickeyD´s. But lemme tell you, there´s no fast food like home. But the food court is apparently the place where all the young houligan backpackers spend the night in the airport in order to catch their connections in the mrning. Apparently we missed the memo.

So this morning, much to his dismay Dad had to say goodbe to his friend Manuel. Manuel was a porter at the hotel in Lima and he told us all about how to adjust to the altitude, how to check in at the morning. The man could write his own advice column. But anywho we made our way to the airport to check in amongst the sound of a rooster. Yes, dear reader, you read correctly: A rooster. Dad was obsessed with the finding out who had the cock in a box. We went back to the hotel and had our free breakfast amongst the soothing sound of Mr. Eric Clapton. Yes, even here we cannot evade Eric. We boarded our plane and took off for Cusco.

After the best TV show of my life on the plane (practical jokes like candid camera) we burst through the gargantuan mountains of the Andes to take our first look at Cusco. They were the biggest mountains we´ve ever seen. The plane executed a maneuver like something out of Top Gun and we were down. Cusco is located in a bowl like valley so it was a trip to dive in. Dad and I had been very concerned with the altitude since Cusco sits at about 11, 000 feet. But as we exited the plane we didnt start hurling so we were happy. We were met at the airport and taken to our hotel where we were greeted with delicious coca tea. It´s said to help with the altitude so we were happy to have enjoyed it. On our way to the hotel we saw two cars ahead of us get into an accident. Our driver Carlos told us that no one here has insurance and when you get into an accident "the guys have a conversation". There are no stop signs, barely lanes and when you are riding in a car you can reach out with your hand and touch the car next to you. According to dad when you flip off the driver next to you, you´d be picking his nose at the same time.

just your run of the mill...

Our room is sparse. And tonight we fear we will die of frostbite. Our door, a quaint ancient looking thing barely closes and looks like a strong wind could bust it open. The floor creaks with every (no exageration) step we take. But that is the reason this place is so amazing. Plus McGuyver worked on the door a bit.

built in 1781

We went to the main plaza for lunch. A festival was going on with diferent groups performing. It is to begin the celebration for Inti Raymi. The sun festival we came for. On our way we met a boy who we gave a ring pop(candy) to. After, he walked with us for a while and I introduced us in Spanish. When I told him my dad was named Jeff he said "Jacque? That is a name of an actor here" (in spanish of course) so now apparently dad is an actor. When we gave him his candy he asked if he could have one for his brother. So we gave him one, to which he replied "I have 2 brothers" and dad told him "We´ll see you mañana." So now we both want to find a way to smuggle Kevin home with us.

Kevin

We spent the rest of the day recovering and taking in the amazing sights of the city. It really is a beautiful place. It´s like an enirely different world here and everywhere you look there is color. We ate dinner at a "gringo2 restaurant called Jack´s. we had steak sandwiches with fries and sodas and salad. For US$14. For both of us. tip included suckas. It was legit. We wandered around a bit more, shopped a bit and are now getting ready to bed down for the night. We can wait to see what this week brings.

La compania de Jesus in the Main Plaza of Cusco

Adios!

HOLY CRAP...WE´RE IN PERU!!

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step". Well in our case it started with a 15 hour journey to Peru.



Actually I guess it started last night, when Grandma and Grandpa dropped us off at our hotel in San Francisco...after the 20 minute detour trying to find the Sheraton Gateway. But that was just a small blip in the journey that was to come.



We woke up at the butt crack of dawn this morning to catch our 6 am flight at the airport. We were driven by a friendly fellow from the hotel. After getting swindled out of $17 for TWO sandwiches we were off. Our flight to Miami was pretty uneventful. Once we reached Miami, Jen was unsure whether or not we were still in the United States. It was a freakin dump, but i digress. (and who knows what is to come ;)



While waiting for our delayed flight to Lima from Miami we noticed a woman wearing a shirt with a map of the Peruvian Amazon on the back. I squeezed my way in to talk to her (it wasnt awkward at all, i swear) and began peppering her with questions about what to wear and what to expect. Dad struck up a conversation with a young guy sitting next to us who happened to be dating a girl from Peru. He was going to law school and had just bought a Harry Potter book. A sign from God, me thinks so. After being delayed an hour we finally boarded the plane. We were offered the delicious choices of chicken or lasagna. we both went for the pollo.



As the plane touched down in Lima we were both pretty much wetting ourselves with excitement (well I was, dad was having roubles with his head). We managed to get off and get through immigration okay. Then it was time to wait for our bags. Or in our case: PRAY. Dad´s came out no problem, but of course mine was difficult. We waited, and waited and waited. I was on the verge of puking when suddenly it emerged! Sweet and glorious Gods! It had only taken a FREAKIN HALF HOUR!! With dogs barking in the background (must have been a cocaine bust) we made our way through customs and luckily avoided the dreaded red-light-button-push extra search. So we were blessed enough to make our way into the THRONGS of people waiting to offer their services. TAXI! TAXI! CELL PHONES! CELL PHONE CARDS!! TAXI?!? we pushed our way across the street and checked into our hotel.



The Lima Airport



We are staying at the ramada costa del sol. Everything is basic...except the price but what can you do. At least they gave us free pisco sours? Pisco sours are the local peruvian drink. Word on the street is that they have egg white in it. Dad says its a strong gin fizz and since he´s the expert I take his word there. So we preceeded downstairs to get our free drinks. When, YIKES! They´re made with ice. I really hope we dont have explosive diarreha by morning. So we sat in the bar watching VH1 (i know who knew they had it here) when the contestants on Smartest Supermodel start cussing. I mean F*CK and everything!?! So dad gets the bright idea to ask the non english speaking bartender about the censors in peru. But the guy doesnt understand. So now dad is PANTOMIMING the cuss words. He´s grabbing his balls and yelling "BALLS...OR DICK" while the guy stares back in horror. He´s yelling "FUCK" and its echoing. Then he asks "¿you no habla ingles?". BEST. PART. OF. THE. DAY.






our hotel





So now we are hittin the hay before we die of exhaustion. We catch our plane to Cusco tomorow morning, bright and early. Luckily the hotel is literally 2 lanes from the airport.





Travel time:


SFO-MIAMI= 5hrs.


LAYOVER= 2 hours


MIAMI-LIMA= 5 hours


WATCHING DAD PANTOMIME "BALLS" AND YELLING "FUCK" AT A PURUVIAN BARTENDER= PRICELESS





p.s. for all yáll wondering Peru is 2 hours ahead of CALI





ADIOS!!!

Travel Shots care of Sandy

So today our Peruvian adventure began...unofficially.


Bring it on mosquitos.

We made our way down to Kaiser in Santa Clara for our SECOND attempt at seeing the travel nurse. After waiting in the injection clinic and having the great opportunity of observing some of Kaiser's best clients we were taken next door to the office of Sandy the Travel Nurse.


Mixing up the cocktails...

Sandy sat us down and asked us about our previous vaccinations and our travel plans. When she asked dad how old he was he responded with:

Dad: "I'll be 48 in May"
Sandy: "..."
Jen: "Dad...it's June"

So that was reassuring. But after much deliberation (and nail biting on my behalf) we decided that we would be taking 4 vaccines today: Yellow Fever, Typhoid Fever, a Tetanus Shot and a Flu Vaccine. Dad bravely **eye roll** volunteered to go first.


He's crapping his pants.

In his left arm, she gave him Typhoid and Tetanus. In his right, the flu vaccine and yellow fever. He took 'em like a champ and didnt cry. Now it was my turn. but i figured if dad could do it...so could i.


Cool as a cucumber :)

As you could see, I was a pro. She warned us that we might be sore or feel a little sick for the next couple of days. She hooked us up with some malaria pills. She gave us 2 options: a once a week pill or a daily pill. She told us that the once a week pill could have side effects of hallucinating, intense dreams and nightmares and all around craziness. So we decided to go with the daily pills. No crazy ass trips for me, thank you very much!

So now we are ready to go, health wise that is. We still have quite a bit of planning and last minute stuff to do. I cant believe we are less than 2 weeks away. Stay tuned to the blog for more information before we leave.

Adios!