Due to slow internet, pictures will be coming soon.
Peru
9/29
The flight was long and starting out at 4:00am made the day even longer. But excitement and anticipation cover a multitude of traveling sins, making the day full of laughter and jokes.
We reinstated the Strickler behavioral incentive program, which is based on a capitalist reward system - great behavior equals cash. It works like a charm. Having used it in Yellowstone where the consequences were felt with pain, the kids adjusted to the program with just a quick warning. Good behavior = a great trip.
The first night was spent in a hotel that was clean but very nondescript. But then again it was only $69 a night. I had warned Anna that most likely there wouldn't be elevators in many of the hotels so pack light. We weren't disappointed - 4 flights of narrow stairs the first night. If Dana was concerned that he wouldn't get a workout for a few days, he found a way to squeeze in a true "Crossfit" workout.
My dear husband is sorely missed and it was felt even before we left the airport parking lot. We were all enjoying the parking lot shuttle, chitchatting when the bus stopped. Balin looked at us and said, "This is your stop guys - time to get off". It was a bit of a startling realization that I wasn't paying attention and it was only the beginning of the trip. I looked at him and said, "What are we going to do without you?" He smiled and said that as soon as he was gone I would turn my brain on. Thanks. Sad but it's true.
I have turned my brain on and we got where we need to be - haven't missed a flight or gone with people we weren't supposed to - we're good. Tired, but good. Balin meets up with us tomorrow in Olly as he's just a day behind us.
9/30
Today we hiked from Olly to the local Inka ruins - can't remember the name but they were impressive. We let the kids pick the route and alas we ended up taking a goat path straight up the hill. It was pretty fun and the kids were excited to be off the beaten track. We didn't have a guide and we had no idea what the history of the ruins were so we just started making things up. I said they were pre-christian era. Found out they were built in the 1400's so I was wayyyyyyy off, but it did make for a fun story.
As we headed down from the ruins we were met with stalls after stalls of local handicrafts, which of course Perrin was quick to "want, want, want". We gave her a budget and told her to go for it. She purchased a bunch of items for both herself, teachers and friends. On the way back from the ruins we met up with Balin who was just getting into town from the States. It was so good to see him! The kids were so excited to see dad! Everything just seems a whole lot better when Balin is around.
That day we had a picnic lunch in the yard while the kids played soccer and hung out. They were having a great time just being together and relaxing as were the adults. We finished the day with pizza, which no one really enjoyed, and headed to bed.
The following day we got up at the crack of dawn, 5:00am, and were on the road by 6:00 to catch the train to Aguas Calientes, where you catch a bus for the ride up to Machu Pichu. The train was called the Inca Rail and was a delightful, clean, fast train. The buses scooped up people by the hundreds and dropped them off at the base of Machu Pichu. We had purchased all of our bus, train and Machu Pichu tickets in Cusco when we arrived, but Balin missed that step as he was in a hurry to catch up with us. So before we headed out to Machu Pichu we asked around to find tickets for him to join us. It was surprisingly simple to find our way around and people were quite friendly and organized.
There are a couple of ways for one to arrive at Machu Pichu: coming in on the Inca Trail through the Sun Gate or up the road on the buses. We chose the bus and boy were we glad. You don't notice the altitude but it's there and takes effect on everyone. We had purchased, along with our Machu Pichu tickets, tickets to climb the mountain Machu Pichu. It was 1200-1500' and a mile long but Lord have mercy, it was steep. It took us a couple of hours and I was panting the whole way. Sam and Perrin were absolute rock stars and didn't seem to be bothered at all by the steepness or the altitude. They both were able to keep up with Balin most of the way and didn't cry or whine a bit. I was very impressed and think that in the future there will be much more hiking.
The top of the mountain gave a spectacular view of Machu Pichu and the surrounding area, which is spectacular. The Andes mountains are ginormous and very, very steep. The building of the ancient Incas was spectacular in their engineering and sheer man power. There were actually a couple of complexes built by the Incas in the area and from our bird's eye view, we could see them all. We descended from the mountain top and enjoyed a delicious lunch outside of the Machu Pichu park as eating is not allowed in the area. After lunch we headed back up to Machu Pichu but this time we invested in a guide named Patrick to give us the inside scoop of the history of the Incas. It was quite interesting and coupled with our Nova video the night before we got more information than we could possibly hold in our brain. Nonetheless, we all found it to be quite spectacular the amount of mathematical prowess and ingenuity it took the Incas to put together the various buildings. The construction was not completed at the time of the desertion of the site but what was done was spectacular. After two hours I had to politely ask the guide to wrap it up as we were all quite exhausted by our trek earlier that morning and were ready for dinner and bed.
As with any travels, certain humorous events happen and people say funny things. I think the phrase, "Are we there yet?" coupled with "Can we go now?" (once we get there) sum up traveling with children. They can't wait to get where they're going but once we arrive at the destination, spend a few minutes/hours there, they're ready to go. It's funny on one level, but then it's also maddening. The other interesting observation about traveling with children is energy levels. One minute there bouncing off the walls and the next they are so tired they can't even walk. Agh! I totally get it why people stay home - it's so much easier and more comfortable. But on the other hand it is so good for all of us to see how different people live, what they eat, what they do to make a living. Especially when we live in one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Majority of kids in the US live an amazingly sheltered and lovely life. Not all - I've seen a few whose lives parallel those in direst of poverty - but most have such a privileged life, mine included if not at the top of "the good life". Writing about why we travel with our children reminds me it's not so much about the destination but about the journey and the experiences along the way. So yes, those journey's could happen a lot closer to home, but it's kind of fun to see and meet others sojourners along the way.
 |
| Anna needs her coffee every morning so she can look chipper! |
 |
| Dana - sporting FSR wear, a good rep of the company, |
|
 |
|
The early morning train - up at 5am on the train by 6:30am, these kids deserved a little iPad time.Machu Pichu |
 |
Initial view walking into Machu Pichu.
|
 |
| Hiking up Machu Pichu mountain with views of Machu Pichu. |
 |
| There are steps all the way up the mountain, literally a mile long and 2000' up. |
 |
| Llamas were hanging out in Machu Pichu. This one was pretty close and I hear they spit. |
 |
| He was really interested in me! |
 |
| The stairs keep going up and up and up. |
 |
| We did it! We made it to the top! |
10/1
Today was our planned rest day. We had arranged with the owner of the hostel we are staying at to have a tour of a village where people live a very traditional lifestyle. With relations between kids going south quickly, we decided that the Stricklers would separate and go for a little hike down to a pool of water where the kids could go swimming about an hours walk away. The DeVito's decided they would follow but would start a bit later so each family could have a little bit of space. Between the communication barrier of Spanish/English and the honking of the taxi we had already ordered, plans got thrown in the air and we went back to our original plans of going to the small village.
The village was very typical of rural Peru with houses made out of mud bricks and livestock roaming here and there. Along the way we saw several sheep herders with large herds of sheep, including having to stop to let them pass over the road. There were donkeys, pigs with piglets, cows and oxen all along the way. We saw farmers plowing the soil to plant corn and potatoes while brightly clad women carried supplies and children on their backs. It was relatively clean in regards to trash but it had an overall sense of people scrapping a living out of a somewhat barren land. But they had been doing it for thousands of years as the hillsides gave evidence of long standing walls and terraces for farming. The land had been cultivated long before the Inkas had been there as it was a shallow valley floor with a river flowing along as steep mountains jutted from the base.
The villages had schools and basic supply stations, though they didn't seem to have anything that resembled a store. Every village had a soccer field and kids playing in the field in between their classes. As we were hanging out with some of the villagers, one of the young people with us who was from Mexico and translating for us, said we should play soccer with the local kids. We all agreed that was a great idea and descended to the football field. In his best spanish, Santiago said let's play and boy did those kids show us how it was done. There were about 30 local boys and girls, all in hats and colorful ponchos or dresses, and they were giggling and laughing as we did our best to kick the ball in the right direction. As my soccer skills are sorely lacking, I did my best intimidation with loud sounds and squawking along with moving my hands all about me - kind of like the frilled lizard. They weren't scared and they just kicked the ball right around me and laughed. I was only good for a couple of runs down the field because a) I don't usually run after a small white ball back and forth b) we were are 9000'. Running up to the kids with a hand held high and saying "Da me cinco" I connected at some level with the boys. The girls were so typical of 12 year olds, cuddling in a group and giggling as the ball came near. When I asked what their names were they mumbled something and gave me a shy smile. I could tell that it wouldn't take long to draw these young ladies out of their shells as they were pretty excited about hanging out with us light skinned and haired Americans.
Which reminds me that on our way to Machu Pichu there was a large school group of 12-14 year olds that kept looking at us while we waited for Balin to grab his tickets. One finally got the courage to ask if they could have their photo with us and the next thing you knew Sam, Perrin, Casey and Faith were like rock stars with the paparazzi not far behind. They were so excited to get their picture taken with a fair skinned kid it was funny. Sam was patient but you could tell he was not cut out for fame. Casey also had that experience again in Machu Pichu as the tourists thought he was the cutest little guy in the place. He is definitely not cut out for fame as he hid behind his dad's legs and wouldn't come out unless his dad was holding him.
We left the small village about an hour later all tuckered out and sweaty. We stopped next at a local hut where the women were weaving and had their textiles for sale. They were gorgeous but none of us were interested in purchasing their local clothing.
Of course by this time the children were bellowing that they were hungry and they wanted to go home. We headed back to Olly and once we got there we parted ways with the DeVitos for lunch as we could use a little alone time. Balin and I ended up going back after lunch for a little siesta while the DeVitos took Perrin and their family to the pool we were originally going to go to in the morning. Tomorrow we drive down to Cusco, spend the night and then are off to Lima the following day.
 |
| Cusco at night on the main square |
 |
| On the plaza in Cusco. At 10,000 feet Cusco left 3 out of 8 a bit sick. Balin, Anna and myself either had food poisoning or altitude sickness. |
 |
| Faith got to hold baby lambs....for a small fee |
Panama
After a long journey from the Andes, we landed in Panama city, where we were not disappointed. The city itself is gorgeous and modern while the colonial old town is on the brink of being restored. Warm, humid weather knocked our socks off, but we were happy to be in the warmth.
From Panama City, we grabbed a small local plane that headed straight to Bocas del Toro, which itself is an island located on the border of Panama and Costa Rica. From there we got in a taxi for 2 minutes and headed to the boat, which took us to Bastimantos island (I think that's right) where Red Frog Beach Resort is.
 |
| Every villa had it's own pool. The view was spectacular. |
 |
| One of the beaches at Red Frog. Gorgeous and literally deserted. |
 |
| Faith and Perrin enjoying the soft sandy beach. |
 |
| One of the restaurants on the beach - we ate here almost every day, rain or shine. Their rum punch was amazing and only $3.00/glass! |
 |
| The Red Frog. |
 |
| We took an excursion for the day to see dolphins, snorkel and go to another deserted beach. We had lunch at a restaurant on a pier, literally right over the water. The water was so clear that you could see all the fish. Amazing! |
 |
| On the last day we all went on the high ropes course, which was amazing. There were over 7 zip lines and an obstacle course. It was super fun. |
 |
Town of Bocas as we headed back to the airport.
We all agreed that Panama was a great destination. Balin and I are figuring out how we can get back there soon! The weather is great, the cost is great, and the local scenery is impressive!
|
Comments