Some people said I was cheating by referring people over to Mom's blog after our Inca Trail trip two years ago. The thing is, she writes her blog like a travel diary with tons of photos - her travel posts are just way better than mine. The day-to-day based approach really goes into detail about the trip and her photos are excellent. Always Standing tends to be random and when I travel I still post about it but not consistently or in a way that would give readers a good sense of the trip.
So, I will still be posting about Africa as I think of things or if I notice a good picture that I want to share. However, for those that haven't been checking out Vicarious Travelling on the regular, or during our big Africa Trip, please go read the posts from January. The archive is on the right hand side of the site (she has a different set up from Always Standing) and it is easy to navigate. All the posts from our trip are titled starting with Gate 1, South Africa, (gate 1 was the tour company that the Groupon was from). You can find her first African post HERE.
Also, Vicarious Travelling can always be accessed from the link called Mom's Travel Blog in the Lovely Links section of the left-side column of Always Standing. This is also where you can find a link to Two's Instagram for readers that want to check that but don't have an instagram account. And if you are reading this in the mobile version on your tablet or cell phone and the side columns aren't visible, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on View Web Version to access the aforementioned links.
Showing posts with label South America. Show all posts
Showing posts with label South America. Show all posts
Tuesday, 6 February 2018
Friday, 17 February 2017
Quiz - Distance Dispute
I don't know if you noticed from the previous posts but Jason and I had different answers for the question about the furthest we have traveled together. He said Peru and I said Paris. He was pretty confident that Peru was further, I didn't really know but felt like going over an ocean seemed like a bigger deal. But we both love facts and statistics and numbers, so Jason looked it up.
So, as the crow flies, in a straight line from one city to the other, using a Distance Calculator, we got the following answers:
- Toronto to Cusco: 6,410 km
- Toronto to Paris: 6,007 km
Jason was right but the difference is pretty close!
So, as the crow flies, in a straight line from one city to the other, using a Distance Calculator, we got the following answers:
- Toronto to Cusco: 6,410 km
- Toronto to Paris: 6,007 km
Jason was right but the difference is pretty close!
Thursday, 16 February 2017
Quiz - Jason's Answers
From Tuesday's Valentine's Day Quiz, here are Jason's answers (as he relayed them to me verbally.)
- Who's older? Me.
- Who was interested first? You contacted me
- Married? Yes
- Together? Yes
- More sarcastic? Me
- Who makes the most mess? You
- Who has more tattoos? You
- Better singer? Me
- Hogs the remote? I don't know
- Better driver? Me
- Smarter? I don't know, what does smart mean?
- Most common sense? Probably you
- Whose siblings do you see the most? Mine
- Do you have any children together? No
- Did you go to the same school? No
- Who is the most sensitive? Me
- Where do you eat out most as a couple? Harvey's
- Where is the furthest you two have traveled together? Peru
- Who has the worst temper? Yooouuu..I mean...no one really
- Who does the cooking? We both do
- Who is more social? You
- Who is the neat freak? We are neat freaks in different and incomptable ways
- Who is the most stubborn? Me
- Who hogs the bed? You thinks it's me
- Who wakes up earlier? Me
- Where was your first date? Starbucks
- Who has the bigger family? I do, because of my neice and nephews, but you have a larger, in touch, extended family
- Do you get flowers often? No
- Who does the laundry? I do
- Who drives when you are together? I do
- Who picks where you go to dinner? Both of us
- Who wears the pants in the relationship? We are both currently wearing pants
- Who's older? Me.
- Who was interested first? You contacted me
- Married? Yes
- Together? Yes
- More sarcastic? Me
- Who makes the most mess? You
- Who has more tattoos? You
- Better singer? Me
- Hogs the remote? I don't know
- Better driver? Me
- Smarter? I don't know, what does smart mean?
- Most common sense? Probably you
- Whose siblings do you see the most? Mine
- Do you have any children together? No
- Did you go to the same school? No
- Who is the most sensitive? Me
- Where do you eat out most as a couple? Harvey's
- Where is the furthest you two have traveled together? Peru
- Who has the worst temper? Yooouuu..I mean...no one really
- Who does the cooking? We both do
- Who is more social? You
- Who is the neat freak? We are neat freaks in different and incomptable ways
- Who is the most stubborn? Me
- Who hogs the bed? You thinks it's me
- Who wakes up earlier? Me
- Where was your first date? Starbucks
- Who has the bigger family? I do, because of my neice and nephews, but you have a larger, in touch, extended family
- Do you get flowers often? No
- Who does the laundry? I do
- Who drives when you are together? I do
- Who picks where you go to dinner? Both of us
- Who wears the pants in the relationship? We are both currently wearing pants
Monday, 23 January 2017
Top Posts For 2016 - Views
After seeing Steph's Top 5 Posts, I wanted to do my own for 2016 on Always Standing. I think I would be able to use Google Analytics to quickly figure it out but it isn't working right now so I did it manually. Scrolling through the 220 posts from last year I can see the number of comments left on each and how many times that post was viewed. Some posts do much better than others and it is very difficult to understand why. It might be what gets visited through a search or something I post on Facebook that gets more traffic than usual - but my theories don't show to be consistent so I am not totally sure.
- Peru Overview, With Help From Mom - As it sounds, a quick diary about my January trip hiking the Inca Trail. The post is mainly used to send people over to Vicarious Travelling to view Mom's photos.
- Flat Surface? - A cute photo of Two sitting on our mantel at Casa Verde.
Post about picking up my wedding ring, getting keys to our new house, and eating french fries. Pretty sure that I posted a link to this one on Facebook and it covers some pretty big life events, I understand why this shows up.
The cute photo above taking by Mom of Maya in a Santa hat isn't included in the original post. It was just a list of what I wanted for Christmas this year, something I do on Always Standing every year. The traffic is probably from relatives and friends coming back to reference the items.
I like this post a lot. It references a big campaign but I spoke in my own words as to why it was important to me. I hope it inspired some of the 141 viewers who saw it to talk about the issue of consent - a discussion that can be had at any age.
An interesting post to follow up the last one, a quick reflection how that fact that Jon Taffer can be a bit of a bully on the show Bar Rescue.
A post that features two pictures of Avery from Jason and my wedding. I am glad to see it showed up as number one, Steph's photos are beautiful and Aves is adorable subject matter.
Honourable Mentions
These two posts did well but didn't break 100 views, however I still wanted to include them because I think they are great!- Peru Overview, With Help From Mom - As it sounds, a quick diary about my January trip hiking the Inca Trail. The post is mainly used to send people over to Vicarious Travelling to view Mom's photos.
- Flat Surface? - A cute photo of Two sitting on our mantel at Casa Verde.
FIVE
FOUR
THREE
TWO
ONE
Wednesday, 3 February 2016
Peru Overview, With Help From Mom
Each time I travel it seems that I 'report' about it differently on Always Standing. Some of the styles I have used include single photo updates, a series of photos, a rare video post, standard responses, slightly cryptic messages, written posts, live updates, scheduled itinerary details, but most frequently a long list of notes provided as a summary.
My mom has a very consistent documentation style on her blog vicarious travelling, she posts each day of her trip separately and outlines the events like a diary entry. Her goal is to share details with friends, like she would if she was emailing them about the trip. She includes a lot of photos each day, and often captions them (something that I never do.) I figured that because she had also described a big portion of the Peru Trip, I would send you over to her blog for the days that related to my time there.
- MARTES - Tuesday December 29 - We arrived in Cusco in the afternoon, so Jason and I are mentioned (with a photo of us shopping) at the very bottom of Mom's post.
- MIERCOLES - Wednesday December 30 - This is the day that the three of us went horseback riding into the mountains around Cusco. Rereading her post now I am reminded of watching the lightening hitting the hills on the other side of the valley - it was incredible.
- JUEVES - Thursday December 31 - Mom only has a short written post for this New Year's Eve, which was when we spent the afternoon doing a bit of a practice hike. I got good pictures of both Jason and Mom during our walk.
- JUEVES 2 - Thursday December 31 - After she got home from the trip, Mom wrote about the last 6 days in more detail and included photos. This is her bigger post about our Cusco hike.
- SACRED VALLEY 1 - Friday January 1 - The first full day of the G Adventures Tour was a trip in a van around the Sacred Valley. No real hiking to deal with at this point. Her first post is mainly about a weaving place that we visited.
- SACRED VALLEY 2 - Friday January 1 - We also saw various Inca Sites and had lunch at a local restaurant, my mom has lots of photos from this day. Three posts worth.
- SACRED VALLEY 3 - Friday January 1 - This is her final post from New Years Day, mainly focused on Ollantayambo, a town where we visited an amazing Inca Site and then spent the night at a local hotel.
- DAY 1 - Saturday January 2 - The pictures from the first day on the Inca Trail are perfect! They show the sites, the camp, our food, and how much fun we were having (though at the same time, I was still pretty nervous at this point about what the other days would bring.)
- DAY 2 - Sunday January 3 - This day was hard. Everything I had read told me it would be hard and it was. The last hour uphill was very very very difficult and I practically crawled up the last 50 meters. Then, in a surprising twist, the last 2-3 hours doing down hill was even harder for me! I ended up wishing I was still going up hill since the steps down were very painful on my ankles. I was dehydrated and unhappy during that descent.
- DAY 3 - Monday January 4 - Everything I had read was right again - this was the best day on the Inca Trail! I loved every second of it. If you could have seen me I was beaming from ear to ear all day and how could I not be on a day that was an incredible combination of jungle, physical challenge, ancient ruins, mountains, cake, waterfalls, llamas, and more.
- DAY 4 - Tuesday January 5 - We made it to Machu Picchu! My mom has a great picture of the three of us posted.
I am glad to be able to link over to Mom's writing to share my experience in Peru with you. You may want to also read her Reflections or Recommendations for the trip as well. Oh, and like me, she loves to receive comments so feel free to post some either on this post or any of hers.
My mom has a very consistent documentation style on her blog vicarious travelling, she posts each day of her trip separately and outlines the events like a diary entry. Her goal is to share details with friends, like she would if she was emailing them about the trip. She includes a lot of photos each day, and often captions them (something that I never do.) I figured that because she had also described a big portion of the Peru Trip, I would send you over to her blog for the days that related to my time there.
- MARTES - Tuesday December 29 - We arrived in Cusco in the afternoon, so Jason and I are mentioned (with a photo of us shopping) at the very bottom of Mom's post.
- MIERCOLES - Wednesday December 30 - This is the day that the three of us went horseback riding into the mountains around Cusco. Rereading her post now I am reminded of watching the lightening hitting the hills on the other side of the valley - it was incredible.
- JUEVES - Thursday December 31 - Mom only has a short written post for this New Year's Eve, which was when we spent the afternoon doing a bit of a practice hike. I got good pictures of both Jason and Mom during our walk.
- JUEVES 2 - Thursday December 31 - After she got home from the trip, Mom wrote about the last 6 days in more detail and included photos. This is her bigger post about our Cusco hike.
- SACRED VALLEY 1 - Friday January 1 - The first full day of the G Adventures Tour was a trip in a van around the Sacred Valley. No real hiking to deal with at this point. Her first post is mainly about a weaving place that we visited.
- SACRED VALLEY 2 - Friday January 1 - We also saw various Inca Sites and had lunch at a local restaurant, my mom has lots of photos from this day. Three posts worth.
- SACRED VALLEY 3 - Friday January 1 - This is her final post from New Years Day, mainly focused on Ollantayambo, a town where we visited an amazing Inca Site and then spent the night at a local hotel.
- DAY 1 - Saturday January 2 - The pictures from the first day on the Inca Trail are perfect! They show the sites, the camp, our food, and how much fun we were having (though at the same time, I was still pretty nervous at this point about what the other days would bring.)
- DAY 2 - Sunday January 3 - This day was hard. Everything I had read told me it would be hard and it was. The last hour uphill was very very very difficult and I practically crawled up the last 50 meters. Then, in a surprising twist, the last 2-3 hours doing down hill was even harder for me! I ended up wishing I was still going up hill since the steps down were very painful on my ankles. I was dehydrated and unhappy during that descent.
- DAY 3 - Monday January 4 - Everything I had read was right again - this was the best day on the Inca Trail! I loved every second of it. If you could have seen me I was beaming from ear to ear all day and how could I not be on a day that was an incredible combination of jungle, physical challenge, ancient ruins, mountains, cake, waterfalls, llamas, and more.
- DAY 4 - Tuesday January 5 - We made it to Machu Picchu! My mom has a great picture of the three of us posted.
I am glad to be able to link over to Mom's writing to share my experience in Peru with you. You may want to also read her Reflections or Recommendations for the trip as well. Oh, and like me, she loves to receive comments so feel free to post some either on this post or any of hers.
Thursday, 28 January 2016
Peru Photo - Mom's Pick
Jason & Chris at Machu Picchu
Peru, January 2016
Photo by Carol Sweeton
Mom really likes this photo that she took of Jason and I, in fact she has included it with her blog post about that day. If it was my picture I would be tempted to crop out the other people, but then you would lose the mountain in the background. I remember at the time my mom saying that it was a nice picture because we were being sweet/romantic/intimate/nice or something with each other, and that was rare to see much less photograph. I forget the exact word she used but I guess it is true that we aren't very outwardly loving with each other in public.
Wednesday, 20 January 2016
Peru Pic - A Llama And An Alpaca!
This is one of my personal favourites from my Peru trip, not because it is a particularly good photo but because I love llamas and alpacas and this picture features both:
Both of these animals are Camelids from South America but they are different. I think I love them equally.
LLAMAS
Scientific Name: Llama glama
Weight: 300 lbs
Height: 4'
Ears: Long, banana-shaped
Fleece: Coarse outer coat over softer inner coat
Face: Very little hair on a long face
My First Experience: My mother reading Is Your Mama a Llama when I was a young
ALPACAS
Scientific Name: Vicugna Pacos
Weight: 150 lbs
Height: 3'
Ears: Short, spear-shaped
Fleece: Very fine single coat
Face: Large tuft of hair that falls into eyes, furry face
My First Experience: ERin and Anne enjoying an Alpaca Star Wars YouTube Video in Ottawa
Llama (top) Alpaca (bottom)
Read Mom's Post about our visit to this village
Ccaccaccollo, Sacred Valley, Peru
Photo by ME
Both of these animals are Camelids from South America but they are different. I think I love them equally.
LLAMAS
Scientific Name: Llama glama
Weight: 300 lbs
Height: 4'
Ears: Long, banana-shaped
Fleece: Coarse outer coat over softer inner coat
Face: Very little hair on a long face
My First Experience: My mother reading Is Your Mama a Llama when I was a young
ALPACAS
Scientific Name: Vicugna Pacos
Weight: 150 lbs
Height: 3'
Ears: Short, spear-shaped
Fleece: Very fine single coat
Face: Large tuft of hair that falls into eyes, furry face
My First Experience: ERin and Anne enjoying an Alpaca Star Wars YouTube Video in Ottawa
Monday, 18 January 2016
Diet Gamechanger
I started back on The Curves Diet today. I was still pretty much following it, except for over the holidays and in Peru, but I wasn't writing things down. With tracking/planning my meals and snacks I am better at sticking to small portions and healthy food.
The main breakfast on this diet has always been cottage cheese for me. Because I was feeling lazy, I decided I would bring some 'on-the-go' style cups to work so I can just eat one of those each morning. Normally I would portion out a big tub myself daily, or prep my own small tupperware, but as I mentioned - lazy.
When I went to pick up the normal 1% cottage cheese four-pack of small portions, I noticed a different type was available as well. Nordica Smooth, Lemon flavoured cottage cheese. I picked up a 4-pack of that too since it sounded interesting.
I tried the smooth lemon cottage cheese thing this morning and WOW! It is thicker than yogurt and tastes amazing. It is like a little lemon cheesecake treat. They have caramel and vanilla versions as well, according to the website, though I didn't see them at my grocery store. I don't even want to eat the 4 normal ones that I got, this smooth stuff is so delicious.
In comparison, the normal plain 1% on-the-go cottage cheese is 90 calories, 5g of sugar, and 14g of protein (the high protein is why it is an important part of The Curves Diet.) For a much more enjoyable little tub of the lemon stuff (and I really like normal cottage cheese on its own, it isn't a problem to eat for me at all), I feel like the nutritional difference is fairly minor; 110 calories, 12g of sugar, and 10g of protein.
Serious gamechanger!
When I went to pick up the normal 1% cottage cheese four-pack of small portions, I noticed a different type was available as well. Nordica Smooth, Lemon flavoured cottage cheese. I picked up a 4-pack of that too since it sounded interesting.
I tried the smooth lemon cottage cheese thing this morning and WOW! It is thicker than yogurt and tastes amazing. It is like a little lemon cheesecake treat. They have caramel and vanilla versions as well, according to the website, though I didn't see them at my grocery store. I don't even want to eat the 4 normal ones that I got, this smooth stuff is so delicious.
In comparison, the normal plain 1% on-the-go cottage cheese is 90 calories, 5g of sugar, and 14g of protein (the high protein is why it is an important part of The Curves Diet.) For a much more enjoyable little tub of the lemon stuff (and I really like normal cottage cheese on its own, it isn't a problem to eat for me at all), I feel like the nutritional difference is fairly minor; 110 calories, 12g of sugar, and 10g of protein.
Serious gamechanger!
Friday, 15 January 2016
Peru Pic - Maybe Teri's Favourite
When we were hanging out last night, Teri stated that this photo from my SLR was her favourite, but then changed her mind a few more times as we were going through my trip pictures.
I am choosing to post it, instead of the others she mentioned, because it symbolizes a rare 'once in a lifetime' moment for me. I am having a hard time thinking of another time that I ever thought to myself, "This is it. I am never going to see/do this again."
The 'again sometime' attitude for travel means that I never feel rushed or pressured to see everything because I plan to be back in the future. Even when I was on the Trans-Siberian Express, I was thinking to myself that I would do that train ride again. I still hope that I get to go and see everything in reverse, in the winter.
However, I am not going to do the Inca Trail again. I want to return to Peru, I want to see Machu Picchu again when I am not tired, and I would even enjoy doing more trekking. But this specific 4-day hike was really a one time thing. (An amazing, incredible, absolutely thrilling one time thing that I am so happy to have experienced.)
So, we saw this site on the third day of the trek, which was the best day. The photo is taken after climbing over Runkuracay Pass, the second, and last, major mountain on the hike. We had slept the night before at 3,350m elevation, only to wake up and climb to 3,975m to get over the final huge mountain pass. The ruins are around 300m in elevation below me, and about 2km hiking away.
The thing is, to visit them, you need to walk up 100 steps through its only entrance to explore and then walk back down the same way. So, at the point in time when I am taking this photo I was seriously considering not bothering making the climb to see it and just stay resting on the trail below.
However, I didn't want to miss out, so by the time I hiked there, I had made the decision that I would climb up. In fact I counted 98 steps up and 97 steps down so it really depends on what rocks you consider steps to get a count of 100. You can see the stairs against the cliff below the left side of the ruins in the picture. The hike was once in a lifetime, I tried to experience it all to the fullest.
Sayaqmarka
Archaeological site on the Inca Trail
Cusco Region, Peru - January 4, 2016
Photo by Me
I am choosing to post it, instead of the others she mentioned, because it symbolizes a rare 'once in a lifetime' moment for me. I am having a hard time thinking of another time that I ever thought to myself, "This is it. I am never going to see/do this again."
The 'again sometime' attitude for travel means that I never feel rushed or pressured to see everything because I plan to be back in the future. Even when I was on the Trans-Siberian Express, I was thinking to myself that I would do that train ride again. I still hope that I get to go and see everything in reverse, in the winter.
However, I am not going to do the Inca Trail again. I want to return to Peru, I want to see Machu Picchu again when I am not tired, and I would even enjoy doing more trekking. But this specific 4-day hike was really a one time thing. (An amazing, incredible, absolutely thrilling one time thing that I am so happy to have experienced.)
So, we saw this site on the third day of the trek, which was the best day. The photo is taken after climbing over Runkuracay Pass, the second, and last, major mountain on the hike. We had slept the night before at 3,350m elevation, only to wake up and climb to 3,975m to get over the final huge mountain pass. The ruins are around 300m in elevation below me, and about 2km hiking away.
The thing is, to visit them, you need to walk up 100 steps through its only entrance to explore and then walk back down the same way. So, at the point in time when I am taking this photo I was seriously considering not bothering making the climb to see it and just stay resting on the trail below.
However, I didn't want to miss out, so by the time I hiked there, I had made the decision that I would climb up. In fact I counted 98 steps up and 97 steps down so it really depends on what rocks you consider steps to get a count of 100. You can see the stairs against the cliff below the left side of the ruins in the picture. The hike was once in a lifetime, I tried to experience it all to the fullest.
Wednesday, 13 January 2016
The Year Ahead
I decided to check out my 2016 horoscope (Gemini) online to see what it said about the coming year. This is a summary from the two major sites (my notes are italics and in the square brackets.) To make them more readable I have edited the wording to take out the planet references and moved the text into first person perspective.
Horoscope.com
I am a rising star in 2016, but it will take constant effort to avoid slipping back down. Am I up for this? Of course I am! My attention is zeroed in on making progress, getting and holding on to those things I love most [I tend to focus on holding onto things 'I love the most' every year], and on not being rushed into making decisions. This year, I will ask all the right questions and refuse to proceed without solid answers and information. [Yup, sounds like me every year.]
May and September may [may? well that means nothing] be my most accomplished and solid times. September [wedding month!] is especially potent. I can easily self-correct and nudge situations and relationships to where I want them. Home life should bring much satisfaction, and possibly some karmic insights, particularly in September and October. [I need as much house karma as possible, renovations and being a first time home owner are scary prospects.]
Family mysteries may be solved, or resolved. [Interesting, can't think of any that even exist at the moment.] Emotional ties and romance are empowered in November, but it may be December when I am the most intense, powerful, and effective. [Well, that's a long way away.] I can do great things this year!
Astrology.com
I will run rampant this year. [I don't know what this means. How so?] As the year begins I need to stop in my tracks, review my status, and set a pattern for my behavior for the upcoming twelve months. [This is good advice, but I don't have a lot of time. I did try to reflect a bit during my time hiking in Peru.]
During times when testing is inevitable, there is no end to the targets: romantic unions, friendship, or career. I'll get in there and dig deep and this could be one of the most transformative years in decades. [Well a house and a wedding are both pretty big things.]
I want my way this year [or every/any year] and will use any means to achieve that end. I have decided that my career must have more personal meaning, and look for more authenticity [I don't like this word] in all areas of my life. I will achieve inner peace with my home and family of origin. [Inner peace sounds good.]
Horoscope.com
I am a rising star in 2016, but it will take constant effort to avoid slipping back down. Am I up for this? Of course I am! My attention is zeroed in on making progress, getting and holding on to those things I love most [I tend to focus on holding onto things 'I love the most' every year], and on not being rushed into making decisions. This year, I will ask all the right questions and refuse to proceed without solid answers and information. [Yup, sounds like me every year.]
May and September may [may? well that means nothing] be my most accomplished and solid times. September [wedding month!] is especially potent. I can easily self-correct and nudge situations and relationships to where I want them. Home life should bring much satisfaction, and possibly some karmic insights, particularly in September and October. [I need as much house karma as possible, renovations and being a first time home owner are scary prospects.]
Family mysteries may be solved, or resolved. [Interesting, can't think of any that even exist at the moment.] Emotional ties and romance are empowered in November, but it may be December when I am the most intense, powerful, and effective. [Well, that's a long way away.] I can do great things this year!
Astrology.com
I will run rampant this year. [I don't know what this means. How so?] As the year begins I need to stop in my tracks, review my status, and set a pattern for my behavior for the upcoming twelve months. [This is good advice, but I don't have a lot of time. I did try to reflect a bit during my time hiking in Peru.]
During times when testing is inevitable, there is no end to the targets: romantic unions, friendship, or career. I'll get in there and dig deep and this could be one of the most transformative years in decades. [Well a house and a wedding are both pretty big things.]
I want my way this year [or every/any year] and will use any means to achieve that end. I have decided that my career must have more personal meaning, and look for more authenticity [I don't like this word] in all areas of my life. I will achieve inner peace with my home and family of origin. [Inner peace sounds good.]
Monday, 11 January 2016
Peru Pic - Everyone's Favourite
So far, whenever I had clicked through my series of photos from Peru - showing people images from my recent trip - everyone has commented on this picture. There have even been gasps and people saying, "Wow." However, like photos from other trips, or photos of me, I don't necessarily agree that it is spectacular or even the best of the lot.
Inca Site From Above
Classic Inca Trail, Peru - January 2016
Photo by Christine Sweeton
Also, you get this awesome angle on things when you are hiking at such high elevations. This isn't even an Inca ruin that we visited, just saw it down in the valley from our position high up in the mountains. I am using a pretty serious zoom here.
Sunday, 10 January 2016
Getting There And Getting Home
Colouring And Kindle
Cruz Del Sur Bus Station - Lima, Peru
December 2015
Photo by ME
I made use of one of my Christmas presents, an 'adult' colouring book, during down time while travelling to Peru. I coloured on planes and during layovers, while I did try during the bus ride I ended up agreeing with Jason that it was "extreme colouring" and that I would end up going outside the lines with all the bumps. The Kindle that I got Jason for his birthday this year never seems to need to be recharged, he plugs it in once a month or so!
Our travel to Peru from Toronto, in an attempt to keep the trip costs as low as possible, was a lengthy and complicated ordeal. An overnight flight to Mexico City led to a full day layover; so, we put our heavy carry on luggage in a locker and took the subway to the historic district to explore. Another overnight flight to Lima meant that we had enough time to make our way to the bus station and find some food before the late afternoon start for the 22 hour bus ride over the mountains to Cusco. The same happened in reverse - but we spent the day in Mexico City booked into a hotel trying to catch up on sleep.
I don't regret the lengthy and difficult travel choices. Even though we could have paid more for shorter layovers or a more direct route or even flown straight to Cusco, financially the cost savings of doing it the hard way still matter on a tight 'house-buying' budget. I enjoyed the adventure of our route and I won't pretend that this method wasn't exhausting and at times frustrating; but I never want to stop travelling. I am willing to make sacrifices in order to save money and continue to explore the world.
Saturday, 9 January 2016
Recovery Weekend
I have learnt that it is too difficult to come home from a vacation the night before returning to work (or worse the morning of, which I have also done.) So, Jason and my flight landed in Toronto at 6:00am today and I have 2 full days to recover from my trip before heading into work on Monday morning.
Here are my plans:
- Nap to catch up from 3 nights of bad sleep (bus, plane, plane)
- Laundry, so much laundry
- Load the photos from my SLR, can't wait to see them
- Review the 300 odd emails that have accumulated in my personal account
- Go to a spin class to get back into regular exercise
- Pick up Two from Teri's
- Unpack not only from the trip but also Christmas stuff
- Update Always Standing with more details/photos from Peru!
Photo: The Inca Trail winding through subtropical jungle in the Andes' highlands of Peru. Photo by ME from my phone.
Here are my plans:
- Nap to catch up from 3 nights of bad sleep (bus, plane, plane)
- Laundry, so much laundry
- Load the photos from my SLR, can't wait to see them
- Review the 300 odd emails that have accumulated in my personal account
- Go to a spin class to get back into regular exercise
- Pick up Two from Teri's
- Unpack not only from the trip but also Christmas stuff
- Update Always Standing with more details/photos from Peru!
Photo: The Inca Trail winding through subtropical jungle in the Andes' highlands of Peru. Photo by ME from my phone.
Friday, 8 January 2016
Travelling With Our Boys
I haven't been the only one away over the holidays. My previous travel partners:
- Steph (England 2008)
- Teri (North American Road Trips)
who are both married to amazing guys, went on holidays recently with them. So, while Jason and I are in Peru, this is where they traveled:
- Steph and Dave went to Las Vegas
- Teri and Greg went to France and Belgium
I am excited to see their pictures and hear about their trips!
- Steph (England 2008)
- Teri (North American Road Trips)
who are both married to amazing guys, went on holidays recently with them. So, while Jason and I are in Peru, this is where they traveled:
- Steph and Dave went to Las Vegas
- Teri and Greg went to France and Belgium
I am excited to see their pictures and hear about their trips!
Thursday, 7 January 2016
Hiking Companions Part 3
Our Friends And Guide, on the Inca Trail
(From Left) Danny, Casey, Ryan, Fiona, and our guide, David
Photo by Me
Wednesday, 6 January 2016
Trekking Lessons In Peru
Jason, Mom, and I are back from our Inca Trail trek over mountains to Machu Picchu and similar to my post about the lessons I learned the first few days in Peru, I thought I would share some hiking insight in case anyone else is considering an adventure in The Andes. (Highly recommended!!) Here are some things I noticed during my time on the trail:- Take bug spray and use it. The bugs were not bothering me, but I found out afterwards that I had been bitten a lot - see photo on the right (I have about 10 band-aids on right now.) The bites didn't hurt and I seriously never noticed them happening, but they bled and are super itchy now.
- Walk slowly, rest, and be patient. It is a really really hard hike; there are some long days and some very difficult days. I was frequently getting into camp an hour or so before 'tea time' and a few hours before dinner. I could have been a little kinder to my body and eased up a bit.
- Use hiking poles. These were a life saver! I couldn't have handled the over 6,000 stone steps without them.
Lastly, if in any way you can save energy for the final day when arriving at Machu Picchu try to do so. We were so exhausted that we only spent about three and a half hours exploring before taking the bus down the mountain and chilling out at a restaurant, waiting for the train back to a hotel with warm showers and comfortable beds. The site is absolutely amazing and definitely the type of place Mom and I would have easily spent 8 or more hours at, but we were sore and tired. I will have to visit it again in the future!
Hiking Companions Part 2
Jason, resting during our Cusco Practice Hike
Cusco, Peru - December 31, 2015
Photo by Me
Monday, 4 January 2016
Hiking Companions Part 1
Mom, on our Cusco Practice Hike
Cusco, Peru - December 31, 2015
Photo by Me
(Yes, there is a llama over by the fence.)
Sunday, 3 January 2016
Early Lessons In Peru
I am in Peru! I have wanted to hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu for a long time and Mom, Mike, and I were considering doing it as a family for the past few years but it has been difficult to arrange (Mike and Aimee keep having babies.) So, Mom, Jason, and I decided to stop stalling and book the trip. As this gets posted we will have met up with our G Adventures tour group and be driving towards our starting point for the trek. (I am writing this during the first few days of our trip, having spent some time in Cusco ourselves ahead of the official tour start.) Thus far, here are some things I have noticed:
- Peru has so many different geographic areas! From the coast to the mountains our 22 hour bus ride to get to Cusco from Lima went through sand dunes and lush forest.
- Toilet paper doesn't go in the toilet, there is always a small trashcan close by for it. This is super hard to remember because it is just instinct to throw it in the toilet bowl. I hope I am not destroying the country's waste water system with the number of times I have forgotten.
- It hasn't been that warm here. Our layover in Mexico City gave us a taste of why Canadians go south this time of year but we have been wearing long sleeved shirts for the most part in Peru.
- Altitude Sickness is a thing, we started to feel it even before our bus reached the 3,400 meter elevation in Cusco. Glad to have a few days to rest since we have been dealing with headaches and shortness of breath.
- It is important to negotiate the price of a taxi ride before getting in the taxi. This negotiation can involve some haggling depending on the departure and destination locations. It is not advised to get in assuming that the sign with prices posted at the airport will be the same price once dropped off at the bus station, we got charged twice what we expected.
- The food is cheap and amazing. Jason and I have been eating in tiny restaurants or picking up food at the market and everything is delicious. Thus far everything has tasted very fresh and flavorful, but not too spicy.
If you are interested in more details from the trip, stay tuned, I will keep posting about it! You can also check out my Facebook page where I have been posting food-related photos, or visit Mom`s blog, vicarious travelling, also linked on the left.
- Peru has so many different geographic areas! From the coast to the mountains our 22 hour bus ride to get to Cusco from Lima went through sand dunes and lush forest.
- Toilet paper doesn't go in the toilet, there is always a small trashcan close by for it. This is super hard to remember because it is just instinct to throw it in the toilet bowl. I hope I am not destroying the country's waste water system with the number of times I have forgotten.
- It hasn't been that warm here. Our layover in Mexico City gave us a taste of why Canadians go south this time of year but we have been wearing long sleeved shirts for the most part in Peru.
- Altitude Sickness is a thing, we started to feel it even before our bus reached the 3,400 meter elevation in Cusco. Glad to have a few days to rest since we have been dealing with headaches and shortness of breath.
- It is important to negotiate the price of a taxi ride before getting in the taxi. This negotiation can involve some haggling depending on the departure and destination locations. It is not advised to get in assuming that the sign with prices posted at the airport will be the same price once dropped off at the bus station, we got charged twice what we expected.
- The food is cheap and amazing. Jason and I have been eating in tiny restaurants or picking up food at the market and everything is delicious. Thus far everything has tasted very fresh and flavorful, but not too spicy.
If you are interested in more details from the trip, stay tuned, I will keep posting about it! You can also check out my Facebook page where I have been posting food-related photos, or visit Mom`s blog, vicarious travelling, also linked on the left.
Saturday, 2 January 2016
Feliz Ano Nuevo From Peru!
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