Feb 9th 2007 -Cusco,Peru

A few of the group have really gotten bad with the altitude sickness. Peter had to go to hospital and put on a drip. He has been band from going to Machu Pinchu and once he gets discharged from hospital, he and Chris (his better half) will be flown back to Lima to recover. A few others have gastros and been vomiting all through the nite. The doctor have been called out and to administer injections to them.

I am pretty lucky overall to just have loss of apetite and red eyes. I am constant peeing from drinking 4-6litres of water a day!!!!! We went to see more ruins today at Sacsayhuaman and the Cathedral. I took alot of people shots.

Feb 8th 2007- Cusco, Peru

Most people on the tour had come down with altitude sickness today and different levels effecting each individual differently. The first nite, no many people have much sleep at all. I only slept for about 3 hours and seem to lost apetite and not eating much at all, which is not like me. But this is good as I need to lose the extra weight I am carrying since Xmas. My eyes are bloodshot!!!! and this is due to the altitude. At least I am lucky, the others are having bouts of vomiting, headaches and shortness of breathe. A few actually pulled out of the tour today to recover in their rooms.

Today we are off to the Scared Valley, Pisac Markets and Ollaytomboo. Got a glimpse of a village lifestyle and to see the staple food...ginnea pigs!!!! They looked so cute and they are supposed to be very delicious!!!!! Yuck!!!!

We got to a ruins in the Scared Valley. Just climbing the steps, my heart was beating like mad and had to stop and rest every 6-7 steps as the high altitude is really effecting us badly. Tightness of the chests and light headedness. The ruins is such a amazinf feat for the Incas civilisation to have built such a momument with the basic tools they have then. I still believed that there were aliens intervention then in that era. What an advanced civilisation. Here I seen lots of the locals in their finest tranditional costumes. The children are so beautiful and they seems to be very gentle people.

I also saw my first Peruvian alpalca and llama and even get to touch them. One of the guys got spitted at!!! ahahah, he derserved it. The same guy got humped by the llama as well. What does it says about him????? hmmmm.....

Brad and Cameron birthdays today and Anna has organised two surprise cakes with balloons and champagne to go around. What a lovely gesture. They all went out for dinner and a spot of clubbing. A few of us piked out because of exhaustion and sickness. I still have no apetite and my eyes are killing me from the reddish and soreness. I will try to get some sleep tonight. I won't be surprise that I have already lost some weight as my pants are a wee bit loose!!!!.

Feb 7th 2007 - Cusco, Peru

The plane landing into Cusco is the most awesome and beautiful aerial sight that I have ever seen. The snow capped mountains and the city of Cusco nested around the valley. My heart soared at this spectacular sights. I am really here!!!!!

The Los Andes de Americas is so quaint and cosy. We all had cacao leaves tea served to us straight away to combat altitude sickness. Since we travel from 150m above sea level from Lima to now above 3000m above sea level in Cusco, we have to be careful and let our bodies adjusted to this harsh altitude changes. Everyone felt a little whoosy and light headed.

I did not take any altitude sickness tablets as I don't really want to be popping medication all the time. I opt for the local remedy which is drinking lots of water and cacao tea as well as chewing on the leaves. I will just have to take things alot easy and not exert too much energy as the oxygen level is quite low and little activites will make the heart paltipates alots and out of breath.

Our room is so comfy and the bathroom is oppulent!!!! The floor in the bathroom is heated!!! WOW. Also found out that Jason is the only one to have a King Size bed (penthouse suite off course) so myself and Brenda crept in and took photos of us on his bed. So now I can say that I was in Jason's bed!!! (take whatever meaning you want out of that!!!! hahahahah).

Mary Ellen is not feeling well and I left her at the hotel and went out for a wonder into town and caught up with Phil and Ali and then walked to together to soak in the sights and sounds of the beautiful city. I love Cusco. It is such a romantic city. I just feel so right being here in Cusco and I am so happy to be here and everything leading up to this is worthwhile to have made this journey come true.

There seems to be so many lovers here and I made a promise to myself that I will definitely come back to Cusco again and this time with my 'lover' and 'soulmate' (whoever he maybe as I have put this out to the Universe and awaiting with wide open arms to receive).

We had a lovely time with a bit of shopping but the best time was taking time to talk to the locals and taking their pictures. The babies are so quiet and they got strapped on the backs of their mothers. Such gentle and smiling people.

We found this lovely restuarant with a magnificient balconey view of the main square. Phil had Apalca meat and both myself and Ali just have chicken soup. One thing about being in high altitude, loss of apetite is prevalent. We had hot chocolate as dessert and this is the best ever hot choc I ever had and it only cost 4.50sol which is about $2. Can't find that in Perth!!!

The first nite in Cusco and I only slept for 3 hours. Couldn't sleep anymore so off to check the emails and then out wondering into the early hours of the morning to check out Cusco and then make it back to the hotel for our 8:30am tour.

I must admit that once I landed in Cusco, a feeling of serenity and overwelming effect came over me and it was as if the magnectic pull has finally gotten me to set forth this journey to visit Cusco and Manchu Picchu. Is this a Karmic effect???? Was I somewhat realted to the Incas civilisation in my previous lives???hmmm... very interesting concept. Why the 'pull' for such a long time since I was a teenager to now late in my thirties that I have finally made this journey. What is it????? What am I to expect once I get up there to Manchu Picchu. What will I find? Is this another checkpoint in my life to pass and then onto another? The mind does boggle sometimes for me as I do ponder on. What am I such a deep thinker? Why can't I be normal but then what is the perception of 'normal'??

The saying 'seek and you will find' brings on a deeper meaining to me.

"Find your purpose, find your fullfillment, find your happiness, find your destiny"

Feb 6th 2007 - Lima, Peru

Got up at 7:15am, feeling refreshed and very excited. Yipee!!! my holidays have started. Due to my 'jet setting' lifestyle (yeah right!) I really get de-sensitised when travelling to holidays desinations and don't get excited at all until I get to the hotel and then my holidays really starts from then on. The plane travels, immigrations, airport lounges just doesn't do it for me.

Got up and went straight to the roof top pool and got dissapointed when I saw it was just a small spa and to top it off there were bird poo in it. Bummer so much for my early morning dip in the pool. Well back to square one...BREAKIE!!!!! lots of fresh fruits and yummy sweet breads.

Today is a full on day for tours to cathedrals, catacombs where there are about 30000 human bones in the crypts scattered around. It was awesome!!!! Such history and just being there makes this experience even more surreal for me.

Then it was off to the Gold Museum to see all the historical and gold artifacts.

We stop by a lovely statue of a pair of lovers. I had to get one of the single guy, Anthony, to pose with me and pretend that we were both lovers and stealing a kiss. He is such a good sport to be a stand in for me.

We had a surprise 25th Annniversary with Greg and Sue Livingstone. and we got them to pose in front of the 'lovers' off course.

Then if was off for a group dinner on our last nite in Lima. I had an Inca Gold soft drink. I heard so much about this and had to just tried it out. Very sickly sweet but nice in small measure.

I had an early nite. Mary Ellen went out clubbing with the rest of the guys. Feeling very tired and already have a persistant headache, most probably from jet lag and maybe dehydration as well. I have been drinking so much water like a fish.

Off for another plane ride tommorrow to Cusco.

5th Feb 2007 - Santiago, Chile

36 hours jet setting from Perth-Sydney-Auckland-Santiago-Lima. Quite tired but very excited for my start of my South America Tour. Caught up with the rest of the Madventure group who are mainly from Melbourne, Sydney and Queensland. I am the only one from Perth..what dedication!!!!!!.

We spent 1/2 day in Santiago and the first thing that hit us is the smog and the pollution in the air. There is so much culture galore with historical architectures. Went to the Metropolitan Church in the Main Square. It is so beautiful and so serene and such a calming effect. Lots of the local meet there for prayers, contemplation and just taking 'time out' from the busy everyday lifestyle.

We then went out to lunch at a local restuarant and I tried out their fried 'pollo' (chicken) and it was delicious, although I thought that I was just getting a breast but ended up with half a chook!!!. At least Jason and Brad helped me to polished it all up. Very tender and very delicious-the chicken that is!!!!!.

Then off to the lookout ( a wee bit like Kings Park in Perth but a grander scale). The scene is "WOW" The view is spectacular and here we can see the extremely class differences of the 'haves' and the 'have nots'. Beautiful tall buildings and oppulent houses on one side of the mountain and the opposite side of the mountain, slums and shanty houses on the flat valleys.

There was a lovely old man that had a stuffed wooden donkey for the little kiddies to pose on with a poncho and a cowboy hat. Cheeky me off course, just couldn't help myself and pass the chance to get a ride as well. The old man had a great time laughing his head off and not to mentioned that I did tipped him US$1 for his trouble as well.



















The Madventure Group all had a giggle but the locals just looked at me "GAGA" ..bloody stupid gringo they must be thinking. I think I have gotten my role as "the joker' within my group on the first day.

We then took out for yet another plane to Lima,Peru. My body clock is getting haywired as we have passed so many different time zone and time changes. This really knocked it out from us weary jet lagged travellers.

Mary Ellen is my appointed room mate/buddy and what a team we are. I found out that she is also a very spiritual person and is looking for the same thing as me. We are very wel suited and both believed that the universe have intended to have us meet and to look from each other and from this travel as well.

We went out for a walk in Lima, what a balmy 25-26 Celcius. The local time is 1:30am and there are still lots of people miggling in the town.

Travel

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry
and narrow-mindedness, and many of
our people need it sorely on these
accounts. Broad, wholesome,
charitable views of men and things
cannot be acquired by vegetating in
one little corner of the earth all
one's lifetime."

Mark Twain

Dream Holiday

My long life dream holiday is finally here!!!! Today was my last day at work before I start my month long holiday to South America. I will be joining up with a group of other travellers in Sydney and then we are all off to Chile for our first stopover then Peru, Bolivia and Brazil for the Rio Carnival 2007 and to top if off staying in the Amazon jungle for 3 days. The group is part of the adventure team called M-adventure or Mad-Venture. This is the brain child of Jason McGuiness who wants to travel all over the world and wants other like minded people to join him on his quest. This is where I come into the scene. I always wanted to travel to Sth America especially Peru and this opportunity came up for me last July when I got to meet up with Jason for a property seminar and he sidetracked and present the next M-Adventure for 2007. It got me hook,line and sinker. I made up my mind that night, by hook or by crook that I will be joining him and other like minded adventurers on this journey. So here I am!!!!

I started packing tonight and what a chore to decide what to bring and what not to bring!!! Its hard to pack light when there is so much I want to take with me. But sensibility and common sense kicks in and I finally pack the bare minimum. Off course I had to included a few novels and the important Latin American Spanish Phrase Book.

I never know who I will meet over there and get up to, so it pays to know a few local words. For example:

No hablo espanol? = I don't speak Spanish
?Cual es su nombre? = What is your name? (you sexy hunky bronzey man)
?Quiere Ud. venir commigo? = Do you want to come with me? (you sexy god!!!)
Despues de cenar daremos un paseo = After dinner we will go for a walk (Mmmm...)

See it was easy...nothing too hard that I can't manage.