Machu Picchu

Words can not describe the beauty and wonder we felt as we walked and yoga'd throughout this awesome place... so we'll let our pictures do most of the talking.

We stayed the night in Aguas Calientes (the nearest town at the base of the mountain ruins). The town is accessible only by train, which we enjoyed taking after waiting a few extra days in Cusco for the train strike to end.

We awoke before the sun, ate a tomato, onion and cheese sandwitch (the first of eight throughout the day) and started the steep two hour hike up to the entrance of the park. The park rules state that no water and no food can be brought into the ruins, but if we had listened to them, we would have either spent fifty dollars on food or passed out from hunger by nine in the morning. Sometimes you have to break the rules.

The day passed quickly as we covered the grounds of the park, taking time to explore some of the further away ruins, make friends with llamas, and practice yoga.

The clouds began to clear up as the day progressed.

The flowers were as stunning as the ruins!

Josh in unsupported headstand.

Za working on her alignment.

Just one of thousands of nooks to chill in.

Beyond the wall, the train tracks at the left show where we started our walk up to the ruins. Parts of the winding road can be seen to the right.

These terraces would have grown a variety of crops for the nobility that lived at Macchu Picchu. Now they grow grass for the noble llamas.

As the sun started to set, the park became less and less populated. Although it wasn't too crowded throughout our day, it was nice to see the ruins without hundreds of people filtering through them.

Happy Birthday ZA!

Happy Birthday to Za!

This past Wednesday, April 8th was Eli(Za)beth's birthday! I left the house at 7am and made it back an hour later with coffee, flowers, and chocolate cake with a Winnie the Pooh candle. Not bad for an hour on foot before most of the stores were open. We had just enough time to eat a quick bite and then we co-taught a yoga class at Yoga Inbound studio.

For lunch, Priyanath and Laksmi made us a scrumptious lunch and shared some awesome stories and advice about traveling in India. We can't wait! Priyanath is a great cook! I love kichiri and ghee!

Later in the evening, we attended an awesome high energy yoga class with Chaitanya. One of the best classes we've had in Cusco. Then Chaitanya led us and a group of fellow yogis and house mates on a Pizza Pilgrimage for dinner (it was soo worth the walk). As an added SURPRISE, Laksmi brought a homemade CAKE that was soooooo DELI DELI.

Thanks to all our awesome Cusco friends for helping make Za's big day so fun!
Thanks also for the love, good vibes, emails and voice recordings from our friends and family back home.

We are so blessed! Love you all!

Three Cozy Weeks in Cusco

When we arrived in Cusco, we didn't know we'd fall in love with the town and end up staying three wonderful yoga and friend filled weeks. Nestled in the Andies mountains, which are very green right now, the town has enough charm, Incan ruins, and food to keep us occupied for months. Although it is very tempting to stay longer, starting tomorrow our travels will continue on to Machu Picchu for a few days and then on to Bolivia.

Top Ten Reasons We Love Cusco and Wish We Could Stay (in no particular order) :

10. Fruit Salad - we've started each morning with a massive bowl of fruit with yogurt, local granola, and maca. Que Rico!!!
9. Coca Leaf Tea - although illegal in the US, the leaf from the coca plant steeped in hot water makes a delicious tea that provides a nice pick me up, but not the let down of coffee. This is also ecommended by the US embassy to prevent altitude sickness.
8. The Yoga House - before we arrived in Cusco, we made contact with a yoga teacher, Priyanath. He recommended we stay at a non advertised hostel he currently oversees. Complete with yogis from all over the world, a spacious room for practicing yoga, beautiful yard, kitchen and hot showers, we've enjoyed calling this spot at 516 Pumacurco home.

7. The Scenery - It seems no matter where you turn in this town, there is a beautiful vista, a winding cobblestone street, or blooming flowers to gaze at.

6. The Markets - We've particularly enjoyed eating at Govinda's lunch counter in the San Blas market. For three soles (about nintey cents), a happy cheerful vegetarian Hare Krishna serves a three course meal. The larger and more hectic San Pedro market supplied us with plenty of fresh cheese, veggies and jugos throughout our stay.
5. Yoga Inbound - Our yoga teachers Chaitanya and Priyanath, and their families welcomed us to Cusco in every way. We took eight classes a week at the Cultural Center where they teach, and ended up teaching a few towards the end of our stay. Both our teachers also took us on day trips to their land, had us for lunch, and even read our Vedic astrological charts. Our practice is stronger than ever now, and we look forward to returning for a visit with other yogis. Chaitanya has started building a yoga retreat center on some beautiful land an hour from Cusco. We are tempted to stay and work to build the center!

4. Yoga Picnics - We ventured out on several picnics in the Sacred Valley to eat and practice yoga with our friends. The surrounding towns, and bus rides to get to them, are quaint and beautiful. Josh is pictured here in a crazy new favorite yoga pose!

3. Friends - We've met so many lovely people here in Cusco! We've spun fire poi in the yard, played a concert with violin and accordian at a local cafe, hiked ruins and made many bakery runs with our house mates and their freinds. Fun!

2. Cake - For some reason, perhaps it's being 11,000 feet up, we've craved carbohydrates on this leg of our journey. The tortas here are simply amazing, as are the breads and mini mango pies. A habit that would eventually begin to show, we've endulged in local baked goodies each day.
1. Day trips - The Sacred Valley has been fun to explore by bus and foot. The Temple of the Moon and Temple of the Monkey are two of our favorites. We went up to do yoga one day, the practice was easy after a strenuous forty five minute hike uphill!

Iquitos and the 48th kilometer

Whenever Josh and I fly, he usually tries to get an emergency exit row seat assignment. As a short person, I never knew this row was highly sought after for its additional leg room. On our flight to Iquitos, we were able to secure the seats and this is how we met Aaron. Standing at six foot four, he became a key component of our experience in the Amazon river basin. We knew we wanted to visit an Amazonian shaman during our stay in Iquitos, but didn't have any concrete plans. Through talking to Aaron, we discovered he was going to visit a very well known shaman and stay on his land for a week. After retrieving our luggage from the lone baggage claim, we hopped into a taxi with Aaron and Carlos, the shaman's apprentice.
Instead of staying in Iquitos and sorting out which shaman would be the best to work with, we were relieved to have our week sorted out so easily. The taxi bounded out of town on the only road in Iquitos. We were headed to the 48th kilometer, and into the jungle. When it's not raining, the walk from the road to the center takes a half hour. There is no real road to the center, but rather a muddy path with a series of small wooden planks and bridges to traverse the really wet marshes and creeks. Sun high in the sky, carrying our packs and trying our best to balance, we arrived at the center hungry and drenched in sweat.
While waiting for our cabins to be set up we were taken to the Maloca to rest and visit. An octagon shaped wooden building centered over the river running through the property, this is where evening ceremonies are held and everyone gathers during the day. Beautiful paintings adorned the room and two altars - one for the shaman and a smaller one for his apprentice - were the only furniture.
The walls were simple and screened in to keep most of the insects and animals. After a short stay in the Maloca we were led to our cabin. The cabin was also a simple wooden structure with screens and woven palm leave roofing. Our cabin had two beds set up with mosquito nets and also two hammocks. After a bit of unpacking, Alcie, the Shaman's father and center's always smiling and always working servant brought us a simple meal of unseasoned rice with lentils and vegetable soup. We didn't realize it at the time, but this was one of our most fancy meals during our week stay. The next morning we started on the "strong diet" of farina (dried ground up yucca) and ajos sacha (a garlic flavored tea). The strong diet is designed to cleanse the body and allow our energy to be spent healing the mind and body rather than digesting complex foods.

The slow pace of the week gave us time to reflect and meditate. We did make a trip into town one day, and just as others had told us, Iquitos is like another world. Motor cars speed by with no marked lanes to contain them, the herbal market had hundreds of foreign remedies and wise women pedaling their wares. Josh's belt had become too big, so we had a hole punched in it so it could be tighter. Things are just simpler in the jungle, it seems. It was nice to return to the center, where the only noises were birds and running water. As the week drew to a close, we felt stronger than when we arrived, and we felt a connection with the jungle and the center. Josh and I would like to return some day. We had to push on to Cusco though, another chapter of our journey beginning.

Our week in Lima

Our intention upon arrival in Lima was to take a week to get acclimated, see some sights, and soak in the sun. We accomplished these things, some on purpose, others by chance. Since the weather has been so warm, we went to the beach and shaved Josh's head. He then took a swim with all the Limenos (people from Lima) and the copious amounts of floating debris and funny looking foam riding the waves. Later, we had the good fortune of meeting Kitty, a woman visiting from Trujillo. The second largest city of Peru is an eight hour bus ride up the coast, with a population just shy of a million.
Kitty invited us to her son Ricardo's Marinera dance performance later that night. We didn't know what Marinera was, nor that we would be on an adventure with her until four in the morning, but we gladly accepted. The performance was an hour and a half south in a coastal shopping mecca everyone compares to Las Vegas, NV. Despite the absence of casinos, tall buildings, and dazzling lights, it was just like Las Vegas. We were relieved to arrive before dark after a three shady buses and a taxi ride.

The performance did not start until ten, but it was well worth the wait. Marinera is beautiful, complex and flirtatious. A live band provided the music and the dancers were of all ages (from about 6 years old - as in the video - up to perhaps 60 years old). Ricardo showcased a new variation of Marinara dancing - 5 males taking turns soloing accompanied by a lone drum. The grand finale included all the dancers, lots of confetti and ginormous puppets.

We spent the following day with Kitty and her son, Ricardo, wandering the streets of Lima. Our discussions were half in Spanish, half in English, but always interesting. The evening ended playing frisbee and devil sticks with all the little kids in the park near our hostel.
I recall someone making me promise we would post not only the cool things that are happening on the blog, but also the gritty icky things too. Hmmm. Well, since we arrived in Lima I've broken out with the worst case of fever blisters I've ever had. I thought it was due to the yellow fever vaccine suppressing my immune system, but am not sure. The entire circumference of my lips is covered, the condition has hindered my ability to smile, talk and eat for a week now. Josh has also been fighting off his first bout of traveler's diarrhea the past few days. Thankfully, we have enough calcium bentonite clay to cover our GI tract for months to come. Both annoyances will be gone soon though, and we are excited to fly to Iquitos tomorrow. We will stay in this Amazon river basin city for a week.
Last fun tidbit before we go to yoga class :
This little invention is the coolest! No more slimy soap dishes! No more soap slipping into the sink! I absolutely love this thing!!!

Look out world, here we come!

Well, Josh and I had been traveling the US since January 28th, and with each destination we were met with hugs, smiles and warm wishes. We certainly won't forget all the awesome energy and support we accumulated over the past five weeks!
We will cherish the memories of cozy evenings in Fort Collins, putting on the green in Sun City Grand, impossibly ridiculous yoga classes and hikes in LA, dolphin watching in Santa Cruz, and reeking of garlic in San Fran as we traverse the globe. Thanks to all who gave us beds and kitchens!
We are now safe and sore in Lima, Miraflores to be specific. Tonight was our first Spanish taught yoga class, and after not practicing since before our ten day Viapassana meditation retreat (more on this soon), it was quite challenging! We met a few other yogis in class, and plan to return tomorrow. Our hostel has a good WiFi connection, so Skype is absolutely encouraged!
namaste