"THE WORLDS MOST DANGEROUS ROAD" El Camino de la Muerte!! 
La Paz to Corioco, Bolivia
SHEER MADNESS!!!!!

  I can´t sleep. I toss and turn as intrusive images lure me into an ambush of lucid dreams. Avalanches, landslides, plunging off cliffs to my eminent death, being mauled by pumas as well as a variety of other horrid scenarios occupy my brain.. I need to sleep. Tomorrow is a huge day. Tomorrow I will race (ok..ride) a mountain bike 40 miles down the Andes Mountains in Bolivia reaching speeds of up to 45 miles an hour. This road is deemed the most dangerous road in the world and I´m going to bike down it? What the hell is wrong with me??? I turn over to see Aesha in her bed wide awake staring at me. It´s 2.30 am. We just look at each other with a knowing glance...are we freaking crazy???

I'm not scurrrrred.

BESTIES :)

We are still awake when the alarm sounds. Something about the idiocy of this ride actually petrified me. Maybe it´s the the 1900 ft staight cliff drop offs, or the fact that it is a single lane road and at most places no wider than 10 ft across. Maybe it´s the fact that I will be on a mountain bike in the Amazon jungle. Maybe I just want that damn t-shirt they give you if you finish..you know the one that says " I survived The Death Road" Who knows...all I know is it certainly got my blood pumping, and for that...I thank you Death Road!!!!!

Uno, dos, tres...SALTAR!!!!

             We arrived at Madness Bike Adventure in the wee hours of  the morning. The adrenaline rush that starts to take over you body before you are about to voluntarily experience something that may considerably alter your life is an intense feeling. We watched the videos…we knew what to expect yet somehow we were incapable of saying no. I will admit, perhaps I  influenced Aesha quite a bit, but she conquered those 40 miles like a champ!! I know she would have regretted it if she decided to stay home and visit more lame ass ruins…hahahah

Lil ol' bridge

  Our guide Octavio was fluent in both Spanish and English, so we completely understood him when he made us sign the waivers (no fault), just in case something happened. He promised us it was very safe and that we had nothing to worry about!! I have gotten so used to the rain that when the sun was out that day and the crisp breeze tickled my nose, I had a moment with myself…this is going to be an amazing experience, and amazing it was!!! Absolutely one of the most unforgettable experiences I have ever had in my entire life. Scary…hell yes….fun as shit…you bet!!!!
     After a brief safety demonstration and the fitting of our gloves, helmets and the ever-so-sexy rain pants we were on our way up the mountain. Our minivan inched its way up to 15,000 ft and as we twisted and turned every corner all I could think of is the fact that we needed to get down this mountain…on a bike.
We arrived at the top where the actual Yungus “Death Road” begins and Octavio requested we check out our brakes…Really? Wow, thanks…I certainly hope that they work at this point!

Yes..that's the road

     I sized up my competition. I felt as if I  had an advantage over the girls but the guys were just so much bigger than I and they would undoubtedly be able to gain more momentum and speed than me. This doesn’t mean I didn’t try my damnest to kick their butts down that mountain, but alas, the sheer magnitude of their body mass, compared with their choice to almost never use their brakes, made them take the lead over me. It’s ok…as Octavio repeatedly said “this is NOT a competition” hahaha yeah right…do you know who you are talking to???
 The first 20 miles of the road is on asphalt and it’s not closed to through traffic. This part scared the bejesus out of us, but the need for speed won me over and I was Ralampago on that bike!!! The lower you crouch, the faster you go….it was stupid fun.

Love you Mom and Dad!!!

The landscape was a scene out of a Lord of the Rings movie. Sweeping snow capped mountains and gorgeous lush valleys and meandering rivers below. Karst formations meeting beautiful red and pink sandstone. Perrinkle skies dazzling with dreamy white clouds that seemed to be smiling down at us. I was expecting a rainbow and a leprechaun at some point but they never showed.
     It was quite chilly at 15,000 ft but as we speedily descended, we were able to shed layers. The Death Road is unique in the sense that it joins the Andes mountains with the Amazon Rain forest. The vegetation was lush and tropical and boasts many different types of flowers including my favorite…orchids.

The second half of the journey is where the road gets it’s  famous “most dangerous road” status. Sharp, hairpin turns, 2000 ft drops, only a few feet to wrangle your bike, cascading waterfalls (on your head), streams flowing directly over the road, which is made from rocks and gravel,, not to mention the seemingly never-ending mass rock wall. To my left all I see is the mountains behind and the valley soooo far below. On my right I am met with a rock wall ascending 1000’s of feet, covered with jungle vines and wild orchids…and in front of me….well it's difficult to say because there are so many 90 degree turns I was never sure what was going to meet me around each corner. It was completely breathtaking (not sure if it was the elevation or the fact I was holding my breath half of the time) and there were times when I just stopped (my brakes did work!!) and just took it all in. 

      I cried at one point because it  just felt so good to be alive and able to experience the world in this capacity. I felt one with nature. The adrenaline was replaced with appreciation. A deep appreciation for nature and the sheer elegance and natural beauty of my surroundings. I still really loved the speed though…  

Light as a feather...

   Our guide was actually so impressed with me he seriously offered me a job as a guide. Hmmmmmm a tour guide in Bolivia….ummm I’m going to have to pass as most of you know how I feel about my experiences here in Bolivia. Now if we were in Thailand or Hawaii perhaps…who knows!!!!
     The trip down  the mountain took 4 hours to complete because we stopped at a spectacular waterfall to have lunch, take photos, and breathe...
     This is a MUST do if you ever come to Bolivia and has been one of the best experiences I have ever had whilst traveling. It’s not for the faint at heart but if you know how to ride a bike and are not afraid of heights , altitude sickness, getting hit by cars or boulders ,falling off of cliffs, or just plain fainting…this is for you…Sheer Madness!!!!

Aesha the "Fierce" Badass!!!

A nice little surprise...After the ride we were taken to a posh hotel in Corioco for a fabulous buffet lunch and were allowed plenty time to swim in the pool. Pool??? It’s been so rainy and gross the past month we were shocked (and nervous to have to be in a bathing suit) yet overjoyed. The backdrop was gorgeous and we stuffed our faces and swam and sipped on crisp cold brews. It was a perfect ending to a perfectly insane day. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Pool and beers!! Great times!!!!

Me at el Camino de la Muerte

To my Mother:
 I want to let you know Mom, that I wont be doing this again, so don’t worry!!!This whole blog was a trick Mom, you see...this is all I really did that day!!!!I love you! (see right)
Next blog....later today.. a 3 day jeep trip across the Largest Salt Flats in the world, the Salar de Uyuni. It shall be another epic part of this amazing journey on this road called life. Stay tuned and thank you for reading!
-The Savvy Nomad

Lake Titicaca!! Puno, Copacbana, and La Paz, Bolivia
Goodbye Peru! We will miss you, and I will most certainly miss my preciosa camera I left in your care.
And away we go... We decided to take a guided tour bus called the Inka Express ($55 US, and that´s mucho dinero for us measly backpackers!!) from Cusco to Puno on Lake Titicaca. Yay for us, another 10 hour bus ride, only this time there was an amusing little twist.We pre-booked this tour bus several days ahead and willingly agreed be up at 5:00am on December 26. At the time this seemed like a a very plausible situation. However, we didn't foresee the shenanigans we were about to delve into on Christmas night.  Let's just say there was a copious amount of celebrating going on with Team Locas Bananas on that lovely Christmas night. Want to hear a joke???? Two girls, I'll call them Aesha and Samantha, wake up at 5:00am. They are hungover, disoriented and reeking of red wine and Lomo Saltado (meat dish in Peru). They take turns abusing the bathroom then somehow manage to get on a 100% family packed tour bus. There are two French children already shrieking and kicking the backs of their seats at full force, the tour guide sounds as if she is in a world's loudest guide competition...and they haven't even pulled out of the terminal yet!!!...The punchline....the children bellowed and kicked for 10 hours straight. When Aesha finally got up enough nerve to politely ask the impudent child to stop kicking her chair we were accosted by her father. He came up to Aesha, hysterical brat in tow, and howled with his repugnant French accent "You are a grumpy, mean, lady!!!! Look, you made my little daughter cry!! You are mean and you should be ashamed of yourself!" It took everything I had not to punch that man in the mouth. 

Traditional Bowler Hats that Bolivian women wear

         The day was long and laborious, but the tour was fascinating and we made several stops along the way to Puno. It was the day after Christmas but the celebrations were still in full force. 

Gorillas!!! Run!!!

 We were lucky enough to get to see a proper Bolivian festival in Sucani. It was a barrage of colors, costumes, unique dances and foods. It was quite the site to see. The people moved in unison to beating drums and rhythmic percussion.

Bolivian Christmas Celebration

 It was dazzling and put huge smiles on our faces...even though we are mean, grumpy ladies! 
    Our next stop was Raqchi "Temple of Wiracocha". This temple was built by the Inca to honor a superior God that was invisible to the Inca people. It's quite impressive!

Raqchi "Temple of Wiracocha"

Best damn fried chicken in the universe!!

    We arrived in Puno late that evening and had an impossible time finding a cab. It was pouring rain (of course), we were starving, and the relentless car horns were only adding to our already pulsating heads. Somehow we managed to arrive at our "Hotel". Puno is a port town and offers nothing really to tourists except for a Disneylandish experience of so-called "Floating Reed Islands and Reed People" on Lake Titicaca. We opted out of that tourist trap and instead walked the lackluster city. I even stopped at a street food stand and ate fried chicken. Dangerous on my stomach, perhaps..delicious in my mouth...absolutely!! We even experienced a carnival of sorts. We actually laughed out loud at the site of this. I'm not sure I even have the words to describe the hilarity of what we experienced at this carnival, maybe the picture can explain it better.

Anyone want to go for a ride??

Oh how I wish he would let me drive this thing!!!

                 We wanted to experience Lake Titicaca from the Bolivian side because quite frankly the lake looks disgusting in Puno. It's full of trash and smells like the elephant exhibit at the zoo. No worries for us though, we heard many amazing things about Copacabana, Bolivia...and we all know the song right??? At the Copa...Copacabana...It just sounds fun!!!
     Crossing the Puruvian/Bolivian border was a disaster but as always...we pulled through. We are Savvy Nomads, verdad??? As Americans, we were given an extremely difficult time obtaining visas, while travelers of other nationalities breezed on through immigration. Americans are the only ones who have to pay $135 US dollars for a Visa, obtain a Yellow Fever vaccine (we lied about that one...oops), and give copies of our credit cards, places we were to stay in Bolivia and blah blah blah... For those of you that know some Bolivian history, you understand why we encountered these obstacles. For those of you who don't, no need to worry, I'll provide a brief explanation later about the history and the anti-American sentiment we were slapped across the face with daily while in Bolivia, but for now....Vamos a la playa!!!!

Frutas delicioso!!

    Copacabana was a perfect reprieve for us. It's a cozy little beach town with a hippy vibe. Laid back, sunny, great food and cheap wine. What more can a girl ask for?? (Actually, my boyfriend would be nice, but that's way too much to ask for. Love and miss you Kenny!!)

Copacabana!!!! It´s sunny! Yay!

We relaxed, shopped, walked the town and planned our much anticipated trip to La Isle del Sol (Island of the Sun), on Lake Titicaca. We decided on a boat trip that would drop us off on north of the island and pick us up on the south side 6 hours later, leaving it up to us to hike the 6.5 miles across the island. Wow, what a wondrously spectacular hike. Our jaws dropped around every corner. The photos never seem to do the scenery justice. This hike was superb in every way.

Isle del Sol

Tripod and self timer...genius!

It was a radiant, brilliant day...perfect hiking conditions. The hike across the island offered sweeping panoramic views of Lake Titicaca and the surrounding islands. We encountered several types of animals along the way: llamas, alpacas, pigs and their cute little piglets, wild dogs, cats, donkeys, dragons, monkeys, mermaids...hahaha still paying attention???


                            An awesome element about traveling with your best friend is the memories you make together. Sure, I can blog my face off... but the memories we make; those times when we just look at each other, our ability to speak taken away by the sheer beauty of our surroundings and the feeling that someone else on earth has just shared that moment with you is priceless. Thank you Aesha for being such an amazing travel partner!!!

So serene!!!

Lions and tigers... Oh my!!

OK, it's obvious, we freaking loved Copacabana and
Isle del Sol. We even got to ride lions and tigers...so what if they were stuffed...they were real to us and that's all that matters!!!
We each cried a single tear upon leaving our beloved beach town behind. I could have stayed there for months. But the trip must go on and we headed to La Paz, Bolivia, the biggest (and one of the poorest) cities in Bolivia. We weren't sure what to expect, but I'll be honest, nothing prepared me for what we got...
    I consider myself to be well traveled and have experienced a bounty of reactions to my US Citizenship in the 39 countries I have visited, however, I have never been met with such genuine disgust and hateful sentiment as I have received in La Paz, Bolivia.
     We arrived on New Years Eve and the city was a bustling mess of people. The traffic made rush hour in Chicago seem like the Autobahn. We are staying in a hotel...ish in the ghetto, and when we asked the cab driver to take us to the " Hotel Milton" he actually laughed and said "Hotel Milton...not the Hilton!!!" He claimed that due to the festivities he could only drop us near our hotel...near????...Oh shizer...what have we gotten ourselves into????
Our entire street was one gargantuan market chalked full of a superabundance of fruits and vegetables, flowers, alcohol, dead llama fetuses (yup, you heard me right), raw beef and chicken carcasses, spices, tools, clothing, knock off this and thats, and it smelled atrocious!!! We meandered our way through the snakelike markets until we arrived at The Milton.
 I smiled at each and every person along the way and did not receive a single smile back. What is going on here? It's an extremely uncomfortable feeling to be met back with frowns and blank stares and my uneasiness grew as the the last few I smiled at actually snarled at me. Dorthy, we are not in Kansas anymore...
     It just feels dangerous here. I've done my research on Bolivia and I'm well aware of the dangers of traveling in Third world countries. Bolivia is a socialist country and the people here are not afraid to show their fair share of anti-American sentiment. I was prepared, it just hit me harder than I expected. It's tugs on the strings of my soul that 75% of people in Bolivia live off of less than 2 US dollars a day. I completely understand their disdain and distrust of Americans due to the anti-capitalist movement in this country. They are desperately trying to move from Western style capitalism to a system of communitarianism and I completely understand why.

New Years Eve 2012

We decided that it was just too dangerous for us to go out after dark so we opted for an early dinner and were in our room well before midnight. We watched in awe as the city literally seemed to explode before our eyes....Everyone and their brother, and their brothers kids seemed to be shooting off fireworks! It was an all night affair and when we removed our earplugs in the morning and pulled open the curtains we witnessed several intoxicated people scattered about and garbage everywhere. Happy New Year!! Although we are experiencing somewhat of a difficult time here we stay for the adventure sports that Bolivia has to offer. We just completed a 40 mile downhill bike ride down the "World's Deadliest Road"....It was one of the most insane things I have ever done! You'll have to stay tuned for that one....It's a blog of its' own!!
   We are off tonight for yet another 10 hour bus ride to Uyuni, where we will take a 4 day jeep trip across the largest Salt Flats in the world, Salar de Uyuni!!!! Hope everyone had a Happy New Year!!
Love and health to all- The Savvy Nomad

Bebe Llamas...wait no!!! Those are lambs!!..Locas Gringas!

Cusco and The Inca Trail

December 17- 26, 2012

     Wow… It’s been an incredible couple of weeks and so much has happened it’s hard to know where to begin. I guess at the beginning is a good start, right??Please try to pay attention, this will be a long one …
     It has been a dream of mine to hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru. It’s on my bucket list and it the single reason why I even began to plan a trip to South America in the first place. Upon many tireless hours of research I decided that I was going to make the trip to Peru and tackle the treacherous Inca Trail. When I called Aesha to tell her about my trip all she said was "I’m in, it’s on my bucket list!!” I was ecstatic to have someone who shares the same passion for travel and culture as I do to be joining me on this journey.
    The Inca Trail is a UNESCO World Heritage site and it is monitored like Fort Knox. They are insanely strict on the amount of hikers aloud in per day. 500. No more are allowed, ever.  Knowing this I booked the trek more than 4 months in advance to make sure we would not encounter any problems with reserving spots. I wanted to make sure that we would be on the hike for the “End of the world” on December 21, 2012.
    After Huacachina, Aesha and I took a 16 hour bus ride to the charming city of Cusco. Cusco’s altitude is 11,200 ft above sea level and many people experience severe altitude sickness at this level. We were prepared except we didn’t think about the winding, twisting, stomach dropping bus ride through the mountains. We were both sick as dogs and couldn’t wait to get off that damn bus. We finally arrived at Loki Hostel in Cusco. Loki is a party hostel and we didn’t realize the severity of this until we walked into our 8 person dorm to 6 screaming, hysterical young girls. Holy shit…what have we done?? We felt like grannies. It was horrific, especially when we were in bed reading and they were spraying six different types of perfumes and yelling at us to come to the bar and drink “blood bombs” (don’t ask) with them because there are “cute” boys down there…oh brother. All I have to say is thank God for ear plugs!!!!!

View from our Hostel

 We checked in with the travel agency at Loki to confirm our Inca Trail reservation for the next day. He said "Yes, Samantha Scholl and Cynthia Scholl right?" Ummmm What??? "No, Samantha Scholl and Aesha Shapiro, Cynthia Scholl is my mother and was listed as my emergency contact!!" This is where the complete and utter downward spiral begins. A tornado of emotions that will be difficult to describe but here goes…
     Percy, our very handsome travel agent (right Aesha?hahaha), looked genuinely terrified as he realized the pernicious and irreversible mistake that was made on their part. Basically, they screwed up…big time and were shitting their pants about it. They accidentally listed my mother as the other hiker, but with Aesha’s passport number. It seemed like an honest enough mistake but the security at the gates along the Inca Trail would never accept this, but Loki travel was about to do everything in their power to make it happen. Ivan, the manager was called over and he explained that this is a major problem but he felt confident that we should still be allowed in with a little persuasion on his part. So we rented all of our gear, packed up our bags, and tried to get to sleep early…we had a 5:30 am start in the morning…We were hiking the Inca Trail!!!

Lunch on the balcony overlooking the Plaza De Armas

 Neither one of us could sleep, the anticipation and excitement was tying knots in our stomachs.
    Up early, we load a bus with the porters (guys who cook and set up our campsites). They reeked of alcohol and Coca Tea. I was nauseous already, shit, this was going to be a long three hour bus ride. Oh believe me, it was. But we didn’t care, we were about to conquer the Inca Trail!!!!…Nope, no we weren’t.
We finally arrive at the gate and as everyone else passes our friend Ivan goes to speak with the officials on our behalf. He has with him all of my confirmation emails, proving that the mistake was completely his fault and that we should be aloud to pass. It’s not looking good. I get a shiver down my spine that reverberates through my entire body. It’s not going to happen. We waited at the gate to the Inca Trail for 6 hours before they finally told us no, no way can you pass. Ivan had the look of fear in his eyes as he approached us and told us not only won’t we be going on the trip, the trail is booked up until January 6, 2013, and there is nothing we can do.

Our first attempt at the Inca Trail...not so successful! 12/17/12

  It took a moment, but as soon as we digested this news we both became catatonic. We just spent thousands of dollars to fly to Peru to hike the Inca trail and now we can’t do it. We were beyond consolable at this point. We then then had to get on a local bus and head back to Cusco. The disappointment we were both feeling ran incredibly deep and was so upsetting I couldn’t even be angry...I was spiritless. It took a lot of courage for both of us to plan this trek. It was an intense battle of the mind and when we finally got ourselves mentally prepared, our dream was shattered.
    We arrived back in Cusco at 6:30 pm, 13 hours after we left that morning. We were exhausted, soaking wet, starving and depressed. They bought us dinner and a bottle of Vino (a sorry attempt to calm us down...don't they know alcohol is a depressant) and took care our nights at the hostel, but something was different. They could of just apologized and offered us our money back but they didn’t. They knew how much it meant to us to go on this trek, they apologized of course but wanted to make it right. They realized it wasn’t about the money, this trip was  important to us on another level and they knew it.

Unbelievable Horse trek!!!!

Sol, Super and Wiena

Aesha and I visiting a local home for snacks and jugo!!

 They offered us a private horseback riding trip through the mountains and valleys of Cusco the following day. This actually ended up being one of the highlights of our trip thus far. I was encouraged to gallop my horse " Sol" as fast as he felt like galloping...which was fabulously electric!!!
     They calmly asked us to be patient as they tried to speak with the government. We had a few days to spare so we let them treat us and hoped for the best. We were both trying our best to remain patient and positive. It took five days, several trips to the government offices, and a letter written on our behalf to the head official, the only one in the country who can make the decision to allow more than 500 people on the Inca Trail in one day…so on Friday, December 21, 2012 (the supposed “end of the world”), 502 people were allowed on the trail. It's pretty damn cool to be the extra 2!!

Team Bananas Locas!!!!!
Aesha, Romulo, Silvia, Ricardo, Zac, Jing, Me, Abeed, Alex, Miguel, Lei, Swen, Sandra, and the coughing Aussies

 INCA TRAIL...For real...

 Here is where the real fun begins!!! No joke, enough whining and bitching on our part!!! We simply could not have been luckier with the group we went on the trek with. Everything happens for a reason... verdad? 

Day one, early morning mist

I met some of most amazing, hysterical, genuine and fun loving people I have ever encountered while traveling...all except for the hacking, coughing, disgusting Aussie girls who got wasted a few nights before and got Llama tattoos, but that's an entirely different story. Entonces...

Lei's photo of Swen...amazing

     So we began the dreaded three hour journey back to the Inca Trail once again, only this time we knew it was the real deal. We were not without our fair share of problems...Aesha woke up with food poisoning. Yup, the kind that makes you feel like you may shit your pants while vomiting...Poor thing. I honestly didn't know what to say or do to help her feel better. She was a trooper though!!                  There was nothing going to stop us from completing this journey...not even sub zero nights, rain for 4 days and nights straight, thousands upon thousands of stairs, climbing mountains, then having to descend the steep slippery stairs, tons of mud, bed bugs in our sleeping bags, rain in our tent, no toilet paper, no showers or hot water, the hacking, coughing Aussies, the altitude that took your breath away every 3 or 4 minutes, and oh, did I mention the stairs?

I hate stairs!!!!

  The first day of the hike was fairly simple. We were hiking for only about 6 hours or so. The altitude really begins to get to you but the scenery more than makes up for it. This is what we have been waiting for! Our guides Gorge and Daniel were exemplary and absolutely hilarious; they made they long days easier to stomach with their wit and detailed descriptions of our surroundings and the Incan history. 
          When we finally arrived at camp it was all about getting to know one another. There were fifteen of us in all, coming from all parts of the world: Switzerland, Taiwan, Ukrania (haha Abeed), UK, Holland, Costa Rica, Brazil, USA, Australia, and Mars (Zac). We made for a lively bunch and as soon as Ricardo, I will refer to him as "Banana" from this point on (see right) started infecting all of us with his contagious laugh, I knew this was going to be a priceless trip.  

Brazilian Banana!! Nice rain jacket!

Gorge our guide

We were famished...whats for dinner??? Say what?? A three course meal compliments of the porters? At that point you probably could have put a pile of poop in front of me and I would have eaten it. Well, maybe not poop, but you get the point... I did not expect that level of service while on the hike and the food was actually delicious, albeit I'm not exactly sure what kind of meat I was eating.They sure do love their Guinea Pig (Cuy) meat here.

Day 1: Km. 82 to Huayllabamba
Altitude at Start: 8528 ft.             
Elevation: +400m (1312 ft.)
                                  Altitude at End :9840 ft.
                                  Distance: 12 km
                                  Approximate Time taken: 6 hours Awww yeah!!! 

Team Bananas Locas at our first dinner together

Our tents were set up, we has a fantastic view of the snow-capped mountains, my belly was full and my eyes sleepy. You can see why the Incas were so fascinated by the stars in the mysterious sky. It just has a way of touching your soul.
It was time for a good nights' rest. Day 2 is said to be extremely difficult and by far the most challenging day of the trek.

I was mentally prepared to hike the 45 kilometers in 4 days, but could my body handle the stress? I'm no spring chicken anymore, and I've never hiked under the conditions of this altitude. Ay Dios Mio!!! What a day we had in store for us!!!!!

Porters

Day 2: Huayllabamba to Pacamayo
Altitude at Start: 9840 ft.
Altitude at End : 11,480 ft.
Elevation: +1200m (3936 ft.) to Dead Woman's Pass. Then -700m (2296 ft.) to Pacamayo campsite
Distance: 11 km
Approximate Time taken: 7:30 hours....ouch!!!!
One would actually have to hike the the Inca Trail to discover how freaking cumbersome the second day truly is. Words cannot describe the agony each and every one of us experienced as we huffed and puffed our way straight up the mountain to the appropriately called "Dead Woman's Pass". The freezing rain was whipping my already chapped face and as I finally reached to top I realized I still had to descend...almost 3,000 ft. In the pouring rain, down treacherous stairs. My hands were numb, my clothes completely drenched. Sshhhh, don't tell anyone but I think I cried a little when I finally made it to the campsite.

Jingle Bells, Sandra, Alex, Aesha, Banana and Abeed. Day 3

Day 3: Pacamayo to Huinay Huayna
Altitude at Start: 11,480 ft.
Altitude at End : 8692 ft.
Elevation: +400m (1312 ft.) to Second Pass. Then -400m (1312 ft.) down to Concha Marca. Then +150m (492 ft.) to Third Pass. Then -1000m (3280 ft.) down to Huinay Huayna.
Distance: 16 km
Approximate Time taken: 8-10 hours depending on your downward skills....I took 10.

Jingle and Aesha

                                                       

Team Bananas Locas really began to come out of our peels (pun intended) on the third day. Aesha somehow ended up with 5 esposos (husbands),

Aesha and her esposos

 Jingle Bells and Alex started an Inca Tail inspired love affair, Swen and Lei's sexcapades could be heard by all, even those of us with ear plugs, Sandra attempted card tricks, Miguel was giving us all sugar highs from his dulce (sweets) collection, Silvias "home made" banana rain shoes were the talk of the town, Banana wouldn't stop singing Loca... Loquina, Abeed became the "master of all things awkward", Zac continued to talk shit about all things American (don't worry Zac, we still love you), Jingle exclaimed to the hacking tattooed Aussies "you actually paid for those?", I learned to eat warm corn syrup (and kinda liked it), and we all pretty much had the time of our lives. We really became a team. When you spend 24 hours a day with strangers in the middle of the mountains in Peru, you really get to know one another...and who snores, and who doesn't. I won't mention any names...

One of my favorite places on the hike

                                            We used laughter to combat all of our ailments and our ability to make any situation funny even got us ssshhhhed by other hikers. Jealous bastards :)

Day 4
Machu Picchu
It poured rain the entire night and into the mid morning of our last day. The sky literally opened up for over 7 hours. Our porters came to wake us on that last and final day; my body was stiff as a board and my sleeping bag was soaked. So much for water proof tents. As I glimpsed out side I saw my hiking shoes where I left them, but the tent flap had been left open and was lain on top of the tent exposing my shoes to the elements. It took me a moment to realize what had happened. My loving, wonderful dear friend Aesha forgot to zip the outer tent (I forgive you Aesha!!) I literally had to dump the water from my shoes...they are in fact waterproof and did not let any of the water seep out. It was freezing, everything I owned was soaking wet and infested with bed bugs, my knees felt as if someone was repeatedly taking a sledgehammer to them, and now I have to put on soaking wet hiking books and hike 3 hours. Someone shoot me now. Wait a minute!!!! Isn't this my dream??? I signed up for this!! Somehow I was able to rejoice in the fact that I was about to arrive at Machu Picchu and my spirits started soaring. Who cares about anything else...I'm about to get to Machu Picchu!!!

The Sun Gate right before entering Machu Picchu

 WE MADE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was worth everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What an amazing journey! I wouldn't take any of it back, well maybe the bed bugs, but it was the most ultimate experience ever!! I thank each and everyone of the guides, porters, Loki travel, Aesha and my new friends for contributing to such an epic journey. This hike changed my life. Simply said...absolutely brilliant.

So, Aesha is a Hooper, as in Hula Hooper, as we all know by now and it was her dream to hoop at Machu Picchu. We waited the entire afternoon to take advantage of the perfect  moment and when we did...it was AMAZING!!! I took a video and photos of her and right as she was about to really get going we heard the whistles. Oh snap!!! We were in trouble and knew it. The security was running towards us and we just froze. He was screaming and trying to rip the hoop out of her hands but our gentle voices and oh-so sweet faces must have won him over because all he did was kick us out. Yup folks, this spectacular journey ends with us getting kicked out of Machu Picchu. Well played Locas Bananas, well played.

Moments before getting our butts kicked out

Thanks to Loki Travel. They really went above and beyond with fixing their mistake and making sure we had a trip of a lifetime. Also a very special thanks to Aesha for allowing me to use ALL of her photos from the trip. Unfortunately with all of the excitement of the day, I seemed to have left my camera at the restaurant after the hike. I'm not going to lie, I was devastated. Over 250 photos and videos are gone forever, not to mention my beautiful camera. At least I will always have the magnificent memories that I made here, all of my new friends, and one helluva a wild story to tell.

Christmas Dinner in Cusco

     The next day was Christmas since most of Team Locas Bananas was going to be in Cusco we decided to all have Christmas dinner together. It was an entire evening packed with inside jokes, picking on poor Zac and eating, drinking, and dancing our faces off. We had a blast and I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas as well!!!! Thanks for hanging in there, I know this was a long one...off to Bolivia!!!!!
Love, The Savvy Nomad (who lost her damn camera...not so Savvy eh??)