Life is an adventure!

Llamas at Machu Picchu~

2009-06-23T10:21:00.000-07:00

Being an animal lover, I enjoyed the llamas running free at Machu Picchu. They are the oldest and longest inhabitants of Machu Picchu. They are not intimidated by human visitors and although they don't want to be touched, they will let you up close to take pictures.

When I was taking this picture, the llama was on a level about to my shoulders and I was on the lower part. The llama was grazing and I was shooting pictures. I was moving around and he/she was just nonchalanting grazing. There were some steps and I moved in front of the steps to get a little closer. He/she decided to come down to my level and I was in front of the steps, blocking the way. She paused, looked at me, looked at the steps, turned to the wall, and jumped down. She (he) landed, buckled her legs a bit, and hopped up and strode off continuing to graze.

Two days before we visited Machu Picchu, there was a baby llama born! Although this isn't a great picture, you can see him on his still wobbly little legs. That's his mother in the lower right hand corner. Needless to say, he doesn't ressemble his mother.
The area that mother and baby were in was more of an enclosed pen and people weren't allowed up close.

I love the expressiveness of the llama in this picture. The taller one displayed the typical aloof attitude of most of the llamas. The one in front looked at me as though to say, "Whatchu lookin' at?"

Here you can see llamas grazing on the agricultural terraces.

Here we are leaving Machu Picchu and you can see Grant telling the llama good-bye. The llama did not want to appear interested in Grant.

Huayna Picchu

2009-06-18T18:08:00.000-07:00

From this view at Machu Picchu you can see Huayna Picchu in the distance. Machu Picchu means "old peak" in Quechua and Huayna Picchu means "young peak". Look closely at Huayna Picchu and the small peak to the left of it. It is said that the two peaks together ressemble a reclining side view of an Inca. We were also told that from Huayna Picchu to the right is the representation of the puma, one of the sacred levels of the Inca religion. I think Huayna Picchu represents the condor and the Rio Urubamba, which curls around the base of Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu, represents the snake. The three levels, the condor, which represents the afterlife, the puma, which represents the present, and the snake, which represents the underworld, are all represented in most Inca structures.

400 people a day are allowed to climb Huayna Picchu and if you want to be one of them, you must go directly to the Huayna Picchu entrance gate and acquire a ticket as soon as you get to Machu Picchu. We did that---in retrospect, I wish we wouldn't have made that rush. First of all, on the day we went, there wasn't a crowd at Machu Picchu and I don't think 400 people even made the climb and secondly, rushing through the gates to get to the other side took away some of the serenity of the experience of just being at Machu Picchu. But, we got in line before 7:00 to get our tickets. The first group of 200 is admitted to Huayna Picchu at 10:00 and the second group at noon.

We decided we would make the 10:00 group, so after we got our tickets, we took our time to leisurely retrace our steps across Machu Picchu. We went up to the guardhouse for the standard post card view and pictures.

Just before we were to go up Huayna Picchu, Grant was not feeling well and decided that he would stay and rest. I decided to go ahead with the climb---mostly because I wanted to see how it compared to our hike up Putukusi the day before.

In the picture above, you can see the trail as it crosses from Machu Picchu to Huayna Picchu. Follow it starting in the lower right hand corner, up through the middle, and finally up to the upper left hand side of the picture. It was about here that I started thinking I really didn't know if I wanted to go ahead with the climb. The clouds were starting to come in and it wasn't going to be an easy hike.

Here is one view of the trail---mostly just stone steps---steep stone steps. That's a person at the top. It was very misty and that made everything very slick.

Another view of the steps was previously posted with the pictures of stairs at Machu Picchu.

Well, here I am at the top! Yes, that's the view. An hour climb and this is the prize. There are ruins at the top---more buildings, but with the clouds and mist, I didn't try to take many pictures.

The clouds did break up a bit while I was at the top. Look through them and you can faintly make up Machu Picchu. I didn't want to spend a lot of time up there because I felt that I was missing precious time in Machu Picchu, and Grant was there.

More Machu Picchu views...

2009-06-15T15:59:00.000-07:00

In this view of Machu Picchu you can see the extensive agricultural terracing on the front side. At the top of the photo is the Caretakers Hut, probably used for guard duty. This is the Principal Temple, where many of the important functions were held. In this picture you can see some of the deterioration that is happening at Machu Picchu. While we were there we were told that a team of scientists from Japan was studying the effects of tourists and the environment. The study is to be finished sometime this year and if the results show that deterioration is serious, they may recommend to close Machu Picchu for 10 years so steps can be taken to reverse the damage and prevent further damage.

I was interested in the various forms of walls and buildings that could be seen at Machu Picchu. In this picture you see a triangular wall made with smaller stones. Note the thickness of the wall and the trapezodial window.

Here is a double thickness door. The room that it encloses probably held something important. All of the windows and doors designed by the Inca were trapezoids.

This is the rock quarry. The large unused stones sit waiting to be used in building.

More views of Machu Picchu

2009-06-14T14:24:00.000-07:00

Machu Picchu is such an awesome place and no matter how many pictures you see, you can't really appreciate its beauty unless you visit. But, I tried to capture some of that beauty in my pictures and felt successful in some.

This picture conveys a little of the feel of surrealness that you feel when visiting Machu Picchu. The cloud forest hanging over the Andes in the background, the beauty of the nearly perfect remains of the stone buildings, the feeling of being suspended in air are all in this picture for me.

The area portrayed is called the Industrial Sector.

This is the Main Portal. I believe it receives that designation because it is the entry into the most revered part of the city, where the temples, the Intihuantana stone, etc. are located.

Look closely at the door and you can appreciate the precision with which the Inca construction was done. All of the stones were put together without mortar!!! And they fit together so closely that a piece of paper cannot go between them.

To the right of the portal you can see the sacred peak Putukusi.

In this view you see the rock on which the Intihuantana stone sits. This part of Machu Picchu is carved out of a large stone -- see the lower, middle section. If you remember from a previous post, the Intihuantana stone was considered to connect the Inca to the heavens.

In this view you can see some of the agricultural terraces. This is where the Inca grew their crops and where their llamas and alpacas grazed. Imagine as you look at this picture constructing those walls on the side of the mountain---and fitting together those stones with no mortar!

Machu Picchu- miscellaneous views

2009-06-09T06:10:00.000-07:00

The Intihuatana, a sacred stone at Machu Picchu, is shown here. Inti is the Inca sun god and Huana means "hitching post". So, this is the "hitching post to the sun". The Inca believed that this stone was sacred and gave off powers. Many visitors today believe that it has a spiritual aura. It is blocked from touching because of the damage that constant contact can have. In recent years, filming crews that were allowed on location at Machu Picchu damaged the stone by dropping a camera boom and cracking the stone. Two times a year, at fall and spring equinoxes, March 21 and September 21, the sun stands directly overhead. This room is named "Room of Three Windows". The windows show a view to three sacred peaks which surround Machu Picchu. It is believed that Pachacuti stayed in this room when he was at Machu Picchu.

This is a view of the fountains. The fountains, which still work today, provided water, but many were used for bathing. There are 16 fountains at Machu Picchu. This view is from the top looking down. The uppermost fountain was believed to be used by Pachacuti for ritual bathing. The more important you were, the higher up you were allowed to bath. Some of the fountains even have indentations which would look like cubicles for soaps.... At the bottom of this picture you can see the Rio Urubamba.

This room is called the Temple of the Condor. The condor was sacred to the Inca as it was believed to be connected to the afterlife. The three levels of Inca life were represented by the snake (the underworld), the puma (the present), and the condor (the heavens). The stone formation on the ground in this room is meant to represent the condor.

This view shows the backside of Machu Picchu as it descends down to the Rio Urubamba.

Stairs at Machu Picchu

2009-06-04T11:44:00.000-07:00

Visiting Machu Picchu means climbing lots of stairs---up and down and up and down. There's really no way to avoid it. It's fun to notice all the different kinds of steps the Incas made.
These steps were made with many stones laid together.

Large flat stones make this stairway.
Notice Rio Urubamba at the bottom.

This stairway is made by using the stones as the edge of the stair, with the "tread" just dirt and grass.

This set of steps let up Huyana Picchu. They were basically large blocks of stone.

Machu Picchu!

2009-05-31T09:29:00.000-07:00

On the morning of our visit to Machu Picchu, we arose at 4:30 a.m., got dressed, had a little breakfast (I don't even remember what we had) and headed to catch the bus to Machu Picchu. We initially had planned to hike in from Aguas Calientes to capture some of the sense of hiking the Inca Trail, but after hiking Putukusi the day before, we decided that we didn't need that experience. We would have had to leave at 3:30 a.m. to arrive at opening, 7:00, and felt that it may have been a little much.
There were what seemed to be hundreds of people in line for the buses and I thought, "Oh, great, we will have to deal with crowds all day long....", but amazingly, once we arrived, everyone seemed to disperse and crowds were not an issue. The bus ride was a twisty, turny ride on hairpin curves on a dirt road. I am amazed at the skill of the bus drivers. Everyone seemed full of anticipation and I know that although I tried to relax, I was not wanting to miss anything. I plan to post many pictures of Machu Picchu, since it was the most important part of my trip, so I hope not to bore you.

Well---here we are...Machu Picchu!!! ---the climax of the trip! It was everything I had imagined, and more! It was beautiful, mystical, other-worldly... amazing! I think we were very lucky to have gone during the off season, when it wasn't overrun by tourists.

This picture shows Machu Picchu at around 7:30 a.m. when we first arrived. You can see in the middle a room that is being renovated, the Temple of the Sun. I did some photoshopping on this picture in another view and erased the tarps, etc., but, in this picture you see it exactly as we saw it. The wispy clouds hanging over the Andes mountains added to the ethereal quality of the site. What amazed me most was how quiet everyone was. It was as though everyone could feel the spirituality.

Here's a picture of Grant and me with Machu Picchu in the background.

This is the sacred Inca mountain, Putukusi, which Grant and I hiked yesterday. The part we hiked was on the back side, away from what you can see here, but if you look at the very top, that's where we ended up and got the cloud shrouded view of Machu Picchu.

The llamas are the only official residents of Machu Picchu. They seem very happy in their home and not at all intimidated by the visitors.

In this picture you can see the part of Machu Picchu called the Industrial Sector with Mount Putukusi in the background.

Another view of Machu Picchu with the agricultural terraces in the background.

Urubamba, Aguas Calientes, Putukusi

2009-05-21T17:32:00.000-07:00

The train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes follows the Rio Urubamba. It is a beautiful, powerful, river that the Inca believed to be the earthbound counterpart of the Milky Way and thus a direct connection to the heavens.

Aguas Calientes is little more than a shanty town at the base of Machu Picchu. We got off the train and set out to find a hostel. Pretty much all there is in Aguas Calientes are hostels and restaurants. When you disembark from the train you are met by a plethera of "hawkers" wanting you to come to their hostel. Grant did a much better job than I did at ignoring the protests. In this picture you see him on his way to find a hostel and escape the hawkers.
We got a very basic hostel and shared it with Valentin---there was only one towel---there was hot water, but no shower curtain, so that made showering interesting.

We arrived in Aguas Calientes in the early afternoon and there just wasn't much to do in terms of sightseeing. I read in our guidebook that Mount Putukusi, just outside town, offered some commanding views of Machu Picchu. It said it was an "athletic feat"---that didn't phase us. Valentin had been up all night the previous night and just wanted to sleep, so we left him in the room and headed out.
The hike to the top of Putukusi was supposed to take 90 minutes---it took us closer to 2 hours. It was the most strenuous trek I've ever taken. It starts with mainly a path up stone steps like those you see in the picture on the left and winds back and forth and then you are encountered with 6 sets of ladders. The ladder pictured at the left had 112 rungs! The others ranged from 12 to 60. It was pretty scary.
We met some people coming down about 30 minutes in and they were concerned that we wouldn't have enough time to make it u and back down before dark. Then about 20 minutes later, we met another group of 4 with a guide who said a storm was moving in. Grant had been very patient with me waiting while I rested after the ladders and steep climbs, but at that point I told him to head on and make it to the top. We had gone through all the ladders and were just climbing on paths. He headed out and got to see Machu Picchu before the clouds moved in. I made it, but we didn't have much time to sit and soak it all in.

This is what it looks like looking down from the top of the 112 rung ladder!

Here is a view of the Urubamba from our climb up Apo Putukusi. It winds its way through the Andes.

Ollantaytambo

2009-05-07T11:37:00.000-07:00

One of the things I loved about Ollantaytambo was the quiet, small town atmosphere. In this picture you see an Inca courtyard. Ollantaytambo is a wonderfully preserved Inca settlement. The streets and homes have been maintained in the same style as they were built by the Incas. One of the ways that the Inca designed homes was a "cancha", or block of homes. This is an example---the opening from the street opens onto a courtyard, off of which are 4 houses. Our guidebook told of a family who opened their home for people to see. It wasn't easy to find, but I followed the directions and found the house.
Notice in the picture the canal down the middle of the courtyard---stone lined from Inca times. In the background on the mountain you can see ruins of Inca storehouses and the Inca face that I posted in the previous post. Grant and I climbed part way up that mountain---to the storehouses on the previous day. It is where the cactus I posted was. I also found some tiny shells on the side of the mountain. They looked like tiny sea shells.

These skulls were on the mantle inside the house pictured above. I spoke in my limited Spanish to the woman, who told me they were skulls of her Inca ancestors. She was very personable and welcoming. I wish my Spanish had been better so I could have asked my many questions.

The husband was preparing a fire to cook the cuy, guinea pigs. The cuy seemed so happy living in the house with the family. See the one perched on the stone overlooking the fire? He doesn't know what his future holds....

The woman shows me her bowl of cuy ready to be roasted. "Cuy al horno" is a dish available in the restaurants. I didn't want to try it.

This old dog was laying on these steps every time we walked by. He never lifted his head to check us out, even when I talked to him He reminded me of Champ, our 14 year old dog, who mostly sleeps these days.

Well, good-bye to Ollantaytambo. Grant is shown here waiting to board PeruRail for Aquas Calientes. Grant and I rode the "Backpacker", which was the cheapest and slowest of the three trains. The middle choice, the "Vistadome", was considered 1st class, and the most expensive, the "Hiram Bingham", named after the man who rediscovered Machu Picchu in 1911, was luxury, costing about $450 for a one way ticket.

Our ride to Aquas Calientes was comfortable, lasting a couple of hours. We met a kid from France, Valentin ---you can see him getting his ticket out in the picture. We ended up sharing a hostel that night with him.

More Ollantaytambo...

2009-05-04T11:22:00.000-07:00

These are some photos which show the beauty of Ollantaytambo. We spent only one night there, but I could have spent several nights. It was a beautiful location as these photos show.
In this picture two cattle are grazing at the base of the ruins. You can see the cloud forest floating over the Andes in the background.

Several little mountain streams flow through Ollantaytambo towards the Urubamba. In this photo, you can see how close we are to the tropical jungle. The vegetation is becoming more and more dense and very lush.
The Inca were very advanced in their engineering skills and harnassed the power of these streams.

These are ruins of the baths at the base of Ollantaytambo. Water from the stream above was diverted into these pools. Behind you can see the bathhouses.

This picture shows a part of the mountain which thrusts out and to me looks like the profile of an Inca. Grant was not totally in agreement.

This is the carving of an Inca in the mountainside. He overlooks the valley and the temple.

Ollantaytambo

2009-05-02T06:02:00.000-07:00

I have been remiss in completing my blog about my trip to Peru. Life goes on and there are so many pictures to take and things to do. But, I do want to finish the story, so hopefully I will complete the postings in a more timely manner.

This picture shows the main entrance to the temple of Ollantaytambo. It was built by the Inca Pachacuti, but is probably most well known because this is where Manco Inca retreated after his defeat at Sacsayhuaman. Manco Inca actually held off the Spaniards here and when you look at this entrance, it's easy to see how. There are 200 steps to the top! One of the Spaniards main advantages over the Incas was horses and the horses offered no advantage on these steps. That put the Spaniards more in line with the Incas. When the Spaniards advanced on Ollantaytambo, they were bombarded with stones thrown by thousands of Inca warriors. They were unable to gain any advantage and finally retreated. Manco Inca finally left Ollantaytambo when he felt it was to his advantage to lead his attacks from a more remote location further into the jungle.

This wall of pink granite at Ollantaytambo is considered to be one of the finest examples of Inca architecture in existence. It appears to be the beginning of a room never finished, probably because of the Spanish invasion. The stones are huge and smooth and fitted together amazingly.

Behind the wall, on the side of the mountain, you can see ruins of Inca storehouses. The Inca (actual name for the leader) never wore the same outfit twice (Paris Hilton would be proud) and changed outfits several times a day.

In this close up, you can see some of the detail that was begun in the wall. One that you see in the center is the beginning of a chakana cross, a symbol of the Incas. It has 12 corners, representing the 12 months; 4 arms, which represent the compass points; 3 steps on each arm, which represent the 3 tiers of the Inca world; and the hole in the center, which represents Cusco, the center of the world for Incas.

One view looking down from the top....

This was a series of narrow steps which led down and after the light rain, it was very slick. There was no rail and I was feeling a little unsteady descending them with my camera in one hand and nothing to hold onto.

(Those little black dots at the bottom are cattle.)

Another view looking down from the top. You can get an idea from this viewpoint of the advantage the Inca held over the attacking Spaniards here at Ollantaytambo.

Ollantaytambo

2009-04-08T11:32:00.000-07:00

We are in the Sacred Valley, surrounded by the Andes mountains, at an elevation of around 8,000 feet and guess what---sunflowers! Dorothy, are we still in Kansas?
I loved Ollantaytambo---it was a wonderful little village, built by the Inca Pachacuti and still seems the same as it was then---beautiful little cobblestone streets, stone canals running through town in all directions, Inca walls, Andes mountains looming all around. It was a feast for the senses!

We love to climb, so we found a little path that let up the mountain that faced the ruins and overlooked the village of Ollantaytambo. Here I am with the ruins on the mountain in the background.

These are the ruins of Inca storehouses. The Incas kept storehouses full of supplies of food, clothing, tools, weapons, etc. all along the routes between villages. These storehouses were on the mountain we climbed.

I always think of cactus as being a plant that grows in the desert---hot, dry, flat... but here on the side of the mountain was this skinny little cactus. There were other types of cactus---one that I would call the prickly pear, and they were huge---some probably 6 feet tall and about 4 feet wide. I think the variety of vegetation was an example of the diversity of climates that you see in Peru.

This is the plaza in Ollantaytambo at around 6:30 in the morning. The wispy clouds were floating over the town and it was so peaceful and scenic. Grant's on a mission to find something to eat before we head over to the ruins, which open at 7 a.m.

Trip to Ollantaytambo

2009-03-21T12:55:00.000-07:00

On Sunday morning, we left Cusco on a collectivo, a taxi for a group of people. We were going to take a bus, but this proved to be a good choice. In our collectivo were Juan Manuel, his mother Terecia, a lady from Japan, and some guy who lay in the back. He got off in Chinchero. Juan Manuel and his mom were going to Ollantaytambo to Juan Manuel's soccer game. It would have been fun to go see him play, but since we were only going to be in Ollantaytambo for the day, we had lots we wanted to see. Terecia was very nice and told us lots about the things we saw on our journey. The only problem was that she spoke only Spanish and I understood about 1/4 of what she said. I enjoyed the trip and it was fun meeting Juan Manuel.

This is a view of the Sacred Valley. It was beautiful and I could have taken tons of pictures, but our little taxi was going fast. We did stop once and I got to take this picture. It's pretty obvious why the Incas made this their home.

This lady carrying a bundle of sticks made for an interesting picture. Everywhere you went you could see people who still lived much the same way they did hundreds of years ago.

Sunday afternoon on the plaza---
life is good!

Our hostel in Ollantaytambo---"Ollantay" to the locals--- was quite scenic--- $15 a night and we had hot water in the sink and the best hot shower of the whole trip! The Andes mountains loom in the background. In the courtyard you can barely make out a stand with a game somewhat like washers. Some of the residents were playing as we headed out for a hike up the mountain overlooking the town.

Cusco

2009-03-10T08:48:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of the entrance to our hostel in Cusco. There was no heat in the place as far as I could tell. As you look through the doors, you can see a hallway which leads to some steps up to a lobby/breakfast area. It was cute and quaint. The lobby area was open to the sky and there was a tarp which could be pulled over when it rained. The rooms, probably 10 or so, opened off the lobby, down little nooks and crannies. Our room was down some steps from the lobby. At night it was pretty cold in our room, but our beds had 6 wool blankets on them, so we were cozy, once we were under the covers.

This is a view of our room---pretty cute and cozy. There were three beds and we had our own bathroom. There was no hot water in the sink--typical, and the shower had an electric heater in the shower head. That was interesting. I will post a picture later. Our windows opened onto the street and if you remember the street was quite steep, so we had a nice view. There was a restaurant below us and on Friday and Saturday night, it was party central. Those were the two nights that neither of us was feeling very well, so rather than go join the party, we just laid in bed and tried to sleep and ignore the noise.

There was a street protest and I took a picture (duh). A woman who was on the street by me asked me where I was from. Her English was pretty good--- so I was able to ask her what the protest was for. She said these people were angry with the president---Alan Garcia---because they had lost their jobs and were middle to older age and felt they would not be able to find another job. She was very nice to talk to. She told me she had worked on a cruise ship off the coast of Florida, but she was from Cusco. In the background you can see a giant mural which depicts the history of Peru.

This more modern structure had a fountain on the opposite side. It was in a park south of the main square. I don't know all the things represented, but you can see the puma, which is how Cusco was laid out by the Inca Pachacuti.

I felt right at home with a billboard advertising feminine hygiene products :-). What was even better was that the advertisement said "Discover the wonder of the world" and then showed a picture of Machu Picchu. Oh, my.....

Happy Birthday, Grant--- 1 quarter century old!

2009-03-04T12:33:00.000-08:00

Pondering the present, the past, and the future....

Today Grant turns 25--- a milestone in life.... I know it seems as though life perhaps is going slowly for him, but this is just a blink in time. I still remember the day he was born, all the accomplishments of his youth and adulthood. Twenty-five is for many the beginning of life as an adult---a change from the freedom of youth. Today, many people his age are still deciding what path to take with their lives. In the times of my grandparents, life and responsibility was well underway---25 then could actually have been for many middle age.
Happy birthday, Grant!!! I love you, Mom

Q'enko

2009-03-02T11:12:00.000-08:00

Q'enko, another Inca ruin above Cusco, is about 1/2 mile from Sacsayhuaman. The hike was fairly easy, fairly flat along a road that was not very busy. But, I was feeling the effects of the altitude that day and it seemed a lot farther than 1/2 mile.

In this picture you can see the carved out remains of a large ceremonial chair. Q'enko is a small ruin believed to have been the site of ceremonial rituals of fertility and solstices.

This picture shows a large table believed to have been used for sacrifices.

Q'enko is primarily a series of carved stones which were used for tables, chairs, and other ceremonial uses. They sit atop a hill underneath which are caves and tunnels---at least that's what the guide book said. Grant and walked the perimeter of the ruin and couldn't find any way to get under the ruin. There were no guides at the site---in fact we saw only two other people the whole time we were there.

The site of Q'enko was beautiful, peaceful, and relaxing. Even Grant welcomed the chance to sit and relax.

We were there on a Monday which was probably part of the reason there weren't many people. We also happened to be visiting the ruins in the off season.

This day, December 5, also happened to be my mother's birthday. She would have been 92.

This is the view Grant saw as he sat at Q'enko. You can see Cusco below. Cusco sits at an altitude of 11,000 feet. I don't know the altitude of Q'enko and Sacsayhuaman, but you can see that they are considerably higher. I would have loved to have had a GPS on this trip.

This picture also shows the remains of another structure, perhaps something for storage.

Here Grant is heading up the hill away from Q'enko. You can see the wall of Q'enko on the right and on the left is a grove of trees that I was enthralled with. I haven't been able to identify them. The bark looked like the bark of a cedar tree, the leaves were long, thin, and smooth. The "nuts" were small with a point on each end and on the ground they were opened across the middle and had a star design on the inside.

There are two more ruins above Cusco. The next one is about a mile from Q'enko and the last another 1/2 mile or so from it. When we left our hostel that morning, we had planned to visit all 4 ruins. It didn't seem like a bad hike---two miles each way. Two miles at home are nothing, but two miles at 11,000 + feet was something else. We decided to return to Cusco after visiting Q'enko. We were hungry, thirsty, and feeling the effects of the altitude. I worried that Grant would be disappointed and feel he had missed out because he was with an "old" woman, but I think he was ready to return also.

Sacsyhuaman

2009-02-26T11:20:00.000-08:00

Grant and I visited Sacsayhuaman, an Inca ruin located above Cusco. It was a steep hike up the mountain ---about 30 minutes. Historians believe Sacsayhuaman served as a religious temple, although the zig-zagged walls give the appearance of a fortress. My picture doesn't do justice to the size or dimensions. It was an impressive site because of its size and the size of many of the stones. The stone you see in the background of this picture is 11 feet tall and said to weigh 300 tons!

Many of the stones in the walls are placed to be the design of an important animal to the Incas. Can you see the llama in this picture? Luckily our guide showed us a few---I wouldn't have been able to find them without help.

Here the guide is showing us the outline of a pigeon.

Can you see the guinea pig in this wall? Guinea pigs have been an important staple in the diet of Peruvians since Inca times and before.

In the upper left hand edge of the wall you can see some small rocks placed. Some well meaning people placed the small rocks in spots where the walls had begun to deteriorate. Historians and archaeologists do not want this to be done because they believe it ruins the integrity of the site.

Here Grant shows his fist to resemble the puma paw fist. Cusco was designed by the Inca Pachacuti, who carefully walked out the design of a puma. Sacsayhuaman, which sits at the top of the hill (mountain) overlooking Cusco is said to be the puma head, with the walls being the teeth of the puma.

Sacsayhuaman was the site of the last major battle between the Incas and the Spanish conquistadors. The Incas held fast and almost defeated the Spanish, but in the end, with better weapons, armor, and horses, the Spanish were just too much.

Cusco

2009-02-24T20:12:00.000-08:00

Cusco was the seat of the Inca empire. This is a picture on the Plaza de Armas---once a great square where celebrations, sacrifices, etc. took place. The Spanish tore down the great Inca palaces and built their churches on the foundations. The picture on the left is of the Templo de la Compania de Jesus. It is built on the site of the palace of the Inca Huyana Capac, said to be the most beautiful of all rulers' palaces. On the square you can see a group of schoolgirls. I enjoyed seeing all the kids in their uniforms.

This picture, also on the Plaza de Armas, shows La Catedral. It was completed in 1669 and has a painting of the Last Supper showing the apostles drinking chicha (corn beer--drink of the Incas) and eating cuy (guinea pig). It is built on the site of the Inca Viracocha.

This picture shows Grant by an Inca wall that remains standing on a side street in Cusco. As you look at the wall, notice how smooth and straight the stones are. They fit so tightly together (without any mortar) that nothing can slip between them. They have withstood many earthquakes which have devastated other buildings in Cusco.

Here Grant stands on the site of Qoricancha, the former Temple of the Sun, said to be the most sumptuous temple in the Inca empire. It housed 4,000 of the highest ranking priests and was said to be a glittering palace---Qoricancha means "golden courtyard" in Quechua. Hundreds of gold panels lined the walls, life sized golden statues, solid gold altars and a huge gold sun disc which reflected the sun were on the interior. The Spanish emptied the temple of the gold, which they melted down, ransacked and tore down the temple and then built on its foundation the Convento of Santo Domingo. You see it in the background.

Another view of the former site of Qoricancha. Looking closely you can see the remains of an Inca wall. The grassy area was part of the original temple and was built over with houses that were damaged in earthquakes. In an effort to clean up the area in the late 1990s, the shacks were torn down and in the process, treasures of the Incas were found, including pottery, mummies, weapons, and jewelry. Because these were buried underground, they were not found and destroyed by the Spaniards.

Nicole

2009-02-12T17:42:00.000-08:00

I'm going to veer a little from the Peru postings to congratulate my niece Nicole on receiving the Paul M. Bator award. The award recognizes a young academic—under the age of 40— who has demonstrated excellence in legal scholarship, a commitment to teaching, a concern for students, and who has made a significant public impact. Nicole is a law professor at Notre Dame University. Check out the link: http://law.nd.edu/news/10766-prof-nicole-garnett-wins-paul-m-bator-award. We are very proud of Nicole for all the achievements she has accomplished.

Cusco---Calle Resbalosa...

2009-02-11T12:56:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Cusco at around 6:30 a.m. We took an overnight bus trip which left Arequippa at 9:30. As we expected there were tons of taxis waiting. Grant would never take the taxis closest to the bus stop, so we walked down the street a little and got a cheaper taxi. I had checked out some hostels in our book and gave the driver a name and zoom, we were off. He drove as close as he could to our street, but if you look at the picture, you can see that our street was really a stairway and no cars drove on it. We unloaded from the taxi with our backpacks and headed up the stairway. It was quite a little jaunt---and at an altitude of 12,000 feet, it was taxing. Once we settled into our room, we took a little nap. Sleeping on the bus was fine, but not the most restful.
Oh, about the bus trip---we left in the dark and before we were on the road even 20 min., we were doing switchbacks. There was no light and I was praying that we wouldn't go over an edge that I couldn't even see. I was glad to fall asleep. I did wake up a couple of hours later when we were obviously no longer on a paved road. I was a little disappointed not to be able to see all that we were passing through---I imagine it was pretty impressive.

This is the view of the Plaza de Armas from the patio of our hostel. The buildings around the square were all built by the Spanish. They tore down the Inca palaces and left the foundations upon which they built their churches.

This is the view of our street looking down from our hostel door.

Calle Resbalosa means slippery street and it was slippery. The cobblestones are worn smooth and the steps of the street slant downwards which makes going down them precarious---especially if they are wet.

Here's a shot of Grant at the top of the Calle Resbalosa, the street our hostel was on. The street is quite long, you can't see our hostel from this view. We hiked to the top of the street and continued uphill for about 30 minutes to get to the ruin which overlooks the town. In the picture you can see Grant holding the husk from an ear of corn we bought on the street---choclo con queso. Peruvians love their corn and believe it to be the best in the world. The ears of corn are shorter and fatter than ours and the kernals are very large and puffy. It is good---but our little purchase of choclo con queso on this day didn't prove to be very good for either of us. Grant got really sick, with fever and chills. I just had diarrhea---in fact we both did for almost a week. It was the queso--not the cheese. I thought when I tasted it that it tasted funny, but sometimes cheese tastes funny, so I didn't worry---quess I should have.

Can't upload pictures

2009-02-10T15:22:00.000-08:00

I've been trying the past couple of days to upload some pictures, but it hasn't been working. So, if you're looking and wondering why I haven't put up any pictures lately, that's why.

Cruz del Condor/ Colca Canyon

2009-02-06T11:15:00.000-08:00

This picture at Cruz del Condor is of Grant and Emily, from Holland. Emily was with our tour. She grew up in Holland, but lives in Switzerland. She was traveling around Peru for 5 months by herself. She was nearing the end of her travel.

Here Grant is studying the depth of Colca Canyon. In the distance you can see a town in the valley. Living in little towns in the valley hasn't changed much over the years. The towns are very isolated due to the difficulty getting in and out. Electricity has only recently been added. The residents are pretty much self sufficient.

Here I am posing for a picture with a little girl and an alpaca. The alpaca was very friendly and decided to give me a kiss.

Grant is pictured here with Brodie and Todd, from Seattle. They, too, were with our group. They were on a 6 week trip to South America. They have a friend in Seattle who grew up in Joplin, and we shared some of the observations about the midwest, the election, and travel.

This eagle is native to the Colca Valley. We are not sure of the kind of eagle it is.
The town is Maca, a little colonial village near Chivay. The Spaniards build little churches in all the little villages and most of them had arched entrances.

Cruz del Condor

2009-02-06T10:04:00.000-08:00

This picture was taken on the road from Chivay to Cruz del Condor. The holes in the side of the mountain were used by the pre-Inca people of the valley for various uses, including food storage and burial. The more important the person, the higher up the mountain they were buried. The bodies were taken up the cliffs by ropes. Most all of the bones have been stolen by grave robbers so the holes are now empty.

Here is Grant at Cruz del Condor, Colca Canyon. We arrived here about 8 o'clock in the morning in hopes of seeing the condors. Unfortunately, we did not see any condors. The best time for viewing is June through September and we were there in December. I was disappointed because the condors supposedly fly right over your head and you can get great pictures. But, the view of the canyon itself was wonderful enough. Colca Canyon is the second deepest canyon in the world. The deepest canyon is Cotahusi Canyon, which is also in Peru, not far from Colca Canyon, but more difficult to reach. Colca Canyon at its deepest is 11,150 feet, more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon. The canyon is formed by volcanoes, so it does not have the steep drop offs like the Grand Canyon.

Grant and I are at the canyon. We are standing on a rock, but it wasn't nearly as dangerous as it looks. Beyond the rock is a more gradual decline. But, beyond that, the mountain falls pretty steeply to the floor of the canyon.

This picture shows the view across the canyon. I zoomed in as closely as my camera would allow and if you look closely, you can see paths zig zagging up the side of the mountain. Close to the top you can see some buildings. I couldn't tell if they were homes or not, but I think they were probably animal enclosures. You can see a path leading horizontally across the mountain. These roads are just donkey paths, therefore making travel through the canyon slow, to say the least. Even on our side of the canyon the roads were dirt and bumpy. Cruz del Condor was only 31 miles from Chivay, but it took us 2 hours to make the trip.

Along the way back from Cruz del Condor, we stopped several times to take pictures of the views. This little girl was posed with her llama at one of the stops, but she was not pleased with his behavior. Llamas can be quite obstinate and this one is trying to eat her hat.

Colca Valley dancers

2009-01-30T17:05:00.000-08:00

The evening we stayed in Chivay we had dinner which included local music and dancers. They did three different dances and I wish I knew the names of the dances and their meanings. I'm sure they had some connection to the history and legend of the area.

This is the band. I enjoyed their music. I thought the bass player on the back had more of the Amerindian look than the others.

These are pictures of Grant participating in the final dance. In the dance, the girl tempts the guy with the orange (seemed like Adam & Eve except with an orange) and then when he gets the orange, he dies.

Here she hits him with a whip. It does not revive him.

Then she dances over his head and poof, he is revived.

Chivay-Colca Valley

2009-01-29T17:56:00.000-08:00

Chivay was our home base in the Colca Valley. It is the largest town of the valley, about 5,000 people. From basic appearances, life here has not changed much over the years.

When our bus arrived in Chivay, it was time for lunch. We all went to a nice little restaurant and could order either from the menu or have the buffet. It was a pretty good deal and included many dishes that were typical of the region. We had the opportunity to taste alpaca, guinea pig, cebiche, etc., if we wanted. There were many wonderful dishes, not all so exotic. This picture shows the inside of the restaurant. I didn't notice that the roof was thatched until we heard the wind pick up outside and then all of a sudden, "whoosh---" the roof picked up and slammed down and dust fell everywhere. The workers in the restaurant were running around trying to quickly cover the food and the tables.

This little boy was outside the courtyard of the restaurant with his llama.

This is a scene just off the square in Chivay. See the tables set up along the wall of the building. People were cooking right there on the street and you could get a bowl of food and sit at one of the tables and eat. I never did, but Grant ate breakfast at one of these portable restaurants the morning we were in Nasca. He said he had no idea what he ate. Luckily he didn't get sick!

A typical scene at the market. This is in Chivay. The large bags contain all sorts of grains and nuts.

This woman is cooking anticucho(barbecued beef heart) and papas(potatoes). It, too, is a popular Peruvian dish that you can find people preparing on the street everywhere. I was leary of trying the "street" version, because Grant had had a bad experience with it in Lima, but I had it in a restaurant and it was good.

This picture was taken around 6 pm on a Monday evening and the downtown area was hopping. People were everywhere --eating, laughing, talking, visiting, hanging out. I thought how different that would be from back home. On a week night. most of us go home from work and have supper in our own home with our family and then spend the evening watching t.v. It would be my guess that many of the inhabitants of Chivay did not have televisions and perhaps not even electricity.

Colca Valley

2009-01-28T19:58:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture of Grant at the pass, the place where we made our offerings to the mountain gods. You can see that it is quite windy. Grant doesn't have a jacket on, but it was chilly and most of us didn't want to spend much time stacking our rocks.

This woman's hat is representative of the other indigenous tribe, the Collagua. The Andes mountains loom in the background.

This is the other plant that was in the coca tea--- the one the guide called "chacha culpa". In Cusco, later in the trip, we were at a ruin, high above the town, and I was not feeling well---a little nauseous and light headed. Our guide walked over and picked a couple of plants and told me to rub them together in my hands and then breathe them deeply. That helped more than the coca leaves. They had a minty smell and seemed to clear my head.

Colca Valley

2009-01-28T17:54:00.000-08:00

This is the pass over the mountain to Colca Valley---elevation, 16,100 feet. This was considered to be the spot closest to mountain apus (gods) and the locals stacked stones and made offerings to the apus. Our guide let us off so we could make our stacks and wishes. Our guide encouraged us to chew coca leaves to alleviate altitude sickness. I didn't like chewing the coca leaves. They made my mouth numb and I didn't like the feeling they gave me.

Along the way we stopped at vistas, or miradors. There were always children dressed in traditional costumes of the valley. This little girl's costume is "Cabana", one of the ethnic tribes of the valley. Her embroidered hat is the distinguishing feature. The two groups still speak the native languages and in many aspects still live much the same as they have for years. The town of Chivay, the largest in the valley only got electricity in the 1980s.

This view shows the Colca Valley in the background and the town of Chivay. I don't know the elevation here, but the town of Chivay is at an elevation of 12,000 feet.

Bus trip to Colca Valley

2009-01-27T08:06:00.000-08:00

We took a tour to the Colca Valley from Arequipa. There were about 20 people on our tour bus. The Colca Valley is about 3 hours from Arequipa by bus. We made several stops along the way. The road was quite desolate and as we went over the "pass", it was not paved, about 15 miles of it. These were the restrooms on one of our stops (the only stop with restrooms). They were quite primitive. The mens urinals were in full view as you walked up to the door of the women's restroom. Thankfully, there were doors on the women's toilets. There was a little snack place at this stop and we all had "coca" tea. Peruvians seem to believe coca tea is a cure-all for everything---altitude sickness, stomach aches, headaches, etc. The coca tea was basically coca leaves steeped in hot water. They also put another plant that I didn't know. I asked our guide and he said it was "chacha chulpa". I couldn't find it on google, so I'm sure I don't have it spelled correctly.

We drove through a wildlife preserve and saw alpacas, llamas, and vicunas. I didn't know before this that they are all cameloids, members of the camel family. But, after I learned that, it was very obvious. This is part of the reason that they can survive so well in the arid climate of these mountains.

This is the sign entering the vicuna preserve. Vicunas are the smallest members of the camel family. They are a national symbol of Peru and are protected because they were almost extinct several years ago because of poaching. Trade in their fleece was banned in 1975 and just recently begun again because the numbers are now up over 150,000, but the animals are still endangered and harvesting the fiber is under government regulation. The fiber is considered to be the finest and warmest in the world---even more than cashmere. Their fleece was worn only by the highest of Inca nobility.

You can see from this picture that these vicunas have recently been shorn. The guide told us that they are captured in the old way. A group of people join hands to make a human chain and encircle the vicunas and then they are captured and shorn. Peruvians like to participate in this activity, which only happens every 4 years, because it was the way the Incas did it. They are difficult to shear and only produce about 1 pound of wool a year.

We were high in the Andes here, on what is called an altiplano, a flat plain, where not much vegetation grows and the temperatures can be quite harsh. The altitude here was somewhere around 13,000 feet.

Here's a link for more information about vicunas:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicu%C3%B1a

I know it's wikipedia and it isn't always accurate, so here's another if you're really interested:

http://www.essortment.com/all/vicunawoolwhat_rhwq.htm

More pictures from Arequipa...

2009-01-25T11:48:00.000-08:00

Grant and I tried to eat where the natives ate as much as possible. Here we are having breakfast at a literal "hole in the wall". We were the only gringos in the place, which wasn't fancy and probably not the cleanest place we could have chosen. It was about 6:30 in the morning and the other customers appeared to be working men who sat at their table eating and watching cartoons on the television mounted on the wall (no, not a flat screen :-)). Here Grant is placing his order. In the bottles were concoctions of different colors and consistencies. I chose one that looked like some kind of orange smoothie and it was good. Grant chose one that looked like a cross between oatmeal and malt 'o meal. He also had a sandwich of bread and cheese, which is a pretty typical Peruvian breakfast food. Grant thought his was great and it must have been pretty popular because several of the guys also had it. It was served in a large glass and you drank it. Breakfast that morning for the two of us probably cost about $1, more or less.

This is one view of the Plaza in Arequipa. The red and green flags hanging from the buildings are Christmas decorations. See the taxis all lined up. It's crazy and they drive crazy. I tried hard not to think about it when we were in one. Once we were in a taxi in the middle of traffic on a one way street---I say middle, because they really don't observe the lane concept, they just make their own lane or ramrod their way through the middle if the cars in front aren't going as fast as they want to---and the driver decided we needed to turn right. So, we did; we just cut in front of the car in the right lane and made our right turn. It took my breath away.

Here's a dog guarding his rooftop. I heard him barking from the street and went to the balcony of our hostel to get a good picture.

Look closely and you can see another dog barking on this rooftop patio. His patio is connected to the patio of the dog above and they were barking like crazy at whatever--who knows...

More pictures from Arequipa...

2009-01-24T16:45:00.000-08:00

Another parade....this one was on World AIDS Awareness Day. It even came complete with a giant condom. I wonder how many US cities had a parade for AIDS day and how many giant condoms were a part of them :-).

This picture was taken in the courtyard of the Museo Santuarios Andinos, where the mummy Juanita is housed. We were waiting for our tour to begin and I was trying to get a shot of Grant (see him in the background) and the lady walked through. It was perfect. If you haven't heard of Juanita, here's a link: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/arequipa/2881010012.html. Here's another link with a picture: http://www.fortunecity.com/millennium/lilac/3/juanita.htm

Juanita was pretty amazing and so is the story. Evidently when she was first discovered in 1995, President Clinton commented that she looked so good, if he weren't married he'd date her. He was trying to be funny, but evidently the Peruvians didn't think it was too funny, they called it tasteless.

Dogs, dogs, everywhere. This was the largest group of dogs I saw, but there were dogs everywhere---mostly alone or in pairs. They were "street" dogs, without a home. I tried to give some of them attention, but they weren't at all interested. They totally ignored me. They were in survival mode. This group of dogs looked pretty healthy, but I saw some that just looked pitiful. It was pretty hard to see for a dog lover. Grant said he talked to some of his Peruvian friends about spaying and neutering and they thought that was totally inhumane.

Pollo a la brassa---Peruvians love it and it is good. It is so popular that every little city has one and the big cities have one on every corner.

Evidently Peruvian men love to have clean shoes. Everywhere you go there are shoe shiners. Grant said he was once asked if he wanted his shoes shined and he was wearing flip flops :-).

2009-01-23T11:39:00.000-08:00

This sign was on the inside of our room in Arequipa. I had to laugh when I read it. "Prohibido Fumar"---Spanish for "Don't Smoke"; universal sign for no smoking; and just in case you don't get it, "Don't Smock"!!! We get it :-)!

There was a parade on the square in Arequipa. School children were holding hand made signs and brooms, mops, and dust pans. I don't know the reason for the parade, but the signs said to keep the countryside clean. Someone told me there were problems with littering and destruction to monuments in the province. I thought the kids were adorable in their school uniforms. Public education in Peru is not good and most kids attend private schools---parochial. They all wear uniforms and look so cute. Grant said that there were parades all the time. He said every Saturday or Sunday there was a parade. This one happened to be on a Monday.

I was taking pictures of the kids and this boy flashed me a big smile. Most did not really pay any attention to me, but he liked the attention. After I took his picture, I showed it to him on the camera. His buddies all were looking and wanted their picture taken to, so I took the group. I wish I would have had something to give them. Later I read in the book that you can take a big bag of candy or a bunch of pencils to give to kids. I wasn't prepared.

2009-01-21T09:48:00.000-08:00

This was the view to the east as we traveled south on the Pan American Highway. I was totally surprised that the mountains were so desolate.

This was the view to the west---the Pacific Ocean. These pictures were taken from the Cruz del Sur bus we traveled on. The bus was quite comfortable and served a full meal. Twice we traveled at night and the seats reclined and we had pillows and blankets.

This is a view of the Sunday market in Nasca. It isn't a great picture, but I was trying to be unobtrusive---Grant kept telling me to put the camera away. I was amazed at how the women carried everything in the "blankets". The woman in the center is carrying her baby. I watched one woman folding the blanket to carry a baby and was amazed that they could fold it securely enough to hold the baby and then manage to get it on their back without help. Obviously it doesn't take much to amaze me :-).

Nasca---Nasca Lines

2009-01-19T09:46:00.001-08:00

These are pictures of the Nazca Lines. They are located near Nasca, which is south of Lima on the Pan American Highway. The lines were not discovered until the 1920s when commercial airlines began flying overhead. The lines were made by the Nazca Indians from 300 b.c. to 600 a.d. Many scholars have studied the lines and there are many ideas as to their purpose but no conclusion has been made.
This one shows the Hummingbird plus many other lines---some were thought to be landing strips.

Another view of the Hummingbird.
Here's a link for more information:
http://www.crystalinks.com/nasca.html

The "Dog".
We viewed the lines from a flight overhead. There is a tower, but you can only see two designs. I tried really hard not to get sick, but was not successful. The pilot did a great job, the weather was perfect, but I think the banking to see the designs just did me in. Grant had to take the pictures because I was holding a bag.

The "Monkey".

The "Astronaut".
It was not discovered until the 1980s.
This one makes you go "hmmmm?"

This is a typical street picture in Nasca, which is south of Lima on the Pan American Highway. The guys driving carts were interesting to me. Notice that there isn't any car traffic on this street. The average Peruvian does not own a car, but taxis abound. Everyone takes a taxi or some form of public transportation wherever they go---or they walk. And, everyone walks. But, these carts are also everywhere. People use them as portable businesses of sorts. Guys will drive down the street announcing their arrival either selling stuff or collecting recyclable trash. Some will drive their cart to a corner and sell fruit or juice, or some sort of food. Many will sell textiles or souvenirs. I thought it was interesting.

Trip to Peru

2009-01-18T09:36:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture of Grant at the juice stand. I don't know how it happened, but this glass of juice-- just orange--- was probably the best glass of orange juice I've ever had. Grant says its the oranges---just sweeter. No styrofoam cups--- a real glass full of sweet, delicious orange juice. I loved how he used the peels as decoration. It was fun and demonstrative of the slower pace of life. People stop and enjoy their drinks or food---not grab and run like we are used to here in the States.

This was the view leaving Lima on the Pan American Highway. This was taken from the window of the bus. Poverty is everywhere and I couldn't really tell if these homes were inhabited or not. It seemed that they weren't. My guess is that the recent earthquakes probably left them uninhabitable. But, regardless, living conditions in Peru are nothing like what we are accustomed to here in the US. Basically the Pan American Highway runs along the coast, with ocean on one side and desert mountains along the other. The only green you see is due to irrigation. I did not realize that Peru is one of the most arid places on Earth.

Sharing experiences from Peru...

2009-01-14T10:50:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of the street outside Leo's house in Lima. I took the picture from the window of the bedroom I stayed in. Notice that the houses are right on the street with little or no front yard.

This bust of JFK is in a park in Miraflores, a subdivision of Lima. I thought it showed how worldwide his popularity was and I thought it was interesting how the facial features seemed to look Peruvian.

My trip to Peru was a trip of dreams! My first impressions were that here in the United States we take for granted so many things. We do not appreciate how fortunate we are and we are arrogant about the fact that we are "Americans". First of all, I better not ever run for public office because I will be accused of being "unpatriotic", but when you visit a country that has so little, but yet they are happy and proud of their heritage, you (at least I) come away with a renewed awareness that we are just one little aspect in the whole scheme of things. I believe that travel abroad does wonders to broaden your horizons and help you to realize the importance of diplomacy and how "pushing our weight around" in world affairs does little to make us "loved" in the world. Everywhere we went Peruvians asked us about Obama. They were excited about his election - one woman even told me "the world rejoiced the day Obama was elected." They liked to be asked about their president, too. Since I listen to NPR, I knew about Fujimora, but couldn't have named the current president. However, on a bus trip traveling south out of Lima, "Fujimora" and "Alan" were painted on fences and sides of buildings. Alan Garcia is the current president and Peruvians are pretty passionate about their opinions of his presidency. The lady who made the comment about Obama said that people in Lima like Garcia, but people in the provinces like Fujimora, who is now in prison. Grant said his friends from Lima liked Garcia. I asked a taxi driver who had asked us about Obama what he thought of his presdient and he really went off (all in Spanish, so I only caught bits and pieces) saying that he was a liar (Grant told me that) and that he had a son by another woman (I caught that). Anyway, I have to say that I was proud to say that Obama would be our president and excited to see that people around the world are feeling better about the United States.

My first blog....

2009-01-07T14:37:00.000-08:00

Today I decided to start a blog. I've been considering it for quite awhile, but getting started was a big barrier. I don't really know exactly how it works, so this will be a learning experience. I hope you'll share with me too as we go on this journey!