We survived the Inca Trail!

We survived the Inca Trail!  

For some reason, AK and I were under the impression that it was possible for unfit people like us to hike the Inca Trail (delusions of grandeur).  AK, who has asthma, literally almost died from the lack of oxygen on the first day.  Luckily for us, we had 4 doctors in the group (well, 3 residents plus 1 real doctor).  Anyway, it was an extremely grueling vacation, if you can even call it that, but ultimately we had fun and it was quite an experience.  Machu Picchu was amazing, as expected.  After resting for a day or two, we flew to a small town called Puerto Maldonado in the Amazon basin, then stayed at a jungle lodge for a few days (just getting to the lodge involved a 35-minute canoe ride through narrow waterways, a 1-1.5 hour hike through the jungle followed by a 1-hour boat ride across a lake).  It was “fun” in the sense that being in a giant sauna room can be fun, although I did enjoy seeing toucans (apparently difficult to see) and a ton of monkeys, plus a close call with a water snake that mistook our canoe for a floating log.  Souvenirs from the trip include peeling skin from the sunburn (but a great tan!), tons of mosquito bites (still taking my malaria pills) and hundreds of photos we still need to sort through (will post soon).  

But ultimately, I would recommend Peru for sure, for Machu Picchu (definitely take the train rather than trek, unless you’re a glutton for pain), the majestic Andes mountains, the amazing food and the great people.  

Gearing up to return to work tomorrow, but will fill in details later!

Peru Here We Come!

There have not been any posts for a while now due to the fact that AK and I have been preparing for our trip to Peru (5/15/08-5/25/08), which includes a 4-day trek on the very rigorous Inca Trail at high altitude (i.e., low oxygen level) to Macchu Picchu and a visit to the Amazon Basin. In order to prepare for the Inca Trail, both of us have increased our exercise level (I even signed up for boot camp again!) and bought a ton of outdoor and camping gear from REI – we’re talking water sterilizing pen emitting UV rays, sub-zero down sleeping bags and top-end hiking poles.

We think we are as ready as we can be given the time constraint (probably could be more fit, but what can you do?).  Will update when we return on Memorial Weekend.

Weather forecast:  Rain (20% chance) on most days, thunder storm (40% chance) on the hardest day (hiking “Dead Woman’s Pass”).  Boo!!!  😦  Wish us luck!