Ok, so we both know that it has been a very long time since we have updated the blog.  We put together a slide show video for everyone to enjoy.  It has been done for some time but the trouble was find a place to host it.  The file is very large since the video is 19 minutes long.  After some trial and error we found a site to store the video.  You will have to download the file then play it in some sort of media player.  The site requires that you enter the four character captcha(upper right of page) then click the “download file” button.  If you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment and we’ll try to answer it quickly.

We hope you all enjoy the show!

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=R2BBGJSU

We were blessed with a full view of the usually cloudy Arenal Volcano on the way into its closest town, La Fortuna.  A few clouds had formed by the time we took a late afternoon hike in the area of the 1968 lava flow area.  It was in this year the people who lived here realized that their “mountain” was actually a volcano in disguise.  Two small communities were completely buried, and one whole side of the volcano is still devoid of vegetation.  The other is all new growth (from the last 40 years). The volcano remains active, with several types of eruptions, but no big explosions expected anytime soon.  We learned that the volcano has mainly strombolian eruptions of more viscous, thick lava rather than the runny liquid kind we most often think of as oozing down the sides of volcanoes in our minds.  Even so, at night the glowing rocks rolling down the side look like the classic bright orange flows.  La Fortuna has developed lots of adrenaline and nature related activities in the area, including rafting, ATV tours, walks, hanging bridges, cave tours, waterfall visits, thermal baths, etc. 

More La Fortuna photos here.

Our flight to New York is tomorrow night.  It´s been an unbelievable trip in many ways, and one we are unlikely to be able to ever match.  It may be a while before the blog is updated (not to say we don´t expect anything exciting to happen from here on in), but we hope to continue it before long.  Thanks to all who have enjoyed looking in on us from time to time (or day to day!)  Thanks especially to Dad Jim and Mom Greta, who always leave comments to let us know someone is out there reading!

We arrived at Manuel Antonio, the town attached to the National Park of the same name, after another bad taxi experience in San José.  We had to pass through, since we were travelling from the Caribbean to the Pacific Coast.  There are separate bus terminals, though they aren´t too far from one another.  The driver not only had a ridiculously fast meter, but tried a scam where he put me on the phone with the supposed bus company, telling me we missed the last bus and should have the taxi driver take us to the next town, where we could catch up to it.  RIGHT.  First of all, it was only 11 am, and we had checked the schedule beforehand.  Second, we knew that even without this taxi´s very special meter, it was probably at least a $20 ride.  We paid what the meter said and got out on the spot.  It was getting hard to keep a good attitude.

Manuel Antonio, or more specifically Anita Kim, who runs the Hotel Coco Beach there, helped change that.  She has lived in Costa Rica for 30 years, having arrived alone from Korea.  Anita doesn´t overcharge.  She earns enough to keep things afloat in these hard times, and makes guests feel at home.  She always has a smile, and is full of good advice. (She thinks we should weather the US economic crisis out in Alaska, which, in her opinion shouldn´t be affected.) She even lowered the price we paid for our room the last couple of days we were there (long story). 

We ended up staying longer than we had planned, and had great walks in the national park.  Manuel Antonio is a Pacific mix of rainforest, white sand beaches and reef.  There were hermit and other crabs, squirrel monkeys, titi monkeys, howlers, raccoons, sloths (two and three-toed), agouti, endless birds and butterflies, and on and on.  Animals in Costa Rica generally are quite easy to spot, so we opted to go without the $20 per person guide, and just looked up when it looked like another group had spotted something (cheating?). 

The beaches within the park were close to perfect.  Our only issue was a pair of raccoons who must have smelled the remains of our lunch in the backpack while we were taking a swim.  They didn´t get away with anything, but left everything covered with sand and racoon prints.  Our other close encounter was earlier in the morning, when a troupe of white faced monkeys emerged almost right in front of us on the trail around Cathedral Point.  They crossed the path overhead and at ground level, heading to a small valley.  It didn´t take long to see what they were up to, as a raccoon kept trying to get down the hill, only to be forced to retreat by the alpha monkey and one of his henchmen.  We spent a half hour or so there, just watching.  A mother and baby were part of the group as well…cute cute cute.

Click here for more photos

White sand, coconut trees lining the beach and reefs near shore.  Sounded good to us.  The small beach town of Cahuita is on Costa Rica´s Caribbean Coast, about 4 hours from San José.  The bus ride was uneventful, but slow and HOT.  The fare was fair for what you got, but Costa Rica does not seem to have developed the long distance bus routes with comfy, modern vehicles we saw throughout South America.  That being said, maybe they haven´t needed to.  Nothings is ever too too far, and roads are often hilly and twisty.  Grayline and a company called Interbus exist for tourists (it seems exclusively) who can pay for a smaller vehicle, air conditioning and a driver.  These services charge between $30 and $50 per leg, and seem to be the only option to get between some destinations with out multiple bus transfers or passing back through San José.  We had one Tico (Costa Rican) tell us that they are not big travellers generally.  Most people have the modest goal of getting a house and providing for their family.  A younger tour guide added later that it´s much easier (economically) for Costa Ricans to travel to Panama or Nicaragua than within their own country.  Maybe that´s why it seemed options for budget travelers were so few.  Everything has been developed for the foreign tourist arriving with more money than time to spend.

Cahuita was an interesting mix of Caribbean and Central American culture and traditions.  There were many local people who spoke more English than Spanish, or at least spoke Spanish with what seemed to be a strong Caribbean accent.  The town was very laid back, and we loved the jerk chicken and coconut sauces we got on the food.  Jamaica definitely made its presence known.

There are plenty of activities options, including snorkeling (guide required), diving, nature walks, horseback riding, etc.  We decided to strike out on our own.  We set out early in the morning and walked through the national park to Cahuita Point.  Along the way we saw white faced Capuchin monkeys, two-toed sloths, butterflies, iguanas, line upon line of leaf-cutter ants (we were sure to take a big step over) and a bright yellow viper.  We heard howler monkeys making a ruckus in the distance (scary) and one hanging dead by his tail high in a tree.  It looked like he went in his sleep, poor guy.

The beach was lovely, with clear, warm water, and we took a swim at several spots!  Even though there is supposed to be lots of great life to see, we passed on diving, though.  An earthquake in 1992 put the reef offshore in danger, as it raised it high enough to be exposed during low tide.  The marine environment is further affeted by illegal logging inland and its resulting silt runoff, as well as the use of fertilizers by nearby fruit companies.  Hopefully, the reef and surrounding forest and park will be given the chance to survive and regenerate.

Our host at our humble guesthouse was Elijah.  His relatives surely arrived with many others to work the banana plantations or work on the railroad line to San José (many came for these reasons in the late 1800s).   We really enjoyed talking to him, though our chats were brief.  There are only three rooms at Brisas del Mar, and they are basic, but waking up to the sound of waves breaking on the beach made it worth it.

More Cahuita pics

San José, Costa Rica.  From the moment we landed, we felt like we were almost home.  Over the years I´d heard so many wonderful things about Costa Rica as a paradise of exotic birds, flowers and animals, spotless beaches, friendly faces and a high percentage of folks who care about the environment.  More recently I had heard more mixed reviews.  Costa Rica is too touristy, expensive, overrun by expats and suffering from a more jaded population and increasing crime and drugs in the cities.  The Costa Rica we´ve found is both.

In San José we used hotel points to stay at the Clarion Amon Plaza (it´s been a long time since we´ve had the likes of Holiday Inns, Mariotts and Best Westerns as options).  The neighborhood was supposed to have been one of the more interesting to stay in, close to downtown, but with a little more character.  We felt a little bullied by the aggressiveness of the cabbies at the airport, and $20 was a fortune, since it equates to 2 nights of lodging at some places in Perú, but we bit the bullet since it was late.  A morning walk didn´t take long, as the area was dirty, run-down, and we were bugged by at least two addicts trying to start up a conversation from their abandoned house/squatter palace/urinal. 

We took advantage of free internet to try and find some other ideas.  The city does have some fine museums, but we skipped them because of the entrance fees, from about $8 to $20.  We did have a look at one children´s museum, housed in a former prison, but we were really just there for a quick geocache.  Downtown was pretty bland.  There were a few older buildings (the post office for one) with interesting architecture, but few and far between.

The internet research helped us hone in on a couple of places we wanted to see.  With only 10 days, we wanted to use our time wisely without trying to do too much.  We decided on the Caribbean coast first.  Addicted as we are to public transportation, especially bus, we bought a ticket for Cahuita in the morning.  We did have a very good meal the night before we left, although the taxi driver insisted on twice as much to get back to the hotel as we had paid to get there.

The concentric circles at Moray were different from anything we´d seen so far.  The current theory is that they were used as an agricultural laboratory, to experimentwith what crops (wheat, quinoa, other grains, potatoes, etc.) would grow best at different temperatures and under different conditions.  It has been proved that the temperature varies at different levels; each is its own micro-climate.  The site was a bit out of the way, but we were glad we made it there.  Instead of building up, the circles were created by digging down as deep as 150 meters (450 feet), and removing tons of earth and rock.  The aqueducts and drains that irrigated the terraces are still in perfect working condition!

Chinchero´s (birthplace of the rainbow) setting was beautiful, surrounded by green fields and valleys with the snow-capped Vilcanota mountains visible far in the distance.  The Spanish wanted to “civilize” Chinchero, but evidence of the Andean cultural resistance is clear.  People here still primarily speak Quechua, use the barter/trade system, and maintain many traditional customs.  Almost all of the town´s colonial buildings are built on top of still visible Inca walls and foundations.  The site is still being investigated, and there were workers digging and reconstructing walls in several areas of the main site behind and down the hill from the colonial church (which was an amazing site on its own).  Down below the main terraces and walls were some impressive carved rocks.  One huge boulder had spiral steps winding around to a big platform in the front.  There were also what seemed to be “seats.”  Below and carved into the rock were overhangs and passageways.

More photos from the day here.

The site Tambomachay is only about 5 miles outside Cuzco.  A local bus heading toward Pisaq dropped us off right in front.  The area was used as a resting place, and is most known for its fountains and baths. The Inca Bath is created by two aqueducts that provide clear water year round, making the most of the limited water supply.  There are springs and caverns nearby.  The rest of the structures are more fine stonework (intricately carved, and using no mortar), platforms and niches.

Just down the road is Pukapukara (Red Fortress).  This was said to contain lodging for those who accompanied the Inca visiting the baths.  It was also used as a lookout.  There were lots of smaller rooms, a clearly visible “road” and a great view of the surrounding pastures and valley.  Back on the bus headed back toward Cuzco, we stopped next at Quenqo.  This site is one of the more natural style, where the Inca left the shape of the boulders and rocks, and carved around them.  Quenqo is also known as the amphitheater, but it may have been a court, altar or tomb.  Large parts of this area were destroyed, but there is still plenty to see. 

There are two Intihuatana (hitching posts of the sun) and an area that was probably an astronomical observatory.  Near this is a zig zag duct, that slants and branches out guiding whatever liquid it held to an underground chamber.  Underneath a huge rock hill, a tunnel-like passageway was carved out.  There is a square rock that looks like an altar, tables, lots of spaces and niches for offerings, and a pit that may have contained mummies.  No one is sure, but this space was either a sacrificial chamber, or a burial chamber.  Behind the main area, we sat and talked to two students who acted as guides at the site.  Since it is low season and there still aren´t too many tourists around, the had time to sit and chat for a while until we head on to the last site, Saqsaywamán.

Here we decided to spring for a guide, and we were very glad we did.  For about an hour and a half, Pio showed us the highlights of this extensive site.  His spin on things was focused on how the Inca chose ceremonial sites based on the energy of the place.  His descriptions of things were based on the spiritual, egalitarian nature of the culture.  He explained that the original name of the site meant something more like “a satisfied mind, or place of knowledge.”  The new name means “satisfied falcon,” changed after many local people were killed here by the Spanish, and birds satiated themselves on the bodies of the dead.  The Spanish used this site as a rock quarry, disassembling walls to build churches, residences, and buildings down in Cuzco below.  The people were also forced to cover what remained with dirt, including filling in what was a large lagoon.

Our walk took us through various of the sections that still remain.  There were seats carved out in several places, where people could meditate, balance, and renew their energy.  We saw more animals incorporated into different walls (a snake, duck, condor).  On a larger scale, when Cuzco was originally designed in the shape of a puma, Saksaywamán was the head.  There are 22 zigzag walls here that represented the teeth.   There is a Temple of the Sun here as well, and a large open area is still used for the Inti Raymi sun festival each year.  Another interesting spot was a huge rock that looked like it was made of solid waves.  The undulations create smooth, natural slides that kids and tourists seemed to be enjoying quite a bit.

In another area we walked through a low tunnel about 50 feet long.  It was pitch black.  Pio explained that such tunnels were probably used for communication and as places to leave offerings.  They can be found in many of the ancient sites.  Tunnels connected the palaces in the city of Cuzco as well, and those were one of the few things left intact by the Spanish, as they were very useful. 

There is a pretty good description in English of these sites near Cuzco HERE, for those who would like more detail!

Click here for more photos.

The train ride from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes (aka Machu Picchu Pueblo) was like entering the jungle.  Everything got more and more lush,green and wet.  There was less agriculture, and more wild.  Aguas Calientes itself (named for thermal springs on the edge of town) was another kind of jungle, the tourist kind.  Obviously this is unavoidable, but for low season there sure were a lot of people: backpackers, trekkers just back from hiking the Inca Trail, well-to-do group-tour participants, and on and on.  The town offers a wide variety of lodging and restaurants, which we took advantage of as soon as we bought our bus ticket and Machu Picchu entrance ticket for the following day.  We were excited to have finally reached this 15th Century masterpiece, which became a World Heritage Site in 1983.  There are different theories about the site´s founding, purpose and use, but regardless it is a treasure.  Since it wasn´t “found” and ransacked by the Spanish, it retains many features that were lost in other archaeological sites throughout Peru and other parts of Latin America. 

We were on one of the first buses up in the morning. There is a whole fleet that leaves at 5:30 am, and we were in about the first third of the massive line to board.  Once up to Machu Picchu itself, the crowds seemed thinner, as the site is massive, and just one bus unloads at a time.  It was still raining lightly as we entered, and there were clouds handing low over Wayna Picchu (Young Mountain, the one that forms the background in all of the classic Machu Picchu photos).  We decided to take a walk on one of the alternate routes.  We passed close to the Sun Gate, where the trekkers first enter Machu Picchu, then we passed the Watchman´s Post that sits at one of the highest points of the main complex.  Behind this we followed a path about 20 minutes back to the Inca Bridge, a drawbridge on the side of a sheer mountain face that could be raised to keep trespassers out.

One back at the main complex, the sun had come out.  It was a beautiful day, and we spent the next hour or so making our way back to the entrance to Wayna Picchu.  We passed through the Main Gate, and the nearby Sun Temple (under which is a cave called the Royal Tomb, though no mummy was found in it).  Here is the famous ritual stone (this and many treasures were not destroyed due to Machu Picchu´s inaccessibility) Intihuatana, oriented so that stones point directly at the sun during the winter solstice.  The stone is also known as a “hitching post” of the sun, that holds it on its course across the sky.  At the equinox, when the sun is directly above, no shadow is cat at all!

There is also a kancha near here, a living space for extended family with various rooms and spaces.  There are other Temples, chambers, spots for astrological observation, a main square (with llamas grazing), altars, ceremonial rocks, doorways, sculptures…it seems endless.  At the far end of one level, we reached the entrance to Wayna Picchu.  Only a certain number of people are allowed up, but we got there before 9, so were numbers 121 and 122 for the day.  The walk up was very steep, and slippery in spots because of the rain.  At some points there were cables to grab hold of both to keep from falling as well as to help hoist yourself up.  Even though Machu Picchu is a little lower than some other places nearby, you still really feel the altitude with exertion.  At the very top the views are unforgettable.  Machu Picchu looks tiny, and the surrounding mountains overshadow everything.  There are a few ladders to climb, and one tight squeeze through a rocky cave at the summit, but well worth every ounce of effort.

More photos from Machu Picchu

Having left Pisaqlate in the afternoon after a LONG walk up and through the ruins, we were pretty tired by the time we changed buses in the transportation crossroads of Urubamba.  From Urubamba we jumped in a colectivo (usually a minivan or van, smaller and a little more expensive than the bus but considerably faster).  We crammed in with the others, both on one of the fold-down seats against the door.  We thought we were full when we left, but before anyone got out, we pulled over to let two ladies and their enormous bag of produce on board.  Space was made from nothing, and the door slid shut.  As the driver accelerated, the older lady fell back on Donny´s lap and pretty much had no other choice but to support herself there until, luckily, two other ladies exited a bit further down the road.

Just before wearrived in Ollantaytambo, the road turned to cobblestone.  The city is known as the Living Inca City.  It´s one of the only places on earth where things seem so untouched.  Ollantaytambo is located at the intersetion of three valleys.  It was both a strategic point, as well as a traditional resting and restocking place on the way through the Sacred Valley to Machu Picchuand other areas.  Still clearly evident are residence groups (where people still live: most commonly a courtyard surrounded by living spaces), temples, deposits (of grains and other foodstuff), lookouts and many other structures and enclosures.  Ollantaytambo was also the site of an important battle of resistance against the Spanish.  Having been chased from Cuzco to this point, the Inca forces cut off water to the valley, releasing the backed-up force of the river when the Spanish arrived, killing hundreds in the deluge that followed.  This incensed the Spanish so that they caused even more destruction to the temples and buildings than usual when they finally recovered and moved in.

We found a comfortable room easily, and had an early night after dinner.  Bright and early, we set out to the less visited side of town, following the advice of our inn´s owner.  She told us it would be warmer and less windy to climb up this side in the morning.  It was another steep climb, but well worth it.  We were able to access three separate clusters of walls, rooms and lookout spots at three different altitudes.  The largest structure was three levels of long buildings, joined together.  We later learned these were most likely storage for grain and food.  Why so high up the mountain when people lived down in the valley?  Since flooding was quite common, people knew to store extra food up high for access in times of crisis.  Also, the constant cool breeze at this altitude acted as a sort of refrigeration, keeping food longer and fresher.

Back in town, we walked up and down the cobblestone streets, those parallel to the river all had a water channel running down for drainage and irrigation.  As we were walking down the hill toward the main ruins, we came face to face with a bull on a leash.  The man walking the bull (or more honestly the man being walked by the bull) was desperately trying to encourage the bull to make a right turn off the main street.  The bull had other ideas, and walked a few meters in several directions, causing a few very nervous moments for us as well as two police officers.  We all took a few steps back, trying to see which way the bull was going to decide on.  Finally, he cooperated with the tugging on his leash, and was rewarded with a slap from the man, which in turn sent them both running down the side street!

The main ruins were simply amazing.  It was hard to think we could be more impressed than we were the previous day at Pisaq, but Ollantaytambo succeeded.  We shared a guide with a family from Lima.  Juan Carlos gave a very thorough and interesting tour through all of the main sections (there are both pre-Inca and Inca sections here).  Ollantaytambo served multiple purposes: administrative, religious, military and residential.  We first saw the Temple of the Sun, which, although deteriorated through destruction by the Spanish as well as by those who used blocks from the temple for new construction, is still a wonder.  We learned how they think hundreds of people were mobilized to bring huge monoliths to the site from the rock quarry miles away in another part of the mountain.  No one is exactly sure of the details, but as it was explained to us, the process took months to move just one slab of pink granite, and included blocking parts of the river to get the rock across.  Once high up at the site of the temple, pieces of wood and smaller rocks were used to maneuver and leverage the huge stones into place.  We also learned that ceremonial and other important places were marked by double entryways.  Some of the doorways also acted as calendars, as the sun shines through at different angles on different dates (the solstices in particular).  Below we could see where the virgins (who participated in religious ceremonies and made offerings…they were NOT sacrificed) lived.

Ollantaytambo is unique, and has some things even Machu Picchu doesn´t have: pre-Inca structures, evidence of different construction techniques and materials, and newer Inca structures built on top of older ones.  We also found how different animal shapes important to the culture were incorporated into buildings.  We saw the shapes of the condor, snake and puma most commonly in different ruins we visited.  Below the Temple of the Sun were planted terraces, stairways, passages, enclosures with niches for offerings.  There was also a section of bathing and purification with fountains and waterways.  At one spot, the bathing area of the princess, the guide showed us how, through some aspect of the water´s surface tension, you could almost shut the water off temporarily (to soap up) and turn in back on again (rinse).  It seemed like magic.  This bath also had the added feature of an upper “filter” that made the water totally pure and clean before it reached the bather.

The amount of information and the visuals that go along with it are overwhelming.  There are lots of sources online to read up on the details, but best of all would be to start planning a trip!  For photos of our visit, click here.

To travel to Pisac from Cusco is about an hour by local bus, 2.40 soles about 70 cents US.  We sat next to two women who were having a conversation in Quechua and trading goods.  One had bread and the other bananas and they seem to have made an agreeable and tasty trade.  Native Quechua speakers pronounce gracias as gra-she-as.

After stopping at 3 or 4 villages along the route to drop off and pick up passengers we arrived in Pisac, a town of about 2000 people.  We walked up a small cobblestone street toward the plaza.  We had read that the path to the ruins was at the end of the road on the left of the church.  It was. 

The path was fairly steep with many switchbacks through the Inca terraces.  We saw several flowers that we hadn’t encountered before in Peru.  Near the top, the path turned into some ancient Inca stairs straight up the terraces.  They were very tall and narrow, and on the left side there was a small channel for irrigation.  It was amazing to think we were walking up the very same steps that countless people have used to get to their village high in the mountains hundreds of years before.

We reached the top, and found three buildings in the shape of half circles with lots of windows facing the valley, most likely the guard posts.  We thought that these might be all that was left of the site until we walked over the next rise and our jaws dropped .  The complex went on and on.

There were small clusters  of ruins almost everywhere you looked, the biggest  halfway down to the valley floor and another on the ridge.  Our limited experience has taught us that the highest buildings are almost always temples and ceremonial centers.  We head for the building on the ridge.  There was some irrigation and several buildings  surrounding a huge, raised flat spot with what looked to be the remains of an altar.  There were A LOT of tour groups here,  (the first we had seen since the town of Pisac) so we looked around and continued to the next complex we could see. 

We made it to some stone walls on the side of the mountain believing we had arrived at more ruins and as we got to the corner our jaws dropped again!  There was a whole other settlement on the back side of this mountain.  There looked to be two more villages and HUGE terraces, it was a mind blowing scale of size and also in thinking of the time and effort.

As we continued around the mountain we found a tunnel.  It was directly through the rock on a sharp outcrop.  The Inca decided to go straight through instead of build a path around.  When we made it to the first group of buildings we noticed alot of old graves.  Many  Inca buried their dead in the sheer sides of mountains by making what appear to be small caves.  We also ran into another example of Inca master engineering, there were six different water channels that flowed together at the base of a large hill.  After they joined they then went on to the terraces below.  It has been said that the Incas were some of the best ancient hydraulic engineers, second  only to the Romans. 

While walking to the last complex there was a man practicing the pan flute which really enhanced the walk.  This site had many niches of several sizes in most of the buildings.  The large niches had holes through the stone on each side for what we guessed would be for rope to secure some item. 

Here we ran into a little girl hard selling woven bracelets.  We said no thanks but she persisted, then we pulled out our weapon for these types of situations–a pencil!  We’ve learned that a child will gladly except a pencil and stop asking you to buy something.  Upon learning this trick we bought a pack our pencils for 1 sol (30 cents roughly) and have been handing them out ever since.

When we arrived to the parking lot there we people selling all sorts of crafts and refreshments.  We bought a choclo (ear of giant corn) with a slice of cheese and a water.  Then it was on to haggling with the cabbies.  There were only three and immediately one left.  One of the last two was already waiting on it’s customers, so the last guy had a little more leverage than we would have liked.  We started the game and walked away to finish our choclo and discuss strategy.  We started the bidding again and he was pretty firm as he knew he was the only cab there and the walk back to town was about 7 kilometers.  We managed to talk him down 2 soles and jumped in.

Click here for Sacred Valley Photos