Machu Picchu

The remarkable city of Machu Picchu represents the pinnacle of Incan civilization, an extraordinary example of 15^th century engineering and will power which has enticed tourists since its discovery in the early 1900’s. However, to the Inca and Peruvians it remains a sacred shrine to the days of true independence, before the Spanish conquest and disease that brought down this once great civilization. Although the Spanish never documented discovering Machu Picchu, the site was abandoned around the time of their invasion. It stands today as the shining example of the Inca people, shrouded in mystery 8000ft into the clouds that guard it.

Above the clouds

There are several, well documented routes to the city of Machu Picchu. Having to forgo the Inca trail  due to seasonal closures, we opted to train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Caliente. This particular course is very popular among backpackers, due to the overall low cost compared to the more expensive journey from Cuzco.

Peru Rail

Peru Rail dropped us into Aguas Caliente at night, and above the loud chatter of the hundreds of tourists we could hear the raging river that slices through the city. There is a booming tourism industry in Aguas. Restaurants compete for your business as you walk the crowded streets; realizing the validity of what every guide book says about the place – tourist trap!Â

Just know that going in. Certainly don’t treat every shop owner and hostel clerk as such, but be prepared to hold ground if you feel like you’re getting ripped off.

Our plan was to rise early and catch the first bus up to the city. Many travelers, plus guide books suggest getting there first thing, before the masses arrive from Cusco. We had pre-bought our tickets through the Peruvian bureau of tourism’s website, which to our dismay was still working out the kinks. Armed with what we thought were passes to enter the site, we headed down to the bus stop at 4:30am. We were about the 10^th group in line and liked our chances of being the first group at the site this morning.

About 5:30 they started boarding the bus and as we get to the ticket lady, I go to hand her exact amount of soles needed to ride and we are quickly escorted out of line and told to buy our tickets at the tiny kiosk 50 meters up the road. As it turns out, despite us asking several times, you must buy your bus ticket before you board! So, as it turned out we ended up boarding the seventh bus instead of the first, but were still optimistic about seeing the ruins not overrun with tourists.

We get to the top after the nerve racking ride up the unpaved, semi collapsing road to the top. As we exit we rush straight to the entrance. I hand the woman our passports and tickets, she scans them and looks up at us but didn’t need to say anything, because I already knew. Your tickets are not valid. We had missed the tiny detail on the bottom of our tickets that read “no pagan” – not paid. Most places would let you buy tickets at the entrance, but not here which we knew from every guide book.  We had to go back down and buy our passes in Aguas Caliente. Upset and humiliated we decided to forgo the $10 bus ride and walk back down and about halfway down, it began to downpour.

When we finally sorted it all out, what ensued was a picture taking frenzy and amazement. As you look

out at the surroundings and you realize the randomness of the city, curiosity is peaked – how did they build all this up here? What was it for? Chel’s and I walked around, speculating: A vacation getaway for the Inca elite, perhaps.

Woah! Neverending!

The plan all along was to exit the airport and explore the capital city so we could pile on another country to our growing list. No lines at immigration, thanks to a smooth process by Mexican authorities helped put

our minds at ease. The only minor inconvenience was that we had to collect our bags and pass through customs, but again, an easy process. After pacing back and forth between money changers finding the best rate and one to exchange our aussie dollars we stashed our bags with the left luggage service and boarded the commuter bus to the metro,

and on to the city center.

Street Art!

We found Mexico City had an extensive, cheap, and userfriendly metro system. In no time we were walking the downtown streets taking in the bright colors and wonderful smells of the street vendors lining the roadsides. It didn’t take long for us to find some cheap goods, a must for every US citizen visiting Mexico; a new pair of sunnies for Chels that came with a whopping price tag of $1.75USD. Not even five minutes later, we were sampling the local fare, a trend that continued throughout the day.

yummy! First sampling of the street food

We set out for Zocalo, one of the largest city squares in the world. Although the sheer size of it was impressive, and it housed one of the most massive flags

I’ve ever seen flying… there was NOTHING there! No vendors, no street food, no art or street performers. So we walked across it, and that was that. On the other side of the square stood the Metropolitan Cathedral, which boasts the title of being the largest cathedral in the Americas! It was very impressive both inside and out, and worth a quick peak!

Zocalo Square

Next we headed for the main pedestrian strip which had an overload of jewelry and gold shops, and not enough cafes. We did find a super local spot to eat in that was PACKED with Mexicans… tacos served out of a huge bucket. We had no idea what we were ordering, but this man that spoke a bit of English ordered for us! It was delicious but a bit unsettling on the tummy!

Local taco shop!

We started walking again and soon found ourselves wandering around Alameda Central Park, which was full of vendors! Finally, we found the fun stuff! Anything you could possibly want, you could find at these markets, whether it be food, souvenirs, art, or everyday supplies like batteries and razors. Of course, Brad and I had to avoid any urge to purchase something, so made our way to one of the other free museums in the city..which happened to be very cool.. the National Cultural Museum. It houses artifacts and information about past and present cultures of the human race!

Egyptians!

When 5pm came around, we decided we should head back to avoid “the dangers of Mexico city”, although we actually felt safer walking around there than many places in Central America. Only 6 more hours to kill in the airport before our flight to Lima, Peru. By the time it came to board the plane, we were ready to PASS out! Before we knew it, we had landed in Lima and were on our way to the Cruz del Sur bus station for another 7 hour wait before our ride.

Fun in the Airport!

A few episodes of “How I Met Your Mother” later, and we were boarding the nicest bus we’ve ever been on! The leather seats reclined almost all the way, with a pillow, blanket, headphones, movies and food service! Like a plane, but roomier, which made the 24-hours we were about to spend on it go by much smoother!

Cruz del Sur

So after a 4am taxi ride ->plane ride -> 15 hour layover in Mexico City with metro/bus/taxis -> plane ride -> taxi ride with 6 hour layover in Lima ->24 hour bus ride to Cusco -> taxi ride to another bus terminal -> shared van to Urubamba! FINALLY…we arrived at our couchsurfers in the beautiful Sacred Valley I think we beat our Honduras/Nicaraguan border crossing experience with multiple modes of travel!

These statues were everywhere...all different!

After an intense border crossing, and a night in Liberia, we were happy to arrive at our couchsurfer, Justine’s cozy abode. She actually lived in a quaint little town called Belen, just outside of Heredia and about 20

minutes from the city center. Justine herself was a spark of life and ended up taking us in 3 days earlier than we planned…and for 3 days longer!

Justine...you're the best!

Brad had come down with a cough, so after a couple days full of rest and vitamins, we finally made it out into the city. Guess who decided to join us too..yet again..our long-lost couchsurfer Alex! The 4 of us headed for La Sabana park with a soccer ball in one hand and a camera in the other. The park in San Jose is full of life! Everywhere you look, there are kids playing soccer, couples enjoying a picnic, baseball games and artwork all around. We kicked around the ball for a while, watched Alex ride around on a unicycle that he saw someone have in the park, and then enjoyed some fresh coconut juice while watching the baseball game!

Fun in the park!

Whale Skeleton?

Fresh coconut juice!

Yay that Justine was with us, because she casually asked if her and Brad could join in the game, and they accepted! Brad joyously waited in the hot sun for a chance to feel the ball touch his glove (didn’t happen…these guys weren’t the best baseball players around!) before getting a chance at bat! Justine actually DID get a chance to catch a couple balls

in the outfield…but also didn’t happen haha! (LOVE YA!)

Brad up at bat!

After enjoying the outdoors, Justine went to work, and Alex, Brad and I checked out a museum close by, then went to check out the markets. The pedestrian street is quite nice, with lots of shopping, although not as many cafe’s as I would have liked! The markets were bustling with anything you could possible want. On the top of our list… deliciously unhealthy cheese tortillas!

Cheese tortilla wrapped in a banana leaf!

Before we knew it, it was time to leave Costa Rica. Although we didn’t do a whole lot in San Jose, it was the company we were surrounded with that made it such a pleasure! Alex…always great to see you,

and Justine, you were such a fun gracious host! Until next time Central America. Now for the long journey to Peru!

Bye bye Central America!

Central Costa Rica - Santa Elena

This is a country where Chels and I could spend months. All of the things I previously mentioned are exactly what get our juices flowing, but as I also mentioned it’s expensive. Unfortunately because of our tight budget we were forced to choose only one cool thing for our ten days on the Rich Coast. After much deliberation and consideration we went with Monteverde’s Cloud Forest.

Art Gallery in Santa Elena

The town of Monteverde is mostly protected forest so the majority of visitors stay in the neighboring town of Santa Elena, but getting here is no short trip. Set 1400 meters (4600ft) above sea level the roads into town are mostly unpaved and wind through the gorgeous countrysides peaks and vallys. Santa Elena is a small but friendly village with a mountain-town feel and upon arrival we were reminded of what we came for. A large electronic billboard advertises videos of bungee jumping, tarzan swinging, canyoning and ziplining seducing the adventourus. With a number of available activities to choose from we had to make yet another tough decision.

Sloth Backpackers

Sloth Backpackers was our hostel of choice. It was just outside of the hustle and bustle in town, and offered a really cute and cozy atmosphere. Run by 2 sisters, they help you organize anything you want from tours to tranport. The breakfast is delicious and legitimate compared to some of the bread and jam breakfasts other hostels offer. The only complaint was that man…MARK YOUR FOOD! The second you leave the kitchen with ANY item unmarked (even salt, oil, dressing!) the sisters grab it up and lock it in their cupboard. We lost out on our butter and popcorn because of their well..greed.

DUO about to fly

Under the recomendation of passing travellers and Kelly we narrowed it down to ziplining (canopy tour) and canyoning. Canyoning is sort of deceptive in it’s name because from what I can tell, involves no canyons. Basically you absail down eleven flowing waterfalls – pretty excellent but comes with a price tag of $50. The other option, ziplining, is probably how the area became famous amoung backpackers and is the most popular. A series of 20 odd platforms strung together with metel cables takes you on a wild tour of the cloud forest offering some great views at high speeds; all for around $45.

Good to Go

At first we decided on doing both, but our bank accounts had the final say and we ended up choosing the zipline canopy tour. Out of the serveral companies that offer this we went with EXTREMO because they have the fastest and longest lines. They arranged a pick up from our hostel and provided/dressed us up in the required gear once you’re there. After a quick demonstration of the essentials: what to do if you get stuck; how to slow down/stop; ect., we were off. They start you off light; a couple of short ones before you get hooked on for a big one. The day we went the wind was howling and it was raining. In these circumstances you pair up with someone on long lines so that you don’t get stuck in the middle. So together, Chels and I whizzed 800 meters over Monteverde’s famous cloud forest!

zipline action

..more zipline

Now they call this a canopy tour but lets face it, it’s about the ziplining. I guess a few times we were able to appreciate they beautiful scenery around us, but it was more of an ancillary benefit than the focus.

Suspension Bridge!

After about 12 or 13 cables and a speedy repel , they let you experience the “Tarzan Swing”…and it’s scary!! All of a sudden, they are attaching all these cables to you, tell you to squat…and before you know it, you’re being pushed off the edge and start falling before it turns into a huge swing across the canopy! It is AWESOME! !! What a rush. Brad swung out so high that he almost hit a tree! To catch you, they throw a big rubber inflatable out in front of you to hold you in while they un-hook you!

Tarzan stopper!

After we watch everyone scream and laugh until they cry on the swing, we set out on a hike to the top of the canopy where we are set to experience the much-anticipated “Superman”. This was a highlight simply because of the length of the zipline that allowed you to truly appreciate the beauty below you! They connect you from your back, pull each foot up into a harness behind you, and away you go…face-down like superman for a kilometer .. flying over a beautiful valley of lush green below!

Flying!!

coming in for the landing

Afterwards, with everyones adrenaline pumping, they give you the option to experience the MEGA-Tarzan Swing or Bungee Jump! It would have been tempting if it weren’t for finances, but now we have

something to look forward to next time we visit Costa Rica

EXTREME!!!

If it is one thing that Monteverde’s tour companies do well that is combining nature with adventure. We could have spent all ten days here just trying out all the crazy stunts you can pull, if time and budget would have allowed. No doubt we’ll be back one day, with wads of cash, ready to raise the heartrate a few bpm!

Beautiful sunset!

We stayed in Pacha Mama, a very gringo hostel but with a great chilled-out environment right by the beach, AND a pancake breakfast with free coffee all-day long (Brad’s heaven?!)

We checked out some stellar sunsets on the beach there, played some football, and of course watched the superbowl. WOn’t mention the outcome…except that, that was the night we cut all of Brad’s locks off with a pair of cheap paper scissors haha! A LITTLE…under the influence. Turned out surprisingly nice though!

Beautiful locks! :)

All the hair!

All gone!

Soon enough, we began our terror journey to Costa Rica. First step, bus ride to Rivas….easy! Hop on another bus to the border town…easy! THEN, we get in line at the border….what turned into 3 grueling hours in the heat. First we get in a line in the sun just to pay this border town a small fee to get through the gate to the actual immigration. Then we hop in this MASSIVE line that seems to move so slow that its moving backwards. Probably because it practically was…we were getting cut left and right by locals. We found out that there are actually professional line-cutters that get paid to cut the line, and then bring the group of people up! grrrr!

Eventually we got through, paid our tax, and walked 1km or so at noon across to the Costa Rican immigration, which we thought would be much more civilized. NOPE…even worse line cutters. In fact,

at one point Brad blocked the way of these guys trying to move up in line in front of us, and then the guy behind us pushed in front, then the guy behind him…and so on! It was GREAT..everyone was standing up to this line-cutter because of Brad’s inititative!

Crossing the border!

We get stamped for 10 days and on the (much nicer) bus to Liberia! FINALLY! Our plan was to make it to Montezuma, but after a 3 hour delay at the border… that wasn’t happening, so we stayed in Liberia the night and worked out our next move! Already though, we noticed a huge difference in Costa Rica. While sitting in the main square in town, we noticed kids playing…riding their skateboards, running around, texting on their cellphones! NOT trying to sell us everything and anything under the sun…it was refreshing after 2 months of fighting off these poor kids everywhere else.

So with only 10 days in beautiful Costa Rica, we knew we were going to enjoy them! Pura Vida!

6am ferry to La Ceiba (to mainland Honduras), taxi ride to the bus terminal, 2-hour wait, then a 6-hour bus ride (not so bad)! Unfortunately there is no way to make it to Leon, Nicaragua in a day. We wanted to avoid staying overnight in the capital, Tegucigalpa, so stopped in the little colonial town of Comayagua where we had couchsurfers awaiting us THANK GOD!

Aside from the Bay Islands, Honduras didn’t feel like the safest place to travel through, so we were happy to feel safe in someones home we could trust! Andrea and Jimmy were AWESOME…took us to eat some delicious Honduran food, made us feel so welcome AND had an adorable kitten for me to play with Sorry Jimmy for not speaking Spanish!! A nice hiatus from the long Caribbean to Pacific coast drive!

BEST Baleadas ever!!! With Andrea!

The next leg was CRAZY! Woke up at 5am to catch a taxi to the highway that runs outside of town. From there, we caught a really nice van that seemed to be for more upscale locals to the capital Tegucigalpa. What should have been a nice smoothe ride ended up being nerve-wrecking when a policeman stepped on halfway through. Should be comforting right? WRONG! Not only were all the locals upset and anxious-looking when he entered, but this cop was basically standing on top of me, his massive rifle rubbing on my shoulder

and almost on Brad’s foot, and his handgun in my face…along with his crotch!!! All this the day after our couchsurfer had just told us how corrupt the police are in Honduras and how it has become #1 country for murders… peace-corp were pulled out and all! My heart was PUMPING..I had to close my eyes to stop thinking about it! 30 minutes later, he got off and everyone on the bus could breathe again!

FINALLY arrived in Tegucigalpa, Where the bus stations are scattered throughout the city.So another taxi ride it was to the bus station, where we waited an hour before hopping on a comfortable greyhound-style bus to a town close to the Honduran/Nicaraguan border. Next we were rushed into a crappy hot cramped shuttle van where we were transported right to the border.

What happened next was just pure chaos. As we’re driving in, this Honduran man spots us (2 Gringos) in the front of a van, and starts SPRINTING towards us trying to grab on to the window! At first I thought he was trying to catch us and rob the shuttle!! Haha but NO, he wanted our business. We hop out and BOOM…Brad and I have never had so many touts surrounding us trying to exchange money and convince us to take THEIR rickshaw over the others. We went with the sprinter because of his enthusiasm and effort Slowly, we Rickshawed to the border, got our stamp OUT, and continued to slowly be bicycled the 1km to the Nicaraguan entrance.

Woo FINALLY to Nicaragua!

Next was a decent walk through barren nothingness where we eventually found a sad-looking chicken bus that went ALL THE WAY TO LEON! YAY!! By now we were pouring sweat in the middle of the day, so grabbed a drink and endured the ride on the sunny side of the bus! We thought it was funny we were the ONLY ones sitting on the left side of the bus!

The bus dropped us off on the highway where we grabbed ONE more taxi to our hostel…only to find out they had NOT received our booking, and didn’t have room for us! All ended fine though, the hostel across the road had room and after 11 hours of taxi-> van-> taxi->Greyhound-> Shuttle-> Rickshaw-> Chicken Bus-> Taxi…and only $12 out-of-pocket…we CRASHED!

Out home for the next week!

Our journey to Utila was broken up into two parts, the first of which was a 12 hour multi-bus haul from San Pedro, Guatemala to Copan Ruinas, Hondurus. From there it took another 12 hours on buses and a floating fortress to get to Utila. Exhausting as it was, we were pumped to be on an island again and got there just in time to watch the sunset over the Carribean.

Marta came to meet us YAY!!

Our goal while on Utila was to become PADI certified – open water divers, which means we can scuba dive anywhere in the world up to 18m/60feet. We had arranged with a CS, Talon, who is working as an instructor, to recieve our certification via Deep Blue Divers.

The course requires you to read 5 chapters in the textbook which you are later tested on; watch the corresponding 5 videos; put your knowledge to action with 5 confined water dives (off the dock) and give those skills a try in 4 open water dives at depth. All dive shops also throw in two free “fun dives” once you have completed the course. All this, plus free accomodation while you are becoming certified for $250 USD! Thanks to a steady supply of backpackers and numerous dive shops, it’s a deal that can be found at any dive shop on the island.

Brad studying! :)

Our instuctor Henry was amazing. Any uncertainty we had about this potentially life-threatening activity going in, was erased because of his patient and confident teaching style.Â

With out instructor Henry at Deep Blue Divers!

We took it slow at first, wanting to make sure we were prepared. As we progressed, we naturally gained more confidence up to our first open water dive. This is a very exciting point in the course because, for the first time, you enter the water from a boat and explore the reef. Lucky for us, 10 minutes into the dive we saw a Spotted Eagle Ray, one of the most graceful looking swimmers you could ever hope to see!

First boat ride...SO NERVOUS!

Brad's Backroll... Bond style!

Eagle Rays!

Being a good diver requires you to achieve neutral boyancy where you are literally weightless like a floating astronaut. A sensation unlike any other… on top of breathing underwater. Pretty soon Chelsea and I had the skills down pat, clearing our masks, buddy breathing, learning the signals, preparing gear, ect.

Practicing out skills on the ocean floor!

After our fourth and final open water dive, Chelsea and I were announced to the crowd of scuba divers on the boat that we were officially Open Water Divers. After everyone finished clapping one of the dive masters on board spotted some dolphins swimming around a nearby boat. We quickly called the other divers that were still in the water to the surface and as soon as they got on the boat we took off to get a closer look.

I thought they might be scared by

the boat but as we got closer, dolphins were breaching on all sides of us. Immediately we all slid into the water, snorkles only (by law) and started swimming towards the pod. It was a mad house, close to 20 swimmers in the water all dying for a chance to swim with

wild dolphins.

Come PLAY!

We all swam and swam for what seemed like 10 minutes spotting one or two swimming beneath. It appeared

that we might have scared them off and so I stopped swimming.(I didn’t!!!!) Looking around at the surface, some were still chasing them (me) but most seemed to have given up as well. But as I took another look in the water I saw two whiz by me. Then, another and another. Pretty soon there were dolphins everywhere, some spinning, circling around us, swimming within inches of my outstretched hand. At this point I remember relaxing in the water, not being able to move just in awe of the events unfolding around me. We were playing with wild dolphins! This is one of the most amazing things I have ever done. Seeing these incredible creatures that close and that playful was a moving experience!

YAY DOLPHINS!!

Our last day on the islands, we teamed up with Henry and another Couchsurfer, Vince for a shore dive. He led us through these caverns and tunnels through the reef spotting colorful and interesting marine life. It turned out to be the best dive we had. Huge cave crabs, Yellow Sting Rays buried in the sand, sea cucumbers that looked like giant slugs underwater – amazing

things we didn’t even know existed.

Breathing underwater!

It’s certainly hard to top swimming with dolphins as the best part about Utila, but overall our time there was one of the most memorable on our entire trip. Breathing underwater is such a cool feeling and because of it, a whole new world has opened up for us to explore.. As if there wasn’t enough to explore already!

Sunrise the morning we left!