Machu Picchu - Day 2

We woke at dawn, 7:00am, packed our bags and put them in a pile. We filed into the tent we always ate in and sat down for breakfast. Half an hour later we snatched up our packs and hit the trail. 

Note trai:  uneven steps, wet, continual steps.
This was the easy part of the trail today.

Day two was forecast to be the most difficult and that was in the back of our heads as we began to walk. The trail started as an incline and did not stop. We continued to climb the relentless incline for five hours. Breaks were occasionally taken and we exchanged optimistic remarks to one another and also some pessimistic ones. 

I (Damon) was the first to summit, followed by Elena and eventually Dad, Maddie and Mom. To better understand those five hours you can simply use a stair stepper for five hours while breathing through a thick straw. The air was thin and each breath was less fulfilling than the last. The peak of our climb that day, and for the whole hike, was 13,700 ft. 

I had glorious ambitions of getting a family photo on the summit.  But I was too exhausted.  Collapsed in a heap on a rock, I managed to lift my camera to get this shot of Chad.

We stopped at the top and rested while enjoying what view the clouds permitted. Then we began again, what goes up must come down, and we went down for a long time. Soon I hated going down more than going up, luckily down is faster and we reached the camp in an hour. Lunch was waiting for us and we ate it greedily. Rest was the only thing on hour minds until dinner. After dinner the sun was setting and there was little more we could do than sleep, and sleep we did.

Blasted by cold, rainy air we crossed the summit and head down the mountain.  

- Damon

Note from mom:  I had no idea how hard this day was going to be.  No one warned me.  After an interesting night of little sleep with dogs barking, pigs rooting about and snorting, roosters crowing, and horses munching grass a few feet from my head, plus rain leaking into the tent, I awoke a bit sleepy and starting out cold and wet was a downer.  For five hours we hiked up.  As we went up, the ability to breathe went down.  I am forever thankful that we were already adapted to breathing thin air living at altitude in Bogota.  I am proud of my kids for their great attitudes and endurance and even more proud of myself for dragging my butt over this mountain.  Oh, did I mention the people who couldn't make it over being led away on horseback?

Marching to Machu Picchu - Day 1

I had been looking forward to this trip for a long time. I'm not really sure why as I didn't know much about the Incas or Machu Picchu itself.  I think it was the hike. I love being in the woods and have been a bit starved of time in nature and I hoped this would carry me though to our summer visit home. 

I also wanted another memorable family experience. I am pretty much guaranteed that the kids will not forget this time together.

We woke at 5 am, ate breakfast and boarded a van for a two hour ride to Olleyentambo.  The kids slept. I looked out the window seeing dry roads and mountains pass by. Houses made of mud bricks with metal roofs filled small communities.  

After a short stop in the quaint town we drove a bit further to reach the trail head. We unloaded in a parking lot where we met the rest of our team.  We consisted of five Fabers, one guide, a cook and seven porters for all our gear.  Yes, that sounds outrageous but there are strict limits on the amount of weight each porter can carry.  

We got in line with the 500 other people with trail permits for the day (that includes all hired staff), had our passports verified while the porters packs were weighed and were on our way. 

Porters waiting in line to have their packs weighed before entering the trail.

Across a bridge and on the trail we learned that we would not be joining with the original Inca trail until 1/2 way through the second day. Our first day of hiking was though mountain desert.  Relatively flat the hiking was easy. Cactus and scrubby bush dotted the landscape. 

We stopped to observe our first set of ruins across the river. Our guide thus began our education of the Inca way of living.  Porters steadily passed us keeping up a fast pace.  When we reached the lunch site they had a tent set up to cook and eat in, water warmed to wash with and a delicious warm meal prepared.  

Llactapata Ruins

Lunch

Desert mountains 

Rain 

We ate, rested then set out.  The porters tore down camp, passed us on the trail and had tents and bedding set up when we arrived at camp for the night.  A warm snack then a three course dinner was the perfect way to finish the night before burrowing into my sleeping bag for a good night's sleep.

Night Camp

- Kris

La Bottega

Chad and I have been getting out every few weeks for a dinner or breakfast without the kids.  Kids are great and friends are great, but really I most enjoy my time with just him.  It's more relaxing and it's more us.
While wandering the market in Usaquen one Sunday I stopped to admire a building that always grabs my attention.  It's white with bright blue shutters.  Flowers in window boxes add another splash of color.  As I was taking in all the color and texture I noticed the tile roof of the restaurant next door.  Sitting on the roof was an antique bicycle.  I was intrigued.  I looked closer and saw it was an Italian restaurant.  We peeked in, noted the name and went dining there last weekend.
The first thing of note is the intimate setting of the long, narrow space.  We chose the back of the restaurant next to a wall of wine.  We were intrigued with all the full bottles stacked against the wall.  Upright bottles next to each section showcased the type of wine being stored there.  Throughout the evening we noticed waiters consistently going to different sections of the long wall and grabbing a bottle.  I love that this was the actually storage and not all old bottles put there for ambiance!
In America we tend to think that all the food in Italy is the same.  It's obviously all like Olive Garden.  But the truth is that each section of Italy has their own style of cuisine.  Here in Bogota I've noticed that Italian restaurants seem to showcase one distinct area of Italy on their menu.  Sadly I don't remember what section of Italy the owner told us the menu focused on but the entrees  all sounded delicious.
We decided to get two and split because several things sounded so good.  I went with the risotto and Chad with a polenta with a marinara sauce and chorizo.  The risotto had more of a wild grain feel to it which was a nice twist.  We both enjoyed our meals very much.
Dessert was excellent as well.  Again they were a bit different than what I typically see.  Chad tried the tiramisu.  He will only give it a try if it is made in the restaurant.  It was definitely the best we have tried here in Bogota, but still a bit different than what I make here at home.  Considering it takes 1/2 a day to make my tiramisu  recipe, I consider it authentic!  I had a fabulous three chocolate mousse.
Following the dessert they brought a platter with heavy bottles with various liquors.  Just looking at the bottles with the heavy stoppers  brought a final elegance to the meal.
Enjoy!
Kris

Peeing on Trees

If you read the title of this post you probably assume I am talking about our dog.  But ironically, this is a skill that our male dog has not figured out.  He will get in some rather weird positions to pee, but has not grasped the concept of walking over to a tree and lifting his leg.
Rather, I am referring to the men of this city.  Now again you might jump to conclusions and determine that I am speaking of homeless men but again, you are wrong.  Just this morning I witnessed two men, one in a business suit and the other in dressy casual taking a pee against a tree in the middle of the park.  It is something I just can't comprehend.  It doesn't matter how many times I run into this situation, I just can't seem to get used to it.
The first time it happened was shortly after we arrived.  I was jogging a short ways behind a man and the next thing I knew he jumped one foot off the path and relieved himself.  I about fell over.
Fortunately I have not seen any women doing this.  I guess they have just learned the skill of waiting, but I am preparing myself so that I will not be too surprised when I see this before we leave.

- Kris

Monserrate

Monserrate is a church, and market on top of a hill. Mrs. Faber, Elena, and I went together. We took a train up to it. It had an awesome view of Bogota.  The church was really big. Then we went to the market. I ate an ant. They come in packs, but I only ate one. The rest are going to my family :). I also ate an intestine. It was very crunchy. I also had coco tea. The arepas there were really gross, and so were the chorizos. We had better arepas at the food festival later that night. Then when we were done we took a cable car down. It was very crowded inside.

Tomorrow morning I am leaving. I am so sad. Two weeks went by really fast.

I hope you have enjoyed my blogs.
Anna Buist

Poney Malta

View of Bogota

Cable Car

Cathedral

Coca tea and intestine

Market

Ant

Food plate

Embassy Kids Day

On friday we went to the embassy. We were volunteers to help with the kids. Mrs. Faber, Elena, and I helped with the 3rd-5th graders. One of our highlights of the day was a station where they announce important events. It was like a news show studio. There were camera men, people who asked questions about the Olympics, and the people to answer the questions. The kids kept rotating for who to do which job. On the last rotation, the lady controlling the news station told me and Elena to come up and be the people answering the questions. It was really fun actually. The only thing was that the questions were on flash cards, so for every rotation it was the same questions. It was still fun though.

Another highlight was that we got to see a dog show. The dogs were Colombian police dogs. They did some really cool tricks. One of them was that they lit rings on fire. Then they put the rings close enough so that the dogs couldn't land between them. It was really cool. Almost all of the dogs were German Shepard's.

Anna Buist

Dog Show

News room

Heavy vest

Andres Carne de Res

Andres Carne de Res is a restaurant with really yummy food. Elena, Maddie, and Mrs. Faber had been there before, so they knew what food they wanted to order. A chorizo, which is like a hot dog, in a bun with cheese on top. I decided to get the same thing. When we ordered the chorizos the waiter was trying to tell us that we might not like it, and so we should get four different things and share them. We told him that we all wanted the same thing. Then he sent a lady who spoke English to tell us. We again explained, and she understood, and told the other man.

It was a restaurant with a lot of junky stuff inside, but it was kind of cool. The bathrooms were old fashion  They had pull handles for the toilets instead of levers. The sink was just a valve with a lever on it. It kind of set an fun and lively atmosphere.

Cherry lemonades

With our sashes and paper crowns

While we were walking out, a worker flagged us down. He thought we were visiting Colombia. We got cardboard crowns, like the Burger King ones. We also got sashes that say illustrious visitor only in spanish. Then we got a picture with the person who gave them to us.

Anna Buist