Damian's Blog

Days 10 - 11 - Jan 29 - 30, 2008

We took an early train ride from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu. It was about 1.5h and we passed the start of the inca trail. The train followed the Umbamba River and this is a raging river where many people ride the rapids. Class 4 and 5. It just looked extremely dangerous.
The train ride had lots of mountains to see and we could see even more ruins along the side of the tracks. We arrived in Machu Picchu town in the afternoon and we decided to walk around in the rain. We stopped at the local church in the square and admired the artwork before lighting another electronic candle like we did in Cusco.

Next we hiked to the Machu Picchu museum which has lots of information about the history of Machu Picchu and original photos from when Bingham found the site again in 1911. This is where we began to realize that this is not just a lost city, but there was lots of urban planning that occurred. They had an agricultural section and an urban section. Water was transferred via aquaducts from a nearby spring in the mountains. We should be greatful that the Spanish never found Machu Picchu or else it too would have been destroyed.

The following morning we were up at 4am to catch a bus up to the historic site. The bus takes a zig zag route up the mountain. From 6:30am - 8:30am we had a short guided tour of the site and then we had the remainder of the morning to explore the city on our own. We climbed lots of steps and saw so many buildings. 70% of the city was still in tact and only small parts had been restored. We spent over an hour just sitting around and taking in the surroundings. My fear of heights was really tested as most of the steps were steep and uneven. Of course there were no hand rails. We had times where the sky was clear and other times where the clouds/fog would roll in. We just took as many pictures as we could. By 1pm we were back on the bus back down to the town.

We had lunch then started to make the trip back to Cusco. Train back to Ollantaytambo and then bus from there to Cusco. We had heard that the Cusco futbol (soccer) was playing the next night so we asked our tour leader to get us tickets to the game. He made some phone calls and a couple hours later we had tickets. So when we get back we have another free day in Cusco where we can relax after all the climbing we did and enjoy a futbol match.

Day 9 - Jan 28, 2008

We hopped on a bus and headed to a small village called Kakaquollo just outside of Cusco. There was a very steep and narrow dirt road which I´m not sure how our bus managed to get up and down it. This town had many women weaving items made from alpaca wool. Much of the alpaca goods found in Cusco seem to be fake or of poor quality. We purchased a nice table runner and Candice bought a little purse. It feels good to support the local economy of this small village.

Next we stopped at an alpaca and llama farm. We got to get close and personal with them and fed them alfalfa. We learned of the differenes between the alpacas and llamas and also saw the difference in types of alpacas.

Next stop was the ruins of Pisac which was amazing to be standing in the middle of the sacred valley looking at a side of the mountain which was used for burial. You could see the little holes in the mountain. We spent quite some time there and took lots of pictures.

We then went to the town of Pisac and did some shopping in the market. I bought a charango, but I´m I don´t even know how to play it. I guess it gets added to my instrument collection along with the ukekele.

Next we headed to a local pub and learned about chicha. A corn beer. The first kind was yellow and just tasted like fermented corn. The second was pink and it was infused with berries. This one was very nice. They also had a guinea pig farm there. Not the petting zoo kind... the farmed food kind.

We finally got to Ollantaytambo where we visited the ruins there. Again lots more steps up and down. This one really tested my fear of heights, but I made it. Again lots and lots of pics. After the ruins we walked through the town and admired the alleyways and homes. We stumbled into a local artist´s studio and ended up buying a really nice oil painting.

Ollantaytambo is where we spent the night before taking the train to Machu Picchu.

Days 7 - 8 - Jan 26 - 27, 2008

Well rested after a difficult jungle section and all the rest we got when we first arrived had us hopping by 8am. Our city tour took us to many different inca ruins around Cusco. In Cusco there are lots of buildings which the Spanish built on top of the Incan structures and used them as a foundation. You could see that they built cathedrals and churches on top of the most important Incan sturctures. This was a way that the Spaniards attempted to destroy the Incan culture and thurst upon them Spanish cultures. About 80% of the population is now Catholic.

The Spanish arrived in Peru 1532 and started to impose their own cultures during that time. The local language at the time was Ketchwa and there are still about 7 million people here who can speak the Ketchwa language.

We spent the first day visiting many ruins around the upper part of Cusco. Then the afternoon we went to the cathedral in the main square to see all the artwork and different alters. There´s actually 3 churches inside and many alters along the sides. Unfortunately pictures or video are prohibited inside. Much of the scultures and paintings date back to 16th century. There´s even a painting of the last supper, but in this version they were eating Cuy which is Guinea Pig which is a local dish.

In the evening we went to a nice restaurant where where I had alpaca minion and Candice tried the alpaca casserole. Definitely a different and unique flavour. I´d say it tastes quite gamey maybe like deer meat. We don´t think we will be trying the guinea pig because they serve it as a whole body... sort of like a pig on a spit.

The second day in Cusco we had a free day so we hung around the Plaza de Armas hoping there would be a military parade, but that only happens on the first sunday of the month. But it was nice to just sit in the square. We then went to the Pre-Columbian Museum and shopped the rest of the day in the local markets. Early night for us since we started our journey into the Sacred Valley the next day.

Days 4 - 6 - Jan 23 - 25, 2008

We left Lima early in the morning to catch a flight to Puerto Moldonado via Cusco. When we landed in Cusco I could feel the thin air and my head was starting to hurt from the altitude. We hadn´t even gotten off the plane, just stopped to pick up passengers. When we finally got to Puerto Moldonado we had to wait in the plane for 15 min because there was a heavy down pour of rain. Since we are let off on the tarmac it would be unsafe to make us climb down the stairs and walk to the terminal in this type of weather. They told us rain doesn´t last very long in the jungle.

Puerto Moldonado is a little town which is used as a gateway to the Amazon. We stopped off at an office to pack 3 days worth of clothes into duffle bags which our porters would take to the lodge. We had to make sure we had sunblock and bug spray in our carry on since we wouldn´t see our bags until we go to the lodge at the end of the day. We were also provided rubber rain boots.

We then were transferred down to the port and took a motorized canoe down river for about 30 min. They fed us lunch (rice with tofu, egg, etc wrapped in a large leaf) on the boat. We saw a capybara on the shore which is rare. Our guide had only seen 2 of them previuosly and he lives in the amazon. When the boat docked we had to put on those rubber boots and we all grabbed walking sticks. Now we had to trek for 3km along a mud trail through the jungle. We stopped off at a check point since we were now entering a reserve. They stamped our passports and we continued along the trail. Some parts the mud was a foot deep and extremely difficult to walk through.

At the end of the trail there was a canoe waiting for us. We all hopped into the canoe and were paddled through a lake. Our guides saw movement in some trees so we paddled in that direction. As we got closer we could see through our own binoculars that there were monkeys jumping through the trees. We managed to get the canoe withing 5m of the shore and watched them jump back and forth. Not sure if any pictures turned out since it was getting too dark and they were moving too fast. It was wonderful to see wild Squirrel Monkeys playing in the Amazon.

When we finally got to the lodge it was already dark. Our room really only had 2 walls. The front and back was just a screen to keep out bugs and a curtain for privacy. We were in bed by 9:30pm since they only run the generator for a few hours in the evenings. Lights go off at 10pm. Waking up in the jungle to the site of the trees and the sounds of the birds was quite the experience.

We got up at 5:30am and boarded a catamaran which was just 2 canoes with a platform on top. We saw many different types of wild birds. Lots of macaws flying overhead. We stopped by a tree with some bats sleeping until the boat bumped the tree and they scattered. We also saw a black caiman swimming in the distance.

We returned to the lodge to have breakfast. Then went on a nature hike through the jungle. We learned of lots of different plants which had numerous medicinal properties for the locals. Saw many insects like the thorny spider and termites. Our guide even ate a termite. There is a garlic tree which smells exactly like garlic you would want to eat the bark, but the locals use it as insect repellant.

After lunch was siesta time and I managed to nap in a hammock inside the lodge but facing all the trees. Just a large bug screen in front of me.

Sunset we were back on the catamaran and looking for more animals. We got to see the squirrel monkeys again playing in the trees and as it got dark we could see bats swooping down on the lake to catch bugs. They came pretty close to our heads. In darkness the guides aimed their flashlights on the shoreline to try and find the red refletive eyes of the black caimans. We managed to see about 5 of them in the dark. They estimate that there are over 200 living in the area.

Back at the lodge we took another hike, but this time in the dark. Our night hike for about an hour took us to see many frogs and large tarantullas. We even found a tarantulla nest with lots of babies in it. Can´t imagine that we´d ever get the chance to explore the amazon let alone in the dark!

The next morning we departed the lodge and made the 45 min canoe ride back to the muddy trail. On the way we saw 6 giant otters and another 2 caimans. The 1.5h long hike was a little more difficult than coming in because the mud was more sticky, but not so deep. With the heat and humidity we were just completely wet and I bet very smelly. We still had to ride a boat another 30 min to get back to Puerto Moldonado to pick up our bags and head to the airport for Cusco.

I really feel sorry for the poor people that had to sit next to us in the plane. We had just trekked out of the jungle completely sweaty and splattered with mud. After a brief 30min flight we were now in Cusco 3500m above sea level.

We were told to take it easy to help us adjust to the altitude. So we slept most of the afternoon and just woke up long enough to have some udon noodle soup and walk around the Plaza de Armas.

Sorry there are no photos on this posting, but the internet is too slow. I´ll add one here later and there will be lots in our online album when we return.

Day 1 - Jan 20, 2008

Our first day we hired a private tour via email based on many recommendations. First we tried to contact Renato, but he was going to be on vacation so he suggested his cousin Abel. They both charge $9 USD/h. We hired Abel for the entire day and he took us all over the city.

Prior to the tour we had breakfast in the hotel which is included. Our hotel is located in miraflores district which is supposed to be a rich neighborhood. Candice loved the fresh papayas and papaya juice. We tried a fruit we had never seen before. It sort of looks like a pear, but tastes like a melon. Later Abel told us this is a pepino.

The most common stop for tours is Plaza de Armas. This is in historic Lima. Being a Sunday, we were lucky enough to catch part of sunday mass. The cathedral was built in 1564 and has lots of old artwork. It was quite an experience just being in the cathedral during mass full of locals.

We then walked around the square. They apparently have a changing of the guards cerimony every day, but we missed it. This happens in front of the Presidential Palace which is in the photo I posted earlier.

We continued to San Francisco cathedral and convent. This is where the franciscan monks live. It was built in 1674. Again there was mass and we managed to catch parts of it. You could see steps under grates in the church which lead to the catacombs. You could even see the skulls and bones from the church. We took the catacombs tour which only cost 5 soles ($1.75). We got a tour of the convent where they had a library full of books from the 15th to 17th century. Mostly written in latin.

The catacombs is not as big as the one in Paris. Candice had never been to a catacombs before. Walking under the church and seeing all these human bones and skulls in dark cramped corridors was quite spooky. We saw many other things in historic Lima, but I´ll stop here for now.

We also tried chicha morada for the first time. Abel explained that it is a local drink made of purple corn. The flavour is quite distinct and we ended up drinking this at lunch time as well. Over lunch we drove out to the coast and stopped in Lovers Park, then off to a fancy Peruvian seafood restaurant where we enjoyed Peruvian dance and song with lots different types of food. We tried ceviche which is pretty much raw fish with lemon. Not something we would eat again. Also had our first pisco sours which every tourist is supposed to try while they are here.

In the evening we went back to Lovers Park and got some really nice pictures of the sunset over the pacific ocean.



Day 2 - Jan 21, 2008

More pepinos for breakfast. We met the 6 other people from our tour in the lobby as we waited for the official GAP city tour. I knew it was only going to be a short 4h tour that is why we booked Abel the day before. We probably got more historic infomation from this tour, but it didn´t take us to as many places as we went the day before. Our 6 new friends who are all from Minneapolis area were a little dissapointed. We had a nice peruvian lunch with them before parting ways for the day. Local lunch is about 7-9 soles (<$3). This included starter, meal, dessert, and juice.

We then walked down to the coast and stopped at Larcomar Mall. This is an outside mall built into the side of the cliff which overlooks the ocean. Very modern and a mix of american and local shops. We tried some peruvian candy which I thought was chocolate, but turned out to be something different. Not very good.

In the evening I had my first cervezas of the trip. Crystal Cervezas is definitely refreshing in the Lima humidity.

Day 3 - Jan 22, 2008

We started the day shopping in the indian markets with our new friends. Mike & Anne, Jay & Marcia, Gary & Mary. They may all be retired, but they joke around like a bunch of teenagers . This will be a fun tour with them.

There were lots of nice crafts in the indian markets. We didn´t buy anything since we´ll be back in Lima for a couple of days after our tour. Lots of items made from alpaca wool. The group then took a break where Candice first tried Inca Kola which really just tastes like cream soda.

We then parted ways again with the group and headed to the local food market. Just seeing and smelling all that meat hanging out with no refridgeration was a little stomach turning. Candice still had the urge to buy passion fruit from the fruit market side. 2 for less than $1 (3 soles). We spent the afternoon walking through the busy streets finding peruvian lunch and enjoying inca kola again.

Our limited spanish is getting us by for the moment. Not many people speak english even though they learn it in school. I guess that´s like us learning french in school.

This is our final day in Lima before we head out to the Amazon Jungle. Tomorrow we fly to Puerto Moldonado and trek into the jungle where we´ll stay for the next 2 nights.

Plaza de Armas in historic Lima. We´ll add the odd picture here, but our album will be uploaded when we return.

After a 4h flight to Houston, then a 6h flight from Houston to Lima, we finally arrived in a muggy and humid city. 9 million people live here and as we drove through the streets of Lima to get to our hotel after midnight, you could see many people still out and about.

Out hotel is located in miraflores which is a very nice area of Lima. We are just about to set out and see the city. We have hired a private tour guide which costs $9/h. Exchange rate is about 1 Dollar to 3 Soles. Since we have free internet here in Lima, we should be able to post regular updates until we head into the Amazon Jungle in a few days.

The year 2007 started us off in Old Quebec City. That's where we rang in the new year and had an excellent time even though it was -20C. At that time we lived in Toronto, but 2007 was quite a year. It was a tough decision for us to move back to Vancouver in Feb and it's only now that we are almost getting settled again. That was one of our "choose your own ending" moves as we almost decided to stay put until the very last minute.

Through the year we traveled to various cities including, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Portland, Seattle, San Diego. Our plans for 2008 includes more traveling as we leave for Peru in a couple weeks. We already have plans for NYC, Las Vegas, and Whitehorse.

Poker was still profitable, but my play has slowed down quite a bit. I last played live at the Luxor in late November and last won a tournament in September at Planet Hollywood. I haven't actually played a live tournament since then.

Happy New Year for 2008!

The month of October was almost a perfect run. Ideal from every aspect. Even though I lost big hands I was able to bounce back and make it up quickly. Playing online gives you the benefit of seeing how loose the table is and what the avg pot size is prior to you sitting down. I employ 2 different strategies:

1. Sit at a loose table and play tight waiting for the nuts for a big pay off. I don't start off tight immediately. Simply play loose for the first 10-20 hands showing bluffs, etc, then tighten up and just wait it out. Yeah it gets boring and yes even when you get a donkey chasing his 4 outer he will hit once in a while and cost you a big pot. Odds say you should win more than you loose if he chases. Just raise enough to control the pot odds.

2. Sit at a tight table and play aggressive. In aggressive mode I see ~45% of the flops and preflop raise about 25%. Once the rocks see you are being over aggressive, they tend to try and switch it up and play aggressive. Most of them can't switch styles at low limits and can't adjust to that style of play. I said MOST not all, so you still have to be careful and not too reckless. Even when you catch the nuts they most likely won't believe you so it could be a pretty good payoff too.

October 2007 Graph

I was in Atlanta for business and at the same time got to visit friends. Atlanta was quite hot and humid when I got there. 30C during the day is not the type of weather we get in Vancouver on a regular basis let alone in October. My week started out great when the rental car company gave me a Mitubushi Eclipse for the week. What a fun car to be driving in this weather.

Since NHL tickets are a premium in Canada I decided to try to catch a game while in town. Atlanta Thrashers vs Ottawa Senators. The infamous poker writer Dan Katz (dlk9s) decided to join me off we were to the game using the Atlanta transit system called Marta. Looks like they use RFID in their tickets which is pretty cool. Just as a comparison using the same time at 6pm for the same distance:

Vancouver one-way transit ticket - $4.50
Atlanta one-way transit ticket - $1.75

It's amazing that you can walk up to the gate and buy NHL tickets. I guess this isn't a hockey town by any stretch since most of the lower bowl was empty. And how can you beat $38 tickets for great seats?

I also got to experience real southern BBQ. True hickory smoked ribs which also only cost $11.99 vs over $20 we'd pay in either Toronto or Vancouver. Now that the Canadian Dollar is worth more than the US Dollar this is a big difference.

As for Atlanta tourist attractions, there are only a few. I made my way to the World of Coke where they have a museum and a tasting area where you can taste all the drinks coca-cola company sells across the world. I also had no idea coke was invented by a pharmacist in 1886.



Next stop was the Georgia Aquarium. I've been to a number of aquariums, but this one is set up really nicely. There's a huge tank where a couple of whales live. Definitely a must see. Other than that, I wasn't interested in getting a tour of the US propaganda machine also known as CNN which is headquartered in Atlanta. I did take a walk through the Olympic Park which is famous for the Olympic bombing in 1996. Very nice park in the middle of downtown.

Atlanta was great, but I'm not sure I'd want to spend another 7h flying back just yet. Thanks to dlk9s for the hospitality. I'll return the favour should you find yourself in Vancouver.