Tres Chimbadas Oxbow Lake

Bird by the lake
Originally uploaded by Vincent Ma.

Another bird on a tree
Originally uploaded by Vincent Ma.

A bird drying his wings..
Originally uploaded by Vincent Ma.

Piranha, meat eating fish

Okay, piranha teeth are sharp!
Originally uploaded by Vincent Ma.

Where are the monkeys?

Monkeys!
Originally uploaded by Vincent Ma.

Leaving Tambopata

Partial group shot
Originally uploaded by Vincent Ma.

Rio Tambopata from the air
Originally uploaded by Vincent Ma.

Alpaca Farm, Cusco->Puno
Originally uploaded by Vincent Ma.

When: Day 11
Location: On the road, from Cusco to Puno

In the itinerary, this day, we "enjoy spectacular views of the countryside of this full day of travel through the high Altiplano from Cuzco to Puno."  That's it, that's all the description for day 11.  While we did spend the whole day travelling in a mini-van, I didn't get to see much spectacular views as I was feeling sick the whole time.

A fellow tour member knew it first thing in the morning when he saw me.  He asked me why did I do everything slowly.  I didn't know it at the time, but I hardly had the breath to answer him.  A couple hours into travelling, my stomach hurted so bad, I couldn't even say a word to anybody.  Our tour guide saw me not doing so good, so he stopped the van and let me out for a breather.  I thought I felt a bit better and got back on the van and continue the ride.  Next thing I know, I started throwing up.  The driver stopped the van right the way and let me out (or maybe more like kicking me out), falling on my knees, I let it all out.  Last time I vomit, it was probably back in HK when I was a kid.  Anyway, I felt much better after all of my breakfast and the dinner last night came out; I could speak again.  I asked for some wet napkins and sort of clean up.

The floor near the driver was a mess; I guess it was good thing that I sat in the front at that time.  A little easier for the driver to clean up; it would've been real ugly if it was at the back of the van.  I didn't vomit for the rest of the trip, but my stomach still hurt quite a bit, and I kept wanting to go to the toilet, thinking it may relieve a bit.  That's why when we got to the Alpaca farm, I spent the whole time in the bathroom.  I've gotta say, they have the nicest bathroom the whole countryside.  Reason being, the Alpaca farm is really catering to Japanese tourists, selling some nice alpaca products.  So while I was struggling in the bathroom, rest of the group were having some fun with the alpacas there.

Two things I can blame my misfortune on: High Altitude and Tiramisu; the whole way between Cusco and Puno is at high altitude.  Cusco is at 11600 feet altitude, and Puno is at 12628.  In fact, we took a brief stop at the highest point of the whole trip, 4335m, or 14222 feet.  Thanks to the tour guide, I managed to get a photo of me standing next to the sign.

From Puno - Lake Titikaka

It was my lowlight of the trip, but it was definitely an unforgettable experience.  I will definitely be more careful of what I eat while travelling (what was I thinking, Tiramisu in Peru?)  Peru's highland region really does have some nice countryside views, too bad I was holding my belly most of the time, instead of my camera.

From Puno - Lake Titikaka

Before going on this trip, I spent quite a bit of time and money on getting stuff in preparing for the trip.  It turns out not everything I got was that useful.  In fact, there were times we had to re-pack our luggages and leave behind some of the stuff at the hotel, so I was well aware of what things I did not use at all.  Here is my rating of the stuff I brought with me to Peru:

Backpack cover (C-)
- would have been useful if we actually bring our big backpacks to the jungle and Inca Trail, but they were in hotel most of the time, never in danger of getting wet

Waterproof daypack (A-)
- it's actually a little big for daypack, but I was carrying it everywhere, and it does keep everything dry in there

Travel quick dry towels (B-)
- used them once in camping on the trail; it does absorb water pretty quickly, but I forgot to wash them before using them for the first time, so it was a little dirty

Hiking boots (A+)
- love my new hiking boots; Gore-tex, waterproof and all; my feet were never in pain

Hiking socks (A+)
- 4 pairs for daily walking (and quick dry after wash), 4 pairs for more hardcore hiking; worked out very good, worth the money I spent (more than $40)

Knee-length socks (C-)
- only pair of socks I didn't use; it was meant for using with rubber boots they have in the jungle, but I just keep using my hiking boots

Inner sheet for sleeping bag (C-)
- any bed sheets would've worked

Thermal underwear/tights (C-)
- it was never that cold, so they were left untouched

Travel underwear (B+)
- there was almost no need for these quick dry after wash underwear; I used hotel laundry service twice, but I did have to wash them myself once.  They did get dry pretty quickly

Windproof/waterproof jacket (A+)
- love my new Gore-tex XCR jacket, a must while hiking in the rain

Binoculars (B-)
- my cheap binoculars helped me a bit on bird watching in the jungle

Head Flashlight (A+)
- very useful in the jungle and the trail at night

Compass (C-)
- never had to use it; tour guides know their way

Water proof camera case (B-)
- I almost had to use it in Machu Picchu; other than that, there was really no need

Rain poncho (B-)
- used it once while in the jungle; served its purpose

Walking Stick (A-)
- very useful hiking uphill; not so much going downhill

1. How did you survive your trip to Peru?
• Contrary to mis-info circulated at church, I didn't go on those "survivor" trip; in fact it was a "comfort" tour, we were well taken care of
2. How long were you there for?
• 2 weeks; of them, 2 nights were spent on the flights
3. Did you get sick?
• Yes, there was one day I got quite sick; stomach ache, threw up real good in a van on our way to Lake Titikaka
4. What do you like the most about this trip?
• Being in a totally different world, and still feel comfrotable enough in it
5. What did you learn from this trip?
• First thing comes to my mind, people work quite hard there, expecailly the people who help us in our tour.  And the cities there remind me of Hong Kong back in the old days, early 80's and before, the time when people are working hard to build up their economy
6. What Peruvian dishes did you try?
• Guinea pig (a lot of bones, almost like pigeons), a little bit of Ceviche (raw fish "smoked" by lemon juice)
7. Where are the pictures?
• mostly in my hard drive.  I am slowly posting pictures to MSN Spaces.