In the path of the Incas - Nico and Alejandro do Machu Picchu

[Update: For those who care, I´ve added slideshows to most of the recent posts. I´ll try to get the older pictures uploaded as well.]
After a few days acclimating in the Incan capital of Cuzco while bargaining for Alpaca goods (including unbelievably soft giant matching rugs Alé and I bought) and eating fresh peas at the local market (they also had an entire aisle for potatoes), Alé and I set off on the Salkantay trail.  An alternative to the famous Inca trail, the Salkantay takes hardy souls up past 4650m to the Incan holy mountain Abu Salkantay before dropping down through the jungle and meeting up with the traditional trail en route to Machu Picchu.

From Salkantay

Highlights included being woken up in our frozen tent at 5AM with steaming cups of Coca tea, slide tackling Peruvians in an impromptu futbol match one afternoon (as the sole American for most of the game, I was nearly a liability to my own team), and quizzing the Icelandic girls in our group about former world´s strongest man Magnus ver Magnuson.
 One of the girls was herself quite strong as I found out to my detriment when she, a physical therapist, forcefully prodded several parts of my upper leg to demonstrate that one of my muscles there is "short."  She said that if I continue the exercise she taught me, it will not hurt so much next time.  Nothing like a buff therapist named Scylla [Silla] to intimidate you to follow an exercise routine.

Eli and I also had a great time with the dozen or so Israeli´s on the trip, making kiddush Friday evening (filmed by the Icelandic anthropology student for research), playing Wisk into the wee hours of the night, and learning Israeli army slang from our new friends Itai and Maya.  Those two taught us an incredible game called ¨"Sababa bakol" [Great in everything].   One person questions the group, "Would you date someone if s/he was great in everything, but this or that flaw?"  Their first example - "Sababa bakol, aval rokedet k´mo Eli [Great in everything, but dances like Eli]."  It´s basically an interactive version of Seinfeld (think man-hands, close-talker, etc.)  And you find some very interesting differences of opinion.

From Machu Picchu

After a glorious Teaneck reunion in the Lost City of the Incas with Noam, Michael, and Eliana, Alé and I climbed the adjacent mountain of Huayna Picchu for an aerial view of the city.  Stunning.


Then it was back to Cuzco and one horseback ride to the Incan ruins of SaqsayHuaman (also known as Sexy Woman) later, Noam, Eliana, and I set off to Arequipa, the White City of Peru.  Check back soon for Things no one ever, ever needs - Nico does Arequipa.