Adventures in Cuzco

12-angled stone in Cuzco.  The Incas were known for their
incredible masonry. These stones formed a all without
any need for mortar.

Machu Picchu has always been a dream of mine.  I remember watching a special about the lost Inca city on the Discovery or History or one of those information channels when I was around 18, and thinking "I HAVE to go there!"  I was very struck by everyone's accounts of the mystique and energy abound in this sacred Inca site.  I wanted to experience it for myself!!  Of course it wouldn't have sufficed to simply take a bus or train to the mountain city.  That would be have been too easy… I wanted to trek there.  So my friend Casey and I found an agency to take us on the Salkantay Trail, one of the alternative routes that leads to Machu Picchu.  The Inca Trail, the most popular means of trekking to Machu Picchu, would have been a challenging, but gorgeous option, with village settlements and various ruin sites to see along the way.  The only problem is that everyone wants to take the Inca Trail this time of year and so 6-week advanced booking is required and you're bound to walk the trail with like hundreds of other people at the same time.  Therefore, Casey and I decided to go with Salkantay.

At the entrance to Pukapukara - an Inca fortress just outside of Cuzco.

Beautiful street in Cuzco.

After two very relaxing and pleasant days in Cusco, spent acclimating to the elevation (3,299 m), shopping, visiting local ruins, and exploring the cobblestone streets and old buildings of the city, which was once the capital of the Inca Empire old Inca, we were off on our trek.  We booked through an agency called Xtreme Tourbulencia, and were introduced to our guide, Edwin, and the 6 other girls that would join us on the trek (3 from Holland and 3 from Spain).  Edwin was a very soft-spoken, stoic man with over 10 years of experience in everything from trekking, guiding and mountain climbing to working in national reserves throughout Peru.  We also met our chef and assistant chef, Palemon and Yon, and the mule shepherd and his 12-year-old son, Fernando and Yacfreth.  All of the staff on our trek spoke both Quechua and Spanish, and Edwin's English was also very good.  

We were told to carry a day pack with essentials and layers for the changing temperatures, while our chefs and shepherds would lead the mules carrying our actual packs and our food.  They were also doing the trek, but were always arriving before us to prepare our camp and our food.  I was reminded of my experiences climbing Mt. Meru in Tanzania, where we were always outdone by the impressive porters that carried their clients' bags up the mountain, cooked their food, and ate separately from them.  Our mules looked well-fed and healthy, and I felt less guilty about the idea of my stuff being carried by mules than by people.  But I wanted the opportunity to get to know our contracted counterparts a little better.  The trail was so intense and the schedule so rushed that I didn't really get this opportunity in the 3 days that we were with our chefs and shepherds (I didn't even get a picture of them).

View on Day 1 of our hike.

Day 1 was a northbound approach to the Salkantay pass, trekking up some steep hills and walking along a water channel.  I could feel the temperature dropping as we approached the snowy mountain peaks in the distance.  Edwin chose appropriate times for taking breaks, took the opportunity to tell us a great deal about the different plants that we were seeing along the trail.  Our trek started that day in Casamarco, which is named for a plant that grows in the area, Marco; the plant is fed to guinea pigs, and somehow in the digestion process, the plant helps to rid them of the fleas and parasites that dwell in their hides, keeping them healthy for eating (I forgot to get a picture).  At around 5pm, after about 7 hours of hiking, we arrived at our camp for the night, which was right at the base of the Salkantay pass.   I looked at the looming mountains covered in snow, and felt a little bit of anxiety about what was waiting for us the next day.  The sun wasn't even down yet and I was already really cold.  Luckily Casey had an extra jacket for me to borrow.   

Mules carrying packs for trekkers.

And even more wonderful was the dinner that Palemon and Yon had prepared for us.  We ate like royalty during the entire trek.  Soups, appetizers, and entrees with many different side options; and all food that was perfect for trekking…full of protein, but not too heavy or difficult to digest.  The dining set up was also very impressive.  At times I felt a little uncomfortable with how nice everything was.  I would have been happy to eat rice and meat on the floor with the people who were cooking for us and carrying our things.  But I guess that's just not the way it's done when you purchase a trek tour.

Day 2: you can imagine.
I think we were only 30% done with our hike
when I took this picture, and I was already wiped out.

Day 2 was one of the most intense and challenging days of my life.  We awoke at 5am that morning, ate breakfast and set off.  Two of the Spanish girls were having some problems, probably feeling the effects of altitude sickness (and maybe a little exhaustion from lack of physical activity).  I remember just feeling really anxious.  It was already raining (thank goodness I remembered my rain poncho), and the temperature kept dropping the further we walked; eventually it started snowing, and it continued for the next several hours.  I was wearing every layer I had packed, and my day pack was pretty burdensome containing my very heavy camera, snacks, and liquids.   I couldn't feel my toes or fingertips for a good three hours, but luckily I was wearing some pretty decent hiking boots that kept my feet completely dry as we trekked through creeks and muddy trails.  Also, Casey and I were sharing walking sticks, and it was my turn to use them that day…. those things saved my life.  I made very slow progress up the pass, but I did it.  When we reached the highest peak (called Abra Salkantay) at 4600m, I was physically spent, but really happy.  I had a dramatic breakdown on the way up and cried to Casey that I didn't think I was going to make it.  She patted me on the head and encouraged me to keep going. 

The Dutch girls, Casey and me at the Abra Salkantay peak (4600m)
after about 3 hours of hiking through snow and rain.

Same girls and me at the end of our 10 hours of hiking on Day 2.
The Spanish girls weren't far behind.
You can barely see the snowy mountain we had
just hiked around.  Notice the jungle behind us.

We had to descend to make our way out of the pass, and after lunch the snow was gone and we found ourselves amidst Andean jungle.  The extreme terrain changes were unbelievable.  I think we must have hiked for 10 hours that day and who knows how many kilometers we covered.  It was incredible.  That night Casey and I looked at the stars with little Yacfreth, using the Star Gazer app on my phone to figure out which constellations we were looking at.  Apparently Scorpio is very visible in the Southern Hemisphere this time of year.

View from Day 3 hike.  The Santa Teresa river is
flowing through the hills, you can barely see it.

Day 3 was a (relatively) short 4-hour hike along the Santa Teresa River, which is essentially water from the melting glaciers that we had just hiked around.  I couldn't believe how fertile and gorgeous these lands were.  I couldn't remember the last time I was surrounded by such natural beauty.  It was exhilarating and rejuvenating for me to be in this environment, after spending the last year in cities.  This was also the day we got to enjoy the Santa Teresa hot springs.  They had three different pools full of happy tourists and locals, each pool had a different temperature, with the hottest probably at about 40 degrees Celsius.   Being in the water was like being in a womb, my muscles ached so much and my body was so tired; and the cold air was like ice when I lifted a limb out of the water.  That night all the different trekking groups gathered around a bonfire in the camp site and danced to the salsa and electronic music that a DJ was playing somewhere, blasting on really loud speakers.  We'd just said goodbye to our chefs and shepherds who would not be joining us for the last two days of the trek; we pooled together some tips to show our appreciation and Edwin initiated the formal despedida ceremony.

Breakfast on our last morning with our chefs.

I tried to speak Spanish with Edwin as often as possible and I asked him a lot of questions about the landscape and the people in the area.  He knew most of the other guides on the trail and they often spoke Quechua with each other.  He also knew bits of Italian and Portuguese.  He'd grown up in the mountains of Cusco and loved his heritage and his people.  He also had a good sense of humor and a great deal of patience with those of us who might have complained or delayed every once in a while.  At one point on Day 2, Edwin put a couple girls on mules because they were having such a hard time.  He brought up the back and tried not to let anyone fall behind him.  

Stream that joins with the Urubamba River.
On the way to Aguas Calientes on Day 4

Day 4 was the most lax part of the trek.  We hiked along the train tracks that ran from the Hydroelectric station all the way to Aguas Calientes (a small town at the base of Machu Picchu where most tourists stop over before heading up to see the ruins).  We spent the night in the little town and were up at 5am the next morning to catch a bus by 6:30am up the mountain to Machu Picchu.  The number of tourists was really overwhelming for me.  Lines for everything: for the bus, for the bathroom, for the entrance, for food.  When we entered the site, Edwin gave us a very long introduction to the Inca civilization and the construction of Machu Picchu, but I was distracted by the loud tourists calling to each other across the ruins.  Things settled after a while, and Edwin gave us a very informed tour of the city and all of its interesting aspects.  We saw their irrigation mechanisms, temples, living quarters, and places of worship and star-gazing.  

Yes, I took this picture.  Check out the Facebook album
for more pictures of the trek and Machu Picchu

According to historians, Machu Picchu was built on lands that were considered very sacred to the Incas.  Ritual offerings and many other artifacts were found in different parts of the city by Hiram Bingham, the man who "discovered" Machu Picchu in 1911 (and whom on the Indiana Jones character is based).  Also specific parts of the city were constructed in accordance with astronomical alignments and often served as predictors of significant astronomical events, like the equinoxes (which were important for the agricultural practices of the Inca people).   The Spaniards never found Machu Picchu during their conquest of Perú, and therefore the city was not destroyed or plundered as was the case in other parts of the country.  Somehow Machu Picchu was kept a secret from European invaders for over 300 years.  Even now, this UNESCO world heritage site and the famous Inca Trail leading to it are threatened by the tourist  traffic that comes through every year.

View on top of Huayna Picchu.

Casey and I also enjoyed an incredibly intense hike up Huayna Picchu (the big mountain you always see behind Machu Picchu in all the guidebook pictures), where we saw amazing views of the surrounding landscape and of the city itself.  I think that was probably my favorite part of the day.  Only 400 people are permitted to climb Huayna Picchu each day and therefore Casey and I were able to separate ourselves from the hoards of tourists and meditate a little bit on the gorgeous vistas.  I was tired and spent from 5 days of obscene amounts of hiking (I think we covered 50km on foot), but I was relaxed and comfortable on the mountain, finally able to enjoy the fruit of all my efforts and proud for having brought myself here with my own two feet (well for the most part).

Yay!!  Casey and me at the end of our 5-day adventure!

The next morning, I was back in Lima, ready to plan my next trip (to Arequipa) and finish up the research project I started 2 months before.  I'm starting to fall really behind on my posts, but hopefully I can have another one up with details on the project in the next week or so!

Think I'll pass on the pork from now on...

mosquito dissecting!!

So, when I last left off, I was exploring the fascinating activities behind outbreak investigations of infectious diseases.  There are many possible sources for a disease outbreak, and they come in different forms, therefore, it is critical to cover many bases during the investigation.  We learned that this a multi-faceted undertaking that requires collaboration among experts in different fields.  Everyone from doctors to zoologists to social scientists to lab technicians and more.  This course allowed us to meander down all these different avenues.

bait and Shannon trap

We went from larvae collecting and mosquito trapping in the first week, to rodent/bat trapping and animal necropsies in our second week.  After a nice day at the beach where I finally worked on my tan under the equatorial sun (much more efficient), we returned to the lab to make rat bait and label our traps.  At around 6pm, our group set up 36 traps in a dry rice field, each with a small ball of bait inside (consisting of peanut butter, oatmeal, raisins, and a lot of vanilla extract) and placed about 5 meters apart; the coordinates of each trap were taken using a GPS device.  At 5am the next morning, we returned to the field and found that at least 30% of those traps contained rodents.  It was pretty interesting to pick up the light, metal trap (wearing gloves of course) very cautiously and see if the trap door was shut or not.  Sometimes the door was shut but there was no animal inside (the sign of a poor trapping device), and sometimes, the smell of excrement indicated the presence of an animal before you even checked the door.

Thy setting up our traps..

these getups were extremely uncomfortable and hot!!

Later, we dissected and sampled some of the those mice, wearing Tyvek getups complete with rubber boots, battery-operated air pumps, air masks, and two layers of latex gloves.   That day, I received the most hands-on anatomy lesson of my life from the fine zoologists at NAMRU-6 who had flown in from Lima to contribute to the course.  If you've never heard of NAMRU, it's definitely worth looking up.  It was a bit of an ethical dilemma (not to mention emotional upheaval) for me to take the life of a cute little mouse and then desecrate its body the way I did, but I did it and have accepted my decision.  I wanted a field epidemiology experience and I certainly got it.

aawwww little insectivore!!

We also learned how to trap bats, using a very fine net that looks like natted women's hair (according to some of our colleagues) and is very easy to tangle.  It's best to put the nets up just before dusk and check them every 30 minutes to an hour for trapped bats.  We set up three nets and caught two bats: an insectivore and an herbivore.  I'd never seen bats that close up before.

heading out to see the mangroves!!

mangrove trees!

Another perk: we went bird watching in the national mangrove reserve in Tumbes!!  I had never seen mangroves before and certainly never really understood what it takes to catch flocks of birds in their natural habitats!  Too bad I didn't take my telephoto lens with me that day.  I would have been able to capture photographs of some of the beautiful birds that are native to the reserve, specifically the blue herring and the cool flamingoes that live there.  Either way, the mangroves were very impressive and it was fun to walk through the marshy terrain to get to the birds, where we hunted for fresh bird droppings that would be tested for influenza and other diseases in the event of an outbreak.


WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES AHEAD!!!

pig being euthanized.

Finally, came the necropsy of a pig heavily infected with Cysticercosis, a tissue infection that results from exposure to eggs from taenia, or tapeworm.  In Tumbes, Cysticercosis is endemic among pigs and humans, causing epilepsy and other complications in the latter.  If humans consume poorly cooked meat that belonged to a pig infected with the disease, they ingest the developed eggs (cysticerci - almost like larvae) contained within the meat, which grow into adult tapeworm.  Tapeworm in our small intestine is relatively benign compared with actual Cysticercosis in humans.  However the eggs that the tapeworm lays within the human digestive system are excreted in human feces and will reinfect the agent via the fecal-oral route, causing Cysticercosis.  Here is where the huge problem develops.  Cysticercosis seems to cause little-to-no physical symptoms in pigs, but can be extremely burdensome for humans.   The ingested eggs will penetrate the intestinal wall and circulate to the muscles (causing inflammation and calcification) and brain (causing seizures).

cysts on pig's heart

Pigs and humans become infected with Cysticercosis by consuming human feces that contains tapeworm eggs.  If either pigs or humans are consuming contaminated feces, it is the result of poor hygiene or poor maintenance of livestock, both of which are associated with poverty and lack of education or instruction.  Often times, a pig's worth is determined by whether or not it is infected with Cysticercosis (you can tell by pulling out its tongue and looking for cysts).  Often, people will knowingly sell contaminated meat in order to survive and feed their families.  Would you throw away the meat of your infected 200 lb pig if it meant putting food on the table for your family?  And what would you do if you didn't have enough money to buy wood to build a fence to keep your livestock separate from humans and their excrement?  The Cysticercosis center that hosted us in Tumbes is doing an operational research project in the area where they go out to the field to collect human feces samples and offer treatment with diagnosis, as well as test all pigs for the disease in order to keep humans from consuming contaminated meat.  If a pig is infected, the center will attempt to purchase the pig from the farmer or household for above market value (considering it is diseased), in order to keep the pig from being sold to unsuspecting clients.

infected pig meat

if you look really closely, you can see the cysts on the pig's brain

So we dissected this pig to determine just how much cysticerci were growing in its body.  First the pig was euthanized, and then its throat was slit.  The corpse was drained and skinned and then all organs are removed.  The meat was then cut into enough pieces for each of us to extract 30 healthy cysticerci for testing.  It was a pretty disgusting process and I actually haven't touched pork since that day.  I'm pretty grossed out by the animal to be honest.

But yea.. that was our field epidemiology course in Tumbes (in a nutshell).  I'm really grateful for the entire experience, most of which was subsidized by the same program that allowed me to spend the last 3 months in Perú.  I met some awesome students in the course and have also been adopted by a few employees at NAMRU whose brains I've been picking for advice and guidance as I try to find my own niche in the world of research and health interventions.

Next post: Cusco, Salkantay Trek, and my long anticipated visit to Machu Picchu - the highlight of my time in Perú.  Hopefully it won't take me a month to get this post up!!!

Field epidemiology in Tumbes, Perú - Investigation and Deduction Among Uber Nerds

the view from my hotel room.
days have been so busy we haven't had time to enjoy the beach yet!

Greetings from Tumbes!!  I'm in the the smallest district in Perú, about 10 miles from the border with Ecuador, and I'll be spending the next week here!!  This area has a nice, warm climate, with gorgeous beaches and landscapes.  It is dotted with rice fields and palm plantations and is home to one of the most famous mangrove sanctuaries in the world.

rice field in Tumbes

Unfortunately, Tumbes is also endemic with malaria and dengue fever.  We are here for a field epidemiology course, learning applied skills on everything that goes into an outbreak investigation.  Today is day 5 of the course, and while I am very exhausted from 6 hours of sleep every night and long days, with meals spread very far apart, I have to admit that this has been the most interesting part of my trip to Peru so far.

we found larvae in this water tank in a woman's backyard.
she lives by herself and is unable to clean the tank out on her own. 
(photo credit: Amit Kumar)

In the last few days I have learned a great deal about vector-borne and infectious diseases.  Two days ago, we split into teams and went door-to-door in a local community with reported victims of dengue fever to try and find more cases and determine if they are experiencing an outbreak.  We conducted the surveys we created (in Spanish), asking about whether household members were experiencing symptoms specific to dengue fever and malaria (such as fever, chills, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and body aches), along with some other questions.  For the most part, people were very keen on allowing us into their home to interview them, examine their water tanks, and take samples of their blood (if they were showing symptoms) or their water tank (if we found mosquito larvae).  

trapping mosquitoes near a pig pen
(they like animal smell)

By the way, mosquitoes are pretty crafty and resilient creatures that can do a lot of damage if their presence isn't controlled.  For example, the female Aedes Aegypti mosquito, which transmits dengue fever, bites humans during the day (contrary to what most local people think) and resides near their homes, laying its eggs in places like water storage tanks or near pools of stagnant water.  These eggs can last up to a year without water. Once they do find stagnant water, the eggs hatch into larvae and eventually develop into mature, dengue-spreading mosquitoes.  

looking for Aedes Aegypti larvae and pupa in a
community cemetery (there were definitely
households within 50m of this area)

We spent the better part of today dumping water out of ad-hoc flower pots in the local cemetery, where we found ridiculous amounts of Aedes Aegypti larvae and pupae flourishing.  Despite the fact that water is strictly forbidden in the cemetery, the local people desire to pay respects to their deceased loved ones, and leave flowers in water for their relatives on a weekly basis. If community members do not routinely clean out their water tanks or eliminate areas where water can stagnate, especially during the rainy season, they are at extremely high risk for contracting illnesses like dengue fever. It only takes one infected person and a female Aedes Aegypti mosquito for an outbreak to occur, as the mosquito spreads the disease to all its victims once it bites an infected individual.  These mosquitoes can cover up to a 50 meter radius from their larva pool.  And that's just one type of mosquito!!!!

Anopheles pupae

more larvae trapping!

We've also collected larvae and pupae of the Anopheles species from a nearby farm with a very polluted stream running around the perimeter.  The female Anopheles transmits malaria to its victims, and likes to bite them at night.  The differences between these two species are subtle but significant.  It basically means that humans in these tropical climates are quite vulnerable to contracting vector-borne diseases at almost all times of the day, and are even more vulnerable if they are impoverished and cannot afford preventative measures like insect repellant, mosquito nets, and well constructed housing that keeps vectors out.    

trapping live, adult mosquitoes for dissection!!

In summary, the two biggest things I've taken away from this course and my time in Tumbes so far:

1.  A new-found awe for mosquitoes and all the havoc they cause, as well as other crazy, disgusting infectious parasites

2.  A fascination with field research and epidemiology (and potentially a new career path if I can play my cards right)

Stay tuned for a post on Cysticercosis and photos of animal necropsies (nerd alert!).  

Weekend Escape!

This past weekend I took my first trip outside the city with three girlfriends and we had a phenomenal time.  We'd decided that a nice getaway weekend was in order, after several weeks in big, bustling Lima.  Some long-term ex-pats suggested we visit two sleepy farming towns called Canta and Obrajillo, which are nestled in the midst of beautiful, lush mountains and waterfalls.   Needless to say, we were sold! 

on the way to Obrajillo

On top of getting off to a late (9am) start on Saturday morning, we ran into several technical difficulties.  These included two hours of negotiating the poorly (as in not) paved roads and popping a tire (which took another hour to get repaired); turning back 15km from our destination to eat lunch because the roads were closed for repairs; sending our initial taxi back to Lima because we thought it would be easy to pick up another one (haha); and spending an hour waving at cars and buses that were completely full, hoping we could somehow catch a ride now that the roads were open again.  Finally, at 7pm, we checked into our hostel in Obrajillo and I was already feeling some mild effects of what I'm assuming was altitude sickness.  

someone will pick us up, right?

But at this point, it didn't matter.  The air was clear and the cloud haze/smog and exhaust smells were gone!!  The hills were greener and I could hear the river down the way.  AND to our pleasant surprise, we happened to visit right when the town was in the midst of its patron saint festival! Obrajillo was honoring San Juan Bautista (John the Baptist) with over 48 hours of eating, drinking (rum), dancing in the streets to live music provided by several different ensembles, burning a massive monument erected in honor of San Juan, and a grand procession though the town with his likeness.  It was almost like being back in New Orleans, the town was so merry and there were even little drunkies passed out on the streets!  

veggies for the feast

Our hostel happened to be right next to the community feasting area, and we were welcomed very graciously to share their food and take part in the celebrations.  They'd obviously slaughtered a cow for the occasion, and at least 7 different women were involved in the food preparations.  Agustín, a most interesting man with enough energy to fuel an army and the warmest spirit you've ever encountered, took my friend Anna's hand and danced her in circles to a saxophone and harp ensemble that was performing, while the rest of us found dance partners or dance circles to join.  We also met and spoke with several village elders who conveyed their delight in receiving us, and their hope that we would take away a good impression of la provincia.  They are proud of their culture and their pueblito, where they have lived in peace and solidarity, tending to their thriving farms and healthy livestock.  I felt very safe and comfortable here, the most relaxed I've been since I left the US.  And I'm pretty convinced we were probably the only non-Peruvians in town.  

party animal Agustín leading everyone in dance

wish we could have seen this thing on fire!!

Unfortunately, we didn't last long enough that night to witness the monumental bonfire that we'd been eagerly anticipating (apparently the flames went up at about 3am).  This thing had to be at least 30ft tall, made up of bamboo-like wood, and covered in fuses that would eventually be set on fire.  The townspeople really put us to shame on every possible level, as they all danced in cold until sunrise, and were still going strong when we woke up to the sound of fireworks, gunshots, and yes, more music.  

on horseback

After a scenic horseback ride to some gorgeous waterfalls and a hike to a nice vista point, we returned to town and photographed the solemn procession led by the town bishop.  I also tried several different new foods and drinks including a granola/cereal bar "a la provincia," homemade cheese, coca tea, and cow tripe soup (sorry to say, not really a fan).  I chickened out at my chance to try cuy (guinea pig), but I'm sure I will have another opportunity when I leave Lima.  

We set off for Lima at about 4pm on Sunday and made it home in half the time it took us to get there.  The successes of the weekend lifted my spirits and made me anxious to get back here to share it with y'all.

Arrival: Initial Shock and Recovery

2 weeks ago, I landed in Lima with two massive bags, two cameras, my laptop, and an incredibly anxious, but eager state of mind.  I arrived at an apartment known as the "Gringo House" (quite famous among expat students that come here) in Miraflores, one of the richest districts in Lima.  I walked outside our building the next morning, and was somewhat bemused to find a McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Burger King, and Chili's, all on the same block in my neighborhood.  Did I leave the US? I mean there are communities in the states where you hear a different language when you walk down the street and still find those very franchises within blocks of each other.  

It really was a trip to see so many US fast food chains. Until, of course, I stumbled on a mercado with vegetable and fruit stands, where vendors were selling unrecognizable produce, and butchers with their meat out in the open.  And I thought to myself, "Aahhhhh, now I'm in Latin America."   It's really easy to forget that the US isn't economically millions of light years ahead of the rest of the world anymore.  I don't really know what I was expecting in coming to Perú's capital city, but it definitely wasn't Starbucks and Pinkberry (no joke, they are also right down the street).  I shouldn't be surprised though. According to the BBC, Peru has one of the fastest growing economies in the world.  It also has incredible amounts of poverty.

My research site, San Juan de Miraflores, does not have any such fast food establishments.  It is located on the outskirts of Lima, amidst sand and rock, poor roads, and stray dogs.  It really is night and day.  I struggle to switch between the two worlds in my everyday routine out here, but I'm slowly getting used to it.  I guess it's very similar to New Orleans in some ways.

I fit in really well amongst the petite, dark-haired Peruvians (except in my study site, where my new, brand-named clothes give me away).  And my Spanish is improving tremendously.  In a few weeks I'll be venturing up to Tumbes, near the Ecuador border.  It's supposed to be hotter than hell up there.  And the seafood is to die for.  Eventually I will also make my way to other parts of Perú, including Cuzco and Arequipa, where I will do some hiking up to Machu Pichu and in the Colca Canyon, which is more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon.  Maybe I'll even make it over to the Amazon regions of Perú!!

More updates to come… stay tuned.