Beijing

China is surely a country of superlatives and huge numbers. With a population of 1,315,844,000, a culture dating over 3000 years, and inventing ice cream over 4000 years ago China has an amazing history and culture.

Arriving at the Beijing airport - the largest building we have ever been in - was just the type of thing we were expecting to see. After Joe and David had a taste of home at the Starbucks in the airport (Steve doesn't drink coffee), we were ready to start our month in China!

Although Beijing has a population of 17,430,000, we were pleasantly surprised by the how clean, orderly, and uncrowded it felt. This is the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests in the Temple of Heaven which was first built 500 years ago.

The next day we made our way to the Forbidden City which was built 600 years ago as a palace for the Chinese emerors. The large open courtyards look like they'd fit a small airport into them. They had just repainted everything in the original vibrant colors and gold leaf paint for the Olympic visitors... it was spectacular!

We learned that Emperors had over 100 concubines who would line up every evening outside their community living quarters in the hopes that the Emperor would select them for his pleasure. But more than one tour guide told us that Emperors died young because they "used too much of their energy with the concubines". Only one emperor was long-lived (to 89) because "he spent much time in quiet and meditation". Our guide sternly warned us not to expend too much energy as the Emperors did... "only once every 7 to 10 days if you want to live a long life". (With 1.3 billion people, we don't think most Chinese took our guide's advice!)

Of course, we had to visit the Great Wall. We heard about a section of the wall farther from Beijing where it was rumored we could avoid the oppressive crowds. Sure enough, we had about 8 kilometers of the wall almost completely to ourselves. It was a breathtaking to see the massive wall stretch up and down mountains and curve like a snake over the horizon. It was built, rebuilt, and maintained between the 6th century BC and the 16th century to protect the northern borders of the Chinese empire from attacks. The Great Wall stretches over 4,000 miles. At its peak, it was guarded by more than a million soldiers. It has been estimated that somewhere between 2-3 million Chinese died over the centuries to build the wall.

For our next experience in massive building projects, we visited the Summer Palace, where the Emperor would retire to be cooled by the breezes off the lake during Beijing summers.

And, of course, we had to visit Tiananmen Square to see the largest public square in the world and get a picture with Chairman Mao. We decided to skip seeing his pubblicly-displayed embalmed body since it's rumored that they sometimes switch it with a wax version instead.

After several days of spectacular sights in Beijing, it was time to mingle with a few million Chinese on the train system as we began to explore the history, culture, scenery, and people of this amazing country.

- David and Steve

Cuzco and Machu Picchu

At 10,000 feet in the Peruvian Andes, Cuzco is the gateway to the Inca Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. Its narrow cobblestone streets, Inca stone foundations, and Spanish colonial architecture mix with the bright colors and intricate patterns you see in the traditional dress and hand-woven goods in markets around every corner.

With a couple days to acclimate to the altitude before our hike, we took a tour of the Sacred Valley. Spectacular Andean peaks with lush green valleys were the backdrop for Incan ruins high on the slopes. You have to give the Incas credit for choosing real estate with breathtaking views. That was probably little consolation to the laborers who had to move multi-ton stones up steep mountainsides from quarries miles away. One of the most amazing aspects of many sites is that they didn't use any mortar to join the stones. Instead, the stones were cut and placed so that the seams are flawless with precise angles of inclination to create strength and resist seismic shocks.

At our pre-hike briefing, we met Virgillo and Dalmiro, our guides, and the other 13 people who would be hiking the Inca trail with us: 8 from Ireland, 2 from the Czech Republic, 2 from Colorado, and 1 from Holland. We'd be hiking 48 kilometers (about 30 miles) over 3 days, with just a short bit on the 4th morning to arrive at the Sun Gate of Machu Picchu for sunrise. We'd ascend several mountain passes between 9,000 and almost 14,000 feet on the trail that the Incas built about 600-700 years ago to the sacred city of Machu Picchu. The Incas did such a good job keeping it secret and hiding the trail that it wasn't discovered again until 1911. At the end of the pre-brief, the guides handed us our ground pads and thick down sleeping bags for cold mountain nights that often drop below freezing. (Like all our photos, just click on the map to see the detail... then your Back button to return).

At 6am the next morning, we boarded a mini bus to Kilometer 82, the official starting point for our 4-day trek. From the valley, climbing the peaks ahead looked daunting. After passing through the first control station (only 300 permits a day are issued for hikers), we started our adventure on a beautiful sunny day. We had a fun and interesting group to hike with, and everyone was able to keep a fairly quick pace, so we made good time. Joe, David, and I, plus the 2 Czechs were the only ones who carried full packs. Everyone else hired porters to carry their gear, other than a small day pack.

For our group of 16 hikers, we had 22 porters (including cooks) to carry all the tents, cooking gear, food, emergency equipment, and the other hikers' gear. The porters were amazing - carrying up to 25 kg (55 pounds) on their backs and literally running past us as we were gasping for air. All the porters had prior military service and were in amazing shape. They often take only one or two days rest before starting on another trek. Any one of them could probably carry us up the mountain and they were some of the nicest guys you'll ever meet.

Along the way, we found out that David has a special affinity for llamas. Who knew?

At the end of the first day, our guide let us hike at our own pace. That's when the fog started to roll in and it started to rain, so visibility was poor. I was behind the lead group but ahead of several other hikers. Passing one of the campsites about 4:30, I pressed on, since our guide estimated we'd reach camp about 6:00 pm. Believing I'd fallen behind, I hiked up a steep part of the trail for another 1.5 hours, not seeing anyone else for a long time. When night started to fall, I realized that the campsite I passed must have been the stopping point for the day. Since it was too dangerous to descend the slippery rock trail at night, I realized I might have to spend the night on the trail at about 11,000 feet. I quickly changed into warm, dry clothes, ate some granola bars, put on my headlamp, and prayed for help. I decided to hike for no more than an hour in the dark before finding a good place to spend the night. I was hoping to find another campsite higher on the trail... while I was also trying to recall all my Scout survival skills.

30 minutes later, I heard voices ahead of me on the trail. I was relieved to arrive at a campsite where a couple from London and their guide took me in, fed me, and gave me a tent to sleep in for the night. (I later learned that the campsite I reached was the last one for about 10 km.) Unfortunately, I had no way to relay a message down the mountain to my group. I knew they'd be worried and looking frantically for me. The guide assured me they would send a porter up the trail looking for me within hours. Sure enough, a porter arrived 3 hours later with a radio to send word down the mountain that they'd found me, but not before Joe, David, and several others spent about 3 hours hiking up and down the trail looking for me. It all turned out well and my group was glad to see me the next morning.

The second day was the most challenging, especially when we had to climb about 3,000 feet to almost 14,000 feet to cross "Dead Woman's Pass". After we caught our breath and took pictures at the highest elevation of our trek, we immediately descended about 2,000 feet before having to start up another mountain pass. Even though our leg muscles were in agony, we saw some of the most beautiful panoramas on earth. We'd survived the hardest day.

The third day was easy by comparison. We stopped to see several Inca ruins along the way, including the Inca "fountain of youth". Our legs were still sore, but feeling stronger now. The group kept a fast pace and we were at our campsite by 3 pm to get our big reward... an 8 minute shower with hot water for 5 soles (about $1.70). After another delicious dinner (all of our food was amazing... pumpkin soup, pizza made from scratch, banana pancakes, stir-fried vegetables, chicken cordon bleu, chocolate pudding), we all went to sleep early.

At 4 am on the fourth day, we were up, ate a quick breakfast, and got on the trail for our last 2 hours of hiking.. As the sun was coming up, we crested the final hill at the Sun Gate to look down on Machu PIcchu. It was awesome!!! On the winter solstice each year (around Dec 21), a shaft of sunlight splits the Sun Gate and shines into a small window in the Sun Temple in Machu Picchu far below.

We spent the next several hours touring Machu Picchu before the tourist buses arrived en masse. For me, the hike was one of the most physically demanding things I've ever done, but also one of the most fulfilling. To see the spectacular creation of God together with the impressive creation of an ancient culture, and to know we earned these amazing views by hiking on the same trail the Incas used was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I hope you get to experience it some day.

- Steve

Buenos Aires, Argentina

"Hey America - I love you, I love you, I love you forever". I didn't know exactly how to respond to words that rolled so easily off of the street vender's lips. I mean, did she really love me? Was I actually the one? Or did she just want me to buy the hot dogs that had been sitting in her bin all day? Well, since finding love wasn´t on the list, we carried on looking for a place to rest our heads, find some new friends and have an experience to tell you about.


Meet Paul Defatta. There is nothing like stepping out of your hotel room and being graced with a master guitarist and vocalist echoing the brilliance of James Taylor and Cat Stevens. Paul and his Colombian-born wife, Rocio, had traveled over 5000 miles by bus from Houston Texas to Buenos Aires Argentina, and had decided that now was a good time to spend about a month there. Paul just needed to "keep his fingers loose" which properly translated means, "some of the absolute best live music I've heard in my life!".

Our free private concerts were only matched by some great conversations we had at an incredible pizza place. Good food was certainly not hard to come by in Argentina - steak, pastas, pizzas, you can´t go wrong. This was our favorite pizza and empanada place just a half block from our hotel. Open until 4 am for the late night Buenos Aires culture.

When not eating or listening to Paul, we figured we should get out and see Buenos Aires. Sunday was the Primera Dia de Primavera and the whole city came alive with musicians, dancers, antique venders (I´ve never seen so many pocket watches in my life!), bakers selling empanadas as big as your head and countless other street performers. After weaving our way through the crowded street fairs, we decided to check out a plaza on the other side of town. It was filled with thousands of people, from Hare Krishnas jumping and chanting about, more street vendors selling their own take on fine silver, and free concerts around every corner.

All the Argentineans were amazed to see that even Zac Efron of High School Musical wanted in on the festival action! Even the boys wanted a picture with him! Can you blame them!?

And who could forget Tango? Argentina is synonymous with Tango. With dancers on the street, even Grandmothers want their turn. Let's just say that we gave all those other guys a run for their money (that's right, 3.10 in peso contributions from passers by - watch out world!). Sadly though, we weren't able to adjust to 2 am starting time of Argentinean night life, so Joe never got to show off his dance skills for the hip Argentinean crowd.

We spent a couple hours on our last day at Buenos Aires' cemetery, something everyone told us we had to see. Located in the center of town, families have bought their way into one of the most exclusive cemeteries in the world (Evita Peron rests here). It looks more like a small city than a cemetery. Granite facades and marble sculptures were garnished with gold, stained glass windows, all done with exquisite detail. Even in death, the rich of Buenos Aires try to outdo each other with extravagant homes.

Before we knew it, it was time to pick up our laundry and get ready for the Inca Trial and one of the greatest man-made wonders of the world, Machu Picchu. Until next time! Ciao!

- Joe