#ands its 7:40 am

[dangerbound]

Hey now Flaky, d-don’t cry! Here.. look, it’s the flower i’ll place upon your g r a v e.

[slytherinclaw-malfoy]

Prompts list: (Draco Malfoy X reader )

Choose and comment or message me💚

To request: "Hello, can you write the story of the number______?"

1- perfect smile

2- question mark

3-cozy night

4- the stars

5- Fancy Pants

6- Sugar addicted

7- Good vibes

8- Honey Honey

9- Dream Catcher

10- Drama Queen

11- sing along

12- telephone tag

13- coffee or tea

14- Secret whispers

15- Sound of thunder

16- Warehouse

17- Street Artwork

18- True Friendship

19- Perfect Picture

20- Mirror Mirror

21- The Help

22- Random Wink

23- The dictionary

24- Magic Lamp

25- Just say no

26- Fear factor

27- what's my name?

28- fire flies

29- the meal

30- Scot-free

31-What Am I, Chopped Liver?

32- Goody two-shoes

33- Back to the drawing board

34- Playing for keeps

35- jig is up

36- Eat my Hat

37- Like father, like

38- up in arms

39- A Fool and His Money are Soon Parted

40- Drive Me Nuts

41- Keep Your Shirt On

42- Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining

43-Give a Man a Fish

45-There's No I in Team

46-Don't Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch

47-Birds of a Feather Flock Together

48-Cry Over Spilt Milk

49- It's Not Brain Surgery

50-Love Birds

51-Beating Around the Bush

52-Head Over Heels

53- Keep Your Eyes Peeled

54-A Piece of Cake

55-Mouth-watering

56-Happy as a Clam

57- No Ifs, Ands, or Buts

58- Fish Out Of Water

59-Go For Broke

60-A Chip on Your Shoulder

61- Par For the Course

62- Dropping Like Flies

63-Break The Ice

64- Jumping the Gun

65- Raining Cats and Dogs

66- What Goes Up Must Come Down

68-High And Dry

69- If You Can't Stand the Heat, Get Out of the Kitchen

70- Foaming At The Mouth

71- Quality time

72-An Arm and a Leg

73-On the Same Page

74-Lovey Dovey

75-Between a Rock and a Hard Place

76-Poke Fun At

77-Throw In the Towel

78-Go Out On a Limb

79-On Cloud Nine

80-Two Down, One to Go

81-Yada Yada

82-Down To The Wire

83-Barking Up The Wrong Tree

84-Everything But The Kitchen Sink

85-You Can't Judge a Book By Its Cover

86-Shot In the Dark

87-Hard Pill to Swallow

88-Needle In a Haystack

89-Cry Wolf

90-Under Your Nose

91-Knuckle Down

92-Money Doesn't Grow On Trees

93- Pickle

94-Masquerade Ball

95- Too Drunk

96- Fifty other excuses

97-Couples discount

98- Popcorn

99- Muggle?!

100- Closed doors

101 - Backhanded insult

102 - Dirty Laundry

103 - Natural wonders

104- Fairy tales

105- Family heirloom

106 - Red faced

107 - Last person

108- Dancing shoes

109- The professor

110- Eavesdropper

111- Memory lane

112- Darkness my old friend

113- Routine exam

114- Heroic gesture

115- The potion...

116- Miniature dollhouse

118- Handle with care

119- Book worm

120- Sound of silence

121- Favourite number

122- Light bulb

123- Green Thumb

124 - The unknown

125- The joker

126- Lost letter

127 - The greeter

128- Not Normal

129 - Random page

130 - The cleaner

131- Missed connections

132- Purple Haze

133- The glance

134- Peak outside

135- Status Update

136- Apple and oranges

137- perfect recipe

Lot's of kisses🥰

[papermoonloveslucy]

HUMILIATED & UNHAPPY

July 16, 1960

TV Guide ~ July 16-22, 1960 (Vol.8, No.29 & Issue #381) Cover photo by Sherm Weisberg, Fashions by Sacks Fifth Avenue

This was Lucille Ball’s tenth (of 39) TV Guide covers. 

“A VISIT WITH LUCILLE BALL” by Dan Jenkins

On January 19, 1953, Desi Arnaz rushed exultantly into the Hollywood Brown Derby, grinning that wide, idiotic grin common to new fathers for the past several eons. Striding down a side isle, he threw his arms excitedly in the air and shouted, "Now we got everythin'!" By "everythin'," Arnaz was encompassing quite a bit of territory - an eight-pound son born that morning, the birth of the Ricardo son on ‘I Love Lucy’ that same night and a gold-plated peak of popularity for a television series which, in all probability, will never again be approached. On May 4, 1960, just seven years later, Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball, quite possibly the most widely known couple in show-business history, were divorced. She had sued for divorce once before (she didn't complete the proceedings), but that was back in 1944 when Desi was a corporal in the Army, Lucy was a star at MGM and World War II was getting all the headlines. By 1960, the Lucy-Desi combine had made so many headlines that no one even bothered to look at the press-clipping scrapbooks any more, or the countless awards that had rolled in on them from all over the country. On an overcast spring afternoon, just 10 days after the divorce, Lucille Ball was sitting in her small but tastefully decorated dressing room on the Desilu lot. That morning, during a short drive over to the neighboring Paramount lot to confer with the producers of her upcoming picture with Bob Hope, she had stuck her head out the window of her chauffeur-driven car and shouted to a friend, "Hi! Remember me? I used to work at Desilu." The remark was not only typical of Lucy Ball but an unwitting reflection of her character and a classic off-the-cuff example of the laugh-clown-laugh tradition. Like most true clowns, Lucy is not a jovial, outgoing person. Her devastating sense of humor, often with a cutting edge, is reserved for her friends. In her dealings with the press she is precise, truthful - and sparing with words. A newsman asked her recently if she had plans to marry again. Lucy stared at him for a few seconds and said simply, "No." (1) The newsman felt that Lucy had missed her calling and should be rushed into the negotiations with Khrushchev forthwith. Relaxing (which is to say, at least sitting down for a few minutes) with an old friend in her dressing room that spring afternoon, Lucy alternated between abrupt sentences and spilled-over paragraphs. On the subject of her immediate plans, she talked almost as though by rote. "I start rehearsals this week for a picture with Bob Hope. It's called 'The Facts of Life.' [She did not wince at the title.] I liked it the minute I read the script and said I'd do it if Bob would. It's written and produced by Norman Panama and Melvin Frank. We have a 10-week shooting schedule. "Then I go to New York with the two children, my mother and two maids. We have a seven-room apartment on 69th Street at Lexington. I'll start rehearsals right away for a Broadway show, 'Wildcat.' It's a comedy with music, not a musical comedy, but the music is important. I play a girl wildcatter in the Southwestern oil fields around the turn of the century. It was written by N. Richard Nash, who wrote 'The Rainmaker.' He is co-producer with Michael Kidd, the director. We're still looking for a leading man. I want an unknown. He has to be big, husky, around 40. He has to be able to throw me around, and I'm a pretty big girl. He has to be able to sing, at least a little. (2) I have to sing, too. It's pretty bad. When I practice, I hold my hands over my ears. We open out of town - I don't know where - and come to New York in December. [Ed. Note: ‘Wildcat’ is now scheduled to make its debut in Philadelphia in November.] (3) "I'm terrified. I've never been on the stage before, except in 'Dream Girl' years ago. But we always filmed ‘I Love Lucy’ before a live audience. I knew a long time ago that I was eventually going to go to Broadway and that's one reason why we shot Lucy that way. But I'm still terrified. The contract for the play runs 18 months. Maybe it will last that long. Maybe longer. And maybe it will last three days." (4) The phone rang. A man's voice, the resonant kind which a telephone seems to make louder, wanted to know if Lucy would like to go out that night. Lucy's expression indicated that the whole idea was a bore but the man prattled on. He apparently had a commitment to attend a young night-club singer's act. "I've seen him twice already," Lucy said into the phone, "and his press agent is now saying I've been there eight times. If I go again the kid will be saying I'm in love with him. He's 2-feet-6 and nine years old. I don't want any part of it." The voice on the phone turned to a tone of urgent pleading. Lucy held the phone away from her at arms length and looked to the ceiling for advice and guidance. She finally hung up. "I go out because people ask me to," she said. "I have no love for night clubs, unless there's an act I especially want to see. And I don't especially want to see this kid's again." She lit another cigarette. "Nervous habit," she said. "I don't inhale, never did. Just nerves.” "I get tired too easily. The reaction is beginning to set in. I've had pneumonia twice in a year. That's not good." There was a long silence. Even for old friends, Lucy is not an easy person to talk to. "I filed for the divorce the day after I finished my last piece of film under the Westinghouse contract," she said suddenly. "I should have done it long ago." Would there ever be any more Lucy-Desi specials like those Westinghouse had sponsored? (5) She stared. "No," she said abruptly. She paused. "Even if everything were alright, we'd never work together again. We had six years of a pretty successful series and two years of specials. Why try to top it? That would be foolish. We always knew that when the time came to quit, we'd quit. We were lucky. We quit while we were still ahead." Was she happy?

Another stare. "Am I happy? No. Not yet. I will be. I've been humiliated. That's not easy for a woman." She started to talk about the recent years with Desi. She talked in a quiet, factual monotone, a voice that had been all through bitterness and was now beyond it. She talked with an implicit faith that what she was saying was off the record. It was. Some day, it was suggested to her, somebody was going to write the story. She stared. "Who would want to?" (6) She looked over at the framed picture of Desi that stood on a small table. "Look at him," she said. "That's the way he looked 10 years ago. He doesn't look like that now. He'll never look like that again." The door was opened and a spring breeze began drawing some of the heavy cigarette smoke out of the room. Lucy smiled a little and turned to her desk. "Try to write," she said finally, "more than I said but not as much as I said." 

FOOTNOTES

(1) Lucille Ball did indeed marry again - to Gary Morton (born Morton Goldaper) on November 21, 1961.  They remained married until her death. 

(2) Gordon MacRae, Jock Mahoney, and Gene Barry were considered before Lucille selected Keith Andes to play the role of Joe Dynamite. He was indeed 40 years old at the time of casting. He committed suicide in 2005. 

(3) 'Wildcat’s’ Philadelphia tryout opened on October 29, 1960. The Broadway opening had to be postponed when trucks hauling the sets and costumes to New York were stranded on the New Jersey Turnpike by a major blizzard. After two previews, the show opened on December 16th at Broadway’s Alvin (now Neil Simon) Theatre.

(4) ‘Wildcat’ ran for 171 regular performances. The show was on hiatus from February 5, 1961 through February 9, 1961 during Lucille Ball's illness. The production was to take a 9-week hiatus after June 3rd, 1961 and re-open August 7, 1961, to complete Ball’s contract, but the show closed and did not return due to Ball’s physical exhaustion. 

(5) Jenkins is referring to the 13 “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hours” which were part of the “Westinghouse-Desilu Playhouse” which continued the adventures of the Ricardos and the Mertzes, including guest stars, musical numbers, and travel-themed episodes. 

(6) Lucy and Desi’s tempestuous marriage has been the subject of several books, two television movies, an award-winning documentary, and at least one stage musical! 

TV Guide columnist Dan Jenkins had his name used by “I Love Lucy” in “Redecorating” (ILL S2;E8) in 1952 for the used furniture salesman played by Hans Conried.  His name was also mentioned in “Lucy and Ethel Buy The Same Dress” (S3;E3) as a possible emcee for their television show.  His qualifications? He plays tissue paper and comb! 

In 1953, when Lucille Ball was accused of being a Communist, the real Dan Jenkins stood up at a press conference and said “Well, I think we all owe Lucy a vote of thanks, and I think a lot of us owe her an apology.” Lucy and Desi walked over to where Jenkins was standing and gave him a huge hug. Jenkins later said, “From that time on, we were very good friends.”  His last interview with Lucy was in 1986 during “Life with Lucy.” 

OTHER ARTICLES

“Shari Lewis and her Puppets” - Lewis was a ventriloquist who’s main character was the sock puppet Lambchop.  In 1960, after years of guest-starring on television, Lewis got her own show, which lasted three years on NBC. 

“Ty Hardin’s Whirlwind Career” - Ty Hardin and his western show “Bronco” (1958-63) was ABC TV’s answer to Clint Walker’s “Cheyenne”.  

“From the Mouth’s of Babes Comes Happy’s Gimmick” - “Happy” (1960-61) was the nickname of a baby, who’s thoughts could be heard by the viewers in this one-season sitcom.  It was filmed at Desilu Studios. 

“The Untouchables - Fact and Fiction: Part 2″ - “The Untouchables” (1959-63) was a series that began on “The Westinghouse-Desilu Playhouse” and turned into a hit weekly show by Desilu. 

PHOTO FEATURES

“Linkletter’s Packing Tips” - Art Linkletter was one of television’s most popular hosts and presenters. Lucille Ball appeared on his show “House Party” in 1965 as well as a 1966 episode of “The Lucy Show” and a 1970 episode of “Here’s Lucy,” both times playing himself. 

“Connie Stevens’ Calorie Counter” - Connie Stevens was a singer and actress then playing Cricket Blake on “Hawaiian Eye” (1959-63). 

REVIEW

“Mystery Show” - was a mystery anthology series broadcast on NBC from May 1960 to September 1960 as a summer replacement for “The Dinah Shore Chevy Show” with Walter Slezak as host, except for the last three episodes, which had Vincent Price as host.

At the time Evelyn Bigsby was the Associate Managing Editor for Women’s Features at TV Guide’s Hollywood Bureau. Her name was given to the new mother (played by Mary Jane Croft) who sits next to Lucy on the plane in “Return Home From Europe” (ILL S5;E26) in 1956. 

Depending on the time zone, “I Love Lucy” was re-run every morning at 10 or 11am. Here it competed with “The Price Is Right” which was broadcast in color!  NBC (RCA) was the leader in color television and staked its claim far soon than CBS. “The Lucy Show” didn’t air in color until the fall of 1965. 

In another market, “I Love Lucy” ran weekdays at 10am. This edition (same cover and feature articles, different listings) included “Lucy” episode descriptions, while others did not. Notice that an hour earlier the same channel re-ran Desilu’s series “December Bride”. On Monday, July 18, 1960, the re-run was “Second Honeymoon” (ILL S5;E14).  From this we can logically assume that this week, in this particular TV market, channel 2 and 8 presented:

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 1960 - “Lucy Meets the Queen (ILL S5;E15)

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 1960 - “The Fox Hunt” (ILL S5;E16)

THURSDAY, JULY 21, 1960 -  “Lucy Goes To Scotland” (ILL S5;E17)

FRIDAY, JULY 22, 1960 - “Paris at Last” (ILL S5;E18)

On Tuesday, July 19, 1960, at 8:30pm, CBS aired the unsold pilot for "Head of the Family". The pilot had Carl Reiner as TV writer Rob Petrie, Barbara Britton as Rob's wife Laura, Sylvia Miles as Sally Rogers, and Morty Gunty as Buddy Sorrell. In 1961, CBS would score a hit with a new name and a new cast of Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Rose Marie, and Morey Amsterdam, filmed at Desilu Studios. 

For American TV viewers, this was the week between the Democratic National Convention (July 11-15) and the Republican National Convention (July 25-28).  Both parties affirmed their November presidential candidates: John F. Kennedy (D) and Richard M. Nixon (R). Kennedy would prove the victor on Election Day. 

Eight years earlier, in July 1952, an estimated 70 million voters watched the broadcasts, which ended with the nominations of Adlai Stevenson II and Dwight D. Eisenhower.  Although the conventions were also televised in 1948, few Americans owned a TV set to watch them. There was a popular myth that Stevenson lost the election because of backlash from interrupting airings of “I Love Lucy” with hour-long campaign ads. Another story has Stevenson receiving a telegram from a Lucy fan that read: “I love Lucy, but I hate you.”  The situation was paralleled on “I Love Lucy” in “The Club Election” (ILL S2;E19).  By 1956, the conventions were less a novelty on television, and drew smaller ratings and less attention. In the summer of 1956, Lucy and Desi were preparing their sixth and final season of “I Love Lucy” and storylines had to revolve around big name guest stars (Orson Welles and Bob Hope) and the move to Connecticut. 

Lucille Ball’s last appearance as Lucy Ricardo was on April 1, 1960, just four and a half months before this issue of TV Guide hit the stands. She wouldn’t return to series television until September 1962, by which time Lucille will be back on the cover of TV Guide once again.  She remained a yearly fixture on the Guide cover until 1974 and then made only one more original appearance to mark her return with “Life With Lucy.” 

After this article comes out, the next time TV viewers see Lucille Ball on their home screens is to promote her film with Bob Hope, The Facts of Life, on “The Garry Moore Show” on September 27, 1960. The film opened in November 1960. 

For more about TV Guide and “I Love Lucy” click here!  

[sarakuper]

San Rafael; Work Away

Stop #3, December 21-January 7

Our time in San Rafael was very relaxing, thrilling, and interesting. Some days we spent doing little to nothing, which was nice for a few days but too boring for me at some points. Other days Sean and I did some awesome activities pushing us both way out of our comfort zones. Lastly, we experienced authentic Colombian culture first hand. Being there for holidays and festivals meant we were there for some of the most quiet and exciting days of the year.

When we arrived on Saturday we had no idea what to expect. This stop being our first WorkAway, we wondered…what work would we be doing? How many hours were expected of us? Are any meals included? For that first day we hung out and enjoyed the beautiful location at the hostel, which is located on a steep hill, completely open and overlooking the city. It’s totally lush and absolutely beautiful. The view alone is a reason to spend all day in the hostel relaxing. 

There are 3 people who own the hostel, all Colombian, and all in their 20’s. Lili was there when we arrived, Manuel arrived the next day (Sunday), and Laura arrived after spending Christmas with her family in Medellin. Immediately after arriving Sean and I fell in love with their cat Canela, which is “cinnamon” in Spanish. We thought she was a kitten because she isn’t full sized, but it turns out she is an old lady! She lived on the property with the previous owner, who was thought to be not very kind to her. When Lili, Laura, and Manuel bought the place about a year ago, Canela was pregnant with a dead litter. They paid to have them surgically removed, and since then Canela has been their beloved pet. She is so cuddly and sweet. She jumps on your lap for pets or a nap, and she answer to your calls. She’s the kind of cat that acts like a dog. We immediately fell in love with her. It’s not like we are trying to fill a void or anything... :)

When Manuel arrived on Sunday we discussed the work we would be doing; we would redo the kitchen (and it really needed it) and lunch would be provided. We started making plans for this work Monday morning. I was going to repaint the kitchen and organize it differently while Sean would build some cabinet doors and shelves. Our work load was different each day. Sometimes we felt good with the work we were doing that we spent hours doing it. Other days we did little to nothing. Either way, Leidy and Karen came every morning to clean the hostel, and during our first week Leidy cooked us lunch too. And wow did she cook us the most delicious healthy food!!!

Leidy and Karen live in the same building as the hostel/language school in a separate apartment. Leidy is probably in her late 30’s or early 40’s, and Karen is her 10 year old daughter. Neither of them spoke a word of english, but they quickly became a big part of our trip in San Rafael. Since Karen was off from school she came to help her mom cook and clean every morning. One morning I was doing some henna on hands and legs when Karen told me “linda!” which means “cute” or “pretty” in Spanish. I asked her if she wanted one, and when she said yes I told her to ask her mom first. Next thing you know, I was giving henna tattoos to both Karen and Leidy; mandala type flowers on their legs and their names written on their wrists. I wish I took a photo of this, but I didn’t :(. I did however take a picture of my henna, and finally took a picture with Leidy and Karen on our last day.

From then on, Karen and I would hang out together almost every morning. She would help me study Spanish while also helping her mom work. I would pull up a new vocabulary word I wanted to learn from an app on my phone, and she and I would practice using that word in a sentence. She would then correct my awful grammar before moving on to the next new word. Some evenings after that I saw Karen and Leidy hanging out outside or walking into town. We always talked and all made efforts to communicate as much as possible. My broken Spanish was enough to connect with both of them, but what it really highlighted was that you don’t need to speak the same language to express love and kindness.

Over Christmas Eve we joined Lili’s boyfriend, Brandon, at his house where he was hosting a BBQ. And that’s exactly how Colombians celebrate Christmas; they BBQ on the street with beers and loud music. And they were kind enough to grill lots of veggies for me :)

During our time in San Rafael we experienced some epic thunder storms. It rained almost every night, and being in a hostel where the common area is wide open made the storms so fun. Normally when we went into town we did so in the evening and nights, only because the days were so hot, and so walking up and down the hills to the city center was a bit warm… but, every time we went out at night it was like a guessing game if we would get poured on. Every night was cloudy, so there was really no telling. It made it a little more fun :) I love rain in warm weather! 

Another day, after working and panting in the morning, we went to the nearest watering hole for a quick swim. Lili’s mom was in town, so we went together plus Bendzhi, a Chinese girl staying at our hostel long term. The watering hole was amazing for people watching. So many locals go there to cool off and swim. Kids ands dogs run around everywhere while vendors sell snacks from fresh fruit to churros. I wish I had photos, but it was better to bring little to nothing since we were ditching our stuff to go swimming.

Steve was another guy at our hostel, probably in his mid 40’s, and from Canada. We spent a good amount of time with him, especially after hiking to a waterfall with him, and Manuel. The hike was pretty short but beautiful. We walked right by horses and cows/bulls before approaching the waterfall.

Just before NYE Lili left to spend time in San Carlos, another town about an hour west, for the next month or so. Laura and Manuel both went to meet Manuel’s family, and so Sean and I had the hostel to ourselves. We went out in town and hung out at a bar until midnight, when everyone got up to hug and kiss each other. Soon after Sean and I went home to hit the hay. Neither of us were feeling great (my throat was sore and he had an allergy attack), plus we don’t particularly care much for this holiday.  

Something I loved about staying at this hostel was that on most days a group of small monkeys would come looking for food. Of course we bought bananas in preparation of this, and fed them quite often. They are so small and so cute!!! They would call at us until we fed them their beloved bananas.

The most exciting thing we did during our time in San Rafael was a canyoneering trip with Manuel, his sister Julianna, and her husband Freddy. We hiked to a spot along a river, got into wet suits and harnesses, and began our decent in the river. We slid down the rocks, jumped off cliffs, and repelled our way through the river. Sean’s fear of heights kicked in during the last part of the activity. But, there we were.. and there was no turning back! This trip was short, but seriously one of the coolest things we’ve done. We were so high on life from the awesome adventure it was!

Another day Manuel and Laura invited us on a fishing trip again with his sister and brother in law. We fished along a river, and although Sean and I both didn’t catch anything we still enjoyed the experience very much. Colorful birds where flying all around us, calling out to each other, and it was really beautiful to watch. Eventually we made our way to a waterfall where we “parked” our boats to go explore. We climbed to the top of the waterfall where we found a beautiful swimming hole to enjoy all to ourselves. We explored deeper, climbing up the next small waterfall. It was absolutely stunning, and easily the highlight of the fishing trip. We swam and jumped off the rocks (don’t worry- Manuel, a certified guide, checked to see that they were safe first) while enjoying all the beauty around us.

The next day we had the opportunity to visit a Panela farm, watching its production from start to finish. Panela is the natural sweetener widely used here in Colombia, and I think a lot of Latin America. It comes in thick blocks that are chipped at and use as sweeter for many of their drinks, specifically chocolate (the drink) and natural juice. We started by crushing the sugarcane using a machine, followed by a long cleaning process to purify the juice before it crystalizes into a sugar. The colombian family that owns the farm has been making Panela all their lives. The whole operation is run between 4 siblings; 3 brothers and 1 sister, all in their 70’s. The abuela welcomed us into her beautiful home and made us breakfast, and then lunch once it got late enough in the afternoon. I am so grateful to have been welcomed to this family’s farm and home with arms open wide. The love they put into this work, and the history behind it all makes it so special. For so many reasons this day was one I will never forget.

One of the last events that went on while we were gone (and yes, wow, a lot has really happened) was Festivo del Rio, festival of the river. We are not sure how the name is related to the celebrations, but what we do know is that this small town fills up with tons of Colombians from all over the country to come celebrate this festival at San Rafael. Restaurants were packed, the hostel we stayed at was fully booked, and the streets were crowded with happy people. On Friday night we watched part of the parade, where structures of mythical creatures ran the streets breathing fire and pure fun.

At the beginning of this post I wrote that times during this leg of the trip I was bored, yet I didn’t get to writing any of this post until the bus ride out of town. I didn’t realize how many special experiences we had until it was time to write about it. But thats exactly why I do this :)

And now that I am writing this while on the bus leaving San Rafael, it feels bitter sweet to leave. This town is so authentically Colombian. The only other English speakers we met were 3 others from our hostel, one Canadian, one American, and one Chinese who spoke English fluently. Saying goodbye was so sweet, as Laura told me that seeing my face is like getting a dose a diabetes. There’s a bit of a language barrier there.. but what she was saying is that I’m so sweet and she feels that every time she sees my face 😂. As for Leidy and Karen... well Leidy starting to cry. I told her “I miss you” in Spanish because I have no idea how to speak in future tense to say “I will miss you”. Karen, her 10 year old daughter who was my best friend on this leg of the trip, gave me hugs goodbye. I will miss practicing Spanish with her very much. She actually knows how to explain things to me better than the adults!

Anyway, I am so looking forward to Josh’s arrival! This is just the start of what I think will be a very fun month with friends (Sam and Victoria next week) and then my mom and cousin Maria in Cartagena! 

Thanks for reading fam, love you all.

[ezrajteboul]

A history of circuit music / schematic as score in quotes and circuit diagrams:

"TRADITIONAL notation has been abandoned in so much of the last decade's music that players are no longer shocked by the prospect of tackling a new set of rules and symbols every time they approach a new composition." (Behrman 1965, 58)

Figure 2: schematic for Mesa by Gordon Mumma, dated 1965-1966, Ann Arbor (Cage 1969, 199). For more, see Goldman (2020). Note this is only one of eleven schematics required to build the circuit-composition. 

“My electronic music equipment is designed to be part of my process of composing music. I am like any composer who builds his own instruments, though most of my “instruments'' are inseparable from the compositions themselves. My “end-product” is more than a package of electronic hardware: it is a musical performance for a live audience. On occasion my technical concerns may be differently oriented from those of the usual electronic engineer. Nonetheless, we are concerned with common ground: the applications of electronic technology, in my case to music.” (Mumma 1967, edited 2015, p.43)

“My engineering decisions concerning electronic procedures, circuitry, and configurations are strongly influenced by the requirements of music making. Thus my designing and building of circuits is “composing” that employs electronic technology in the achievement of my musical art. Though I may describe my use of certain electronic procedures because they result in certain sounds, these procedures were not always chosen on a cause-and-effect basis. Sometimes I am looking for a certain kind of sound modification, and I work on various circuits until I have achieved that result. Other times in casually experimenting with different configurations of circuits I may chance upon some novel sound effect that becomes the germinating idea for a piece of music.” (44)

“Independent circuits developed by individual artists represent further development in this genre. Mumma broke ground in this area with his Hornpipe (1967), Mesa (1969) and other circuits. The unique aspect of this type of work lay in the circuit's de facto equivalence to a score.” (Gersham-Lancaster, 1998, 40)

“Another strong concept in Gordon's work is process. Perhaps electronics, which are very process-oriented, have influenced his musical thinking, but perhaps again his thinking, being already process-oriented, had an innate affinity to the concepts of electronic processes. Even his earliest works are process oriented. [...] The electronic network [used in Hornpipe] shapes the process by its own limitations and its own particular dimensions. The circuit is the process is the score is the work itself. The performance is an exploration of what that particular process allows.” (Payne 2000 (written 1976-82), 109-110)

personal communication with Payne, 7/30/2021: "I think that I originally finished the article on Gordon in 1976. I seem to remember that Mimi Johnson later asked for revisions and updates from everyone involved, which is why works dating as late as 1982 are included in my article."

“Due to the evanescent nature of the signal present at the random inputs, the melodic patterns generated by the Pygmy Gamelan are perpetually changing but bound to the metric and modal constraints designed into each unit. In this sense, the electronic circuit itself functions as the score, as well as the instrument and the performer.” ( DeMarinis 1973, 47) 

“That was a piece in which that is the score—that is, the instrument, that is that object that does that thing. I was somewhat of a zealot about that idea, of not wanting to make instruments, not wanting to make general-purpose instruments. I thought of myself as thinking much more in the culture of art, making objects that were pieces, sometimes requiring performances, sometimes not, sometimes standing alone.” (DeMarinis in Ouzounian 2010, 12)

“ANDS combines basic concepts of musical instrument, structure, and form into one set of circuits. The structure of any particular performance is determined by coordinations between the players and the circuit. The form of the piece results from relationships that develop among the players in performance. The primary score is the circuit itself. Awareness of the form is necessary for performance. This awareness can best be attained through some direct experience with the instrument and the structure. Someone who understands the circuit-as-score should design rehearsal instructions that will expose the players to the factors that shape the piece.” (Collins 1979, 40)

Figure 4: one of the three circuit schematics provided in the score and instructions for ANDS by Nicolas Collins (1979, 40).

“The idea certainly did not originate with me, I was parroting the philosophy a lot of us were following at the time. Composers Inside Electronics started at Chocorua, NH in the summer of 1973. And that in turn built on a notion that Tudor had had for some years, shared with Mumma for sure and likely Behrman (Mumma pre-dates Tudor on several key electronic developments) “ (personal communication with Collins, 12/10/2019)

Collins 2012 p. 26: "In an outtake from his 1976 interview with Robert Ashley for Ashley's Music With Roots in the Aether, Alvin Lucier justified his lack of interest in the hardware of electronic music with the statement, 'Sound is three-dimensional, but circuits are flat.'"

"In Hornpipe and Runthrough, there were no scores to follow; the scores were inherent in the circuitry - that was a new idea for me." (Lucier 1998, 6)

 “The circuit—whether built from scratch, a customized commercial device, or store-bought and scrutinized to death—became the score.” (Collins 2004, 1) 

"With an open-form score that encouraged experimentation in the design of sound generators and resonated objects, this work served as a creative catalyst for the workshop participants and, later, other young composers who were drawn to Tudor by word-of-mouth." (Collins 2006, 40) 

 "Immersed in a musical ethos that valued chance, they were highly receptive to accidental discoveries—in the pursuit of the “score within the circuit,” they relished wandering down side paths, rather than race-walking toward a predetermined goal." (Collins 2006, 91).

“Composers traditionally use scores to convey required instructions that the performer must follow to reproduce a series of sound events, or a composition which is executed using a series of commands. Even in the case of semi-improvised graphic scores, like those of Stockhausen, the performer is asked to make various choices within a parameter set. However, when the electronic circuit is transformed into a score, or installed as an auto-generative system, the musical hierarchies of composer, performer, and listener are also transformed, conflating into a facilitator or receptor of signal flow and modulation”. (Eppley and Hart 2016)

bibliography and related texts:

Ashley, Robert. 2000. Music with Roots in the Aether: Interviews with and Essays About Seven American Composers. Köln: MusikTexte.

Behrman, David. 1965. “What Indeterminate Notation Determines.” Perspectives of New Music 3 (2): 58–73.

Beirer, Ingrid, ed. 2011. Paul DeMarinis: Buried In Noise. Heidelberg: Kehrer Verlag.

Blasser, Peter. 2015. “Stores at the Mall.” Master’s Thesis, Wesleyan University.

Braun, Hans-Joachim, ed. 2000. Music and Technology in the Twentieth Century. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press.

Cage, John. 1969. Notations. New York: Something Else Press.

Collins, Nicolas. 1979. “Three Pieces.” Master’s Thesis, Middletown, Connecticut: Wesleyan University. https://www.nicolascollins.com/texts/Collins_MA_thesis.pdf.

———. 2006. Handmade Electronic Music: The Art of Hardware Hacking. New York: Routledge.

———. 2007. “Live Electronic Music.” In The Cambridge Companion To Electronic Music, 38–54. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

———. 2012. “Semiconducting: Making Music After the Transistor.” Seminário Música Ciência Tecnologia 1 (4).

DeMarinis, Paul. 1975. “Pygmy Gamelan.” Asterisk: A Journal of New Music 1 (2): 46–48.

Eppley, Charles. 2016. “Circuit Scores: An Interview with Liz Phillips.” Avant. April 8, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161025062750/http://avant.org/artifact/liz-phillips/.

———. 2017. “Soundsites: Max Neuhaus, Site-Specificity, and the Materiality of Sound as Place.” PhD Thesis, The Graduate School, Stony Brook University: Stony Brook, NY.

Eppley, Charles, and Sam Hart. 2016. “Circuit Scores: Electronics After David Tudor.” Avant (blog). 2016. http://avant.org/event/circuit-scores/.

Getreau, Florence, ed. 2018. Instruments Électriques, Électroniques Et Virtuels. Musique Images Instruments, n. 17. Paris: CNRS Éditions.

Getty Research Institute. 2001. “The Art of David Tudor-Symposium.” Past Events. May 17, 2001. https://www.getty.edu/research/exhibitions_events/events/david_tudor_symposium/.

Goldman, Jonathan, Francis Lecavalier, and Ofer Pelz. 2020. “La Migration Numérique D’une Oeuvre Pionnière Avec Live Electronics. Mesa (1966) De Gordon Mumma.” Revue musicale OICRM 6 (2): 1–24. https://doi.org/10.7202/1068383ar.

Gresham-Lancaster, Scot. 1998. “The Aesthetics and History of the Hub: The Effects of Changing Technology on Network Computer Music.” Leonardo Music Journal 8 (1): 39–44.

Hartman, Lindsey Elizabeth. 2019. “DIY in Early Live Electroacoustic Music: John Cage, Gordon Mumma, David Tudor, and the Migration of Live Electronics from the Studio to Performance.” Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University.

Holzer, Derek. 2010a. “Schematic as Score: Uses and Abuses of the (in) Deterministic Possibilities of Sound Technology.” In Vague Terrain 19, edited by Derek Holzer. https://web.archive.org/web/20131124040627/http://vagueterrain.net/journal19.

———, ed. 2010b. Vague Terrain 19: Schematic as Score. https://web.archive.org/web/20131124040627/http://vagueterrain.net/journal19.

Lucier, Alvin. 1998. “Origins of a Form: Acoustical Exploration, Science and Incessancy.” Leonardo Music Journal 8: 5–11.

Mumma, Gordon. Medium Size Mograph 1963: For Cybersonically Modified Piano with Two Pianists. 1969. Don Mills, Ont.: BMI Canada.

———. 1967a. “Creative Aspects of Live-Performance Electronic Music Technology.” In Audio Engineering Society Convention 33. Audio Engineering Society.

———. 1967b. Medium Size Mograph 1962. Don Mills, Ont.: BMI Canada.

———. 1974. “Witchcraft, Cybersonics, Folkloric Virtuosity.” In Darmstädter Beitrage Zur Neue Musik, Ferienkurse ’74, 14:71–77. Mainz: Musikverlag Schott.

Mumma, Gordon, and Michelle Fillion. 2015. Cybersonic Arts: Adventures in American New Music. Music in American Life. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.

Nakai, You. 2021. Reminded by the Instruments: David Tudor’s Music. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Nakai, You, and Michael Johnsen. 2020. “The Mumma-Tudor Ring Modulator.” In .

Payne, Maggi. 2000. “The System Is the Composition Itself.” In Music with Roots in the Aether: Interviews with and Essays About Seven American Composers, 109–26. Koln: MusikTexte.

Pinch, Trevor, and Frank Trocco. 2004. Analog Days: The Invention and Impact of the Moog Synthesizer. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Turner, Fred. 2010. “The Pygmy Gamelan as Technology of Consciousness.” In Paul DeMarinis: Buried in Noise, 22–31. Heidelberg: Kehrer Verlag.

Weium, Frode, and Tim Boon. 2013. Material Culture and Electronic Sound. Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press.

[taylorhuestonlifestyleblog-blog]

My Top Ten True Crime Podcasts

I spend a lot of time on a computer, so I always need something to fill the silences. Since I am not much of a music person, I listen to a lot of podcasts. Currently, many of my favorite podcasts are true crime, which is definitely not for everyone, but I enjoy the psychology behind it. Since I spend so much of my time listening to these podcasts, I though I would share them with you. In no particular order, here are my favorites.

Serial

Creator: This American Life

Episodes: 23 over two seasons

Episode Length: 1 hour or less

"Serial is a podcast from the creators of This American Life, hosted by Sarah Koenig. Serial tells one story—a true story—over the course of a season. Each season, we follow a plot and characters wherever they take us. We won’t know what happens at the end until we get there, not long before you get there with us. Each week we bring you the next chapter in the story, so it's important to listen to the episodes in order. Serial has won several awards, including the Peabody, Edward R. Murrow, duPont-Columbia, Scripps Howard, and Silver Gavel Award for Media and the Arts. Serial, like This American Life, is produced in collaboration with WBEZ Chicago."

  S-Town

Creator: Serial and This American Life

Episodes: 7

Episode Length: ~1 hour

"S-Town is a new podcast from Serial and This American Life, hosted by Brian Reed, about a man named John who despises his Alabama town and decides to do something about it. He asks Brian to investigate the son of a wealthy family who’s allegedly been bragging that he got away with murder. But then someone else ends up dead, and the search for the truth leads to a nasty feud, a hunt for hidden treasure, and an unearthing of the mysteries of one man’s life. Brian, a longtime This American Life producer, started reporting this story more than three years ago, when he got an email from John with the subject line “John B McLemore lives in Shittown Alabama.” S-Town is part of Serial Productions, a production company from Serial and This American Life."

 Accused

Creator: Wondery

Episodes: 20 over two seasons

Episode Length: Less than 1 hour

"Season 1: When Elizabeth Andes was found murdered in her Ohio apartment in 1978, police and prosecutors decided within hours it was an open-and-shut case. Two juries disagreed. The Cincinnati Enquirer investigates: Was the right guy charged, or did a killer walk free?"

Up and Vanished

Creator: Payne Linsey of Tenderfoot TV

Episodes: 66

Episode Length: Less than 1 hour

"Atlanta filmmaker Payne Lindsey of Tenderfoot TV originally envisioned Up and Vanished as a true-crime documentary. Lindsey selected a missing-person case from his home state, Georgia, and embarked on a journey as an amateur investigator. After starting his research and initial interviews, he decided to present the project in audio form as a podcast. Season 1 of Up and Vanished explored the 2005 disappearance of beauty queen and high school teacher Tara Grinstead from her home in Ocilla, Georgia. The cold case was the largest case file in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s history, with no arrests in 11 years. The podcast quickly drew attention, both in South Georgia and nationwide. Reviewing old leads and uncovering new ones, Up and Vanished quickly expanded from a planned six-episode season to a final count of 24 episodes with numerous bonus episodes. As the people of Ocilla began talking about the case again, new leads and stories emerged. In February 2017, the GBI arrested two suspects for Grinstead’s murder. Up and Vanished will continue to provide updates on this no-longer-cold case as the criminal trial proceeds in 2018. A second season of Up and Vanished, covering a completely different true crime story, will debut on August 20, 2018."

Atlanta Monster

Creator: The producers of of Up and Vanished, Tenderfoot TV, and HowStuffWorks

Episodes: 19

Episode Length:  Less than 1 hour

"From the producers of Up and Vanished, Tenderfoot TV and HowStuffWorks present, ‘Atlanta Monster.’ This true crime podcast tells the story of one of the city’s darkest secrets, The Atlanta Child Murders. Nearly 40 years after these horrific crimes, many questions still remain. Host Payne Lindsey aims to find truth and provide closure, reexamining the disappearance and murder of over 25 African American children and young adults."

Serial Killers

Creator: Parcast

Episodes: 78

Episode Length: ~1 hour

"Serial Killers takes a psychological and entertaining approach to provide a rare glimpse into the mind, methods and madness of the most notorious serial killers with the hopes of better understanding their psychological profile. With the help of real recordings and voice actors, we delve deep into their lives and stories."

Someone Knows Something

Creator: CBC Radio

Episodes: 34 over four seasons

Episode Length: From 10 minutes to over 1 hour

"Someone Knows Something is a podcast by Canadian award-winning filmmaker and writer David Ridgen, first released in March 2016. The series is hosted, written and produced by Ridgen and mixed by Cesil Fernandes. Using investigative journalism, Ridgen narrates a nonfiction story about a criminal cold case over multiple episodes. Episodes are released on a weekly basis; most of the Season 1 episodes ranged from 15 to 40 minutes in length, with Season 2 episodes ranging between 32 and 80 minutes in length. Season 3 was released in November of 2017. Season 4 began in February of 2018. Someone Knows Something is Ridgen's first podcast experience; it is also CBC Radio's first true-crime podcast. Episodes of Someone Knows Something are also sometimes broadcast on CBC Radio One as substitute programming, such as on public holidays and during the summer when some of its regular shows are on hiatus."

Missing & Murdered

Creator: CBC Radio

Episodes: 18 over 2 seasons

Episode Length: ~1 hour

"Connie Walker is a senior investigative reporter whose most recent work focuses on unsolved cases and root causes of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.  She was nominated 'Best Host in a Web Program or Series' by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television in 2018 for her work on Missing & Murdered: Who Killed Alberta Williams?, and in 2017 received a YWCA Women of Distinction Award.  Walker's work on the first season of Missing & Murdered was also nominated for a 2017 Webby Award for best podcast, and received the RTDNA's Adrienne Clarkson Award.  Walker is Cree, from the Okanese First Nation, in Saskatchewan. She lives with her family in Toronto."

Hollywood & Crime

Creator: Wondery

Episodes: 39 over 3 seasons

Episode Length: ~30 minutes

"Hollywood and Crime is a ground-breaking true crime series about the most infamous murders in Tinseltown history. In our twenty-six episode series opener, The Black Dahlia Serial Killers, host Tracy Pattin investigates the sensational unsolved murder of Elizabeth Short. Known as the Black Dahlia, Short was a star-struck young woman whose body was found completely severed at the waist in January 1947. Many remember her tragic story, yet few know that more than a dozen other women died in similar circumstances around that same time."

Dirty John

Creator: Wondery

Episodes: 8

Episode Length: ~40 minutes

"Debra Newell is a successful interior designer. She meets John Meehan, a handsome man who seems to check all the boxes: attentive, available, just back from a year in Iraq with Doctors Without Borders. But her family doesn’t like John, and they get entangled in an increasingly complex web of love, deception, forgiveness, denial, and ultimately, survival. Reported and hosted by Christopher Goffard from the L.A. Times."

If you have any interest in true crime, or are looking to break into the world of podcasts, I would definitely recommend starting somewhere on this list. Without many of these podcasts, I think I would have lost my wits long ago!

What are some of your favorite podcasts or genres? Have you listened to any of the ones previously mentioned? Would you add anything to this list?

Thanks for droppin' in!

[leahduffydff]

Avenue south residence brochure

It sounds surprising, but Bogota, Colombia is one of the most modern metropolitan cities in Latin America, and one of the most progressive. Urban development in Bogota is proving to be environmentally friendlier, cost effective and convenient for the citys residents, and the world is taking notice.

Perched high in the Andes, 2,600 meters above sea level, Bogota is the biggest and busiest city in Colombia, edging towards 8 million people. Its the centre of Colombias economy, military and trade industries, and the face of a country which has struggled for peace and security for many years.

Both historically and contemporarily, Avenue south residences condo  Bogota has struggled to cope with civil unrest, widespread poverty, violence and one of the largest illegal drug producing industries in the world. But beyond the headlines of chaos, Bogota has plenty to teach the world about progress.

In 1998 Enrique Penalosa was elected as mayor of Bogota. During his term of service, which lasted until 2001, he was responsible for a radical agenda of successful urban re-development projects. These projects were not developed out of environmental and economic concerns only, but also out of concern for the psychological and physical effects on Bogotas residents through over urbanisation.

He declared 'I dream of a tropical city, crisscrossed by large pedestrian avenues, shaded by enormous tropical trees, as the axes of life of those cities.'

His motivation was his belief that a developing nation could take their modest situation in the scheme of global wealth and development as an advantage. An opportunity to avoid development mistakes of first world nations, and in doing so, create the best urban environment possible: one that services the needs of its citizens efficiently but is also an enjoyable environment to live in.

He said 'Over the past 80 years we have been building cities for cars much more than for people. If only children had as much public space as cars, most cities in the world would become marvelous.'

He also believed that by bringing nature closer to Bogotas poor communities, he was bridging the gap between the wealthy, who could afford to take countryside vacations, and the poor, by providing them with better recreational areas that would give them somewhere to relax, exercise and spend time with family, leading to a happier existence and healthier lifestyle for all.

One of the most celebrated initiatives he undertook was the development of a massive network of cycleways all over the city, giving commuters a safer, healthier and environmentally friendly alternative to travelling to work by car.

Fittingly, the project was largely funded by an increase in taxes on petrol. The thinking was, that those wealthy enough to choose to travel by car instead of by bike, could choose to wear the hike in tax also. Revenue was also raised by increasing public parking fees.

Restrictions were also placed on the hours between which people could drive cars through the streets of the city, forcing people to ride bikes, walk or catch public transport during peak hour periods. The desired affect was achieved with a reduction of nearly 40% of cars during these hours.

Today there is more than 300kms of ciclorutas in Bogota, the most extensive network in any city of the world. The use of bicycles in Botoga has risen by 900% and the amount of traffic accidents has also reduced dramatically.

But Penalosas efforts did not end there. In February 2000, Penalosas first 'car free day' was held. No cars were allowed to drive anywhere in the entire city between 6:30 am until 7:30pm. Despite the day occurring on a Thursday, no major disruptions were reported, and some local retail businesses even reported a welcome increase in sales.

The day was declared a success and a public referendum was held, determining that an annual car free day every February would be organised. Further to this, it was decided that by 2015, driving between morning and afternoon peak hours would be banned altogether during weekdays.

Public approval of the plan was such that now, every Sunday in Bogota is also a car free day, allowing residents to travel by roller blades and bikes anywhere within the city without the danger of cars to contend with.

[cuscoandeantours]

TOURS TO MACHU PICCHU - CUSCO - PERU

MACHU PICCHU TOUR FULL DAY

Cusco – Ollantaytambo – Machu Picchu

We will pick up you in the early morning from your hotel and then transfered to the train station in Ollantaytambo, you will take the train to Aguas Calientes, enjoy the train, the landscapes. Then we will arrive to Aguas Calientes, where a representative from our agency will welcome you and then will escort you to the local bus station to catch the bus that goes up to Machu Picchu.

Bus ride to Machu Picchu lasts approx. 30 minutes and it follows a steep winding path, offering spectacular views of the surrounding mountains. Upon our arrival, we will get into the archaeological zone of Machu Picchu and our guide will show us the most important sectors of this great Inka City, such as the great Intiwatana, The Sun Temple, the urban sector, the agricultural sector among others. Machu Picchu was long thought to be legendary. The guided tour in Machu Picchu will last about 2 hours, and afterwards you will have free time to explore the ruins on your own. If you want to climb Huayna Picchu, a very popular climb with spectacular views, we recommend you to book preferably three months beforehand. (There is daily limit of 400 persons per day allowed to climb, so pre-book if you don’t want to miss out. Cost: $25) The round trip walking to the peak of Huayna Picchu is about an hour and a half. It is definitely worth it for the stunning views from the top! As an alternative to the Huayna Picchu climb you can choose to visit Machu Picchu mountain which gives the ancient Inka townsite its name. This is a new option that lets you see Machu Picchu archeological site from the highest peak. It is less crowded so you don’t have to book early. Cost: $25) After visit this wonder. Depend of your time train tickets, you will take the bus down to Aguas Calientes, where you will have time for lunch and also to explore this colorful town that utterly filled with souvenirs shops, restaurants, bars, internet cafes etc. In the night, you will take the train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo. According the time in your train tickets, return to Ollantaytambo, in Ollantaytambo the transfer is going to pick up you at the bus to return to Cusco.

MACHU PICCHU TOUR 2 DAYS

DAY 1: CUSCO – OLLANTAYTAMBO – AGUAS CALIENTES

We will start our Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu tour  with pick you up in your hotel at approximately 8:00 am after picking up additional passengers in your group, you will begin the 40 minute drive to Pisac in the Sacred Valley. On the way we will stop a couple times in order to see the beautiful landscapes and local Marquet Corao or Pisaq .

After we will continue to visit Urubamba and enjoy food there. (optional you can book your lunch with us day before departure) .

then we will go to Ollantaytambo and enjot the amazing templo of sun and the archeological site . In this place we will finish the tour approximately 4:30 p.m. then we need go to the train station because our train will leave at 16:36 pm or 7:00 p.m. (depent on availability - time will be confirm by e-mail) to Aguas Calientes you will go to the train station to board the train (Please you have to be 20 minutes before in the train station). This is a 2 hours approx. Journey to Aguas Calientes, where we will be waiting and settle you into the Hotel. Overnight in Aguas Calientes.    

Places we will visit in our Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu tour  on the 1first day:

Pisac Market

Corao view Point of Sacred valley

Pisac Archaeological Site

Urubamba ( Buffet lunch) Tunupa Restaurant . 25 USD.

Ollantaytambo Archaeological Site  

DAY 1: CUSCO – OLLANTAYTAMBO – AGUAS CALIENTES

In the Morning, we will have breakfast in the hotel,(optional you can take with you breakfast if for any reson you leave the hotel before 5:00 am) then you will take the bus up from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu, it takes 30 minutes drive up to the main gate to visit Machu Picchu.

When you arrive to Machu Picchu, you will meet with our Tour English or Spanish Guide and enjoy  the explanation for 2 hours approx. group tour exploring Machu Picchu.

After finish your journey  with the professional Tour Guide, you will have more time to spend in Machupicchu. Also if you booked a climb up Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain you will have enough time to walk and have a different views of Machu Picchu Citadel.

All passanger after the guided tour will have the chance to explore Machu Picchu sitadel by their self.

In the afternoon you will have to go down to Aguas Caliente (return by bus or walking) to Aguas Calientes.

In the night, you will take the train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo. According the time in your train tickets, return to Ollantaytambo, in Ollantaytambo the transfer is going to pick up you at the bus to return to Cusco.

Final Bus stop in Cusco is at San Francisco or Regocijo Square near to the Main Square ( Plaza de armas).

Note: You can request to be drop off in your hotel, hostel or homestay. If you need that please send us the  Name and address.

MACHU PICCHU TOUR BY CAR

DAY 1: CUSCO - HYDROELECTRIC - AGUAS CALIENTES

Our Agency will pick you up from your hotel or meeting point from 7:30 am to 8:00 a.m. To then start the Machu Picchu By Car tour, we will go through the Sacred Valley of the Incas, during this tour we appreciate different towns and climatic changes of the Andes to the tropical places, we arrive at Huaman Marca where a Buffet lunch awaits us , then we will continue with the tour of Machu Picchu By car to Hidroelectrica where we will start our walk until we reach the town of Aguas Calientes; the tour lasts 2 1/2 hours approximately. Arriving at the town of Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu), our guide will install them in their respective hostels with private bathrooms and hot water), in the evening we will have dinner and the indications of our guide about the visit of the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu , it is optional to go to the hot springs.

DAY 2: VISIT OF THE SANCTUARY OF MACHU PICCHU - RETURN TO CUSCO:

This time we will get up at around 4:00 in the morning towards the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, the walk will last approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes, the main objective is to appreciate the sunrise from the citadel Inca and be the first to arrive, then we will have 2 hours of guided tour, at the end of your tour with the guide you will have free time to visit Machu Picchu on your own. After visiting Machu Picchu at around 11:30 am, we will return walking to Aguas Calientes town and then to Hidroeléctrica where our mobility will be waiting for us to return to the city of Cusco, this Machu Picchu By Car route is arriving to Cusco around 9:30 p.m.

[apoth-ryukyu]

Adapt, Adapt, Adapt

Adaptogens are everywhere now it seems. Everyone’s drinking smoothies with maca, drinking mushroom coffee, etc. But what are they exactly? The new superfood? Simply put, adaptogens help your body adapt to stress. They assist in your body coping with different biological and psychological stressors and allow it to handle them. 

According to “Medicine Hunter” Chris Kilham, “An adaptogen is a botanical that greatly improves your body's ability to adapt to stress, whether it's a hectic schedule, heat or cold, noise, high altitudes or any number of other stressors. This elite class of herbs impart strength, energy, stamina, endurance, and improve mental clarity.” In order to be correctly classified as an adaptogen, the herb must be completely non-toxic, help return the body back to homeostasis, provide the body with widespread support, and reduce both physical and mental stress. 

A study published in 1969 by Brekhman and Dardymov defined the general pharmacological properties of adaptogenic substances and stated that in order to be classified as an adaptogen the substance must be the following:  a.)    Relatively non-toxic to the recipient. b.)    Possess “non-specific” activity and acts by increasing resistance of the organism to a broad spectrum of adverse biological, chemical, and physical factors. c.)   Helps regulate or normalize organ and system function within the organism.

Adaptogenic herbs work on the adrenal glands, which in this day and age, are constantly depleted and must be also constantly restored. Adrenal glands are endocrine glands which produce multiple hormones, including adrenaline and the steroids aldosterone and cortisol.  Adrenaline, of course, allows your body to respond to stress and the adrenals monitor our “flight or fight response.” Thousands of years ago, we had to make decisions quickly that could determine the fate of our lives. In a threatening situation effective and functioning adrenal glands helps us to get out of sticky situations by releasing three things. First, adrenaline, which pricks up our alertness and focus, is released. Then cortisol, which utilizes our stored sugar energy and converts protein to energy. Finally, the adrenals produce glycogen in order to fuel the body to respond rapidly.         However, in the current age, we are not (hopefully for you) running into predators and escaping enemies on a daily basis. Still, our body responds pretty much the same when we have a deadline, angry boss, or screaming kids as when we had a massive animal chasing us down. These stressors and our bodies’ responses have not yet evolved to lessening the responses with the lessening dangers. Although not daily faced with life-threatening situations, many of us do deal with traumatic experiences occasionally and periodically, so adaptogenic herbs can be a total life-saver by helping us adapt to stresses accordingly.

Many correlate the magic of adaptogens with treating adrenal fatigue, but doctors have not yet recognized this. They do however, accept adrenal insufficiency or Addison’s Disease which occurs when the body is unable to produce certain hormones and is caused by autoimmune disorders. This can lead to chronic fatigue, lowered  sex drive. irregular periods, muscle weakness, hypoglycemia, and many more other issues.                  

While adaptogens may not be the cure-all for Addison’s, they have shown to be effective throughout history. Soldiers in India and China have used them in battle. They have also been used in Chinese medicine as qi and kidney yang tonics, as well as in Tibetan, Native American, and Ayurvedic medicinal practices. 

Here are several popular adaptogens and what they have been shown to be helpful with:

1. Ashwagandha root - One of the most esteemed herbs in Aryuvedic medicine

Anxiety

Bad dreams

Mild OCD

Reduces brain cell degeneration

Insomnia

Nervous exhaustion

Helps concentration, learning, and reaction time

Anemia

Stabilizes blood sugar 

Lowers cholesterol

Combats malaria

Thyroid functions;  hypothyroidism (with Bacopa and Bladderwrack)

Fibromyalgia (with Kava and Scullcap)

Restless leg syndrome

Mild Tourette’s syndrome

Osteo-arthritis 

Sexual vitality for both men and women

2.  Cordyceps fungi

Degenerative kidney disease   

Male sexual dysfunction

Hyperlipidemia

Low platelet counts

Allergic rhinitis

Tinnitus

Chronic tracheitis. 

Cancer, leukemia 

3.  Eleuthero (formerly Siberian Ginseng) - more gentle than other ginsengs and is great with standard “American stresses” and helpful for the Western individual who is  “overstressed, undernourished but overfed, doesn’t get enough sleep or exercise, has dark circles under his or her eyes, a quivering tongue, and contracting/dilating pupils.” 

Reduces cortisol levels

Promotes improved cognitive and physical performance

Enhances immune function

Regulates neurotransmitters

 4.  Licorice rhizome - do not take in excess as it can cause hyperaldosterogenic effect and those with hypertension should avoid it.

Autoimmune disorders (Lupus, Scleroderma, Crohn’s disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis) 

 Immune deficiency conditions (cancer, HIV, CFIDS)

 Addison’s disease, with cordyceps and panax ginseng

Allergies

Gastric ulcers

PCOS (with Serenoa and Paeonia)

Spasmodic coughs. 

5.  Rhodiola root - not to be used in manic, depressive, or bipolar patients. Tibetan medicine has used rhodiola for nourishing the lungs, to increase blood circulation, for relieving fatigue, altitude sickness, and weakness.   

Mild depression

Neurasthenia

Impaired cognitive function

Erectile dysfunction

Amenorrhea

Infertility in women

Altitude sickness (use it with Cordyceps, Reishi, and Holy Basil)

Aids in recovery from head trauma injury. 

6.  Wu Wei Zi berries/seeds (Schisandra chinensis) -                                           

Promotes calm and focus

Hepatitis B and C, when combined with milk thistle and turmeric

Asthma when combined with licorice. 

Parkinson’s disease

Meniere’s syndrome 

Deficient depression 

ADHD

Increases immune function and prevent side effects caused by cancer chemotherapy

7. Reishi mushroom have been relied upon for health and vitality in Japan and China for thousands of years, and have many adaptogenic properties.

Combats effects of chemotherapy

Viral infections 

Anxiety

High blood pressure

Hepatitis

Insomnia

Asthma

Improves liver function and detoxification

Helps to inhibit release of histamine

Mediates inflammation

Defends against growth of cancer and tumors

Promotes heart health

8. Maca root, dubbed the “Peruvian ginseng,” is a native plant to the high altitudes of the Andes Mountains and was considered by the Incas as a food of the gods.

Increases libido

Boosts energy and endurance

Supports hormone balance

9. Holy Basil or Tulsi, also called “The Incomparable One,” holy basil is considered one of the most sacred plants in India. it has been prized for its effects on the mind, body, and spirit.

Antibacterial

Antifungal

Anti-inflammatory 

All of today’s stressors may be considerably less lethal than that of our ancestors’ but it does not mitigate the fact that it affects us pretty much the same so we also must adapt to our new environments in order to not only survive, but completely thrive. I am currently recovering from a period of sustained, extreme stress and am staying on a strict budget so I have not been able to purchase bottles of $30/40 supplements, but I have found other ways. Two teas I recently discovered have been quite helpful. Celestial Seasonings’ Tension Tamer tea contains eleuthero ginseng and the company’s Sleepytime Sinus Soother contains both licorice and holy basil. These run about $3 a box and hopefully, with sustained use, will help me improve a lot of what the stresses have negatively impacted. Along with meditation, regular exercise. sufficient sleep, and the healthy diet I am following I’m doing good so far! 

Image via Robinskey

[chloesblogabroad]

Peru Itinerary

Sunday, June 16, 2019

Leave for Phoenix with Rachel at 6:30 a.m.

Monday, June 17th, 2019

Leave for Vegas from Dad’s with Rachel and Mikayla on June 17th at 4 a.m.

Arrive in LAS at McCarran International Airport by 10 a.m. 

Depart from McCarran International Airport- Las Vegas AT 12:11 p.m.; 5h 14m flight

Arrive at JFK in New York at 8:25 p.m.

Depart from JFK at 11:25 p.m.; 7h. 40m flight

Arrive in Lima at 6:05 a.m. 06/18/2019

Tuesday, June 18, 2019

 6:05 am-Arrive at Jorge Chavez International Airport in Lima

Immediate transfer by minivan taxi to Miraflores-arranged by Mrs. Smith-driver Ricardo whatsapp: (+51) 926383889 will have sign with “Amy Smith” on it.  Call him if you are delayed.

 7:05 pm-Arrive at Casa Wayra B&B (www.casawayra.com)-arranged by Mrs. Smith. Owner Kike Hermosa Teléfono: (00) 51.1- 2414624/FrontDesk: +51.946065781/Whatsapp: +51 998235175

 7:30 pm-Dinner provided by Mrs. Smith and will serve as the trip’s orientation.  Participation is mandatory.

Meals required before or after dinner will be the student’s responsibility.  

Wednesday, June 19, 2019

 6:00 am-Breakfast at the hotel

 6:40 am-Depart to Lima airport promptly-arranged by Mrs. Smith

7:30 am-Arrive at Jorge Chavez International Airport

9:59 am -Departing on LATAM Airlines flight LA2105

11:33 am-Arrive at Arequipa

Immediate transfer to the hospital/living quarters-arranged by PI

 Lunch and city tour-provided by PI

Set-up clinic

 Spanish lessons-2 hours

Dinner-provided by PI

Thursday, June 20- Friday, June 21, 2019

TWO DAYS TOUR TO COLCA CANYON

Day 1: Arequipa - Colca Valley

7.30 am to 08:00 we pick you up from the hospital, and departure by bus on your excursion towards the Colca Valley driving across Pampa Cañahuas at the Aguada Blanca National Reserve, habitat of herds of vicuñas and stopping at the Mirador de Los Andes, the crater of Chucura, the Mirador de Chivay, where beautiful pre-Inca terraces still being cultivated by native Collaguas can be observed. Arrival to the town of Chivay at 13:00hrs. approx. Lunch.

In the afternoon you can enjoy the thermal and medical baths.

During dinner have a folkloric show (if the hotel is in Chivay otherwise you need additional transfers)

Day 2: Colca Valley -Condor's Cross - Arequipa

Early in the morning departure to the "Condor's Cross" from where the great Andean bird, the Condor, may be spotted flying in circles above still farmed green pre-Hispanic terraces. Enjoy the impressive panorama of the Colca Canyon, one of the deepest in the world (3,000mts.). There you have hiking of one hour along the canyon. On the way back to Chivay, At the town of Yanque, visit its beautiful church and its characteristic stone streets among other attractions. To have spectacular views of the Colca Valley, we will drive to the observation points of Achoma and Artahuilque where you can see the amazing pre-Inca terraces,  and also to the town of Maca.

After lunch at a local restaurant, return to the city of Arequipa, arriving at 17:00 to 18:00hrs. approx. 

6:15 p.m. Spanish Classes

Saturday, June 20, 2019

8:30am to 12:30pm: Dental work at Paz Holandesa clinic

12:30pm to 1:00pm: Lunch

1:00pm to 5:00pm: Dental work at Paz Holandesa clinic

5:15pm Dinner 

6:00pm  Peruvian music and dance even

Sunday, June 23, 2019

Visiting the market

Cooking class

All meals provided at the hospital

 P.M. city tour and time for shopping and tourism!

Monday, June 24- Wednesday, June 26, 2019

8:30am to 12:30pm: Dental work at Paz Holandesa clinic

12:30pm to 1:00pm: Lunch

1:00pm to 5:00pm: Dental work at Paz Holandesa clinic

5:15pm Dinner 

6:15pm  Spanish classes 

Thursday, June 27, 2019

 Explore Arequipa

Juanita Mummy Arequipa: The Incan Ice Maiden Museum

 2:00 pm-transfer to Rodriguez Ballon International Airport-arranged by PI

4:49 pm-Depart to Jorge Chavez International Airport

 6:23 pm-Arrive at Jorge Chavez International Airport

Trip ends

Time TBD-Depart to the U.S.

____________________________________________________________

MISC. Notes:

For immigration, will need an address where we will be in Peru.

Communicate through WhatsApp

When you get to the airport, you can get a wifi connection for 1 hour, send Ethel a text to let her know we made it

Do not have to take a random taxi either in Lima or Arequipa; careful of belongings. Taxis inside of the airport are good; 

Each of us will take 2 bags; Lima to Arequipa

Arrange the latest flight at 10 p.m.

Arequipa on 19th; can spend mostly drivng; traffic get worse as day progresses

Leave at 2p.m

4:45 p.m. on the 27th 

720-628-1664 through whatsapp

Checklist on peruvian immersion website will give ya an idea peruvianimmersion.com

____________________________________________________________

1st day: arrival on the 19th around 6:30 in morning; student tour in morning, lunch together, try all foods. Take transportation to lodging where we will be staying. Leave passport in safe space in clinic/home, just bring ID. 2 hour of spanish classes in a Spanish school

Winter; morning is very sunny and nice around 60ish, night can get to 46-43 degrees. Not raining yet! 

20th-23rd around 8 hours a day of dental work; 32 hours total. Lunch break!  

Water- no tap water. Bottled water

Tourism: Arequipa, which places to visit. Colca Canyon one of the deepest canyons, deeper than the grand canyon. 2 days, higher elevation 11,400 ft, cold, middle of the mountains. Stay in a lodge in a town. Practice as much Spanish as possible.

Get Peruvian money; exchange in Mira Flores and Arequipa. Bring nice new-looking dollars

If carrying cell-phone and bag be mindful!

[auntiem4cabs]

Curious as a Cat

Hi! I’m your host Bev Sykes of the blog “Funny the World“. . Welcome to Sunday Stealing. This feature originated and published on WTIT: The Blog. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. (Past hosts include: Our first – Judd Corizan, Mr. L, Kwizgiver and Bud)  Cheers to all of us thieves!

These are from a site called Curious as a Cat.

1. I wish I had enough money to help people when they need help.

2. If you had to enter a competition for the “Most Uselessly Unique Talent,” what would your talent be? Ironing like no other! 

3. When it might hurt their feelings, how do you feel about telling your friends the truth? This is always hard for me. I have been hurt yet grateful a few times with friends being honest, I guess you have to know the situation. Telling someone… “You really don’t need french fries and a frosty” is just as hard as telling someone “your husband/wife is stepping out behind your back”. BUT… just tell me. I may already know! 

4. Peanut or plain?Plain

5. Is there someone you would like to take your place in life for one day? Who and why?  Hell NO. Now on the other hand, my niece worked FOR the Miami Heat and now works FOR the  Cleveland Browns… boy I could enjoy walking in her shoes (stiletto or not!)

Jul 27, 2018; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) throws a pass during training camp at the Cleveland Browns Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

6. Who was your favorite teacher and why? Mrs. Jewell. I still break down when I think of her. Her daughter was one of my best friends growing up. She taught Home Ec for 7-8 & 9th grade. I LOVED cooking, and loved even poking around when she was cooking at home for her 8 kids and husband. I hated sewing but she always got me through. In 9th grade she nominated me for the Crisco baking award and Betty Crocker  baking award.  I ended up as a baker for 40 years and one day someone asked if I ever thanked the one who inspired me? I did not. But I will… then Mrs Jewell was killed as she turned into our local Walmart. Don’t put things off. 

7. What do you think is the ugliest thing or event on Earth? Mama June

8. What is your least favorite of your personality traits or quirks? I’m gullible

9. I wish I could see John Grich  because he hurt so many of us when he killed himself. I’d like to tell him how much hurt he brought to so many people.

10. Tell us your favorite children’s story. I don’t remember childhood stories well

11. Explain how to play your favorite game. Its scrabble… no explanations necessary

12. What do you keep in the trunk of your car? I drive a Terrain. Dog beds, dog blankets, dog snacks, water … oh a spare tire is  somewhere under there…

13. Tell us about your favorite way to get lost in a simple activity — running, chopping vegetables, folding laundry, whatever. What’s it like when you’re in “the zone”? I love doing laundry.  The fresh smell, ironing sheets, crisp…. but I haven’t been in the basement in over 9 months. My husband does the laundry without complaint, but  I use baking soda and vinegar…downey and toss in sheets. He washes  dries and tosses in a basket. He’s getting better though, or I have become tolerant.

14. What’s your dream tourist destination — either a place you’ve been and loved, or a place you’d love to visit? What about it speaks to you? My new ‘want to go to’ place is Alberta Canada, in the Canadian Rockies. I have to have a knee first, though!!

15. What parts of nature do you like best? When winter changes to spring and the world comes alive again.

16. What kind of program do you enjoy most on TV–detective shows, comedies, game shows–and why? ALL I DO IS WATCH TV… Law and Order, Perry Mason, Matlock. Yeah, Matlock. But I have found a show I really like on Amazon Prime. The Marvelous Mrs Maisel

https://www.amazon.com/Marvelous-Mrs-Maisel-Season/dp/B06WPB59TM

17. Do you know any professional athletes? nada. And do you remember who my niece works for??? I need to get better so I can ‘drop in’ maybe while Baker Mayfield is in the offices….

18. What will the next must-have technological innovation be? Jetpacks? Hoverboards? Wind-powered calculators? Hmmmmm I thought we would be driving The Jetson cars by now, so …..

19. Have you ever been the victim of a crime? Yes. I was … sexually assaulted in high school… shhhhhhh. Nothing I have ever said out loud. I had my car broken into TWICE… once I heard the alarm and thought ‘oh boy, someones getting broken into’… hahaha only to find out the next morning it was me! And I met a burglar in my hallway. Spikey saved me on that. He kicked Spikey and I didn’t care what was going on NO ONE HURTS MY SPIKEY. …. He gets out of prison in April. 

20. What if you woke up tomorrow with the ability to understand animals. What do you think you’d hear from them? Mom!!!!! I have to go outside, but its RAINING!!!

21.What is something that makes you melancholy? Missing Spikey. Still. 2 years later. I love that boy! 

March 16, 2019

Cookie Questions

Hi! I’m your host Bev Sykes of the blog “Funny the World“. . Welcome to Sunday Stealing. This feature originated and published on WTIT: The Blog. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. (Past hosts include: Our first – Judd Corizan, Mr. L, Kwizgiver and Bud)  Cheers to all of us thieves!

I just learned that March 6 was was National Oreo Cookie day, so in honor, here are some cookie questions

1. Do you eat Oreos? Yes, but I bake with them too. Making Peanut Butter Pie tonight.

2.  If you eat Oreos, which are your favorite – original, double stuff, golden original, golden double stuff, Oreo brownies, Oreo ice cream? Double Stuff

3.  Do you twist your Oreos apart? Isn’t that a LAW? 

4.  Are you able to pass by a plate of cookies and not take one or are you a bit of a ‘Cookie Monster’?  Only when I am at home.

5.  Tell us about your favorite cookie. Crunchy, soft, chewy, crumbly, other? Store bought…crunchy. Famous Amos, Oreos…etc. Home made? SOFT… oatmeal, peanut butter mmmmm.

6. Have your tastes changed since you were a kid? Not much

7.  Enquiring minds want to know if you are a dunker and, if so, do you dunk in milk, coffee, or tea? yes, yes and YES

8.  It is that time of year and they are selling them on every corner and in front of every store!  Do you buy Girl Scout cookies and if you do, which is your favorite? Occasionally   but DOLLAR GENERAL has the same cookies at half the price and they are DELISH!

9.  Raw cookie dough.  Yay or Nay?  oF course!

10.  Do you like cookies with filling? Like Raisin… not so much

11.  Do you prefer organic cookies? Giant Eagle had to change my Dole frozen berries to Market Basket Organic ( I use delivery and curbside, so they shop). THIS is the FIRST TIME in 60 years that I have put anything ‘organic’ in my mouth. So… no. Oh, and Spoiler Alert… they taste the same and if they weren’t a substitute, they were at least double the price 

12.  Large cookies, or small cookies? small

13.  Do you like familiar flavours in cookies? I like anything in cookies. Bits and pieces, pecans or almonds, chips, Andes mints…. 

14.  Do you make your own cookies, or buy them? Right now I have a hard time standing up for long periods. But I get tired of NOT standing up. So when I can, and I will tonight, I prefer to bake my own. BUT I do have 2 packs of fake oreos so  I can make a crust for my PBPIE, and of course for my husband who likes his sweets.

15.  Please tell us something random about your week!! Well, my surgery which was scheduled for yesterday has been postponed again. White cells too high? IDK. I dont even listen. Or care. I have become a truck driver with my mouth and attitude, and its funny… In all the time that I have been down, NEVER a visit from our pastor. Not one. My week has felt like a train wreck. Thank you for letting me vent! 

A Couple of Sunday Stealings … just because Curious as a Cat & Cookie Question Curious as a Cat Hi! I'm your host Bev Sykes of the blog "Funny the World…

[roswellroamer]

Futaleufu to Termas de Puyuhuapi (Chile). 2/8/17

Due to known construction issues on this leg, we were requested to leave no later than 7 AM. Today we were planning a day mostly of ripio (unpaved) down to the Chilean coast and to join the well known Austral Highway, Route 7. A small breakfast was prepared by the Hosteria, basically a plate of meat and cheese along with some bread and jam and of course coffee. Today was a really fun day. I didn't grow up on dirt as many riders have, but I have gained a good deal of confidence riding the gravel/dirt on this trip. Riding with a more experienced rider has helped me a lot on this surface. We had a couple surprises of the animal variety on the bike today as we descended past our section of the Futaleufu river we rode yesterday. Coming around a curve or two we encountered a small herd of sheep and through the day, cows were grazing alongside the road with one herd taking up about a third of the road. One chicken rarely escaped death at the front end of Rod's Africa Twin. We saw an older gentleman riding his horse on the highway and we asked if we could take his picture and he obliged our request. At the junction of Rt. 235 and Rt. 7 there were a whole lot of hitchhikers. We have consistently seen a lot of that throughout Chile. We had a plan to meet at 12:30 at the main square of Puyuhuapi. The two of us arrived first and it was only 10. Unfortunately this town is very small, all torn up and the rain had started to fall. Zero restaurants were open but we found a mini market and I got a coke and a package of "donuts" which were actually chocolate covered cookies. We had a snack under a cover by the waterfront. There is a tsunami warning sign there as the area is quite seismically active and this town sits at the northernmost arm of a narrow bay. The type of topography and shoreline can amplify the magnitude of a tsunami. Also, until the 70's this town was only accessible by boat or plane. Lots of dirt in this town and it seemed quite poor. Perhaps the terrible condition of the roads due to construction swayed this impression. The policeman asked 9 of our 11 bikes to move off the street (mine wasn't one of them) and I got the impression that may have been the most excitement he had all day! As we rode south on Rt.7, we would transition from new pavement to ripio. You can tell they are making a large effort to pave this Austral Highway. Our driver said we are fortunate to ride here now as in a number of years it will all be paved. We met a guy in a bike from Boston who was pedaling his way hundreds of miles down the coast. I also spoke to a couple of French guys at the tiny gas station on BMW's who were in a group of four bikes on a 2 1/2 month journey from Brazil to Ushuaia, our destination. Although this section of the Andes has some rugged peaks (some look as if the rocky spires are the result of some crazy version of sand art, when you drip the water/sand solution and form narrow towers) overall they are more green and tree covered than sheer. We have seen more and more snow due to our increasing southern latitude but atop the mountains. After meeting up around 12, we proceeded towards the ferry scheduled to take us to the Puyuhuapi Lodge and thermal springs. The 4 or 5 construction zones made the 12km trip take about an hour. We pulled into a parking lot and grabbed our bags. We left everything but our clothes and boarded two ferries to the resort which sits in an inlet on the other side of the bay. Basically southwest of Puyuhuapi but no roads are cut here and boat is the easiest way to arrive. This Lodge is by far the nicest place so far. Greeted with champagne, porters handle the baggage, a full spa, a number of pools, natural hot springs at different temperatures and first class accommodations. The restaurant also provides delicious and beautifully prepared dishes. I donned my bathrobe and set out for the hot springs after a tasty lunch in which one of my courses was an interesting dish of wild hare, simmered in its own juices. I figured I wouldn't have too many chances to try that. There was a path to the left to "canelos" which my Google translator app not so helpfully translated as canelos. I took that path and walked more then 10 minutes on a we'll maintained path by a series of waterfalls as the geothermally heated water cascades down the hill. All the hot water here is heated courtesy of Mother Earth and her "ring of fire" magma close to the surface. The cold water is delicious and also right from the spring. I turned back and found the hot pools and the cafe. A few of our group were in the body temperature pool (37°C) and hung out there for a while. Later I was alternating between the hot (40°C) pool and took a dip in the sea also to cool off. We had off and on drizzle today with the green mountains shrouded in mist. Looks a bit like BC especially with the dense rain forest type vegetation including ferns. Dinner with the Aussies was fun and delicious. The Lodge has no wifi nor cell signal. There is one computer for guest use, however as most of my accounts including this (Tumblr) and email and Facebook all have been additionally secured with two-step verification I am SOL. Since I can't get the verification text on my phone I am unable to sign in to any of my accounts so I am locked out. When I get on wifi hopefully tomorrow in Coyhaique I can post this and the pictures.

[shawnanorton-blog]

Three Things to Avoid When Trying to Lose Weight

Okay- you've finally decided. It's time to commit to making changes in your diet and your life to lose some weight.

Maybe you packed on some pounds after an injury at the gym. Maybe a new job changed your whole schedule around.

But it's all good- because today is the day it all changes.

You renewed your gym membership. The fridge is stocked with vegetables. You've thrown out the cookies and the chips in the cupboard. Congratulations- you are on your way!

I'm super stoked when I meet with a client and they share the progress they've made so far.

It's awesome to see people's efforts and determination help them make lifestyle changes. Change is hard, and taking the first step is the hardest.

However, very often the reason people are coming to me is because the progress they've made has halted or is even slipping. They're frustrated because they are still doing everything they had when they started and now the scale is stuck.

Here are the three most common causes I see when it comes to why your progress has stopped or is backsliding, and how you can avoid them from happening in the first place.

Setting Your Caloric Intake Too Low

This is probably the most common thing I see. I get an athlete who's been crushing it in the gym, lost a good amount of weight, and then they tell me how much they've been eating and I'm shocked they can still train.

Your body has something called a basal metabolic rate- this is a predetermined amount of calories your body needs just to maintain normal function. If you set your calorie intake below this, you are gonna mess things up big time.

Your body also has a set point weight- the weight at which it prefers to be come hell or high water, and it will fight like mad to keep you there.

When you decide to cut calories (which yes at the fundamental level is how you lose weight) you are working against your metabolism and your set point weight.

Drop your calories too low, your metabolism goes down.  Gain the weight back to your set point weight, your metabolism will stay at the lower weight but now you are back at your original weight, just with a slower metabolism. Make sense?

Set yourself up for success. Don't try to drop 10 pounds in two weeks (you didn't gain it that fast!) and find a caloric intake that is manageable but keeps your metabolism humming along in a healthy way.

I made a calculator I refer my clients too- this will give you an idea of how many calories you need to sustain your body weight now. Get that number then decrease it by a small percentage- say 200 to 300 calories.

You will also want some days where you're eating a normal amount so your body never settles. Your body likes homeostasis and will work really hard to adjust to whatever you're feeding it.

Cutting Carbohydrates While Cutting Calories

Choose one. Cut calories or cut carbs. When you do both you stress your body out, a lot- especially when you make big calorie jumps OR you still participate in glycogen dependent sports (Crossfit, running, cycling, etc).

There is a time and a place for low carb. But I rarely recommend it to my brand new dieters.

In general I'm not a fan of low carb if you're active. If you're sedentary and have high blood sugar, sure kicking the sugar habit it a good thing. If you're an active person with 20lbs to lose I set my clients at 30% protein, 30% fat, 40% carbs. And I suggest putting most of your carbs around training/exercise times.

I use low carb in the last few months of a person striving for aesthetic goals- ie gunning for a 6 pack. It tends to not be sustainable long term and is associated with contributing to adrenal fatigue.

Whether we like it or not, our body likes carb sources as our go-to fuel source. Should we be bingeing on sugar every night? No. Is rice an awesome post workout recovery food? You bet it is.

I will throw in the keto argument to this discussion. Just about everyone knows someone who has done or is doing keto.

The argument comes up "so and so is doing keto and loves it. Look how they perform, etc etc". I am not against keto- it has demonstrated some amazing benefits for managing neurological conditions like epilepsy and Parkinsons.

Going into ketogenesis- using fat over glycogen as the primary fuel source- is something our bodies are designed to do. But our bodies are designed to do this in a food shortage when we have to use our reserves.

Keto is not something we are designed to sustain long term. Want the other side of "your friend is doing amazing on keto"- how do we not know he'd be doing even more amazing if he ate some carbs from time to time? Just because we can do it doesn't mean we should.

Not Getting Enough Sleep

When you get less than 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night, your body is in a stressed state. When that happens your cortisol levels are up.

Raised cortisol levels prevent fat from being oxidized (ie being used as a fuel source), raises your blood sugar (makes you crave foods- especially sugary ones), and helps you store the excess food you eat as fat. Sounds fun right?

Every single one of my nutrition and health coaching clients can attest to the fact I won't address weight loss without addressing sleep.

Its like wanting to sail a ship around the world with leaks in the hull. Depending on how big the leaks are we might never get there.

Sleep is ESSENTIAL for weight loss. Should I say it again? It's ESSENTIAL for weight loss. No if's, ands, or buts about it.

You want to lose weight? You will get your sleep.

Weight loss is a good thing, but diet change, calorie deficits, and new exercise routines are new stressors. Good stress, but stress all the same.

Sleep is the antithesis of stress. It helps you manage and recover from it. Sleep helps you make good food choices. It helps you crush your day and your workouts. It helps you think clearly. Sleep is the piece of the puzzle most people are missing.

I understand how much most people resent it- I'm in the same boat. But since we don't have a choice, and we know how much not enough screws everything up, why not try to be the best at it?

This is a non negotiable when I work with people. I tell them: you have 16 hours of life and 8 hours of sleep. If you make it the priority it SHOULD be then it will be a priority no matter what.

I also understand about kids, and roommates, and anxiety. I get that there are a ton of factors which affect your sleep. But I PROMISE you- you can make a huge difference in your weight loss goals just by focusing on your sleep. If you make that the numero uno priority, you will be blown away by how easy the rest of it is.

Weight loss can be challenging. Committing to slow, sustainable weight loss while caring for your body will help make these changes permanent.

Work on fueling your body for how you want it to perform. Feed it the right amount of fuel at the right time, get your rest, keep showing up at the gym, and the results will come!

Have questions? Comment on this post or feel free to contact me!

Looking for a Health or Nutrition Coach? Check out the services I offer!

[ozsaill]

Dissecting a passage: Bonaire to Colombia

This dreaded passage unleashed one true horror. It was not a failure in rigging or other key systems. It was not the feared washing machine sea state. No, it was the ugly reality of unclogging a toilet while sailing at 9+ knots!

That awful job aside, almost everything else on the passage went very smoothly. Weather variance remained on the pleasant side of the forecast, and factors less easily predicted (namely, katabatic winds) were mild. Totem flew along, averaging over 200 miles per day towards landfall in a little over two days. About the most eventful thing that happened was when we were circled a few times by a very curious and official looking helicopter about 7 miles west of Bonaire… as photographed buzzing Utopia, above.

What did we do well?

Careful planning, which included a lot more than just a route plan and the right weather window

Patience to wait for good weather!

Adapting the plan to suit conditions

Anticipating sail handling at night or in rough conditions

Remembering local effects

What could we have done better?

Fish.

OK, so we did the fishing thing exceptionally poorly by not actually putting any lines out (truth be told). We were going kinda fast for mahi, which I’d have guessed our catch, as we have miserable luck with tuna. On the other hand, Utopia DID catch a tuna: and this is all that was left when they reeled it in… ripped out from the gills back. Oh, that would have been some spectacular sashimi!

Really though, it was great!

The longer route we planned ran about 416 nautical miles from Bonaire’s mooring field in Kralendijk to the Marina Santa Marta in Colombia. Meals were prepped ahead, just in case… it was nice to just heat & eat. Smooth conditions made a lot of reading time… and time to catch shooting stars on night watch, under clear skies. Shooting stars filled my night watch once the waxing moon set and a carpet overhead shone with a brilliance you can only get from the open ocean’s absence of light pollution. As the tall Sierra Nevada range came into view, a gust of wind brought the rich humus smell of landfall with an intensity I’ve rarely felt after a week at sea, much less a couple of days, a hint of the lushness that awaits.

We have the highly unusual tendency to pace very closely to Utopia II on passages. It’s close enough that we actually have to be kind of careful – when you’re in the ocean, two boatlengths is at least a dozen boatlengths too close for comfort, especially at night! Adjusting course to avoid an unwanted encounter with our buddy boat… that’s a first.

Vessel traffic was minimal, but enough to require a close eye on the radar and AIS. Both proved useful when a ship loomed on a course for direct collision that closed remarkably quickly based on boat speeds and the face we were headed directly at each other. Whatever you want to say about the “rules” of the road, mass wins every time; I appreciate the mate of the 117 meter long tanker who altered course to pad our nearest distance with a comfortable mile of separation.

Hindsight, and changes from the plan

The crew of Rhapsody snapped us departing Bonaire the morning of the 26th. (Turns out that means we missed Second Christmas in Bonaire – which is a THING!).

I am REALLY going to miss my morning swims with Sarah & Bob from Rhapsody!

Jamie wrote this summary below on what shifted from our original plan (see the Passage Planning blog post for details), a follow up to the exercise we posed for coaching clients. Pardon the wobbly mouse illustrations annotating this OpenCPN screenshot to help illustrate.

1. Route change

Based on anecdotal info about sea state, I tweaked original plans and set the route to 50 miles offshore instead of 40. Note the thin line that more or less parallels the blue portion of the chart. The line marks the 1000 meter (330 feet) depth contour – outside is 2000 – 3000 meters, this is the continental shelf where significant depth change can contribute to further sea state unpleasantness as water piles up.

2. Conditions

a. Wind: consistently ENE. I expected a slight change to E, but didn’t happen.

b. Ocean current: the Caribbean current was strong, as expected, and very much in align with forecast position.

c. Waves: by reputation, waves were going to define this passage. There were six distinct phases:

Bonaire to north end of Curacao waves were normal wind driven waves up to 2 meters.

From north end of Curacao to the northernmost point of continental shelf was SLOPPY! Why? Wind from NNE makes wind waves from the same direction. Strong current is perpendicular to wind waves AND causing bunched up water from islands in the way and huge depth change. This made for 100 miles of confused seas from multiple directions. Fortunately, we were there in good conditions with a full 24 hours since stronger winds and bigger waves – so it was lumpy but manageable.

Once north of the continental shelf, waves became patterned and regular wind waves again. A route over the continental shelf (close to shore) would be miserable!

Because sea state was fine, you can see that we cut the gybe corner a little to reduce sailing distance. Good sea state continued after the gybe, so we continued to shave more distance (remaining inside of the planned route).

We had delightful conditions, wind and waves, all the way to the cape, just 4 miles from destination. I’ll talk about that below.

3. Sailing

a. Leg 1 was 220NM on starboard tack, beam reaching. Very fast sailing and more so with current push. We did 208NM in the first 24 hours.

b. Knowing there was a gybe coming, I tweaked the route some to set timing of gybe to be in daylight. We reached the gybe point at 8AM, furled headsail, eased the preventer, gybed in 20 knots of wind with single reef in the main. Easy.

c. With turn to SW, was clear the sailing angle close to dead-downwind (DDW). So we set up for wind-n-wing. Boom out to starboard with preventer on and single reef; genoa poled out to port.

d. We thought wind would shift to E and we would have to take pole down to be fully on port tack, but the shift didn’t really happen – there was a little change but we managed wind-and-wing just fine with wind angle at 150 degrees (30 degrees from DDW, wind over port side).

e. At about 50 miles to destination, course shifted further S requiring pole down and gybing the genoa to the starboard side. Likely this would happen in the dark, so before sunset, I checked all lines to be sure this would go smoothly (OK, I always check them anyway!). This change happened about 4AM and went easily.

f. At 40 miles out, wind was 20 to 25 so put in second reef.

4. Hello, cape!

Route plan, good weather window forecast, and actual weather was as predicted made this an easy and fast passage. It wasn’t all perfect sailing along at 8.5, surfing to 12 knots sailing–although that describes a lot of the passage! But there was also a cape to go around. Always, always, ALWAYS, expect enhanced conditions at a cape.

Approaching the cape just after sunrise was perfect timing for visibility. Land here is mountainous–the Sierra Nevada range here, part of the Colombian Andes, is one of the tallest coastal ranges in the world. Conditions were a wall of gray overland, with a pronounced dark gray band extending to the west, with rain below it. No other visible signs of wind or sea state build at the cape, but to repeat, ALWAYS EXPECT ENHANCED CONDITIONS AT A CAPE!! Totem already had two reefs in the main, but I thought it prudent to partially furl the headsail as well. Turns out, this was a good idea!!! How it played out, and what we did:

a. Wind built from low 20s up to 35 – 42 knots. This is not GRIB predicted effect, rather, compression induced wind build because of mountainous land. [If you remember one thing: GRIBs are not Gospel! There can be more dynamics at play in determining wind force.]

b. Wind waves of two meters towards the WSW, also compressed around the cape and bent around to be perpendicular to the land. And they GREW, both confused and bigger, much bigger.

c. From cape to destination was four miles. For two miles, the waves doubled to four meters with four waves of at least five meters, from dead astern. All waves are not created equally. A five meter swell (dying wave) is gentle. These were waves (building, living) and very aggressive. Even though five meters isn’t a huge wave, it’s plenty big enough for catastrophe.

d. Things can happen very quickly when going down the face (front) of waves driven by strong wind such as these. The very real risk is broaching – getting knocked onto your side, beam to the waves. The boat doesn’t want to go straight down the waves; it wants to peel off one way or the other (water friction and balance of sailplan). Steering well is paramount to managing these conditions. Our autopilot was doing OK, but I felt better boosting its turning speed with hands on the wheel. Totem has a big rudder, so bites in nicely. It was a very exciting (hairy) couple of miles before seas eased to three meters and then two meters on approach to Santa Marta.

Hindsight

Once in Santa Marta, several cruisers came by that chat. Common theme: what a great weather window we had! The past several weeks it’s been blowing 35-40 knots, and gusts have reached up to 60 making conditions outside hellish. On one hand, we played it well. But on the other, a lot of what’s felt in the marina we presume to be katabatic winds – not so predictable for anticipating a weather window. Partly lucky, partly smart, glad to be on the other side of this particular stretch of water.

* * *

The first taste of Colombia yesterday is sweet: friendly staff welcoming us into Marina Santa Marta. In town, colonial buildings with faded elegance and colorful street art. Pedestrian malls lined with restaurants spilling out into streetside tables with busy conversations and delicious aromas. But more about that later – I’ll leave you with a few images from passage.

Sailing into the sunset again: this had such great green flash potential!

Utopia in the distance at dawn, day two

Jamie tethered in at the helm as we get past the cape, while I hide under the dodger – seas NEVER look as big on camera…

Hello, Santa Marta!

from Sailing Totem http://ift.tt/2C9zyQD via IFTTT

[nyustudenttravels-blog]

Top Things to Do in Lima, Peru: My 11-course meal at one of the world’s best restaurants – CENTRAL Restaurante!

I have never been a picky eater and would eat anything! Lol

But from time to time, I do get the chance to dine at Three or Two Michelin star, celebrity restaurants... So I can say that I have eaten some of the best, most complex and exquisite food creations around! 

But none of those restaurants come close to the incredible dining experience I have had at Central - named by the World's 50 Best Restaurants list - as the Fifth Best Restaurant in the World and the Best Restaurant in Latin America.

http://m.theworlds50best.com/index.html

https://www.forbes.com/sites/cheryltiu/2016/09/27/central-in-peru-is-once-again-the-best-restaurant-in-latin-america-for-2016/#1c8c0b24bbda

And it was only until I started the experience did I realize why it is more than deserving of that accolade. 

For Marketers, Central's USP (Unique Selling Proposition) is it gives you a gastronomic journey throughout Peru across the country's wide range of elevations where they harvest and use ingredients and inspirations from the various edible elements found across these different altitudes. From sea urchins found at sea, to native fruits and plants found on top of the mountain, Central's 11 and 17 course meals are meticulously curated to present the best Peruvian gastronomic experience to anyone willing and who dare (and afford) to experience.

Look at this 11-course Mater Ecosystems menu at Central in Lima!

1 - Rock Molluscs - so the only edible parts are the green crispy seaweed crackers on the left-hand side as well as the sea snail, mussel dish in the white circular marble container. I really liked the strong seafood flavors of this black paste of sea snail and mussels got me excited and this is when I told myself... No amount of money can equal the value of living life to the fullest! Lol

2 - Thick Stems - From below sea level, Central took me to 3,500 meters elevation to taste the Peruvian olluco extract, which are basically Andean potatoes mashed to extract its juice that is pure and evokes a sharp tangy sting. And the other edible part of this creation is olluco with different Peruvian herbs and spices wrapped in dried onion strips. 

3 - River Scales - the edible part and the highlight of this course is the chunk of shrimp blended with a thick tasty sauce with fish, herbs and an extract of a plant native to Peru. This is another favorite course of my meal! I love seafood and prawns! I have to write an article next about my favorite shrimp restaurants in New York and Manila!

4 - Forest Cotton - the white bean/nut you can see is the Pacae fruit also found and grown in Peru. I am gonna say that I find the fruity taste to be very interesting and a great addition to trying more types of food in Peru!

5 - High Jungle - Macambo, Cassava, Sachaculantro, Air Potato - this course rich in carbs has been created with ingredients from a 2,800 meter elevation!

6 - Marine Soil - Uni!!! Love the sea urchin meats, clams and cucumber melon mix! Taste is light, flavorful and refreshing.

7 - Land of Corn - Peru being pretty much a rich agricultural country plants and harvest corn year round. Corn has been the staple food eaten by the Andrean people for centuries! 

8 - Sea Coral - Love this combination of squid, octopus, and crab in a bit of squid ink. By this 8th course, I am already full! Haha 

9 - Low Andes Mountains - the 9th course meal is pork! Just cannot wait to have the desserts!

10 - Amazonian White - Love the chocolate flavors of an authentic Peruvian cacao with Bahajua nut! 

11 - Medicinals and Plant Dyes - to finish off the experience and to cleanse my mouth was this herbal juice and paired with a nutty-flavored cake. What a great and light way to conclude my gastronomic journey around one of my favorite countries in the world!

And as if my experience is not crazy enough yet...

The entire kitchen crew of the Fifth Best Restaurant in the World and celebrity chef Virgilio Martínez Véliz joined me in documenting my incredible dining experience with the best restaurant I have been to... ever!!!

Meet one of the best celebrity chefs in the world -  Virgilio Martínez Véliz 

http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/09/foodanddrink/profile-chef-virgilio-martinez-central-peru-lima/

Thank you to the super awesome culinary team at Central Lima for the amazing gastronomic experience!

P.S. Make sure you make your reservations 3-4 months prior to your visit in Lima. If you are reading this and you are few days or weeks away from your visit, your only chance would be to try to snag a bar seat and hope a spot at the dining hall opens up for you on the day of your visit. 

Tasting Menu Prices:

Mater Ecosystems (11 courses): 368 Soles (approx. US$ 113, taxes included, FX rate as of June 1, 2017) >>> For an 11-course meal for this level of experience, I am going to have to say that this is excellent value!

Mater Elevations (17 courses): 447 Soles (approx. US$ 137, taxes included, FX rate as of June 1, 2017)

For reservations, visit the offical website of Central:

http://centralrestaurante.com.pe/en/

Enjoy!

- Nhesthy Ong

I moved to New York City in August 2016 to join the M.S. in Integrated Marketing program (Class of 2018) at New York University. I enjoy food and unique adventures and this passion has led me to about 40 countries/territories across 6 continents. My dream is to be able to influence people to go out of their comfort zones and see this beautiful world for themselves and help create a happier, kinder and more inclusive world for everyone. 

[cuscojourneys]

INCA TRAIL TO MACHU PICCHU 4 DAYS / 3 NIGHTS

Inca Trail to Machu Picchu 4 Days / 3 Nights, This is Peru’s most sought-after trek for its breathtaking panoramas, vast ecological diversity, and well-preserved archeological sites. Following the ancient stone path, we traverse high mountain passes and walk through ecological areas ranging from high desert puna to Andean cloud forest and subtropical jungle.

In order to preserve the Inca Trail in the best possible shape the Peruvian government only allows each passenger to carry 7 kgs of baggage, which will be weighted before starting the inca trail trek. Personal and shared porters can be hired to carry this weight for you.

On the fourth day, we arrive to Machu Picchu through the Intipunku, or Sun Gate, from where we catch our first exhilarating glimpse of the archeological wonder below. At Machu Picchu, we spend ample time discovering these spectacular remains before returning to Cusco by train.

OVERVIEW

The Classic Inca Trail 4 days is Peru’s number one trek and one of the most well-known and popular treks in the world. Offering 4 days of trekking along original paved Inca pathways, a variety of fascinating Inca sites and the beautiful scenery of the Machu Picchu national park the Inca Trail is one of those things that everyone should do once in their life. Be you young or old, in good shape or bad, the Inca Trail trek is for everyone and is a must do if you plan to visit Machu Picchu.

By booking your Inca Trail 4 days with Cusco Journeys & Adventure you are choosing the best. Don’t believe us? Check out our reviews on TripAdvisor!

Inca Trail Availability

We offer daily departures on the Inca Trail Trek 4 days (excluding February when the trail is closed) –

Check Availability Here

It is strongly recommended to book your Inca Trail at least 4 months in advance as permits can quickly sell out.

Useful Information

Starting Altitude – 2720m / 8920ft.

Highest Altitude – 4217m / 13,780ft.

Walking Distance – 45km / 26 miles

Longest Day – Day 2, approximately 16km / 9.9 miles

Coldest Night – Day 2 around 0º celsius

Overall Difficulty – Moderate

Itinerary: Pre-trek briefing for the Inca Trail Trek

You will have an in-depth briefing with your guide 1 or 2 days before your trek. Your guide will meet you at your hotel and you can take this opportunity to ask questions and make any final preparations.

Day 1: Cusco – Trailhead at Km 82 – Ayapata

We will pick you up at your hotel in Cusco at 5:30 AM! The ride to the trailhead at Kilometer 82 is beautiful! Along the way we will stop at the Raqchi look out to take photos. This gorgeous location overlooks the valley of Urubamba with the Chicon glacier in the background. From this position you can also see Mount Veronica (5,682 m/ 18,637 ft) and the Urubamba River.

After driving an additional 45 minutes we will reach the town of Ollantaytambo. This town is an excellent spot to get breakfast and buy any last minute supplies prior to arriving at the trailhead. You will also have the opportunity to see the Ollantaytambo Inca site while you are here.

We will then get back in the van to travel the final 45 minutes to reach the trail head at Kilometer 82. At this point we will go through the Inca trail checkpoint and begin our Inca Trail hike.

The hike begins with 2 ½ hours of relatively flat terrain until we reach the Wilkaraqay Inca site. From this location we will have gorgeous views of the Llactapata (2,750 m/ 9,020 ft) archeological site, which was a check point on the Inca trail approach to Machu Picchu. At this point we will go over the history of this site as well as have an overview of the history of the Inca trail.

Back on the trail we will hike for 2 hours until we reach Hatunchaca (2,598 m/8,525 ft) where we will have lunch. This will be your first meal from our incredible chef and will give you an idea of the fantastic food you can look forward to the remainder of the trek!

After lunch we will hike for 2 ½ hours until we reach our camp at Ayapata (3,300 m / 10,829 ft). This camp is a little further along the Inca trail than the traditional night one camp site of Wayllabamba. This is nice because it is quieter. We will take advantage of this feature of the camp in order to enjoy the stars and beauty of the evening on the Inca trail in serenity.

Meals: Lunch/Dinner

Accommodations: Camping

Maximum altitude: 3300 m/ 10,824 ft

Minimum altitude: 2,750 m/ 9,020 ft

Distance to walk: 14 km/ 8.7 miles

Approximate walking time: 7 hours

Difficulty: Moderate

Day 2: Ayapata – Dead Woman’s Pass – Pacaymayu – Chaquicocha

After a delicious breakfast we will begin our hike to the famous Dead Woman’s Pass! For the first two hours we will be in the cloud forest. We will pass through various biozones including the low sierra and the high puna. There are many opportunities to see a variety of plant and birdlife and if we are lucky we may also spot White Tailed Deer.

After this two hour hike we reach Llulluchapampa (3,800 m / 12,460 ft). This is a small camp and it is the absolute last location on the trail to buy supplies. After a 15 minute break we will continue on the trail.

The portion of the trail leading to Dead Woman’s Pass at Warmiwañusca (4,215 m/ 13,825 ft) lasts two hours and takes you through beautiful mountains and the grasslands of the high Andes. We will pause at the top of this pass to admire the majesty of the highest point of the Inca trail.

We will then descend to the Pacaymayu camp for lunch.  After lunch we will ascend 45 minutes to the Inca site of Runcuraccay. We will tour this ruin and then continue uphill for an additional hour to the Runcuraccay pass (3,950 m/ 12,959 ft).

After a descent of 90 minutes we will arrive at the Inca site of Sayacmarca (3,657 m /12,000 ft). At this location we will have the chance to see one of the most amazing sunsets of the Aobamba valley!

From here it is 25 minutes to our campsite for the night at Chaquicocha (3,600 m/11,800 ft). We have chosen this camp for the night instead of the traditional night 2 campsites at Pacaymayu for reasons similar to why we choose Ayapata on night 1. It is less crowded and will allow us a more peaceful encounter with nature!

Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner

Accommodations: Camping

Maximum altitude: 4215 m/ 13,825 ft

Minimum altitude: 3,300 m/ 10,824 ft

Distance to walk: 16 km/ 10 miles

16 km/ 10 miles: 8-9 hours

Approximate walking time: 8-9 hours

Area: Andes and Cloud Forest

Difficulty: Challenging

Day 3: Chaquicocha – Phuyupatamarca – Wiñaywayna

After another fantastic breakfast we will hike for two hours until we reach Phuyupatamarca (3,680 m/ 12,073 ft). From this location we will have astonishing views of Aguas Calientes, Machu Picchu Mountain, and Huayna Picchu mountain. We will also have a guided tour of the Phuyupatamarca Inca site.

Now it is time to head into the rain forest! We will walk downhill for 2 ½ hours until we reach our camp. During this stretch of the trail we will visit Inti Pata. Many people feel that the most beautiful pictures of the entire Inca trail can be taken from this location! After Inti Pata it is a further 30 minutes to our campsite at Wiñay Wayna (2,680 m /8,792 ft). When we arrive at the camp we will have lunch. After relaxing for a short time we will visit the archeological site that bears the same name as the camp.

Wiñay Wayna is the largest and most beautiful archeological site on the Inca trail and means forever young in Quechua. We are one of the few companies that provide a guided tour of Wiñay Wayna.

Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner

Accommodations: Camping

Maximum altitude: 3600 m/ 11,808 ft

Minimum altitude: 2,680 m/8,792 ft

Distance to walk: 10 km/ 6.2 miles

Approximate walking time: 6 hours

Area: High Cloud Forest

Difficulty: Easy

Day 4: Wiñay Wayna – Sun Gate – Machu Picchu – Cusco

We will rise very early to complete the final stretch of the Inca Trail, which brings us to Inti Punku or the Sun Gate, the principal entrance of the crystal city of Machu Picchu. The trail here is fairly easy going and after about an hour we will arrive to Inti Punku (2,400 m/ 7,875 ft), an awesome location to observe the citadel of Machu Picchu and sunrise in the Andes.

From Inti Punku it is a further 40 minute downhill hike to the citadel of Machu Picchu. We will go to the classic “photo” spot and take pictures once we arrive. Then there will be a short break prior to starting our tour of Machu Picchu. The tour will last two hours. If you have elected to climb Huayna Picchu Mountain you should select the 10 AM time spot.

When you are finished exploring the extraordinary city of Machu Picchu you will travel to Aguas Calientes by bus. You will then take the train from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo where our private van will be waiting to transport you back to your hotel in Cusco. Arrival time in Cusco depends on the time of your train ticket.

Meals: Breakfast

Maximum altitude: 2700 m/ 8856 ft

Minimum altitude: 2,430 m/ 7,972 ft

Distance to walk: 6 km/ 3.73 miles

Approximate walking time: 2 hours

Includes

Trek briefing with your guide.

Professional trek guide

Second tour guide for groups of 9+

Private transport and professional driver (to the starting point of hike – km 82)

All entrance tickets and permits for Inca Trail and Machu Picchu Park.

Indigenous porters to carry camping equipment: client tents, dining and cooking tents, table, stools, cooking gear, stove, gas container, cutlery, plates, food and fresh vegetables.

Extra porter to carry 5 kg/11.4 lb. personal items (You just need to carry your day backpack with everything you will need during the day.)

Bus ticket from Machu Picchu to Aguas Calientes Village

Machu Picchu guided tour (2 hrs) and free time for you.

1 train ticket from Machu Picchu Pueblo to Ollantaytambo village (Expedition Tourist Train)

1 bus ticket from Machu Picchu Park to Machu Picchu Pueblo

3 nights camping “Classic Inca Trail Treks”

Spacious tents/Sleeping mat.

We provide a duffle bag for personal items.

Boiled water provided from 2nd day on (for drinking during hike)

One chef and assistant cook

Excellent Meals: 3 Breakfasts, 3 Lunches, 3 Dinners

Food includes pancakes, omelets, soups, fresh fruit, avocado, pasta, chicken, fish, meat, and rice, all rich in carbohydrates and suitable for trekking. (Vegetarian, vegan or special diet meals upon request.)

Tea time before dinner (tea, coffee, biscuits, popcorn)

Wake up to coca tea in your tent.

Buckets of hot water for washing in your tent every day

Biodegradable soap and hand cleansing gel

Cusco Journeys & Adventure uses walkie-talkies on all treks.

Oxygen Tank & First aid kit

All local taxes

Does Not Include

Sleeping Bag (Can be hired from us)

Personal Porter

Breakfast on Day 1 and lunch and dinner on Day 4

Entrance to Huayna Picchu Mountain

Tips: Guide, Cook, Porters

Energy snacks. So it would be useful to bring some such as as chocolate bars and dried fruits.

In an effort to reduce plastic waste on the trail we encourage our guests to use refillable water bottles

What you need to take

A good day pack: such as Eagle Creek Afar Backpack (Appropriate pack to carry your personal belongings.)

Original passport (International Student Identity Card “ISIC” if applicable)

Travel insurance (strongly recommended but not required

Lighter trekking boots (with good ankle support)

3 pairs of trekking pants (not jeans), 1 hiking, 1 cotton–which is just enough. Please spray both pairs with an insect repellent spray before the trip.

Layers for variable temperatures especially at night

1 rain jacket: The first night the temperature can be as low as – 5 degrees Celsius/23 degrees Fahrenheit. A rain jacket can be helpful, because there are rainy days even in the dry season!

1 warm/winter jacket (Thermals: wool socks/gloves, scarf and woolen hat for cold nights).

4 pairs of underwear, 6 pairs of socks (Bamboo or cotton/nylon-blend socks dry faster than 100 percent cotton, which lose their softness when air-dried.) It is nice to have a couple of extra pairs of socks to change into at night when you’re not hiking. Also, we recommend bringing both really heavy hiking socks and lighter socks as well as the weather is variable, so you want to make sure you’re not too cold or too hot.

4 shirts, 2 long sleeve shirts

1 good sleeping bag liner which is super lightweight and easy to pack. This definitely does its job!

Travel-size tissues and wet wipes–The air is cold and damp, so your nose is going to run a lot. Everyone seems to run out of tissues by the end of the trek. Also, most bathrooms do not have toilet paper (if you even get a bathroom), so wet wipes are key.

Iron tablets and pills for altitude sickness. Several people on the hike have varying degrees of altitude sickness and both of these remedies (in addition to the coca tea) are very helpful in alleviating the symptoms.

Sun protection cream (SPF 45 or higher recommended).

Bug spray with 30% DEET in it–which you need, but it doesn’t work very well. The issue with Cusco outdoor is that most of the bugs are not mosquitoes. They are these small flies you can’t even see that leave weird bites that first look like you pricked your finger and then blow up into itchy red bumps. Unfortunately, these bugs seem to bite you no matter what kind of spray you put on, so bringing some anti-itch ointment could be helpful.

Re-usable plastic or metal water container or a hydration pack such as Camel-back

Water (Only for first day of the hike, as we will provide you with water throughout the rest of the hike).

Camera and film

A headlamp to navigate camp in the evenings and pre-dawn mornings with spare batteries

Bandages or moleskin

Flip flops to change into at night. Your toes will thank you!

Toiletries: toothbrush, toothpaste/floss, shampoo/conditioner, brush/comb, Vaseline (great for potential blisters on the feet), feminine hygiene products, deodorant, nail clippers/file/tweezers, spare glasses and/or prescription, mini-eyeglass repair kit, contact lenses and supplies, hand sanitizer etc. Pack what you need, but pack light.

Medication (Imodium AD or something for your stomach) because some people get an upset stomach on the trek. Also, Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen can be helpful to help with aches and pains after  8-10 hours of hiking each day.

Plastic bags for dirty and wet clothes

Something to read in the evenings

Extra money for drinks

Tips in soles for cooks, horsemen, guides.

Emergency money at least 300-450 extra soles (USD$ 220)