Cusco, Peru

12/14/2005

hello everyone,

paul and edgar left this morning for the incan trail hike. i will see them
up there later in the week. i definitely have mixed feelings about not
going. but in reality, it was never my thing to begin with. so i am here
in cusco after passing on multiple opportuinties to change my mind about
going on that trek.
but i will now tke the opportunity to make fun of paul and edgar a little
bit (or a lot)... cause of course, i am feeling lesser than them since i
didn´t go, and so to make myself feel better, i will write the following:
yesterday paul and edgar were all over town preparing for this trip. i just
kinda followed along cause i had no other plans. so it was one of my most
uneventful days so far. well, they went crazy with the preparations. i
mean, it is good to be prepared, but one must realize - everything they buy
for the trek, they have to carry on the trek. and they are climbing some
6000 feet in one day, and then back down the next!
well, they didn´t trust that the tour company would supply them with enough
food, so they bought enough for 4 days (without the tour company´s food at
all). they bought this huge block of queso, (the stinky cheese that i love)
and a pack of red bull (which, with all the caffeine, is not gonna help with
hydration). they also bought this large bag of sweet bread... that is
garaunteed to get squished... but unfortunately squishing it won´t make it
any lighter. they bought some large pack of roots and leaves which are some
supposed herbal remedy for the altitude. but anyway, that gives you the
basic idea.
paul and edgar kinda reminded me of myself when i was 12 years old and
attended my first summer scout camp at camp avondale. i packed so much
stuff, you woulda thought i was going for a month. i remember with
subsequent camping trips i packed less and less... until today, when i go
camping, i just make sure i got a toothbrush and some soap. (soap can work
for bathing, shampooing, and brushing one´s teeth. and if you take
palmolive, you can also use it for washing dishes) so last night they were
up for 2 hours packing their goods. and you shoulda seen how big and heavy
their packs got. edgar was the funniest, cause he even packed his psp,
i-pod, and his combo TV-VCR. paul, whose pack wasn´t that much lighter,
kept telling him to unload things, so he did. he unloaded some cologne, a
few magizines, his extra jacket, a bottle of some local beverage known for
high alcohol content, and his big bottle of shampoo and body wash. i mean,
where are they going? hehehe.
i really wish i was going on the trek just so i could show them how light
you can pack and still get by for the 4 days. i mean, do you really need to
bring along 2 litres of water when the tour company has told you they will
provide it, and also that its available for purchase along the trail?
hehhehe...
ok, i am really just having fun. it is good to be prepared, as every eagle
scout knows... which is why i didn´t go on the hike. it has been
interesting to watch edgar and paul (especially paul) because so much of
their energy and focus has been on this trek. they took this peru trip in
order to make this trek up the incan trail. so i is hard for me to describe
the significance of it for the both of them. but i can appreciate their
preparations more than what i´ve let on here. it almost seems to be
somewhat of a spiritual experience for paul, and he really sees it as
pitting himself against himself... as a way to test his limits and
abilities. so it was difficult for them to understand my reluctance towards
the trip, and, for the past couple of days, my indifference to it.
i am sure they will be fine. i have talked with several other people here
in peru that have done the trek, and some of them are not that physically
fit. paul and edgar can get up mt. si in no time, so i think they will do
well with this. (only those heavy packs may slow them down).
joseph