The Long Way Home

We were able to get business class to Atlanta, which was a nice reward. We even managed to sleep for a few hours a piece. Once we actually arrived in Atlanta, I reviewed our options for getting back to LAX. The first flight going out to LA was oversold by 12 and had more than 30 people on standby. Not one of them got on. It was clear that we would not be going direct if we wanted to get home today. We looked into many possibilities - none of them great looking. Everything from San Jose to Hayden was a bit messy. Everyone is flying today apparently. We narrowly got on a Delta flight to Northwest Arkansas and that is where we wait.

We would have to wait for about 3.5 hours to catch the next flight west, so I had some time to reflect on the trip in a sort of mini-post about my thoughts. Rather than my traditional ramblings, I thought I'd do a simple pro and con about Peru, particularly in contrast with my own country.

The Pros:
The people. Nicole was quick to point out that people were very friendly and patient, particularly when our language skills were not at their peak. When we were a little confused on the first night how to get inside the airport hotel, a guy hawking taxis pointed us in the correct direction without us prompting him.

While the constant hustling in Cusco was a bit annoying, the people as a whole were respectful and kind. Whether we were purchasing sweaters, going through customs, or trying to get train tickets in severely fractured spanish, the person on the other side of the conversation would smile and make sure that we were getting exactly what we thought we had asked for without simply trying to make us go away like a pesky fly.

The Cons:
Now it may have seemed like there was only one pro, but decent people are hard to find these days and finding people who care is a pretty big pro. Turks & Caicos in the Caribbean was a very pretty island with rich turquoise waters, but the people (both resident and visitor) were absolutely ghastly. Everyone had attitude and for me at least, this put a damper on the whole experience. So my cons for Peru are relatively minor in the grand scheme of things, but I give them to you anyway.

At the top of my list for souring my disposition is everything that the Ministry of Tourism is involved in. This includes access to all the major Incan ruins throughout the country including famous Machu Picchu. Now the street vendors have figured out how to sell a $1 magnet to someone who wants to pay with credit card, but the ministry of tourism cannot seem to understand that it would be a lot easier to buy a $55 entrance fee using Visa instead of going to an ATM repeatedly. Furthermore, the ministry is very strict when it comes to student discounts. Both Nicole and I had student IDs, but they would find any reason not to give us the discount. Basically my cons revolve around money, and I am known to be cheap. Obviously people will keep paying $55+ to see Machu Picchu, but it does seem a little bit like a scam in a way.

So what's the point of all this? Well I have often encouraged people to travel because I think people are too stuck in their own bubbles. Maybe folks are starting to take that advise because I had though I was going to Peru in the off-season. If that's the case, I'd hate to see it at peak season. The global economy seems to be doing well because I would hear accents from people from China, Brazil, Canada, France, and Korea. One country, as usual, was curiously missing. The good ol' USA. I had to sign a logbook to access a trail to the Inca Bridge, and part of the sign in was to indicate country. I had to go forward a couple pages to reach a blank line, and with about 30 lines per page, there was not a single American. I saw Argentina, Switzerland, Canada, Chile, and Japan in the book. Not one American. And this is kind of a sad trend I've been observing as of late. What is wrong with us? While we were away, another school shooting happened, and it was shrugged off as just another school shooting.



We get in the habit of looking up how safe other countries are and seeing what the travel warnings from the state department have to say. "Beware of petty theft in Lima. Be alert when riding public transportation. Avoid walking around at night alone." I wonder what they would say about the United States. It's a sobering thought. We reflexively look down at the countries of South America as having such grandiose problems, but we just aren't as great as we think we are. And maybe a little perspective might be a good cure to this notion that America is so exceptional. It's a long way from petty theft to systematic murder of kids. We may be exceptional, but as I watched the TV news in our hotel room, I couldn't help but be embarrassed for what has become normal in America.

Muchos Hornos

This morning we went for a walk uphill (at 11000+ ft, no easy task mind you) to try find a good overlook of Cusco's center square and historical district. We found a nice overlook from a nearby church plaza.

On our way back down, we passed through the neighborhood of San Blas which is more of an artist's area with a more "hip" vibe to it. It featured many narrow cobblestone alleys, which somehow still supported vehicular traffic.

We also saw the ubiquitous old women in traditional garb holding an alpaca and hoping to charge tourists for a picture. While it is a photogenic scene with the old streets in the background, it's very much not real. It's about as authentic as the Winnie the Pooh on Hollywood Blvd smoking a cigarette. Anyway, our flight to Lima was at 1:00pm, so we headed back to the airport.

Though the flight is just over an hour, the two cities could not be more different. As the plane descended, the suburbs of Cusco came into view and we caught a glimpse of industrial works, radio towers, and shipping containers before touching down at Jorge Chavez International. It was a short trek to exit the terminal, but then a 40 min drive to the Miraflores district on the coast. We had decided to get a cheap hotel just as a base of operations before our red eye at almost 2am. That way we can at least shower or something prior to spending the next day flying.

 
We went for a walk along the Pacific Coast. It was very bustling and the warm air and humidity was a nice change from the dry and thin air of Cusco. Our bodies seemed to appreciate it anyway. We eventually caught dinner at a restaurant overlooking the ocean before stepping out again to take a few pictures at night of the slow-moving traffic on the coastal highway below.

After a bit, we walked back to our hotel to get organized prior to our flight. Our current plan is to take Delta back through Atlanta since it has 26 seats open in first class. Unfortunately, there is a note that it may be "payload-optimized," which is a fancy way of saying they can depart with seats open in the interest of "weight-and-balance." Wish us luck. We could use a nice seat. We even showered.

Back to Cusco

 We got up this morning in Ollantaytambo and went for a walk around the small town. Directly out the door of our guest house was a hike to some ancient Incan ruins. These were completely free, which was nice because I feel as though Machu Picchu really takes advantage of the foreign tourist. As an added plus, once we were at a slightly higher vantage point, we could also get a good view of the Ollantaytambo ruins, which were $25 per person to enter. The view from above was just fine. We could also look down into the alleys and check out the whole town from up high. After coming back down, we walked around a little bit, taking in the town once last time before getting in our taxi that would take us to Cusco.

It was an easy 90 min drive up to Cusco, which is over 11,000 ft elevation. Ollantaytambo was around 9,000, yet that extra 2000 ft seemed to push Nicole over the edge. We found ourselves struggling a bit more with steps and our hearts were beating just a little bit faster.

Our hotel is very close to the Plaza del Armas, or the main square, so it's a fairly easy and short walk to things. We made our way to Qorikancha, which is some kind of weird church/convent/inca site. It had a nice courtyard area that was bordered on the outside by various Incan walls. The upper floor contained modern art exhibits and some nice views of the surrounding city and hillside.

As this is essentially our last stop before going home (Lima doesn't really call to us with much excitement), we felt obligated to do a little shopping. Cusco being a tourist town, this was not a difficult endeavour. In fact, I could have stood still in the middle of the square and vendors would have come to me to peddle their wares, but I wasn't keen on being hustled, so we went into various markets instead. They all had essentially the same stuff, but just slightly different so we had to do a bit of hunting for things like ornaments.

As the sun started to go down, the temperature did as well. Surrounded by alpaca-knit sweaters, our decision was easy. For about $11, we each got a hand-knit sweater. Not a lot of money was spent on all of our purchases. Hopefully they don't fall apart in the first wash.

We spent a little time taking pictures around the square at night before heading back to the hotel, which was strangely warm. We talked to the reception about this mystery, but all the other rooms were equally as airless and stagnant.

Tomorrow we may explore a little bit more of the town before catching a flight to Lima in the mid-afternoon. It's unclear how we're getting back to the U.S. as of yet, so our time in Lima is kind of up in air. We should know in about 24 hours.

Wet and Wild at Machu Picchu

We got up relatively early this morning to catch a bus up to Machu Picchu. 25 mins-worth of being bounced up and down in the backseat, we arrived at the entrance. Immediately our progress was slowed by . . . everyone. I had underestimated the size of the crowds. I had figured that February being the low season and rainy season would keep the numbers down. I was very wrong, and folks who did not have the best physical fitness, or frankly the ability to walk in a straight line. Every time Nicole moved to overtake someone, they would shift course like a snake, stop for 10 seconds, take out a selfie stick attached to an ipad or some such nonsense and then start walking again toward the other side of the path. It was driving us mad.


Anyway, we attempted to get away from the crowds and found a little overlook by ourselves until half of a Chinese tour group believed our spot was grand and decided to pin us into a corner while standing approximately 3 inches away.

We fought our way out and went in search of a new viewpoint. At this point we had only a limited view of the site with glimpses of the ruins between passing clouds. We were awaiting for the clouds to clear in hopes of a clearer view, but there were few indications that the weather was improving. We passed the time by hiking toward the Inca Bridge which was nice because the crowds really thinned out as it required a very small degree of physical fitness. When we returned, the weather had not changed, but there were now more people. I would have sworn that walking sticks were prohibited, but lots of people had them nonetheless. I really don't understand. These people had not completed the Inca Trail (which is currently closed for trail maintenance), and had merely stepped off a tour bus and had to walk up a few steps. A walking stick only proved to be an obstacle to our eyes when we were stuck behind these "adventuresome" trekkers.

In any event, in short order, the weather got much worse. The rain started to intensify and it got quite cold. There is very little shelter at the site, so Nicole and I just kind of huddled by ourselves near a wall for a good 30 mins during a downpour. See the first picture in this post to see Nicole looking out at the ruins (which as you can see were not visible at all). The rain did do a good jog of dispersing people, however, and just as we were about to despair, the wind picked up.

It wasn't much, but it was enough to start pushing the clouds along. We never got a sunny clear view like you would see in a postcard, but we did get some nice misty and eerie shots that evoke more of a mysterious feel to the ancient citadel. After spending a solid six hours at the site, we fought through the slow moving tourists and made our way back down to town to catch a train to Ollantaytambo, an hour and a half away. Here, everyone else on the train took a taxi or transferred to bus to go to Cusco. Nicole and I were spending the night.

After settling in to our small guest house in the small town of Ollantaytambo, we had our Valentine's Day dinner for two at a small restaurant a few blocks down the cobbled streets. Unlike back in the states, there did not appear to be huge demand for fancy Valentine's Day dinners and we did not need a reservation or have to deal with special Valentine's day menus. I appreciated this and we were able to enjoy a quiet and relaxed dinner despite feeling a bit cold and wet in our clothes that had adorned our bodies since the morning. After dinner we headed back to the guest house after Nicole purchased a few hand-made goods at a market stall. It was a very busy, but fulfilling day. Perhaps not the most traditional way to spend February 14, but I wouldn't change a thing.

El Viaje ha Comenzado

With 8 days off, Nicole and I set off to Atlanta and then Lima, and then Cusco, and then Ollantaytambo, and then Aguas Calientes. This would put us within striking distance of the famous Incan citadel of Machu Picchu. It was a very involved process to get here, but we elected to push through to get here and then take our time working our way back for the remainder of the trip.

It's currently the low season here in Peru, so the crowds are smaller, but the clouds and rain are more abundant. Hopefully tomorrow when we try and see the site, the weather will cooperate. We were considering going up today as well since we arrived in town at 2pm, but it's a fairly involved process to buy all the separate tickets and so forth.

When we tried to buy bus tickets, they just automatically gave us tickets for tomorrow without bothering to ask. Then we discovered that the ministry of tourism would only accept Soles (local currency) for the entrance fee to the site itself which we also had to buy ahead of time and took a few trips because the student rate we hoped to get was denied and we didn't have enough money. Well now it was 4pm and we obviously weren't going to see the ruins today so we remained productive and purchased our train tickets for our ride out of town. Now (hopefully) all the stress is done since everything should now be taken care of.

Now our mission is to find food. Not many exciting pictures yet, but that should hopefully change tomorrow...

Manana!

What I Could Have Done . . . (A Reflection on our East Asian Trip)

It was a long day of traveling, but we arrived back at our apartment just before 10am. This was quite a feat since we left Taipei at noon of the same day and had to change planes in San Francisco. We each took a nap that practically paralyzed us. I think we slept through my alarm going off for about an hour. Nonetheless, we are almost back on some semblance of a normal schedule and I've had some time to import my pictures and video.

For me, this was a trip that marked a return to a couple countries I had not been to in years, but also an introduction to some new locales as well. And if I were to be completely honest, I could easily make another return trip as I feel that there is much more to explore.


In many respects, most of the cities visited are not generally viewed as tourist hot spots. With the exception of Beijing, none of the others have anything iconic that really jumps out. And things like that always appeal to me. It gave us a chance to really see something for the first time as other people do not typically go out of their way to go to some place like Taipei.







United retired its fleet of 747s last week with one of its final flights going from SFO to Incheon airport. I don't know if this bit of history factored into the large number of standbys going to Seoul, but we found ourselves going to Tokyo-Haneda  instead and buying a ticket from there to Gimpo airport in Seoul. Hotheads like Trump and Kim Jong-un did not really dissuade me in any way from going, but events of this nature usually lead to flight cancellations from other "normal" people. Needless to say, it was a bit of a surprise to see such a high volume of travelers going to Seoul, and at the end of October of all times.

So what did I wish I saw in Seoul? Well, the iconic DMZ is nearby. I am fascinated by the visual of soldiers from North and South facing off and I feel like it's very relevant right now. Unfortunately, the timing of our arrival didn't really work out with a visit to the DMZ. It is closed to visitors on Sunday and Monday which was pretty much when we were there. Nevertheless, my primary reason for a stopover in Korea was to meet with some of my former students, and I feel that mission was successful. Their input will be put to good use in a future documentary of mine.

After Korea, we entered a series of different cities that in some way or another either claim to be or are claimed by China. Confusing, yes? With our first stop in Beijing, we were very much aware that we were now in a communist country due primarily to the lack of efficiency or logic with . . . anything. People need money to buy train tickets and cannot use credit cards? Put the ATM in the most inconvenient spot in the airport. Passengers using transit visas for entry into the country? Put the visa desk in a practically inaccessible section far from passport control.

On my previous visit to China, people had ogled me like I was some kind of novelty. People would take pictures of me without permission, stare at me from uncomfortably close proximity, or in some cases even touch my hair without warning. Needless to say, I wasn't too keen on these things, and I warned Nicole of the possibilities. Fortunately, in the 13 years that have passed since my previous visit, the Chinese seem to be more accustomed to folks that look like us. And with regard to food sanitation and other environmental issues associated with Beijing, Nicole had previously visited India, so Beijing was a picnic. The pollution in Beijing was bad, but when we visited New Delhi last year, it was shrouded in a dense smoke. One point to China.

That being said, there were a large amount of folks who would loudly clear their throat, hawk up a giant loogie, or in other cases launch a snot rocket nearby. This did not settle well with Nicole. Now maybe it's the pollution getting to their sinuses, but more realistically it's just culturally acceptable given the frequency we witnessed it happening. Fair enough -- the Japanese like to slurp their soup and frown upon nose blowing, the British find normalcy in eating really terrible food, and Americans find a way to  celebrate ignorance on a daily basis. Every culture has their quirks, but there's something just profoundly disgusting about hearing a man unashamedly (and loudly) hawk up a good one, cut you in line, and then shoot a snot rocket close to your feet. Unacceptable. Points deducted from China.

It was with great pleasure that we left Beijing and proceeded to Hong Kong, which is still "China," but also does its own thing. No visa was required. And it certainly didn't seem like mainland China. The subway was very easy to use and I was able to pay for the airport express connector with credit card. Smart. It was a clean city that was highly modernized. Countless people were playing tennis, running, or taking part in other sports or aerobics. One could immediately see how this city wants to distance itself from that other China. It's culturally quite different.

One had to hunt to find the communist Chinese flag flying over any building. More often than not it was the five-petal orchid flag of Hong Kong. And to be fair, Hong Kong is not now and never was communist (at least in the economic sense). British rule set up a major financial powerhouse and created a large amount of the current infrastructure (including food sanitation and clean water). When the Chinese regained control in 1997, they had the sense to not ruin a good thing. So as it currently stands, Hong Kong is a mostly independent, democratic, and capitalist state. That doesn't mean Beijing hasn't tried to get its hands involved. Google 'Umbrella Revolution' for more on that.

In the pending decades, China will inevitably assume full control of places like Hong Kong and Macau, and it would be a shame. Hong Kong is a really cool city in a very photogenic setting - like Honolulu, but a lot safer and cleaner. That could all change if Beijing really starts meddling. Snot rockets and phlegm everywhere! Let's hope they don't ruin a good thing. I could have used a few more days to explore the other neighborhoods and surrounding islands, but that will have to wait . . .

After Hong Kong, we went to Taipei, Taiwan, a country which by some other measure also claims to be China. Confusing, indeed. We would see businesses called ,"China Tour Agency," or "First Chinese Bank." I won't get it to the whole complicated history of Taiwan's very existence, but Chiang Kai-shek (nationalist), who lost militarily to Mao Zedong (communist) fled along with millions of people to Taiwan, where he claimed to be the legitimate government of China. That actually worked for a while with the U.S., who would pretty much support anyone who wasn't communist. Chiang Kai-shek very much fit that description, but he was also kind of a dick. He instituted martial law and for decades, Taiwan wasn't really a democracy. With countries being forced to choose one "real" China, most eventually chose the one that would prove to be a better trading partner (hint: the communist one). So that issue has plagued international relations for Taiwan and it was mostly recently came to light when Trump referred to the President of Taiwan as having congratulated him on his victory.

That may seem pretty benign, but the mere fact that he referred to her as a "president," implies that the White House was recognizing a sovereign leader of a place that isn't even a country as far as Beijing is concerned. The whole thing is quite bizarre, and for all the blunders Trump has made, the Taiwan thing is somewhat forgivable because the whole one China policy ultimately implies that Taiwan doesn't even exist. But but but, I was there. And it's real. I can assure you. And from what I could tell in my brief time there, it seems pretty put together for being a fake country.

And for a country ("country"?) that also identifies as China, I would respectfully remark that Taiwan is quite different from the mainland. It has its own unique culture and identity. And minus the vast numbers of scooters taking over the streets of Taipei who cannot for some reason make left turns (just go, you'll understand what I mean), most of it is admirable. The subway system is modern and quite affordable. The variety of ethnic cuisine available in the city of Taipei would rival Los Angeles. And despite the aforementioned scooters, Taiwan has some of the lowest crime in the region.

If I had more time, I would have liked to explore the rest of the country, which is reportedly quite beautiful and nature-rific. This was one of the more politically confusing trips I have been on since I now have two stamps in my passport from two different countries that both say "China" on them. By the things I have said about each of the places, you can probably gather which ones I liked more than others. But one has to actually visit each place to form their own opinions.

And even better, it would be good for those phlegm hawkers in Beijing to expand their horizons and realize that when they see people standing in line, it does not give them permission to cut everybody off. Nicole is convinced it stems from a society of only children where everyone thinks it's all about them. Maybe there's something to it... Nevertheless, as I continue to preach, traveling not only gives one appreciation for people who don't launch snot rockets next to them, but it also exposes the problems of one's own country that may not have previously been apparent. If only everyone could have that luxury... And maybe next time when we further explore the area, Nicole and I will have the luxury of being in business class for those long flights.

Last Day in Taipei

Today we ventured more around Taipei. It was a bit chillier than yesterday and a constant mist/drizzle would continue all day long. We took the subway to the end of the line to Xiangshan and did a hiking trail that was really more of a stair climb to get to a vantage point overlooking the city. We could see the mist roll by into the lush hillside below. As you can see, the Taipei 101 building (the tall one) is a very prominent feature in the skyline and towers over everything around it.

After hiking back down, we took the subway to the end of the line at another station to the southeast. A relatively recent addition to Taipei are the gondolas that climb into the surrounding hills. The total distance they travel is about 5km or so. Some have glass bottoms and the line for them was significantly longer, so Nicole and I got a regular bottom one and cut the line. We were shortly on our way. Other than an occasional wind gust, they seemed very stable and safe. The biggest issue was the chill I got as we climbed higher into the misty mountains. At the top, at Maokong station, we disembarked and I was pushing to stop at one of the tea houses for a bit of a warm up. While I was sweating during the hike an hour or so earlier, I was now quite cold in just my t-shirt. The hillsides are dotted with tea plantations, so we were close to the source. Partially as a result of the weather, this very popular attraction was not so popular today, so we got a nice seat at one of the tea houses next to a window overlooking the entire valley.

 We sat there for a while sipping our tea and eating rice. The waiter was very confused by our order of plain rice and kept returning to see if we wanted meat or something to add to it. I guess we are just strange Americans. After finishing our tea, which was kept nice and warm by sitting on a constant flame, we took the gondola one stop to the Zhinan Temple. It would have been very photogenic if it wasn't for the mass of scaffolding covering the front of the temple.

After that, we went down another stop to the Taipei zoo. Nicole was very keen on seeing some pandas. Unlike American zoos which are quite expensive, the two of use each paid the equivalent of $2 for entry. Not too bad.

We saw elephants and giraffes roaming about, but a lot of the other animals were laying low. I suppose the weather didn't help. We did ultimately see a couple pandas, but my pictures weren't very good because I was shooting through dark glass, so you'll have to settle for this one of Nicole blending in among a family of pandas.





After the zoo, we took the subway back toward the Taipei 101 building. I was hoping to track down a bar on the rooftop of a nearby mall so I could get some good pictures of the building. Unfortunately, the shopping mall in question was jam packed with people and navigating it was impossible. The escalators only went up to floor 6, the elevators were molasses, and we gave up on trying to get to the 10th floor. We plotted our escape and got back on the subway to head back to the neighborhood of our hotel. We ended up eating our last dinner of the trip at a Thai restaurant. I suppose it's not the most authentic Taiwanese meal we could have, but it seems there are more ethnic restaurants here than in Tokyo, so maybe it's fitting. We braved the mist one last time as we walked back to our hotel after a long day out. I listed us for a United flight to San Francisco on the only flight to the U.S. by an American carrier. By the looks of things, we will be in economy seats with the commoners. It would have helped to be able to nap, but that doesn't look too promising. On the brightside, we will at least get seats.