There and back again

The heart of a wanderer and a brain full of adventure tales led me to the Inca trail. Unlike Atreyu and Frodo I had an itinerary, kitchen staff, and travel insurance. It's a safe adventure that held enough isolation and struggle to empty a head full of the multitasking demands of modern Western life.

Travel began in the middle of the night, goodbye snuggles with four legged family, and open road to the airport. Of the 15 other people in the group I knew one. I was introduced to my roommate for the next 10 days, met some of the others, and checked in. Hours were spent in the Dallas airport wandering through various hallways and awaiting the next flight. Our arrival in Lima, Peru came after midnight. We were greeted by a crowd of taxi drivers and signs with names of other travelers. The hotel send several vans to move our group across crowded streets to our beds for the night.

The flight to Cusco was short and inspiring. We began our descent through mountains touching the clouds. Bags were gathered and we moved through the parking lot like children following the teacher on the first day of school. Surrounded by new sights and an environment offering less oxygen than our bodies wanted.

We split off to our rooms to establish a temporary base for the acclimating days before the trek. A restaurant was chosen and we moved through the foreign streets, a clump of travelers navigating street vendors and loosely comprehensible driving patterns. Following the directive of our local guide we pursued the menu avoiding fresh vegetables and tap water. A city full of tourists where restaurant employees cater to those unfamiliar with the native language.

The next day began with meandering city streets, seeking out cafes and ruins. There was art work purchased and photos with lambs. Afternoon brought us to a farm outside the city for horseback riding through the mountains. Equestrians know that if they only want a relaxing ride you lie about your riding experience. I told the truth and was given Fuego, Fire, a Peruvian Paso Fino stallion. He has the most enviable forelock that not even the most emo scene kid could accomplish.

Here we had our first experience hiking at altitude and questioned everything we believed about our fitness levels. The ride followed along dirt roads through national park land, amongst grazing cows, with dogs following along.