The Great Machu Picchu Orange Juice Disaster of 2011

So somehow I managed to not only get my ticket only three days in advance to Machu Picchu, but I was able to buy the pass up the smaller mountain, Wayna Picchu at the same time. This is the mountain you see at the end of the ruins in all the postcard photographs, and they only let 400 people up a day. My pass was for 7am, which made for an early morning.

Up at 4:30am after not being able to fall asleep for hours the night before, groggily stuffing my limbs into my decided outfit (after all, these photos will live forever...), I stumbled my way out of the hostel and down the block to queue for the 5:30 bus. I toted along some breakfast: yogurt, cookies, and a big tetrapack of orange juice. I drank the yogurt (it's all drinkable down here) and cracked my way into the OJ on the ride up, in the hopes of some easy sugars to jumpstart my body.

Once at Machu Picchu, I had an hour to take photos before the Wayanapicchu hike time started. Walking up a flight of stairs felt good and yet put me completely out of breath. I had acclimated finally to the altitude, but there is still very little oxygen up here. But the ruins are breathtaking too... It's more the setting than the actual structures, although they are extremely impressive. The Inca were clearly incredibly talented engineers.

After a few photos, I became nervous about finding my way to the hike starting point, and wandered over in the general direction. I got there early, but my entire mantra for the few days prior was to take it easy and not exhaust myself so that I could have energy for this day, and so I hung out at the gate for a bit, only a group of Japanese tourists ahead of me in line. When they started letting people in, I was number 7 through the gate.

God hiking felt good, and I quickly passed the group ahead of me. I could feel how much weaker my legs were than before this trip, but I pushed them to keep going. Wayna Picchu is basically a crazy staircase up the face of a cliff, and dammit it felt amazing as the view behind me developed and as I got closer to the lingering clouds clinging to the mountaintops.

Then I realized that I was alone. I couldn't hear anyone... Not a single footstep behind me. I reveled in that, at a wonder of the world, I was alone. Then it hit me that I could be the first to the top. Competitive Adrian hasn't been doing so well with this feebleness, and so that side of me took over.

It was about a switchback after this decision to power up the mountain, that I felt an odd drip on the back of my leg. I opened my little day pack to find a disaster--the orange juice container was slowly leaking from somewhere. My Spanish phrasebook was drenched as was my notepad that I'd been using as a journal. The liquid was sticky and sweet, covering the bottom of my bag, and seeping through to infiltrate my vest and shirt, not to mention my pants. I readjusted everything, but didn't ditch the OJ... Considering the mess already, it couldn't get that much worse. I tied a plastic bag around it and kept going, cursing the lost time and wondering how the heck no one had caught up to me yet.

Now I had to make time. The exhilaration of exercise combined with the ever-more staggering beauty unfolding around me, and possibly the lack of oxygen in my brain, was thrilling. A rest--no footsteps. A sign--25 minutes to the top, and so I would check my watch... 10 minutes, no one. 15, still alone but slowing down a lot. The cold that I had been trying to ignore threw me a coughing fit, so I had to stop and pull a cough drop from my bag, more time wasted!

As I was coming to the first real overlook, and becoming concerned that I had gone the wrong way, I heard voices. I pushed through the tiredness, took pictures on the sly and on the run, and scrambled through caves and tight places (you can't be fat, or wear a moderately sized backpack and fit through some of these nooks and crannies). I put some more distance between me and the voices. Then I could see the top. Breathing deep, I just put one foot ahead of the other. One more cave, and different voices behind me. Up the ladder, hand-breathe-foot-breathe, and I emerged into the sky.

The reason Machu Picchu is so worth it is simply the setting. You couldn't get more beautiful. I sat at the summit of Wayna Picchu as a young perfectly in shape couple came up the ladder, clearly disappointed that I, half sick, covered in sweat, orange juice, and about 12 layers of dirt, yet completely glowing from the exertion, had beaten them. I didn't give up my post as more people came up, I watched as the sun and wind blew the wisps of clouds around the thumb-like mountains, as the rivers churned and babbled so far below, as the ruins lay out before me like a promise.

Pictures were taken, and as the summit became crowded, I slipped back down the ladder, and found a place to just sit and watch the world. I sat there, drinking the entire remaining contents of my orange juice, pulling the entire contents of my bag out and literally pouring the leaked juice from my bag. Luckily, I had toilet paper to mop up the mess. Everything about me was filthy. I had scrambled up this cliff with everything I had, and it wasn't even 8am. I have never been so completely content, so completely at peace, so completely happy. At least not anytime in the last two weeks.

More to come later.

Up and Walking, but Definitely Not Running.

YAY!! I´m not completely comatose!

In fact, I managed to walk around Cusco quite a bit today, although not quite all the way up the hill to the ruins or the little "Christo Blanco" that overlooks the city (it's a much smaller version of a christ the redemer statue). Then I packed a weekend bag for my trip to Machu Picchu, and got the hell out of Cusco. I'd been there far too long, far too incapacitated, so I decided to spend a night in the sacred valley town of Ollantaytambo, since I liked it so much on the tour Sunday. It's where I catch the train to Aguas Calientes (the town at the base of Machu Picchu) tomorrow, so in a way, I'm just extending my "trek" to MP.

But I had to get to Ollantaytambo. It's a two hour ride, in something called a collectivo... but where my first taxi driver dropped me off, it just ended up being a hatchback taxi with three peruvians in the backseat. So I got to ride shotgun for S12, watching the mountains pass by, and really hoping I wasn't going to be kidnapped or worse. After a bit of the ride, I finally eased into it. Passing by so much of the countryside, seeing all the people going about their lives, the mountains looming overhead, the sheer fact that I didn't feel like CRAP... it finally all let me ease up and just enjoy the trip. Of course I ended up in Ollanta fine. Of course there was space at the adorable hostel that LP suggested. Of course the weather is beautiful. Of course I spent time conversing with the guy who sold me my beer at the base of the ruins because he wanted to practice his english. Of course the quiet peacefulness of this town has me relaxing. Por supuesto.

I even hiked a little on a trail up the hillside. My goal is to hike all the way up in the morning, as the morning light is hitting the ruins and lighting up the town. We'll see though. It was warm enough here to wear my skirt in Cusco today, and seeing my scary chicken legs, so withered from so much recovering, definitely put this whole thing in perspective. I seriously have not been well. My body is not the same. I can't wait to get home and have to rebuild all of my biking and running muscles. :/

But there are two british girls in my hostel room, and we might grab dinner together tonight. I'm all for making it an early one though... I might be feeling better, but I'm certainly not all the way well.

Ode to Working the Health Care

As I've done a solid run through my coverage the other day, and will continue to do so through the end of May, I have a few thoughts.

First off, how does anyone ever find a doctor they like? I've been bouncing around within the Group Health system because I find that really... unless I'm due for someone to poke and prod me, the email and phone networks they have set up work really well for me, especially being on the road. I like that I can fire off email questions, but I've never liked the doctors in my visits that much. The nurses are definitely more interesting to talk to and a lot warmer in personality.

Secondly, I'm not too keen on the fact that I went in to mainly talk about a nagging on/off problem with my anxiety, and the doctor suggested anti-depressants right away. SSRI's are not a laughing matter, and I'm not depressed. After the little 10 point "questionnaire" she said she might say I have "very mild depression," but really, I just get mini panic attacks when I can't sleep for a week straight and have to deal with craziness from my presenter at the same time... which is definitely not the same thing. I've done everything I can to deal with them, but diet and exercise can go right out the window on a BER week. I've had these in the past, and Xanex dealt with them really well... so well that I never even finished the bottle before they expired. So, instead of giving me something that would solve the problem I have (okay, so Xanex pills are potentially habit-forming, but I explained that I knew that and was very careful with them), she wanted to put me on a regimen of drugs for the next 6-10 months! Let's try something that costs less than $10, and monitor that progress before we throw the baby out with the bathwater!!

Lastly, honestly, I knew what I wanted when I went in. There is so much information out there, that I can make an informed decision without going in to the doctor, yet I have to waste most of the half-hour trying to talk her out of putting me on SSRI's and then being referred to someone else for another appointment for the other half of my questions.

At least the dentist and the eye doctor were more straight forward appointments.

I really would like to go to a doctor that was more holistic... but at the same time I hardly need a doctor. The annual tests and bloodwork are fine, but they take all of 15 minutes. And maybe I would like it for someone else to inform me of what tests I should have done at what times, but since I am mostly well, what do I need it for if all they are going to do is try to put me on meds that I probably do not need? I know what diet and exercise means, and I guess I'd love to have someone who is more of a psychologist and nutritionist than a pharmacist, but then again, I have the luxury of not being sick.

What exactly is preventative medicine other than eating a good diet and exercising?

Report Carding for Groundhog's Day

So I tend to forget about new years resolutions just as fast as the next person. So I'm going to give y'all an accountibility/update post on this so that I keep going. So how am I doing?

• Floss Daily: C+
• Take Vitamins Daily: A-
• Drink Less Soda: B
  

Notes: Flossing is still eluding me... I started off strong and now it's right back to twice a week. Maybe I'll try aiming for the AM rather than the PM. Daily means counting Saturdays too, which is proving tricky for my vitamin intake. Lastly, I'm trying to allow myself only one Diet Coke a week, but I'm cheating by drinking ginger ale on planes which probably counts as soda...

I'm also really excited by my running, and am planning to focus on that as part of the new month. I went for a run in Savannah this weekend with Heather, and found that running outside (even in really cold weather) is not so bad in my "minimalist" shoes. I'm definitely capable of 2 miles straight in the shoes, and want to try eeking it up to three soon (anyone know of/want to do a valentine's/president's day 5K?). The big goal of running a 5m/8K race in under 45" still lingers... maybe by May's Beat the Bridge. If only my schedule will allow this year...

Barefoot Running

With my quest to become a perfect packer athletic shoes became one of the first big questions. How does one escape the confines of bulky running shoes without going out and buying something brand new? Over the last few months I’ve been finding myself reading a lot of articles about running barefoot, and while in Austin, I found myself running behind a girl wearing crazy-looking minimalist shoes at the2.5 mile fun run Kirsten and I were doing. I had to find out more…

The basic premise of barefoot running is that the over-cushioning effect of specially designed running shoes actually promotes injury because the muscles of the legs and feet no longer have to work to stabilize a runner’s body. I am particularly drawn to the idea due to my biology background. Think about it, humans have been running and walking for millennia without Nikes, and it has really only been in the last 30 years that the athletic shoe has really come into popular usage. Any industry is created out of a perceived “lack,” and the athletic shoe industry filled the niche created by the idea that more cushioning and specific support features (like an anti-pronation, rigid part of the sole) would reduce injury and realign the body of a runner. However, recent studies and a not-so underground movement have come out suggesting that running shoes might produce the exact opposite results.

Vibram Five Fingers Classic minamalist shoes

Running barefoot, without any kind of protection between my feet and concrete (or the nasty hotel treadmills), doesn’t really appeal to me, but that is why the market has created things like callous shoes. Basically these odd-looking rubber gloves for your allow your feet and leg muscles to stabilize and engage fully as if you were running barefoot, while providing a barrier between your delicate 21st century soles and the surface you’re running on. Give the market any kind of lack, and it will produce a $75+ product for your consumption.

Not being interested in throwing down serious cash on a whim, I pulled out my own version to assist in my packing lighter endeavors and to give this a shot. These little Nike mary-jane sneakers have been in my closet for ages. The soles are thin and unsupportive, and I’d added some superfeet insoles to provide a little more of a transitional cushioning and support. I would not really be running barefoot, and if the running proved to be uncomfortable, using an elliptical machine or stationary bike should still be comfortable with the support of the insoles. I chickened out and used the elliptical for most of the first week on the road, and then on Friday I tried out a treadmill.

my version of minimalism

Immediately I could feel the difference. I quickly switched from the usual heel-toe foot pattern of jogging to landing with the ball of my foot and then my heel. I also felt like running faster than I had with my Asics (although generally I am a much slower treadmill runner than road runner in general, I was up 0.5mph on my average speed by the end of the half hour workout, and this speed increase has been consistent over additional workouts).

Most interestingly, I could feel my body in a way I never had running previously. Side-to-side movement has always made treadmill running tricky for me, but as I felt my body more acutely, I was able to run straighter. I felt a distinct misalignment in my hips, as if one leg were longer than the other. I got of the treadmill and stretched my hips until the alignment felt right, and I could clearly feel when it was right. It was almost a yogic experience, because my muscles were so awakened by the new technique and my mind was so focused on noticing the differences. Post-workout, I was intensely sore in a way running never makes me sore. I had run 2.5 miles, adding in a little slight incline at times, but it was nothing more strenuous than what I had done in both Austin and in Seattle over break. The Asics have not made it back into my suitcase since then.

Now for the disclaimers: I only run on average 1-2 miles when I get on a treadmill so I can imagine that running or training for longer distances would be a completely different can of worms. There still needs to be more long-term studies on this technique, especially considering the long-term high-impact effect on joints. But for me, this is amazing. I love the meditative quality of feeling my body react, and since I’m running on a relatively low-impact surface for short distances for only a few more months, I don’t suspect I’ll have any dire long-term complications.

Has anyone else heard of this new running theory? Anyone else trying it with success? Should I stop this little experiment and either stick to the elliptical or throw the real running shoes back in my suitcase? Or have the shoe companies just found another way to potentially sell you a new product?

Picking up a Familiar State... Florida

Spending an extended amount of time in the Orlando airport is never a good idea. There are so many swealing, sugar and junk-food filled, mickey mouse eared youngsters running around it's mind boggling. But I'm getting ahead of myself...

Notice the crazy pink castle-hotel in the distant background? Yah, that's Miami for you.

My weekend was spent in the wonderful sauna that is Miami. After being in the Northeast all last week, it was an amazing refresher to walk out of the airport into the constant steam bath. We were pretty lazy about things, and I have got to go back to Miami because it really is amazing, but it definitely made an impression. The high rises everywhere, the Hummers littering the streets, the number of kosher and mid-eastern restaurants, the sheer number of jewish people, and when you get to south beach, the fact that every guy is clearly gay or a total douche. However, since it was raining and thunderstorming all day Saturday, so we ended up driving to go see a movie instead getting the quintessential Miami experience of sitting by the beach... But what a movie!

Up in the Air with George Clooney was probably one of the best movies I've seen this year, and that was only half due to the fact that it was basically a movie about my life. The cinematography was brilliant--the packing sequence alone made the movie for me. It wasn't necessarily exactly what one expects from Hollywood, much less such a major star, but it worked in every way. Plus, I distinctly recognized locations in the airports and hotels. Watching it with Krista and Kirsten just made it better since we could all giggle together. I'm sure the other movie patrons hated us (although we made sure to sit a bit off by ourselves).

Krista had to head off to the airport early in the morning, but she and I frolicked in the ocean while Kirsten went for a beach run before we had to make the airport drive. With Krista safely on her way to Chicago, Kirsten and I went to pick up our BER rental car for our drive to Orlando together. We went for fun rather than practical, and grabbed a green bug (my sister's former dream car--this one was for you Kelly!). Before leaving Miami, we grabbed some coffee, people watched, and walked along the beach while taking photos in South Beach. As we were starting the drive, we suddenly realized the car had had only 6 miles TOTAL on it before we started driving! The fact that we actually managed to fit all of our crap in it while still seeing out the back and side windows was the icing on the cake.

Me with our Bug, in Orlando. Although, honestly, I wore this dress with flip flops the day before... Only one sun dress is going to fit in my suitcase for a 3-week stint.

Today's Outfit:

• pink and black jersey dress, Nordstrom Rack
• pearl string, gift
• Report wedges, Nordstrom
• pearl drop earings, gift
• purple sunglasses, Nashville souvenir
• grey cardigan, old navy (not pictured since it's SO warm and wonderful...)

I love florida, 70degree weather, humidity, and the possibility of not wearing stockings or tights. I can throw on this dress and be guaranteed to get complimented on how "put together" I am... in a jersey dress...? In Chicago next week, I can throw a turtleneck under it, and slap two layers of tights on and be fine as well. Jersey dresses=travel wardrobe trump card. And honestly, I think that is one thing this haircut does that I would never have expected--I glue it in place and it instantly makes me look more "done" than long hair ever did. Plus I have extra time for makeup and accessorizing since my hair takes so much less effort.

A good way to keep random runners from stealing your fruit... Or perhaps the Garden of Eden?

Orlando has been good for a seminar, especially a same city. Kirsten and I have luxuriated in our proximity to a Siemens office park, going for runs on their well-lit trails, and we've enjoyed Kirsten's mini-crockpot in which we cooked some delicious beets, green beans, and lentils. I've also mastered the art of making non-instant oatmeal in a coffee pot. There will be recipe posts to come. Now, I'm on my way for my first all-fly week of the year, hitting up NOLA, San Antonio, El Paso, and Phoenix before hitting Austin for the weekend. I'm flying entirely on Southwest this week too, earning myself nearly half of a plane ticket in a week. That is, if I can ever get away from this damn airport...

The Never-Ending List of Hobbies

While I’m not doing NaNo this year, I think I still feel the need to get more things written down lately, and thus the reopening of the blog. This job can sap all of the will to live out of me, but there are enough things that I get joy out of that I should be able to manage--if I can find space in my suitcases. This week, I’ve got my moleskine, my three books (novel, self-help, poetry), my knitting project, my computer, my art kit, and my sewing kit just in case I lose my coat buttons. Really, that should be enough to keep me occupied for two weeks, especially considering I want to go out and see the places that I’m going (not so much Akron, but you get the idea). It’s almost too much to bring, but in a way it’s better to have all of these options so that I don’t end up completely absorbed into TV or the internet, or TV on the internet (damn you Hulu).

This week I have an added excitement--an art presenter. I’m really considering sitting in on his seminar, and tomorrow (Thursday) would be the day to do it. I have no paperwork to do, I’m at SERESC, and we’re not exactly in downtown Manchester (the only other place I would go would be to Target, and I really don’t need to fill my suitcase any more than I already have). I really like painting and getting some color down on paper and although sketching isn’t really my thing, I want to see what the seminar covers. I’ve never sat in on a full seminar, or even really sat in on even part of one. I think it’s time to change that up.

Otherwise, in hobby land...

• I’ve only finished one book this year, a book from the clearance rack of Half-Priced Books: The Memory Keeper’s Daughter. It was an interesting and easy read. Now I’m on to a similar clearance find: The Shipping News.
• I’m toting along a (lightweight) poetry book in the hopes that I will get around to reading and writing a bit more than prose. Expect that instead of NaNo, I’m going to think of a different challenge involving poetry, probably for December
• My Knitting is going along fine so far since getting restarted back into it. I finished with a scarf before the BER year started, and now I’m working with a yarn I got in New Zealand. It’s merino and possum and a lovely, soft, deep black scarf is finding its way out of the ball. I’m working with a real pattern this time, a lace called “Branching Out” and I’m on ravelry. I should get going on some christmas gifts though... and put this one aside until those are finished.
• TV is way too captivating... I have been sucked into Hulu and trying to keep up with the following shows: HIMYM, Big Bang Theory, House, Gossip Girl, Castle, ANTM, Glee, Grey’s Anatomy, Flash Forward, Fringe, The Mentalist, The Office, and 30Rock (thank god Psych went on hiatus). This is ridiculous. Even subtracting out commercials and reducing them 20/40 minute standards, this amounts to over 440 minutes, or over 7.5 hours a week when they are all showing. There are clear winners for what I watch over anything else (Castle, Glee, The Mentalist [due to CBS’s draconian internet posting rules]), what I hurry to catch up on (The Office, Gossip Girl), and what has been going by the wayside (Fringe, 30Rock). In theory, I have an hour to watch every day right? Well, the first 5 show on Monday, then two on Wednesday, and all the rest on Thursday. It’s like one massive tempting block of TV every couple of days... and not much else gets done sometimes.

So that’s what I carry around for entertainment purposes. Add in the yoga mat, resistance band, tennis shoes and swimsuit all curled up and stowed in my checked bag and you’re looking at WAY too many hobbies and not enough time to do them all. When they said I was going to have free time with this job, I took them too much at their word.