Cusco!

There are some really dramatic clouds and quickly changing weather in Cusco. There would be bright sun and then dark clouds, but it hasn't rained yet.

The flight from Lima was only about an hour but we had a really bumpy landing and it made me feel sick. 4 hours later I'm finally starting to feel better, thankfully. They told us not to eat much for dinner because 5/6 hours after arriving the altitude starts to hit you and about 50% of people get sick. (Hope i don't!) We drank some coca tea, which is supposed to help you adjust. It tasted like normal tea and I didn't notice feeling any different.

I was admiring these big fluffy/fuzzy alpaca hats that they sell here (don't worry I'll get a picture of one before I leave) and then my dad ordered alpaca for dinner (and lunch today) and it made me sad. How can you eat this super fluffy animal??! I guess I'm just a picky eater and kind of grossed out by meat. We walked through this market and they has whole pigs hanging and cow eye balls and faces and I could barely even walk by all that. I wish I hadn't gone in there! I know I'm a wimp. And I really don't want to eat guinne pig or fluffy alpacas while I'm here, even though I know I'm supposed to try it. Meh. I'll just stick to trying the local coffee, which is supposed to be delicious.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Pisco Sour!

We had our first trip meeting and I did not know that I would be hiking through the snow and hail, and that the Mosquitos were that serious and that when we get to the Amazon we are just doing another 7 hour trek. Ffffffffuuuuu!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Catacombs

We went to the San Franciscan church and walked through the catacombs and I snuck a picture of one of the bone wells, but the camera on my phone kinda sucks so it didn't come out so great.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

It's always grey in Lima

Maybe the sun comes out in Dec. - Apr., their summer, but for now it's all grey.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

To tip or not to tip...

Is always my question.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Made it!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Here's to hoping...

While I'm in Peru I hope:
-I don't get sick
-My knee doesn't act up
-We have good weather
-We have a great time
-The Giants win the World Series
-Obama wins the election

Portland, Seattle, Vancouver

I realized that I never posted anything about my road trip up to Portland, Seattle and Vancouver. I loved hanging out in Portland! Seattle was way cooler than I remember it. And Vancouver was ... not exactly what I expected, but still great. Here are a few pics:


Russell and Megan's house in Portland is full of cool.


We went to a sweet sculpture garden in Seattle.


We found a great place to hang out and drink beer in Vancouver called Chill Winston.


We went on the cheesy suspension bridge. (Kelley's pic)


We were celebrating Karen's Bday in Vancouver. (P: Kelley)


We rented bikes and rode around the big park in Vancouver.


We had great weather.


This guy was my favorite!


I hope to go back some day.

Ohhh, the things you do to go to Peru

My next trip is to Peru to hike the Inca Trail and visit the Amazon. Because of the Amazon part, I had to get a Yellow Fever vaccine and Malaria pills. I also had to get a fresh round of Hep. and Typhoid and a flu vaccine. All in all it was about $500 and insurance doesn't cover it.

After taking my 3rd Typhoid pill yesterday, I woke up this morning with a rash all over my stomach. It's really hot in SF today and my apartment is blazing so when I got home I put on shorts and realized that the rash has spread all over my legs. It doesn't itch or hurt, but it's still pretty disturbing. It looks like I have chicken pox or something. I read that a rash and hives are a rare side effect of the Typhoid pills, so I guess I'm just thaaaat lucky.

There's been a lot of anxious preparation for this trip and I'm ready to just get on the plane already! 10 day count down starts now.

End of the day Ritual

Sarah took this picture of Kelley and I with our feet up in our hotel room after a day of wandering around New York, and this became a nightly ritual of ours in Paris, as well. I had a yoga teacher end her class with a pose like this and I've adopted it into my travel routine. Highly recommend!

The books I read on this trip

This book was a little disturbing but definitely worth the 3 Euros I paid for it in a used book shop in Paris.


This one was also kind of a downer, but it will sure make you count your blessings!


I read this one today on the 8.5 hour flight from Paris to Charlotte. And then finished it on the 4.5 hour flight to SF.

Long day of traveling!
Ready to sleeeeeeeep.

I'm going to try to steal/borrow some of Kelley's pics when she posts them in the next few days so stay tuned.

Our Last Day in Paris

Today was our last day in Paris. Sadness. We went to the Pere Lachaise cemetery then walked through the Marais, ate cheese and crepes and then visited the modern art museum. Another full day! But I think we've managed to see almost everything we wanted to see. (And left to my own devices I'm sure I would have only seen a fraction of these things.) I'm a little worried about the six day work week ahead of me as soon as I get home, but whatever. I'll sleep when I'm dead, or however that saying goes. Last night's birthday dinner at Verjus was definitely one of the best meals of my life and the wine was so so good. It's been a fabulous trip!



























- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

My Birthday in Paris

I was afraid I was going to wake up with a hang over on my birthday, but I didn't :D and that's how I know I'm still young, ha! Relatively speaking, I guess.
It was raining this morning so we decided to visit the Musee D'Orsay. I think everyone else in Paris had the same idea because it was so crowded! It got kinda steamy and stuffy in there with so many people and I can't even imagine what it must be like in the peak of the summer. It's a beautiful building and the art was amazing and we had a nice lunch on the 5th floor cafe. But it was a relief to get outside into the fresh air. It was much cooler today, but not at all cold. It was pretty perfect actually.
We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around Montmartre. We checked out the view from the Sacre Coeur.



And then we went to the Espace Dali, which was so cool!


















Of course the pictures do not do it justice but hanging out with so much art was a pretty sweet way to spend my birthday.
We wandered around some more and it seems like they do not allow dogs in the parks and gardens, which I kind of love.



I had a macaroon that blew my mind from the cutest little shop.



We popped into a seconf hand English book store and I got a new book for the plane ride home, since I finished the book I was reading, Behind the Beautiful Forevers.
Then we chilled for a bit and had coffee and tea in a little square in front of the Theater L'Odeon.



Tonight we have dinner reservations some place fancy (I can't remember the name right now) and I have to figure out what to wear from the strangeness that is what I packed. Ha!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Hanging out with Laurent in Paris

I used to always tell Laurent that I was going to come visit him in Paris but I don't think he believed me. But yesterday we made it happen! We went to his office to meet him right before they closed.



It was so good to see Laurent sitting in front of a computer screen with Amadeus again!



The office only opened in Feb. and they are still getting things off the ground but it seems like its going well and Laurent is doing good.
Mel from STA in London was in town and so we all went out for drinks with some of the guys who work with ISIC.



It was a very standard STA evening and so much fun! I'm so happy that I got to hang out with Laurent in Paris!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Day ...?

I don't even know what day it is. I guess that's when you are officially on vacation.
Today we went to the Louvre. We only spent a few hours in there and I'm sure we only saw a fraction of all that there is to see, but that was enough. And it was pretty spectacular!



















Then we went in search of Domaine de Lintillae which is a little restaurant that serves fresh food (duck mainly) from their farm. We went there to stock up on foie gras for Kelley's friend in anticipation of it's impending ban in California, which the man working in the restaurant said was "ridiculous".



After that we back tracked to this really cute chocolate shop and I went a lil crazy in there. I figure that's all the shopping I'm really going to do on this trip.



Loaded down with foie gras and chocolate we made our way back to our hotel to relax for a spell before we go meet up with Laurent for happy hour/dinner.
The sun was out today and it's been pretty hot, which is nice but also adds to the exhaustion factor. But we are holding up. Kelley is definitely not one to waste any time just sitting around but we did sleep in this morning which was good.
My birthday is tomorrow (I think, lol) and I'm definitely feeling my age in my left knee. But other than that I feel I'm as young and as much of a child as ever :P

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone