The Family Stone

So here we are in Cusco in an internet cafe overlooking Plaza De Armas.
My jetlagged and altitude adled brain cannot think of anything beyond cliche to do it justice. Just take it from me its nice. (Í´ll get a picture up as soon as I can)

We´ve moved into the Top House in Larapa, San Jeronimo, which is about 20 minutes by mini bus from the centre of Cusco. It is gorgeous. We have two bedrooms with views down over the city which is strangely reminicent of Hobart.

It´s a big house with a beautiful garden, a massive library of DVDs, a well equiped kitchen, living room, and plenty of space. On Friday we all start our Spanish classes and Holden and I are down to teach a PE class to 5 - 6, whatever that is. We´re sharing with a few gap year volunteers all of whom seem great. Phoebe is working her charm overtime. (Possibly a bit too overtime)

Altidude is interesting. We´re all a bit light headed and you can suddenly find yourself out of breath. Not to mention wide awake at 4am and exhausted at lunch time.

Speaking of which we´re off to find lunch. We start our guinea pig eating classes on Saturday.

Tiff: For those of our readers (all three of you) who share my obsession with food (you know who you are), this place is FABULOUS. Fruit and veg are fresh, organic and superb - I made the women in the supermarket laugh yesterday as I went into frenzies of excitement over the fact that I could buy quinces, yellow passionfruit, starfruit, strawberries, bananas, papaya and more all in the same place and all for less than a dollar a kilo. Just wait till I get to the fresh food markets ... Anyway, enough about my stomach, it´s time for lunch (oops, still on my stomach). Hasta mañana, amigos.

Hotel New Lima

Buenas dias.

Andrew is a blog hog.

But I agree with pretty much all he said. Miraflores is definitely a pleasant spot, and the coastline is dramatic, it's as though everything just drops away, and far down below is the black beach. There's a pier down on the beach that I would have loved to check out. We are going to try to get our city tour on the way out ...

Holden would like to add that the hotel we are in provided tables rather than beds to sleep on.

And I would like to add that I ate ceviche last night and it was simply divine. Apparently we are to have cooking lessons (optional) - I can't wait.

And now to Cusco/Cuzco/Qosqo.

In the Mood for Love

Well we finally got to Lima. A surprising city. Unfortunately due to a mix up we missed our city tour, but the area we are in, Miraflores, is quite pleasant.

If anything it is prosperous with a well kept park bordering a cliff down to a black beach and a reasonable surf. One section of the park is - "roughly translated" - love park, and it really is. In the middle of it there is a statue the size of a semi trailer of a couple "making out" and it is apparently where amerous couples go to imitate the statue.


We have had our first Peruvian food, beer and Chilean wine all of which was fabulous.

Phoebe has responded to jetlag by giving up sleeping altogether and it is proving exhausting for everyone.

Quite frankly we would be very happy to spend some more time here and get our Spanish into some order before going to Cusco, but off we go tomorrow. We are yet to find anyone with more than passing English. We are learning Spanish....slowly.

Airport '75

There's definitely some good things about being around in 2006, not least of which wireless broadband in airports.

I'm sitting with Phoebe and Holden writing as they speak.

Holden: The plane had personal TVs and games. It was easy to sleep.

Phoebe: On the plane I played Tamagochi and ... on the plane I also found it really hard to sleep and I really liked how on the TV there was a remote that came in the plane with a thingy...giggle... and it ... and I mean....just make... I think that's all.

And it was very nice.

Tiffany: Are we there yet?

Me: Auckland airport was a disgrace but LAN Chile Airways is my new favourite airline. Very impressed. Modern plane, reasonable food, good service. It's as much as you can ask for. We're all trying to get into Spanish. I spent most of the night struggling with lesson 1 to 3.

I spoke too soon

This is Phil & Penny and the irrespressible Darwin, and their house-in-progress in Cygnet, Tasmania. You can see why Phil has decided not to take the job he was offered back in Sydney. We are very glad about it, even if it would have been fun to have them back in town. Mostly I need them to stay in Cygnet so they can find me a block of land close to theirs so that I can build my dream house, have horses and chooks and a vege garden ... And then they can be our only friends when we get there!

The Party

Well, we're into the last week before take off.
Thank you to everyone who came to our party on Saturday. We had a fantastic time and even raised a few dollars for books and educational resources for Peru's Challenge. I promise we won't spend it on ourselves.

Counting down to departure. It's a very long list of things to do.

Forgot to mention ...

We decided somewhere in the process of making lists that we're not going down to Hobart as soon as we get back. It's still a plan, but a slightly longer term one. I think the kids are relieved that we will be coming back home. And given that we have just found out that our friends in Tasmania, Phil & Penny, are actually coming back to Sydney in March, I think I'm rather relieved too ...

And another thing - how long is it going to take Andrew to run out of movie names for his blog titles? I think his last one should have been Funny Face rather than Sexy Beast.

Sexy Beast

We can't just live off having attractive friends.

We must recognise and accept our own shortcomings and thus we have photos of your authors and intrepid explorers. You can guess who is who.

Our Inca trail companions ...

My good friend Jen, and her son Austin, are pictured above on our exceedingly wet but nevertheless fun camping trip last summer. Apparently that trip failed to put them off hanging out with us, because they are joining us in Peru! We're very excited because they're coming over in January to join us on the Inca Trail.

In other news, Phoebe got new Blundstones today. Let's hope they're made for walking.

While I am trying to organise our farewell party (well, the menu, anyway), finish up my job and generally fret unnecessarily about everything, Andrew has taken over the blog. I was worried he might have had more to say about his beard. It's in a good cause, of course, but it's not pretty.

National Lampoon's Vacation

Well, I'm keeping at it. Even on Sunday. It will be short, because I'm very tired.
The last few days we've been planning the second part of our journey which takes place in the US.

It's kind of fun, contemplating a visit to towns such as "Truth and Consequences" in Arizona. Even sparsely populated states in the US are teeming with people, cities and towns compared to most of Australia, and its going to be extraordinary to drive through it all.

Even so, its very easy to underestimate distances and although we have 11 days to travel across the continent, we're going to end up putting in some long hours of driving.

Let's hope Wally World is open.

The Mission

See. Posting on a Saturday. I'm a reformed person.
A few startling things you may not know. (But probably do)

• At its height in the mid 15th century, the Inca empire occupied most of Peru, Ecquador and Bolivia along with parts of Chile and Argentina.
• Despite possessing a complex civilisation, world first engineering and architectural capabilities and an impressive list of technological achievements - particularly relating to farming and food cultivation - the Incas did not know of, or use the wheel, or written language.
• The control of the empire was via a ruling class of "magistrates" who communicated throughout the vast area using relays of long distance "runners" who carried coloured knotted cords called quipas which had many different meanings.
• My beard is yet to be shaved into a proper shape and may be discarded for a moustache like my new hero Hiram, who has provided us with this information.
• Even though Phoebe insists that my beard is "soft and handsome", Tiffany thinks it is "prickly" and can't understand why I have chosen to make myself uglier.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

I know, I know. I said I would post every day and I've already missed one. There are lots of things I could blame, but really I can only promise I will do better in the future. So here we go.

Hiram Bingam was the real Indiana Jones. His most famous exploit, made in the early 20th Century, involved the discovery of the lost - at least to the North Americans - city of the Incas, Machu Picchu.

I am currently reading his book "Lost City of the Incas" but before I get to that, let me introduce Hiram.

By the time Hiram wrote the book he was in his seventies and since "finding" Machu Picchu in 1911, he had been to war twice, built and lost two fortunes, served as a US Senator for seven years and published several books.

The edition I am reading includes several pictures of our explorer and although I would guess that Hiram was a bit more of a dandy than Indiana, he certainly had the look down pat. Standing before his donkey at Pampaconas in 1911 he looks every inch the intrepid American abroad. A felt tipped hat sits atop a handsome lean face with a pencil thin moustache. A handkerchief tied haughtlily around the neck is tucked into a buttoned jumper over which the archetype explorers jacket is worn, casually half tied across the chest. The look is finished off by knee high webbing down to well worn boots. He casually rests his right hand on the donkey and gazes seriously at the camera. This is a man of action. A man of action...and style.

There, now you know Hiram. My new hero - even if he was a Republican.
I think I might grow a moustache. It would have to be better than this horrible beard.

Bad Boy Bubby

Not dedicated bloggers is an understatement.
Still, I've often wondered about the lives of those who create blogs made up of perfect 3000 word essays with illustrations and links, three times a day. Do they do anything else? Do they work alone?

Right now, we're counting down to leave. The farewell party invites are out, the Spanish lessons have commenced and it all seems very close indeed.

My work, which has hardly been intense over the last three months, is grinding to a halt and Tiff is almost onto her last week at the bank. One more essay for my Masters and some commitment on a dissertation for next year and we're off.

I've been reading a bit about the Incas, which I hope to share it over the coming weeks.

From now on, I promise to make an entry - even a brief one - every day.

Pinki promise.