Travel Well! And always remember that the world is basically a good place, full of honest and well-meaning people.

The reason I bring this point up today is that last week, Matt and I met a very distraught traveler. I´d been introduced to Sarah a few days earlier by some fellow acquaintences of hers.  The next time I saw her, she was alone and kind of wandering the streets in crisis – her face all teary and she was sort of panicked. The friends of hers that I knew had moved on, leaving her all alone in an unfamiliar place.  Travel often brings up all kinds of issues to deal with – fear, anxiety, isolation and sometimes just a general  funk due to being constantly on the move that I call ´traveler´s blues´.  Sarah was freaked out, alone and needed to be with other travelers.

If this happens to you when you are on the road . . . relax. Take a deep breath. Don´t put any pressure on yourself about having to do anything in particular. If you want to stay cuddled up in bed at the hostel for the entire day . . . then give yourself that luxury, no matter if you are leaving in two days or two months. Always, always, always be kind to yourself. Beautiful things await, great hikes are to be had, and gorgeous pictures to snap, but if too panicked to really enjoy any of it . . . then what´s the use?

And most of all . . . remember that the world and life itself is all in how you process it. If you think the world is shit and full of theives and dishonest people, then truly, you will attract only people who will try to take advantage. It is crucial to remember that while the world does have the occasional unscrupulous cab driver or tour guide, that a very large majority of people are helpful, friendly and kind. Remember that you are safe, and that the world will take care of you. Trust, but keep alert always.

So, Matt and I sat down on the cobblestone street with Sarah and listened to her cry. She was all inside her head, spinning in circles . . . upset about losing her camera, confused about obligations of being taken on ´tours´ that locals offered to her and yammering on and on about how she only had five days left in Peru and on one hand wanted to see ¨everything¨ yet was afraid to leave the hostel. Whoa.

I asked her if  she´d eaten yet that morning. She had not. Eating is important – especially if you are in an emotional and confused state. We fed her. Then we insisted she come with us on our hike. We couldn´t leave her there, crying in the street and completely freaked out. She came with us on our hike, and consequently the beauty of the day got her out of her head. I have not seen her since and most likely never will again.

Remember that if you are feeling down while on the road, there really are plenty of other travelers you can join for a day or two. Ask around at local hostels or join a networking group such as couchsurfing.com. Take a few deep breaths, go on a short hike, or if you need to, just spend the whole day laying around in bed. But mostly, just remember that the world is a good place. Trust in that fact and you will find that your woes will eventually slip away . . .

After being in the Cusco area for a week or so,  it´s really easy to regard the next set of ruins on your sightseeing list as most likely being ´just a big pile of rocks.´ After all, if you´ve seen one set of ruins, you´ve seen them all, right?

Not so fast.

Tipon is worth a visit – for several reasons. First of all, it´s a relatively inexpensive site. It is one of the sights on the Turistico Boleto. The Turisto Boleto is a ticket with pre-paid entry for about ten sites and museums found in the Cusco area. The only problem is that the Turistico Boleto is only valid for about a week and it´s really difficult to find the time to see everything on it that you´ve pre-paid for. Most people have to drop something off their list. A lot of people skip Tipon because compared to most of the sites on the boleto, it´s slightly out of the way.

I love Tipon! Compare the ten sole (3. 30 USD) price of admittance (without a Turistico Boleto) to the $42 USD price of Machu Picchu and your wallet will be especially happy. Plus, while there are a fair amount of tourists, this site is tranquilo compared to the throngs of folks headed to Machu Picchu.

I have a feeling that it won´t be too long before the foot traffic at the Tipon site steadily increases. The town of Tipon seems to be working on the roads heading toward the ruins and the town is currently seeing alot of construction. Right now, there aren´t many restaurants in the square, but stop off at the main highway that goes through town after your excursion to the ruins and you´ll find no less than fifteen cuyerias – places that offer Peru´s specialty of guinea pig – served up fried, baked or wood fired in gigantic home-made circular clay brick ovens.

Tipon itself is amazing . . . ! The impressive Inca water fountains are still in working order 500 years after the collapse of the empire. I think that the gorgeous fountains alone are reason enough for a visit. But also, the grounds are immaculate – not much trash and very well-kept with lots and lots of green, green grass to lounge in or have a picnic.

There are three main areas to the ruins of Tipon. The main ruins are composed of a mass of twelve huge open grassy areas, each one larger than the next that eventually end in a network of gurgling stone fountains. Furthest up the mountain you´ll find more ruins that are difficult at best to spy from the main site. Follow the rock stairway to find this part and the overhang that gives a spectacular view of the entire valley surrounding the area. The third area you will see as you climb up to the main grassy area.  You will notice the entire area of mid-height ruins located sort of in front of the grassy areas, closer to the entrance, higher than the main area and lower than the highest points and not easily seen from the entrance.

More excavation is currently underway at the site – both at the top as well as the middle section. After we left the overlook at the top of the site, we decided to blaze our own trail down the side of the grass and cacti covered mountain instead of taking the paved route. That was a fun adventure, but if you decide to blaze your own trail, I highly recommend the use of a walking stick in order to keep the cactus from poking out your eyeballs. As we climbed down the side of the hill from the rocky overlook, our goal was to end up on the back side of the secluded middle area near the front of the site. After an hour of sliding down the mountain and avoiding cactus, we made it. We ended up surprising a kid who was excavating even more Inca stairways . . .

From the ruins of Tipon, we walked the entire way down the mountain back to the main road and town. BTW, the guide book we have says the hike UP to the ruins will take about an hour. That is completely incorrect. Get a cab up there, or else the altitude will wreck you . . . it would have taken me at least two and half hours to walk up there. But the walk down DOES take about an hour and since it´s all downhill, it´s fairly easy. From the ruins, there is a separate footpath that runs almost half way down the mountain so that you don´t have to walk the entire length via the dusty gravel road that the taxis take.

The people in the actual town of Tipon are not as accustomed to seeing tourists as other towns like Pisac, Cusco and Aguas Calientes. Not that the people of Tipon aren´t friendly, just know that the kids will probably stare more or possibly poke some fun at you . . .

Tipon is incredible  . . . and mark my words, within the next two years, I am willing to bet that the tourist traffic there doubles.

I want to visit some places that are not as trampled and full of people as Machu Picchu. For the record, Machu Picchu really is spectacular and all, but since it became one of the New 7 Wonders of The World in 2007, not only has the already heavily toured area become ever more dense with sightseers, the entire area surrounding Cusco-Machu Picchu has become significantly more expensive – particularly the heavily advertised sites, museums and towns near them. Machu Picchu is truly great, but many people fail to realize the amazing amount of beauty and wonderful things to see that are (literally)  just around the bend.

Many people come to Peru with only a couple of weeks to attempt to cram pack in as much adventure as possible. That´s fine, but if you can stay in Peru longer, you definitely should. Take it easy and leisurely and you will find some incredible gems and meet wonderful people, probably see some crazy stuff along the way and never be sorry for one cotton-pickin´ minute that you aren´t back in your home country working the same boring grind.

Oh yeah, and that travel guide that someone gave you as a gift for your Peru trip . . . just one bit of advice . . . Travel guides are great, but don´t expect the information in them to be current . . . even if the book was published recently. We have a travel guide published in late 2008 that covers the entire Inca heartland. All the prices are waaaaay underestimated and a lot of the information is already outdated. Peru gets more and more travelers every year. Consequently, prices keep rising accordingly and infrastructure gets changed often. So while the info on the sites themselves is mostly correct, just be aware that pricing and modes of transport to get there may not be up-to-date.

Tourist season is back in full swing. And so are the strikes in the Cusco region.

But, I say, ¨People of Peru . . . Go for it!¨ The strike on transportation that happened yesterday was for a damn good reason – the giant Bechtel corporation is trying to privatize the water in Peru. This is BAD, BAD, BAD for the Peruvian people . . . water is life and it belongs to everyone. Bechtel has been systematically privatizing water throughout South America with disatrous results.

So, just know that if you come to Peru, that yes, there may be a strike. This means that you could get stuck somewhere for a day. At the worst, you may miss your plane or the train to Macchu Picchu may not run that day. Yeah, it´s all a real big bitch for tourists, but the Peruvian people need to show their government that selling their water rights to a giant corporation is NOT OK, and this is how they do it – by organizing transportation strikes.

So, please support the strikes. Talk to the people. Let them know that you agree with them. And, don´t use transport on strike days. (You´re not going to be able to anyway.) Sit back, relax. Climb a mountain.

Today was the day after the strike and huge rocks still lay in the roads . . . as though the people are ready to strike again if need be.

I promised to post dorky shots of tourists in Cusco.

Stalking them has become a new fascination of mine – the longer their lens the better. It can be difficult to be covert, but I´m getting the hang of it.

Seriously, though . . . This guy won´t have a camera or a backpack for long. Neither is secure on his shoulders. Easy pickins for a theif. . . Don´t be this guy.

It’s a new backpack-stealing scam that I’ve never seen or heard of before. Be aware! Here’s what happened before my bus left the station a couple of days ago.

I was the only gringo on the bus, which is normal. I was sitting patiently in my seat, waiting for the Pisac bus to leave Cusco and was doing what I usually do: people-watching. The bus seats were full and people were beginning to stand in the aisles. Certainly nothing out of the ordinary.

I saw a group of three guys who seemed to know one another – again nothing out of the ordinary. But something seemed amiss. One guy had bloodshot eyes and I noticed that another one was staring at me.  I stared back. The third one had scars on his face. None of them looked all too friendly.

I paused, wondering what their deal was . . . they seemed like they were trying to push their way to the back, which is a little strange, because no one ever does that. Everyone just kind of stands in the ailse near the front of the bus. I turned and began to look out the window.

Suddenly, a lady behind me poked my shoulder. “Tu mochila?” she asked, your backpack? She pointed to the cubbyholes above the bus seats. I still had no idea what was going on.

“No,” I said. “Yo la tengo.” I have it.

Then I realized what had happened, just as the lady began to yell in rapid-fire Spanish to everyone else on the bus. The only thing I caught was, “son tres.” There are three.

But the three mean-looking young men who’d been crowding the bus moments before had vanished. Everyone was checking above them to make sure their belongings were still there. A Peruvian lady with a toddler reached up. “Mi tarjeta!” she cried. My card! The three had stolen her purse with her credit cards inside.

I always, always, always carry my bag around my shoulder. I don’t ever take it off and put it up above while I’m on the bus, mostly because I’m spacey and I would forget later when it came time to get off the bus. I suggest if you carry a backpack, to put it on the floor, between your legs while you ride local busses.

But mostly, just be aware of your belongings for every single second while they are not physically attached to you. And listen to those feelings you may have when something seems amiss. That little voice inside my head told me that something was not right with those three guys. I dismissed it. It was right.

I wouldn´t write about this, except I see a need for it . . . so here we go, travelers!

Be aware! I can´t tell you how many tourists I spy here in the Andes of Peru who are completely, utterly and totally unaware of themselves and their packages, backpacks and purses. Really, I promise I will find at least one tourist today while I´m in Cusco who is oblivious and I´ll take a picture. Click here for an example of how not to be. When you travel, you must be aware. Without a sense of awareness, the truth is that you´re a target for thieves.

Got a great camera and lens? That´s awesome. Make sure you don´t flaunt it around. People living in high-tourist areas often do not have the resources to buy a camera like yours. If you must sport it around your neck, do something to disguise it. I suggest slinging the stap over your shoulder crossways and push the camera to the side of your body. Then put on your sweater or jacket. The camera will be easily accessible, yet less visible between the folds of your clothing. Make sure you know how to use your camera before leaving home. I see many, many photographers with a furrowed brow who are too busy trying to figure out their settings and are unaware of what is going on around them.

Um, wear your money belt under your clothes. Yes, I still see people tromping around with their money belt latched around their waists, on top of their clothing. If your money belt is visible, you are asking for trouble.

Walk around with a sense of awareness. Thieves are only looking for the easiest of pickings. If you are walking around loudly talking to your friends, camera out, while chomping a croissant, hands full and carting around a huge pack with lots of stuff dangling from it and completely unaware of the persons in the crowded street who are next to you, then you are once again asking for trouble. Besides, those people are just downright annoying to everyone, locals and other travelers alike.

Check out the sights. Be unobtrusive in the country where you are a guest. I would say try not to wear khaki shorts at all costs, but that´s just me . . .

When the bus seats get filled here in Peru, they keep on cramming the people in anyway. They’ll cram people in all the way up to the bus door. And the most annoying part about it is that about five seats back, the bus remains completely clear and open in the ailse. Normally, if I were one of those standing, I would simply push my way to the back of the bus so that I could be as far away as possible from the front door, not to mention the front windshield with no hand holds.

But if you have to get off the bus at an earlier stop than the bus station, your best bet is to stick close to the front. Just the other day, Matt and I had to ride for ten harrowing minutes in the front of the bus from Coya to Pisac. It was just a short ride. The bus was crammed, but they waived us on anyway. The conductor accidentally closed the bus door on Matt’s fingers. Neither of us had anywhere to hang on except the emergency exit in the ceiling of the bus.

All I could see besides the driver and the pavement in front of me was the bus speedometer, which was broken. The driver was flooring it too, passing other busses and cars and he had to squeal to a stop at one point to avoid hitting a dog. I felt like a monkey with my arms all stretched out, short as I am. I held onto the cracks in the emergency exit for dear life.

The bus came to a stop in Pisac. I was one of the first in line to get off. Just then I looked one last time into the bus windshield. Hanging from the rearview mirror was a little stuffed monkey, arms stretched above his head, just like mine had been.

 . . . . all this time we’ve been paying nine soles for a quarter of chicken and fries. It’s good, but it always seemed a bit expensive to me.

 The other day a girl was walking down the road, pushing a bicycle cart. Just as I was about to pass her, we were coming upon a slight incline. I grabbed the back of the bicycle and began to help her push the bike and cart across the little footbridge and up the hill. I wasn’t paying attention and my foot went through the slats of the footbridge and I fell all the way up to my knee, hand still on bicycle.

Luckily, I didn’t get hurt at all. The entire situation was funny to me and I couldn’t stop laughing as I stood there up to my thigh caught in the footbridge. I couldn’t stop laughing as I climbed out and I certainly couldn’t stop laughing as the girl and I finished pushing the bike up the hill.

She stopped to make sure that I was all right. We ended up talking (even though we barely could understand one another) and walking all the way to Pisac. She’s a nice girl. We sort of became friends on our walk. We got to talking about restaurants.

I told her that my favorite was Las Gamelas Polloria. Her eyes lit up. She said in spanish, “Isn’t it a great place? And only 4.50 soles for a quarter chicken!”

Wait. Just. One. Minute. They always charge us nine soles for a quarter chicken. Ah! Gringo pricing has struck once again! I’ll go back, for sure, but this time, I’ll do some more bargaining, even if I need to take it up with Mama Chicken herself . . . .

I knew it when I stepped out of my favorite quiet cafe and counted fourteen tour busses lined up on the cobblestone street of the Pisac square. Any doubts I had were immediately erased from my mind when I saw a gaggle of blonde girls run past me, loaded down with plastic shopping bags. One of the trio squealed, ¨So, like, where´s our bus anyway?¨

The rainy season in Peru is officially over. Peru has two seasons only – wet and dry.  Most books you read and people you talk to will tell you to come to Peru only during the dry season. Well, here´s my insider tip: I highly recommend visiting Peru during the wet season, mostly because the ´wet season´ isn´t really all that wet.

When I arrived in late December, everyone I knew in Pisac talked about how dismal the wet season was going to be. That´s when I also found out that everyone I knew planned their vacations from January through March – all the local bed and breakfast owners, the cafe owner and even alot of the shamans. As far as people I know, it´s been sort of a ghost town around here but I´ve still enjoyed this place immensely, even though I´ve missed my local friends. The cafes were still open, as were the hostels and don´t worry – there´s always a multitude of shamanic medicine available here.

The friend I´m house-sitting for comes back in two weeks. The new school year began for the children of the Andes yesterday morning – many of them wore uniforms and shiny dress shoes. The epic water balloon fights of school vacation have officially come to an end. And – no matter what the media says about the economy – the tourists are back in force.

January and February were not all that rainy here in the Sacred Valley. Most days began a little overcast and misty, but after a couple of hours, it would be all blue skies and puffy white clouds. The mud dries quickly around here. I only wore mud boots once during the entire rainy season. There was only one night where it rained all night long and maybe two days of solid rain – every other bit of moisture was intermittent and even enjoyable.

The best part about visiting Peru during the rainy season is the lack of other tourists. During the months of January and February, it seemed as though I spied a fair number of khaki-covered, lens-toting tourists. But now that March has arrived and the tour busses are backed up down the narrow streets, choking everyone with noxious exhaust fumes, I can tell that the droves of sightseers have officially arrived.

Honestly, I´ve begun to avoid the market even more than normal. All the restaurants are packed. The local B&B´s are over-booked. My friend Rosie says that the American tourists are the ones who spend the money. And so, in a way, I´m glad that the dry season has returned. The people I know who have businesses here are about to flourish once again and the vendors who sell their wares will once again have buyers.

But I feel so very lucky that I´ve had a chance to experience this beautiful place when it was just a little quieter than normal . . . !