Always good to follow the news....

By Leen

Today, we learned Cusco is actually in a state of emergency- don´t worry mom´s we are ok and about to head to the Inca Trail in a day.  Check out the link below.  We actually drove by these  protestors today on our way to rafting and nothing seemed to be too out of control.  We did hear this was effecting bus and flights as people are trying to leave the area but fortunately we have booked our flight from Cusco to Lima in advance.  So no worries, I just hope Cusco can go back to a state of peace as soon as possible.

http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-18245924

White Water Rafting.... Yeahhhhh Buddyyy

By Leen

Today the Megs and I went on quite the adventure, white water rafting down the Urubamba River.  The sun was hot and our attire was even hotter (full wet suits, a yellow pullover that we really didn´t know the purpose of -minus ruining any chance of tanning our arms, and big puffy life jackets that had a slight fowl smell).  Apparently the French dug our look as one called as Sexy ladies as we posed for a pre-rafting pic.  When it came to selecting our rafting partners, we made it a point to grab the 3 men standing near us solely for the purpose that we wanted them to do most the paddling.  Fortunately, not only were they great paddlers but they were also great company!  Our guide Americo, who only fell on me twice throughout the adventure, was a great instructor and took fabulous pics (to be posted soon). He was almost always encouraging except for when the left side (Meg, Meg, and David) seemed to get distracted.  After two hours or so of rafting through up to level 3 rapids, we were fed a delicious lunch with tea, soup, amazing bread, some chicken and veggies- I swear it was better than it sounds.  The day finally ended with zip lining across the river.  Meg C was the brave one to do it -I opted to stay on land and admire all of our very attractive guides.  They didn´t speak the best English but we had a great convo about veggies haha.  Another wonderful day spent traveling con mi chicas ;)

Lake Titicaca

By Meg C

Hola!

This morning, we woke up pretty early in Puno to catch our 9am bus to tour the Floating Islands (Uros) in Lake Titicaca. What an amazing experience. There are approximately 50 floating islands that house about 2,000 people. These islands are made of floating reeds that are anchored to the bottom of the lake. All structures on the islands are also made of reeds.We were able to tour one of the islands and meet the lovely family that lived there. We even took a mini tour of the islands on the familys Reed Boat. So cool!

The family was so welcoming and even invited us into their homes. They had a little church and even a bar/restaurant. 

My words dont do it justice. Pictures to follow!

PS excuse the punctuation. Working on a Spanish keyboard isnt the easiest ;)

Off to Cusco tomorrow morning!

Banana's Adventure

We have a few hours to kill before our dune buggy and sandboarding tour so we are poolside at our amazing hostel Banana's Adventure. Huacachina is completely surrounded by giant walls of sand dunes. We are all in complete awe of this place. It's spectacular!

Pisco Sour!

Our new favorite Peruvian drink :)

Don't drink the water!

We stocked up on water this morning for our bus ride to Ica. We aren't taking any chances with the tap water!

Day 1

By Meg s.

We arrived in Lima and are now settling into bed at the 1900 Backpackers Hostel. Our flight went off without a hitch (if you don't include Elsa almost missing the flight...) and we relaxed tonight with a few beers and a ton of water.
Lima seems a bit run down so we don't plan on doing much sightseeing tomorrow. Our next stop is Huacachina for sand boarding and dune buggies. Thanks for checking in!

Packing with Ziplocs

By Elsa

A great way to stay organized while backpacking is to use Ziploc bags. For this trip, I bought 2 gallon, 1 gallon and quart size bags for all my gear. I have a top-loading backpack so instead of blindly rummaging around my bag in search of a pair of socks, I can easily reach in and grab my "sock bag". Ziplocs also keep all your gear dry during unexpected rain storms. 

Bulky Bags!

By Meg S. 

After packing up I realized my sleeping bag is much bulkier than I anticipated. It doesn't fit comfortably inside my backpack (too many clothes!) and it doesn't fit in the bottom straps. I thought I was going to be stuck carrying an extra duffle bag for my sleeping bag until I found....SLEEPING BAG STRAPS!! I used them to extend the existing straps on the bottom of my backpack. See pictures below for a tutorial:

DILEMMA! 

I bought these at Dick's Sporting Goods for less than $3!
These are intended to compress sleeping bags but they work as great strap extenders.

Unhook the straps on the bottom of your backpack.
 Loop the sleeping bag strap into the square backpack buckle.
Loop the backpack strap into the square strap buckle. 

Tighten the straps around the sleeping bag. Dunzo.

Packing List for Peru (in pictures!)

By Meg S.


I just finalized my packing list for the trip so here it is!

1 oz face wash, Argan oil (will use as my daily/night moisturizer), MAC concealer, Sugar tinted lip balm, 2 oz Hawaiian Tropic spf 50 sunscreen, Milani black eyeliner, Tarte travel size mascara, Scope mouth wash, Colgate travel toothpaste, Neosporin, 6 Antihistamine allergy tablets, 5 Imodium tablets, Band-aids, Hand sanitizing spray, 4 Pepto tablets, Cleansing towelettes, Mini mirror, Antiperspirant/Deodorant, J.R. Liggett's Shampoo Bar, Chunk of Giovanni soap bar, Comb, Brush, Toothbrush, Hair clip, headband, pony tail holder, bobbie pins, Azithromycin tablets (antibiotic for stomach issues), Acetazolamide tablets (to prevent altitude sickness)

Vasque Breeze Lite GTX boots, Havaianas flip flops, Toms, infinity scarf, hat, Olympus Stylus Tough camera and charger, neoprene camera case, iPhone charger, headphones with mic, waterproof iPhone case, Big Buddha sunglasses, emergency poncho (will use as a pack cover if needed), Adidas headband, electrolyte water tablets, Petzl headlamp, L.L. Bean Polartec gloves

Jeans, cargo pants, hiking convertible pants, cropped leggings, mesh shorts, pajama shorts, pajama pants, 1 LS t-shirt, button down denim shirt, 2 LS shirts, 3 ribbed tanks, 1 athletic tank top, 3 t-shirts, zip up hoodie, fleece top, sweater, fleece jacket, rain coat shell, bathing suit, 2 sports bras, 3 hiking socks, 4 regular socks

The North Face Cat's Meow sleeping bag, Gregory Jade 50, cross body bag, laundry bag 

Additional items (not photographed)
- iPhone
- Razor
- Bronzer/Blush?
- Quick dry towel
- Platypus water bottle
- Black knit maxi skirt (getting hemmed!)
- 7 pairs of underwear
- 2 bras
- padlock

I'm planning on buying an alpaca sweater and hat if it gets cold. Any suggestions for packing my sleeping bag?? I may have to bring a small duffle bag to store it...

Organization at its finest!

Bags of goodies organized to a T! And so the packing BEGINS! Stay tuned...let's see how many times we'll have to pack and re-pack to make all our stuff fit in our backpacks! 

5 Days!!!

xo MC

Getting Into Gear

By Meg S.

Less than two weeks until our departure I panicked upon realizing that my backpack, a Marmot Diva 36, would be too small to fit my clothing and my sleeping bag. A few days I purchased a Gregory Women's Jade 50 on www.theclymb.com for $100. This backpack retails for $230 so I was pumped to find such a great deal!  As you can see from the pictures below, the Jade is significantly larger and has more structured harness system. Another feature that I like about this pack is the expandable front pocket for storing extra gear. Comment below with any questions about either backpack. 

Visit https://www.theclymb.com/invite-from/MeganSchafer to sign up for The Clymb. 

Marmot Diva 36 size Small (no longer available online), Gregory Jade 50 size XS (available at http://www.ems.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3800500)

Health First!

The last thing we want is a terrible illness to ruin our amazing trip, so we aren't messing around!

Last week, I booked an appointment at MGH’s Travel Clinic. They were fantastic! For a girl who doesn’t have much time, they squeezed me in on my lunch break and I was in and out in a half hour!

I had a 20 minute consultation with Dr. Ryan, who went over everything. He was so wonderful and put all my concerns to rest. Then a quick 3 shots from the nurse and a few prescriptions later, BAM!! Dunzo. So easy!....except about an hour after my shots I had dead arm in both arms for the rest of the day. Owwwwww.

So here’s the dealio with vaccinations when traveling to Peru:

• Routine vaccines are a must. You will most likely have had these shots already, but it is good to just confirm. I thought I was good with my tetanus shot, but needed another one! Every 10 years, you’re due! Then your other ones: flu shot, chickenpox, polio and measles/mumps and rubella (MMR). 
• Hepatitis A-Highly recommended by the CDC and the travel clinic. It is recommended you get your second shot 6 months after the first.
• Hepatitis B- You most likely had these before you went to middle school. Series of three. I remember those bad boys killed. 
• Yellow Fever-This was recommended because we will be traveling to northern Puno. Check!
• Malaria is prevalent in areas we aren't traveling to, so no go on that.

Other then those vaccinations, the doc prescribed me some altitude sickness pills and a another medication that I won’t go into detail about for your own sake. Trust me. 

Another precaution we’re taking is purchasing a bunch of water purifying tablets. Those are a must! No food and water born illnesses please and thank you.  

Disclaimer: This gal is no Doctor! Go see your primary! 

xo-MC