Chapter II, in which our heroes climb mountains, plunge into rivers, ride horses, and visit an ancient Inca citadel

Last week was so full of adventures that we didn't have time for a write-up. But now that Lizz is en route to hot showers and summer weather, I have time to sit here in my long johns and fill you all in.

Part I. The night that never happened
I'm referring here to the Saturday night in Cusco when we went to bed early instead of meeting a group of Limenos in town for the weekend and staying up at the discoteca until sunrise.

Part II. Choquequirao
Monday through Thursday saw us on a 4 day trek to the ruins of Choquequirao. Choquequirao is only about 30% excavated and is supposed to be what Machu Picchu was in the '60s - i.e. hard to get to and relatively untrampled.
It was indeed a pretty tough hike, with a 1500m descent to a river valley followed by 1500m climb on the other side. The sun was also to be reckoned with - mostly by getting a very early start. All of this was made tolerable by the fact that we had horses to carry our stuff and a cook to keep us well supplied: both left us with time and energy to look around.
What is most awe inspiring about the Andes is sheer scale. I've seen green mountain sides before, and snow covered peaks, and big stretches of sky - but never so grandiose, or extending so far as here. Our last camp site was particularly magical - overlooking the river valley where we had been earlier that day, facing west as the sun set behind the mountains. It was warm enough to take the rain cover off, so we slept with the starry sky over us.
We also met a man from Cusco who was doing the trek with his friends - all of whom, as it turned out, were prominent in some way. One of them is the biggest asparagus exporter in the world. Yep. The other owns eco-lodges throughout the Andes and has served as Dalai Lama's guide in Peru. (I'm hoping he'll set me up with an internship next summer.)

Peruvians in general have been very friendly and willing to help, which makes all the difference to this traveler.