is that NOTHING is certain! I know we´ve all heard this before...but SA really takes this concept to a whole new level.
First, it won´t surprise you that our bus ride from Arequipa to Cusco was riddled with peasant strikes, closed highways, snow, gravel mountain backroads, and 12 hours without stopping for food, water, or a proper bathroom. I mean, wouldn´t this be a boring blog if I told you that at one point I wasn´t wearing a silver foil-looking emergency wrap around my legs and my travel pillow around my neck for warmth because the temperature dropped 40 degrees and I was wearing shorts and sandals? That´s what I thought...
But we got to Cusco, when we weren´t sure that was going to be possible...so that´s all that matters. And what a beautiful city - once the home of the Incan Empire, where Incan and Spanish Colonial architecture meet to create stunning buildings, cathedrals, and quaint cobble-stone streets. One day was definitely not enough time to explore, and I look forward to returning next weekend after Machu Picchu to get a more in-depth look.
So about Machu Picchu...as you all know this was the big highlight of the trip for me. Since I booked this trip, I´ve been so excited to hike the 4-day Inca Trail, and experience the reward of arriving at Machu Picchu. So you can only imagine my shock when our guide arrived tonight to brief the group on the trek and my name was the only one missing off the Inca Trail permit list (which if you´re not on with the correct passport number, you aren´t going to be allowed on the trail. period). I remained calm throughout the breifing, but as he was talking about all the walking, meals, and camping, my mind couldn´t stop thinking... ¨What the hell! Why does this shit always happen to me? Ok, Cara, stay calm maybe they can work this out? This sucks! Where the hell is our guide anyway? Are you kidding me! I got that email from the travel agency that everyting was booked!¨...and on and on like that for about 25 mins.
So apparently there has been a miscommunication between Intrepid and the Peruvian Gov´t which may or may not result in me not being able to hike the Inca Trail with the group. The thought of this is devastating, but if there´s one lesson I´ve learned here, it´s that nothing is certain, not everything is fair, you can only control so much, and...yes, it´s true...life goes on. Now don´t think I didn´t cry when my tour leader took me outside and apologized for ¨the central office ruining the best part of my trip¨ (until then I was holding myself together nicely, but he kind of shattered my hope :)). And there´s still a little hope...I hope! :) The company is going to look into it and I´ll know tomorrow morning if something can be worked out. If I can´t go with the group, there is another trail I can take that doesn´t require a permit, and it´s lucky that there happens to be another couple doing that one. Otherwise, I would just have been screwed and have to wait in Cusco while everyone did the hike. So ¨say a little prayer for me...¨ (stupid jingle to accompany).
What can you do?
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