Blue Dollars and the nonsense of it all

This is Mike...
For those unfamiliar with "Blue Dollars", it is an unofficial exchange rate for dollars in Argentina and is much higher than the official exchange rate. Prior to visiting Argentina we stocked up on a couple thousand US dollars in Peru so we could take advantage of this exchange rate. Essentially, Argentina has been struggling economically since they defaulted on their debt in 2001. In an effort to control inflation the government instituted measures curbing imports through taxation or outright bans. The net effect of their government's mismanagement has meant very difficult times for the regular people. Sadly, we saw long lines at consumer lending companies as people are borrowing on credit to eek by. In one mall, near Salta, half of the stores were "Money stores" offering credit or short term financing and each of them had lines out the door.
   For those of us lucky enough to use "Blue Dollars" the exchange rate is roughly 15 Pesos to the dollar. The official exchange rate is 9 pesos to the dollar. If you charge anything on your credit card or go to an ATM while in Argentina you are losing 40% on each transaction. As a tourist, it is preferable to bring dollars and exchange them on the "Street" - I will come back to that later. This bazaar system enables those fortunate enough to obtain US dollars 40% off on anything in Argentina.
    The import restrictions and/or taxes are making the everyday products more expensive. For example, the caretaker at the lodge where we were staying was complaining that the same large flat screen TV in Chile costs about 7,000 Argentinian pesos compared to 30,000 pesos in Argentina. Unfortunately, there are far too many examples to share regarding this, the people are really struggling in Argentina.
   If you are planning on visiting Argentina plan on bringing crisp and clean (no imperfections) $100 bills from the US. As we found out the hard way, the Argentinian "Blue Dollar" buyers like clean Hundies and give you the best exchange rates. We had a boat load of 20s which meant we had to fight for the best exchange rates. Our exchange rates varied from 13.5 to 15 pesos to the dollar, still better than charging anything on our credit card or withdrawing from an ATM.
   I exchanged dollars in pharmacies, stores, ice cream parlors, and in a home by asking locals who freely give you info on how to do it. I even asked a weirdo looking clown dressed like a hatchet murderer, in Maipu, if he knew where I could get "Blue Dollars". There is nothing quite as exhilarating as walking up to a perfect stranger, in a foreign country, with your pockets stuffed with money, looking shiftily from side to side and asking, "Hey, you know where I can do an all cash transaction?"
   Needless to say we are happy to be in Chile where we can act as we do at home. No gimmicks, no hoops just good ole fair prices for all. What a concept!
   
   
                         

Highway 34B and south of Mazocruz

For the other overland travelers in the area:

Flamingos at 13,000 feet.

 We left Puno for Chile and went south at the pueblo of Llave on highway 34B heading toward Mazocruz. After about 20 kilometers or so the road turned to a gravel road but was in good condition for high speed travel. Mazocruz is a small agriculture town and is the only place with fuel in the area so fill up if you need it. We heard of a spot called the poor mans Cano Cristales (river of seven colors) which was approximately 34 miles (55 K) south of Mazocruz towards Tacna. The scenery was stunning and the river was nice and had red, green and yellow algae but the coloration was not to the level of what we heard of Cano Cristales in Colombia. Still, the journey is worth the drive as it keeps you on track for Tacna. About 15 miles further south is when the road got hairy and from this point for the next 20 miles a four wheel drive is necessary. The road going up the mountain turned to a sand track and was a steep angle, at no point could you stop on the road as the sand would not forgive you trying to regain momentum. The sand was soft and deep and not fit for a two wheel drive. Having said that the drive was peaceful and stunning and went through the isolated parts of Reserva Aymara Lupaca. The colors of the mountains were constantly changing as the highway rose to 15,000 feet above sea level. This area would make for excellent camping due to the relative isolation. We liked the journey and would recommend this road as an alternative to the main highway running south to Tacna provided you have a 4X4.

Serene landscapes, we saw nice large fish in this area which is a good sign of a healthy ecosystem.

This place reminds me of the desert southwest of the US.

The colorful river was easy to access off the main road.

One could easily enjoy camping at this site.

The algae came in three primary colors with lighter and darker shades of each.

Vast underpopulated spaces equals clean air and peaceful drives.

The start of the sandy road at times we felt like we were on a sand dune.

Lichen growing on the boulders at 14,000 feet.

The road as it was going down towards Tacna.

I would not recommend driving on this road when it is raining.

The colors of the mountains were constantly changing.

Lake Titicaca and the floating islands

This is Mike...
For a couple of days we stayed in the outskirts of Puno, which is the home base for the Lake Titicaca activities. Our hotel was on the lake about 10 kilometers out of town toward the Bolivian border. The lake is at 12,500 feet (3,800 meter) elevation and as such one has to watch out for altitude sickness. As for Puno, it is similar to many other border towns with police and their checkpoints everywhere to brighten your day. We heard the heightened policing is related to drug trafficking coming in from the Bolivian side. 
   The floating reed islands are interesting and quite ingenious creations which helped protect the Uru people from invading forces and allowed them to live in relative peace. Each reed island can take up to a year for a family to construct and they require constant maintenance to ensure it stays fresh and afloat. Today, getting out to the reed islands is very easy from Puno harbor. We have heard some people say that the locals on the islands hassle you to buy stuff etc. We did not feel hassled at all, rather the islanders went out of their way to show us their floating impermanent world. I can see how this would have been an amazing site to see 30 years ago when less power boats and more authenticity were the norm. I reckon such is life all around the planet- more, better, faster. Still, the island was a blast for our kids who were jumping joyously on a neighborhood sized bouncy house.

The mountains had snow on them as we were approaching Puno area

The islands are about one kilometer from the harbor.

The ladies greeted us with song as we approached

The islander are busy all day keeping their floating islands maintained.

This organic material forms the floating base of the island. The islanders tie these floating clumps together, then add the reeds on top, to level the surfaces for construction. 

We ate a couple reeds to see what it tasted like.

We were shown inside a hut.

The girls bought a cloth for the dinner table.

The kitchen area

Each island has its own tower for observation.

The ladies sang as we departed .

Adorable little girl

        

Ollantaytambo ruins and a cute town

This is Mike...
Ollantaytambo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ollantaytambo is both a cute town and a site of a massive Inca estate. The construction of the site has many similar features as the other sites in the area but is unique for the well preserved storehouses on a hill overlooking the town. Water was also diverted to become an integral part of the estate. Today, this town is a popular spot for visitors to stay at while in the Sacred Valley as it is the last train station before Machu Picchu. Also, the town itself really dresses itself up nicely to accommodate the tourists.  

One of the water falls the Inca created in the complex.

The stones came from a quarry at the bottom of the hill.

The site is quite large and is at a high elevation.

Precision stonework.

Large stones adorn the hallway to the upper mezzanine

I am still so amazed at the detail on these hard to work with stones.

The six monoliths behind me were moved up the hill from the quarry and each weigh at least 90 tons.

This stone is massive at over 100 tons.

The quarry shows where the rocks came from but nobody knows how the rocks were chiseled from here.

Alpacas still roam the compound freely.

The main entrance into Ollantaytambo

The clean town bustling with tourists.

A short walk gets you anywhere in town.

Salinas and Moray

This is Mike...
We went to Salinas and Moray in the hills just above Urubamba. Salinas is an amazing terraced salt pan and extraction site used for salt production since pre-Inca times. The terraced patties are similar in concept to the rice patties of Southeast Asia but are gloriously white. The water coming from within the mountain, in this area, is mineral rich and as such enables the locals to harvest quality salt for the last thousand years or more.
    Moray, it is a sunken amphitheater style structure once used by the Inca to perfect agricultural techniques. For me, building such a large structure to refine agricultural practices seems to be a stretch. I overheard a local guide explain a new theory, that special religious crops were planted here that focused on purity for their religious celebrations and ceremonies. Either way, both concepts are working theories and is what makes pre-Hispanic South America so fascinating. So very little is known of the indigenous peoples and their mysterious ways after all this time. The best part about these sites is they are both easy to get to and yet off the beaten path in the valley.

Each one of these salt ponds is larger than a swimming pool.

The water is diverted to the ponds in a small canal.

The girls balancing on a ridge between the salt ponds.

The ponds are artistically beautiful and yet produce many tons of salt each year for the benefit of the community.

Looks like a winter wonderland.

We drank some of the water here and it is like brine

The terraces of Moray we visually pleasing to stare at.

If you look closely (by double clicking on the image) you can see people around the upper ring of the first level, this shows how massive the site really is.

Crying while your child eats soup

We were looking for a place to eat lunch on the main boulevard in Urubamba, Peru. The first place was nice but it was a buffet so we decided to check out the place across the street for better eats. Elise and the  girls decided to walk and I was going to move the truck just across the street to the other parking lot. I was putting my keys into the driver's door and heard my wife screaming loudly and a blaring horn, my head looked up but my eyes were searching where to look and I see Zoe, my beautiful 7 year old, in front of a speeding car. My mind was trying to decipher what was going and all I see is Zoe flying horizontal as the car sped by.
    It was beyond comprehension. It was all so fast and yet so frustratingly slow. The wife, in the passenger seat, of the speeding car rose to her knees looking over her headrest to see what happened. My head jolted back to Elise and the kids who are standing in the middle of the street, on the double yellow line. Screaming from all sides started to fill my ears. Zoe was pulled from the lane in front of a speeding vehicle by Elise.  Zoe's shoes were running down the side of the car. My family was nearly torn apart in a flash. Everybody was in shock.  My family's hair was still flowing in the wind from the speeding car.
   I was filled with anger that this could have happened. I was filled with joy that Zoe was still here. It was too much to handle all at once. I huddled my family and scurried them into our SUV. Elise started to ball and cry uncontrollably. Zoe thought she was in trouble and broke down too. Sierra looked stunned. My ears were ringing, ringing until I could not hear anymore. We were all overwhelmed. Life, that precious gift that matters most was as thin as a hair before us all. We were nothing but a chance, a lucky grab, a lucky pull from tragedy.
   For hours, our family released emotions, we are tired, exhausted, and fortunate it is over. This experience is hanging over us like a dark cloud. This had nothing to do with a trip abroad, it had everything to do with us and a street with cars. For some time we questioned ourselves, our choices and all of the those what ifs. The what ifs are like torture, unforgiving and vivid, and replaying without permission in my head.
  How can you explain what it is like to you cry while your child eats soup? We all need to move on but the visions of seeing your daughter run over is a bit much to handle. We are lucky, we are so damn lucky.    
       

Machu Picchu and the humanity of it all.

This is Mike...
Quechua is the native language of the Inca and is still widely spoken in this region today. Machu Picchu in Quechua means "House of too many tourists trampling over each other for a photo op." Just kidding, Machu Picchu actually means "old peak" in Quechua and was a special retreat for the royalty of the Inca Empire in days of old. Today, throngs of visitors from all over the world descend on this world heritage site making it quite chaotic to visit. It wasn't that so many people were there to see it, just that Machu Picchu has too many bottlenecks within the compound. These bottlenecks pile the tourists on top of each other and create a rather stressful claustrophobic feeling. We have not been to any ruins to date that were so Disneylandesque as this place. Sadly, any solutions to ease the overcrowding will be mired in politics and will probably have, in the end, a bureaucratic nonsensical resolution.
   Even though humanity was on top of you at certain spots within the compound, there were plenty of areas to just chill out, suck in the thin oxygen and enjoy the views. It is easy to see why the Inca chose this place as their royal retreat, it is serene, stunning, and easily protected. Machu Picchu was both larger and steeper than I had envisioned prior to arriving. Having fresh water springs near the top of the mountain was also neat to see. The water from the valley floor is literally pushed up the rock through tiny fishers and ends up at the magical summit. The only other time we saw water make this incredible up hill journey was at Thousand Foot Falls in Belize.
    For some practical advice for those of you planning on making it to Machu Picchu in the near future.
1. Guidebooks make it sound as if water bottles are forbidden here, well they are not and they even sell them in the compound near the Huayna Picchu gate (for $15 soles a small bottle). The guards at the front gate never search your belongings so bring bottled water with you.
2. If you are planning on going to Huayna Picchu make sure you are on-time, we were 12 minutes late because of all the crowds and they refused us entry. Ultimately, after arguing with them they let us go to the Mini Huayna Picchu known as Huchuy Picchu. This was absolutely sufficient for us with our kids. The cliffs are steep and deep so if you are afraid of heights or if it is raining pass on this portion.
3. Bring Coca candy for you and/or other visitors gasping for oxygen like goldfish in a pond. They are cheap, effective and are a great conversation starter when shared.
4. After going to Machu Picchu and seeing the pitfalls of the crowds we would recommend staying a night or two in Aguas Calientes and seeing the site in the afternoon when the crowds are largely gone.

We arrived to AguasCalientes to see a massive 200 meter long bus line. The line moved fast but still there were a lot of people heading up the mountain all at the same time.

The mist added to the intrigue of the site.

Amazing stonework within the walls of Machu Picchu.

It drizzled for about 30 minutes at the beginning of our day.

Amazing to think this place was just a retreat for royalty and holy men. 

Exquisite detail of the stones, some of which are settling or shifting over time.

It is easy to imagine the complete dwelling with such well preserved exterior walls.

Some of the settling is more pronounced and quite photogenic.

Some of the stones were massive and made us wonder how did they do it.

The complex is terraced and exceptionally steep.

A representation of a nearby peak used for prayer rituals.

The natural flow blended in so nicely with the site.

Scenic views of the valley from atop the mountain.

Zoe hiked with me up a very steep and precarious trail where we had to use a rope to climb the final portion of Huchuy Picchu.

The view was worth the hike and I was impressed that she went all the way to the top without complaint.

Yes the cliff is that steep and yes there are no guard rails.

Restored roofing makes it easy for the mind to wander while admiring the buildings.

Hard to believe we finally made it here after all the years of postponing the journey.

Zoe really enjoyed the expansive views.

I cannot get over the size and precision of the stones used at the Inca sites.

Steps carved right into the mountain side.

Grand and commanding temple.

The long line from atop the mountain to catch the buses back down to town.

A mild stimulant to help at the higher elevations.

The water distribution system still works after all these years.

Stunningly picturesque.

Sacred rock is still used by some worshipers today.