Cusco, Peru

Monday, May 5
Ben was still not feeling well and I think it may have to do with the altitude. I had to leave him to go to United Mice, the company who I would be doing the 5 day Salkantay Trek with. I officially got signed up for the trek that would be leaving the next day and also found out that the trek would just be me and 4 other women, one of which would be Jodi. I was told I would also need to return at 6pm for the trek briefing and to meet our guide. I spent the rest of the day with Jodi picking up medicine and gear that we would need for the trip (altitude sickness pills, trekking poles, a thick rain jacket, etc). I then returned to the hostel to check on Ben. He was still down for the count and not seeming to improve. I gave him some altitude sickness pills and gatorade, hoping he would show some signs of improvement before I left the next day. I returned to United Mice at 6pm and meet the 3 other girls (not counting Jodi) who I would be traveling with for the next 5 days: Jessica (England), Jennifer (Colorado), and Lee Ann (Colorado, originally from Chicago). I also met our guide, Aquiles. Then, it was off to a carb heavy dinner and bed. I had also heard back from my parents about Bailey and things had gotten worse again. I hated to think that I would be unavailable for the next 5 days and not know what was going on with favorite companion.

Sunday, May 4
We took a 6:30am flight from Arequipa to Cusco, with a stop in Juliaca. We arrived in Cusco around 8:30am and found a nice, cheap hostel. Ben was not feeling well and decided to try to sleep it off while I went off to explore. While walking around I got some terrible news about our family's yellow lab, Bailey. My parents had to take him to a vet and they found cancer throughout his body, along with some internal bleeding. The outlook was not good for my friend of 14 years, so I decided to make my way up to Cristo Blanco, a giant Christ statue on a hill overlooking Cusco. I sat up there for a while, remembering Bailey and praying that there was a way he could hang on so I could see him one last time. It was a gorgeos day and I felt inspired being up there, hoping I could send strength and comfort to the lab I had known since I was a freshman in high school. After heading back down to the city I received word from my parents that Bailey had improved. They had prepared a place to bury him and had a vet on the way to put him down, but miraculously he perked up and began acting like the Bailey we knew. With that good news in hand, I went to meet up with Jodi and Jessica for a late lunch. I needed to talk strategy with Jodi about our 5 day trek to Machu Picchu.