Let's experience this last day of packing together

10:30 am 

I woke up at 9 am this morning, 24 hours before our flight.  I checked my email while my coffee was brewing and saw 'CHECK IN NOW' from AeroMexico.  Ok!  So, I try to check in but because our first flight is with Westjet, it said I have to check in with them.  So, I try to check in with Westjet but, of course, it doesn't work.  So, I call Westjet and the nice CSR lady said she can't check me in but she can assign seats and we just need to get out boarding passes when we get to the airport tomorrow.  But, she adds ominously, she sees something weird on our AeroMex flight plan.  I should call them.  Ah, yea.  So, I call them, no d'uh.

Omar from AeroMex checked my flights and all is well.  He put me on hold for a while and said that I can try to check in again in 30 minutes.  I am currently waiting 30 minutes with you all. 

Oh, yea, as I was on AeroMex's website, I see a big banner that says that the Mexico City airport is undergoing renovations so we should plan for at least a two and a half layover.  Our layover is one hour 20 minutes.  We fly into and our of Terminal 2 so I assume it will be fine. Omar agrees.

Ok, I am going to try to check in again.... Nope.  And my blog is still being blocked by Facebook.  And I can't sync my IPod.  At least my coffee machine didn't let me down.

It's almost 11 am, I guess I better go pack.

12:15 pm.

Making my second pot of coffee.  Charging my travel computer and my camera.  Changed the memory card so it is easier to upload photos to the blog.

I decided to not take my Fitbit watch on this trip.  I am taking my old travel watch (Timex Expedition) but the battery was dead.  So, I bought a new battery and figured I would change it myself.  I've changed watch batteries before so I didn't give it a second thought.  Last night I grabbed the watch and the battery.   Hmm, watch back is screwed in with teeny-tiny screws.  Found a teeny-tiny screw driver.  Unscrewed three screws mostly easily.  Fourth one, not easy.  I eventually just wrenched the back off and bent the fourth screw.

First thing I see is a sticker which I immediately ripped off.  Then I could see the battery with a metal clip holding it in.  I could not figure out how to remove the clip.  I figured my previous  'wrenching' strategy was probably not a good idea for this part.

To the Googles! First sites I find mostly seem to be freaking out about the sticker.  DO NOT remove the sticker without taking a picture first, positioning is vital!  Great.

Just so you know, there are so many kinds of Timex watches and even more battery clips. I eventually google imaged searched to find my watch/battery clip.  Found it, not my watch but my clip, good enough.  I got it done, had to use wire cutters to deal with the bent fourth screw which is a write-off.  It all worked but I assume it isn't water proof anymore.  Turns out the sticker is not that big a deal.

How to change a Timex battery

Also, currently washing my bedding so C&J have nice clean sheets for when they arrive tomorrow.  I will just sleep on a bare mattress tonight (just kidding, they get the nice sheets, I will use the old sheets).

3:04pm.

Oh, for the love of all that is good and holy, packing etc have gone off the rails.

I am still charging things.  I realized, I should charge my second battery for my camera.  Where is my second battery.  Search, search, search.

C arrived for the cat/house tour instructions.  Little visit so I don't seem totally ungrateful for her (probably) keeping the cat alive.   At this point, I realize, it is just going to be easier to go buy a new battery so I offered to drive C home because she lives near London Drugs, totally forgetting that she is finishing up a dog-sitting gig and is staying way the hell and gone.  But again, she & J are doing me a huge favour, and really, don't be a jerk Joanne, so off to the edge of earth to drop off C, then to London Drugs to buy a $60 battery because I can't be sure I will find the second one and if I don't find it and don't buy another one today, it ain't getting found/bought.  One hour round trip, really not that bad.

So, now.  I don't even know..., I have kind of lost the train...

4:36pm

I am recovered from my spaz. I remembered that I hadn't remembered to eat. So I had some left over chicken (in my ongoing effort to empty my fridge) and a shower. Then I put my packing cubes into my backpack and it all seems to fit.  Still charging stuff so the computer and camera still have to go in.  I have a list somewhere, I wonder where it might be. Probably with the camera battery.

I have an idea about how to get around Facebook's ban of my blog.  I posted these pictures to my FB page.  Now it just for the principle of it.

I also just tried to check in with AeroMex again.  I am pretty sure it has been longer than 30 minutes.  Still no love.  Omar,  you are like the pinky ring of life: ineffective (that is a joke for one person only who will get it immediately).

I remembered where my list was.  It is with all of my printouts of my tickets and reservations etc for the trip (sorry Rob, I am a Luddite through and through) .  So I checked my folder with those printouts and found my tax receipts for 2019. So, I guess my printouts are at work somewhere.  Time to start printing. 

6pm

Bed cleared of all travel stuff that didn't make it into the bag.  Dishes washed.  Sheets folded.  Floors vacuumed. 

I assured C that the cat doesn't use the litter box but I would clean it after she was trapped during the snow storm.  So, I cleaned it.  10 seconds later, as I was tying off the garbage bag, what do I hear, scratch scratch scratch.  Typical cat, can't leave clean litter clean.  Sorry C, apparently she is still using the litter box.

Still charging.  My travel computer is the worst.  It is so slow and doesn't save anything.  I bought a memory card for it this week so I can download my pictures so if I lose my camera, I won't lose my photos.  Plus it is hard to upload photos to the blog from the camera. 

I have tickets to a comedy show downtown tonight (I know, I know, what was I thinking) so I have another hour or so and then I am probably done for the day. 

6:44 pm

Both camera batteries charged so I can take pictures again.  Here is my guest bed/packing zone now:

Ok, I am going to sign off.  Packing is technically done.  I probably won't post again until Lima.  

See you all in South America!  

Counting down in hours now...

42 hours to go (isn't that the answer to life, the universe and everything? that's probably a good omen)

Wednesday (two days ago) was a snow day at work so I finally got some packing done (after shoveling and drinking boozy hot chocolate with Valerie upstairs).

Sure, it looks more like piling than packing but it is a process
(look at all of the snow in the backyard)

I finally picked my Capri pants (too loose), hemmed them and added my secret pocket (patent pending).  I also added a cover to the zipper on the bottom of my backpack because it wrecks my pants every time I use it.

Purple pants (secret pocket)

Cover for the  zipper at the bottom of my backpack

Now it is Friday.  I have a day off so I am getting some last minute things done.  I took my car in and spent two hours in Tim Horton's reading my camera manual.  I am almost done Chapter 3 - oh the pictures I can take (panoramic, toy mode, panoramic in toy mode!)

I took notes so you know I am going to remember 

Here is "Glitter Mode" which seemed appropriate for the
Timmy's parking lot. 

 Now I am killing a bit of time (not packing) by updating the blog.  Speaking of (and on) the blog, Facebook has decided to block any posts with the link because "Your post couldn't be shared, because this link goes against our Community Standards"  I guess I shouldn't have said (fill in whatever offensive thing Trump tweeted today).

I am keeping my eye on the weather.  I am just thanking my lucky stars that the dump of snow this week seems to be done and hopefully won't affect our flight (I am listening to CBC as I write this and they keep saying 'blizzard' so I hope they are talking about somewhere else...  nope 'tonight is going to be dicey/icey'.)  But the weather info says 10 degrees on Sunday.  Fingers crossed

Not too much else to report.  Honestly, picking my two pairs of pants (one green, one purple), was my major accomplishment so far.  Off for a haircut now.  Tomorrow I finally finish packing, give C&J their house tour and long list of cat sitting instructions (that is the cat, this is the cat food, put those two things together, end of instructions).

This is the cat 

Too many coats, not enough pants

This is mostly just a random collection of my thoughts and (lack of) actions thus far.  10 days to go.

This 

In my FB feed this morning to remind me of my packing issues. And to ramp up my worries about missing our Machu Picchu entrance.

Packing Part 1

How does one pack for one vacation that will include the beach in summer (sandals, tank tops), the city in rainy season (rain gear) and the tops of mountains (winter coat, layers) and fit it all into one backpack? Val and I are trying to figure that out now.

I have a down coat that packs down into a 'large' ziplock freezer bag and if I squish the air out (and the seal holds), it is pretty compact.  But do I need it or do I do layers of fleece/rain gear so I also have something for non-mountain top days?

I have a rain jacket that I can wear around town.  My friend Amy lent me a rain poncho that will be better for Machu Picchu.  Do I take both?

I choose my pants.  I hemmed them and put in the security pocket.  Thanks to some kid named Yan who donated his boys team jacket to Value Village so I could use the pockets (it had a racist logo on it anyway so it is being put to better use).

Now I have to choose which capris.  Too tight or too loose?  Welcome to my life (and my butt).

Vaccines

Typhoid vaccine is a 7 day course of four pills.  Pill one on day one, pill two on day three...  pill four on day 7.  Sounds easy.  But I missed day 2.  I took pill one on Dec 31 and then remembered pill two on Jan 4.  The instructions are pretty adamant that the schedule NOT be messed with.

So, I had to shamefully call my travel clinic and admit I am a travel novice/idiot and screwed up my vaccine.  They said I am fine.  They don't advertise this but the four pills can be taking over 10 days without reducing their effectiveness.  I am taking them over 9 days so I am good.

I will take the Dukoral tomorrow.  It has to be taken one week (or earlier) in advance.

To do

Haircut - booked for Friday
Get car serviced so C&J can use my car while house/cat sitting
Buy house insurance so C&J can wreck the place
PACK!

Socks & Soles

Well, we leave in two weeks from today.  I haven't started packing but I have thought about packing so that's 75% of the battle (now that I think about it, this is much like how I approach paper writing and I never leave time to edit so maybe I should start packing).

Val and I had our (probably) last trip planning meeting (actually, we met for lunch but that does not sound nearly official enough for such a grand endeavor as Machu Picchu).  We had a few tasks to do downtown (after lunch, priorities please). We spent so much time planning for sock needs that we almost forgot to pick up our Soles.

I used my Christmas/Birthday money from Chris and Mom & Bill.  Val used her OT from Christmas day.  We each bought $500.30 Canadian to buy $1140 Soles.

Some facts on Soles.  One is a Sol.  Sol means sun in Spanish.  The Sol replaced the Inti in 1991 (one million Inti to one Sol, yikes!).  Inti is a Sun God for the Incas.  Sorry, Incas, you devalued too much and the Spanish swooped in (too soon?).

Just so we are all on the same page, the currency code for Peruvian Soles is PEN and the currency sign is S/ so that is what I will try use from now on.  Let's do it together: We each bought $500.30 CAN to buy S/1140 PEN.  Nice work team!

Speaking of money.  I found some Mexican pesos in my passport wallet so I'll take those so we can eat in the Mexico City airport on our layover.  And of course CAN$ for the Vancouver Airport.  Plus some US$, the universal O negative donor of cash (everyone accepts it).  So, four kinds of money, probably in three wallets, that won't be confusing at all.

We bought our Soles at FX Connectors again.  Which was not as fun this time since they got a cash window so no being ushered into an office to pass money back and forth - not nearly so imagination-of-my-unlived-nefarious-life inducing.   Am I still talking about money!  Move on Joanne...

Yes, let's talk about much more important things:  Socks!

I actually bought new travel socks before Christmas.  Quick trip into MEC, four pairs, out.  I was still using the white Running Room socks I bought for my first trip to Africa so a) they are not white anymore and b) I think I got my money out of them.  Val needed new socks too.

Back to MEC.  Ok, MEC, you need to do something about your shoe/sock area.  It is too small for what you are asking of it.   It was so crazy in there, so we left.  But not before Val memorized some prices.  Then we went to Robinson's Outdoor store.  They have a lovely relaxed shoe area with two helpful assistants.  So helpful that Val bought merino wool socks (mucho S/PEN!) and I bought new travel sandals.  Val got the lower MEC price matched and my sandals were on sale so we can't blame those lovely helpful assistants too much for their obvious mind control tactics. (plus, nice local store)

Since I already had socks, my outdoor store goal was a new laundry line.  I have been using my travel laundry line forever (also from my first trip to Africa).  Good old Coghlan's, it lasted 13+ years.  It finally was so stretched out that I decided to give it a proper burial (garbage can in Oaxaca) and buy a new one. 

MEC has laundry lines but they were sold out. Plus, not Coghlan brand.  Why Coghlan's?  Their double strand elasticized line doesn't require clips. Robinson's didn't have them.  So, off to our favourite store (there's no store like it!), Capital Iron.  Yes, Success!  And only $6.  Why did I wait so many years.  Plus I bought a rain poncho (drab green) and a new lightweight dry bag to protect my camera (I am hoping for the best, but planning for the worst).  Plus a couple of Biners (this is my version of security for my day pack, you have to unclip and unzip to steal my stuff).

Oh, I am so sorry to make you read this long post about nothing.  I am avoiding cleaning the kitchen.

Val and I also looked over our hotel bookings.  We checked the Puno festival schedule, we get there one day after the first big day and leave one day before the other big day.  Discuss, discuss, we are going to stick with our original plan (partly because of our timelines and partly because we can't change our reservation, everything in town is booked).

We have some nights we are booked in two places while we figure out what we are doing about night buses etc.  The rooms are so cheap that, at worst, we might lose $10.  Val is in charge between Lima and Puna.  We are going to wing it, nothing booked except Lima.  I am in charge from Puno back to Lima, we are almost fully booked.  A nice balance, I think (I mean that).

Today's task (beside the kitchen), is to sew my security pocket into my pants. Which means I have to decide on which pants I'm taking.  No easy task.  Socks I am ready for, pants are next level decision making.

Ok, you are released.  Go free.

Here is a picture of Pigeon thinking about life on a rainy day, that I took while writing this post.

Are you there God, it's me Pigeon. 

Time for some Plane Talk

Definition of Plain Talk according to Cambridge University:
the act of saying clearly and honestly what you think without trying to be polite: It's time for some plain speaking. Blunt and direct in speech & behaviour.

Definition of Plane Talk according to Joanne:
the act of saying clearly and honestly what you think about planes without trying to be polite: It's time for some plain speaking about planes. Blunt and direct in speech & behaviour related to planes.

Well, that's a new low, a 'but I digress' in the title.  Can one digress as a starting point?  I mean, I have certainly taken a wrong turn right out of a hotel door and digressed in the completely wrong direction while holding a tourist map upside down so I guess one can.  

But I digress (twice)...

We bought our plane tickets from Cusco back to Lima so we have that quarter (temporal and geographical) of our trip booked and mostly paid for.  Cusco to Aguascalientes to Machu Picchu to Cusco to Lima.  

Once again, I was overwhelmed with options.  I had been following the prices with Google flight alerts.  They were up, they were down.  I finally pinned Val on the phone for an hour and a half and we went through all of the airlines, departure times and costs.  And then we just picked one and bought them.  

First we were ready to book with eDestinos because they had the cheapest tickets when we were looking.  But as I was filling in the details and was about this hit the pay button, I got Val to google them.  Super bad reviews. Apparently that super cheap price is for Peruvians only and non-Peruvians have to cough up to $150 more to get their seat.  Nope.  

Then Viva Air.  They look cheap until you detail in.  That $28 flight is just a folding chair and some paper wings, I think

If you have a bag (which I will, it will be the end of our month so I might have two), that costs more.  If you want to pick your seat, that costs more, etc etc. 

We decided to go with Combo +, always pick the middle lane is my motto in life (and driving).  I might be able to get away with 15 kg of baggage?  hahahahha.  Or just pay for an extra bag. 

We bought our tickets after much back and forthing through the website, removing all of their hidden costs - no insurance, no boarder pass printing, no seat selection, no $10 friendly greeting, just kidding on that last one, I must have been thinking of Air Canada (boom!). 

I'm sure we will regret at least one of those removed costs but where's the story in 'we took a flight and it all went well' when you might be able to get 'we spent four hours in Cusco trying to find a printer to print our boarding passes and had to wear all of our clothes to meet the luggage weight restrictions' intrigue.  You're welcome. 

Other news?  Nothing I can think of off the top of my head.  I did recently get to say to someone that our trip is next month.  OMG, our trip is NEXT month!  5 weeks to go. So exciting! 

Here's a picture of a Viva Air plane.  The bubbles mean it's friendly! 

Back on track

I have been dither-dathering about buying our train tickets from Cuzco to Aguascalientes.  There are so many variables!  Railway: Peru Rail or Inca Rail.  Departure point: Cuscso, Ollantaytambo, Urubamba.  Class: Expedition, Vistadome, Voyager, Hiram Bingham.  Departure times: super early, moderately early, kind of early, afternoon, later afternoon, too late, you get the drift.

Ahh, I couldn't decide.  I kept looking at options and then getting distracted by work or homework or social life or The White Queen TV show marathon.  Val was no help.  She just said she trusted me and to buy whatever I thought best.  Hrmmph.

I even used my research as homework but creating a Machu Picchu Pecha Kutcha video.  You can watch it if you have 6:41 minutes to kill.  Don't judge, I got an A on it.

I kept not buying the tickets and not buying the tickets.   And then today, Black Friday deal day, I thought 'hey, I wonder if Peru railroads have sales on Black Friday'?  Guess what, they do!

So, I just bit the bullet, picked Peru Rail and hedged my bets on stations and classes.  We leave Cuzco in the not-too late morning (7:50am which is way better than 5:20am).  The train from Cuzco to Ollantaytambo doesn't run in rainy season so we bus it to Ollantaytambo.  We board the train at 10:30 or so and hit Aguascalientes around noon.  For this one, I bought the cheap tickets, Explorer class.  $38 US

Peru Rail Expedition Class

For our return tickets, we leave Aguascalientes at 10:30am or so.  I sprang for the Vistadome, the next class up with bigger windows. $54 US.  We get off in Ollantaytambo which seems like a nice little town and then we have to figure out how to get back to Cuzco.  I'm sure there are buses.  Or not, whatever, I can only do some much deciding in one day.

Peru Rail Vistadome 

We saved a bunch of money (around 40%) because I couldn't commit for weeks and then boom, it is time.   I had like five minutes before my next appointment so I didn't have time to think about it. This might be why my name is Joanne Cumberland Cumberland on my ticket.  Anyway, it is done.

We have assigned seats.  I tried to find some info on what side of the train they are on or even if they are window seats (on Expedition) but there doesn't seem to be consensus on seating plans.  Apparently, every train has a different configuration so it is a crap shoot.  Oh well, I don't mind leaning over a stranger to take a picture/spot a bird/rest my arm on their head.  I think Vistadome is all windows.  You know you are going to hear all about it eventually.

Next task, plane tickets from Cuzco to Lima.  I need another few days recovery time before I tackle that one.

Here's sa pretty picture of Peru Rail

Machu Picchu tickets and vaccinations

Well, after all of the whining and whinging from my last post, I checked the Machu Picchu site a week later and 2020 tickets were on sale. According to the website, they only sell 100 tickets to Machu Picchu and Mountain (6am entry) per day so I forced Val to pick a day and I bought the tickets. Now we just have to be there at the right day and time.

Here is how full December is! 

Then I had to send in a scan of both of our passports.  Val figures we are just paying someone to steal our identities but I figure if my super-sketchy Uganda tour worked out, this should be fine, it is only moderately-sketchy.

We booked a room in Aguascalientes for the night before our entrance date.  We added the bus option to our entrance tickets which takes up from Aguascalientes to the park entrance  Now we just have to book the train from Cuzco (but not Cuzco because the train doesn't leave from there in the Winter) to the Aguascalientes.  No problem.

Yesterday I went to see the travel nurse at Nova Clinic.  She was her usual efficient self.  I needed several updates.  I got the Pertussis (Whooping Cough) shot.  I was sent home with the oral vaccines for Typhoid and E coli (Dukeral, my poop-based best friend). And prescriptions for antibiotics (* just in case if you know what I'm saying) and altitude pills.  And I got a flu shot at Shoppers Drug Mart on my way home.

There is yellow fever in Peru but not where we are going to be.  Plus, my yellow fever vaccine from 12 years ago, which was supposed to be for 10 years, has been upgraded to lifetime immunity so that's a bonus.

Again the talk about not playing with kittens (which I will probably ignore) and not eating dairy (goat's cheese is out so that is a definite ignore), no street food (that will probably get ignored within the hour after we land in Lima), and no unpeeled fruit - as if!  I might be able to not touch rodent excreta but I really don't think I can make any guarantees.  I didn't dare mention cuy (guinea pig street food!)

There are so many diseases that are transmitted by bug bite.  Bugs that will kill me by various means are out and about at night, during the day, at sunset/sunrise, at low altitudes, high altitudes, in the mountains, on the beach, and in my mud hut with its thatch roof. 

Here is a list ("Other Diseases" is where the bug borne nightmares live):

So, bug spray, lots of bug spray.  Although that's not going to help with the plague.

http://novatravelclinic.com/

Only other update is my mom gave me some hiking boots. They are green.