Remember last week, when I remarked that Doi Chiang Dao reminded me somewhat of the spectacular mountainous scenery that surrounds the sacred Incan city of Machu Picchu?

Now you will be able to see the comparison as I am posting my very best photograph of Machu Picchu (circa September 2007) in this edition’s travel photo of the week. In my mind, Machu Picchu is “the holy grail” of ancient archaelogical sites - none can truly compare.

I’m sure you’ve seen pictures of this majestic site in various travel magazines and you have probably asked yourself, how can this place be of this world?

Located high in the Peruvian Andes, the vistas from Machu Picchu are truly awe-inspiring. I arrived in the morning shortly before sunrise and the ruins of this holy Incan city were shrouded in a thick mist, taking on an eerie mystical quality. About three hours later, the sun broke through the mist and the magnificence of Machu Pichu was revealed in all its splendor and glory.

If I didn’t know any better, it felt like I was visiting someplace not on this planet Earth. Did extraterrestrials visit the Incas and direct them to build Machu Picchu?

I consider myself very fortunate to have visited Machu Picchu in my lifetime. It was that incredible!

I am conducting a special promotion - between now and November 8, I am asking you to list your top 5 travel memories and briefly explain ‘why’ in the comment box. By November 10, my associate and I will have carefully reviewed all the comments and choose the top 3 entries. First prize will be a valuable souvenir - craft or artwork from Thailand; 2nd prize will be a unique 16 X 20 watercolor print(s) of a tropical landscape mounted on mat board and Third prize will be a 2 DVD set of Calypso Island’s unique travel slideshow videos (fairly high quality). *
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First of all - you’re probably wondering, what are my top five travel memories?

I have to admit it was so very difficult to come up with a top 5 list as I have made so many memorable trips in my short lifetime. Searching my memory bank, I have concluded that the most indelible memories (travel or otherwise) happen when one is a child - at least that was the case for me. My explanation for this is that children are so much more sensitive to new life experiences than fully-grown adults. Ok, enough of this psychobabble. Here’s my top five…

#1 STATUTE OF LIBERTY When I visited New York City as a little boy circa 1957, I was totally awestruck by the Big Apple. I visited so many exciting new places and experienced so many new things - the T-Rex skeleton at the Museum of Natural History, the towering Empire State building, the underground Subway and the Coney Island Amusement Park. What blew me away more than anything else was seeing the Statute of Liberty. As an innocent and naïve child, this impressive Statute represented the embodiment of America. I’ll never forget it!

#2 KING OF THE WORLD Last year, I hiked to the top of Waynu Picchu which overlooks the majestic Machu Picchu archaeological site in the Peruvian Andes. Wow what an experience! I wouldn’t have been able to complete this hike without the camaraderie of my two new Peruvian friends, Edward and Armando. Upon reaching the summit, we proudly declared ourselves “Kings of the World” as we assumed our Condor pose.

#3 THE GRAND CANYON Seeing this spectacular natural wonder for the first time circa 1959 is forever etched in my memory. Up to that point in my life, I didn’t know that such incredible natural beauty like this existed on our planet. Unfortunately, I have never returned.

#4 THE LONG RUN IN JAMAICA In September 1982, I ran from Montego Bay to Negril (a distance of 52 miles) on Jamaica’s North Coast over a 3 day period. No, I didn’t run just for the fun of it – it was a publicity stunt for the staging of a marathon road race in Jamaica. Running along the coastal highway in the tropical heat was very grueling, but in the end, when I reached the Negril lighthouse, I was totally exhilarated. I would do it again in heartbeat.

#5 REGGAE SUNSPLASH In 1981, I attended my first Reggae Sunsplash Music Festival in Montego Bay, Jamaica. For this hardcore reggae enthusiast, I was totally blown away seeing many of my favorite artists - Gregory Isaacs, Dennis Brown, Black Uhuru, Third World, Chalice, Eek A Mouse – perform. I was in Reggae Heaven!

* Please Note: I will need at least 10 people to leave comments on their 5 top travel memories in order for me to give away prize #2 and 3. Only one entry per contestant.

Have you ever totaled up the number of countries that you have visited in your lifetime? Furthermore, how many times have you traveled to each particular country? Breaking it down even further, what places/cities have you visited (with at least one overnight stay) in each destination/country? If you answer all these questions carefully, you’ll have put together your own TRAVELER’S RESUME.

Let’s start out with yours truly. My inaugural trip as a traveler happened in Dec. 1973 when I went to Mexico for 3 weeks. Over the ensuing 35 years, I have traveled to 25 different countries. If you look at my RESUME, you will see that I’m very partial to the tropics. Call me the tropical traveler if you may.

NORTH AMERICA:

• Mexico (18)

Puerto Vallarta (3), Mexico City (3), Guadalajara, Villahermosa, Merida,
Mexican Caribbean – Cancun (4), Playa del Carmen (2) and Tulum; Oaxaca (5),
Puerto Escondido (5), San Blas(2) Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo,
Baja California - Cabo San Lucas (4), La Paz and Loreto,
Costa Alegre - La Manzanilla (2) and Bahia de Navidad

CARIBBEAN:

• Jamaica (30+)

Kingston, Blue Mountains, Port Antonio, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Negril,
South Coast - Black River, Treasure Beach and Milk River Bath; Cockpit Country,
Mandeville and Christiana

• Barbados (6)
• St. Lucia (2)
• Antigua
• Dominican Republic

Santo Domingo and Sosua Beach

• Cuba

Havana and Varadero Beach

• St. Vincent
• Trinidad
• St. Maarten/St. Marten
• Bahamas

Nassau and Eleuthera

• Caribbean/Panama Canal Cruise

SOUTH AMERICA:

• Colombia

Bogota, Cartagena and San Andres Island

• Peru

Lima, Cusco, Sacred Valley including Machu Picchu, Amazon basin

• Ecuador

Quito, Otavalo and Mindo

CENTRAL AMERICA:

• Costa Rica (6)

San Jose (6), Heredia (2), Sarapiqui (2), Manuel Antonio (3), Dominical,
Pacific Lowlands – Carara ; Guanacaste – Canas and Palo Verdes NP (2), Tamarindo Beach (2), Ocotal and Los Innocentes; Jaco, Tortugero, Monteverde (2), Osa Peninsula, La Fortuna and Arenal (4),
Caribbean Coast- Cahuita (2) and Puerto Viejo; Wilson Botanical Gardens
(San Vito), San Gerardo de Dota and Nicoya Peninsula - Playa Samara

• Guatemala (2)

Guatemala City (2), Antigua (2) and Lake Atitlan

WEST AFRICA:

• Ghana

Accra, Gold Coast, Kumasi

• Togo

Lome

• Mali

Bamako and Mopti

• Ivory Coast

Abidjan

SOUTHEAST ASIA:

• Thailand (7)

Bangkok (7), Chiang Mai (5), Mae Sa Valley (2), Phuket (3), Koh Lanta, Koh Jum,
Koh Samui (2), Koh Chang (5), Pattaya (3), Khao Sok National Park, Chiang Rai Province – Doi Tung (2), Mae Salong (2) and Chiang Kong; Kanchanaburi (2),
Sangkhlaburi, Sakaeo, Sukhothai (2), Ayutthaya and Mae Hong Son Province-Pai (2), Soppong and Mae Hong Son (2)

• Laos

Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Mekong River Cruise

• Cambodia

Siem Reap(Angkor Wat)

EUROPE

• England

London Area

Please note: Number in Parentheses () indicates the number of visits

Feel free to submit your Travel Resume here!

If you have been following Calypso Island Chronicles, you may remember a post I made about a trip I took to Peru late last summer. The highlight of my trip (and perhaps the most memorable travel experience I have ever had) was an arduous four-hour hike to the top of Waynu Picchu, where at the summit there are magnificent views of the famed Machu Picchu archaeological site. With these wonderful memories still fresh in my mind, I took a special interest in an article that recently appeared in the travel section of San Francisco Chronicle by John Flinn, the travel editor. Entitled The Other Inca Trail, Mr Flinn chronicles his recent experience on a five-day trek on the Salcantay trail to Machu Picchu.

As noted by Mr. Flinn, the Salcantay trek to Machu Picchu is an excellent alternative to the famed Inca Trail, which in recent years has become too popular for its own good - the famous trail has become so heavily traveled and littered with garbage that the Peruvian government has stepped in and imposed strict quotas on its usage. In addition to having far less traffic, the Salcantay trail is higher in elevation, affords more spectacular views and is considered slightly more difficult than the Inca trail. Another option is the Lares trek.

On Mr. Flinn’s trip, there was an upscale twist to the basic trek theme - instead of camping out and eating basic camp grub, the tour group’s accommodations were in small comfortable lodges located along the trail and they dined every night on haute Andean gourmet cuisine to the accompaniment of fine Chilean wines and Pisco sours. Situated at 12,500 ft up in Peruvian Andes, the 12 room Salcantay Lodge - the most deluxe of the hotels on the trek - even had a Jacuzzi, where tour participants could soak their weary muscles after a day of hiking.

The 7 day/6 night ‘luxury’ trek package is offered thru Mountain Lodges of Peru – includes 5 days of hiking with guides and support crew, all meals and accommodations, a guided tour of Machu Picchu and return transfer to Cusco from Aguas Calientes by train/ bus. Cost is $2500 per person double occupancy.

Note: Tour participants should be physically fit as this trek covers 35 miles of walking/hiking in high elevation, mountainous terrain over a period of 5 days

When “The Three Kings” arrived at the top of Waynu Picchu, we found this little creature sunning himself on a rock while waiting for his next meal.

The 2nd half of my journey to Peru was highlighted by an excursion to Machu Picchu, the most extraordinary archaeological site in the Western hemisphere and a 4 day/3 night package tour to the Amazon basin. Arriving at Machu Picchu shortly before sunrise, the renowned archaeological site was shrouded by an early morning fog and had an eerie otherworldly ambiance. After the official tour was over, I ran into two young Peruvian guys – Edward and Armando - who I met at the hot springs at Aguas Calientes the night before, and the three of us hiked to the top of Waynu Picchu, which looms high over the archaeological site. Upon reaching the very top, we proclaimed ourselves as “the Kings of the World”. This hike has to rank as the most memorable experience I have ever had as a traveler.

Leaving the Andean Highlands to the Amazon basin was quite a change a pace. During the next couple of days, a tour guide from the resort took us on daily excursions through the rainforest. Highlights include – climbing to the top of an observation platform in the middle of the rainforest where we were awestruck by tan endless sea of greenery and rewarded by a magnificent Amazon sunset, the Clay Lick - where numerous macaws and parrots gather to feed, the booming chorus of a howler monkey troop that greeted us every morning sometime before dusk , and the astounding Kapok tree, the giant of the rainforest.

Get your bags packed we’re going to Peru…

In the next two installments of Calypso Island Chronicles, I would like to share with you
some of the highlights and memorable moments of a two week adventure to Peru that
took place in Summer 2007.

I arrived at the Lima airport at approximately 11:00PM, and by the time I got to my hotel in Miraflores, an upscale suburb of Lima, it was close to 12:30AM. As most travelers to Peru do, I stayed only a minimal amount of time in the sprawling capital city of Peru (two nights and one day) before continuing to Cusco, the high altitude tourist Mecca located in the rugged Andes Mountains. My outstanding memories of Lima was the weather (it was fogged in and misty for the most of the day), shopping for a pair of dress shoes at a fancy department store, the presence of licensed moneychangers on the streets and on the morning of my departure, having a cup of Soy Latte at Starbucks at Larcomar, the ritzy new shopping center located on Lima’s rugged (and fogged in) Pacific Coastline.

I spent most of my time in the Cusco area, the Heart and Soul of Peru, including three nights in the Sacred Valley - Pisac and Ollaytantambo - and one night near the famous archaeological site of Machu Picchu. I had the opportunity of being in Pisac for the Sunday artisans market, one of the largest and most colorful Indian markets in South America as well as hiking to some of the most important archaeological sites of the ancient Inca Empire. Leaving Cusco, I flew to Puerto Maldonado, a small city on the periphery of Peru’s Amazon Basin, where I stayed at a small nature resort located in the middle of the rainforest - about two hours downstream from the city. I loved the tranquility and the sounds of nature of the Amazonian wilderness. Part I of this musical travelogue features Lima, Cusco and the Sacred Valley. Enjoy!