The Road To Machu Picchu - Prologue: What Am I Doing?

My bags are packed. I have everything I need. And I've just spent the past two hours trying to figure out how to adjust my backpack. Earlier this afternoon at a parking structure near 3rd St. in Santa Monica, I decided to forgo the elevator ride to my car and took the four flights of stairs. I was winded.

And now I'm terrified.

I was not made out for adventure travel. And I can say that because I've never done it. Until now. In a few hours I'm boarding a plane to Peru. My first time in South America, and hopefully not the last. And while Europe Trip was all about culture and city life, this is straight up Indiana Jones. You'd think I'd be excited. But truthfully, I'm freaked out.

It's mostly fear of the unknown. I confess, I'm an ignorant American. I keep thinking we're going to see the Mayan ruins. I couldn't tell you the population of Lima. I couldn't tell you any other cities in Peru other than Lima and Cusco. Shoot, I didn't even know what alpacas were until a few months ago. But I have my trusty Lonely Planet guidebook. It's a tad thick. I'm also traveling with incredibly knowledgeable friends. All I know is that we're hiking the Inca Trail, I'm going paragliding in the Sacred Valley, and I'll be on a quest for cuy. In case you've forgotten, that be the guinea pig.

But it's good to the get the traveling jitters one more time. There's nothing like the final few hours before getting on a plane to who knows where. I'm going into unknown territory, full of potential dangers. But isn't that the fun of it? Yeah, I could hurt myself, or get bitten by a guinea pig, but think of the experiences...



...and when this is awaiting you, how can you NOT get excited?

Who knows, maybe this is the start of a whole chain of adventure travels. The Himalayas aren't so bad, are they?

OK, enough with the thoughts.

Let's do this.