P Minus 2 and countng

With 2 days left before the big trip, a sense of frustration is setting in. Most people go on holiday to relax and de-stress , I seem to do the opposite. Travel in Peru is a little bit sketchy and so back-packs win out over conventional suitcases with roller wheels. While most of my family seems to feel the need for 40 pounds of gear for a one week Mayan Riviera laze around the pool, dragging that much on and off buses and commuter planes is not fun.
  Having pre-treated everything for bugs ( Sawyer Insect Repellant) it is now time to see what I can squeeze in and not exceed the self imposed 20 pound limit. Essentials like camera, mini- computer, medications, notebook, travel guide, UV Steri pen ( for decontaminating water) come first, clothing second.
 Messing things up royally is the season change for Peru. While it is a balmy ( actually sticky) 27 degrees C here in Ontario, night temps in Cuzco drop to 1 or 2 degrees, so we are, essentially, packing for a winter holiday.
   The winter Solstice festival, Inti Rayme takes place next Sunday and is to be a major highlight of the trip.
  Susanna is having second thoughts- "Why could't we go on a cruise??" " Because its hard to get a big boat into a lake at 13000 feet [ although, if anyone has seen the movie Fitzcarraldo- it has been attempted]
  It doesn't help that friends and fellow travellers are posting notes from their own trips " Sick as a dog"
" Diarrhoea for 5 days" "Freezing cold and flu season- bring cold relief meds"  "Dont forget the diamox ( altitude sickness) and the Cipro ( travellers diarrhoea) AND extra toilet paper! Better toss in some zincofax for good measure.
  Also, Lima sucks, dont stay here too long! [ The plan had been 2 days, and 2 more on the way back!]
 It's got Cathedrals, Central Squares, Beaches,nearby ruins and tons of restaurants providing a good intro to Peruvian food ( and perhaps later, Peruvian bathrooms!!!! ) So how bad can it be??
  The hardest thing for me to wrap my head around is the population density of the cities, compared to the urban sprawl at home. Cuzco has more than double the population of London, Ontario and is about 1/3rd the area.
 Having had little opportunity to brush up on my Spanish in the last year, this may be an adventure, or an exercise in frustration. Lets's hope not. I dont want to listen to those magical words when I get home." I told you we should have done a cruise- Disney would have been a lot safer and with a lot less bugs.........................