Day 2 - Trip from Lima to Cusco

We arrived at Lima to the hotel in Miraflores at midnight after a long day that started for me at 4:00 a.m.   We waited a lot but I made the best of it by reading from my Kindle. The flight to Lima Peru took six and half hours. On the second day we were on the way to the airport by 7:00 am. I just had four hours of sleep but it didn’t matter because the energies where running high. 

The flight to Cusco was short; we arrived by mid-morning to a city with a radiant sun and in a festivity mode. The entire city was celebrating the 100 years of the rediscovery of Machu Pichu. This was accomplished by Hiram Bingham; explorer, professor, and archeologist from Yale University.  Cusco is located in los Andes in the southern part and is at an elevation of almost 11,000 feet.  It’s the heartland of the Inca Empire that lasted until the 16^th century.

Today, the city was sunny and majestic and the air was full of festival.  Everybody seems to be out in the streets and they were full of parades and performers.  We took some time to rest our bodies and then went for a walk thru the city and then to a nice local restaurant to have a light meal (when you are at this altitude heavy meals don’t get digested well).  We had an opportunity to meet and talk with the other tour guides; Carlos and Ronney, both have a profound worth of knowledge and wisdom.  They are very connected and informed about the Inca traditions and the spirituality of this trip and hikes. I felt blessed and honored to be in the presence of such unique and mystical men.

Tomorrow we are going to Coguguirao, the other lost city and the city city of Machu Pichu. This ruins were rediscover in 1993 and they are only twenty percent explored.  It’s a six day hike 3 going and 3 coming back.

Now I have to go to sleep and be ready by 6:00 am. I will enjoy my experiences over this phase of the trip an will bring lots of memories and pictures.

Be well and best wishes to all.

My love to Mildred , Ale and Andy, Leo and Albertito.

I miss you guys! Un fuerte abrazo.

Peru Day One

Thanks to the help of my great wife Mildred, my friend Dirk and the outstanding job of Imelda our old friend and now executive assistant, the date came and I was fully ready.  Having Carol as a leader made a world of difference. She was constantly sending updates and reminders. What a great facilitator.

In this trip every packed item has a value and significance but none as my NY Yankees hat and my red hiking shoes.  The Yankees hat represents part of my history and traditions that I cherished and have many fond memories.  I was born in the Bronx nearby the stadium and as a young I remember like it was yesterday when I went to the games. They were family events, full of joy.  I always look forward to the special kid’s dates.  On those I will get a treat: a bat or ball or a hat. I felt so special and important. Almost all the times I was taken by Vitin, my favorite uncle. He was the one that gave a lot of good memories from my time in the city and my visits to spend the summer away from the island. He was my # 1 uncle.  Interestingly enough, I use my hat in any significant trip or life event; it makes me feel grounded and connected.  In my recent diving trip to Bonaire where I was together with Alejandra, my oldest daughter, I lost my hat - blown away by the strong winds on a boat trip. It was an old one with lots of mileage. Days before this trip Albertito my nephew brought me a new hat engrave with my name and the phrase # 1 uncle. He had no idea that I have lost my old one, but knows how much I love the Yankees.  We have a special bond and the gift is a manifestation of it. So for now I have a part of my past that grounds me traveling with me in This Divine Journey.  As Carol said: “the more grounded you are, the more open you are to connect with the higher self.”

My red hiking shoes are what guide me in this Journey. They give me direction to follow my path, my discovery.  They also ground me to my core, my values, to my family, mentors and friends. There are red and shine. They are my beacon of light. They guide me through my Yellow Brick Road. 

Talk to you guys soon after day two.  It will be shorter. Thanks for listening and I hope that this message has brought you value. Again thanks to all that made this trip possible and for the Love of Mildred, my wife and help of Leo, my first nephew on helping creating and maintaining the Facebook Business Page.  Without all of you, my BHFC peers and staff and great Moses this will have just been a dream and not reality.

My boundless gratitude to all.

Best wishes and be well!

Peru a Divine Appointment

A spiritual journey to reclaim and reconnect with my spiritual self, one of rediscovery, one of search of wisdom and enlightenment and an opportunity for growth.

Why Peru again? As you can see from our old pictures we visited Peru in 2009. It was great family vacation except that Alejandra our older daughter could not accompanied us. Her duties as a performer on In the Heights on Broadway precluded her form making the trip.  Peru is an amazing country. Full of history, art, architecture, plazas and rich multicultural traditions. It also has progressive cosmopolitan sites in Lima the capital. It is a beautiful and organized city. They have great restaurants with outstanding cuisine.

We had an opportunity to visit both the city of Cuzco and The Ancient City of Machu Pichu. This was majestic and exceptional. Both cities are very unique and rich in indigenous Inca’s traditions. The train ride to Machu Pichu was breathtaking. We were surrounded by snow covered Andes Mountains.  The train was following alongside a majestic river. All along the trip we could see some of the ruins from old Inca cities and structure.  Needless to say we were mesmerized by this trip. We promised ourselves to return in two years , in time to be part of the 100 hundred years of the discovery of the lost city of Machu Pichu.

As 2011 approached,  I was contacted by my best friend and male soul mate Dirk Magdahl  to make the trip  with  Carol Master’s group.  Carol is Reiki certified massage therapist. In addition she is an Iron Woman , Tri-athlete, a cyclist a runner a swimmer, a great woman ,friend , mentor an above all a great healer. After meeting her and the beautiful connected ladies in her group it was easy to say: “I am going with them.”

Since January I have be blessed by joining their group to train for the trip. We have met several times to hike and bike. I by myself started to be more committed to my exercise program and better eating habits. I have lost some of my belly weight and reduce my fasting blood sugar from 115 to 84.  I am devoted to develop healthier life styles that we help immediately with controlling my insulin resistance. In the long term I am looking for an happier, healthier and joyful life. Hopefully one with many years to come around my family friends and BFHC patients and staff.