Inca Trail Trek

Peru is a country that my bitty Michelle and I have wanted to visit for a long time. We are both avid travelers, and speak Spanish pretty well for Gringos. Last year we had become friends with a Peruvian couple who she met while attending NYU. They announced they were getting married, and invited us to the matrimony and fiesta in Lima. This was a once in lifetime event, and we had to attend.

Aside from the wedding, our other obvious destinations were the Incan capital city, Cuzco; and the ancient Incan sanctuary, Machu Picchu.

After an incredible wedding that deserves it own story, Michelle and I boarded a bus that arrived in Cuzco 24 hours later. We would reach Cuzco a few days before the New Years 2010 celebration, and would need that time to acclimate ourselves to the city that sits at over 10,000 feet above sea level.

A few hours after the bus departed, we passed a mangled double-decker passenger bus, with ambulances present, and its passengers standing outside. The bus was the same model as the one we were riding, and I had read about the crazy accidents that happened on that two-lane, cliff-scaling road. Seeing this accident had me worrying the remainder of our ride. Slowly and rapidly, though rain and lightning we drove. I could not help but look down the cliff faces that dropped into an abyss just a few feet from the tires. I would have sold my soul for a guardrail! 24 nerve-racking hours later, we arrived in Cuzco, and I could not have been happier!

We spent the next few days wondering around the ancient city, and enjoying the local atmosphere. Cuzco is a charming town that has managed to keep its quaint authentic vibe among all of the tourism and ex-patriots.

On New Years Eve we gathered with thousands of others in the city center, La Plaza de Armas. As the clock struck Midnight, the crowd began yelling, kissing and lighting off fireworks. As Michelle and I were cheersing the strangers next to us, a bottle rocket hit the Champaign bottle in her hand, exploding it and covering us in glass, Champaign, and smoke. We were startled but not injured. Starting our year with a bang, we were ready to trek the Inca Trail.

Our guide picked us up January 2nd along with 10 Argentineans, 2 Koreans, and a Mexican; our group for the 48 Kilometer trek. This being the wet season, we expected a slower pace due to the mud and rain, and would climb over 3,000 feet in elevation, and reach Machu Piccu in 4 days.

The first day was physically the easiest. The terrain was relatively flat, and prepared us for the second day’s uphill battle. We began to see archeological sites, and the mountainous landscape was breathtaking. I began to feel the pain of schlepping my 17 Kilo backpack, and that night I shed as much weight as possible. I donated clothing and my extra shoes to a grateful family living in the Andes.

Day two was strenuous and not stop climbing. We were deep into the mountains, and the magnitude of our journey began to register. It was exciting to be in such a magical place, but the physical challenge was intense. Our bodies were in pain from the heavy backpacks and relentless rocky terrain. When the guide pointed to the peak that was our destination, we knew it would be difficult to get there, but possible. Some members of our group turned back to take the train, but we were determined to continue. Hours later, and after many breaks, we reached the summit know as the Dead Woman’s Pass. We rested at the top for a while and enjoyed the view before beginning our descended towards base camp.

The third day was the most difficult. My body was exhausted and my stomach was in knots. Against the advice of our guide, I drank the stream water without purifying it, and now know first hand why that is a bad idea.

The rain was very aggressive that day. We had ponchos, but they were not impenetrable. The view was supposedly spectacular, but we could not see much due to the fog and rain clouds. When we arrived at our campsite that night our cloths and sleeping bags were soaked. Sleeping was difficult, but the reality that Machu Piccu was so close, made the night bearable.

We got up extra early that morning to be first in line when the park gates opened at 5:30AM. We wanted tickets to climb Huanu Piccu, the mountain right behind Machu Piccu. Huanu Piccu has a panoramic view of the whole area, and limited amounts of people are permitted to hike this peak each day. To get tickets we had to go to the other park entrance where the train lets off near Aguas Calientes. We raced across the park, trying not to be passed by other hikers also seeking Huanu Piccu tickets, but we arrived too late. The people who took the train from Cuzco got the tickets first.

Still thrilled to have arrived, we waited for our group and our tour to begin. Our guide explained to us the history of what we were seeing, and we learned about how everything the Incans built was significant. From the shapes of the rocks used in building, to their location to the sun everything was well calculated. The accomplishments of this ancient culture were impressive, and the potential they could have reached had the Spanish never conquered them will never be known.

We spent the rest of the morning sunbathing and reflecting on where we where, and what we had just accomplished. As we walked down to the train in Aguas Calientes it began raining again. That rain continued for two weeks and caused the recent flooding and tourist evacuations. We had completed our journey just in time. The Inca Trail may never again be the same.

An Israel Birthright Story that should have been published, those fools!

Wear your shades and keep your eyes open. How an entrepreneurial spirit and love for sunglasses opened a door while in Israel.

While strolling down Ben Yahuda Street in Jerusalem with my new Israeli friend, I wandered into a local sunglasses store for a brand called X-Ray. From the five minutes I spent there, I have conceived a business opportunity that could change my life.

I have always had a mania for sunglasses. Sporting cool shades has been my thing since I began to develop my style somewhere around the change of the millennium. Through the experiences of my life, many sunglasses have come and gone, but my desire to acquire new cool ones is as strong as ever!

The summer morning of July 23 2009 my Sachlav group of 40 Americans had just been introduced to eight Israeli solders in uniform. Three females and five males also in their young twenties. They would now be traveling with us for the second half of our trip.

While serving their country, Israeli soldiers can also apply to participate in the Taglit program. They are not there for protection, but are on leave. They too partake in all of the activities along side us, and give the group a local dynamic. It is a great means of introducing the two cultures, and without this element, I would have gone to Israel, and only really gotten to know Americans.

That day we went on a walking tour of Jerusalem and I just happened to fall in line with the three female soldiers. Never one to knowingly let a good opportunity pass by I decided to introduce myself and spark up a conversation. We went over all of the icebreaker stuff like: where we live, what we do, what we thought of the birthright experience, and about our lives in general.

After walking around for a few hours we broke for lunch right near a local marketplace. I wanted an authentic falafel and we had stumbled upon a food stand that smelled really tasty. We arrived right behind a large group of English Speakers who were trying to figure out what to order and taking a long time as tourist tend to do. I told Lily to just creep up the side and quickly tell our simple order to the proprietor in Hebrew. It was a solid plan as we began eating as they were still ordering.

The girls impressed me with their stories revealing their tank operational skills, and educated me on the military requirements of Israeli youth. We also talked about me. They thought it was very cool that I have been living and working in Costa Rica, and said how they will come visit and travel Central America after they are discharged from the service.

Later that night we were given some free time to explore on our own without being confined to the group. My new friend Orian and I decided to window shop the open aired promenade called Ben Yahuda. This area is full of souvenir shops, outdoor cafes, street performers and all of the people who go along with it. It is a funky outdoor pedestrian street, with a hipster appeal in an old world setting. It reminded me of a combination of Universal City Walk in Los Angeles and La Rambla in Barcelona.

As I meandered around one of the planets most historic city and flirted with this blond bombshell of a soldier, life was pretty damn good. This is what dudes dream about when they learn they will be traveling to Israel.

Originally, I was never that excited to go on the birthright trip. I had applied to go the year before and I was rejected. The following month I struggled to get my Payaneer card reimbursed and I was left with a bad taste in my mouth.

I was also a bit nervous about going to Israel. Never about my physical well being, but about my mental. I was scared that the trip would be one big religious pitch about how I should be more Jewish or pray more. I don’t like zealots and am not comfortable around people who try to push their religion on me.

I am a proud Jew but not religious at all. I do not pray to God, and question a few religious principals. I am however proud of my Jewish culture and heritage. I am happy to carry my peoples’ history in my bloodline. My impartiality towards religion had decreased my desire to visit Israel.

Fortunately, I had one friend who recently went on the Birthright Israel trip and when he returned he was raving about how awesome the experience was. He visited the historic sites, he partied, he experienced the culture, he hooked up, the hummus was the best, etcetera. And the best part was he did it all at for about $300 out of pocket.

Again I was sold ,and this time I decided to apply with my younger brother. It was his first application and as expected he got rejected. I was accepted, but there was a catch... The group I was traveling with, and more importantly the plane ticket was round trip to Israel from NYC. This year there was lack of flights from the West Coast, which is my jump-off point. This was a result of the slumping economy, and I heard rumors of Bernie Madoff’s ponzi scheme effecting donors. Regardless, they told me I could still go from New York if I wanted, and that I was lucky to have a ticket. I agreed.

Living in Costa Rica at the time, I had applied for a trip from Los Angeles the city where I was born and raised, and the place my family still lived. After slight hesitation about spending my money and vacation time to go to NYC/Israel instead of visiting my family in LA I proceeded to make arrangements to go to New York.

Before I knew it, I was at Newark Liberty International Airport meeting my councilors and getting my plane ticket. I introduced my self and I got in line with the rest of the people on my flight for a pre screening.

As a security measure the Israeli Airline El Al has its employees question all of the people who will board their aircraft and enter Israel. This screening is standard practice when boarding one of their flights due to the high threat that is unrelenting on their country. All of their pilots are from the Israeli Air force and they are one of the safest airlines in the world.

Before I checked my bag, I was asked if I had a Bar Mitzvah and about my Torah Portion, and a few other things about being Jewish and my birthright trip. After some quick thinking and charisma I passed his exam quicker than most, and was able to proceed to standard security. Luckily I was able to hide my flue like symptoms for a few minuets, this at the peak of the swine flue scare, and questions about health were common.

As I was sitting at my window seat two young guys sat down next to me. They were part of my group and are also from LA. Ironically they too were sick with a terrible coughs, while I could not stop sneezing. We were getting along well, and it turned they needed a third guy to room with. We decided it would be best to keep the germs close, and room swine flue was born.

I really got along well with my two roommates and have hung out with them since in Los Angeles. There were a lot of cool Jewish kids on my trip, from around the United States and then Israel. The dynamic created from all of the different personalities is fascinating and my peers really added to the enjoyment of the trip.

With the other American Kids we were encouraged to also talk about Jewish topics and not just pop culture or sports or whatever. We talked about our ancestry, our experience with anti-Semitism, the state of Israel and things of that nature. As we traveled and did all of the activities there was a lot of time to bond and get to know one another.

The bonding experience was enhanced with the introduction of the Israeli solders. We got to create friendships with other Jewish kids of our age, but they were from Israel. I learned that Israelis too can be laid back and not all of them are as hard core religious as I had previously thought.

While trying on different sunglasses with Orian, I was in paradise in this cool blue tiled store with a variety of fun shades that ranges from funky retro, to slick and sophisticated.
The store had a cool vibe with a lot of people buzzing around inside. I was happy with the apparent quality and perceived craftsmanship of the sunglasses, and when I saw the prices I knew I was walking out of there with a purchase.

Orian and I decided that I looked damn good in a tortuous brown pair called “Harolds”. They look like aviators but made of acetate instead of a wire frame. They have big bug eye lenses, but a look that is a bit rugged but still very sleek. I bought them for 90 Shekel which was less than $25.

In the days that followed other kids in my group had noticed that I had bough a pair of sunglasses and had complimented my new look. After telling them about my experience others had regretted not noticing the store and wished they had gone with me. The compliments on my sunglasses continued when I was in New York after the trip.

A few days after the trip ended I spent the night at Rockaway Beach in Queens visiting a buddy of mine. The following morning, on my way back to the city, I stumbled up the outdoor subway’s stairs still feeling the aftermath from the night before. It was a hot summer day and I was still inebriated which is ideal sunglasses wearing conditions.

As I got to the platform it was completely empty except for two police officers. As I walked pass them they said I had just missed the train and since this was the last stop I would be waiting for a while. He then looked at me and told me that he liked my sunglasses and asked me about them. I then proceeded to tell them the story and let them try them on. We chatted for a few minutes then I went and took a seat on a near by bench. This was the most pleasant interaction I have ever had with an officer of the law.

It got me thinking about how cool the glasses were, and I decided that I wanted to get my girlfriend and brother a pair. I did not know how to contact X-Ray, but I figured that a company with a solid product and a store as cool as the one I visited, would be easy to find on the Internet.

I searched long and hard for any information on the company. I used multiple search engines, using various key words, and searching very specifically for the brand. My inability to find the company was especially frustrating to me as a marketer who knows the importance of driving web traffic and how they were loosing out on potenial sales. aI was loosing hope for ever finding them when finally, I was able to find a girls blog entry describing the same store I visited. In her post she had an X-Ray hyperlink, so I clicked on it and voila! I was redirected to what appeared to be the companies website.

After my first impression it became apparent why I had so much trouble finding the site. It was very incomplete, with a poor user interface and difficult to navigate. It was just very jankey in general. There was however a contacts link with a valid email address. I wrote an email asking about making a purchase. As a dialog grew between the rep and my self I told them my story and said I had some possible ideas regarding advancing their company’s reach.

After a lot of back an forth, we are finally in the process of working out a deal. X-Ray will be launching a new sunglasses line this spring, and they are working on a new website to coincide with the launch. My girlfriend and I (she is also my business partner) are developing their SEO/SEM plan and creating a brand awareness strategy for their website to market their new line.

I created this opportunity out of thin air. I took a shot and it appears to be working. If our relationship continues to grow I would like to expand with this company, and eventually bring X-Ray to the Americas. By the time this is published our plan should be well underway. Hopefully, X-Ray has become a recognized brand, especially among young Jews. If you are not familiar, go Google it, and if I am doing my job right there should be no problem finding our media and linking to the website. This is just the beginning as I foresee many possible opportunities, and none of this would have been possible if I had not taken advantage of my Birthright!

very painful.: pilonidal cysts.

Just got mine removed this morning. 4" long and it was infected. Doctor said it came out nice and clean, however it was larger than he first anticipated. I have some body hair, but am not that hairy of a man. I had my first flare almost 7 years ago, and have had it drained 2 other times since then. I am able to walk but sitting is a pain in the ass. I have a total of 40 stitches, 20 inside and 20 on the surface. Hopefully they stay stitched and good news comes at my follow up in 2 weeks.