Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Conference & meeting hotels, site selection for the Maya Rivera, Mexico
Dreams Tulum Resort & Spa
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| Room |
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| Inside room Barceló |
Contact me Carrie Larose via email if you have a group heading down to Mexico- HelmsBriscoe Manger, Global accounts.
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
PunchClock
The story of Carrie and Brent Larose. A regular working class couple from Canada dreaming of extended travel and making it real. A 13 month journey on two BMW F650GS motorcycles. Relive their travels throughout 24 countries including the USA, Mexico, Central and South America as well as the lower Caribbean islands. See the challenges they faced from trip preparations and financial struggles to surviving the ordeal of a broken leg in the middle of the jungle. A lifelong dream is realized as Brent and Carrie travel over 50,000 kilometers on their motorcycles. An additional 35,000 kilometers explored by means of air and sea travel. Sailing the Amazon River. Riding the Inca trail to Machu Piccu. Exploring Rapa Nui and the Galapagos Islands. Travelling through the heart of Colombia to sail into Panama. A couple that dared to travel where others seldom do. One amazing ride. The book is a true tale of the daily recordings, emotional and cheerful-always straight from the heart! Written By Brent Larose http://www.lulu.com/shop/brent-larose/punchclock/ebook/product-21388714.html
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Mexico for Xmas and New Years!
Well what a surprise. Never thought we would be in Mexico for Xmas and New Years!
Just before we went to Machu Picchu we had an opportunity to talk with the family through Skype.
Ron, Brent’s brother is always hard to get a hold of as he spends many days on the road working, hauling over sized loads around the USA and Canada.
it is always a great feeling having the chance to talk with loved ones, especially considering some are hard to get a hold of.
Ron, being extremely generous
made us an offer to come to Puerto Vallarta 
for Xmas to spend time with him and his family.
Terribly excited to see everyone we got online right then and there (December 5th) and booked a flight!
There were not a lot of flights going from Lima, Peru to PV Mexico so it took a little work. Now that all is great and we are going to get the chance to see loved ones for the first time in 7 months. We head off with vigour and determination to get to Machu Picchu, complete the Nazca lines and get our asses into Lima before we have to leave on the 21st.
We packed up our belongings and started to make the journey from Cuzco, Peru to Ollantaytambo , then find the road that goes to San Teresa, finally leaving the bikes in San Teresa and hike down to Agua Caliente, the jump off point to go to Machu Picchu.
Unfortunately things did not quite go as planned. Now in a big hurry to ensure we got to Lima on time we arrived a little late in Ollantaytambo and it is pouring rain. We stopped and talked with a few people about directions. To find out where we needed to get the Machu Picchu entrance passes as we read you needed to buy them in Ollantaytambo.
Not the case, in the end you simply buy the tickets right at the entrance to Machu Picchu or in Agua Caliente.
Finally we are off but we were told the road was dirt and all we could find was a paved road. Confused we stopped and asked a local who said we were on the wrong road.
Now frustrated and out of time Brent wants to simply take the train to Agua Caliente from Ollantaytambo and we were able to do just that the same day rather than risk an accident on muddy mountain roads or some unforeseen delays.
Finally, we have the great pleasure of seeing Machu Picchu. We got back in the Am a few days later and start the journey to the Nazca lines. This takes a few days. There I became very sick but we pushed on to the Paracas Peninsula where I spent a few days in bed. Finally well enough to move on we arrive in Lima.
While in Lima we got settled and secured the storage of our bikes while we went to PV for Xmas. Also now that we knew we were heading to see family we lightened our load on the bikes of items we no longer needed and also bought a few items to take home.
It is now the 15th of December and we have a LAN airlines office close by so we decided to try and check in. It does not work and there a lot of people in the office so we decided to return the following morning.
With all of this chaos we had no internet connection for some time. So I go to an internet café were I looked up my visa to see if the payment went through. It looked like it had as there was a charge from LAN plus a processing fee from Vayama, the internet based company that I booked the flights through.
I then head back to LAN in the AM to get things cleared up. I tried to book us in and still no go. I decide I had better talk with an agent. The agent says then do not have us booked as the charge had not gone through.
OH NO! NOW WHAT!
I had explained that there was a charge on my Visa and I had my confirmation number.
Still nothing, at this point my stomach is tied up in knots and I feel sick. Brent was looking so forward to seeing his brother for his birthday and spending time with Pam and the girls for Xmas.
Now with determination to fix the problem I found a place were I can make a phone call to Vayama. The first call I am on hold for 35 minutes (in a small booth) but stupid me I put my arm down and accidentally hit something on the phone and disconnected the call. Pissed off and frustrated, I make the call again and this time I am on hold for 25 minutes when I had leaned up against the telephone conduit and cut the call off yet again!
It is now 5pm and I thought it would be best to try first thing in the morning as it may be easier to get connected.
Back on the internet I go and thought it would be best to take a further look at my visa. This time I realize the flight charge was from Easter Island. We had been moving so fast since Easter Island that I had thought that the flight was paid off but it was not. (I had also provided the visa that only had a 2000 dollar limit so this transaction was declined).
So I spent the evening on the internet looking up every possible way to get to PV Mexico for around the same price Ron and Brent had agreed upon.
Things were not looking good, flights were now full and prices were way up and I felt so sick about the entire thing.
The next morning I went back to a phone booth and this time got through. The agent said they had sent a email stating the fee did not go through and she informed me that there is nothing she can do as we are now to close to the date unless we wanted to leave December 25th. This was not going to work as Ron and the family were only staying until the 30th.
Now completely upset I settle in on a computer and find a possibility of getting us out. We book a flight with Taca Air to Mexico City and then on to PV via Mexicana air but we would have to leave earlier. In the end we had to leave on the 19th arriving at 11:30pm but we would not leave until the 21st for PV.
We are trying not to spend two nights in the airport! We wait until 4:00 am after running from one ticket agent then over to another , then being sent across the airport to yet another agent where we finally got the help we needed. Imagine having to lug around two 60lbs boxes with no luggage carts (as the airport does not have any public carts-only paid porters) and a back pack on. ( WEIGHT LOSS ANYONE ?).
At last we are able to do a flight change to see the family that morning and do not have to spend a second night in the airport!
Ron was keeping our arrival a surprise for Xmas and he was expecting us to arrive at 11:30pm on the 21st but we surprised all by knocking on their door at 10:30 Am on the 20th.
Although, we were tired, hot & stinky what an excellent feeling to see everyone!
After a few screams, a few tears, a couple of beers, a few stories, a couple of exchanges of items, and a true hot shower in a clean bathroom we were settling in and feeling amazing.
The next 2 weeks were filled with great conversation, tremendous dinners, significant amounts of booze, walks on the beach, hanging out by the pool, football & Frisbee for the boys, swimming pool after swimming pool, golf days and simply good times with the Larose’s.
Just a couple of special notes about our time:
Christmas dinner was held at a restaurant (Artiste) in Puerto Vallarta that provided a 5 course dinner with all the wine pairings to match.
Each course was an art piece bursting with flavour and the wines were perfect. After the meal we go into the private tasting room filled with different types of cognacs, liquors and cigars (Cubans of course)- Only one word WOW!
Golf at the Flamingo course. Fun Fun Fun.
Brent & Ron went out with another condo owner Tim Gray from Fort McMurray, Alberta
and we met up with them for a sandwich after they finished at the course. Hey had so much fun Ron asked if I would like to join them as they were going to play again in a few days. 
So I did, too much fun!!!! 
Ron, Pam and Dani were able to change their return flight back to Canada and spend the New year with us. The condo owners got together and held a small party, we all watched the fireworks along the coast- You cannot beat that view!! What a way to bring in the New Year, loved ones all around, toes in the sand
and beautiful fireworks all both near and far!!!
Thanks so much to Ron and his family,
we are ready for the rest of our journey!
Just before we went to Machu Picchu we had an opportunity to talk with the family through Skype.
Ron, Brent’s brother is always hard to get a hold of as he spends many days on the road working, hauling over sized loads around the USA and Canada.
it is always a great feeling having the chance to talk with loved ones, especially considering some are hard to get a hold of.
Ron, being extremely generous
made us an offer to come to Puerto Vallarta for Xmas to spend time with him and his family.Terribly excited to see everyone we got online right then and there (December 5th) and booked a flight!
There were not a lot of flights going from Lima, Peru to PV Mexico so it took a little work. Now that all is great and we are going to get the chance to see loved ones for the first time in 7 months. We head off with vigour and determination to get to Machu Picchu, complete the Nazca lines and get our asses into Lima before we have to leave on the 21st.
We packed up our belongings and started to make the journey from Cuzco, Peru to Ollantaytambo , then find the road that goes to San Teresa, finally leaving the bikes in San Teresa and hike down to Agua Caliente, the jump off point to go to Machu Picchu.
Unfortunately things did not quite go as planned. Now in a big hurry to ensure we got to Lima on time we arrived a little late in Ollantaytambo and it is pouring rain. We stopped and talked with a few people about directions. To find out where we needed to get the Machu Picchu entrance passes as we read you needed to buy them in Ollantaytambo.
Not the case, in the end you simply buy the tickets right at the entrance to Machu Picchu or in Agua Caliente.
Finally we are off but we were told the road was dirt and all we could find was a paved road. Confused we stopped and asked a local who said we were on the wrong road.
Now frustrated and out of time Brent wants to simply take the train to Agua Caliente from Ollantaytambo and we were able to do just that the same day rather than risk an accident on muddy mountain roads or some unforeseen delays.
Finally, we have the great pleasure of seeing Machu Picchu. We got back in the Am a few days later and start the journey to the Nazca lines. This takes a few days. There I became very sick but we pushed on to the Paracas Peninsula where I spent a few days in bed. Finally well enough to move on we arrive in Lima.
While in Lima we got settled and secured the storage of our bikes while we went to PV for Xmas. Also now that we knew we were heading to see family we lightened our load on the bikes of items we no longer needed and also bought a few items to take home.
It is now the 15th of December and we have a LAN airlines office close by so we decided to try and check in. It does not work and there a lot of people in the office so we decided to return the following morning.
With all of this chaos we had no internet connection for some time. So I go to an internet café were I looked up my visa to see if the payment went through. It looked like it had as there was a charge from LAN plus a processing fee from Vayama, the internet based company that I booked the flights through.
I then head back to LAN in the AM to get things cleared up. I tried to book us in and still no go. I decide I had better talk with an agent. The agent says then do not have us booked as the charge had not gone through.
OH NO! NOW WHAT!
I had explained that there was a charge on my Visa and I had my confirmation number.
Still nothing, at this point my stomach is tied up in knots and I feel sick. Brent was looking so forward to seeing his brother for his birthday and spending time with Pam and the girls for Xmas.
Now with determination to fix the problem I found a place were I can make a phone call to Vayama. The first call I am on hold for 35 minutes (in a small booth) but stupid me I put my arm down and accidentally hit something on the phone and disconnected the call. Pissed off and frustrated, I make the call again and this time I am on hold for 25 minutes when I had leaned up against the telephone conduit and cut the call off yet again!
It is now 5pm and I thought it would be best to try first thing in the morning as it may be easier to get connected.
Back on the internet I go and thought it would be best to take a further look at my visa. This time I realize the flight charge was from Easter Island. We had been moving so fast since Easter Island that I had thought that the flight was paid off but it was not. (I had also provided the visa that only had a 2000 dollar limit so this transaction was declined).
So I spent the evening on the internet looking up every possible way to get to PV Mexico for around the same price Ron and Brent had agreed upon.
Things were not looking good, flights were now full and prices were way up and I felt so sick about the entire thing.
The next morning I went back to a phone booth and this time got through. The agent said they had sent a email stating the fee did not go through and she informed me that there is nothing she can do as we are now to close to the date unless we wanted to leave December 25th. This was not going to work as Ron and the family were only staying until the 30th.
Now completely upset I settle in on a computer and find a possibility of getting us out. We book a flight with Taca Air to Mexico City and then on to PV via Mexicana air but we would have to leave earlier. In the end we had to leave on the 19th arriving at 11:30pm but we would not leave until the 21st for PV.
We are trying not to spend two nights in the airport! We wait until 4:00 am after running from one ticket agent then over to another , then being sent across the airport to yet another agent where we finally got the help we needed. Imagine having to lug around two 60lbs boxes with no luggage carts (as the airport does not have any public carts-only paid porters) and a back pack on. ( WEIGHT LOSS ANYONE ?).
At last we are able to do a flight change to see the family that morning and do not have to spend a second night in the airport!
Ron was keeping our arrival a surprise for Xmas and he was expecting us to arrive at 11:30pm on the 21st but we surprised all by knocking on their door at 10:30 Am on the 20th.
Although, we were tired, hot & stinky what an excellent feeling to see everyone!
After a few screams, a few tears, a couple of beers, a few stories, a couple of exchanges of items, and a true hot shower in a clean bathroom we were settling in and feeling amazing.
The next 2 weeks were filled with great conversation, tremendous dinners, significant amounts of booze, walks on the beach, hanging out by the pool, football & Frisbee for the boys, swimming pool after swimming pool, golf days and simply good times with the Larose’s.
Just a couple of special notes about our time:
Christmas dinner was held at a restaurant (Artiste) in Puerto Vallarta that provided a 5 course dinner with all the wine pairings to match.
Each course was an art piece bursting with flavour and the wines were perfect. After the meal we go into the private tasting room filled with different types of cognacs, liquors and cigars (Cubans of course)- Only one word WOW!Golf at the Flamingo course. Fun Fun Fun.
Brent & Ron went out with another condo owner Tim Gray from Fort McMurray, Alberta
and we met up with them for a sandwich after they finished at the course. Hey had so much fun Ron asked if I would like to join them as they were going to play again in a few days. So I did, too much fun!!!! Ron, Pam and Dani were able to change their return flight back to Canada and spend the New year with us. The condo owners got together and held a small party, we all watched the fireworks along the coast- You cannot beat that view!! What a way to bring in the New Year, loved ones all around, toes in the sand
and beautiful fireworks all both near and far!!!Thanks so much to Ron and his family,
we are ready for the rest of our journey!Peru
Cuzco, the timeless capital of both the Incas and the Conquistadores this great city was founded in 1100 AD and is now a major commercial and tourist centre.
We found the city to be charming, easy to explore on foot and full of colonial churches, monasteries and convents to visit.
Our choice of accommodations was going to be in the Plaza de Armas,
the centre of town. We have discovered that because we are traveling on motorbikes it is best to stay in the centre of any city. There are always signs indicating where the centre is. Once in the centre we follow the footprints book. Inside the foot prints book for any major centre they always have a great map of the center and the exact location of a hostel (or hotel).We stayed at Hotel Monarch which was $20 US a night and that included free wifi, tea all day and breakfast in the Am. (we parked across the street for $2 a day). Not our original choice but it had free wifi and we need to upload photos and talk with family.
Cuzco is also a great location to explore the town of Pisac plus many ruins nearby.
This city is also used as the starting point for the Sacred Valley trail to Machu Picchu.
Pisac
Pisac is 30km north of Cuzco and well worth the drive. Along the way there are a few other ruins you can stop and see as well.
We went to Pisac for two reasons.
The market.
This is a fair size market and many bargains can be found if you are not in a hurry. 
Ask many vendors the prices of items (As many of them have the same items) Listen to others bargaining and see what they get the price for. Once you are sure of the lowest price you can get it for go back to the cheapest guy and offer him slightly below what you want to give him. He will counter the offer and then you have your item.Pisac Ruins.
High above the town 
on the mountain side is a superb Inca Fortress 
and well worth the time to visit. Please give yourself at least 5 hours to visit. You do need to be fairly fit 
as the ruins are often built on mountain sides and you need to do a lot of climbing.
The entrance fee to Pisac ruins 
was $26.50 for the two of us and we did not take a guide. NOTE: if you plan on visting a few of the ruin sites such as Ollaytantambo, Sacsayhuaman, Tambo Machay or Moray you may want to purchase a BTG multi-site ticket, I believe it was $76 ish for the two of us.Ollaytantambo, San Teresa, Agua Callente/ Machu Picchu
First before I get into the beauty of Machu Picchu
I would like to talk about getting there. The details you get are sometime not clear, so I would like to attempt to make them clear. We had the impression that you needed to take a tour guide in and hike the Sacred Valley Trail in order to get to Machu Picchu, which of course has a big $$ figure with it and many days attached. NOT SOYou can take a train
or the bus.You can drive it (most of the way, then hike into Agua Calientes, the town next to Machu Picchu)
Taking the train, you can take the train from Cuzco or Ollantaytambo. The train from Ollantaytambo was $88 for two of us and is quite comfortable.
If you take the bus to go from Cuzco to Ollantaytambo and you must take the bus leaving at 1900 in order to make the connecting buses. Get out at Santa Maria and go to Santa Teresa via mini bus, you should arrive in Santa Teresa by the morning. From Santa Teresa you need to walk to Agua Calientes approximately 3 hours. Many people are going this way and it should be easy to do. Approximate cost is $10 one way. For further info on the bus method please refer to foot prints or the Lonely Planet.
For those that are driving you can drive to Santa Teresa and then walk to Agua Calientes. First drive to Ollantaytambo and make sure you gas up there. It is our understanding the road gets rough and it can take many hours to get to Santa Teresa.We had a little trouble finding the road
plus we were under a time crunch so we choice to leave via train the same day we arrive. We stored our bikes at the local restaurant less than a block from the train station. 
PS the train station will store extra bags if needed and the train station does not allow vehicles to be left there over night. There is a size a weight restriction on your bags so you may need to leave some of it behind.
Machu Picchu:
the bus up to Machu Picchu from the town of Agua Calientes is $14.50 for two. I recommend you take the bus up and the walk back down to town if you wish to save $$. We walked up the mountain
and the arrived at the gates second in line but sure enough two buses pull up shortly after we arrived, so they only thing we saved was $14.50. We also had to start the hike at 4:00 in order to hike up the mountain for arrival at 6:00am- Straight up! This is all fine but we still need to hike Wayne Picchu; 
the large piton you see in photos. Wayne Picchu only allow 400 people a day into this area and you need to go straight from the 
main gates to the Wayne Picchu gates to get a ticket for entry at either 7 am or 10:30 am. Wayne Picchu is the one that gives you an over all view of Machu Picchu 
plus there are ruins up there and caves. 
It is straight up for about 1 and ½ hours, a hard climb. If you wish you can do the full loop which is also a hard hike. 
SO SAVE YOUR STRENTGH AND BRING LOTS OF WATER!) 
Entrance to Machu Picchu is $64 for two and can be bought in Agua Calientes or at the gates of Machu Picchu. It is recommended you get them in town so you can enter Machu Picchu right away when the gates open.
Finally the area has not only the most beautiful mountain ranges in the back ground but it is astonishing to believe that an entire civilization actually built this city so high up in the mountains.
I believe it is about 4500 meters or about 14,800 feet in the middle of the forest.Some of the rocks that were used are actually so massive it is still undetermined how they were placed with such precision plus they had a very sophisticated use of water and irrigation system.
This are is one of the most majestic scenes I have ever scene!!
Recommendation:
Bring rain gear, good hiking shoes, and lots of water and food for the day.
The only place to buy food and drink is at the gate entrance. We did not bring water and we hiked from 4 am until 10:30 am straight with no water. So to say the least we need water BAD!! (I know dumb, not to bring any.)
We bought 2 Gatorades, 2 waters, 1 ice cram and 1 hot chocolate Total $26 US dollars. The normal cost of this would be about $6. Can we say rip off!!
Stay all day. The sun comes out in the later part of the day, just as all the tour buses are leaving. If you are still around t about 4pm then the groups are basically gone and you can get pristine pictures.
We stayed on the main strip for just $10 dollars a night. Do not let them bully you into paying more. Also there are many cheap places to eat, you just need to shop around and ask what is included such as drinks, etc..
Nazca Lines
Explore the mysterious Nazca Lines. The lines are 22 km out side the town of Nazca. The lines are not only parallels and geometrical figures,
but designs such as a dog,
condor, humming bird,
monkey,
spider, 
astronaut 
and a tree. These designs are enormous; one of the wing spans covers over 100meters and are really best seen by air. One of the most interesting things about the lines is not only the gigantic sizes etched into the sands of Pampa Colorada but that they were completed by three different sets of people. The three sets of people are the Paracas people 900-200 BC, the Nazcas 200 BC, and the Huari empire in conjunction with the Tiachuanaco culture 600-1000 AD. One of the reasons that the lines have survived over all these years is due to the fact it is located in on of the driest deserts in the world, and these lines are etched at least one foot down into the earth. It is my understanding that the lines do not fill with sand, as in the Am the wind blows a little sand into the crevasses and by night fall the wind changes direction and it is all blown out.There are many theories as to why the lines are here but the most popular are DR Maria Reiche who studied the lines for 40 years, she believed they were some sort of vast astronomical pre Inca Calendar.
Dr Maria Reiche even built a platform where she could view two of the formations; the tree and the spider of which she paid for herself. 
The flights were $50 a piece and only last about ½ hour
Paracas Peninsula
The peninsula is a large area of the coast to the south of the Ballestas Islands and is a National Reserve. This is one of the best marine reserves,
with one of the highest concentrations of marine birds in the world.
Here it is easy to view and take photos of sea bird
, sea lion 
and Penguin colonies. 
You need to take a water tour for $10 a person 
but make sure you have a large lens as you never get off the boat. 
Also this is where the pre-Colombian candelabra symbol is located-cool! 
Lima
A massive modern city with a population of around 8.2 million people.
You would think that being only 12 degrees south of the equator it would be hot. Not necessarily so. May to November there is a mist that hangs over the city giving it a grey look and shuts out the sun making the area slightly cooler.
We did not spend that much time exploring the city as we needed to check our flight to Mexico to spend Christmas with Ron and his family (Brent’s big bro).
Brent also needed to change out his back tire and try and find new brake pads etc.. for my bike so we were busy during our stay.
Once again we used the system of going straight to the centre of town and this time we chose Miraflores as it was oceanside, very close to the core of down town and seemed to be big enough and popular enough for good signage. Sure enough it all worked out.
We stayed at our first official hostel (community style) Wayruros Backpackers. They let us park the bikes inside the gates
and leave them there while we went to Mexico for Christmas, plus they have storage that we used to hold our camping gear while gone. Cheap $3.30 for 19 days storage. Nice spot, pool table, living room area with many DVDs to watch, free internet, book exchange, communal kitchen and a cheap lunch, 6 dollars for two big lunches (soup, rice and chicken, veggies, dessert and a fresh juice). $13.50 for a private room, shared bath.
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