Machu Picchu Special Adventure Tour - Final Recap

Hi Worldtourers out there!

Today was our last day of riding and we're all homebound tomorrow. The perfect moment for a last-minute recap.

This trip was special in many ways.

Firstly, it was CALLED "Special Tour", but I guess that doesn't necessarily mean much.

Secondly, it consisted of only 3 riders plus support vehicle. That means that the tour was less "herding cats" than actually riding pretty freely and being spontaneous.

Thirdly, the daily sections and routes were much longer than usual. Routes between 500km and 600km were our bread and butter.

On another count, the group itself was special. This level of efficiency is rare on any motorcycle tour...

Summing up, it must be stated that while anyone could visit the sites we saw, I am positive that the routes we took could not easily have been handled by any different or larger set of riders.

We visited the "White City" of Arequipa, drove through the Valley of Pisco, crossed half the Altiplano in a day to get to Cusco, spent a full day in Machu Picchu, drove all the way to Puno and its floating islands, and then returned to the Pacific Ocean in another long riding day.

We drove through the desert for hours, touched the stonewalls of the Spanish capitals and of Inca temples, learned about Inca life and cultures, visited the Uros on their floating islands and experienced the freezing-cold desert of the Altiplano as well.

We tasted one or two Pisco Sours in the evening...

... Inca Kola during the day...

...ate Lomo Salteado and Tequeños, grilled Alpaca and Guacamole dips...

... and really enjoyed the local cuisine!

The people we met on the way were always helpful and friendly and most of the time they were heavily interested in our motorbikes, as we were trying to make sure we advanced in due time.

The country has so much diversity: from 0 to 5.000metres above sealevel, from hot to cold, from jungle to desert, this country has a lot to offer, a lot to discover.

One thing is for sure: while we were able to catch a good glimpse of Peru and its cultural and natural richness, there is still a lot to discover.

But we leave that to our next visit...

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Day 7: Puno - Moquegua - Ilo - Arica, 540km

Hi Worldtourers out there!

The last day of riding has arrived. Incredible, how quickly time flies by as you see new things every day!

Today, we started early again, and left Puno southbound towards Moquegua. There is a new road through the Altiplano that once was but a gravel stretch, and now is a beautiful curvy tarmac section of about 250km between Puno and Moquegua! That would have been about 1.000 gorgeous curves or so, if it wasn't for another Peruvian truck losing oil on the way. The black oily line on perfect brandnew tarmac accompanied us for about 150km or so. Temperatures between -2 and +5 degrees Celsius didn't help much either. But hey, this is an adventure tour, only the tough guys will make it!

The road took us from about 3.800m above sealevel (lake Titicaca) up to about 4.500m, and even close to 4.700 at some point. At that height, you would expect snowy mountain peaks in Europe. Well, you can have that here as well. However, besides snowy peaks, there are also long, long, long stretches of desert. Cold, high altitude desert. Red sand, huge dunes, desert. But way, way up high in the Altiplano.

The landscape is simply breathtaking, as is the road: gorgeous curves, no traffic, sunlight. We even passed a natural hot spring at some point, encountered a large Lama herd crossing the road and also had a quick wake-up call from a combustible truck driver who just would not mind the linings on the road and simply chose to gamble while taking the tight apex on a mountain curve on our way to Moquegua. Luckily, Ralf remained cool and hung on to the curve as the truck crossed him with only inches between them.

Sometimes, there are unplanned stops along the route, such as a lama caravan crossing the street...Click here for the lamas video.

As usual, we advanced fairly quickly, and were thus able to take a little detour from our planned route. We drove down a few kilometres to the seashore! Ilo, a nice little town with a port and a seaside boulevard became our lunch spot. However, the people from Ilo still have to work on their seaside restaurants. Hello, get yourselves a deck or a terrace?????

Once by the seaside, we decided to keep things that way and drove along the shoreline, southbound towards the border. This road used to be a gravel road, but now it is a perfectly aligned highway by the best (Peruvian) standards. Loads of mining along the roadside made it clear: this is where the money comes from, this is what people live off.

The Pacific had a couple of opportunities to show his power as the waves flew crushingly against the sparse rocks of the shore. What an incredible spectacle...

We reached the border to Chile early, and since emigration is usually much easier and quicker than emigration, we found ourseves in Arica already before the sunset. We had dinner in the Maracuya, a local restaurant best renonwned for its seafood. Bon appetit!

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Day 6: Ollantaytambo - Puno (Lake Titicaca), 450km

Hi Worldtourers out there!

Today we made our way back south, out of the beautiful Urubamba valley. Which is great to look at, as the blue smoke coming out of the chimneys forms a contrast to the golden mountain peaks touched by the rising sun. But it´s not so nice to ride through, as it is winter here and for the first three to four hours we were riding at temperatures only merely above 0°C! Nevertheless, starting early really paid off, as we experienced the whole sunrise in the sacred valley and avoided most of the morning traffic in the villages: buses, truck drivers, crazy dogs... you know the story!

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Leaving the Urubamba Valley southbound, we finally climbed up onto the Altiplano, which meant: long straights, high speed and awesome scenery. We filled up gas again in Sicuani and otherwise hardly ever stopped, until we reached Puno, a city of 200.000 by the shores of the Titicaca lake. This lake is not only the highest shippable lake of the world, it is also the world´s second largest at 8.500 km2 (that´s 10% of the surface of Austria!). And it is also famous for the Uros: an indigenous community living on floating islands made of reed-straws.

Today, there are about 2.000 people living in straw-huts on these man-made islands, housing communities several families and strictly democratically organized: There is always a President for each island, a First Lady, etc., but the position comes with a lot of responsibility. Plus, the islands are of course dividable: If you don´t get along with your neighbor or community any longer, you can take a long reed-saw (about 2m long) and simply separate your house from the rest of the island and float elsewhere. Divorce has never been easier!

We visited the Uros by taking a boat tour to some islands and speaking to their inhabitants, watching them perform daily life handicraft and learning about the structure and technique of the floating islands, cupping the visits off with a cup of "mate de coca", before heading back to our beachside hotel.

Today, the Uros are mainly supported by government subsidies, tourist fees and the funds they raise from trading goods on the mainland.

Although they are nice to look at, we finally prefer getting back to the firm land and watching the sun set over Lake Titicaca with a glass of Pisco Sour.

Tomorrow, we have our last riding day. Time has flown by, and we will have a long and interesting ride back to Arica in Chile. If possible, we will try to make a little detour to visit the Peruvian coast of the Pacific Ocean. Just to say hi...

On another note, we are waiting for our mechanic Jaime to arrive. He had a minor brush with another vehicle somewhere in the Urubamba valley this morning, and we have not heard from him directly yet. We know that he´s OK and supposedly on his way.

Whatever else we do, we will keep you posted...

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Day 5: Visiting Machu Picchu

Hello Worldtourers out there!

It is day 5 of our journey and we can´t believe it has not even been a week that we´re on the road.

Today, we visited the ancient city of Machu Picchu. We had to get up very early in the morning and take a train at 7:00 a.m. After a 90 minute trainride, during which we sat facing the fattest man of the Altiplano, and an adrenaline-pushing 25-minute bus-drive up a very steep mountain we arrived at the entrance of Machu Picchu.

First, we meandered around in the ruins a bit, and then decided to catch a better view of the city from above: off we were towards the "Sun Gate", we climbed all the way up to the "Inti-Punku". Since we are all in excellent physical shape we easily made the inca-trail up the mountain in 25 minutes instead of the suggested hour or so.

What else would you expect from experienced alpinists? And of course, we had some extra energhy, since Ralf smuggled in some Swiss chocolate (the triangular one, you know what I mean)! So, while Machu Picchu lies at about 2.450metres above sea-level, and we climbed another 350 to make it to the sun-gate, which is located at the saddle between two mountains encompassing the city. The path to the sun-gate was also the old inca trail to Cusco. The distance of 120 km was covered by relay-teams of messengers and couriers within one single day!

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Macu Picchu itself was never discovered by the Spanish conquerors, thus leaving the city undestroyed. It was, however, abandoned by its approximately 1.000 inhabitants in the course of the Spanish "Conquista", as whoever did not die in battle certainly died of illnesses such as small pox.

Originally built as an outpost in the Incan expansion towards the jungle regions, Machu Picchu was a regional center of political and religious power. The city has an outer and an inner section. The outer section consists of agricultural terraces, partially used for research purposes, as the Inca always sought to breed crops from the lowlands to grow in the Altiplano and vice versa.

The inner section of the city is surrounded by a thick and high stone wall and has only one entrance which was once fortified by a strong wooden door. In the inner section, the temples and astronomical buildings represent the heart of the city.

Political and military leaders were part of the Inca elites living in Machu Picchu, but the core of the elite was certainly composed of priests and astronomers. The entire inner city is shaped and built to match events of the Incan calendar: winter and summer solstice, equinox, etc.

They had an amazing understanding of astronomy, and shaped rocks and altars in such a way that on special occasions the rising, setting or midday sun would throw their shadows onto special carvings or places in the temples. For example, they shaped a rock in such a form, that they could use it as a sun calendar (not just a sun clock!).

The Inca religion is mirrored in every stone of Machu Picchu. On the one hand, we have a duality-system, known from many other religions: man and woman, young and old, day and night, heaven and earth. On the other hand, the concept of trinity is also important: stones with three corners always indicate a particularly important, imperial building, temples have 3 windows or 3 niches in their walls.

The three-partite cross, the three spheres of life represented in the animals:snake, puma, condor. The Inca saw the snake as the "underworld", the puma as the present (time and world), and the condor as the link to the sky and thus the afterworld. The Inca practiced mummification, preparing their dead in fetal positions for the next life, and the condor that soars above the mountain peaks was believed to take their souls with him into the next world.

After returning from the sun gate, we took a 2-hour around the city with Lisette, a peruvian guide for Machu Picchu, although it should not remain unstated that the tour was interrupted by a number of phonecalls to Peter and Ralph from their families back home - a very welcome and joyful interruption! Lisette showed us all the important places and explained many things about the Inca society. For example, the legals system was fairly simple. Every crime had its specific, idiosyncratic consequences, and practically all were capital. Therefore, the Incas knew no prisons (and didn´t take prisoners, either!). Yes, the Inca were strict, but they did not offer humans as sacrifice on their altars (even though Ralf pointed at every single rock in Machu Picchu asking the guide: "and is THIS where they sacrificed the humans?"...).

The architecture of the city is also very intersting. According to the finesse of a wall´s stonework you could immediately tell whether the inhabitant of the building was from a common class, from the elite, or of imperial origin (incluiding high priests and temples).

But I don´t want to suggest that life for the elite was luxurious: the mayor of Cusco was the only person in the city to have a house with more than one room!

There are a million little and interesting facts to be told about Machu Picchu, all in all it is an experience definitely worth making.

To conclude this long day of learning new facts and climbing a million stairs or more, we headed back to Aguas Calientes at the foot of the Machu Picchu mountain for some tasty Tequeñas with Guacamole. That´s fried cheese sticks with avocado sauce.

Then we jumped on the train back to Ollantaytambo - and were in for a surprise! This time, we rode back in a luxurious dining waggon and were served antipasti and wine. A NICE way to drive back after a full day of climbing ancient rocks!!!!

After a quick dinner at a local restaurant (fish was fine, Alpaca could have been a bit more tender) we fell asleep immediately. After all, the next day had a long ride and a visit to the floating islands waiting for us. Wake-up time: 5:00 a.m.! 6:00 a.m.: departure!

Good night!

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Day 4: Cusco - Maras - Ollantaytambo, 66km

Hello Worldtourers out there!

Today, we had a rather "easy" day. After a good and long breakfast we left with a comfortable time cushion around 11:00, eastbound, and then took into the hills above the Urubamba Valley. First a last look at Cusco, once the capital of the Inca Empire.

What a beautiful landscape!

In some parts, it even looks like Tuscany!

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On a "mirador", a lookout point, we enjoyed the landscape and bought some souvenirs from local handicraft ladies, but only after some "negotiations"...

After only a little while of curving through these golden fields with a great panoramic view of the surrounding white mountain peaks we took a turn into a side-valley. The road was now unpaved, but we handled the gravel without difficulty. On this side-road we reached the community of Maras, which is home to ancient "salinas", salt mines. The way down to the salt pits was on a road that reminded us of the Bolivian "road of death": gravel surface, narrow road, very steep cliffs to the side...

That of course makes it hard for traffic to pass, sometimes there's hardly space for one vehicle, let alone buses or trucks going in both directions... Ralf hat the joyful experience of receiving a bodycheck from an oncoming truck, but thankfully nothing happened to him. As mentioned before: these drivers here are crazy...

The "mines" or "salt-pits" are filled by salt-water coming from a natural spring in the mountain. The salt water comes from within the mountain and is channelled into pits of about 2x6 metres. Here, the water is left at a depth of about 5 cm to dry for a couple of weeks. When the water has evaporated, the salty residue is collected as "prime" salt. The lower layers of salt are slightly pink, hence the name "pink salt".

The salt production in Maras goes back to ancient times. This place was not only important for the production of salt - an important trading good and therefore basically a "currency", but also for the trade of all fruits and vegetables coming from the tropical lowlands, destined for the cities, particularly Cusco. The nice thing about salt as a currency: If you have a saltmine, you can "print" your own "money"...

After visiting the Salinas de Maras we had a last short stretch of actually very nice curves (but you can't always trust the surface!) down into the Urubamba Valley, where we filled up gas and then headed to Ollantaytambo, which we reached around 3 p.m. Quick shower, and then off into the village, where we enjoyed some local foods (fried cheese sticks with Guacamole) and an actually acceptable pizza.

Shopping for some antique gifts to take home, we ended up in a little house with Inca walls and full of smoke. On the wall, there were some souvenirs for sale, and on the floor (near the open fireplace): about 3-4 dozen really fat guinea pigs. Bon appetit!

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Tonight, we are going to sleep early, since tomorrow is the big day: Machu Picchu awaits us!!!!

We will have to get up REALLY early to catch the train, but then we will have a full day in one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

We will definitely share our experiences tomorrow, so check back to get the updates!

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Day 3: Rest-Day in Cusco

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Hi Worldtourers out there!

Today we had a rest-day in Cusco. Right. Forget about “rest”, we had a DAY in Cusco!

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After sleeping a bit longer than in the last two days and after a good breakfast, we went out to discover the town on our own, and Peter even went to the morning mass - also an interesting experience, since the rite is slightly different from ours!

The several churches around the main square(s) are absolutely impressive and an imposing sign of power and wealth. Just what they were meant to be!

As in many other colonized countries, the detailed stone-carvings in the walls and doors of the cathedrals carry a mestize symbolism: ornaments consist of local flora and fauna and appeal to the colonized peoples’ traditions, while of course the depicted saints and biblical scenes remain Christian motives, nevertheless often with an indigenous touch. This, and of course the usual habit of building churches and cathedrals on top of indigenous temples and holy sites, were all typical colonization strategies - and a remarkably good marketing strategy on behalf of the colonizers, considering the times!

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Walking through the streets, we not only saw a military parade (small one, but still...), we also encountered a religious procession. These are much more common in South America than in Central Europe. For us, it was an interesting experience.

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After lunch we regrouped to visit the most prominent sites of Cusco, the Qoricancha and Sacsaywaman.

The Qoriqancha (“Temple of Gold”) is a group of Inca temples dedicated to the sun, moon, stars, lightning and thunder. They were built in an incredibly robust way with carefully and precisely carved rocks with interlocking features. These buildings were really built to last for an eternity, also with view to the seismic activity in the area.

When the Spaniards arrived in Cusco and conquered the capital of the Inca Empire, they built the convent and cathedral of Santo Domingo on top of these (1-story) temples, partially taking them down and partially leaving the buildings to be used as normal rooms within the convent.

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It is absolutely impressive to see these walls and rooms beautifully preserved and basically untouched since ancient Inca times.

In the last years, there has been a revival of Inca tradition amongst the indigenous group of the Quechuas, the descendants of the Incas today. While the great majority of the country confesses to Catholicism, the Quechua and mestizo population is proudly reviving old traditions such as the festivities for the winter solstice. This date marks a key day in the Inca calendar, since it represents the start of a new agricultural season. Also, the tradition of giving a sip of Chicha (local corn-based alcoholic drink) to the Pachamama (mother earth) is very common.

It can be said that while in religious terms the population is largely catholic, they still carry ancient traditions and maybe superstitions within, that they also proudly include in their daily lives. It is hard for us to imagine what it means for many people here to unite two cultures, languages, religions and philosophies of life, and this inner conflict throws its shadows onto society. Somehow, until only recently, many Peruvians of indigenous origin still openly hated the Spanish/European, even 500 years after their arrival. Only now it is that young Peruvians of the last couple of generations have smoothened out that conflict and try to embrace both aspects of Peruvian life and identity as their own.

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After visiting the Qoricancha we ascended to Sacsaywaman, a gigantic religious site on a hill overseeing Cusco.

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This site consists of three impressive wall-rings in the shape of a gigantic ray of lightning. While the temple and watchtower inside the walls were dedicated to the god of lightning and thunder, the large grass area in front of the walls was used for initiation rites of young Incas. If they passed the initiation, the boys were declared men with the right to wed and found a family (and go to war).

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The field also served as a military training ground and was the scene of large battles between the Inca and other tribes in the course of the establishment of the Inca Empire.

From the hill, we had a great view over the old city of Cusco. It is hard to see that today, but in ancient times, the capital of the Inca Empire had the shape of a Puma, a symbol of strength in the Inca mythology. The Qoricancha stood at the place where the heart of the Puma was, and Sacsaywaman was placed and shaped as the head.

After walking around the impressive stone walls (some single stones weigh up to 360 tons!) we walked back down to the city, where we visited some more churches and concluded the day with a fantastic dinner.

If this day was a “rest” day, I don’t know what a “non-rest” day would be.

It is incredible to think that this is only Day 3 of our tour - we have already made so many new experiences!

Tomorrow we continue with a short ride back from Cusco into the sacred Urubamba Valley. On the way to Ollantaytambo (which is at the border to the sub-tropic) we will visit the Maras and maybe even Moray, two exciting aspects of Inca life: their “national bank”, a key trade centre and their research and development department.

Sounds confusing?

Wait until tomorrow, when we will clarify…

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Day 2: Arequipa - Cuzco, 610 km

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Hi Worldtourers out there!

Day two of our Peruvian adventure had quite a long ride for us. Leaving the busy streets of Arequipa, we rode northbound into the hills that took us up towards the Altiplano. The scenery is much „greener“ now, the there are grass-covered mountains and valleys.

We soon reached the Altiplano with altitudes of up to 4.500m above sealevel. The air is thin, it becomes obvious when accelerating the motorbikes: less oxygen means less power.

The Altiplano is a large and mostly flat area of about 170.000 km2 (that’s about half the size of Germany!), in an altitude of about 4.200m. It is interrupted only by snowy peaks of mountains and volcanos, and sometimes pittoresque canyons.

The vegetation at this altitude is rather sparse, mostly grass. In these altitudes, the air is extremely dry and the sunlight very, very strong. Sunglasses are a must! The population density is thin, every now and then we encounter a small village, people here are mostly farmers or miners, many also work in other regions and only return home once or twice a year. Certainly the largest population in the Altiiplano is that of Lamas and Vicuñas. Both are related species, but the Lama is domesticated and the Vicuña is wild.

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We head northeast towards Juliaca, which is about half way on our route to Cuzco.

We fill up gas and then head north towards Cuzco. The roads are now mostly straight and long, and sometimes there are stretches of gravel instead of tarmac.

On the road, there are hardly any cars, only buses, trucks and sometimes dogs or Vicuñas. And they all are crazy. The Vicuñas - perfectly camouflaged by their fur - have a tendency to jump across the road when you least expect it. Dogs wait for you in the villages and if you’re not quick enough, they will chase you.

Truck and bus drivers are crazy as well. Somehow, they all seem to believe that they are Michael Schumacher and the Altiplano is their racetrack. Thankfully, they cannot compete with our motorbikes and after swift passing maneuvers, we are by ourselves on the road again.

In the early afternoon, we had a semi-lunch in the village of Ayaviri, We bought some Inca Kola, some bread and cheese and had a lovely picnic in a “restaurant’s” yard. Certainly we would not have been able to eat “safely” at that establishment, but this way we were able to sit and rest and have a little snack before continuing our journey, down into the sacred Urubamba valley.

When entering the Urubamba Valley, it immediately becomes clear as to why this valley was considered sacred by the Inca. The hills are covered in rich, green grass, the valley is perfect for agriculture, and a beautiful blue river makes its way in the middle. In the light of the setting sun, the whole valley takes an almost golden glance. But these are not the only amazing features of the valley. The road itself is also marvellous. Perfect new tarmac and curves, curves, curves. We have a great time swinging down towards Cuzco, which we reach just as the sun sets.

We make our way through - once again crazy - traffic. After the now traditional Pisco Sour at the hotel we freshen up and walk towards the Plaza De Armas, the city’s main square, where we have a nice dinner.

Tomorrow is a rest day in Cuzco, and we plan to explore the city’s most prominent sights: The Qoricancha and Santo Domingo, and, of Course, Sacsayhuaman.

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Sounds funny?

To find out more, check back with us tomorrow, as we will keep you updated.

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Day 1: Arica - Arequipa, 440 km

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Hi Worldtourers out there!

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We are on the road! Our little group (Peter, Ralph, plus mechanic Jaime and tourguide Juergen) left Arica this morning, with 440 km ahead of us on our route to Arequipa in Peru.

The weather was surprisingly chilly as we rode out of Arica in Northern Chile and - after „some“ paperwork at the Challacuta border crossing- into Peru. Yes, it is possible to get cold chills in the desert! But soon we left the damp winds of the Pacific and turned inlands, where it got warmer quickly. We had a quick stopover in Tacna, where we were greeted by a group of policemen: don't worry, we didn't get a ticket! All they were interested in was the max. speed and power of our motorcycles.

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Driving further north, the long straight stretches of the Panamericana - the world’s longest road, by the way, stretching from Alaska to Ushuaya - changed into beautiful curves amidst desert mountains.

Ralph and Peter had a lot of fun with their 1200GS as they explored the route ahead.

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We even met 2 other motorcyclsts on a really large journey: On the one hand, Raul from Brazil, with his Cagiva Elefant, on the road already for 2 months and bound South. And then, very, very impressive, Tom from Tucson/Arizona with his adapted KLE 650, on the road all over the world since September 2011, and bound to get home again in November 2012!!! It is always great to meet other motorcycle travellers, hear their stories and feel their inspiration. Good luck guys, have a good and safe trip and bring home many, many stories to tell!

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We stopped for lunch near Moquegua in the heart of the “Ruta del Pisco”. Amongst many other things still disputed between Chile and Peru, the question remains as to who really owns the “right” to call Pisco Sour their national drink…? All we can state is that both seem to have a way of preparing it with their own special recipe and serving it with a lot of pride. But of course, the Pisco will have to wait until tonight...

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Between Moquegua and Arequipa we drove through an impressing desert panorama which sometimes even seemed psychedelic or at least somewhat unreal: Does this road lead straight into the skies???

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It was interesting to see the stretches where man has been able to provide fruitful soil for agriculture, a process that takes years of work and probably also a good share of dedication.

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The last few kilometres before Arequipa were gorgeous curvy roads with sometimes crazy truck drivers, but we made it through that and also through the crazy traffic of Peru’s 2nd-largest city to arrive at our hotel.

Arequipa itself is a busy, but beautiful city that has managed to keep its colonial style and preserve many impressive historic buildings. It's really worth taking a walk around the old city, having a look inside the cathedral or St. Jacob's church, and of course, the famous monastery of Arequipa!

The hotel wasn’t hard to find, since it is located right at the “Plaza de Armas”, the city’s central square, and neighbors 2 cathedrals and a colonial monastery.

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What a gorgeous, gorgeous city!

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After some relaxing time we went out for dinner to a roof terrace next to the hotel and had… grilled Alpaca with Quinoa and Ceviches!

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Now, if that’s all food you’ve never heard about, don’t bother: these are all local specialties. Alpaca is a smaller kind of Lama which - as opposed to its non-domesticated sibling, the Vicuña - gives excellent, smooth meat. Alpaca wool is famous for being the finest in the world, softer than cashmere.

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Quinoa is a local grain that is harvested by hand in the highlands of the Altiplano and forms part of the ancient and traditional local diet, ranging back to the times of the Inka. It is said to be so nutritive and balanced that a man could live from Quinoa alone for months without showing any signs of malnutrition.

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Finally, Ceviches are the Peruvian equivalent of Japanese Sushi, very simply speaking. Fresh, raw fish is treated with fresh lemon juice and marinated with herbs and onions, and voilà: A traditional, yet fancy Peruvian dish! And of course, in the now chilly night of Arequipa, we had to wear the local clothing - Ponchos!

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Tomorrow, we have the probably longest single-day route before us: we leave early in the morning for Cuzco, once the capital of the Incan Empire.

We will get back with updates as quickly as possible.