June 27th, 2008
I’ve been at the new job for 4 weeks now. I was coming from a small company (~30 people), but this is a different level. Right now there are just two of us, in a room with no windows (“The Dungeon”) that we are subletting from another company. We are right in the middle of their office, so we have to walk past their cubicles to get to our area. The location of the office is great, though; it is right in downtown San Fran, just 2 blocks away from my old office. But even though it is close in proximity, the work environment of a startup is definitely different, and I love it.
Today, the whole company went out to the movies for the premiere of WALL-E. Of course, this is much easier to do when the whole company is only 2 people, but still the spirit/mentality is much different than in a larger corporation. I had expected that theatre for a matinee would be pretty empty except for a few kids on summer vacation, but the place was pretty packed. And the best part was, we fit right in – I think the majority of people there were startup employees. Only in San Francisco…
Another benefit of the startup life is being able to work where you want when you want. Don’t have to worry about the usual corporate bulls*** like “face time”, all that matters is that you get your work done. A couple weeks ago, on one of those beautiful summer days that are so rare in San Francisco, I spent the afternoon working outside in Golden Gate Park. This was like a dream of mine come true. I love being outdoors and enjoying warm, sunny days, but on weekdays (ie work days) these days often go wasted while everyone piles into the office buildings with their air conditioning and artificial lighting. It was always seemed like a pipe dream to spend time outside on these gorgeous days, but now it has a become a reality for me.
While some people may think that this is unreasonable and leads to lower productivity, I actually believe the opposite. I think that if companies remove some of the unnecessary restrictions/rules and give employees more freedom to work when, where, and how they want to, then those employees will be happier and more productive. This is one of the themes of a book I recently read, The Seven-Day Weekend
by Ricardo Semler, which I recommend.
Finally, while our office itself may not be very impressive, we do have some nice tech equipment. How do you make a developer happy? Easy, give him a brand new MacBook Pro laptop and a 30″ Monitor! Now, I have always been a Windows guy, so the Mac is a bit of an adjustment for me but it is definitely a very nice machine.
All in all, I am enjoying the startup experience so far and definitely learning alot.
June 19th, 2008
Quick update on my custom lifestream project – I finally got the automatic updates working. After months of manually updates, and big lags/gaps in between updates, the automatic process is now working. The logic of my update script was all correct, which is why the problem was so hard to spot. It turned out that the issue came down to timezones. The PHP and MySQL instances were set to different timezones by default, which caused all the date comparisons to be off. Now that this is fixed, I have the script running as a batch process to check for updates every hour.
As a sidenote, another way I could have implemented the lifestream would be to pull the RSS feeds from each site every time it is loaded. I decided against this approach for the rather obvious performance benefit of caching the feeds locally, as well as maintaining the history of the feeds.
I hope to make a few more updates to the lifestream project soon to try to finish the next development cycle/iteration – v1.0. Stay tuned…
June 19th, 2008
So when I said “More updates to come”, I didn’t think it would take this long. After posting once from Peru, I had trouble finding a good internet connection (and finding the time) to post another update. Now that I have been back in the US for over two weeks, I have no excuse. But I do want to write this belated post about my trip to Peru (before I forget it all). Without further adieu…
Pictures (and videos) from my Peru trip
Day 1:
Saturday, May 24
Travel day. San Francisco -> Houston, TX -> Panama City, Panama -> Lima, Peru -> Cusco, Peru. Left SFO at 6:30am and finally got to Cusco at around 7:15am the next day (including a 5.5 hour layover in the Lima airport). The cheapest flight is not necessarily the most efficient (or convenient), but luckily I was in no rush (the benefit of unemployment, albeit brief) and actually enjoyed the day of relaxation.
The plan was to meet up with Eric in Lima and fly to Cusco together, but unfortunately Eric’s flight got cancelled. His was the only flight that got cancelled that night. Luckily for me, I didn’t have to go it alone because I made a friend on one of my flights – Melinda. We sat next to each other on the flight from Panama City to Lima (we were two of the only Americans on the plane) and found out that we were on 3 of the same flights that day.
Day 2:
Sunday, May 25
Arrived in Cusco around 7:30am. Our pickup from the hostal didn’t show so we had to negotiate a taxi (we ended up paying 15 soles, if we were a local it would probably cost 4-5). Eric and I had already arranged a reservation at a guesthouse – Hostal El Grial in the San Blas neighborhood. It is a pretty basic place but it has a good location, hot water, free internet, and a great staff. This ended up being our favorite hostal on the whole trip, and I would definitely recommend it. The cost was reasonable too – US$30 for a single and US$45 for a double.
I should also mention that with the dollar having lost some of its luster lately, the exchange rate was 1 US Dollar = 2.8 Peruvian Soles. Even with the weak dollar, the prices were still very reasonable everywhere we went (and we were on the main tourist circuit where everything is already more expensive than it should be).
After catching up on some sleep, Melinda and I went out to explore Cuzco. Our strategy was to just wander aimlessly around the city. Our first stop was to get some food at Chez Maggy in “Gringo Alley”. This was one of my favorite restaurants (they have another location in Aguas Caliente that Eric and I went to). Since it was our first meal in Peru, we had to try one of the local foods – alpaca, so we got an alpaca pizza.
After lunch, we stumbled upon a local market where the butchers work right in front of you and leave little to the imagination. It was one of those moments where you know you are in a foreign country and when you feel grateful that we are so sheltered. From there we found a more tourist friendly market where we tried a delicious fresh fruit smoothie. The funny part was there were two aisles of fruit juice stands, probably 20 or so, that were all right next to each other and all selling the same thing. I swear, someone needs to teach these people about product differentiation (I thought this many times throughout the trip…).
After another nap, Melinda and I grabbed some dinner at a tiny place down the street. I think there were only 4 tables in the whole place, and you could see the kitchen, which was about the size of a closet. When we ordered drinks, the waiter actually ran down the street to buy them. After dinner we got a drink at an Irish pub called Paddy Flaherty’s.
Day 3:
Monday, May 26
Spent the day in Cuzco. In the morning, Melinda and I started wandering around again and ended up at San Critobal overlooking the city. Then we headed back to the hostal to meet up with Eric, who had arrived after his 1 day delay. For lunch we went to one of the fast food style Peruvian chicken restaurants. I think this was my favorite meal of the whole trip. I LOVE the Peruvian chicken, which is basically rotisserie chicken we some special spices. We actually sat down and asked for three “menus”, and he brought out three 1/2 chickens with fries…it’s like he could read my mind!
Later that afternoon, Eric and I bought our train tickets for Machu Picchu. Since we were so late in buying them, it made our decision easy because there was only one available train each way on the dates that we wanted (I would recommend booking the train ticket online before you go). The direct trains from Cusco to Aguas Caliente were all sold out, so we had to find our own way to Ollantaytambo and catch the train from there. We also tried to buy our entrance ticket for Machu Picchu, but had a lot of trouble finding the official office that sold them. When we finally did find it, the power was out so we couldn’t buy them. Turns out this was not a problem since the ticket office in Aguas Caliente opens at 5am (actually, we just had our tour guide buy them for us in Aguas Caliente).
Sidenote: Cusco is at a very high altitude, so it is easy to get out of breath, especially on the walk up the hill from the Plaza del Armas to our hostal in San Blas. It is not very far and the hill really isn’t that steep, but after a couple of minutes I’d be huffing and puffing.
That night the three of us went out to dinner at a steakhouse on the Plaza del Armas. Then we went out for a few drinks at the KM 0 bar in San Blas, which had live music that night. We enjoyed some Cusquenas and Pisco Sours … and discussed the terrible combination of chocolate and mint (like in Andes mints…Andes, get it).
Day 4:
Tuesday, May 27
Tuesday morning we split up from our new travel buddy; Melinda left on a 10 hour bus ride to Lake Titicaca, so Eric and I were on our own. Our only goal for the day was to make it to Ollantaytambo in time to catch our train. There are basically 3 ways to get from Cusco to Ollantaytambo – bus, colectivo (shared cab), or private cab. Eric and I split a colectivo with a couple from Canada that have been travelling through Central and South America for over a year. We only rode with them to Chinchero (about half way to Ollantaytambo). They actually had negotiated to take the taxi all the way to Aguas Caliente, but later discovered that there is NO ROAD to Aguas Caliente and they would have to take the train from Ollantaytambo with us.
The ruins at Chinchero were not all that impressive. Apparently other people realized this because the place was pretty empty – we were some of the only tourists there. After our brief stop at Chinchero, we hopped in a cab to Ollantaytambo. The ruins in Ollantaytambo are much more impressive, and we spent an hour or two going through them with a guide. Then we grabbed some dinner and hopped on the train to Aguas Caliente. Unfortunately, the train left after sunset so we didn’t get to enjoy the view along the ride.
When we arrived in Aguas Caliente, someone from our hostal came and met us at the train (with a sign that said “Tinchur”) and walked us back to the hostal. Aguas Caliente is a very small (touristy) town that can only be accessed by train so there are no cars there at all. We stayed at the Ima Sumac hostal and I would not recommend it. It was pretty bad but we were only there for half a day anyway. We had booked online and paid US$30, but our Canadian friends found a comparable place when they arrived for $30 soles (or about US$10). Our hostal did arrange for us to join a tour group to Machu Picchu the following morning (group tour cost $20 soles each + US$12 for the bus up and back + US$45 for the entrance ticket).
That night, Eric and I played some chess and ate dinner at Chez Maggy (yes, the same one as in Cuzco). This is where Eric’s trip suddenly takes a turn for the worse…first, he realized that he had left his ATM card in the ATM, so he had to deal with making the international phone call to the US to cancel the card and get a new one (luckily there were no charges on his missing card). Then, in the middle of the night, just a few hours before we were to leave for Machu Picchu, he got food poisoning. Poor guy.
Day 5:
Wednesday, May 28
Machu Picchu! We woke up at 4:45am to meet our tour group at 5:30am. It took awhile for everyone to gather, but then we got onto one of the many buses up to Machu Picchu. The bus ride took about 30 minutes going straight up the mountain on switchbacks. When we finally got to the top, there was a long line to enter and for a second I was afraid that we would miss sunrise, but we actually had plenty of time because it takes awhile for the sun to get over the mountains.
Our tour group was about 20 people or so from all different nationalities. Our tour guide was named Kosmo (Kosmos Tours) and he did a good job. The tour started by walking up to the top of the terraces that overlook Machu Picchu. We stayed up here (along with everyone else) to watch the sunrise. The sunrise over Machu Picchu was amazing and I highly recommend it. That is one of the things that you miss out on if you were to do a day trip from Cusco by train. Anyway, I digress. After watching the sunrise, the tour wound all through the ruins for about an hour and a half. It was very informative and worthwhile to do the tour. I think you would miss out on a lot if you just went there and walked around on your own.
I have to admit, before coming to Peru, I didn’t really know what Machu Picchu was! I had seen pictures and I knew it was one of the 7 wonders of the world but that was about it. In case you are interested, Machu Picchu is literally a “Lost City” of the Incas that was discovered in the early 1900’s by an explorer. What I found very interesting was the fact that there is no factual history behind Machu Picchu. It was lost and then it was rediscovered, and everything we know about it is basically a guess as to what might have happened there.
The ruins themselves aren’t particularly spectacular. It is mostly just terraces, stone walls, and some rebuilt structures. But what makes Machu Picchu so spectacular is the setting. It is literally perched on the tip of picturesque mountain in the middle of the Andes. It’s inaccessibility and mysterious past also add to its allure. All in all, I thought that Machu Picchu was amazing and probably ranks up with Angkor Wat as the top ruins I have ever seen.
Our tour ended at the line for Wayna Picchu. Wayna Picchu is the mountain right next to Machu Picchu. The hike is limited to 400 people per day (and still too crowded). I got in line and waited for over an hour before they let me go up. Looking up at the mountain, it is very intimidating and seems like it would take hours to get up, but our guide told us it only takes 15 minutes “Inka Time”. It ended up taking me about 25 minutes to get to the top. It is pretty much a straight vertical climb on uneven stairs the whole way. The views from the top are pretty amazing. You get a completely different perspective – you are basically looking straight down on Machu Picchu. You can also see the crazy road up the mountain, as well as a beautiful panoramic view of the Andes. The way down was a little scarier, especially on the stretch that uses the old Inca stairs, which are very steep and very narrow (exactly the size of my shoe when my foot is sideways). But I made it and would definitely recommend doing this hike to anyone with steady feet.
Eric was feeling terrible all morning and almost didn’t make it up to Machu Picchu at all, but he decided to gut it out (he had come all the way down there just to see this after all). He made it through the whole tour and then went to go lay down when I went to hike Wayna Picchu. When I got back from the hike, he decided to go back to our hostal and recover for the rest of the day, so I was on my own to explore for the afternoon.
After grabbing a ridiculously expensive lunch, I spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the ruins on my own. Machu Picchu covers a very wide area and there is plenty to explore. Also, because it is so big, it didn’t feel crowded to me, even with so many tourists there (it was the begining of the peak season). I found it to be very peaceful and relaxing. It also helped that the weather was so perfect – warm and sunny all day long.
After taking the bus back to Aguas Caliente, I met back up with Eric who was feeling a little better after getting some rest. After killing some time, we finally got on our train (the last of the night). We arrived at Ollantaytambo around 11:30pm and walked to our hostal, where we had already booked a room. The ceiling was so low in our room that if I stood up completely straight, my head would touch the ceiling.
Day 6:
Thursday, May 29
Eric was feeling much better when we woke up the next morning. After grabbing some breakfast, we tried to get a collectivo taxi back to Cusco. Unfortunately, there were not many other tourists around and no trains were arriving for a long time, so our negotiations did not go very well. We eventually got a private taxi to Cusco for 40 soles.
After checking back into our old hostal – El Grial, Eric and I went on a self-guided tour of the Sacred Valley by foot. We took a taxi out to the farthest of the ruins, Tambo Machay, and walked back to Cusco while stopping at 2 other sites along the way back – Puka Pukara and Saqsaywaman. Especially after just coming from Machu Picchu, none of the ruins in the Sacred Valley seemed very exciting. Saqsaywaman (pronounced “Sexy Woman”) was by far the best of the three…and probably the only one worth seeing. The walk was along the road and less scenic than I had hoped too. I wouldn’t really recommend doing the Sacred Valley by foot – either join a tour or don’t bother going out there at all.
On our last night in Cusco, Eric and I went to dinner at Food+Art (or something like that…it was on the hill from Plaza del Armas to San Blas). It was definitely one of the best meals of the trip. We both got the Alpaca filet mignon and it was delicious.
Day 7:
Friday, May 30
In the morning, we took a flight from Cusco to Lima. When we arrived in Lima, we took a taxi to the Miraflores neighborhood. It was a very foggy/dreary day, and our cab driver said that the sun hadn’t come out in a week. After wandering around a little and reaffirming our decision to spend as little time in Lima as possible, we decided to go to a movie. So we went and watched the new Indiana Jones movie (in English, subtitled in Spanish). And unbeknownst to us, they actually go to Peru in the movie! So it was just meant to be that we watched it there.
For dinner (our last supper), we went out to the Huaca Pucllana restaurant. It was by far the most expensive meal of the trip, but it was our last night so we were treating ourselves. The restaurant was very unique – we sat outside overlooking some Inca ruins.
Day 8:
Saturday, May 31
My flight left at 5:30am; Eric’s left at 3:30am. We decided to share a cab and I would wait at the airport, so after just a couple hours of sleep, we got in a taxi at about 1am. So after another 5 hours at the Lima airport, I finally got on my first flight home. I came back the same way: Lima -> Panama City -> Houston -> San Francisco. I finally got back home around midnight on Saturday. I was exhausted after another long day of travel, but I had a lot of good memories and had a great trip.
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