Wednesday, August 4th
Yesterday Paul had convinced me to stay another day in Quito. I told him that I would stay only if he promised to take the day off of work and give me a tour around the city. So he said he would. I stayed for one more full day and he had to work the first half of the day. While he was plugging away at work, I went on a walking tour with some other tourists and it was guided by Paul's staff. I learned all about the old city section of Quito. I was so absolutely beautiful. Apparently Quito is the oldest city in South America. I was surprised to learn that because I would have thought for sure that Cuzco, in Peru (old Mayan city near Machu Picchu) was the oldest city. After my walking tour, Paul took me around the city and we did a supermarket sweep tour of the other districts of the city. The old city and new city are like night and day. The old city has the beautiful old Spanish colonial architecture and the new city is more like an modern American city with touristy shops, cafes, restaurants, and discotecas (dance clubs). I preferred the old city. At the end of our day, Paul took me to a great restaurant at the top of one of the tallest buildings in Quito. We sat on the rooftop deck and could see the whole city below. It was truly beautiful. Quito is very hilly, like San Francisco, and when you sit overlooking it you can really get a sense of the topography of the land. The different parts of the city are also shine differently in the dark. The light in the old city had a more yellowish afternoon-sun glow while the new city was bright, florescent, and somewhat sterile. The sight of the city from above was romantic and I was moved by it's aesthetic beauty. Paul and I had a tasty dinner and just relaxed for the rest of the evening. I was feeling slightly sad about leaving Ecuador because I was so pleasantly surprised by it's life and culture. I had a looooonnnngg day of travel ahead of me tomorrow. I had to cross the border into Colombia and arrive in a town called Popoyan.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
goodbye yellow brick road...
Tuesday, August 3rd
Today (sadly) I would say goodbye to the Galapagos. Wah wah wah! I took it all in for one last time - smelt the salty sea-air, stared at the color of the water, noticed all the plant life around me, and hoped in a cab to go to the airport. I traveled with a few buddies that I met on the island to the airport. It was a sad ride for me. I could have stayed soooooo much longer. I would have liked to gone diving at least a few more times (although the water temp was unbearable). I was slightly nervous about the plane ride since I had a scuba "incident" the day before. I still very much so felt the pressure in my sinuses. I ha bought some meds the night before but I wasn't completely relieved of the pressure. When I got to the airport, I asked every person who looked like an "American" (and there were loads of them) if they had sudafed on them. Luckily I found a table of middle-aged white American women who happened to be a walking talking pharmacy. Oh goodie for me!!! A took the sudafed and prayed that it would kick in instantly; my flight was leaving in 30 min. The flight was fine and dandy...no head explosion...no eyes popping out of my head...no "total recall" moments. Phew! I arrived into Quito and checked into my hostel, the same one I stayed at before, and went to see my buddy Paul. Paul and I hung out for the rest of the evening. Matt (the not so happy British guy from the 1st taxi ride in Quito) also came out with us. Lets just say...he grew on me. We went out to dinner at a place called the Devils inferno. It was a famous jazz club and restaurant. Anthony Bordain filmed it on his show "No reservations." It was fantabulous! I had a piece of seabass that was as big and thick as a porterhouse steak. It was delishioso!!! After dinner Matt went on his way and Paul and I we just relaxed and chatted till we fell sleep.
Today (sadly) I would say goodbye to the Galapagos. Wah wah wah! I took it all in for one last time - smelt the salty sea-air, stared at the color of the water, noticed all the plant life around me, and hoped in a cab to go to the airport. I traveled with a few buddies that I met on the island to the airport. It was a sad ride for me. I could have stayed soooooo much longer. I would have liked to gone diving at least a few more times (although the water temp was unbearable). I was slightly nervous about the plane ride since I had a scuba "incident" the day before. I still very much so felt the pressure in my sinuses. I ha bought some meds the night before but I wasn't completely relieved of the pressure. When I got to the airport, I asked every person who looked like an "American" (and there were loads of them) if they had sudafed on them. Luckily I found a table of middle-aged white American women who happened to be a walking talking pharmacy. Oh goodie for me!!! A took the sudafed and prayed that it would kick in instantly; my flight was leaving in 30 min. The flight was fine and dandy...no head explosion...no eyes popping out of my head...no "total recall" moments. Phew! I arrived into Quito and checked into my hostel, the same one I stayed at before, and went to see my buddy Paul. Paul and I hung out for the rest of the evening. Matt (the not so happy British guy from the 1st taxi ride in Quito) also came out with us. Lets just say...he grew on me. We went out to dinner at a place called the Devils inferno. It was a famous jazz club and restaurant. Anthony Bordain filmed it on his show "No reservations." It was fantabulous! I had a piece of seabass that was as big and thick as a porterhouse steak. It was delishioso!!! After dinner Matt went on his way and Paul and I we just relaxed and chatted till we fell sleep.
Monday, October 4, 2010
scuba...or bust!
Monday, August 2nd
I woke up early, bright eyed and bushy tailed, so excited to dive. I was a lil nervous about how absolutely cold the water was (around 55 degrees) and if it would negatively affect my dive. I was gonna suck it up and dive in head first. John was so excited to dive you would have thought it was his first dive down here. We got all our gear on board and hopped on the boat. The ride out to the dive site was a lil rocky to say the least. One of the kids on the boat was seasick within the first half-hour of the ride. I felt so bad for the poor thing especially since the ride didn't get any smoother and we still had about an hour to get there. When we arrived to the dive site the divemasters gave a thorough refresher lesson. We got our gear on and jumped in backs first. At first, the water temperature didn't seem to bother me and the thickness of the wetsuit was doing it's job. The visiblity was decent at about 10 meters. We saw all the same species of fish as we had seen during all the previous snorkeling trips. "So..." you ask ...."why dive then, if you see all the same things?" "GOOD question!" I reply. Diving offers to be immersed in a world unfamiliar to man and be a part of something much bigger than ourselves. When you dive versus snorkeling you can see the underwater world up close and personal. On the dive I was able to see seastars, coral life, and anemones that you can only see from a distance while snorkeling.
During the first dive (we did two 60 min dives at 60-70ft) I had issues with one of my flippers. The flipper kept unbuckling and would slide off my right foot. It happened 3 times. The third time it happened, I was trying to fix it and all of a sudden (I think my breathing must had started to rapidly increase because I was struggling with the flipper) I started to float up to the surface. I shot up 60 feet in a matter of seconds. Because of this, dramatic pressure increase I got (what they call in scuba) a sinus squeeze. Its when you feel loads of pressure in your sinuses, kinda like a migraine, and your eyes feel like they are gonna pop out of your head. It sucks and it's painful. And the bad news is that I'm gonna fly tomorrow. Not so good for me!
A minute after I surfaced, the dive master surfaced checked in with me, asked me what went wrong and if I was ok. I told him that I was fine and that the ascend was a complete accident. He said "no worries...you ready to go back down?" I replied "let's do it!" the rest of the dive was fantastic and oh so chilly!!! The second dive was crazy! We dove in a spot where the current just ripped through. The current was so strong that we actually had to hold onto the rocks and coral in order to stay together and from floating away into outer(ocean)space. I preferred the first dive to the second because the current was so strong it made the visibility worse and cloudier. the diving wasn't as easy as I had thought it would be nor was it as clear as I had hoped. Nonetheless, the experience was one I will never forget (that's why I keep a blog...so I won't forget it).
I woke up early, bright eyed and bushy tailed, so excited to dive. I was a lil nervous about how absolutely cold the water was (around 55 degrees) and if it would negatively affect my dive. I was gonna suck it up and dive in head first. John was so excited to dive you would have thought it was his first dive down here. We got all our gear on board and hopped on the boat. The ride out to the dive site was a lil rocky to say the least. One of the kids on the boat was seasick within the first half-hour of the ride. I felt so bad for the poor thing especially since the ride didn't get any smoother and we still had about an hour to get there. When we arrived to the dive site the divemasters gave a thorough refresher lesson. We got our gear on and jumped in backs first. At first, the water temperature didn't seem to bother me and the thickness of the wetsuit was doing it's job. The visiblity was decent at about 10 meters. We saw all the same species of fish as we had seen during all the previous snorkeling trips. "So..." you ask ...."why dive then, if you see all the same things?" "GOOD question!" I reply. Diving offers to be immersed in a world unfamiliar to man and be a part of something much bigger than ourselves. When you dive versus snorkeling you can see the underwater world up close and personal. On the dive I was able to see seastars, coral life, and anemones that you can only see from a distance while snorkeling.
During the first dive (we did two 60 min dives at 60-70ft) I had issues with one of my flippers. The flipper kept unbuckling and would slide off my right foot. It happened 3 times. The third time it happened, I was trying to fix it and all of a sudden (I think my breathing must had started to rapidly increase because I was struggling with the flipper) I started to float up to the surface. I shot up 60 feet in a matter of seconds. Because of this, dramatic pressure increase I got (what they call in scuba) a sinus squeeze. Its when you feel loads of pressure in your sinuses, kinda like a migraine, and your eyes feel like they are gonna pop out of your head. It sucks and it's painful. And the bad news is that I'm gonna fly tomorrow. Not so good for me!
A minute after I surfaced, the dive master surfaced checked in with me, asked me what went wrong and if I was ok. I told him that I was fine and that the ascend was a complete accident. He said "no worries...you ready to go back down?" I replied "let's do it!" the rest of the dive was fantastic and oh so chilly!!! The second dive was crazy! We dove in a spot where the current just ripped through. The current was so strong that we actually had to hold onto the rocks and coral in order to stay together and from floating away into outer(ocean)space. I preferred the first dive to the second because the current was so strong it made the visibility worse and cloudier. the diving wasn't as easy as I had thought it would be nor was it as clear as I had hoped. Nonetheless, the experience was one I will never forget (that's why I keep a blog...so I won't forget it).
you're a leader!
Sunday, August 1st
Today I woke up at 5am to hop off the boat hours earlier than expected becuse I had to catch a 7:00am boat back to Santa Cruz in order to go diving tomorrow. I was willing to miss out on the last stop on the boat in order to have the opportunity to dive. When John, the guide, dropped me off on the mainland he hugged me goodbye and left me with 8 sincere and wise words "Erin...you're a nice person and a leader." I smiled and thanked him. The 2 hour boat taxi ride back to Santa Cruz from San Cristobal was rough but nowhere as bad as the original trip out there. Once I arrived on the island, I went to the dive shop and got fitted for my wetsuit and scuba gear. I was soooooo excited about the dive tomorrow. While I was in the shop, I learned that my snorkeling buddy, John, would be my diving buddy. I couldn't be any happier to see that since he was a certified dive master. Since John had hopped off the boat after the 4th day, I has no idea where he was or if he was gonna dive with me. So, you can imagine my excitement when I learned that he was gonna be my diving buddy. After, giving the dive shop my credentials it was time to try on the wetsuit. It took me a ridiculously long period of time to get that sucker up on my body. You could probably hear me outside the bathroom moaning and grunting when trying to pull that sucker up onto my body. The full gear consisted of a "farmer John" overall wetsuit, plus a shorty with long sleeves wetsuit, a hood, booties, fins, mask and snorkel. It all fit as planned and I was ready to rock tomorrow. The rest of the day was pretty mellow. I met up with John and Monica again and they told me all about their previous dives. John had been diving for the past three days and had seen all sorts of amazing things including hammerhead sharks. I was soooo jealous! The whole reason I wanted to dive galapagos was to see hammerhead sharks, whale sharks, and giant manta rays (the Galapagos is famous for these animals). I made some more friends along my way on the Galapagos and we all went out to dinner that night. It was John, Monica, Matt, Felix (from Germany) Pablo (from Spain), and myself. We went out for a great dinner and shared/compared storied of our adventures on the islands. Tomorrow, the real "adventure" would begin!
Today I woke up at 5am to hop off the boat hours earlier than expected becuse I had to catch a 7:00am boat back to Santa Cruz in order to go diving tomorrow. I was willing to miss out on the last stop on the boat in order to have the opportunity to dive. When John, the guide, dropped me off on the mainland he hugged me goodbye and left me with 8 sincere and wise words "Erin...you're a nice person and a leader." I smiled and thanked him. The 2 hour boat taxi ride back to Santa Cruz from San Cristobal was rough but nowhere as bad as the original trip out there. Once I arrived on the island, I went to the dive shop and got fitted for my wetsuit and scuba gear. I was soooooo excited about the dive tomorrow. While I was in the shop, I learned that my snorkeling buddy, John, would be my diving buddy. I couldn't be any happier to see that since he was a certified dive master. Since John had hopped off the boat after the 4th day, I has no idea where he was or if he was gonna dive with me. So, you can imagine my excitement when I learned that he was gonna be my diving buddy. After, giving the dive shop my credentials it was time to try on the wetsuit. It took me a ridiculously long period of time to get that sucker up on my body. You could probably hear me outside the bathroom moaning and grunting when trying to pull that sucker up onto my body. The full gear consisted of a "farmer John" overall wetsuit, plus a shorty with long sleeves wetsuit, a hood, booties, fins, mask and snorkel. It all fit as planned and I was ready to rock tomorrow. The rest of the day was pretty mellow. I met up with John and Monica again and they told me all about their previous dives. John had been diving for the past three days and had seen all sorts of amazing things including hammerhead sharks. I was soooo jealous! The whole reason I wanted to dive galapagos was to see hammerhead sharks, whale sharks, and giant manta rays (the Galapagos is famous for these animals). I made some more friends along my way on the Galapagos and we all went out to dinner that night. It was John, Monica, Matt, Felix (from Germany) Pablo (from Spain), and myself. We went out for a great dinner and shared/compared storied of our adventures on the islands. Tomorrow, the real "adventure" would begin!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Seal kisses and Mosquera
Saturday, July 31st
We started our day at 6am to ride the high tide onto shore. We started our day on a tiny little islet called Mosquera. The island was literally a long sand bank filled with numerous sea lions and calves, lava gulls and marine iguanas. The sea lions here rule the roast and rarely see people. Because of this, they have a healthy curiousity and quicky approach you when you deboard the boat. Within a few minutes of being on the beach, I had a 3 month old calf wobble up to me and touch my leg with it's nose and tickle me with it's whiskers. You should have seen my face. I so badly wanted to lay down and play wrestle with it. After Mosquera, we hopped back on the boat and sailed 5 hours to our next destination - Santa Fe. On route, I was told to look out for mating humpback whales, sperm whales or orcas. I refrained myself from taking a nap to use all my energy to find the whales. After an exhausting 5 hour ride, I sadly saw nothing. We arrived at Santa Fe and snorkeled straight away. The water was pretty murky today. We saw alot of the same fish that we've seen in all of our previous snorkels. However, this aquatic adventure was unique. There were 3 sea lions who were in the water with us swimming all around us. They would dodge in and out, between our legs, and right up to us and at the last minute would swim away. It was soooo cool! After flirting with the sea lions, we came across 3 huge green sea turtles and swam alongside them for a bit. These turtles were the most tranquil and chill turtles I've ever seen in the wild. They didn't even try to swim away. It was incredible! I desperately wished that I had an underwater camera to film it all. Then we went aboard changed into clothes to go on a quick hike around the island. We had a uniquely rare siting of 4 nocturnal rice rats (endemic to Galapagos and it's one of only two land mammals on the islands, the other is the Galapagos bat). We also saw some endemic land iguanas, lava lizards and more sea lions. From the beach we spotted a group of about 30 spotted eagle rays and white tip reef sharks in the water. The zodiac came to pick us up to get a better view of the rays. The rays were gorgeous. I've never seen so many of them in one group and so close to the surface of the water. We then headed back to the boat and set off to sail for another 5 hours to San Cristobal, which is where we began our trip. Less than 30 minutes into our voyage, we saw (possibly humpback) whales breaching in the distance. What a perfect last day on the boat!
We started our day at 6am to ride the high tide onto shore. We started our day on a tiny little islet called Mosquera. The island was literally a long sand bank filled with numerous sea lions and calves, lava gulls and marine iguanas. The sea lions here rule the roast and rarely see people. Because of this, they have a healthy curiousity and quicky approach you when you deboard the boat. Within a few minutes of being on the beach, I had a 3 month old calf wobble up to me and touch my leg with it's nose and tickle me with it's whiskers. You should have seen my face. I so badly wanted to lay down and play wrestle with it. After Mosquera, we hopped back on the boat and sailed 5 hours to our next destination - Santa Fe. On route, I was told to look out for mating humpback whales, sperm whales or orcas. I refrained myself from taking a nap to use all my energy to find the whales. After an exhausting 5 hour ride, I sadly saw nothing. We arrived at Santa Fe and snorkeled straight away. The water was pretty murky today. We saw alot of the same fish that we've seen in all of our previous snorkels. However, this aquatic adventure was unique. There were 3 sea lions who were in the water with us swimming all around us. They would dodge in and out, between our legs, and right up to us and at the last minute would swim away. It was soooo cool! After flirting with the sea lions, we came across 3 huge green sea turtles and swam alongside them for a bit. These turtles were the most tranquil and chill turtles I've ever seen in the wild. They didn't even try to swim away. It was incredible! I desperately wished that I had an underwater camera to film it all. Then we went aboard changed into clothes to go on a quick hike around the island. We had a uniquely rare siting of 4 nocturnal rice rats (endemic to Galapagos and it's one of only two land mammals on the islands, the other is the Galapagos bat). We also saw some endemic land iguanas, lava lizards and more sea lions. From the beach we spotted a group of about 30 spotted eagle rays and white tip reef sharks in the water. The zodiac came to pick us up to get a better view of the rays. The rays were gorgeous. I've never seen so many of them in one group and so close to the surface of the water. We then headed back to the boat and set off to sail for another 5 hours to San Cristobal, which is where we began our trip. Less than 30 minutes into our voyage, we saw (possibly humpback) whales breaching in the distance. What a perfect last day on the boat!
Bartolome And The moon
Friday, July 30th
Woke up on Isla Bartolome and hiked up numerous steps to the top of the island. This is the only island where they have built a wooden walkway. The reason for this is beause the entire island is made of ash and volcanic rock. Scientists say that this island is the closest thing to the surface of the moon. In order to preserve the island's surface and shape, they needed to built a walkway so people aren't destroying the natural environment. The view from the top was incredible and it really did look like something from another planet. After summiting, we hiked to another part of the island where there was beach known to house black-tip reef sharks. Sure enough we saw a few of them swimming very close to shore. Next, we jumped in the frigid water and snorkeled around a "famous" point called the pinnacle rock. It's famous because you see a picture of this rock in almost store that sells postcards in the galapagos. The rock is also very unusual looking. It's a tall, black, volcanic, cone-shaped, pointed rock with a spiral like formation from the base to the top. It really is quite unique and fascinating to look at. During the snorkel we swam with lots of fish and some galapagos penguins. The penguins were unbelieveably fast. They are like the cheetahs of the sea and you couldn't try to keep up with them if you tried. Following the exciting swim, we set sail for 4 hours to an island called North Seymour. There on the island, we hiked around for a few hours and saw much of the same species of animals that we have seen on all the other islands.
Woke up on Isla Bartolome and hiked up numerous steps to the top of the island. This is the only island where they have built a wooden walkway. The reason for this is beause the entire island is made of ash and volcanic rock. Scientists say that this island is the closest thing to the surface of the moon. In order to preserve the island's surface and shape, they needed to built a walkway so people aren't destroying the natural environment. The view from the top was incredible and it really did look like something from another planet. After summiting, we hiked to another part of the island where there was beach known to house black-tip reef sharks. Sure enough we saw a few of them swimming very close to shore. Next, we jumped in the frigid water and snorkeled around a "famous" point called the pinnacle rock. It's famous because you see a picture of this rock in almost store that sells postcards in the galapagos. The rock is also very unusual looking. It's a tall, black, volcanic, cone-shaped, pointed rock with a spiral like formation from the base to the top. It really is quite unique and fascinating to look at. During the snorkel we swam with lots of fish and some galapagos penguins. The penguins were unbelieveably fast. They are like the cheetahs of the sea and you couldn't try to keep up with them if you tried. Following the exciting swim, we set sail for 4 hours to an island called North Seymour. There on the island, we hiked around for a few hours and saw much of the same species of animals that we have seen on all the other islands.
Red san beach of Rabida
Thursday, July 29th
Rabida was an incredibly unusual looking island. It was one of the few islands in the world with a red sanded beach. The color of the sand was brick red and it was slightly more course that the other beaches. Here we saw some new animal species - the galapagos hawk, American oyster catchers, pelicans, and of course the usual sea lions laying abound. After hiking around the islan for a few hours, we snorkeled around the pennisula. During the snorkel we saw all the same species of fish as the other snorkels in addition to 2 white tip reef sharks. After the swim, we sailed a few hours to Santiago Island. On the island we would arrive on a black sand beach called James Bay. It was beautiful! Then we hiked around the to the other side of island to Puerto Egas. The earth here was very black, rocky and volcanic. The twists and weaves of the island floor kinda reminded me of the rocks in Zion national park. I was fascinated by the patterns of the earth under my toes. Here lived lava lizards, loads of marine iguanas, sea turtles, galapagos fur seals (which is really a different type of sea lion), striped herons, and mockingbirds. This side of the island where all the animals roamed was like a completely different topographic world from the beach side. I loved this island. It quickly became on of my favorites. After our hike, we sailed in the evening for 5 hours to an island named Bartolome.
Rabida was an incredibly unusual looking island. It was one of the few islands in the world with a red sanded beach. The color of the sand was brick red and it was slightly more course that the other beaches. Here we saw some new animal species - the galapagos hawk, American oyster catchers, pelicans, and of course the usual sea lions laying abound. After hiking around the islan for a few hours, we snorkeled around the pennisula. During the snorkel we saw all the same species of fish as the other snorkels in addition to 2 white tip reef sharks. After the swim, we sailed a few hours to Santiago Island. On the island we would arrive on a black sand beach called James Bay. It was beautiful! Then we hiked around the to the other side of island to Puerto Egas. The earth here was very black, rocky and volcanic. The twists and weaves of the island floor kinda reminded me of the rocks in Zion national park. I was fascinated by the patterns of the earth under my toes. Here lived lava lizards, loads of marine iguanas, sea turtles, galapagos fur seals (which is really a different type of sea lion), striped herons, and mockingbirds. This side of the island where all the animals roamed was like a completely different topographic world from the beach side. I loved this island. It quickly became on of my favorites. After our hike, we sailed in the evening for 5 hours to an island named Bartolome.
South plaza
Wednesday, July 28th
We arrived into Plaza Sur island with a huge cloud of fog and mist overhead. The island was tiny; you could walk from one end to the other within 10 minutes. Plaza Sur was so absolutely beautiful. The island was speckeled with red and orange plants that mirrored the colors of the sunset. In addition to the colorful plants, the island was filled with these crazy cactus trees called opuntia. The "tree" stood about 15 or 20 feet tall and they all produced fruits called prickly pears. Upon embarking the island we saw numeorus land iguanas. One of the iguanas was chowing down on a prickly pear cactus fruit. It was hilarious to watch becuase the fruit was way bigger than the size of his mouth and he was trying to swallow it whole. After many attempts to swallow it, the iguana eventually got it down his throat without chewing it. On this island there is also the only hybrid iguana found in all of Galapagos. It's a cross breed between a marine and land iguana. Because it is a hybrid iguana, it can live and eat like both species. Sadly, however, it cannot breed at all because they are all infertile (only 4 of them exsist). This iguana looks like a little gremlin and is much darker in color than the other two species.
Here on this island was also a breeding colony of sea lions, a plethora of petrels, pelicans, the famous "red-rimmed eye" swallow tailed gulls. This island was my favorite so far; from the topography to the colors to the wildlife.
Next, we sailed during the day for 3 hours to Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz. This city is the major hub for tourists and locals alike. From Puerto Ayora we drove to a giant tortoise reserve named el chato. The reserve had loads of giant tortoises, ones so big
I could ride them in the Kentucky Derby. Each tortoise weighs anywhere between 200 and 400 pounds. You could tell the age of the tortoise by looking at how smooth its shell was (the smoother the shell the older it was). Our guide, John, told us that the oldest living animal in the world was a Galapagos tortoise that eventually died at the youthful age of 173 years old. After dismounting my shell of speed, we left the reserve and headed to a research station called the Darwin station. There we saw more tortoises, and land iguanas. The highlight of the Darwin station is a giant tortoise named "Lonely George." The reason for the "lonely" title in his name is becuase he is the only one left of his kind. Numerous scientists have tried to figure out a way to get George to breed. One major part of the problem is that he had no sex drive. John told us a story about a Dutch scientist who came to the Galapagos to study George's breeding habits. After some time she figured out a way to (I'm not kidding when I say this) electronically stimulate his penis. She, the scientist, was at it for 3 years and was unsuccessful. The only reason the project was haulted was because her visa ran out and she had to go back to Holand. A few years ago, George did in fact mate with a few females but all of his sperm were infertile. So sadly when George dies, he'll take his entire species with him as well. After talking about all this tortoise sexy time we got back on the boat and laughed about the day. Again, we were setting sail around midnight to travel to an island called Rabida.
We arrived into Plaza Sur island with a huge cloud of fog and mist overhead. The island was tiny; you could walk from one end to the other within 10 minutes. Plaza Sur was so absolutely beautiful. The island was speckeled with red and orange plants that mirrored the colors of the sunset. In addition to the colorful plants, the island was filled with these crazy cactus trees called opuntia. The "tree" stood about 15 or 20 feet tall and they all produced fruits called prickly pears. Upon embarking the island we saw numeorus land iguanas. One of the iguanas was chowing down on a prickly pear cactus fruit. It was hilarious to watch becuase the fruit was way bigger than the size of his mouth and he was trying to swallow it whole. After many attempts to swallow it, the iguana eventually got it down his throat without chewing it. On this island there is also the only hybrid iguana found in all of Galapagos. It's a cross breed between a marine and land iguana. Because it is a hybrid iguana, it can live and eat like both species. Sadly, however, it cannot breed at all because they are all infertile (only 4 of them exsist). This iguana looks like a little gremlin and is much darker in color than the other two species.
Here on this island was also a breeding colony of sea lions, a plethora of petrels, pelicans, the famous "red-rimmed eye" swallow tailed gulls. This island was my favorite so far; from the topography to the colors to the wildlife.
Next, we sailed during the day for 3 hours to Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz. This city is the major hub for tourists and locals alike. From Puerto Ayora we drove to a giant tortoise reserve named el chato. The reserve had loads of giant tortoises, ones so big
I could ride them in the Kentucky Derby. Each tortoise weighs anywhere between 200 and 400 pounds. You could tell the age of the tortoise by looking at how smooth its shell was (the smoother the shell the older it was). Our guide, John, told us that the oldest living animal in the world was a Galapagos tortoise that eventually died at the youthful age of 173 years old. After dismounting my shell of speed, we left the reserve and headed to a research station called the Darwin station. There we saw more tortoises, and land iguanas. The highlight of the Darwin station is a giant tortoise named "Lonely George." The reason for the "lonely" title in his name is becuase he is the only one left of his kind. Numerous scientists have tried to figure out a way to get George to breed. One major part of the problem is that he had no sex drive. John told us a story about a Dutch scientist who came to the Galapagos to study George's breeding habits. After some time she figured out a way to (I'm not kidding when I say this) electronically stimulate his penis. She, the scientist, was at it for 3 years and was unsuccessful. The only reason the project was haulted was because her visa ran out and she had to go back to Holand. A few years ago, George did in fact mate with a few females but all of his sperm were infertile. So sadly when George dies, he'll take his entire species with him as well. After talking about all this tortoise sexy time we got back on the boat and laughed about the day. Again, we were setting sail around midnight to travel to an island called Rabida.
Floreana / post office bay
Tuesday, July 27th
We arrived at Floreana island in the wee morning. Our first stop on the island was to Post office bay. The "post office" was originally set up back in the day when pirates and sailors used to sail the ocean blue. The so called "Post office" was literally a bird house looking box with a door where you would leave mail to be delivered to various parts of the world. Sailors back in the day would leave mail behind hoping that someone would eventually come to the island and be heading toward the direction of where the letter was going and hand deliver it to the person who it is addressed to. So, here on Galapagos they try to keep to tradition alive and ask tourists to drop off some postcards and take some that are left behind and hand deliver it to the person it is addressed to. I grabbed 2 different cards for folks in Brooklyn and I left behind 4 (one for mimi, one for my friend Cesar, one for my friend Katti, and one for my friend Jill...I hope they all get to you!)
After sending off my mail, we hiked to some lava tubes on the island. We then climbed down inside of them and hiked around them in the pitch black darkness. These tubes in the ground were formed from layers upon layers of lava flowing through the earth and creating holes large enough for you to climb around inside of them. They were huge. It was pretty cool!
After the tubing around, we hiked to the top of a viewpoint called Empress point. This island was extremely dry with some pockets of greenery; but nonetheless, it was gorgeous.
Next we got back on the boat and changed into our swim suits and took the dingy to a giant rock, Devil's crown, to go snorkeling. There we saw loads of the same fish as before as well as two white tip reef sharks. After a successful snorkel we went for another hike around the island to Punta cormorant. There we saw a reddish-colored salty lagoon where supposedly flamingoes roam but sadly we saw no flamingoes. The lagoon kinda reminded me of the salt flats in Bolivia. We hike to the opposite side of the island and came across an absolutely beautiful isolated beach. There we just relaxed on the sand and watched the animals around us. Kicking it on the beach with us were sea lions, stingrays, marine iguanas, and these vividly-colored yellow warblers. After some time on the beach, we headed back on the boat and ate some grub. Again, we would set sail for our next destination - Plaza Sur.
We arrived at Floreana island in the wee morning. Our first stop on the island was to Post office bay. The "post office" was originally set up back in the day when pirates and sailors used to sail the ocean blue. The so called "Post office" was literally a bird house looking box with a door where you would leave mail to be delivered to various parts of the world. Sailors back in the day would leave mail behind hoping that someone would eventually come to the island and be heading toward the direction of where the letter was going and hand deliver it to the person who it is addressed to. So, here on Galapagos they try to keep to tradition alive and ask tourists to drop off some postcards and take some that are left behind and hand deliver it to the person it is addressed to. I grabbed 2 different cards for folks in Brooklyn and I left behind 4 (one for mimi, one for my friend Cesar, one for my friend Katti, and one for my friend Jill...I hope they all get to you!)
After sending off my mail, we hiked to some lava tubes on the island. We then climbed down inside of them and hiked around them in the pitch black darkness. These tubes in the ground were formed from layers upon layers of lava flowing through the earth and creating holes large enough for you to climb around inside of them. They were huge. It was pretty cool!
After the tubing around, we hiked to the top of a viewpoint called Empress point. This island was extremely dry with some pockets of greenery; but nonetheless, it was gorgeous.
Next we got back on the boat and changed into our swim suits and took the dingy to a giant rock, Devil's crown, to go snorkeling. There we saw loads of the same fish as before as well as two white tip reef sharks. After a successful snorkel we went for another hike around the island to Punta cormorant. There we saw a reddish-colored salty lagoon where supposedly flamingoes roam but sadly we saw no flamingoes. The lagoon kinda reminded me of the salt flats in Bolivia. We hike to the opposite side of the island and came across an absolutely beautiful isolated beach. There we just relaxed on the sand and watched the animals around us. Kicking it on the beach with us were sea lions, stingrays, marine iguanas, and these vividly-colored yellow warblers. After some time on the beach, we headed back on the boat and ate some grub. Again, we would set sail for our next destination - Plaza Sur.
Española boobies
Monday, July 26th
Today, we would wake up alongside the beautiful island of Espanola. The game plan for the day was to hike around Punta Suarez and see various species of endemic animals. Upon first landing on the island, it kinda looked like Cape Cod (same color sand as the dunes in the cape and some green shrubbery scattered around the beach). One major difference between the Cape and here is that that there's a plethora of marine iguanas lining the beach and chillin' on the volcanic rocks. As we continued to hike around the island we saw albatrosses mating, blue boobies doing their mating dance (a.k.a "the discoteque" nazca boobies, Sally lightfoot crabs, lava lizards, various species of Darwin finches, mockingbirds, and galapagos doves. The middle of the island was desert-like and it was rimmed on one side with a sandy beach while the other side had sheer volcanic cliffs. I never knew what to expect of the islands, but I never imagined them to be so dry.
After Punta Suarez, we headed off to Gardener bay to go snorkeling. The water was unexpectedly frigid, about 58 degrees. The winter (occuring now) was the best time of year to snorkel/ dive becuse of the upwelling that occurs (bringing lots of deep water marine life to the surface). John (the Norwegian) was my snorkeling buddy and together we saw various species of fish including- needlefish, parrotfish, hogfish, wrasses, surgeonfish, tangs, anglefish, sergeant majors, barberfish, pufferfish, porcupinefish, triggerfish, labrisomid, scorpionfish, and hawkfish. We also some saw turtles and sea lions swimming about without a care in the world. After snorkeling we headed back on the boat for dinner and set sail late in the evening to arrive to our next destination by the am - Floreana island.
Today, we would wake up alongside the beautiful island of Espanola. The game plan for the day was to hike around Punta Suarez and see various species of endemic animals. Upon first landing on the island, it kinda looked like Cape Cod (same color sand as the dunes in the cape and some green shrubbery scattered around the beach). One major difference between the Cape and here is that that there's a plethora of marine iguanas lining the beach and chillin' on the volcanic rocks. As we continued to hike around the island we saw albatrosses mating, blue boobies doing their mating dance (a.k.a "the discoteque" nazca boobies, Sally lightfoot crabs, lava lizards, various species of Darwin finches, mockingbirds, and galapagos doves. The middle of the island was desert-like and it was rimmed on one side with a sandy beach while the other side had sheer volcanic cliffs. I never knew what to expect of the islands, but I never imagined them to be so dry.
After Punta Suarez, we headed off to Gardener bay to go snorkeling. The water was unexpectedly frigid, about 58 degrees. The winter (occuring now) was the best time of year to snorkel/ dive becuse of the upwelling that occurs (bringing lots of deep water marine life to the surface). John (the Norwegian) was my snorkeling buddy and together we saw various species of fish including- needlefish, parrotfish, hogfish, wrasses, surgeonfish, tangs, anglefish, sergeant majors, barberfish, pufferfish, porcupinefish, triggerfish, labrisomid, scorpionfish, and hawkfish. We also some saw turtles and sea lions swimming about without a care in the world. After snorkeling we headed back on the boat for dinner and set sail late in the evening to arrive to our next destination by the am - Floreana island.
Off to the galápagos!!!
Sunday, July 25th
Today I woke up early to catch my 6am flight to the Galapagos. I was flying with another guy named Matt, from England, who also booked his tour through Paul. Matt wasn't exactly the most social or happiest guy but he had his moments. The flight flew by and before I knew it I was flying over the Galapagos. It was a super cloudy day so I couldn't see all the island from the plane but right before we lande the sun came out and I could begin to see the islands from above. They were beautiful. As soon as we disembarked the plane the other passengers immediately took out their cameras and started clicking away. It was slightly ridiculous. We arrived on an island called Baltra and all it contained was the airport. We took and boat to a bus to get to the inhabited and populous island of Santa Cruz and more specifically the town of Puerto Ayora. The town was very cute but definitely touristy. It was a mixture of traditional basic Ecuadorian architecture and expensive lookin modern hotels. All the locals on the island walked by you with a smile on their face. When I arrived in the town, I met some tourists, had lunch with them, and then booked an 8 day boat cruise. The boat left the island in less than 10 minutes when I booked the tour so I has to hustle to the dock. I had to take a 2 hour boat taxi ride to another island called San Cristobal to meet up with the boat over there. The boat taxi ride was ridicoulously choppy and rough. I had to hold on to my seat the whole ride and stare at the horizon or I was gonna be severly ill. The two passengers on either side of me were passed out and leaning on me with their full body weight and sitting across me was a young girl breast feeding her child. It was a boat ride to remember! When I arrived on San Cristobal I walked around the city Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. The town was small and the main road ran alongide the water. Along the road was a small playground with your typical swing set and slides; however, ther was something quite unique about this playground. Instead of a bunch of children running around and playing there were numerous sea lions sunbathing in the park. It was helarious! Our sailboat arrived in the evening to pick us up. The boat slept 10 passengers, 2 to a room. On the boat was 3 brits (Jules, Rich and Fishy), 2 Germans (Kristina and her mom), 2 Norweigans (John and Monica), and 2 Danish (Ann and Mads). We also met our guide/naturalist John who was well versed in the history, plant, and animal life of the Galapagos. The whole group was cool and we all got along swimmingly. I had to shack up with Fishy for the first half of the trip; he seemed like a nice enough guy to live in a tiny and cramped space with. The plan for the first night on the boat was first eat dinner together as a "family" and then to sail to an island called Espanola. We would set sail around midnight and travel for about 7 hours to our destination.
Today I woke up early to catch my 6am flight to the Galapagos. I was flying with another guy named Matt, from England, who also booked his tour through Paul. Matt wasn't exactly the most social or happiest guy but he had his moments. The flight flew by and before I knew it I was flying over the Galapagos. It was a super cloudy day so I couldn't see all the island from the plane but right before we lande the sun came out and I could begin to see the islands from above. They were beautiful. As soon as we disembarked the plane the other passengers immediately took out their cameras and started clicking away. It was slightly ridiculous. We arrived on an island called Baltra and all it contained was the airport. We took and boat to a bus to get to the inhabited and populous island of Santa Cruz and more specifically the town of Puerto Ayora. The town was very cute but definitely touristy. It was a mixture of traditional basic Ecuadorian architecture and expensive lookin modern hotels. All the locals on the island walked by you with a smile on their face. When I arrived in the town, I met some tourists, had lunch with them, and then booked an 8 day boat cruise. The boat left the island in less than 10 minutes when I booked the tour so I has to hustle to the dock. I had to take a 2 hour boat taxi ride to another island called San Cristobal to meet up with the boat over there. The boat taxi ride was ridicoulously choppy and rough. I had to hold on to my seat the whole ride and stare at the horizon or I was gonna be severly ill. The two passengers on either side of me were passed out and leaning on me with their full body weight and sitting across me was a young girl breast feeding her child. It was a boat ride to remember! When I arrived on San Cristobal I walked around the city Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. The town was small and the main road ran alongide the water. Along the road was a small playground with your typical swing set and slides; however, ther was something quite unique about this playground. Instead of a bunch of children running around and playing there were numerous sea lions sunbathing in the park. It was helarious! Our sailboat arrived in the evening to pick us up. The boat slept 10 passengers, 2 to a room. On the boat was 3 brits (Jules, Rich and Fishy), 2 Germans (Kristina and her mom), 2 Norweigans (John and Monica), and 2 Danish (Ann and Mads). We also met our guide/naturalist John who was well versed in the history, plant, and animal life of the Galapagos. The whole group was cool and we all got along swimmingly. I had to shack up with Fishy for the first half of the trip; he seemed like a nice enough guy to live in a tiny and cramped space with. The plan for the first night on the boat was first eat dinner together as a "family" and then to sail to an island called Espanola. We would set sail around midnight and travel for about 7 hours to our destination.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Fútbol with a bull
Saturday, July 24th
I met Paul in the morning to go to the BBQ. We picked up 4 other women with whom he works with. They were all very sweet and funny. So the 6 of us set of to the the mountains to ride some horses, play some fútbol, and eat some cow. The hacienda looked like something straight out of Rancho Santa Fe (San Diego). It was so beautiful. The owner of the hacienda was an Israeli guy named Eran. He had a huge and friendly staff of locals. When we arrived they greeted us with fresh farm-made yogurt and yucca bread. It was orgasmically delishous.
Before the horse games began, we watched a traditional Ecuadorian dance performed by local kids. It was festive and colorful.
After consuming a ridiculous amount of yogurt, the horse races began. We played 2 different games. The first object of the game was to take a skewer like stick and poke it through a hanging ring on a string and capture as many rings as possible while galloping on horseback. Looking from the ground, the rules and game seemed simple. In actuality, it was really challenging. I obtained (loosing number) zero rings. The next game was played with two teams of 3 people. Each team member had a colored balloon attached to the back of their saddle. The object of the game was to pop all the opposing teams balloons as quickly as possible using a skewer-like stick. When the told me the rules of this game, I thought to myself this was crazy to pop loads of balloons while galloping around on horses becuase the pop sound would freak the horses out. I kept my opinion to myself and said "giddy-up!" Again, I did lousy and it just so turns out that all those years of horseback riding lessons didn't pay off when it comes to competing in horse games. Allthough I did horribly, I still had a great time. After the horse games, we played fútbol (a.k.a. soccer). This game of soccer was quite unusual and like no other I've ever played before. The reason for that is because we played soccer with a live bull in the ring. You're probably saying "what?" and the answer is yes...I played soccer in a paddock while a full grown bull (with horns and all) was running around the field trying to charge at us while we were kicking the ball around. I also need to add that since we were in a horse paddock, there was no "escaping" the bull when it charged you, the only option to get away was to climb up the fence as quickly as possible. The whole idea was insane and to prove it, my buddy Paul has it all on film.
Once we were finished with all the competitions, we feasted on local raised and butchered cow. I have to say it was pretty good (mom/dad you would have loved every second of it). The meal concluded our adventurous animal-filled day on the hacienda. The six of us then drove back to Quito. Paul asked me how much I had seen of Quito and I told him that I hadn't seen any of it since I ran straight to his office when I arrived. He then took me on a mini tour of the city on the back of his scooter. The city is absolutely amazing as I described before. We visited the "old town" part of the city and had a traditional Ecuadorian cocktail. It was loads of fun and the perfect way to end a fantastic day. Tomorrow, I would head to the Galapagos for an experience of a lifetime.
I met Paul in the morning to go to the BBQ. We picked up 4 other women with whom he works with. They were all very sweet and funny. So the 6 of us set of to the the mountains to ride some horses, play some fútbol, and eat some cow. The hacienda looked like something straight out of Rancho Santa Fe (San Diego). It was so beautiful. The owner of the hacienda was an Israeli guy named Eran. He had a huge and friendly staff of locals. When we arrived they greeted us with fresh farm-made yogurt and yucca bread. It was orgasmically delishous.
Before the horse games began, we watched a traditional Ecuadorian dance performed by local kids. It was festive and colorful.
After consuming a ridiculous amount of yogurt, the horse races began. We played 2 different games. The first object of the game was to take a skewer like stick and poke it through a hanging ring on a string and capture as many rings as possible while galloping on horseback. Looking from the ground, the rules and game seemed simple. In actuality, it was really challenging. I obtained (loosing number) zero rings. The next game was played with two teams of 3 people. Each team member had a colored balloon attached to the back of their saddle. The object of the game was to pop all the opposing teams balloons as quickly as possible using a skewer-like stick. When the told me the rules of this game, I thought to myself this was crazy to pop loads of balloons while galloping around on horses becuase the pop sound would freak the horses out. I kept my opinion to myself and said "giddy-up!" Again, I did lousy and it just so turns out that all those years of horseback riding lessons didn't pay off when it comes to competing in horse games. Allthough I did horribly, I still had a great time. After the horse games, we played fútbol (a.k.a. soccer). This game of soccer was quite unusual and like no other I've ever played before. The reason for that is because we played soccer with a live bull in the ring. You're probably saying "what?" and the answer is yes...I played soccer in a paddock while a full grown bull (with horns and all) was running around the field trying to charge at us while we were kicking the ball around. I also need to add that since we were in a horse paddock, there was no "escaping" the bull when it charged you, the only option to get away was to climb up the fence as quickly as possible. The whole idea was insane and to prove it, my buddy Paul has it all on film.
Once we were finished with all the competitions, we feasted on local raised and butchered cow. I have to say it was pretty good (mom/dad you would have loved every second of it). The meal concluded our adventurous animal-filled day on the hacienda. The six of us then drove back to Quito. Paul asked me how much I had seen of Quito and I told him that I hadn't seen any of it since I ran straight to his office when I arrived. He then took me on a mini tour of the city on the back of his scooter. The city is absolutely amazing as I described before. We visited the "old town" part of the city and had a traditional Ecuadorian cocktail. It was loads of fun and the perfect way to end a fantastic day. Tomorrow, I would head to the Galapagos for an experience of a lifetime.
Begging and sex jokes
Friday, July 23rd
Today, I woke up somewhat unsure of what I was going to do about my travels. I had called the airline companies to try to book a flight but the rep said they were sold out till mid August. That was not what I wanted to hear. I was crushed and had almost lost all hope, until Reto told me to call his travel agent in Quito and they would help me get a flight. I called the number straight away and spoke to the owner, Paul. He told me that he could find me a flight but I needed to get on the next bus to Quito to purchase the tix in person. I told him I was on it. I packed my stuff in a hurry and said my goodbyes to my buddies and hopped on the first bus to Quito. The ride to Quito was so beautiful. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous. Arriving into Quito was such a pleasant surprise on the eyes. Quito is beautifully located high in the Andes amid lusciuos green covered peaks. The city is a blend of magnificent Spanish, moorish, indigenous, and modern architecture. Quito is the world's second highest capital and is a dynamic and animated city filled with cobblestoned streets that are lined with shops, restaurants, and monuments. I fell in love with Quito upon first glance. As soon as I arrived, I hurried to Paul's agency called Carpe DM. When I met him he said he hadn't been able to find a flight yet but maybe he could keep trying. I began to beg and make jokes about sex. He said "I like ya...and I'm gonna help ya!" After trying for 2 hours to get me a flight, I had a seat on the first flight Sun morn. I was so jazzed! Paul was my new buddy. He invited me to a BBQ fiesta on a hacienda in the mountains about an hour outside of Quito. I gladly accepted his offer. Now I had plans for tomorrow and the following week - I would be on the Galapagos from Sun the 25th to Tuesday the 3rd.
Today, I woke up somewhat unsure of what I was going to do about my travels. I had called the airline companies to try to book a flight but the rep said they were sold out till mid August. That was not what I wanted to hear. I was crushed and had almost lost all hope, until Reto told me to call his travel agent in Quito and they would help me get a flight. I called the number straight away and spoke to the owner, Paul. He told me that he could find me a flight but I needed to get on the next bus to Quito to purchase the tix in person. I told him I was on it. I packed my stuff in a hurry and said my goodbyes to my buddies and hopped on the first bus to Quito. The ride to Quito was so beautiful. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous. Arriving into Quito was such a pleasant surprise on the eyes. Quito is beautifully located high in the Andes amid lusciuos green covered peaks. The city is a blend of magnificent Spanish, moorish, indigenous, and modern architecture. Quito is the world's second highest capital and is a dynamic and animated city filled with cobblestoned streets that are lined with shops, restaurants, and monuments. I fell in love with Quito upon first glance. As soon as I arrived, I hurried to Paul's agency called Carpe DM. When I met him he said he hadn't been able to find a flight yet but maybe he could keep trying. I began to beg and make jokes about sex. He said "I like ya...and I'm gonna help ya!" After trying for 2 hours to get me a flight, I had a seat on the first flight Sun morn. I was so jazzed! Paul was my new buddy. He invited me to a BBQ fiesta on a hacienda in the mountains about an hour outside of Quito. I gladly accepted his offer. Now I had plans for tomorrow and the following week - I would be on the Galapagos from Sun the 25th to Tuesday the 3rd.
Brown feet
Thursday, July 22nd
The only 2 plans on our agenda today was to hike during the day and in the evening chill out in the hot springs. Before the hike, I had walked past a spa and inquired about this type of cleansing therapy called Foot ionization. Before I know it, my feet are sitting in a tub of water and are draining yellowish-browish fluid from my body. It was wierd and gross all at the same time. The process is supposed to send thousands of ions into your body which, in turn, reacts to your body and releases loads of toxins. The color of the water determines what is wrong with you. For me, the color of the water represented issues of stress, sleep deprivation, and lung problems. All of this happened to be true. Who knows if this process is a bunch of bologna or if it really works. After the foot ion, I met up with the group to go on the hike. We decided to hike up the opposite side mountain as Steph and I had ascended yesterday on horseback. The hike was somewhat difficult at parts. Once we were at the top you could see all of the town below you and the mighty active volcano spitting up smoke in the distance. On the hike up, we saw loads of farms, vegitation, and friendly locals. After the hike, we all went grocery shopping and we had decided to cook a communial meal. Tonight, we would cook spagetti carbonara and a mixed green salad. It was absolutely delishous! After dinner, three of us (Reto, Steph and I) set off to take in the
I felt so lucky to have met and bonded with such wonderful people I was sad to part ways from them.
The only 2 plans on our agenda today was to hike during the day and in the evening chill out in the hot springs. Before the hike, I had walked past a spa and inquired about this type of cleansing therapy called Foot ionization. Before I know it, my feet are sitting in a tub of water and are draining yellowish-browish fluid from my body. It was wierd and gross all at the same time. The process is supposed to send thousands of ions into your body which, in turn, reacts to your body and releases loads of toxins. The color of the water determines what is wrong with you. For me, the color of the water represented issues of stress, sleep deprivation, and lung problems. All of this happened to be true. Who knows if this process is a bunch of bologna or if it really works. After the foot ion, I met up with the group to go on the hike. We decided to hike up the opposite side mountain as Steph and I had ascended yesterday on horseback. The hike was somewhat difficult at parts. Once we were at the top you could see all of the town below you and the mighty active volcano spitting up smoke in the distance. On the hike up, we saw loads of farms, vegitation, and friendly locals. After the hike, we all went grocery shopping and we had decided to cook a communial meal. Tonight, we would cook spagetti carbonara and a mixed green salad. It was absolutely delishous! After dinner, three of us (Reto, Steph and I) set off to take in the
I felt so lucky to have met and bonded with such wonderful people I was sad to part ways from them.
Giddy up pahtnah!
Wednesday, July 21st
Today, Stephanie and I would start our adventurous day off with a 4 hour horseback ride. We met our guide, Gerardo, and our horses Pinchicho and Olivia and were off! The ride was beautiful and relaxing. Stephanie was quite experienced with horses as well because she was a groom when she was younger. You could tell that our guide Gerardo loved his job. At one point we took a break from riding and he told us all about the history of Baños and the story of the volcano. It was quite entertaining. At the end of the ride, I was embarrasingly exhausted. I forgot how much I loved riding and how much energy one can expell when trying to convince a horse to go where you want him to. We hopped of our horses after 4 hours and treated ourselves to a very expensive ($2.00) open air market- made meal of eggs, chorizo, beans, etc. It was amazing...and no food poisioning! We befriended a girl named Vida, from California, while we were eating lunch. Steph and I invited her to tag along for our afternoon yoga session and she accepted our offer. So, after lunch the three of us headed to a private $5 yoga session with a trained herbalist and natural theraputic instructor. Lalita, the instructor, was extremely flexible and gave a relaxing and calming session. After the yoga, we meditated for about 30 min and I passed out. Next we headed back to the hostel to change for dinner and to grab out suits for the hot springs. I was sitting at the computer at the hostel when I saw my buddy Reto, the Swiss guy I befriended in Puno, walk by. The minute we saw each other we were so excited to be together again. He was now travelling with a Swiss girl, Tanya, whom he had befriended in Panama. Because of this reconnection, our plans changed and we would all go out to dinner and swap stories about our adventures instead of going to the hot springs. I had also planned on leaving tomorrow but now I would stay an extra day to catch up and spend time with my buddy. Tomorrow, all of us (Steph, Vida, Reto, Tanya, and myself) will go hiking around the mountainside of Baños and in the evening we'll hit up the hot springs
Today, Stephanie and I would start our adventurous day off with a 4 hour horseback ride. We met our guide, Gerardo, and our horses Pinchicho and Olivia and were off! The ride was beautiful and relaxing. Stephanie was quite experienced with horses as well because she was a groom when she was younger. You could tell that our guide Gerardo loved his job. At one point we took a break from riding and he told us all about the history of Baños and the story of the volcano. It was quite entertaining. At the end of the ride, I was embarrasingly exhausted. I forgot how much I loved riding and how much energy one can expell when trying to convince a horse to go where you want him to. We hopped of our horses after 4 hours and treated ourselves to a very expensive ($2.00) open air market- made meal of eggs, chorizo, beans, etc. It was amazing...and no food poisioning! We befriended a girl named Vida, from California, while we were eating lunch. Steph and I invited her to tag along for our afternoon yoga session and she accepted our offer. So, after lunch the three of us headed to a private $5 yoga session with a trained herbalist and natural theraputic instructor. Lalita, the instructor, was extremely flexible and gave a relaxing and calming session. After the yoga, we meditated for about 30 min and I passed out. Next we headed back to the hostel to change for dinner and to grab out suits for the hot springs. I was sitting at the computer at the hostel when I saw my buddy Reto, the Swiss guy I befriended in Puno, walk by. The minute we saw each other we were so excited to be together again. He was now travelling with a Swiss girl, Tanya, whom he had befriended in Panama. Because of this reconnection, our plans changed and we would all go out to dinner and swap stories about our adventures instead of going to the hot springs. I had also planned on leaving tomorrow but now I would stay an extra day to catch up and spend time with my buddy. Tomorrow, all of us (Steph, Vida, Reto, Tanya, and myself) will go hiking around the mountainside of Baños and in the evening we'll hit up the hot springs
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Row, row, row your boat
Tuesday, July 20th
Today, the plan was to white water raft through the beautiful lush Andean mountains of Ecuador. Interestingly, the white water group consisted of all Americans and all women (two from Hawaii, one from San Fran and one from Wyoming). The rapids were rated at a level 3 to 4, so a lil more challenging than the rapids in Peru. Only one of the girls had never been before. The safety briefing before the rafting was the longest and most in depth safety briefing I've ever heard. At the end of it, the girls in my group were like "dam...I guess there's a real chance of us falling in!" We started down river and hit tons of great rapids. One of our first big sets the girl siting behind me fell into the boat and pulled me in with her. I wondered how I hot into the boat since I was in control on the water and then sh told me that she was trying to grab ahold of something and that something ended up being me. The rest of the way down river was both challenging and exciting. The scenery was filled with waterfalls, mountains in every direction and lush green forest. After the rafting was finished we headed back into Baños and I met up with my bunk mate, Stephanie from England, and we wandered around town together. We decided to cook a meal as well - I volunteered to cook macaroni and cheese with chorizo. Our other roomate, Whim from Belgium, joined us as well. The dinner was a success. After dinner I played cards with a big group of folks from all over the world. We played till 1am. It was a blast! Tomorrow, Stephanie and I will go horseback riding through the mountains in the morning, do yoga in the afternoon and try to hit up the hot springs in the evening. It's gonna be a great day.
Today, the plan was to white water raft through the beautiful lush Andean mountains of Ecuador. Interestingly, the white water group consisted of all Americans and all women (two from Hawaii, one from San Fran and one from Wyoming). The rapids were rated at a level 3 to 4, so a lil more challenging than the rapids in Peru. Only one of the girls had never been before. The safety briefing before the rafting was the longest and most in depth safety briefing I've ever heard. At the end of it, the girls in my group were like "dam...I guess there's a real chance of us falling in!" We started down river and hit tons of great rapids. One of our first big sets the girl siting behind me fell into the boat and pulled me in with her. I wondered how I hot into the boat since I was in control on the water and then sh told me that she was trying to grab ahold of something and that something ended up being me. The rest of the way down river was both challenging and exciting. The scenery was filled with waterfalls, mountains in every direction and lush green forest. After the rafting was finished we headed back into Baños and I met up with my bunk mate, Stephanie from England, and we wandered around town together. We decided to cook a meal as well - I volunteered to cook macaroni and cheese with chorizo. Our other roomate, Whim from Belgium, joined us as well. The dinner was a success. After dinner I played cards with a big group of folks from all over the world. We played till 1am. It was a blast! Tomorrow, Stephanie and I will go horseback riding through the mountains in the morning, do yoga in the afternoon and try to hit up the hot springs in the evening. It's gonna be a great day.
Panchamama's bathroom
Monday, July 19th
Today was mostly a travel day. Ecuador is an awe-inspiring country. The country is teeming with forests of eucalyptus trees, rolling green hills, giant snow topped active volcanoes, rivers and lakes, fields of fresh produce, and farms of pigs, horses, and cattle. My destination was to the majestic town of Baños. Yes...the town is called bathrooms, but I tell ya what...if this was a bathroom it would be mother nature's powder room because the town is gorgeous! Baños is surrounded by luxuriant green peaks and is blessed with medicinal thermal baths and beautiful waterfalls. It is known as the city of adventure and tranquility. If you seek adventurous thrill seeking sports - You can do whatever your heart desires here from white-water to bungee jumping to canyoning to trekking. If you wanna be spoiled and pampered - there's loads of spas here to satisfy your everyneed from massages to accupunture to colon cleansing. My mission was to go white water rafting and horseback riding. When I arrived into town I found an amazing hostel and made buddies with my new roomie - Stephanie from England. I wandered around town, ate dinner, and booked a rafting tour for tomorrow. I took it easy today since I was still feeling a lil under the weather.
Today was mostly a travel day. Ecuador is an awe-inspiring country. The country is teeming with forests of eucalyptus trees, rolling green hills, giant snow topped active volcanoes, rivers and lakes, fields of fresh produce, and farms of pigs, horses, and cattle. My destination was to the majestic town of Baños. Yes...the town is called bathrooms, but I tell ya what...if this was a bathroom it would be mother nature's powder room because the town is gorgeous! Baños is surrounded by luxuriant green peaks and is blessed with medicinal thermal baths and beautiful waterfalls. It is known as the city of adventure and tranquility. If you seek adventurous thrill seeking sports - You can do whatever your heart desires here from white-water to bungee jumping to canyoning to trekking. If you wanna be spoiled and pampered - there's loads of spas here to satisfy your everyneed from massages to accupunture to colon cleansing. My mission was to go white water rafting and horseback riding. When I arrived into town I found an amazing hostel and made buddies with my new roomie - Stephanie from England. I wandered around town, ate dinner, and booked a rafting tour for tomorrow. I took it easy today since I was still feeling a lil under the weather.
Inca vs. Cañari
Sunday, July 18th
Nope...my "genius" master plan of sweating out the flu didn't work out as planned. Still sick. :(
Today, Padraic and I had booked a trip to go see the Inca and Cañari ruins of Ingapirca. Our tour company never showed up to the hostel so we said "fuck it...let's go anyways" and so we did. It's almost a blessing in disguise because the tour would have cost $45 per person and on our own we spent $11 per person for everything (including transport, lunch, and park entrance fee). The ruins were originally built in the 15th century by the Cañari Indians and about 500 years later inhabited by the Inca's. The site was solely built for a place of worship and ceremonial purposes. The site is not very large (nowhere as big as Machu Picchu) and most of the stone buildings have been dismantled by the early Spanish colonists for the purpose of using the large stones to build churches. As soon as we walked into the ruins, a guide approached us and asked us if we wanted a tour of the grounds. We said "clarrro!" Our guide (name unknown) was absolutely fantastic. He was such a story teller. The way he described how the ruins were built and what they were used for was as if he was saying a Shakespearean monolouge. Padraic and I walked around the ruins for a few hours and took it all in. After the ruins, we had a great lunch at a lil mom n' pop shop. Hoppe back on the bus and just chilled for the remainder of the day. Tomorrow I will head north (alone) to a mountain town called Baños. I've heard loads of great things about this town so I'm totally looking forward to it.
Nope...my "genius" master plan of sweating out the flu didn't work out as planned. Still sick. :(
Today, Padraic and I had booked a trip to go see the Inca and Cañari ruins of Ingapirca. Our tour company never showed up to the hostel so we said "fuck it...let's go anyways" and so we did. It's almost a blessing in disguise because the tour would have cost $45 per person and on our own we spent $11 per person for everything (including transport, lunch, and park entrance fee). The ruins were originally built in the 15th century by the Cañari Indians and about 500 years later inhabited by the Inca's. The site was solely built for a place of worship and ceremonial purposes. The site is not very large (nowhere as big as Machu Picchu) and most of the stone buildings have been dismantled by the early Spanish colonists for the purpose of using the large stones to build churches. As soon as we walked into the ruins, a guide approached us and asked us if we wanted a tour of the grounds. We said "clarrro!" Our guide (name unknown) was absolutely fantastic. He was such a story teller. The way he described how the ruins were built and what they were used for was as if he was saying a Shakespearean monolouge. Padraic and I walked around the ruins for a few hours and took it all in. After the ruins, we had a great lunch at a lil mom n' pop shop. Hoppe back on the bus and just chilled for the remainder of the day. Tomorrow I will head north (alone) to a mountain town called Baños. I've heard loads of great things about this town so I'm totally looking forward to it.
Dancing the flu away!
Saturday, July 17th
Last night was the first full night of sleep I've had in a while, and let me tell you, I needed it! I still felt sick when I woke up this morning but alas I won't let it keep me down. Padraic and I spent the day together walking around the city. Cuena is a charming city with cobblestoned streets, whitewashed and red-stoned buildings, beautiful plazas, classic and grandeur churches. The city sits alongside the banks of Rio Tomebamba. It's a pleasant blend of classic Spanish colonial architecture with a modern edge. The whole day was kind of amusing because we saw numerous amazing churches and all we wanted to do was to peek inside of them and admire the interior design but sadly for us ALL of them were closed. We did, however, find something that was open for lunch - an amazing restaurant with the best seco de pollo ever! The day was pretty rainy so we called it quits around 5ish. At breakfast, I ran into a girl, Nicoll from California, I met in the Colca de Canyon in Peru about a month ago. We decided that a bunch of us should go out to dinner and dancing together tonight. And so it was...our group grew from 2 people to 9 in an instant (Padraic from Ireland, Nicoll from Cali, Jenna from Cali, Freddy from Chicago, Evan from Brooklyn, Christine from Boston, Till from Germany, Mary from France. We went out to this kitchy worldly restaurant that had a live salsa band. We all had an absolutely fantastic time dancing the night away. I struggled to catch my breath becuase of my chest cold but...hey...I figured maybe I could sweat it out of my system. Tomorrow we'll see if my master plan works.
Last night was the first full night of sleep I've had in a while, and let me tell you, I needed it! I still felt sick when I woke up this morning but alas I won't let it keep me down. Padraic and I spent the day together walking around the city. Cuena is a charming city with cobblestoned streets, whitewashed and red-stoned buildings, beautiful plazas, classic and grandeur churches. The city sits alongside the banks of Rio Tomebamba. It's a pleasant blend of classic Spanish colonial architecture with a modern edge. The whole day was kind of amusing because we saw numerous amazing churches and all we wanted to do was to peek inside of them and admire the interior design but sadly for us ALL of them were closed. We did, however, find something that was open for lunch - an amazing restaurant with the best seco de pollo ever! The day was pretty rainy so we called it quits around 5ish. At breakfast, I ran into a girl, Nicoll from California, I met in the Colca de Canyon in Peru about a month ago. We decided that a bunch of us should go out to dinner and dancing together tonight. And so it was...our group grew from 2 people to 9 in an instant (Padraic from Ireland, Nicoll from Cali, Jenna from Cali, Freddy from Chicago, Evan from Brooklyn, Christine from Boston, Till from Germany, Mary from France. We went out to this kitchy worldly restaurant that had a live salsa band. We all had an absolutely fantastic time dancing the night away. I struggled to catch my breath becuase of my chest cold but...hey...I figured maybe I could sweat it out of my system. Tomorrow we'll see if my master plan works.
Bleh day
Friday, July 16th
Today was a tiring day and lonely day. Woke up at 6am to catch an early flight to Ecuador. Flew from Cuzco to Lima to Guyaquil and then took a bus fom Guyaquil to Cuena (third largest city in Ecuador). Somehow, I got food posioning and a terrible chest cold along the way. It sucked. Once I arrived in Cuena I saw a cute guy, Padraic from Ireland, waiting in the taxi queue. I brefriended him and coincidentally we ended up going to the same hostel together. This was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Today was a tiring day and lonely day. Woke up at 6am to catch an early flight to Ecuador. Flew from Cuzco to Lima to Guyaquil and then took a bus fom Guyaquil to Cuena (third largest city in Ecuador). Somehow, I got food posioning and a terrible chest cold along the way. It sucked. Once I arrived in Cuena I saw a cute guy, Padraic from Ireland, waiting in the taxi queue. I brefriended him and coincidentally we ended up going to the same hostel together. This was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
The butt-crack of dawn
Thursday, July 15th
We woke up at 3:30am today to start our difficult hike up to the top of Machu Picchu. The first 20 minutes of the hike was flat and then we climbed up what seemed like thousands of stone stairs for the next hour. Mind you this hike is in the middle of the night so the only light we have to see where we are going is the ingenious invention of the head lamp. The Scottish guys in the group, Connor and Ally, had no light whatsoever, so I hiked directly in front of them and was their beacon in the night. I started the ascend without the coca in my boca (mouth) and I quickly realized the mistake I made. I popped that shit in my mouth quicker than Lady Gaga changes her outfits. The exhausting climb was more bearable once the coca kicked in. (side note- Mom...Dad... Don't worry I'm not addicted to cocaine nor it's deriving plant). We got to the sun gate around 5:30am. The park opened at 6am and the point was to hike to the top to be one of the first in the park to see the ruins without hoards of tourists around. The sun slowly came to say good morning once we arrived at the top. I have to say... I had sweat like a beastmaster on the way up the steps and by the time we got into the park I was wet and cold. The gates opened and one by one we were let in. As I am walking down the long paved path, I am trying to imagine what I am about to see (hoping that all this hard work will be well worth it). The sun was bobbing behind the clouds when I got my first look at the Inca empire. She was breathtaking! Sadly, words cannot describe just how amazing, fascinating, enthralling, mysterious, and awe-inspiring Machu Picchu is. All I can say is you have to see it for yourself. (side note - McCarron family... You are never to old to see it...I saw lots of white folks in their 60's and 70's.) We went on a guided tour of the ruins. I learned so much about the Inca people and how they were master architects (most of the buildings were almost perfectly still intact), farmers (they had 50 different types of corn), and astronomers (they built circular reflecting pools so they could look down and watch the stars instead of injuring their necks by looking up for hours on end). You can really get a true perspective on "the modern" western world and it's culture until you see something like this. I was atop Machu Picchu for 5 hours. I didn't want to leave. It's the best preserved Inca site on the planet mostly because of it's remote location. After taking it all in, my buddy Chris and I trekked back down the gazillion of steps that we hiked up at 4am. The view was stunning. Once we decended, we rewarded ourselves with the tastiest and most expensive frappachino in all of south America! We chilled for the remainder of the day and ate our last dinner together as a group. We took a train and then a bus back to Cuzco. I felt severely ill on the train ride home. I got food poisioning in Aguas Calientes and didn't manage to sleep much that night.
We woke up at 3:30am today to start our difficult hike up to the top of Machu Picchu. The first 20 minutes of the hike was flat and then we climbed up what seemed like thousands of stone stairs for the next hour. Mind you this hike is in the middle of the night so the only light we have to see where we are going is the ingenious invention of the head lamp. The Scottish guys in the group, Connor and Ally, had no light whatsoever, so I hiked directly in front of them and was their beacon in the night. I started the ascend without the coca in my boca (mouth) and I quickly realized the mistake I made. I popped that shit in my mouth quicker than Lady Gaga changes her outfits. The exhausting climb was more bearable once the coca kicked in. (side note- Mom...Dad... Don't worry I'm not addicted to cocaine nor it's deriving plant). We got to the sun gate around 5:30am. The park opened at 6am and the point was to hike to the top to be one of the first in the park to see the ruins without hoards of tourists around. The sun slowly came to say good morning once we arrived at the top. I have to say... I had sweat like a beastmaster on the way up the steps and by the time we got into the park I was wet and cold. The gates opened and one by one we were let in. As I am walking down the long paved path, I am trying to imagine what I am about to see (hoping that all this hard work will be well worth it). The sun was bobbing behind the clouds when I got my first look at the Inca empire. She was breathtaking! Sadly, words cannot describe just how amazing, fascinating, enthralling, mysterious, and awe-inspiring Machu Picchu is. All I can say is you have to see it for yourself. (side note - McCarron family... You are never to old to see it...I saw lots of white folks in their 60's and 70's.) We went on a guided tour of the ruins. I learned so much about the Inca people and how they were master architects (most of the buildings were almost perfectly still intact), farmers (they had 50 different types of corn), and astronomers (they built circular reflecting pools so they could look down and watch the stars instead of injuring their necks by looking up for hours on end). You can really get a true perspective on "the modern" western world and it's culture until you see something like this. I was atop Machu Picchu for 5 hours. I didn't want to leave. It's the best preserved Inca site on the planet mostly because of it's remote location. After taking it all in, my buddy Chris and I trekked back down the gazillion of steps that we hiked up at 4am. The view was stunning. Once we decended, we rewarded ourselves with the tastiest and most expensive frappachino in all of south America! We chilled for the remainder of the day and ate our last dinner together as a group. We took a train and then a bus back to Cuzco. I felt severely ill on the train ride home. I got food poisioning in Aguas Calientes and didn't manage to sleep much that night.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Swimming for midgets
Wednesday, July 14th
Today the plan of attack was to hike to a waterfall, go for a chilly swim and then continue down the inca trail to base camp at Aguascalientes. Well since our guide was still drunk and high on cocaine from the previous evening, the day didn't exactly go as planned. We arrived to the waterfall which we were told was "huge and we could swim underneath it" to learn that the waterfall was in fact 35 meters high but at the base sat a pool of water only about 2 feet deep. Totally swimmable for midgets like the Mccarron family! I waded it and went for a chilly, shallow dip. Then we had to drove for a lil bit to reconnect with the inca trail. We ate some lunch which later gave a few guys in my group food poisoning. Then we continued to hike down the trail to the touristy base camp, aguascalientes. The hike today was absolutely amazing. The Peruvians built a railroad that runs along the widest part of the trail. This is what we trekked down for the next 4 hours. The flat trail was at the base of the Andean valley and it followed the river the entire way. It was great to be able to look at my surroundings as I hiked becuase the day before you always had to watch where you were stepping to make sure you didn't fall off the edge of the mountain. As we got closer we could barely see the ruins of Machu Picchu high up in the distance. As soon as we got a glimpse of the ruins we all felt as we had accomplished something phenomenial and we had done it together. Once we arrived in Aguascalientes we were relieved that we have almost completed our mission. Aguascalientes is pretty little town that sits at the base of Machu Picchu mountain. Clearly, the town's main purpose is to attract tourists to Machu Pichhu and overcharge the crap outta them with inadequate food, dirty hot springs, and overpriced personalized tours of the ruins. We had a mellow dinner and we were told to get to bed as early as possible becuase we had to wake up at 3:30am to start our ascend up the mountain at 4am to reach the sun gate by 5:30am. I couldn't fall asleep till 11:30pm becuase my mind was racing with excitement.
Today the plan of attack was to hike to a waterfall, go for a chilly swim and then continue down the inca trail to base camp at Aguascalientes. Well since our guide was still drunk and high on cocaine from the previous evening, the day didn't exactly go as planned. We arrived to the waterfall which we were told was "huge and we could swim underneath it" to learn that the waterfall was in fact 35 meters high but at the base sat a pool of water only about 2 feet deep. Totally swimmable for midgets like the Mccarron family! I waded it and went for a chilly, shallow dip. Then we had to drove for a lil bit to reconnect with the inca trail. We ate some lunch which later gave a few guys in my group food poisoning. Then we continued to hike down the trail to the touristy base camp, aguascalientes. The hike today was absolutely amazing. The Peruvians built a railroad that runs along the widest part of the trail. This is what we trekked down for the next 4 hours. The flat trail was at the base of the Andean valley and it followed the river the entire way. It was great to be able to look at my surroundings as I hiked becuase the day before you always had to watch where you were stepping to make sure you didn't fall off the edge of the mountain. As we got closer we could barely see the ruins of Machu Picchu high up in the distance. As soon as we got a glimpse of the ruins we all felt as we had accomplished something phenomenial and we had done it together. Once we arrived in Aguascalientes we were relieved that we have almost completed our mission. Aguascalientes is pretty little town that sits at the base of Machu Picchu mountain. Clearly, the town's main purpose is to attract tourists to Machu Pichhu and overcharge the crap outta them with inadequate food, dirty hot springs, and overpriced personalized tours of the ruins. We had a mellow dinner and we were told to get to bed as early as possible becuase we had to wake up at 3:30am to start our ascend up the mountain at 4am to reach the sun gate by 5:30am. I couldn't fall asleep till 11:30pm becuase my mind was racing with excitement.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Livin' la vida coca!
Tuesday July 13th
We woke up very early to start our day off with some white water rafting. I shared a boat with Orla, Mark, and Ally. The river we rafted down flowed south to north through the basin of the lowland forest. The river eventually meets up with the Amazon river in Brazil. The rapids measured around a 2-3 class rapids (nothing too tough). The dramatic setting for the white water was brillant! We conquered the white water for the next two hours. Luckily, noone fell out of the boats. After we were done with out aquatic adrenaline fix, we set off to start our 8 hour hike. You could say it would be an exhausting day... fo sho! I could not tell you how far or how high we hiked because as soon as I heard how long we had to hike for I just thought..."well let's get 'er done!!" The hike was in no way easy. We started off the hike ascending a mountain up ridicuosly steep switchbacks. Hiking up switchbacks is already tough enough but the "true" killer is the altitude. It dries out your throat and makes it hard to breath almost to the point where you are panting like a dog in heat. To remedy this problema, I shoved a handfull of coca leaves in my mouth and chewed like it was my J.O.B. I tell ya what, the coca really helps! I'm not saying that I was able to run up the mountain after the coca kicked in, I'm just saying it made the climb more bareable and breatheable. We hiked up and down various Andean mountains along the Inka trail. We passed through coffee farms, fruit plantations, crossed rivers, and the Peruvian jungle. At the end of the day, the group had bonded and we felt truly satisified about our accomplishment!
We woke up very early to start our day off with some white water rafting. I shared a boat with Orla, Mark, and Ally. The river we rafted down flowed south to north through the basin of the lowland forest. The river eventually meets up with the Amazon river in Brazil. The rapids measured around a 2-3 class rapids (nothing too tough). The dramatic setting for the white water was brillant! We conquered the white water for the next two hours. Luckily, noone fell out of the boats. After we were done with out aquatic adrenaline fix, we set off to start our 8 hour hike. You could say it would be an exhausting day... fo sho! I could not tell you how far or how high we hiked because as soon as I heard how long we had to hike for I just thought..."well let's get 'er done!!" The hike was in no way easy. We started off the hike ascending a mountain up ridicuosly steep switchbacks. Hiking up switchbacks is already tough enough but the "true" killer is the altitude. It dries out your throat and makes it hard to breath almost to the point where you are panting like a dog in heat. To remedy this problema, I shoved a handfull of coca leaves in my mouth and chewed like it was my J.O.B. I tell ya what, the coca really helps! I'm not saying that I was able to run up the mountain after the coca kicked in, I'm just saying it made the climb more bareable and breatheable. We hiked up and down various Andean mountains along the Inka trail. We passed through coffee farms, fruit plantations, crossed rivers, and the Peruvian jungle. At the end of the day, the group had bonded and we felt truly satisified about our accomplishment!
Bike or bust!
Monday, July 12th
I woke up at 6am to meet up with my new fellow travel adventurers. The group consisted of Chris (New Yorker), Ben (Ohio), Jeff (Ohio), Mike (Minnesota), Connor (Scotland), Ally (Scotland), Orla (Ireland), Mark (Ireland), Pierre (France), Audrey (France), our guide Leo (Peru) and me...so basically 3 women and 9 men. I was happy. Ha! We all met on the bus and we got along swimmingly straight away. We drove 3 hours through the majestic Andes to our drop off point. The scenic drive was absolutely magnificent. They call the area surrounding Cuzco "the sacred valley" Once we arrived at our destination, we were given our bikes and met with our guide Leo. He seemed like a reckless jokester. So the 12 of us set off down this insanely windy cliff road in the Andes mountain range. We would bike down over 2500 meters (about 7500 ft) in 3 hours. The first part of the ride was on a paved road; however, the last half was on a rocky, bumpy, dusty, under construction trail. I was a lil nervous for the ride because I'm not the most confident person on a bike. The ride was scary because we rode down the edge of a cliff for miles on end. It was a pure adrenaline rush. The view was amazing! The mountains looked like no other I've ever seen. At the top of the Andes you could find glaciers and a tundra ecosystem. However, at the base of the mountains was a lush lowland tropical rainforest. It was a beautiful contrast. We flew down the mountain sometimes going ridiculously fast speeds. I say that now...but probably...in actuality...I was going 5 mph downhill. Ha! Towards the last 20 minutes of the ride my rear tire went flat, it sucked, but worser things could have happened. After we decended down the mountains, we arrived at our hostel for the night. We had some good conversation, good beer, and some good laughs.
I woke up at 6am to meet up with my new fellow travel adventurers. The group consisted of Chris (New Yorker), Ben (Ohio), Jeff (Ohio), Mike (Minnesota), Connor (Scotland), Ally (Scotland), Orla (Ireland), Mark (Ireland), Pierre (France), Audrey (France), our guide Leo (Peru) and me...so basically 3 women and 9 men. I was happy. Ha! We all met on the bus and we got along swimmingly straight away. We drove 3 hours through the majestic Andes to our drop off point. The scenic drive was absolutely magnificent. They call the area surrounding Cuzco "the sacred valley" Once we arrived at our destination, we were given our bikes and met with our guide Leo. He seemed like a reckless jokester. So the 12 of us set off down this insanely windy cliff road in the Andes mountain range. We would bike down over 2500 meters (about 7500 ft) in 3 hours. The first part of the ride was on a paved road; however, the last half was on a rocky, bumpy, dusty, under construction trail. I was a lil nervous for the ride because I'm not the most confident person on a bike. The ride was scary because we rode down the edge of a cliff for miles on end. It was a pure adrenaline rush. The view was amazing! The mountains looked like no other I've ever seen. At the top of the Andes you could find glaciers and a tundra ecosystem. However, at the base of the mountains was a lush lowland tropical rainforest. It was a beautiful contrast. We flew down the mountain sometimes going ridiculously fast speeds. I say that now...but probably...in actuality...I was going 5 mph downhill. Ha! Towards the last 20 minutes of the ride my rear tire went flat, it sucked, but worser things could have happened. After we decended down the mountains, we arrived at our hostel for the night. We had some good conversation, good beer, and some good laughs.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Poker in the front!
Sunday, July 11th
I have arrived in the magnetic and beautiful city of Cuzco. The city used to be the heart of the mighty Inca empire. It sits at 3,300 meters in elevation and is a blend of old Andean tradition and modern Peruvian culture. The streets are made of smooth cobblestones and the cathedrals are an adobe brick color and smell of culture and traditions. Cuzco is filled with museums and historic buildings. In addition, the city is alive with people - college students, professionals, locals, and tourists alike. When you are here you succumb to it's beauty, life, and energy.
Today, I wandered the streets solo. I haven't done that yet...I was kinda refrshin to know that I could do whatever I wanted. I saw lots of amazing catherdrals, an anthropological museum (it had amazing art pieces from 1500 B.C) narrow hidden streets, ate some incredible food, and enjoyed the day to myself. I also booked a 4 day bike and trek to macchu picchu. I can't wait...it should be amazing! After flying solo, I headed back to the hostel and I joined a Texas hold 'em tournament for a children's charity. I placed 4th (didn't win any money) but I still had a great time and it was for a good cause! I must try to sleep now although my mind is racing with excitement for tomorrows journey.
I have arrived in the magnetic and beautiful city of Cuzco. The city used to be the heart of the mighty Inca empire. It sits at 3,300 meters in elevation and is a blend of old Andean tradition and modern Peruvian culture. The streets are made of smooth cobblestones and the cathedrals are an adobe brick color and smell of culture and traditions. Cuzco is filled with museums and historic buildings. In addition, the city is alive with people - college students, professionals, locals, and tourists alike. When you are here you succumb to it's beauty, life, and energy.
Today, I wandered the streets solo. I haven't done that yet...I was kinda refrshin to know that I could do whatever I wanted. I saw lots of amazing catherdrals, an anthropological museum (it had amazing art pieces from 1500 B.C) narrow hidden streets, ate some incredible food, and enjoyed the day to myself. I also booked a 4 day bike and trek to macchu picchu. I can't wait...it should be amazing! After flying solo, I headed back to the hostel and I joined a Texas hold 'em tournament for a children's charity. I placed 4th (didn't win any money) but I still had a great time and it was for a good cause! I must try to sleep now although my mind is racing with excitement for tomorrows journey.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
24 hours of bus trippin
Saturday, July 10th
I took the night bus (10 hour ride) to La Paz from Uyuni and arrived in La Paz at 6am today. The bus was freezing but I luckily had 2 blankets to keep me warm. I slept surprisingly well on the bus. As soon as I hopped off the bus I had to buy a bus ticket to get to Cuzco (another 10-12 hour ride). It would be a long 24 hours (in total) by bus. I would also have to beg the immigration office in Peru to let me stay a lil longer since they only gave me a visa valid for 30 days and today is the 30th day. Crossing the border was a snap and the immigration officer kindly extended my visa for 3 more months. (I'm not comin home...just kiddin). The road that we drove down to get to Cuzco was very picturesque. The Andes were on either side of the bus and there were little villages that would pop up in the middle of nowhere. I'm really looking forward to seeing Cuzco. I've heard wonderful things about the city from everyone I've met.
I took the night bus (10 hour ride) to La Paz from Uyuni and arrived in La Paz at 6am today. The bus was freezing but I luckily had 2 blankets to keep me warm. I slept surprisingly well on the bus. As soon as I hopped off the bus I had to buy a bus ticket to get to Cuzco (another 10-12 hour ride). It would be a long 24 hours (in total) by bus. I would also have to beg the immigration office in Peru to let me stay a lil longer since they only gave me a visa valid for 30 days and today is the 30th day. Crossing the border was a snap and the immigration officer kindly extended my visa for 3 more months. (I'm not comin home...just kiddin). The road that we drove down to get to Cuzco was very picturesque. The Andes were on either side of the bus and there were little villages that would pop up in the middle of nowhere. I'm really looking forward to seeing Cuzco. I've heard wonderful things about the city from everyone I've met.
Smell something salty?
Wednesday July 7th - Friday July 9th
The seven of us (Sophia, Ville, Jos, Willem, Veronique, Camille, and myself) set off for a three day surreal experience. We would drive across the salar - which contained salt plains, hot springs, volcanoes, geysers, lagoons, flamingoes, llamas, and buildings/towns made completely of salt. The Salar de Uyuni is the world's largest salt flat. The park sits at 12,000-15,000 feet altitude and spans over 19,600 square miles. It used to be a prehistoric salt lake and was created when the Andes were being formed.
The first day we drove to a railroad cemetery - a bunch of old (steam/coal engine) trains that were no longer being used. It was pretty cool. Next we headed to a salt processing center. This is where Bolivians process all the salt that they gather from the salt flats to make it edible and ship it out all over the world. Now I was thirsty to see the salt flats and to see just how much salt there actually was. We then drove to the heart of the salt flats and I was AMAZED! The earth for as far as you could see in every direction was covered in salt; in addition, the layer of salt was 15-20feet deep. The ground was cracked like the Mohave desert and was sharp to the touch if you rubbed your hand across it.
We then drove to the first ever hotel made completely of salt. The building itself and everything inside of it was made of salt (tables, chairs, beds, etc.). It smelt like salt and even tasted like it when you stepped inside the hotel. It was bazare! We ate lunch outside the hotel and then worked off our meal by riding bikes around the flats.
After the bike ride, we drove to an "island" called isla del pescado (kinda funny since there were no dig or water to be found near or on the island). The island was hilly and covered in huge cactii that stood about 30 feet tall and was surounded by a sea of salt. After a hike on the island, we set off for our sleeping destination - a hotel made of salt. For the remainder of the next few days and saw lots of different topogrphical features. The land changed rapidly from white salty ground to desert to giant rock structures shaped by wind erosion to rivers to giant valleys to volcanoes and lakes/lagoons to boiling geysers and finally the refreshing hot springs.
One lagoon that we visited called Laguna Colorada was brick-red in color and was rimmed with white minerals. It was surrounded by colorful snow-topped inactive volcanoes.
The Sol de Mañana geyser basin sat at 4950 meters high and contained boiling mud pots, sulfurous fumaroles, and crackling earth. It was stinky but fascinating.
The Termas de Polques hot springs were a very comfortable temp of 90 degrees. We jumped in the hot springs at about 9am and the air temp at that time was about 0 degrees. I didn't want to get out of the hot springs once I was in...you could imagine my dilemna.
The animals that lived on this harsh landscape were a few different species of flamingoes, llamas, vicuñas, foxes, donkeys, and various farm animals. It was surprising to see animals, but I couldn't even believe that people lived out here. At night temps were around -5 degrees (and during the day the high was probably around 40 degrees farenheight. It was ridiculously freezing. And these folks that live out here don't have heaters, fire places or hot showers. Most of them don't even have easy access to drinking water. It's a harsh but beautiful world out here. The seven of us had the best time. We nick-named our group the "extreme fun" group. All of us got along swimmingly and we thoroughly enjoyed each other's company. We joked around, played numerous games of truth or dare, and shared personal stories. It's amazing how well you can get to know someone when traveling with them for two weeks. I felt very close to all my compadres and was sad to part ways from them all. Everyone but me headed south to Chile. I had to start a long and exhausting 24 hour voyage north back to Peru, more specifically to Cuzco and to hike Macchu Picchu.
The seven of us (Sophia, Ville, Jos, Willem, Veronique, Camille, and myself) set off for a three day surreal experience. We would drive across the salar - which contained salt plains, hot springs, volcanoes, geysers, lagoons, flamingoes, llamas, and buildings/towns made completely of salt. The Salar de Uyuni is the world's largest salt flat. The park sits at 12,000-15,000 feet altitude and spans over 19,600 square miles. It used to be a prehistoric salt lake and was created when the Andes were being formed.
The first day we drove to a railroad cemetery - a bunch of old (steam/coal engine) trains that were no longer being used. It was pretty cool. Next we headed to a salt processing center. This is where Bolivians process all the salt that they gather from the salt flats to make it edible and ship it out all over the world. Now I was thirsty to see the salt flats and to see just how much salt there actually was. We then drove to the heart of the salt flats and I was AMAZED! The earth for as far as you could see in every direction was covered in salt; in addition, the layer of salt was 15-20feet deep. The ground was cracked like the Mohave desert and was sharp to the touch if you rubbed your hand across it.
We then drove to the first ever hotel made completely of salt. The building itself and everything inside of it was made of salt (tables, chairs, beds, etc.). It smelt like salt and even tasted like it when you stepped inside the hotel. It was bazare! We ate lunch outside the hotel and then worked off our meal by riding bikes around the flats.
After the bike ride, we drove to an "island" called isla del pescado (kinda funny since there were no dig or water to be found near or on the island). The island was hilly and covered in huge cactii that stood about 30 feet tall and was surounded by a sea of salt. After a hike on the island, we set off for our sleeping destination - a hotel made of salt. For the remainder of the next few days and saw lots of different topogrphical features. The land changed rapidly from white salty ground to desert to giant rock structures shaped by wind erosion to rivers to giant valleys to volcanoes and lakes/lagoons to boiling geysers and finally the refreshing hot springs.
One lagoon that we visited called Laguna Colorada was brick-red in color and was rimmed with white minerals. It was surrounded by colorful snow-topped inactive volcanoes.
The Sol de Mañana geyser basin sat at 4950 meters high and contained boiling mud pots, sulfurous fumaroles, and crackling earth. It was stinky but fascinating.
The Termas de Polques hot springs were a very comfortable temp of 90 degrees. We jumped in the hot springs at about 9am and the air temp at that time was about 0 degrees. I didn't want to get out of the hot springs once I was in...you could imagine my dilemna.
The animals that lived on this harsh landscape were a few different species of flamingoes, llamas, vicuñas, foxes, donkeys, and various farm animals. It was surprising to see animals, but I couldn't even believe that people lived out here. At night temps were around -5 degrees (and during the day the high was probably around 40 degrees farenheight. It was ridiculously freezing. And these folks that live out here don't have heaters, fire places or hot showers. Most of them don't even have easy access to drinking water. It's a harsh but beautiful world out here. The seven of us had the best time. We nick-named our group the "extreme fun" group. All of us got along swimmingly and we thoroughly enjoyed each other's company. We joked around, played numerous games of truth or dare, and shared personal stories. It's amazing how well you can get to know someone when traveling with them for two weeks. I felt very close to all my compadres and was sad to part ways from them all. Everyone but me headed south to Chile. I had to start a long and exhausting 24 hour voyage north back to Peru, more specifically to Cuzco and to hike Macchu Picchu.
Victory for holand
Tuesday, July 6th
The fabulous five arrived into Uyuni at 1:30am. We were all exhausted because none of us slept well on the freezing and bumpy bus. We slept in and had a lazy day. We walked around town for a short while. Uyuni is small and nothing special. It's mostly known for a jumping off point to see the salar de Uyuni (salt flats). We booked a 3 day adventurous tour to visit/hike/bike through the salt flats, volcanoes, geysers, and hot springs. I am so excited to see this type of environment that I've never been exposed to.
The only other exciting thing we did today was watch the world cup. Holand played Uruguay today and was victorious 3-2. So my Dutch friends, Willem and Jos, were elated and wasted. After the game was over, a news crew came into the pub where we were watching the game and filmed them cheerin and celebrating their victory. Later that night we coincidentally happened to be sitting in front of a tele and saw them in black-and-white on the evening news. It was helarious!
For dinner we ate at a pizza place that was owned by a Bostonian, called minuteman pizza, and the food was amazing! Tomorrow, the five of us and our two new friends from our hostel - Veronique from Holand and Camille from France will join us on our 3 day Salar de Uyuni tour.
The fabulous five arrived into Uyuni at 1:30am. We were all exhausted because none of us slept well on the freezing and bumpy bus. We slept in and had a lazy day. We walked around town for a short while. Uyuni is small and nothing special. It's mostly known for a jumping off point to see the salar de Uyuni (salt flats). We booked a 3 day adventurous tour to visit/hike/bike through the salt flats, volcanoes, geysers, and hot springs. I am so excited to see this type of environment that I've never been exposed to.
The only other exciting thing we did today was watch the world cup. Holand played Uruguay today and was victorious 3-2. So my Dutch friends, Willem and Jos, were elated and wasted. After the game was over, a news crew came into the pub where we were watching the game and filmed them cheerin and celebrating their victory. Later that night we coincidentally happened to be sitting in front of a tele and saw them in black-and-white on the evening news. It was helarious!
For dinner we ate at a pizza place that was owned by a Bostonian, called minuteman pizza, and the food was amazing! Tomorrow, the five of us and our two new friends from our hostel - Veronique from Holand and Camille from France will join us on our 3 day Salar de Uyuni tour.
Into the darkness
Monday, July 5th
Today, the fabulous five woke up early to venture deep into the unknown world of a silver miner. We met up with our guide, Julio Moralez, and he suited us up with a green fisherman-type jumpsuit, rain boots (still way to big for my midget sized feet), a helmet, and a headlamp. I was also given a handful of coca leaves to chew on to help with alertness, hunger, and acclimation of altitude. Now I was ready...And off we went. The tour began at a market where we were taught all about how miners use and have to pay for all their own materials - dynamite, fuses, gloves, etc... As a group, we bought the miners some materials that they could use for their job.
When we entered the mine, I was carrying 2 sticks of dynamite and fuses on my back to give them to a miner as a present. As if I wasn't already nervous enough about climbing deep below the surface of the earth...but now I have dynamite strapped to my back as well. The mine shafts were completely pitch dark - the only light was from our headlamps. The passage was narrow and short, where even I had to bend over and duck almost the entire time. The path was cold, wet and muddy. The rocks surrounding the tunnel were beautifully rainbow colored and some parts of the cave had stalagmites. You could see the evidence of where there were zinc and silver "veins" discovered. We trekked into the mines for 3 hours. At one point we climbed down ricketey old wooden ladders to descend deeper and deeper into the mountain. I kept thinking to myself..."am I crazy...no...this is fun...right?"
We met some miners who were installing explosives. One group was preparing to blast 16 different sites and we watched them prepare the hole and install the dynamite. Next we walked to a different part of the tunnel and not only heard but felt the blasts go off. It was crazy!!!! The miners are known to drink heavily and chew on the coca (cocaine) leaves as a part of their work culture. All the miners were very shy and sincere. One was a litle TOO friendly with me but, for the most part, they were all very kind and hard working. Juilo was an amazing guide and very informative. He knew all the miners personally that we visited. Julio used to be a miner himself for many years when he was a teenager. He said it was the toughest job he had ever had because the hours were long and the work was very strenuous. He had friends whom had died working in the mines and some who got very ill from the poor ventilation. After seeing and experiencing the mine for myself, I thinking it's amazing how people (some have no choice due to lack of job availablitity) can work in an environment like that.
After climbing an crawling through the mines for three hours, we were all relieved to see the sun and breathe fresh air again. We thanked Julio for a fantastic tour and went on our way. We ate a well deserved lunch and booked a bus for tonight to our next destination - Uyuni (the largest salt flats in the world).
Today, the fabulous five woke up early to venture deep into the unknown world of a silver miner. We met up with our guide, Julio Moralez, and he suited us up with a green fisherman-type jumpsuit, rain boots (still way to big for my midget sized feet), a helmet, and a headlamp. I was also given a handful of coca leaves to chew on to help with alertness, hunger, and acclimation of altitude. Now I was ready...And off we went. The tour began at a market where we were taught all about how miners use and have to pay for all their own materials - dynamite, fuses, gloves, etc... As a group, we bought the miners some materials that they could use for their job.
When we entered the mine, I was carrying 2 sticks of dynamite and fuses on my back to give them to a miner as a present. As if I wasn't already nervous enough about climbing deep below the surface of the earth...but now I have dynamite strapped to my back as well. The mine shafts were completely pitch dark - the only light was from our headlamps. The passage was narrow and short, where even I had to bend over and duck almost the entire time. The path was cold, wet and muddy. The rocks surrounding the tunnel were beautifully rainbow colored and some parts of the cave had stalagmites. You could see the evidence of where there were zinc and silver "veins" discovered. We trekked into the mines for 3 hours. At one point we climbed down ricketey old wooden ladders to descend deeper and deeper into the mountain. I kept thinking to myself..."am I crazy...no...this is fun...right?"
We met some miners who were installing explosives. One group was preparing to blast 16 different sites and we watched them prepare the hole and install the dynamite. Next we walked to a different part of the tunnel and not only heard but felt the blasts go off. It was crazy!!!! The miners are known to drink heavily and chew on the coca (cocaine) leaves as a part of their work culture. All the miners were very shy and sincere. One was a litle TOO friendly with me but, for the most part, they were all very kind and hard working. Juilo was an amazing guide and very informative. He knew all the miners personally that we visited. Julio used to be a miner himself for many years when he was a teenager. He said it was the toughest job he had ever had because the hours were long and the work was very strenuous. He had friends whom had died working in the mines and some who got very ill from the poor ventilation. After seeing and experiencing the mine for myself, I thinking it's amazing how people (some have no choice due to lack of job availablitity) can work in an environment like that.
After climbing an crawling through the mines for three hours, we were all relieved to see the sun and breathe fresh air again. We thanked Julio for a fantastic tour and went on our way. We ate a well deserved lunch and booked a bus for tonight to our next destination - Uyuni (the largest salt flats in the world).
Cowboy up!
Sunday, July 4th
Today the fabulous five would leave Sucre behind as a beautiful memory and we would head off to the silver-mining town of Potosi. The city of Potosi also happens to be the highest altitude city in the world - about 4,070 meters up. Potosi is known for having a tragic history of horrific working conditions in the silver mines. The mines are very dangerous and toxic with poor ventilation and basic raw materials. Today, there are over 12,000 miners that mine for silver (rarely found nowadays), zinc, and tin. The silver is predicted to run out within the next 50 years. In the 1500's, Potosi was one of the wealthiest cities in the world because of the abundance of silver found in the mountain.
The pyramidal mountain where all the mines are located is this beautiful copper and burnt amber color.
When we arrived in Potosi I was very impressed with how beautiful it was. When you look at the city from above it looks like a working class city and it doesn't seem to impress, but once you get into the heart of it...it pleasantly shocks and charms you. We found a fantasticly colorful hostel with wonderful guests. The five of us then went out and walked around the city, ate some grub, and booked a tour to get a glimpse into the heart of the mines for tomorrow. I had heard mixed stories about the mines - some said it was scary and uncomfortable, some said it was informative and like nothing you've ever seen before. After listening to all the tourists' stories about their experiences, I was nervous about going deep into the mines...but I must cowboy up!
Today the fabulous five would leave Sucre behind as a beautiful memory and we would head off to the silver-mining town of Potosi. The city of Potosi also happens to be the highest altitude city in the world - about 4,070 meters up. Potosi is known for having a tragic history of horrific working conditions in the silver mines. The mines are very dangerous and toxic with poor ventilation and basic raw materials. Today, there are over 12,000 miners that mine for silver (rarely found nowadays), zinc, and tin. The silver is predicted to run out within the next 50 years. In the 1500's, Potosi was one of the wealthiest cities in the world because of the abundance of silver found in the mountain.
The pyramidal mountain where all the mines are located is this beautiful copper and burnt amber color.
When we arrived in Potosi I was very impressed with how beautiful it was. When you look at the city from above it looks like a working class city and it doesn't seem to impress, but once you get into the heart of it...it pleasantly shocks and charms you. We found a fantasticly colorful hostel with wonderful guests. The five of us then went out and walked around the city, ate some grub, and booked a tour to get a glimpse into the heart of the mines for tomorrow. I had heard mixed stories about the mines - some said it was scary and uncomfortable, some said it was informative and like nothing you've ever seen before. After listening to all the tourists' stories about their experiences, I was nervous about going deep into the mines...but I must cowboy up!
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Born again carnivore
Saturday, July 3rd
Today we woke up early to watch the Germany-Argentina world cup game. The five of us went to a German cafe to watch the game and root for Germany. If you watched the game, you'll know that Germany won 4-0. As soon as they won all the German fans, instead of jumping up and down and cheering, got up grabbed their nation's flag and marched the streets. After the game, we went for lunch. We went to a Dutch restaurant and I tried something for the first time ever - Dutch meatball sandwich. It was amazing! Oh yeah...btw...I've eaten steak, meat, pork, and alpaca since I've been here and I haven't eaten any of those for about 20 years. The alpaca actually tasted pretty good. The steak...not so much.
After lunch Sophia, Ville and I walked around town and went to a cemetary at the edge of the city. The cemetary was like no other I've ever seen before. It had huge moseliems, tombs and "flats" for the deceased. It was tragically beautiful. After meandering around the cemetary, we headed back into town and the five of us had dinner together. Dinner turned into cocktails and cocktails turned into dancing the night away.
Today we woke up early to watch the Germany-Argentina world cup game. The five of us went to a German cafe to watch the game and root for Germany. If you watched the game, you'll know that Germany won 4-0. As soon as they won all the German fans, instead of jumping up and down and cheering, got up grabbed their nation's flag and marched the streets. After the game, we went for lunch. We went to a Dutch restaurant and I tried something for the first time ever - Dutch meatball sandwich. It was amazing! Oh yeah...btw...I've eaten steak, meat, pork, and alpaca since I've been here and I haven't eaten any of those for about 20 years. The alpaca actually tasted pretty good. The steak...not so much.
After lunch Sophia, Ville and I walked around town and went to a cemetary at the edge of the city. The cemetary was like no other I've ever seen before. It had huge moseliems, tombs and "flats" for the deceased. It was tragically beautiful. After meandering around the cemetary, we headed back into town and the five of us had dinner together. Dinner turned into cocktails and cocktails turned into dancing the night away.
Celebrate good times...come on!
Friday, July 2nd
After a long and restless night aboard a 12 hour bus ride we (Sophia, Ville, Willem, Jos, and myself) arrived in the beautiful city of sucre. The city is stunning filled with whitewashed buildings. You can see the Spanish colonial influence in many of the churches, universities, and governmental buildings. Although La Paz is the de facto capital of Bolivia, Sucre remains the constitutional/judicial capital. Walking around the city, you can tell the locals are proud and care for their city. Sucre is very clean and well maintained. All the buildings looked like they just got a fresh coat of white paint. Sucre sits in a valley surrounded by 360 degrees of mountains.
We checked into our hostel and grabbed a bite to eat while we watched the Holand-Brazil world cup game. We decided to seek out a Dutch cafe to wath the game. My two Dutch friends, Willem and Jos, we dressed in head to toe Holand colors to root for their home team. If you watched the game you'll know that Holand won 2-1. The bar was filled with only Dutch fans and they went bonkers over the victory, dancing and singing.
After the game, Willem and Jos stayed to continue celebrating while Sophia, Ville and I walked all around th city taking in all the sites. We hiked up to a mirador and ate at a cafe that overlooked the whole city. It was absolutely beautiful. We met up with the Dutch boys a few hours later and they were wasted...so we called it an early night.
After a long and restless night aboard a 12 hour bus ride we (Sophia, Ville, Willem, Jos, and myself) arrived in the beautiful city of sucre. The city is stunning filled with whitewashed buildings. You can see the Spanish colonial influence in many of the churches, universities, and governmental buildings. Although La Paz is the de facto capital of Bolivia, Sucre remains the constitutional/judicial capital. Walking around the city, you can tell the locals are proud and care for their city. Sucre is very clean and well maintained. All the buildings looked like they just got a fresh coat of white paint. Sucre sits in a valley surrounded by 360 degrees of mountains.
We checked into our hostel and grabbed a bite to eat while we watched the Holand-Brazil world cup game. We decided to seek out a Dutch cafe to wath the game. My two Dutch friends, Willem and Jos, we dressed in head to toe Holand colors to root for their home team. If you watched the game you'll know that Holand won 2-1. The bar was filled with only Dutch fans and they went bonkers over the victory, dancing and singing.
After the game, Willem and Jos stayed to continue celebrating while Sophia, Ville and I walked all around th city taking in all the sites. We hiked up to a mirador and ate at a cafe that overlooked the whole city. It was absolutely beautiful. We met up with the Dutch boys a few hours later and they were wasted...so we called it an early night.
Friday, July 2, 2010
super market sweep tour of La Paz
Thursday, July 1st
We woke up very early today to fly back to la Paz. Our flight was a piece of cake. We walked around la Paz all day - saw some sights, got our shop on, and took a trip to the sauna. I wasn't too impressed with La Paz as a capital city. I found it rather dirty and polluted. The people, however, we very kind and helpful. While we were shopping, I ran into 2 girls (fay and Jodi) that I befriended on the boat going to the floating islands in puno (about a week earlier). It was a nice treat to run into them. Overall, it was a mellow day. Tonight, we were going to take a 12 hour bus ride to our next destination - the beautiful white city of Sucre.
We woke up very early today to fly back to la Paz. Our flight was a piece of cake. We walked around la Paz all day - saw some sights, got our shop on, and took a trip to the sauna. I wasn't too impressed with La Paz as a capital city. I found it rather dirty and polluted. The people, however, we very kind and helpful. While we were shopping, I ran into 2 girls (fay and Jodi) that I befriended on the boat going to the floating islands in puno (about a week earlier). It was a nice treat to run into them. Overall, it was a mellow day. Tonight, we were going to take a 12 hour bus ride to our next destination - the beautiful white city of Sucre.
River dolphins
Wednesday, June 30th
Today our only planned adventure is to swim with the river dolphins - a.k.a boto dolphins. I was sooo jazzed for this activity. Honestly, I didn't care if I swam with them or not...I just wanted to see the mysterious and perplexing pink dolphin.
We set out for a swimming hole where they frequent. When we arrived at the bend on the river I saw a group of tourists standing around an alligator. Two of them were poking at the gator with a stick in its face and taunting it with a fish. I got so fired up at this ridiculousness that I stood up and said something. I yelled at the tourists and told them that they were making bad choices and being irresponsible jerks. My guide thanked me for saying something to the other tourists. He said that their guide told them to stop doing that but they wouldn't listen to him. After that ordeal, my group and I decided to go elsewhere to find the dolphins an get away from the stupid and disrespectful tourists. We found another vacant spot upriver and jumped in. At this point, this was probably the craziest thing I've ever done. I jumped head first into the river KNOWING that sitting on the banks are alligators, caymans; and accompanying me in the water are different species of pirannahas. Luckily, I still have all essential toes, fingers, and body parts. We did spot 2 dolphins but they we not near us when I was in the murky amazonian river. After the swimming, we ate lunch and travelled 2 hours upriver back to the main launching site - to return back to the town of ruennebacke. I was sad to leave the jungle behind, but I was more than satified with my experience. I believe that I am very lucky to have had spent my time there with such amazing people. We hopped back into the dusty buckin bronco of a truck for the 3 hour ride back into town. When we arrived we had a fantabulous fish dinner and prepared ourselves for our returrn voyage back to la Paz.
Today our only planned adventure is to swim with the river dolphins - a.k.a boto dolphins. I was sooo jazzed for this activity. Honestly, I didn't care if I swam with them or not...I just wanted to see the mysterious and perplexing pink dolphin.
We set out for a swimming hole where they frequent. When we arrived at the bend on the river I saw a group of tourists standing around an alligator. Two of them were poking at the gator with a stick in its face and taunting it with a fish. I got so fired up at this ridiculousness that I stood up and said something. I yelled at the tourists and told them that they were making bad choices and being irresponsible jerks. My guide thanked me for saying something to the other tourists. He said that their guide told them to stop doing that but they wouldn't listen to him. After that ordeal, my group and I decided to go elsewhere to find the dolphins an get away from the stupid and disrespectful tourists. We found another vacant spot upriver and jumped in. At this point, this was probably the craziest thing I've ever done. I jumped head first into the river KNOWING that sitting on the banks are alligators, caymans; and accompanying me in the water are different species of pirannahas. Luckily, I still have all essential toes, fingers, and body parts. We did spot 2 dolphins but they we not near us when I was in the murky amazonian river. After the swimming, we ate lunch and travelled 2 hours upriver back to the main launching site - to return back to the town of ruennebacke. I was sad to leave the jungle behind, but I was more than satified with my experience. I believe that I am very lucky to have had spent my time there with such amazing people. We hopped back into the dusty buckin bronco of a truck for the 3 hour ride back into town. When we arrived we had a fantabulous fish dinner and prepared ourselves for our returrn voyage back to la Paz.
Mud and mayo
Tuesday, June 29th
I had the best night of sleep on my trip so far. I slept all night without a second of interruption. I woke up this morning to breakfast being ready. Today we have a few things on our agenda. One - to search for an anaconda in the swamps. Two - to go searching and fishing for pirranahas. Three - to spot a river dolphin, a.k.a boto.
We ate our delishous breakfast and was off like a prom dress. We were all given rubber rain boots to wear for trudging around in the swamps. I, however, was not given a pair since they didn't have children's sizes. The smallest size they had was a 39 which is a 9 in American sizes...so...no bueno for me! Instead I just wore my hiking boots and some sweats and set out for my adventure. We hiked for about an hour through tall grass (it was grown to heights above my head) to get to the swamp. When we started trekking through the swamp I had no idea what I had signed up for. When the adventure tour company said we'd be looking for anacondas, I convienently forgot that they live in knee deep murky swamps. So, within 5 minutes of sloshing my way through the mud I got stuck and fell in. Mind you...all the other members of my group are wearing knee high rain boots and aren't muddy at all. All I could do at this point was laugh at the situation and say "fuck it...it is what it is!" We waded through the mud for another hour or so in search of the mighty anaconda. We found one such snake but it was a juvenile...nonetheless it was an anaconda. Also, I must add that the festering muddy water we were trudging through also housed alligators and caymans. Real smart... right? We searched for the anacondas for about 4 hours and only saw that one juvenile. We took a break for lunch and then we got ready to fish for pirannahas. We set out on the boat again in search of the nasty tempered lil fishy fish. We fished for a few hours and caught a few types of pirannahas. They were beautiful fish with dentition that could do some serious damage. We immediately released the fish after we caught them. No pirannahas for din din. After the fishing we went to a recreational field where hoards of tourists and locals alik were playing soccer and volleyball. My group and I enjoyed a tasty beverage while watching the sun go down. As the night was approaching all the tourists started to head back to their designated jungle lodges. We left the fields when it was pitch black dark out. We then floated down the river in the darkness with the stars as only navigable guide home. You could actually see the tail of the milky way galaxy. It was absolutely amazing and (sadly) very romantic. When we turned on a flashlight and shined it on the riverbank you could see all the hundreds of eyes glowing in the darkness straing back at you. They were the eyes of all the alligators and caymans sitting on the beach. It was quite a sight to see. It was the perfect ending to an exhilarating day. That night we had a fun communial dinner together and played some interesting games that involved mayonnaise ending up in places it does not belong.
I had the best night of sleep on my trip so far. I slept all night without a second of interruption. I woke up this morning to breakfast being ready. Today we have a few things on our agenda. One - to search for an anaconda in the swamps. Two - to go searching and fishing for pirranahas. Three - to spot a river dolphin, a.k.a boto.
We ate our delishous breakfast and was off like a prom dress. We were all given rubber rain boots to wear for trudging around in the swamps. I, however, was not given a pair since they didn't have children's sizes. The smallest size they had was a 39 which is a 9 in American sizes...so...no bueno for me! Instead I just wore my hiking boots and some sweats and set out for my adventure. We hiked for about an hour through tall grass (it was grown to heights above my head) to get to the swamp. When we started trekking through the swamp I had no idea what I had signed up for. When the adventure tour company said we'd be looking for anacondas, I convienently forgot that they live in knee deep murky swamps. So, within 5 minutes of sloshing my way through the mud I got stuck and fell in. Mind you...all the other members of my group are wearing knee high rain boots and aren't muddy at all. All I could do at this point was laugh at the situation and say "fuck it...it is what it is!" We waded through the mud for another hour or so in search of the mighty anaconda. We found one such snake but it was a juvenile...nonetheless it was an anaconda. Also, I must add that the festering muddy water we were trudging through also housed alligators and caymans. Real smart... right? We searched for the anacondas for about 4 hours and only saw that one juvenile. We took a break for lunch and then we got ready to fish for pirannahas. We set out on the boat again in search of the nasty tempered lil fishy fish. We fished for a few hours and caught a few types of pirannahas. They were beautiful fish with dentition that could do some serious damage. We immediately released the fish after we caught them. No pirannahas for din din. After the fishing we went to a recreational field where hoards of tourists and locals alik were playing soccer and volleyball. My group and I enjoyed a tasty beverage while watching the sun go down. As the night was approaching all the tourists started to head back to their designated jungle lodges. We left the fields when it was pitch black dark out. We then floated down the river in the darkness with the stars as only navigable guide home. You could actually see the tail of the milky way galaxy. It was absolutely amazing and (sadly) very romantic. When we turned on a flashlight and shined it on the riverbank you could see all the hundreds of eyes glowing in the darkness straing back at you. They were the eyes of all the alligators and caymans sitting on the beach. It was quite a sight to see. It was the perfect ending to an exhilarating day. That night we had a fun communial dinner together and played some interesting games that involved mayonnaise ending up in places it does not belong.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Welcome to the jungle
Monday, June 28th
Today the fabulous five (Sophie, Willem, Jos, Ville, and myself) were off to the jungles of Bolivia. Along the way we picked up 3 German's (Melissa, Sandy and Felix) at the airport. Then we had a 3 hour car ride to the river followed by a 3 hour pamapas ride down the river into the heart of the jungle where we would sleep and spend all of our time. The car ride was expectedly bumpy like a buckin bronco. When we arrived at the river it looked exactly as I would picture it. The river was a browish-muddy color and the trees lining the river were various shades of green. The pampas were long narrow boats that sat eight people and when afloat barely rested above the surface of the water. It was a beautifully sunny day for our journey down the river. Within a few minutes of chugging downriver we saw caiymans, alligators, capyabaras, and numerous birds species. If you have seen the movie apocalypse now, you have seen the jungle I have just been floating through. The river was teeming with wildlife and beauty. After about 2 hours down river we came across a family of capuchin monkeys - there were about 20 of them. They were adorable and we got amazingly close to them. In fact, at one point a monkey jumped into into boat and walked on my head. I had no idea it was a monkey until I saw it jump back into the tree. After the monkeys we continued down river and arrived at our lodge.
The lodge is built on the river bank and is built about three and a half feet off the ground so you won't get bit by a gator. The entire logde is made of wood, tin roofs, and mosquito nets for windows. It's amazing! When we arrived we saw howler monkeys in the trees surrounding the hostel and then sun was just starting to go down.
The sunset here was unbelieveable! As the sun went down it turned neon orange and you could stare right into it. Then the sky and sun turned a orangish-pinkish color.
After the sunset, we ate a great familial meal. I then taught the fabulous five and our new German friends how to play shithead. So, we played some cards, drank some booze, and had some good laughs. It feels good to be a gangsta!
Today the fabulous five (Sophie, Willem, Jos, Ville, and myself) were off to the jungles of Bolivia. Along the way we picked up 3 German's (Melissa, Sandy and Felix) at the airport. Then we had a 3 hour car ride to the river followed by a 3 hour pamapas ride down the river into the heart of the jungle where we would sleep and spend all of our time. The car ride was expectedly bumpy like a buckin bronco. When we arrived at the river it looked exactly as I would picture it. The river was a browish-muddy color and the trees lining the river were various shades of green. The pampas were long narrow boats that sat eight people and when afloat barely rested above the surface of the water. It was a beautifully sunny day for our journey down the river. Within a few minutes of chugging downriver we saw caiymans, alligators, capyabaras, and numerous birds species. If you have seen the movie apocalypse now, you have seen the jungle I have just been floating through. The river was teeming with wildlife and beauty. After about 2 hours down river we came across a family of capuchin monkeys - there were about 20 of them. They were adorable and we got amazingly close to them. In fact, at one point a monkey jumped into into boat and walked on my head. I had no idea it was a monkey until I saw it jump back into the tree. After the monkeys we continued down river and arrived at our lodge.
The lodge is built on the river bank and is built about three and a half feet off the ground so you won't get bit by a gator. The entire logde is made of wood, tin roofs, and mosquito nets for windows. It's amazing! When we arrived we saw howler monkeys in the trees surrounding the hostel and then sun was just starting to go down.
The sunset here was unbelieveable! As the sun went down it turned neon orange and you could stare right into it. Then the sky and sun turned a orangish-pinkish color.
After the sunset, we ate a great familial meal. I then taught the fabulous five and our new German friends how to play shithead. So, we played some cards, drank some booze, and had some good laughs. It feels good to be a gangsta!
Go fish!
Sunday, June 27th
Sophie and I took a flight from la Paz to rurrenebeque - amazon basin. The flight was a quick 30 min ride plus a 30 min minivan ride. This was the much more convienent and time efficient option since the other way to get there is an 18+ hour bus ride. The flight and ride was a snap. We found an amazing hostel stright away. Our hostel sits on the river that borders the jungle. The entire hostel is open air. It's made of bamboo, thatched roof and has beautiful stone arches that line the whole building. Sophie and I then went to lunch after getting settled. We had the most AMAZING fish lunch ever!!! I had a local trout roasted with garlic and herbs. Sophie had a fish soup that somewhat resembled sweet and sour cabbage soup. Both meals were incredibly edible!!! After our satisfied bellies were beyond full, we walked around town and booked an amazon jungle pampas (river boat) trip for 3 days/2 nights. Sophie also had some friends who were in town and were going to join us in the amazon - Willem (holand) Jos (holand) and Ville (Finland). It would be a great adventure! The five of us enjoyed a great dinner together and shared some great laughs. After dinner, we watched inglorious basterds in an open air "theater" with the full moon glowing bright behind the screen. If tonight is a predictor of the next few days to come...it's gonna be a good time with our new friends.
Sophie and I took a flight from la Paz to rurrenebeque - amazon basin. The flight was a quick 30 min ride plus a 30 min minivan ride. This was the much more convienent and time efficient option since the other way to get there is an 18+ hour bus ride. The flight and ride was a snap. We found an amazing hostel stright away. Our hostel sits on the river that borders the jungle. The entire hostel is open air. It's made of bamboo, thatched roof and has beautiful stone arches that line the whole building. Sophie and I then went to lunch after getting settled. We had the most AMAZING fish lunch ever!!! I had a local trout roasted with garlic and herbs. Sophie had a fish soup that somewhat resembled sweet and sour cabbage soup. Both meals were incredibly edible!!! After our satisfied bellies were beyond full, we walked around town and booked an amazon jungle pampas (river boat) trip for 3 days/2 nights. Sophie also had some friends who were in town and were going to join us in the amazon - Willem (holand) Jos (holand) and Ville (Finland). It would be a great adventure! The five of us enjoyed a great dinner together and shared some great laughs. After dinner, we watched inglorious basterds in an open air "theater" with the full moon glowing bright behind the screen. If tonight is a predictor of the next few days to come...it's gonna be a good time with our new friends.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Island in the sun
Saturday, June 26th
This morning we took a very chilly 2 hour boat ride to isla del sol. We arrived on the island and the sun was shining bright and it glistened off the deep blue water. The five of us hiked all around the island. The hike itself was not that difficult nor that challenging, but the altitude and the thin air was a killer! If you had heard me breathing, you would have thought I was asthmatic. The vistas from the island were amazing! We stopped in the middle of the island along a beautiful sandy beach and ate lunch - cheese sandwiches! After lunch Vicki, Kate, and I hiked on to the south end of the island. The island smelled like eucalyptus trees and sea air. It was lovely. The only thing that tainted the experience was all the little Bolivian kids begging for money. In the afternoon, I hopped on the boat back to copacabana alone to continue my journey to La Paz -the highest capital city in the world - and to meet up with my buddy Sophie whom I had befriended in Lima. The bus ride to La Paz was pretty painless although it took longer than expected. When I arrived into La Paz it was freeeeeezzzzing!!! I met Sophie at the hostel. We went for dinner and planned our next adventure. And so it goes- we will head north to the amazon to do a 4 day jungle trek
This morning we took a very chilly 2 hour boat ride to isla del sol. We arrived on the island and the sun was shining bright and it glistened off the deep blue water. The five of us hiked all around the island. The hike itself was not that difficult nor that challenging, but the altitude and the thin air was a killer! If you had heard me breathing, you would have thought I was asthmatic. The vistas from the island were amazing! We stopped in the middle of the island along a beautiful sandy beach and ate lunch - cheese sandwiches! After lunch Vicki, Kate, and I hiked on to the south end of the island. The island smelled like eucalyptus trees and sea air. It was lovely. The only thing that tainted the experience was all the little Bolivian kids begging for money. In the afternoon, I hopped on the boat back to copacabana alone to continue my journey to La Paz -the highest capital city in the world - and to meet up with my buddy Sophie whom I had befriended in Lima. The bus ride to La Paz was pretty painless although it took longer than expected. When I arrived into La Paz it was freeeeeezzzzing!!! I met Sophie at the hostel. We went for dinner and planned our next adventure. And so it goes- we will head north to the amazon to do a 4 day jungle trek
Pay up...suckah!
Friday, June 25th
Today, my new friends (Vicki, Kate, Reto and Richard) and I were off to cross into Bolivia. Sadly, I was the only one (only u.s.) that had to pay the $135 fee for an entry visa (thank you president bush!). Besides paying the fee, the border crossing was a snap. Copacabana is beautiful...way better than puno - Peruvian side of lake titicaca! We walked around town, enjoyed the sites, watched some world cup and cooked a communical family dinner at a hotel that we weren't even staying in.
When we arrived into town, the 5 of us tried to book a room at this amazing hostel that sat up on a hill that overlooked the lake. Sadly, that hostel was completely full. We befriended the owner, Matthew, and he offered us his kitchen to use, hammocks to lay in, and hot tub to relax in. We took him up on the kitchen offer. As a group, we cooked a glorious chicken curry dinner with lots a tasty white wine. We had tons of laughs and great fun! Tomorrow, we will visit and hike isla del sol - a small island in the middle of the lake.
Today, my new friends (Vicki, Kate, Reto and Richard) and I were off to cross into Bolivia. Sadly, I was the only one (only u.s.) that had to pay the $135 fee for an entry visa (thank you president bush!). Besides paying the fee, the border crossing was a snap. Copacabana is beautiful...way better than puno - Peruvian side of lake titicaca! We walked around town, enjoyed the sites, watched some world cup and cooked a communical family dinner at a hotel that we weren't even staying in.
When we arrived into town, the 5 of us tried to book a room at this amazing hostel that sat up on a hill that overlooked the lake. Sadly, that hostel was completely full. We befriended the owner, Matthew, and he offered us his kitchen to use, hammocks to lay in, and hot tub to relax in. We took him up on the kitchen offer. As a group, we cooked a glorious chicken curry dinner with lots a tasty white wine. We had tons of laughs and great fun! Tomorrow, we will visit and hike isla del sol - a small island in the middle of the lake.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Reeds, reeds, and more reeds
Thursday, June 24th
Today I was off to visit two very different types of islands in lake titicaca. The first stop was to these islands called the Uros islands - a.k.a the floating islands. There were about 50 islands where the native indigenous peruvians lived on. These man-made islands were made of layers and layers of reeds. The natives took pieces of floating land and tied them together using strong ropes and then packed layers upon layers of reeds on top of the soil. They then anchor the islands in place with sting ropes so the current won't blow them away to the Bolivian side of the lake. The islands themselves were quite facinating. The islands are about 19 meters thick and only a few hundred meters long. The largest island contains 5 families but most contain about 2 or 3. Each island has a president and there is a mayor of all the islands that gets voted into power. There are about 2,000 people that live on these islands and they live their entire lives on these islands. They don't use currency to get things on the mainland, instead they trade the fish they catch for thing they need. It's a truly fascinating culture. They also speak their own native Incan dialect. When we arrived on the islands, the local Incan woman greeted us with song and huge gracious smiles. They were dressed in traditional costume which consisted of a large wool poodle-like skirt, a brightly colored bolero jacket, a knitted hat and woven tassles in their hair. They invited us into their home and dressed us in their local garb. The homes were beautifully constructed of bamboo like wood and thatched roofs. The home was literally a matrimonial bed and some hooks in the wall for their clothes. Basically, it was the size of a new york city apartment. The girl, Karina, who invited us into her home was only 17years old. Karina was the wife of the president of the island and already had one daughter. I bought a handmade handicraft from her that took her a week to create.
After the floating islands, we headed to another island called Taquile where there resided another idigenous group of Peruvian Incan tribe. This island was not man-made, nor made of reeds. It was however, solely inhabited by the indigenous community. This community of people had lots of rules and regulations about how they live their life. It was very interesting to see...but way too many rules for me. ;)
Later that night, my bunkmates and my new buddies from the boat - Reto and Richard (both Swiss) all went out to dinner and danced the night away! Tomorrow we will all head to copacabana - the Bolivian side of lake titicaca.
Today I was off to visit two very different types of islands in lake titicaca. The first stop was to these islands called the Uros islands - a.k.a the floating islands. There were about 50 islands where the native indigenous peruvians lived on. These man-made islands were made of layers and layers of reeds. The natives took pieces of floating land and tied them together using strong ropes and then packed layers upon layers of reeds on top of the soil. They then anchor the islands in place with sting ropes so the current won't blow them away to the Bolivian side of the lake. The islands themselves were quite facinating. The islands are about 19 meters thick and only a few hundred meters long. The largest island contains 5 families but most contain about 2 or 3. Each island has a president and there is a mayor of all the islands that gets voted into power. There are about 2,000 people that live on these islands and they live their entire lives on these islands. They don't use currency to get things on the mainland, instead they trade the fish they catch for thing they need. It's a truly fascinating culture. They also speak their own native Incan dialect. When we arrived on the islands, the local Incan woman greeted us with song and huge gracious smiles. They were dressed in traditional costume which consisted of a large wool poodle-like skirt, a brightly colored bolero jacket, a knitted hat and woven tassles in their hair. They invited us into their home and dressed us in their local garb. The homes were beautifully constructed of bamboo like wood and thatched roofs. The home was literally a matrimonial bed and some hooks in the wall for their clothes. Basically, it was the size of a new york city apartment. The girl, Karina, who invited us into her home was only 17years old. Karina was the wife of the president of the island and already had one daughter. I bought a handmade handicraft from her that took her a week to create.
After the floating islands, we headed to another island called Taquile where there resided another idigenous group of Peruvian Incan tribe. This island was not man-made, nor made of reeds. It was however, solely inhabited by the indigenous community. This community of people had lots of rules and regulations about how they live their life. It was very interesting to see...but way too many rules for me. ;)
Later that night, my bunkmates and my new buddies from the boat - Reto and Richard (both Swiss) all went out to dinner and danced the night away! Tomorrow we will all head to copacabana - the Bolivian side of lake titicaca.
Llamas in the luggage compartment
Wednesday, June 23rd
The family all woke up early to catch the first bus out of cabanaconde to head to our various destinations. The Belgium couple were headed towards macchu picchu, the colombian was headed to huacachina, and I was off to the largest and highest alpine lake in the world. We rode the bus together for a few hours. On the bus ride, Daniel gave me a plethora of fantastic reccommedations for places to visit and stay in Bolivia and Colombia. A few hours into the bus ride, the bus made a 10 minute stop-over in a small town. I disembarked the bus for a quick pee break. As I walked out of the service station, I saw a woman loading 2 young llamas in the luggage compartment underneath the bus. My reaction was "no way!" The woman just picked up the llamas like they were housecats and stuck em in with the luggage. The llamas just layed on down amongst the boxes and suitcases and just kicked it like it was no big thing. It was a crazy sight to see. After about another hour or so I had to hop off the bus alone in the middle of nowhere to flag down another bus to get to my next destination - puno, lake titicaca. I was sad to leave my "family" behind. The next bus I caught, I sat on the floor for about an hour and then i was moved to sit (literally) next to the bus driver for the remainder of the trip. I arrived into lake titicaca at night so I couldn't see the lake yet. I checked into the hostel, had the most amazing roasted chicken dinner (in my life!!!), and made new buddies with my bunk mates - Vicki from London and kate from Scotland. Tomorrow, I will take a boat tour around the lake to visit the indigenous islands.
The family all woke up early to catch the first bus out of cabanaconde to head to our various destinations. The Belgium couple were headed towards macchu picchu, the colombian was headed to huacachina, and I was off to the largest and highest alpine lake in the world. We rode the bus together for a few hours. On the bus ride, Daniel gave me a plethora of fantastic reccommedations for places to visit and stay in Bolivia and Colombia. A few hours into the bus ride, the bus made a 10 minute stop-over in a small town. I disembarked the bus for a quick pee break. As I walked out of the service station, I saw a woman loading 2 young llamas in the luggage compartment underneath the bus. My reaction was "no way!" The woman just picked up the llamas like they were housecats and stuck em in with the luggage. The llamas just layed on down amongst the boxes and suitcases and just kicked it like it was no big thing. It was a crazy sight to see. After about another hour or so I had to hop off the bus alone in the middle of nowhere to flag down another bus to get to my next destination - puno, lake titicaca. I was sad to leave my "family" behind. The next bus I caught, I sat on the floor for about an hour and then i was moved to sit (literally) next to the bus driver for the remainder of the trip. I arrived into lake titicaca at night so I couldn't see the lake yet. I checked into the hostel, had the most amazing roasted chicken dinner (in my life!!!), and made new buddies with my bunk mates - Vicki from London and kate from Scotland. Tomorrow, I will take a boat tour around the lake to visit the indigenous islands.
A bumpy ride
Tuesday, June 22nd
We woke up early to do our ascend up the mountain. We decided to hike a quarter of the way up and then we'd take a local truck the rest of the way. The hike was beautiful. We walked alongside the river for the most part and weaved in and out through the local people's land. Once we finished our hike we boarded a pick-up truck bed with only locals. The locals had all brought various fruits and veggies that they had grown on their land to sell to the major town nearby. The truck was so packed that we were all sitting on top of beer crates or grain sacks. Everytime the truck stopped and picked someone else up, all the locals aboard would start yelling at the driver that we were full and no one else could fit. Did that stop them. Hells no!!! At one point my buddy, Michael was handed a giant bushel of grains (probably weighed 20 lbs) and held it in his lap for the remainder of the ride. He was a good sport and a trooper. At the end of the ride, he turned to the local peruvian woman and jokingly asking her for 5 soles for holding her stuff. The whole truck giggled. We were the only non-Peruvians aboard. It was quite an adventurous, squished, bumpy and dusty 3 hour ride...but well worth it! When we arrive back into cabanaconde we just relaxed and watched a world cup game. Tonight we had a fantastic meal at our favorite pizza place. I was sad knowing that I would have to part ways with my friends (we called each other "the family") tomorrow; who I have gotten to know so well and throughly enjoyed their company. But alas...I must keep a trekking on... Tomorrow I will head solo to lake titicaca.
We woke up early to do our ascend up the mountain. We decided to hike a quarter of the way up and then we'd take a local truck the rest of the way. The hike was beautiful. We walked alongside the river for the most part and weaved in and out through the local people's land. Once we finished our hike we boarded a pick-up truck bed with only locals. The locals had all brought various fruits and veggies that they had grown on their land to sell to the major town nearby. The truck was so packed that we were all sitting on top of beer crates or grain sacks. Everytime the truck stopped and picked someone else up, all the locals aboard would start yelling at the driver that we were full and no one else could fit. Did that stop them. Hells no!!! At one point my buddy, Michael was handed a giant bushel of grains (probably weighed 20 lbs) and held it in his lap for the remainder of the ride. He was a good sport and a trooper. At the end of the ride, he turned to the local peruvian woman and jokingly asking her for 5 soles for holding her stuff. The whole truck giggled. We were the only non-Peruvians aboard. It was quite an adventurous, squished, bumpy and dusty 3 hour ride...but well worth it! When we arrive back into cabanaconde we just relaxed and watched a world cup game. Tonight we had a fantastic meal at our favorite pizza place. I was sad knowing that I would have to part ways with my friends (we called each other "the family") tomorrow; who I have gotten to know so well and throughly enjoyed their company. But alas...I must keep a trekking on... Tomorrow I will head solo to lake titicaca.
Trying so hard to leave...
Monday, June 21st
So, we have been camped out in the canyon for a few days now. Each day that goes by makes it harder and harder to leave. Since we've been at the bottom of the canyon... I've gone (very briefly) swimming in the freezing river, made an attempt at fishing for trout with a very basic round net with weights on the end, spotted some condors carrying a snake in their talons, played some shithead (card game), taken in some sun- rays, had some amazing conversations, met some new travellers, sat in the hot springs for hours on end, had a grand campfire with a delicious midnight swim, ate some incredible Peruvian food, and got a proper photography lesson from mr. Colombia (the photography extrordinare). Overall, the colca de canyon experience was delightful and refreshing. We've decided to hike back up to reality tomorrow and continue our journey throughout Peru.
So, we have been camped out in the canyon for a few days now. Each day that goes by makes it harder and harder to leave. Since we've been at the bottom of the canyon... I've gone (very briefly) swimming in the freezing river, made an attempt at fishing for trout with a very basic round net with weights on the end, spotted some condors carrying a snake in their talons, played some shithead (card game), taken in some sun- rays, had some amazing conversations, met some new travellers, sat in the hot springs for hours on end, had a grand campfire with a delicious midnight swim, ate some incredible Peruvian food, and got a proper photography lesson from mr. Colombia (the photography extrordinare). Overall, the colca de canyon experience was delightful and refreshing. We've decided to hike back up to reality tomorrow and continue our journey throughout Peru.
Down under
Thursday, June 17th
Today was our first day of our adventurous hike down into one of the deepest canyons in the world. We decided to hike the canyon by ourselves - Michael, Margreet, Daniel, and myself. The hike is a downhill windy trail of switchbacks along the edge of the mountain. We would decend about 9000 feet in one afternoon. The day was perfectly sunny and slightly breezy. It was a good day for a hike. When we started off on the trail we got to the edge of the mountain and looked down and saw a tiny narrow trail that looked almost impossible yo do on our own. As it turns out, we had gone completely the wrong way. luckily we realized this before we started our desent. We asked a local Peruvian for directions and were off to start our hike...finally in the right direction. The hike was trecherous only because I hadn't broken in my hiking boots yet. That was a BAD idea! The view was incredible. The mountains are rocky and sandy colored with splashes of eucalypus trees, green brush and cactii dotted all over. Along the trail we passed some Peruvians walking back to the town with their donkeys in tow carrying heavy loads. As we desended you could hear the roar of the river below. It was quite mediatative. After 4 1/2 hours of hiking we arrived at our destination. A tiny village called llahuar. When I say village, it was literally 2 hostels made of bamboo and mud bricks on the edge of the moutain overlooking the roaring river below. Basically, it was heaven. The hostel that we stayed in was called llahuar lodge and was owned by the sweetest Peruvian couple - Yola and Ronco. Yola reminded me of someone who could be your grandmother and tells you the best stories. She greeted us with a huge smile and wore a beautiful typical Peruvian embroidered hat. She also has a laugh that touches your heart and you can't help but smile when you hear it. Our plan was to stay there for a night or two and then we'd continue hiking to another part of the canyon. The hostel not only had the most magnificent view of the canyon but it had 3 natural hot spring pools (with varying temperatures) that sat above the roaring river. We will see how long we'll last for...
Today was our first day of our adventurous hike down into one of the deepest canyons in the world. We decided to hike the canyon by ourselves - Michael, Margreet, Daniel, and myself. The hike is a downhill windy trail of switchbacks along the edge of the mountain. We would decend about 9000 feet in one afternoon. The day was perfectly sunny and slightly breezy. It was a good day for a hike. When we started off on the trail we got to the edge of the mountain and looked down and saw a tiny narrow trail that looked almost impossible yo do on our own. As it turns out, we had gone completely the wrong way. luckily we realized this before we started our desent. We asked a local Peruvian for directions and were off to start our hike...finally in the right direction. The hike was trecherous only because I hadn't broken in my hiking boots yet. That was a BAD idea! The view was incredible. The mountains are rocky and sandy colored with splashes of eucalypus trees, green brush and cactii dotted all over. Along the trail we passed some Peruvians walking back to the town with their donkeys in tow carrying heavy loads. As we desended you could hear the roar of the river below. It was quite mediatative. After 4 1/2 hours of hiking we arrived at our destination. A tiny village called llahuar. When I say village, it was literally 2 hostels made of bamboo and mud bricks on the edge of the moutain overlooking the roaring river below. Basically, it was heaven. The hostel that we stayed in was called llahuar lodge and was owned by the sweetest Peruvian couple - Yola and Ronco. Yola reminded me of someone who could be your grandmother and tells you the best stories. She greeted us with a huge smile and wore a beautiful typical Peruvian embroidered hat. She also has a laugh that touches your heart and you can't help but smile when you hear it. Our plan was to stay there for a night or two and then we'd continue hiking to another part of the canyon. The hostel not only had the most magnificent view of the canyon but it had 3 natural hot spring pools (with varying temperatures) that sat above the roaring river. We will see how long we'll last for...
Octopii t-shirt
June 17th
The Belgium couple and I travelled to a very small town called cabanaconde. It's a town that sits near the edge of the colca canyon. It's a quite little dirt town with an old church in the middle. Today I made more friends along my journey. We ended up befriending 2 Americans from California, a dutch boy, and a cute Colombian guy. I noticed mr. Colombia in the bus station because he was wearinG an octopus t-shirt that I had seen 2 other travellers wearing (in different parts of peru) in the last week. I complimented him on the t-shirt and before you know it, he was part of our travelling family. As we were talking I learned that he lived and studied English in New York city and Amherst. So we started swapping stories of our favorite New England spots.
Upon arrival into cabanaconde, we all decided to stay in the same hostel and have a big communial pizza dinner. It was great fun.
Tomorrow we will desend about 4 hours into one of the deepest canyons in the world. It will be an experience that won't be forgotten.
The Belgium couple and I travelled to a very small town called cabanaconde. It's a town that sits near the edge of the colca canyon. It's a quite little dirt town with an old church in the middle. Today I made more friends along my journey. We ended up befriending 2 Americans from California, a dutch boy, and a cute Colombian guy. I noticed mr. Colombia in the bus station because he was wearinG an octopus t-shirt that I had seen 2 other travellers wearing (in different parts of peru) in the last week. I complimented him on the t-shirt and before you know it, he was part of our travelling family. As we were talking I learned that he lived and studied English in New York city and Amherst. So we started swapping stories of our favorite New England spots.
Upon arrival into cabanaconde, we all decided to stay in the same hostel and have a big communial pizza dinner. It was great fun.
Tomorrow we will desend about 4 hours into one of the deepest canyons in the world. It will be an experience that won't be forgotten.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Maxin and relaxin!
June 16th
Today, I am still enjoying the sites and sounds of Arequipa. I wandered into a giant mercado where the locals sell their freshest fruits, vegies, meats and fish. I saw so many fruits and vegetables that I've never seen before. I saw a strange fruit, about the size of a kiwi, that was white with purple stripes on it. I saw corn on the cob that was as black as the night. I tried a few fruits and have discovered that I have some new favorites - guanabana and chirimoya. Both these fruits are green and tough on the outside like the skin of an avocado but on the inside...they taste like a mango and pineapple made sweet sweet love!
After the mercado, I meandered around the city. It was a pretty chill day. Tomorrow, I will travel on a bus to a small village that sits on the edge of the deepest canyon in the world.
Today, I am still enjoying the sites and sounds of Arequipa. I wandered into a giant mercado where the locals sell their freshest fruits, vegies, meats and fish. I saw so many fruits and vegetables that I've never seen before. I saw a strange fruit, about the size of a kiwi, that was white with purple stripes on it. I saw corn on the cob that was as black as the night. I tried a few fruits and have discovered that I have some new favorites - guanabana and chirimoya. Both these fruits are green and tough on the outside like the skin of an avocado but on the inside...they taste like a mango and pineapple made sweet sweet love!
After the mercado, I meandered around the city. It was a pretty chill day. Tomorrow, I will travel on a bus to a small village that sits on the edge of the deepest canyon in the world.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
A city rocked by volcanoes
June 15th
We arrived in Arequipa early in the morning. The overnight (10 hour) bus ride was miserable. The journey to our destination was a treacherous windy road that zig-zaged through the mountains. I maybe slept a total of 3 hours because I kept thinking that the bus was gonna drive off the edge of the mountain at any second. Luckily, that was not the case.
Arriving into Arequipa was a breath of fresh air. The city is BEAUTIFUL! The city sits in a valley under two majestic and active volcanoes. Most of the buildings were built from a light-colored (almost greyish in color) volcanic rock that dazzles in the sunlight and the roads are made of a smooth cobblestone that is slippery to walk on. Arequipa is Peru's second largest city and hosts numerious universities, restaurants, shops, and a great nightlife scene.
Today, the plan was to take it easy. We just walked around the city exploring and admiring the beautiful Spanish colonial architecture. We ate some great ceviche (Peru is famous for their ceviche), watched some of the world cup, and saw a traditional peruvian folklore band play.
Overall...it was a good day.
We arrived in Arequipa early in the morning. The overnight (10 hour) bus ride was miserable. The journey to our destination was a treacherous windy road that zig-zaged through the mountains. I maybe slept a total of 3 hours because I kept thinking that the bus was gonna drive off the edge of the mountain at any second. Luckily, that was not the case.
Arriving into Arequipa was a breath of fresh air. The city is BEAUTIFUL! The city sits in a valley under two majestic and active volcanoes. Most of the buildings were built from a light-colored (almost greyish in color) volcanic rock that dazzles in the sunlight and the roads are made of a smooth cobblestone that is slippery to walk on. Arequipa is Peru's second largest city and hosts numerious universities, restaurants, shops, and a great nightlife scene.
Today, the plan was to take it easy. We just walked around the city exploring and admiring the beautiful Spanish colonial architecture. We ate some great ceviche (Peru is famous for their ceviche), watched some of the world cup, and saw a traditional peruvian folklore band play.
Overall...it was a good day.
Pilot in training
June 14th
Today my Belgium friends, Margreet and Michael, and I woke up early to take a morning flight over the nazca lines. We reserved a 4 seater prop plane to fly us over the awesome, mind-boggling lines. I've been on a handful of small aircraft in my day but nothing quite this tiny. The flight would be a total of 30 min and we would see dozens of lines and figures mysteriously carved into the ground below. We arrived at the airport teamed with excitment. Hopped on the plane and away we went. Now...I've never been sick on a plane ever before, but, the flight was literally 30 min of an intense rollercoaster ride - twisting back and forth up and down. I came very close to loosing it. If I had eaten breakfast before the flight I would have for sure lost it. During the rocky landing, pilot #1 (new pilot) was flying the plane and for whatever reason lost confidence and so pilot #2 took over the plane to land it. After touchdown, Pilot #2 turned to pilot #1 and said "see...it's easy!"
Despite the nausating flight, the lines were pretty amazing! You can't see the patterns at all from the ground, they are only visible from the sky (which is pretty incredible if you think about it). There are lots of rumors and hypothesizes about who, how, and why the lines got created. Still to this day no-one knows for sure. One theory is that the lines were created around 900BC to 600AD by the Nazca and Paracas indians by removing sun-darkening stones from the desert surface to expose the lighter soil below. Some believe that the lines were an astronomical calendar, ritual walkways conected to a water or fertility cult, giant running tracks, representations of dreams, or extraterrestrial landing sites. Today, archeologists are still discovering human skulls around the lines.
After our flight, we spent the rest of the day walking around nazca city. It's kinda a run down barrio but is under alot of construction to revamp and beautify the city.
Later tonight we will take a 10 bus ride to arrive in the morning at a city called Arequipa, the second largest city in Peru. It's a colonial city that sits in the valley of 2 majestic and active volcanoes.
I'm looking forward to the new city, but not excited about a 10 hour bus ride.
alas...if I must...I must!
Today my Belgium friends, Margreet and Michael, and I woke up early to take a morning flight over the nazca lines. We reserved a 4 seater prop plane to fly us over the awesome, mind-boggling lines. I've been on a handful of small aircraft in my day but nothing quite this tiny. The flight would be a total of 30 min and we would see dozens of lines and figures mysteriously carved into the ground below. We arrived at the airport teamed with excitment. Hopped on the plane and away we went. Now...I've never been sick on a plane ever before, but, the flight was literally 30 min of an intense rollercoaster ride - twisting back and forth up and down. I came very close to loosing it. If I had eaten breakfast before the flight I would have for sure lost it. During the rocky landing, pilot #1 (new pilot) was flying the plane and for whatever reason lost confidence and so pilot #2 took over the plane to land it. After touchdown, Pilot #2 turned to pilot #1 and said "see...it's easy!"
Despite the nausating flight, the lines were pretty amazing! You can't see the patterns at all from the ground, they are only visible from the sky (which is pretty incredible if you think about it). There are lots of rumors and hypothesizes about who, how, and why the lines got created. Still to this day no-one knows for sure. One theory is that the lines were created around 900BC to 600AD by the Nazca and Paracas indians by removing sun-darkening stones from the desert surface to expose the lighter soil below. Some believe that the lines were an astronomical calendar, ritual walkways conected to a water or fertility cult, giant running tracks, representations of dreams, or extraterrestrial landing sites. Today, archeologists are still discovering human skulls around the lines.
After our flight, we spent the rest of the day walking around nazca city. It's kinda a run down barrio but is under alot of construction to revamp and beautify the city.
Later tonight we will take a 10 bus ride to arrive in the morning at a city called Arequipa, the second largest city in Peru. It's a colonial city that sits in the valley of 2 majestic and active volcanoes.
I'm looking forward to the new city, but not excited about a 10 hour bus ride.
alas...if I must...I must!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Master of sand and time
Today my Belgium friends and I were to take on the dunes. We started our day off enjoying a quality breakfast at a american run hostel. The server told us that we could enter a drawing to win a case of beer after the Germany-austrailia world cup game. So I wrote my name on a paper and hoped for the best. After breakfast we paddled around the tiny lagoon in a small rowboat. Following our nautical adventure, we watched the world cup game with a bunch of Germans and helped cheer them on to their victory. After the game, the server conducted the drawing for the winner of the case of beer...can you guess who won??? Me! The lush that I am won twelve 40oz beers. What was I to do with all this beer? I gave every table at the restaurant a bottle and my new friends and I finished the rest at sunset in the desert.
Now we were ready to take on the dunes! We hopped on the dune buggies and went racing at ridiculously fast speeds thru the dunes. Every other second I thought the buggy would flip over because we would fly over the edge of the dunes and drive sideways up the mountains. Fortunately, we never flipped. After racing around the dunes, we were given sand boards (closely resembled snow boards) to zoom down the dunes on. The way to travel down the dunes is to lay down head first on the board. Your body is only halfway on the board when the guide gives you a shove down the mountain. When I was at the top, I immediately thought...what did I sign up for??? The guide says " UNO, dos, tres" and gives you a shove down the dune. These dunes were probably about 600ft high and you'd go flying down them so fast that the sand felt like little acupuncture needles piercing the skin. And the sand ended up everywhere on your body...especially places that sand does not belong. The whole experience was amazing! I'd definitely do it again! After the dunes, the belgiums and got on another bus and headed south to nazca to fly over the myserious nazca lines.
Now we were ready to take on the dunes! We hopped on the dune buggies and went racing at ridiculously fast speeds thru the dunes. Every other second I thought the buggy would flip over because we would fly over the edge of the dunes and drive sideways up the mountains. Fortunately, we never flipped. After racing around the dunes, we were given sand boards (closely resembled snow boards) to zoom down the dunes on. The way to travel down the dunes is to lay down head first on the board. Your body is only halfway on the board when the guide gives you a shove down the mountain. When I was at the top, I immediately thought...what did I sign up for??? The guide says " UNO, dos, tres" and gives you a shove down the dune. These dunes were probably about 600ft high and you'd go flying down them so fast that the sand felt like little acupuncture needles piercing the skin. And the sand ended up everywhere on your body...especially places that sand does not belong. The whole experience was amazing! I'd definitely do it again! After the dunes, the belgiums and got on another bus and headed south to nazca to fly over the myserious nazca lines.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Desert oasis
June 12th - Today was a long day of travelling. I would head 6 hours south to the town of huacachina. It is a tiny speck of a town that surrounds a palm tree rimmed lagoon in the middle of the Peruvian desert. Imagine a mirage-like small oasis in the middle of the sahara desert....and that's exactly what this town looks like. The plan was to get there and go sand boarding, its kinda like snow-boarding but on giant sand dunes instead of snow. The bus ride was very comfortable. No chicken bus today. As we drove south I noticed some towns right up against the highway where the buildings were literally concreate boxes with tin roofs and nothing but desert for miles. No grass, no vegitation, no people. I wondered if these were deserted villages or if all the people were working someplace else. It was a strange site and a mystery to me.
I arrived in Ica (bordering town) well rested. When I hopped off the bus, I made two new friends, an adorable couple from Belgium (Michael and margreet). I ended up sharing a hostel with them that night. I felt kinda bad about encroaching on their sexy time but they said it was alright. They are wonderful people. Michael is a French chef and a seasoned traveller. He's been travelling for over a year and started his journey in Asia and eventually worked his way to the U.S., Canada, and down to central then south America. His girlfriend margreet is in school to be a social worker and has very little travelling under her belt but she seems to be going with the flow quite nicely. We had a lovely dinner and conversation together. Tonight we digest our thoughts and food and get some good rest. Tomorrow we take on the dunes!
I arrived in Ica (bordering town) well rested. When I hopped off the bus, I made two new friends, an adorable couple from Belgium (Michael and margreet). I ended up sharing a hostel with them that night. I felt kinda bad about encroaching on their sexy time but they said it was alright. They are wonderful people. Michael is a French chef and a seasoned traveller. He's been travelling for over a year and started his journey in Asia and eventually worked his way to the U.S., Canada, and down to central then south America. His girlfriend margreet is in school to be a social worker and has very little travelling under her belt but she seems to be going with the flow quite nicely. We had a lovely dinner and conversation together. Tonight we digest our thoughts and food and get some good rest. Tomorrow we take on the dunes!
Lima and beyond
I arrived at the Lima airport (via coach...no more business class) and amonst the hoards of people waiting to recieve their loved ones was a taxi driver holding a sign above his head with my misspelled name on it -aerin. It's funny because it felt nice to feel something familiar in a foreign place. He looked like a math teacher I could have had in high school. He welcomed me with a big smile and played American music for me in the cab ride to the hostel. We spoke about the Peruvian people and their culture. As we were driving to the district of miraflores, I noticed numerous ads for the world cup. He asked me if I had a favorite team...without hestiation I replied "the U.S." I then told him that I play soccer in the states. Upon hearing this shocking statement, he glanced in his rear view mirror to get another look at me and he almost lost control of the car with excitment. I arrived at my hostel and the staff were very friendly even at the very late hour of 11:30pm. I befriended my bunk mates straight away and struggled to fall asleep because my mind was teeming with ideas of my adventures to come.
The following day, I walked around Lima all day with my 2 new friends - Sophia (from Singapore) and Sarah (from begium). I would describe Lima as a metropolitian city that is a blend of modern Miami, classic Spanish colonial architecture, and the slums of central America. The buildings are very brightly colored; lots of brillant oranges and Cuban yellows. We walked all around the city. At one point we ended up at the central plaza where the palace and a beautiful catherdral are located. In the middle of the plaza is a beautiful park where there were thousands of people watching the world cup on a giant projector screen. There was a group of peruvian kids playing music and cheering for the game.
After watching some of the game (France vs. Uruguay) in the park we decided to go to Chinatown in Lima...because...who doesn't want to see a Chinatown in a south American country? Ha!
After the full day of Lima adventures we went back to the hostel and drank our Peruvian adventures away. Tomorrow, sadly, the three of us ladies would go their seperate ways.
The following day, I walked around Lima all day with my 2 new friends - Sophia (from Singapore) and Sarah (from begium). I would describe Lima as a metropolitian city that is a blend of modern Miami, classic Spanish colonial architecture, and the slums of central America. The buildings are very brightly colored; lots of brillant oranges and Cuban yellows. We walked all around the city. At one point we ended up at the central plaza where the palace and a beautiful catherdral are located. In the middle of the plaza is a beautiful park where there were thousands of people watching the world cup on a giant projector screen. There was a group of peruvian kids playing music and cheering for the game.
After watching some of the game (France vs. Uruguay) in the park we decided to go to Chinatown in Lima...because...who doesn't want to see a Chinatown in a south American country? Ha!
After the full day of Lima adventures we went back to the hostel and drank our Peruvian adventures away. Tomorrow, sadly, the three of us ladies would go their seperate ways.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
And away we go!!!!
The morning started off beautifully! I had an amazing driver in my cabbie who played salsa music for me on the way to the airport when I told him where my destination was. He said he wanted to get me "in the mood" for my voyage. It was lovely! When I arrived at the airport and checked in, I was informed that I didn't need to wait the the looong line. I thought "woah...where's she taking me?" then she points to the "priority access" line. I then started to hear angel singing above. I waited...hmmm...maybe a total of 15 min to get my boarding pass and walk through security. Love the life of first class!! Then I board the plane to find out they bumped me to business class. What? How lucky am I??? Oh...but wait...the story gets better. As I am soaking in all my business class glory the old indian woman sitting next to me starts coversing with me. One of the first things she says to me is "do you pray?" I replied "no." She then asked "do you believe in god?" I replied "no...not really" Not even a minute later she slaps me across the face. What? Who does that happen to? I'm sure go would be happy with her choice to slap me upside the head! Ha!
I am now on my second flight from Miami to Lima, Peru (sadly sitting in coach..but fortunately next to a cute guy).
This is where I will start my journey.
To be continued....
I am now on my second flight from Miami to Lima, Peru (sadly sitting in coach..but fortunately next to a cute guy).
This is where I will start my journey.
To be continued....
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