That´s Merry Christmas to those English speakers :)
Well, Christmas in Peru is not like Christmas in the states. It´s not as commerical and you would not know it´s Christmas if it were not for the random decorations up.
The government sponors parties for kids and gives out hot chocolate, a present and a bag full of sweets. You have to go to the government and request to have it and make a list of the kids you are inviting and take care of the arangments. So we at a party for the kids on their street. Santa made an appearance (oh santa here wears a mask and looks like a Disney character), but only after the clown made the kids and adults laugh for a couple of hours. It was fun to watch all the kids laughing and dancing even though I had no idea what the clown was saying.
Christmas eve is the party date for everyone here. And Christmas is when you give presents to children not to adults. So the kids get decked out in new clothes and spend the evening setting off fireworks while music blasts onto the streets and moms are cooking feasts in the kitchen.
The market reminded me of going to the malls Christmas eve in the states. You could hardly move through the narrow stalls. Vendors jack up the prices and they think giving you a discount of 1 soles is a deal off something that cost 25 soles (FYI 1 sole is about .30 cents).
The countdown to midnight is almost as exciting as waiting for the New Years countdown and when the clock strikes midnight everyone shouts Feliz Navidad and gives hugs and kisses while fireworks light up the sky. Everyone then sits down to eat the feast. After eating, the kids light off more fireworks and the adults stay up all night talking and drinking. I called it quits by 3 a.m.
Pisco on Christmas day in quieter than normal, I think because everyone is hungover or asleep. But the market is still busy and the fruit shake vendors are selling shakes like hot cakes (the fruit shakes are amazing!)
I hope everyone is having a great Christmas with lots of snow and cold (I´m wearing flip flops, a t'shirt and capris), no snow in Pisco. I´m off to grab some ceviche (yes I´m bragging, it´s only like $2).
Hasta Luego
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Friday, December 21, 2007
Sweet Sweet Sand
Yes, I realize that I am not posting as often as I did on my last trip and that is because I have kinda just been taking it easy, hanging out, not doing much.
This past week, we went to Huacachina, the desert oasis about 1.5 hours from Pisco. There really isn´t much to Huacachina expect hotels and sand dunes, oh there is a small lake. Huacachina is the place to go for sandboarding which is what I tried. I can´t say that I won the battle with the sand dune, it was victorious. Now sandboarding is similar to snowboarding, minus the cold, hard snow and lift. So if one wants to try sandboarding they must climb to the top of the sand dune (or pay $15 to have some guy take you for a spin in doon buggies that destroy the environment which I passed). So my tour guide and I rented sandboards for a whopping $1.25 each, mine was the finest in sandboarding equipment complete with velcro straps to hold my feet in place.
I had visions of my feet flying off of this sandboard as I ride the sand...
So my fabulous friend & guide Ademir points to the dune that we are going to climb and I told him where he could go (and I wasn't being polite). We weren´t starting on small dunes, the grand daddy 200 meter dune he expected me to climb. And I did. And I almost died.
I thought climbing the mountains during the Inca Trail was hard, and they were. But have any of you tried to climb a sand dune that looks like a mountain....meaning it´s not rounded at the top, but pointy. It is not easy and certainly not fun. But up we climbed.
Ademir made it to the top in about 15 mins, I on the other hand did not. With each step it felt like my feet were sinking into the depths of the earth. Picture walking on a stair climber - you don´t go anywhere, but you feel the burn in your calves. Well after one collapsed lung, I could hardly walk and with each step I felt like I was going to fall down this sand dune. On one side was the valley of about 20 other dunes just as tall, the other side was the back of a hotel. Either I was going to crash into the side of a building or die in the valley. It wasn´t my day to die.
I made it to the top, looking like who knows what. So after about resting for an hour, I am ready to put my feet in this board to maybe go down this dune. We walk to the launching point and as I peered over the edge, I could not see the ground, it was a straight down drop to the bottom . and people went down this thing. My teacher gave me some pointers and said he´d meet me half way down and goes flying off soaring down the dune like an eagle in flight. I was memorized by the grace and agility he exemplified while gliding down this dune. Then it was my turn...
I am sure I do not have to tell you that I did not express the same skill as Ademir and if only he had a video camera to record me and my lack of skill on the sandboard. It was actually easier for me to go down the dune than I thought, on the sandboard not my butt. However, the turning was a bit difficult and when I started going too fast and could not turn, I made myself fall. Then I started to tumble and flip over which I'm sure was very amusing for Ademir to watch and by the time I got to the bottom he was laughing his ass off. It took longer than 20 seconds to get down this dune because I kept falling and the last 50 feet I rode down with my butt on the sandboard - Hey it was hard!!
Did we climb up the dune for round 2 - I think you already know the answer...no.
I did save about $300 in spa services because the sand exfoliated every part of my body.
I am back in Pisco now and tomorrow I think I am going to start working with Hands On and helping with some clean up. I am meeting them tonight to find out what projects everyone is working on.
Chau
This past week, we went to Huacachina, the desert oasis about 1.5 hours from Pisco. There really isn´t much to Huacachina expect hotels and sand dunes, oh there is a small lake. Huacachina is the place to go for sandboarding which is what I tried. I can´t say that I won the battle with the sand dune, it was victorious. Now sandboarding is similar to snowboarding, minus the cold, hard snow and lift. So if one wants to try sandboarding they must climb to the top of the sand dune (or pay $15 to have some guy take you for a spin in doon buggies that destroy the environment which I passed). So my tour guide and I rented sandboards for a whopping $1.25 each, mine was the finest in sandboarding equipment complete with velcro straps to hold my feet in place.
I had visions of my feet flying off of this sandboard as I ride the sand...
So my fabulous friend & guide Ademir points to the dune that we are going to climb and I told him where he could go (and I wasn't being polite). We weren´t starting on small dunes, the grand daddy 200 meter dune he expected me to climb. And I did. And I almost died.
I thought climbing the mountains during the Inca Trail was hard, and they were. But have any of you tried to climb a sand dune that looks like a mountain....meaning it´s not rounded at the top, but pointy. It is not easy and certainly not fun. But up we climbed.
Ademir made it to the top in about 15 mins, I on the other hand did not. With each step it felt like my feet were sinking into the depths of the earth. Picture walking on a stair climber - you don´t go anywhere, but you feel the burn in your calves. Well after one collapsed lung, I could hardly walk and with each step I felt like I was going to fall down this sand dune. On one side was the valley of about 20 other dunes just as tall, the other side was the back of a hotel. Either I was going to crash into the side of a building or die in the valley. It wasn´t my day to die.
I made it to the top, looking like who knows what. So after about resting for an hour, I am ready to put my feet in this board to maybe go down this dune. We walk to the launching point and as I peered over the edge, I could not see the ground, it was a straight down drop to the bottom . and people went down this thing. My teacher gave me some pointers and said he´d meet me half way down and goes flying off soaring down the dune like an eagle in flight. I was memorized by the grace and agility he exemplified while gliding down this dune. Then it was my turn...
I am sure I do not have to tell you that I did not express the same skill as Ademir and if only he had a video camera to record me and my lack of skill on the sandboard. It was actually easier for me to go down the dune than I thought, on the sandboard not my butt. However, the turning was a bit difficult and when I started going too fast and could not turn, I made myself fall. Then I started to tumble and flip over which I'm sure was very amusing for Ademir to watch and by the time I got to the bottom he was laughing his ass off. It took longer than 20 seconds to get down this dune because I kept falling and the last 50 feet I rode down with my butt on the sandboard - Hey it was hard!!
Did we climb up the dune for round 2 - I think you already know the answer...no.
I did save about $300 in spa services because the sand exfoliated every part of my body.
I am back in Pisco now and tomorrow I think I am going to start working with Hands On and helping with some clean up. I am meeting them tonight to find out what projects everyone is working on.
Chau
Friday, December 14, 2007
Vive Pisco
Hola amigos!
I have been in Peru for almost 5 days now and I know some of you are upset because I haven´t written. That is because I have been having a blast!
So Sunday I arrived in Lima and bummed around Lima on Monday and Tuesday taking the colletivos (mini buses) everywhere. The hotel was in a residential section of the city so when we were in the center or in Miraflores (the rich part with nightlife and tons of restaurants), no buses would go back to the area of the hotel. So it was a lot of fun trying to guess which bus was correct. Needless to say we saw just about every section of Lima.
We found a bowling alley and I taught my friend how to bowl. Bowling is a new sport to Peru and they are slow to pick up on the fun. Ademir either hustled me or is lucky, his first game he bowled a 95, his second a 155! I have never bowled over a 100 (well maybe once), perhaps that says something about my bowling ability or lack of. We got three games in and had a blast. The bowling alley attendants bring balls to the lane for you, and they are all color coded. 8 pounders are pink, 9 lbs green. They looked at me weird when I went to grab my own ball.
Wenesday I made my way to the town of Lunahauna, south of Lima for some white water rafting. We arrived about 6:30 to a ghost town. Seriously no one was out walking around, it was really creepy. So Thursday we headed out to the Cañete river for some sweet rafting. For me it was really easy because it was only class 2 rapids with a couple of 3´s. It was just the two of us with a guide and some other Peruano on the river with the mountains around us - breathtaking views.
Yesterday afternoon we arrived in Pisco, the center of the 8.0 earthquake in August. As soon as we got off the bus I could see the difference in the area. I am going to warn you that if you get depressed easily you might want to stop reading, but there is a happy ending.
About 70% of Pisco was destroyed in the earthquake, there are only 4 hotels left, from about 20 before. As we were driving the 1 km to town from the PanAmerican Highway all you see are piles of rubble. I did not recognize the town as we were driving through. It looks like a city during a war that has been bombed. Some people have been lucky to have houses built, they are more like sheds than houses. Made from wood paneling, they are about 8 x 10 sq feet, with a plywood door. To lock the house when you leave you put a padlock on the outside. Electricity is non-existent for most and there is not indoor plumbing.
Walking from the hotel last night to eat dinner we pass rows of these houses and rows of tents. The people who have not received a wood house yet, have 8 - 10 people tents they are living in. They are on the property where their former house stood. Piles of debris are lined up on either side of the streets and it is like an obstacle course navigating your way through. They apparently take the debris from the buildings to the street, then a truck comes and takes it away. As we walked closer to the Plaza de Arms (the center of the city), I start to recognize some of the few remaining buildings, and notice others are gone. We pass the area where the church once stood, the final place for almost 250 people who died inside. All that remains is one bell tower, a cross has been placed in front.
Amazingly the Plaza was not destroyed, not even a crack, but 60% of the building surrounding it are gone. The main strip where most of the shops were, gone, 10 buildings remain. Store owners now sell things from tents. The streets have a layer of dust on them, cracks and potholes are everywhere. There is still a military presence in the town and you can see soldiers walking around.
Despite the destruction that surrounds the people, the town is not dead. There are still tons of people walking around the plaza. Salsa music still belts from the wood houses, children are still playing futbol in the streets. The tuk tuks are still pimped out like 1995 low riders from South LA. The food is still amazing and the people are still laughing. They joke about Pisco being no more, but they have started to rebuild. The government is finally giving supplies and money to families so they can rebuild their houses. They have lost all material objects, but they still have their health and for most, their families so they still dance and laugh and eat.
I have been in Peru for almost 5 days now and I know some of you are upset because I haven´t written. That is because I have been having a blast!
So Sunday I arrived in Lima and bummed around Lima on Monday and Tuesday taking the colletivos (mini buses) everywhere. The hotel was in a residential section of the city so when we were in the center or in Miraflores (the rich part with nightlife and tons of restaurants), no buses would go back to the area of the hotel. So it was a lot of fun trying to guess which bus was correct. Needless to say we saw just about every section of Lima.
We found a bowling alley and I taught my friend how to bowl. Bowling is a new sport to Peru and they are slow to pick up on the fun. Ademir either hustled me or is lucky, his first game he bowled a 95, his second a 155! I have never bowled over a 100 (well maybe once), perhaps that says something about my bowling ability or lack of. We got three games in and had a blast. The bowling alley attendants bring balls to the lane for you, and they are all color coded. 8 pounders are pink, 9 lbs green. They looked at me weird when I went to grab my own ball.
Wenesday I made my way to the town of Lunahauna, south of Lima for some white water rafting. We arrived about 6:30 to a ghost town. Seriously no one was out walking around, it was really creepy. So Thursday we headed out to the Cañete river for some sweet rafting. For me it was really easy because it was only class 2 rapids with a couple of 3´s. It was just the two of us with a guide and some other Peruano on the river with the mountains around us - breathtaking views.
Yesterday afternoon we arrived in Pisco, the center of the 8.0 earthquake in August. As soon as we got off the bus I could see the difference in the area. I am going to warn you that if you get depressed easily you might want to stop reading, but there is a happy ending.
About 70% of Pisco was destroyed in the earthquake, there are only 4 hotels left, from about 20 before. As we were driving the 1 km to town from the PanAmerican Highway all you see are piles of rubble. I did not recognize the town as we were driving through. It looks like a city during a war that has been bombed. Some people have been lucky to have houses built, they are more like sheds than houses. Made from wood paneling, they are about 8 x 10 sq feet, with a plywood door. To lock the house when you leave you put a padlock on the outside. Electricity is non-existent for most and there is not indoor plumbing.
Walking from the hotel last night to eat dinner we pass rows of these houses and rows of tents. The people who have not received a wood house yet, have 8 - 10 people tents they are living in. They are on the property where their former house stood. Piles of debris are lined up on either side of the streets and it is like an obstacle course navigating your way through. They apparently take the debris from the buildings to the street, then a truck comes and takes it away. As we walked closer to the Plaza de Arms (the center of the city), I start to recognize some of the few remaining buildings, and notice others are gone. We pass the area where the church once stood, the final place for almost 250 people who died inside. All that remains is one bell tower, a cross has been placed in front.
Amazingly the Plaza was not destroyed, not even a crack, but 60% of the building surrounding it are gone. The main strip where most of the shops were, gone, 10 buildings remain. Store owners now sell things from tents. The streets have a layer of dust on them, cracks and potholes are everywhere. There is still a military presence in the town and you can see soldiers walking around.
Despite the destruction that surrounds the people, the town is not dead. There are still tons of people walking around the plaza. Salsa music still belts from the wood houses, children are still playing futbol in the streets. The tuk tuks are still pimped out like 1995 low riders from South LA. The food is still amazing and the people are still laughing. They joke about Pisco being no more, but they have started to rebuild. The government is finally giving supplies and money to families so they can rebuild their houses. They have lost all material objects, but they still have their health and for most, their families so they still dance and laugh and eat.
Friday, June 1, 2007
Pilgrimage to Machu Picchu
I have made it (both hiking the trail and finishing my blog). I have hiked 45 km (approx 21 miles) over mountains and through valleys and have seen the sacred city of Machu Picchu. This experience has been a very emotional journey for me because I pushed my mind and body to limits that I have not known. The distance did not worry me about this hike, I can walk 45 km with no problems, but could I walk to 14,000 feet without having a collapsed lung or dying from altitude sickness?
Yes I can.
I chose the tour agency Llama Path to take this journey and I have no regrets. I had the best time with my guide, group, and porters. There are about 100 companies that will take you on a hike on the Inca Trail, and I chose Llama Path because of their mission statement and dedication to eco-tourism. Most companies, correction, almost all companies do not treat their porters with respect and do not provide them with necessary equipment to carry 29 kilos across the mountains (The porters are not allowed to carry more than 29 kilos) The 13 porters had matching hats, fleece jackets, t-shirts, and real stable backpacks, all in red. They were our Red Army: Eduardo, Fidel, Valentin (my 3 favorites), Milketes, Santiago, Santos, Rambino, Floreco (2 of them), Marcelo, Cecilo, Victor and I cannot remember the other one...they took excellent care of us and were always happy and smiling. At each rest point they clapped and cheered us on, they really were the best looking porters on the trail. There were 7 of us in the group, all women (which was another experience), 4 Americans, 2 Brits, 1 Northern Irelander. The two from England were mother and daughter and mom made sure to take care of all of us (those motherly instincts).
Day 1 started with a 4:30 am pick up. We drove about 2 hours for breakfast then another 2 hours to KM 82 which is the starting point. We started walking about 9 a.m. and by 11 I was exhausted. I decided to carry my own pack which was a huge mistake. The hike started going uphill immediately and I was not adjusting to the altitude. I made it carrying my 22 lb pack for half of the day and after the 2nd check in point, Casino said I could hire a porter and cute Fidel saved my life the first day. When I took that pack off it felt like 100 lbs had been lifted off of my shoulder.
We stopped for lunch and let me tell you, our chef, Milkedes can work wonders. We had a 3 course meal, appetizer of sliced avocado, soup, plus pasta with 3 different sauces. Eaten in a tent on real plates with real silver wear. The food was delicious. All of our meals were amazing and full of high energy foods, meats, pastas, nuts, and lots of cocoa tea.
I got to the point on that first day where I did not think I could go on any further. Casino (our guide) walked with me for the last couple of hours telling me we were almost there (which was not true because 2 hours later we hadn't reached the site yet). Without his encouragement I don't think I would have made it because I wanted to fall asleep on that trail. As we did get closer to the campsite the environment turned into a jungle and you could not see up the mountain, the trail curved like a snake up the side of the mountain. It was really magical and cool walking through that trail (even thought I felt like a dead woman walking). I would walk for 1 minute then stop for 3 minutes. At 6:00, I crawled to our camp site, Llulluchampampa, at 6:00 after hiking to 3800 m (12460 ft), for the night to the cheers and helping hands of the porters. We walked 16 km the first day - up a mountain...
Day 2 we hiked the remaining 400 meters (up, about 2 km in distance) to Dead Women´s Pass (at 4200 m, 13779 ft) and let me tell you, by the time I got there I felt like a dead woman. I can now imagine what a collapsed lung would feel like. I got to the point on the trail where I could not look up any more because the stairs and trail just never ended. I could see the top of the mountain, but it wasn't getting closer. The real tease came at the last 15 minutes when I could hear the porters cheering us on, but just could not reach them. You get to the point where you just don't look up, you are just looking at your feet slowing climbing those stairs trying to think about everything else, but the pain in your legs and lungs. I keep turning around and looking down at how far we had climbed thinking wow, I've done that much already or "oh god I've hardly walked anywhere." The climb was worth it because the view was amazing. However treacherous hiking this trail was, the views were spectacular. I have to admit I did not capture that many views because I was so concerned with breathing, but I do have some pictures. My fellow trekkers took a bunch and they are supposed to be emailing them to me.
We then hiked down to 11,700 feet and then up a couple of hundred feet for lunch, then down again to 11,800 feet for the night campsite in Chaquicocha, cloud forest. It gets it name because there are tons of low lying clouds surrounding the mountains. While the porters were cooking dinner I hung out in the kitchen tent with them talking to Eduardo and some of the others. I have no idea what I told them at one point because they all started laughing and I don't remember what I wanted to say being funny. I probably said I cook my shoes for dinner. That night after our amazing dinner, we shared songs with the porters at the command of Casiano. The 7 of us could only think of preschool songs, so we taught 14 Peruvian men "itsy bitsy spider," "row, row, row your boat," and "twinkle, twinkle, twinkle little star," complete with hand gestures of course. They in turn sang the Cusco soccer song which is in the tune of Wyno music (traditional Andean tunes) and lasts about 10 minutes long. Valentin asked me to dance and I thought the song would never end. Dancing Wyno consists of holding hands and jumping around in a circle (which is what you really want to be doing at 12,000 feet after hiking for two days). But it was a blast. After dancing and singing, most of the girls went to bed and two others and I played cards with Casino. We played Peruvian rummy which is similar to how I know how to play, but I was a little rusty so Valentin, Fidel, and Santos were my good luck charms and helped me out. Fidel takes Rummy very seriously and is very good...I won several games.
The next day was the easiest of the days. We hiked down, rather climbed down 10,000 stairs, to 8792 feet to Winay Huayna. This is the campsite that all of the other tour companies camp at the last night. It is only 3 minutes from the check in point to hike the last 5 km of the trail. Hikers are not allowed on this section of the trail before 5:30 in the morning because there is apparently a history of hikers falling of the side of the mountain. We arrived at our campsite around 12 and spent the afternoon eating, drinking cocoa, and for me, playing cards with the porters. That night was another great meal, drinking, dancing, singing and we thanked the porters for their help and said our goodbyes while Casino translated. More cards until 10:30 (where I won 4 soles, or about $1.30), then bed. We were up at 3:30, and at the check in gate by 4:30, to the joys of my fellow trekker who wanted to be the first. It then took 1 1/2 hrs to get to the Sun Gate (up and down stairs).
By the time I got to the Sun Gate I was exhausted because I had to carry my own pack (because the porters caught a train back to Cusco). The last stairs on the trail go up to the Sun Gate and when you walk through the gate (which is a stone doorway), you can see the entire Machu Picchu valley and all the pain in my legs and lungs disappeared. My pilgrimage was almost over and it was worth every painful step. I couldn't believe that this huge sacred site was built in the mountains with out modern technology. I sat there for 15 minutes admiring the view.
We climbed down to the ruins receiving interesting looks from the bus tourists who wanted to climb up to the Sun Gate to get the view we had. I felt like we were the weirdos in school and everyone was staring at us. Maybe it was the smell coming from our bodies...or the fact that we cheered when we reached the last part of the trail and took pictures shouting "Championes!" We received a tour from Casino, then we were allowed to explore on our own before heading back to Cusco. By 11 a.m., there were so many tourists at the ruins. Buses run every 5 minutes from Aguas Calientes bringing tons of tourists who don't hike the trail. So I found a quite spot meditated for a while then headed back to meet Casino and the girls for lunch.
By 6:30 I was back in Cusco, showering and putting on clean clothes (I threw the clothes I had been wearing for 4 days away, I don't think the body odor would have ever come out), and was in bed by 9.
My legs have finally stopped aching, a week later :) But it was totally worth it. I've heard that hiking the Inca Trail is a life changing experience and I believe it. I will never complain about my body being in pain again, ok well maybe I will, but I'll quickly stop and remember the Inca Trail. I was sad to see it end, but made some great friends and will have amazing memories.
I loved my trip and love Peru. The country and people are beautiful and I encourage everyone to visit, I will definitely be going back. My pictures should be up in a day on Snapfish.com (I am in the process of uploading them now) I will post the direct link as soon I know it.
Yes I can.
I chose the tour agency Llama Path to take this journey and I have no regrets. I had the best time with my guide, group, and porters. There are about 100 companies that will take you on a hike on the Inca Trail, and I chose Llama Path because of their mission statement and dedication to eco-tourism. Most companies, correction, almost all companies do not treat their porters with respect and do not provide them with necessary equipment to carry 29 kilos across the mountains (The porters are not allowed to carry more than 29 kilos) The 13 porters had matching hats, fleece jackets, t-shirts, and real stable backpacks, all in red. They were our Red Army: Eduardo, Fidel, Valentin (my 3 favorites), Milketes, Santiago, Santos, Rambino, Floreco (2 of them), Marcelo, Cecilo, Victor and I cannot remember the other one...they took excellent care of us and were always happy and smiling. At each rest point they clapped and cheered us on, they really were the best looking porters on the trail. There were 7 of us in the group, all women (which was another experience), 4 Americans, 2 Brits, 1 Northern Irelander. The two from England were mother and daughter and mom made sure to take care of all of us (those motherly instincts).
Day 1 started with a 4:30 am pick up. We drove about 2 hours for breakfast then another 2 hours to KM 82 which is the starting point. We started walking about 9 a.m. and by 11 I was exhausted. I decided to carry my own pack which was a huge mistake. The hike started going uphill immediately and I was not adjusting to the altitude. I made it carrying my 22 lb pack for half of the day and after the 2nd check in point, Casino said I could hire a porter and cute Fidel saved my life the first day. When I took that pack off it felt like 100 lbs had been lifted off of my shoulder.
We stopped for lunch and let me tell you, our chef, Milkedes can work wonders. We had a 3 course meal, appetizer of sliced avocado, soup, plus pasta with 3 different sauces. Eaten in a tent on real plates with real silver wear. The food was delicious. All of our meals were amazing and full of high energy foods, meats, pastas, nuts, and lots of cocoa tea.
I got to the point on that first day where I did not think I could go on any further. Casino (our guide) walked with me for the last couple of hours telling me we were almost there (which was not true because 2 hours later we hadn't reached the site yet). Without his encouragement I don't think I would have made it because I wanted to fall asleep on that trail. As we did get closer to the campsite the environment turned into a jungle and you could not see up the mountain, the trail curved like a snake up the side of the mountain. It was really magical and cool walking through that trail (even thought I felt like a dead woman walking). I would walk for 1 minute then stop for 3 minutes. At 6:00, I crawled to our camp site, Llulluchampampa, at 6:00 after hiking to 3800 m (12460 ft), for the night to the cheers and helping hands of the porters. We walked 16 km the first day - up a mountain...
Day 2 we hiked the remaining 400 meters (up, about 2 km in distance) to Dead Women´s Pass (at 4200 m, 13779 ft) and let me tell you, by the time I got there I felt like a dead woman. I can now imagine what a collapsed lung would feel like. I got to the point on the trail where I could not look up any more because the stairs and trail just never ended. I could see the top of the mountain, but it wasn't getting closer. The real tease came at the last 15 minutes when I could hear the porters cheering us on, but just could not reach them. You get to the point where you just don't look up, you are just looking at your feet slowing climbing those stairs trying to think about everything else, but the pain in your legs and lungs. I keep turning around and looking down at how far we had climbed thinking wow, I've done that much already or "oh god I've hardly walked anywhere." The climb was worth it because the view was amazing. However treacherous hiking this trail was, the views were spectacular. I have to admit I did not capture that many views because I was so concerned with breathing, but I do have some pictures. My fellow trekkers took a bunch and they are supposed to be emailing them to me.
We then hiked down to 11,700 feet and then up a couple of hundred feet for lunch, then down again to 11,800 feet for the night campsite in Chaquicocha, cloud forest. It gets it name because there are tons of low lying clouds surrounding the mountains. While the porters were cooking dinner I hung out in the kitchen tent with them talking to Eduardo and some of the others. I have no idea what I told them at one point because they all started laughing and I don't remember what I wanted to say being funny. I probably said I cook my shoes for dinner. That night after our amazing dinner, we shared songs with the porters at the command of Casiano. The 7 of us could only think of preschool songs, so we taught 14 Peruvian men "itsy bitsy spider," "row, row, row your boat," and "twinkle, twinkle, twinkle little star," complete with hand gestures of course. They in turn sang the Cusco soccer song which is in the tune of Wyno music (traditional Andean tunes) and lasts about 10 minutes long. Valentin asked me to dance and I thought the song would never end. Dancing Wyno consists of holding hands and jumping around in a circle (which is what you really want to be doing at 12,000 feet after hiking for two days). But it was a blast. After dancing and singing, most of the girls went to bed and two others and I played cards with Casino. We played Peruvian rummy which is similar to how I know how to play, but I was a little rusty so Valentin, Fidel, and Santos were my good luck charms and helped me out. Fidel takes Rummy very seriously and is very good...I won several games.
The next day was the easiest of the days. We hiked down, rather climbed down 10,000 stairs, to 8792 feet to Winay Huayna. This is the campsite that all of the other tour companies camp at the last night. It is only 3 minutes from the check in point to hike the last 5 km of the trail. Hikers are not allowed on this section of the trail before 5:30 in the morning because there is apparently a history of hikers falling of the side of the mountain. We arrived at our campsite around 12 and spent the afternoon eating, drinking cocoa, and for me, playing cards with the porters. That night was another great meal, drinking, dancing, singing and we thanked the porters for their help and said our goodbyes while Casino translated. More cards until 10:30 (where I won 4 soles, or about $1.30), then bed. We were up at 3:30, and at the check in gate by 4:30, to the joys of my fellow trekker who wanted to be the first. It then took 1 1/2 hrs to get to the Sun Gate (up and down stairs).
By the time I got to the Sun Gate I was exhausted because I had to carry my own pack (because the porters caught a train back to Cusco). The last stairs on the trail go up to the Sun Gate and when you walk through the gate (which is a stone doorway), you can see the entire Machu Picchu valley and all the pain in my legs and lungs disappeared. My pilgrimage was almost over and it was worth every painful step. I couldn't believe that this huge sacred site was built in the mountains with out modern technology. I sat there for 15 minutes admiring the view.
We climbed down to the ruins receiving interesting looks from the bus tourists who wanted to climb up to the Sun Gate to get the view we had. I felt like we were the weirdos in school and everyone was staring at us. Maybe it was the smell coming from our bodies...or the fact that we cheered when we reached the last part of the trail and took pictures shouting "Championes!" We received a tour from Casino, then we were allowed to explore on our own before heading back to Cusco. By 11 a.m., there were so many tourists at the ruins. Buses run every 5 minutes from Aguas Calientes bringing tons of tourists who don't hike the trail. So I found a quite spot meditated for a while then headed back to meet Casino and the girls for lunch.
By 6:30 I was back in Cusco, showering and putting on clean clothes (I threw the clothes I had been wearing for 4 days away, I don't think the body odor would have ever come out), and was in bed by 9.
My legs have finally stopped aching, a week later :) But it was totally worth it. I've heard that hiking the Inca Trail is a life changing experience and I believe it. I will never complain about my body being in pain again, ok well maybe I will, but I'll quickly stop and remember the Inca Trail. I was sad to see it end, but made some great friends and will have amazing memories.
I loved my trip and love Peru. The country and people are beautiful and I encourage everyone to visit, I will definitely be going back. My pictures should be up in a day on Snapfish.com (I am in the process of uploading them now) I will post the direct link as soon I know it.
Monday, May 28, 2007
D-day almost here
So, by the time most of you read this (unless you are reading it on Monday evening) I will be hiking the Inca Trail!!! The reason for my travels to Peru is finally here. And I am exhausted and have no idea how I am going to do this. I will be be posting a blog until Friday, June 1...I repeat, I will not be posting a blog until Friday June 1 and it might just be a word to say I am alive as I will arrive back in Cusco around 9 p.m. and will probably fall straight asleep. Please do not call the embassy because I will not have internet access on the trail. Here´s is a brief description of my iternary.
Day 1: pick up at 4:30 a.m., start hiking by 7 a.m. Start at 8923 feet, camp at Llulluchapampa at 12,460 feet. 16 km
Day 2: hike down to Chaquicocha 11800 feet, Cloud forest, 15 km
Day 3: hike down to Wiñay Huayna 8792 feet, 10 km.
Day 4: start hiking by 4:30 5 km to Machu Picchu 7873 feet
Please pray my legs last...
So today I traveled via combis and buses to Ollaytantambo to see some ruins, if you click on my link from yesterday there is information about it. This was the only point that the Spanish Conquistidors almost lost a battle against the Inca. And when you see the pictures you will see why. You have to climb like 500 steps to get to the top, so who knows what the Spanish got pelted with on their heads trying to asscend the mountain.
I was really intrigued with the irrigation system today. It was amazing me how the water is being drawn from somewhere on the mountain, through the community. It runs under the sidewalks and into each dwelling and there a lot of pools, and fountains. Very interesting to see.
When I arrived in Ollaytantambo there was some religious parade of some sort going on. Lots of interesting costumes and bands playing. It went on for hours. The ruins are right next to the town and it was possible to hear the bands playing when I was at the top of the cliff, so not serenity for me today.
On the bus back to Cusco, I sat next to a guy who proceeded to talk to me (my theory of only men talking to me still stands) in Spanish. And I was very impressed with my ability to have a conversation with him. When he was asking me why my brother did not travel to Peru with me, I think my sentence went something like this (translated for you in English) "Brother Scott no like travel Peru" I know it was really broken Spanish because the guy looked very perplexed for a minute. Or I said my brother likes to wear Peruvian dresses (just kidding Scott). There was a school girl hovering over me because there were like 50 people crammed on this bus and she was laughing everytime I spoke.
Traveling in Peru is really interesting. Most people do not own cars, and take taxis or combis everywhere. Combis or collectivos are the minivans packed with people. If you want to hop on one, you just stick out your hand and one will stop and you climb on in, then tell the driver where you want to get off. All combis have a route they take, so it´s not like a personal taxi service. You can only get off along their route. If you have any bags or harps like someone today, it gets tied down on top and you just hope it doesn´t blow away.
Driving through these mountains roads is frightening. I don´t know why the government bothers painting lines on the road, no one pays attention to them. So what if it´s a double line and you are driving around a curve and can´t see if cars are coming. That truck in front of you is going slower than you, so you pass him, honking the entire time. Honking is so common here, honk if you want to pick someone up and you´re taxi is empty, honk if someone is driving slow, honk if you are passing, honk if someone walks in front of your car, honk if you are passing someone and they aren´t getting over enough and there is a truck coming straight at you honking of course, because you are in their lane. Now I know why everyone is making the sign of the cross when riding in a combi.
I guess you can´t complain to much when you get to travel 30 km for only .70 cents.
I am off to my meeting with my guide for my trek. Wish me luck and pray I make it 4 days with out a shower wearing the same clothes :)
Hasta luego
Day 1: pick up at 4:30 a.m., start hiking by 7 a.m. Start at 8923 feet, camp at Llulluchapampa at 12,460 feet. 16 km
Day 2: hike down to Chaquicocha 11800 feet, Cloud forest, 15 km
Day 3: hike down to Wiñay Huayna 8792 feet, 10 km.
Day 4: start hiking by 4:30 5 km to Machu Picchu 7873 feet
Please pray my legs last...
So today I traveled via combis and buses to Ollaytantambo to see some ruins, if you click on my link from yesterday there is information about it. This was the only point that the Spanish Conquistidors almost lost a battle against the Inca. And when you see the pictures you will see why. You have to climb like 500 steps to get to the top, so who knows what the Spanish got pelted with on their heads trying to asscend the mountain.
I was really intrigued with the irrigation system today. It was amazing me how the water is being drawn from somewhere on the mountain, through the community. It runs under the sidewalks and into each dwelling and there a lot of pools, and fountains. Very interesting to see.
When I arrived in Ollaytantambo there was some religious parade of some sort going on. Lots of interesting costumes and bands playing. It went on for hours. The ruins are right next to the town and it was possible to hear the bands playing when I was at the top of the cliff, so not serenity for me today.
On the bus back to Cusco, I sat next to a guy who proceeded to talk to me (my theory of only men talking to me still stands) in Spanish. And I was very impressed with my ability to have a conversation with him. When he was asking me why my brother did not travel to Peru with me, I think my sentence went something like this (translated for you in English) "Brother Scott no like travel Peru" I know it was really broken Spanish because the guy looked very perplexed for a minute. Or I said my brother likes to wear Peruvian dresses (just kidding Scott). There was a school girl hovering over me because there were like 50 people crammed on this bus and she was laughing everytime I spoke.
Traveling in Peru is really interesting. Most people do not own cars, and take taxis or combis everywhere. Combis or collectivos are the minivans packed with people. If you want to hop on one, you just stick out your hand and one will stop and you climb on in, then tell the driver where you want to get off. All combis have a route they take, so it´s not like a personal taxi service. You can only get off along their route. If you have any bags or harps like someone today, it gets tied down on top and you just hope it doesn´t blow away.
Driving through these mountains roads is frightening. I don´t know why the government bothers painting lines on the road, no one pays attention to them. So what if it´s a double line and you are driving around a curve and can´t see if cars are coming. That truck in front of you is going slower than you, so you pass him, honking the entire time. Honking is so common here, honk if you want to pick someone up and you´re taxi is empty, honk if someone is driving slow, honk if you are passing, honk if someone walks in front of your car, honk if you are passing someone and they aren´t getting over enough and there is a truck coming straight at you honking of course, because you are in their lane. Now I know why everyone is making the sign of the cross when riding in a combi.
I guess you can´t complain to much when you get to travel 30 km for only .70 cents.
I am off to my meeting with my guide for my trek. Wish me luck and pray I make it 4 days with out a shower wearing the same clothes :)
Hasta luego
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Climb every mountain
¡Hola mis amigos!
I have been getting my workout the past couple of days in preparation for the Inca Trail. Yesterday I walked all over Cusco, I don´t think there is a street I didn´t walk down (ok well there are a lot, but in the central disctrict anyway). So to see most of the Inca Ruins and museums in Cusco one must purchase a Tourist Ticket is the english translation. They have student tickets for half, but you have to be under 25...I tried to argue, but it didn´t work. Such discrimination. Anyway Saturday I visited all of the muesos in the city and since I am not one for museos, it took like no time. Most have lot of Inca and pre-Inca artifacts and at one museo, a group of students were walking around and I had a nice conversation with a guy who wanted to know what everything was called in English.
Today I was awaken at 5:30 by the sound of cannons...well ok maybe they weren`t cannons, but no one can tell me what they are and they sound like cannons (If I had to imagine what a cannon would sound like as I don´t think I´ve ever heard a cannon) anyway. I caught a local minibus to Pisac, which is in the Sacred Valley. http://www.andeantravelweb.com/peru/destinations/cusco/sacredvalley.html
The Sacred Valley is home to several Inca Ruins and was a very important ceromonial center. Most tourists take organized tours and see all of the area ruins in one day, but it is much more fun if you try to go on your own :) I of course can´t stand organized tours because you only get like 5 minutes at each site and besides you don´t sit next to cute kids staring at you or don´t get bumped in the head by the back sack of a Peruvian woman when you take the tourists buses. You also miss out of meeting some great locals which I had the pleasure of. So I sat next to Americano (yes that is really his name) who spoke excellent English and we had a lovely conversation about US politics, transportation, and religion. He gave me some pointers on how to get to the cities I wanted to go. It is funny because everytime I sit next to a man on a bus, we talk, but the women won´t talk to me. Anyway, I walk around the colorful market at Pisac and then got a taxi to the top of the ruins. The ruins are 8 - 10 km from the town center and you can take a taxi to the top and walk to town. The village is at about 3,000 meters, and the ruins are probably twice that...at least that´s what it felt like.
I cannot describe how beautiful it was at the top of this mountain. My taxi dropped me off and I was the only one there, it was about 9 a.m. and the tours hadn´t arrived yet. I was in awe of how the Incas managed to built these communities at the top of the mountains sometimes right along the cliff. The entire sides of the mountains have been cut out into huge stair patterns with stones holding up the front of the stair part. I don´t know if this was where they grew there crops, but it looked like it could have been. In each of the ruins there were these amazing irrigation systems that drew water from somewhere inside of the mountain and ditches (that look like rain gutters on houses but made of stone) brought the water through each settlement and into wells or pools.
There were several sections of ruins and a path took you to each set. Arrows are along the path incase you decide to go off the path, which would entail going over the side of the mountain, but still the arrows were a nice touch. You walk for about 45 minutes exploring ruins and get to the low point (this is where buses pick up the tours they dropped off at the high point). I started to have company with other tourists, but once we passed the low point it was just me and it was awesome. A guide told me it would take 40 minutes to walk to town, and two hours later I finally made it.
The trail goes very close to the edge of the mountain and being the imaginative person that I am, I envisioned myself falling over the edge and not being found for like 200 years, then I would be the American frozen mummy on display for only 6 months out of the year. Oh wait it wasn´t frozen up there so I would just be decomposed material....
Well I get to a point in the trail where it divides and there are no arrows. I can see the path below me, but I don´t know how to get here. So of course I take the road less travelled. Which led me up like 50 steps to some buildings that looked like houses right on the edge of the cliff. I come across steps going down and that is my only alternative. It is so steep I can´t see if the steps lead anywhere or just stop at what looks like a lookout point. So it was either go down the steps or back where I came from and take the other path. So I decided to walk down the steps, and walk down the steps, and walk down the steps, and walk down the steps...well you get the point. 30 minutes later I finally made it to the bottom of these steps thinking if I have to go back up because these steps don´t lead anywhere I will never make it. The Inca must have been in great shape to walk up and down these steps, I lost count at 600.
So I finally made it to the bottom and there were more steps which I could see eventually lead to a path. A couple was walking up the path and I knew I was on the right direction back to Pisac. As I walked through the blazing sun, I weaved in and out along a narrow path sometimes with more steps (I never want to see another step again), and an hour later made it to the market at Pisac. I originally was going to head out to another set of ruins, but was so exhausted I think I will go tomorrow instead. So I came back to Cusco took a nap and got a facial and foot massage. One my way back on the minibus, I sat next to a guy who wanted to practice his English because he is in school to get his degree in tourism (I forget the offical name, but it sounds better than tourism).
This evening I attended an interesting performance of traditional Peruvian music and dance. All of the music sounded the same to me, with just different costums. The dances all looked the same was well, a lot of hopping around.
Tomorrow I will head out to another set of ruins that are supposed to be fantastic. Until then Chao!
I have been getting my workout the past couple of days in preparation for the Inca Trail. Yesterday I walked all over Cusco, I don´t think there is a street I didn´t walk down (ok well there are a lot, but in the central disctrict anyway). So to see most of the Inca Ruins and museums in Cusco one must purchase a Tourist Ticket is the english translation. They have student tickets for half, but you have to be under 25...I tried to argue, but it didn´t work. Such discrimination. Anyway Saturday I visited all of the muesos in the city and since I am not one for museos, it took like no time. Most have lot of Inca and pre-Inca artifacts and at one museo, a group of students were walking around and I had a nice conversation with a guy who wanted to know what everything was called in English.
Today I was awaken at 5:30 by the sound of cannons...well ok maybe they weren`t cannons, but no one can tell me what they are and they sound like cannons (If I had to imagine what a cannon would sound like as I don´t think I´ve ever heard a cannon) anyway. I caught a local minibus to Pisac, which is in the Sacred Valley. http://www.andeantravelweb.com/peru/destinations/cusco/sacredvalley.html
The Sacred Valley is home to several Inca Ruins and was a very important ceromonial center. Most tourists take organized tours and see all of the area ruins in one day, but it is much more fun if you try to go on your own :) I of course can´t stand organized tours because you only get like 5 minutes at each site and besides you don´t sit next to cute kids staring at you or don´t get bumped in the head by the back sack of a Peruvian woman when you take the tourists buses. You also miss out of meeting some great locals which I had the pleasure of. So I sat next to Americano (yes that is really his name) who spoke excellent English and we had a lovely conversation about US politics, transportation, and religion. He gave me some pointers on how to get to the cities I wanted to go. It is funny because everytime I sit next to a man on a bus, we talk, but the women won´t talk to me. Anyway, I walk around the colorful market at Pisac and then got a taxi to the top of the ruins. The ruins are 8 - 10 km from the town center and you can take a taxi to the top and walk to town. The village is at about 3,000 meters, and the ruins are probably twice that...at least that´s what it felt like.
I cannot describe how beautiful it was at the top of this mountain. My taxi dropped me off and I was the only one there, it was about 9 a.m. and the tours hadn´t arrived yet. I was in awe of how the Incas managed to built these communities at the top of the mountains sometimes right along the cliff. The entire sides of the mountains have been cut out into huge stair patterns with stones holding up the front of the stair part. I don´t know if this was where they grew there crops, but it looked like it could have been. In each of the ruins there were these amazing irrigation systems that drew water from somewhere inside of the mountain and ditches (that look like rain gutters on houses but made of stone) brought the water through each settlement and into wells or pools.
There were several sections of ruins and a path took you to each set. Arrows are along the path incase you decide to go off the path, which would entail going over the side of the mountain, but still the arrows were a nice touch. You walk for about 45 minutes exploring ruins and get to the low point (this is where buses pick up the tours they dropped off at the high point). I started to have company with other tourists, but once we passed the low point it was just me and it was awesome. A guide told me it would take 40 minutes to walk to town, and two hours later I finally made it.
The trail goes very close to the edge of the mountain and being the imaginative person that I am, I envisioned myself falling over the edge and not being found for like 200 years, then I would be the American frozen mummy on display for only 6 months out of the year. Oh wait it wasn´t frozen up there so I would just be decomposed material....
Well I get to a point in the trail where it divides and there are no arrows. I can see the path below me, but I don´t know how to get here. So of course I take the road less travelled. Which led me up like 50 steps to some buildings that looked like houses right on the edge of the cliff. I come across steps going down and that is my only alternative. It is so steep I can´t see if the steps lead anywhere or just stop at what looks like a lookout point. So it was either go down the steps or back where I came from and take the other path. So I decided to walk down the steps, and walk down the steps, and walk down the steps, and walk down the steps...well you get the point. 30 minutes later I finally made it to the bottom of these steps thinking if I have to go back up because these steps don´t lead anywhere I will never make it. The Inca must have been in great shape to walk up and down these steps, I lost count at 600.
So I finally made it to the bottom and there were more steps which I could see eventually lead to a path. A couple was walking up the path and I knew I was on the right direction back to Pisac. As I walked through the blazing sun, I weaved in and out along a narrow path sometimes with more steps (I never want to see another step again), and an hour later made it to the market at Pisac. I originally was going to head out to another set of ruins, but was so exhausted I think I will go tomorrow instead. So I came back to Cusco took a nap and got a facial and foot massage. One my way back on the minibus, I sat next to a guy who wanted to practice his English because he is in school to get his degree in tourism (I forget the offical name, but it sounds better than tourism).
This evening I attended an interesting performance of traditional Peruvian music and dance. All of the music sounded the same to me, with just different costums. The dances all looked the same was well, a lot of hopping around.
Tomorrow I will head out to another set of ruins that are supposed to be fantastic. Until then Chao!
Friday, May 25, 2007
headaches, pushy women, and food
¡Buenos Noches de Cusco!
So I did not write a post yesterday because I had a killer headache. My head felt like in was in a vice, I am not adjusting well to the altitude. But I won´t let that stop me. I woke up at 5:30 yesterday to be ready for my 6:15 pick up to head out to the floating islands, home of the Uros people.
These islands are made from reeds that grow in Lake Titicaca and once assembled the islands are about 2 meters thick (about 6.5 feet). Every 40 days or so, new reeds are laid down because the reeds on the bottom rot. The homes and boats are made out of the reeds as well. There are a lot of islands and each island is home to a clan, about 7 - 10 families per island. Visiting the islands is very 19th c. World´s Fair. I felt like the tour agencies picked out some native peoples and made them dress up to put on a show for the tourists. The Uros people have luckily taken some control over visitation to the islands and charge money and also have their own boats that will take tourists out. Once on the island the women show off their crafts, for you to buy. We visited two islands and after about walking around the 2nd island for 2 minutes I was back on the boat - taking pictures of the children did not appeal to me. It was kinda weird walking on the islands, almost like walking on a really soft mattress. I had visions of my foot going through a rotted spot and getting sucked down into the freezing waters of the Lake and dying at 4000 meters above sea level, but luckily that did not happen :)
After visiting the floating islands we traveled two hours to the island of Taquile which is home to about 2000 Quechua speaking islanders. Taquile is a real island (no floating here), and is beautiful. It is possible to stay overnight on Taquile with a family and I was going to do this, however after spending one night in Puno freezing my bottom, I said there was no way I was going to stay in a brick hut with a thatched roof and no sleeping bag. I was also too exhausted the night before to rent one. So I went back to Puno for the night. Taquile is a mountain of an island and as soon as you disembark from the boat, you climb up what felt like 10 miles, to the top of the island. It took us about 30 minutes of slow climbing. The islanders live all over the hillside of the island and wake up to a gorgeous view of the snow capped mountains of Bolovia. At the top we wandered around the marketplace watching the men knit - yes the men knit. They walk around with the yarn around their necks, knitting needles in hand, making their own hats. The colors represent different things, Red if they are married, white if they are single. (Sara T. you would have loved watching them knit). I cannot wait for you guys to see the pictures from Taquile, they are simply breathtaking.
After arriving back in Puno it was an early dinner and bed, by 8 p.m. last night, I could not take the pain in my head and wanted to crawl under my 10 blankets in my non-heated hostel and fall asleep...which is what I did.
This morning it was off to the bus station to board a bus for Cusco, 6 hours away. After fighting my way through a bunch of pushy women with big fat bundles tied to their backs (all of the native women carry everything in a bundle on their backs, wrapped with a multi-colored tablecloth), I boarded the 9 a.m bus, leaving of course at 9:30 a.m. I have to tell you, I have never encoutered pushier people in my life. There is no such thing as a line, it´s push through everyone, and the women are the worst. All I can do is remind myself I am in Peru and push them back to buy my ticket, which amuses the poor girl being bombarded behind the counter.
I will be in Cusco for the next several days. This is my embarking point for my trek on the Inca Trail (I leave on the 29th). I have already checked in with my tour agency and have a debriefing with the guide on Monday evening.
Cusco was the center of the Inca empire, which only lasted about 100 years. The surrouding area has the bulk of the Inca remains in Peru, in an area called the Sacred Valley. The city is so beautiful. I thought I loved Ariquipa, I think I like Cusco more. Lots of cobblstone streets, narrow passage ways. The only downfall is there are a million hills, I had to walk up like 200 steps to get to my hostel, with my 40 lb backpack. My hostel has a great view of the city though.
Some of you have asked about the food in Peru - it is nothing to brag about. Typical Peruivans eat pollo y papas fritas (chicken and french fries). You can get 14 of a chicken, fries, soup, and salad for about $2. Another favorite is pizza - there are pizzerias every where. On the coast it is a lot of fish, fried fish and rice, but here in the mountains it´s chicken and pizza. Now traditional food is alpaca and cuy, but every day Peruvians love their chicken.
Chao!
So I did not write a post yesterday because I had a killer headache. My head felt like in was in a vice, I am not adjusting well to the altitude. But I won´t let that stop me. I woke up at 5:30 yesterday to be ready for my 6:15 pick up to head out to the floating islands, home of the Uros people.
These islands are made from reeds that grow in Lake Titicaca and once assembled the islands are about 2 meters thick (about 6.5 feet). Every 40 days or so, new reeds are laid down because the reeds on the bottom rot. The homes and boats are made out of the reeds as well. There are a lot of islands and each island is home to a clan, about 7 - 10 families per island. Visiting the islands is very 19th c. World´s Fair. I felt like the tour agencies picked out some native peoples and made them dress up to put on a show for the tourists. The Uros people have luckily taken some control over visitation to the islands and charge money and also have their own boats that will take tourists out. Once on the island the women show off their crafts, for you to buy. We visited two islands and after about walking around the 2nd island for 2 minutes I was back on the boat - taking pictures of the children did not appeal to me. It was kinda weird walking on the islands, almost like walking on a really soft mattress. I had visions of my foot going through a rotted spot and getting sucked down into the freezing waters of the Lake and dying at 4000 meters above sea level, but luckily that did not happen :)
After visiting the floating islands we traveled two hours to the island of Taquile which is home to about 2000 Quechua speaking islanders. Taquile is a real island (no floating here), and is beautiful. It is possible to stay overnight on Taquile with a family and I was going to do this, however after spending one night in Puno freezing my bottom, I said there was no way I was going to stay in a brick hut with a thatched roof and no sleeping bag. I was also too exhausted the night before to rent one. So I went back to Puno for the night. Taquile is a mountain of an island and as soon as you disembark from the boat, you climb up what felt like 10 miles, to the top of the island. It took us about 30 minutes of slow climbing. The islanders live all over the hillside of the island and wake up to a gorgeous view of the snow capped mountains of Bolovia. At the top we wandered around the marketplace watching the men knit - yes the men knit. They walk around with the yarn around their necks, knitting needles in hand, making their own hats. The colors represent different things, Red if they are married, white if they are single. (Sara T. you would have loved watching them knit). I cannot wait for you guys to see the pictures from Taquile, they are simply breathtaking.
After arriving back in Puno it was an early dinner and bed, by 8 p.m. last night, I could not take the pain in my head and wanted to crawl under my 10 blankets in my non-heated hostel and fall asleep...which is what I did.
This morning it was off to the bus station to board a bus for Cusco, 6 hours away. After fighting my way through a bunch of pushy women with big fat bundles tied to their backs (all of the native women carry everything in a bundle on their backs, wrapped with a multi-colored tablecloth), I boarded the 9 a.m bus, leaving of course at 9:30 a.m. I have to tell you, I have never encoutered pushier people in my life. There is no such thing as a line, it´s push through everyone, and the women are the worst. All I can do is remind myself I am in Peru and push them back to buy my ticket, which amuses the poor girl being bombarded behind the counter.
I will be in Cusco for the next several days. This is my embarking point for my trek on the Inca Trail (I leave on the 29th). I have already checked in with my tour agency and have a debriefing with the guide on Monday evening.
Cusco was the center of the Inca empire, which only lasted about 100 years. The surrouding area has the bulk of the Inca remains in Peru, in an area called the Sacred Valley. The city is so beautiful. I thought I loved Ariquipa, I think I like Cusco more. Lots of cobblstone streets, narrow passage ways. The only downfall is there are a million hills, I had to walk up like 200 steps to get to my hostel, with my 40 lb backpack. My hostel has a great view of the city though.
Some of you have asked about the food in Peru - it is nothing to brag about. Typical Peruivans eat pollo y papas fritas (chicken and french fries). You can get 14 of a chicken, fries, soup, and salad for about $2. Another favorite is pizza - there are pizzerias every where. On the coast it is a lot of fish, fried fish and rice, but here in the mountains it´s chicken and pizza. Now traditional food is alpaca and cuy, but every day Peruvians love their chicken.
Chao!
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
¡Buenos noches de Puno!
I have had a very exhausting day. It started when I woke up at 6:30 am and could not get back to sleep. I finally crawled out of my warm bed at 7:30 to prepare for my very exciting day of white water rafting. I was picked up at my hotel at 9 a.m. by Camillo who was my rafting guide. We picked up 5 other girls and drove about 20 minutes outside of Ariquipa to our launch site. The drive out there was beautiful with the mountains in the background and the river on our right.
We were given wet suits, jackets and helmuts to wear and received the entire safety drill. Since I had been rafting before, I was put up front (no pressure...if you don´t know the front paddlers set the pace for the paddlers behind). We started right in rapids, there wasn´t any easing into it and for the next 1 hour and 45 minutes we paddled through class 2, 3, 4 rapids. It was so awesome! The scenery was amazing, we were the only ones on the river. There were times the river cut through cliffs and we were paddling between cliffs. No one fell over board and there were two times we had to get out and walk through some rapids because there were "traps" in the river. Caves off to the side where the current could suck someone in if they fell overboard. We then had to prepare ourselfs for a drop that was 1 meter! It was so cool, I totally thought I was going to fall out, but I loved it!
Then we took a break and had some chocolate and water on a cliff and we were invited to jump off. I declined because it was not for a million dollars and the water was shallow. The cliff was maybe 25 feet, maybe less. I wanted to do the rafting again, and I hear there is some in Cusco, so I might be doing some more.
I then raced back to my hostel, then to the bus station to catch a bus to Puno, Lake Titicaca. The lake with the highest elevation in the world. My bus dropped me off in the town over and i had to catch a collectivo to Puno. Me, and 15 nice smelling Peruvians packed like sardines into a minivan. Then we stopped and picked up 4 more! An expirence not to be forgotten.
So I am in Puno wearing about 10 layers including some alpaca sweaters and hats, because it is like 30 degrees here. I don´t think my hostel has heat, so I will be nice and cold tonight. I have a killer headache and i think it is from the altitude. I´m just going to have to drink lots of cocoa tea (the cure apparently).
Tomorrow it´s off to the floating islands on the magical lake.
I have had a very exhausting day. It started when I woke up at 6:30 am and could not get back to sleep. I finally crawled out of my warm bed at 7:30 to prepare for my very exciting day of white water rafting. I was picked up at my hotel at 9 a.m. by Camillo who was my rafting guide. We picked up 5 other girls and drove about 20 minutes outside of Ariquipa to our launch site. The drive out there was beautiful with the mountains in the background and the river on our right.
We were given wet suits, jackets and helmuts to wear and received the entire safety drill. Since I had been rafting before, I was put up front (no pressure...if you don´t know the front paddlers set the pace for the paddlers behind). We started right in rapids, there wasn´t any easing into it and for the next 1 hour and 45 minutes we paddled through class 2, 3, 4 rapids. It was so awesome! The scenery was amazing, we were the only ones on the river. There were times the river cut through cliffs and we were paddling between cliffs. No one fell over board and there were two times we had to get out and walk through some rapids because there were "traps" in the river. Caves off to the side where the current could suck someone in if they fell overboard. We then had to prepare ourselfs for a drop that was 1 meter! It was so cool, I totally thought I was going to fall out, but I loved it!
Then we took a break and had some chocolate and water on a cliff and we were invited to jump off. I declined because it was not for a million dollars and the water was shallow. The cliff was maybe 25 feet, maybe less. I wanted to do the rafting again, and I hear there is some in Cusco, so I might be doing some more.
I then raced back to my hostel, then to the bus station to catch a bus to Puno, Lake Titicaca. The lake with the highest elevation in the world. My bus dropped me off in the town over and i had to catch a collectivo to Puno. Me, and 15 nice smelling Peruvians packed like sardines into a minivan. Then we stopped and picked up 4 more! An expirence not to be forgotten.
So I am in Puno wearing about 10 layers including some alpaca sweaters and hats, because it is like 30 degrees here. I don´t think my hostel has heat, so I will be nice and cold tonight. I have a killer headache and i think it is from the altitude. I´m just going to have to drink lots of cocoa tea (the cure apparently).
Tomorrow it´s off to the floating islands on the magical lake.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Practice for the Amazing Race
¡Buenas Dias!
Estoy en Ariquipa y la ciudad es muy bonito. I am in Ariquipa and the is very beautiful. I think this is my favorite city so far. It is very colonial, so there are gorgeous colonial buildings everywhere, cobblestone streets - I think I could live here. The city sits at about 2300 meters (7500 feet) and sits in the valley of the volcano El Misti. Ariquipa is also a base point for many travelers to explore the canyons and surrounding mountains. I was going to hike down to the bottom of the canyon, but it would require an extra 3 days beause it is 6 hours from here. I have decided if it will fit into my schedule, I really want to stay in Cusco and extra day to see the Sacred Valley (more on that in a couple of days), also to get accustomed to the altitude (Cusco is 1000 meters higher than Ariquia and that is where I will hike the Inca Trail).
So after my last blog, I took a tour to the Cemetery of Chauchilla in Nasca. This cemetary dates to 1000 - 1300 CE and is home to hundreds of tombs containing mummies of the Nasca people. The tombs were ransaked in recent years and many of the gold and pottery stolen has been sold on the black market. In recent years archeologists have put 12 tombs together you can view with mummies and artificats. Now when the tombs were ransacke, the bones were scattered all over the land and archeologists have tried to pu them together again. It is very interesting viewing the tombs because you have skeletons that are thousands of years old exposed to the elements (which in Nasca consist only of wind and sand). There is not a glass cover of the tombs, just a wooden roof. A policeman is only on guard during the day and they will add one a night in about two months. There is a path to walk on between the tombs and off of the path you can see concaves in the ground where other tombs are and pieces of skeltons all over the place.
I was scheduled to take the 9:45 bus with Cial out of Nasca, I did not want to stay the night and the only buses to Ariquipa are overnight. So I head to the bus station about 8:30 p.m. and there are other tourists there hanging out. We are brushing our teeth and preparing for the 11 hour bus ride. About 9, the man who worked there, tells us the bus is going to be late because it broke down and will not arrive until 2:30 a.m. None of us wanted to stay in Nasca that long so he says he will refund our money if we find another bus. So we all rush out to catch another bus from one of the 5 other bus lines. I went to Civa and they had a bus leaving at 11 for about $10 less than what I paid for the first bus. So I bought my ticket and head back to the first bus line to get my money back.
Well when I get back, the man has now said there is a 11:30 bus that we can get on. Now there are three classes of buses in Peru, 1st class, 2nd class, and economic. I was on a 1st class bus to Ariquipa and without my knowing bought an economic ticket with Civa. I had no desire to ride 11 hours on a bus that did not have reclining seats overnight, so I talked the guy at the first company into selling my economic ticket to someone else so I could stay on his nice bus. All the tourists decided to stay with Cial because it was cheaper for 1st class service. At 11 a second guy from the bus company tells us (after he checked our bags) that the 2nd bus has broken down and will not arrive until 2:30 a.m. I do not know how he knew this because he had not been on the phone for about an hour, I guess it magically came to him.
This just seemed a little fishy to all of us, and I started to think they were full of it and lied because they were going to loose about 15 passengers. The timing of them telling us this was also about the time the other bus companies were leaving for Ariquipa, so it looked like to me that they waited until they thought we would not be able to get another ticket and have to stay with them. So this couple from Denmark, I had met earlier in the day, and I decided to try one of the other bus lines. We found a 2nd class bus leaving in 10 minutes (which really 20 minutes in Peruvian time) so bought our tickets, got a refund from Cial and waited for the bus.
I have heard stories bus companies taking pictures of overnight travlers, but thought it was only during the guerilla war about a decade ago. Well it´s not because we were filmed getting on the bus, I was not sure if I should smile or not. Filming me was not necessary because I made it to Ariquipa in one piece. Now the bus ride was very fast and curvy. I am so glad I could not see where we were going - and I did not have to sleep next to a gross old man, I was seated next to a woman.
After checking into my hostel, I headed out with the Danish couple and we ventured off to the Monasterio de Santa Catalina. Founded in 1580 by a rich widow, this was a convent for rich girls (an oxymoron yes I know). Traditionally the 2nd daughter of upper class families joined a convent to live in poverty, but not at the Santa Catalina, each nun had between 1 and 4 servants. Daily life of the nuns was non unlike what they were accustomed to in their life before the convent, they would have parties and invite musicans in all the time. In 1871, this all changed when a strict Dominican nun came and freed the servants and slaves and turned it into a nunery we are more familiar with. Not until 1971 when the convent was opened to the public had the nuns been outside the walls. At this point restoration was started on the convent and you can spend hours walking around. The streets are very narrow, cobblestone and the walls are painted bright blue or a deep brick (red). I took tons of pictures as it is a photographers dream to take pictures here. The rooms for the nuns were huge and included a bedroom, parlor, and kitchen. Some had their own bathrooms.
We then toured the museo containing Juanita, the ice mummy. She is an Inca girl who was sacraficed for the gods about 500 years ago. She has been frozen for this time at the top of one of the local volcanos. About 10 years ago and expidition found her when the ice started to melt because another volcano erupted melting the ice. She is still kept frozen and you can see her skin and fingernails perfectly. Since her finding they have found about 14 other sacrafices throughout Peru and Argentina. I will put a link to see her since we were not allowed to take pictures inside. http://www.mummytombs.com/mummylocator/featured/juanita.htm
I will hang out in Arequipa another day then head out to Puno tomorrow. I plan on just exploring the streets today. OH I almost forgot, last night I ate Alpaca meat, it is very tasty and is similar to buffalo. The man from the Danish couple I ate with had Cuy, guinea pig, and I will not be ordering that. The entire pig is deep fried, teeth, wiskers and all. You eat it like fried chicken picking the bones out. I tried some of his and I did not like the meat. There is not much meat on the poor little pig, he was not full after eating it. They are only about 6 - 10 inches long....What I would like to find out is if they are farm raised and how do they kill them if to cook them, or maybe they go into the oil alive like a lobster. So many questions.
¡Adios!
Estoy en Ariquipa y la ciudad es muy bonito. I am in Ariquipa and the is very beautiful. I think this is my favorite city so far. It is very colonial, so there are gorgeous colonial buildings everywhere, cobblestone streets - I think I could live here. The city sits at about 2300 meters (7500 feet) and sits in the valley of the volcano El Misti. Ariquipa is also a base point for many travelers to explore the canyons and surrounding mountains. I was going to hike down to the bottom of the canyon, but it would require an extra 3 days beause it is 6 hours from here. I have decided if it will fit into my schedule, I really want to stay in Cusco and extra day to see the Sacred Valley (more on that in a couple of days), also to get accustomed to the altitude (Cusco is 1000 meters higher than Ariquia and that is where I will hike the Inca Trail).
So after my last blog, I took a tour to the Cemetery of Chauchilla in Nasca. This cemetary dates to 1000 - 1300 CE and is home to hundreds of tombs containing mummies of the Nasca people. The tombs were ransaked in recent years and many of the gold and pottery stolen has been sold on the black market. In recent years archeologists have put 12 tombs together you can view with mummies and artificats. Now when the tombs were ransacke, the bones were scattered all over the land and archeologists have tried to pu them together again. It is very interesting viewing the tombs because you have skeletons that are thousands of years old exposed to the elements (which in Nasca consist only of wind and sand). There is not a glass cover of the tombs, just a wooden roof. A policeman is only on guard during the day and they will add one a night in about two months. There is a path to walk on between the tombs and off of the path you can see concaves in the ground where other tombs are and pieces of skeltons all over the place.
I was scheduled to take the 9:45 bus with Cial out of Nasca, I did not want to stay the night and the only buses to Ariquipa are overnight. So I head to the bus station about 8:30 p.m. and there are other tourists there hanging out. We are brushing our teeth and preparing for the 11 hour bus ride. About 9, the man who worked there, tells us the bus is going to be late because it broke down and will not arrive until 2:30 a.m. None of us wanted to stay in Nasca that long so he says he will refund our money if we find another bus. So we all rush out to catch another bus from one of the 5 other bus lines. I went to Civa and they had a bus leaving at 11 for about $10 less than what I paid for the first bus. So I bought my ticket and head back to the first bus line to get my money back.
Well when I get back, the man has now said there is a 11:30 bus that we can get on. Now there are three classes of buses in Peru, 1st class, 2nd class, and economic. I was on a 1st class bus to Ariquipa and without my knowing bought an economic ticket with Civa. I had no desire to ride 11 hours on a bus that did not have reclining seats overnight, so I talked the guy at the first company into selling my economic ticket to someone else so I could stay on his nice bus. All the tourists decided to stay with Cial because it was cheaper for 1st class service. At 11 a second guy from the bus company tells us (after he checked our bags) that the 2nd bus has broken down and will not arrive until 2:30 a.m. I do not know how he knew this because he had not been on the phone for about an hour, I guess it magically came to him.
This just seemed a little fishy to all of us, and I started to think they were full of it and lied because they were going to loose about 15 passengers. The timing of them telling us this was also about the time the other bus companies were leaving for Ariquipa, so it looked like to me that they waited until they thought we would not be able to get another ticket and have to stay with them. So this couple from Denmark, I had met earlier in the day, and I decided to try one of the other bus lines. We found a 2nd class bus leaving in 10 minutes (which really 20 minutes in Peruvian time) so bought our tickets, got a refund from Cial and waited for the bus.
I have heard stories bus companies taking pictures of overnight travlers, but thought it was only during the guerilla war about a decade ago. Well it´s not because we were filmed getting on the bus, I was not sure if I should smile or not. Filming me was not necessary because I made it to Ariquipa in one piece. Now the bus ride was very fast and curvy. I am so glad I could not see where we were going - and I did not have to sleep next to a gross old man, I was seated next to a woman.
After checking into my hostel, I headed out with the Danish couple and we ventured off to the Monasterio de Santa Catalina. Founded in 1580 by a rich widow, this was a convent for rich girls (an oxymoron yes I know). Traditionally the 2nd daughter of upper class families joined a convent to live in poverty, but not at the Santa Catalina, each nun had between 1 and 4 servants. Daily life of the nuns was non unlike what they were accustomed to in their life before the convent, they would have parties and invite musicans in all the time. In 1871, this all changed when a strict Dominican nun came and freed the servants and slaves and turned it into a nunery we are more familiar with. Not until 1971 when the convent was opened to the public had the nuns been outside the walls. At this point restoration was started on the convent and you can spend hours walking around. The streets are very narrow, cobblestone and the walls are painted bright blue or a deep brick (red). I took tons of pictures as it is a photographers dream to take pictures here. The rooms for the nuns were huge and included a bedroom, parlor, and kitchen. Some had their own bathrooms.
We then toured the museo containing Juanita, the ice mummy. She is an Inca girl who was sacraficed for the gods about 500 years ago. She has been frozen for this time at the top of one of the local volcanos. About 10 years ago and expidition found her when the ice started to melt because another volcano erupted melting the ice. She is still kept frozen and you can see her skin and fingernails perfectly. Since her finding they have found about 14 other sacrafices throughout Peru and Argentina. I will put a link to see her since we were not allowed to take pictures inside. http://www.mummytombs.com/mummylocator/featured/juanita.htm
I will hang out in Arequipa another day then head out to Puno tomorrow. I plan on just exploring the streets today. OH I almost forgot, last night I ate Alpaca meat, it is very tasty and is similar to buffalo. The man from the Danish couple I ate with had Cuy, guinea pig, and I will not be ordering that. The entire pig is deep fried, teeth, wiskers and all. You eat it like fried chicken picking the bones out. I tried some of his and I did not like the meat. There is not much meat on the poor little pig, he was not full after eating it. They are only about 6 - 10 inches long....What I would like to find out is if they are farm raised and how do they kill them if to cook them, or maybe they go into the oil alive like a lobster. So many questions.
¡Adios!
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Is there life out there?
¡Buenas!
It is Sunday and I am recovering from a very nausiating flight over the desert lines in Nazca. http://www.crystalinks.com/nazca.html Here is some information for you if you have no idea what they are. Basically thousands of years ago, the people who lived in this area created lines in the desert of different animals (and one man who looks like your stereotypical martian). The lines were discovered by modern society in the 1920´s and have confused scientists since. There are many theories about how the lines were created including a visit from aliens. My theory is the Peruvian government created them to creat tourists and at night updates the lines so they are visiable the next day. I don´t think that is shared by many people though. The lines are actually really cool to see because there are lines all over the desert and they look like creative irrigation canals. The fact that they have been around for a while is also impressive, of course I don´t know how they have dated the lines if they were only discovered in the 20th century.
So my flight was an interesting one. Four seats to a plane, one for the pilot, three for tourists, in a small propellar plane. Now I heard the ride was a bumpy one, so I tried to prepare myself by not eating breakfast and I wasn´t nervous until we took off. I going to let everyone in on a little secret, I get extremly nausas when I am on bridges, skysrapers, glass elevators, The Eifel Tower (especially walking down from the 2nd floor to the 1st floor because I was told by a certain individual that it wasn´t far :) haha). So why I decided to take a crop plane ride, I have no idea. But thankfully my stomach acid did not come up. There were several times I thought I was going to have to use the platic bag provided by the pilot however. It´s approxiamently a 35 minute ride and you pass over the lines from the left side, then the right side - and the pilot really turns that plane to the side so you can see the lines, the line that tells how level the plane is was almost vertical (sorry I don´t know the official name). I didn´t move for 20 minutes after the flight.
I am now doing some souvenir shopping in the town center and will visit a couple of sites later, then take an overnight bus to Arequipa.
Adios mis amigos
It is Sunday and I am recovering from a very nausiating flight over the desert lines in Nazca. http://www.crystalinks.com/nazca.html Here is some information for you if you have no idea what they are. Basically thousands of years ago, the people who lived in this area created lines in the desert of different animals (and one man who looks like your stereotypical martian). The lines were discovered by modern society in the 1920´s and have confused scientists since. There are many theories about how the lines were created including a visit from aliens. My theory is the Peruvian government created them to creat tourists and at night updates the lines so they are visiable the next day. I don´t think that is shared by many people though. The lines are actually really cool to see because there are lines all over the desert and they look like creative irrigation canals. The fact that they have been around for a while is also impressive, of course I don´t know how they have dated the lines if they were only discovered in the 20th century.
So my flight was an interesting one. Four seats to a plane, one for the pilot, three for tourists, in a small propellar plane. Now I heard the ride was a bumpy one, so I tried to prepare myself by not eating breakfast and I wasn´t nervous until we took off. I going to let everyone in on a little secret, I get extremly nausas when I am on bridges, skysrapers, glass elevators, The Eifel Tower (especially walking down from the 2nd floor to the 1st floor because I was told by a certain individual that it wasn´t far :) haha). So why I decided to take a crop plane ride, I have no idea. But thankfully my stomach acid did not come up. There were several times I thought I was going to have to use the platic bag provided by the pilot however. It´s approxiamently a 35 minute ride and you pass over the lines from the left side, then the right side - and the pilot really turns that plane to the side so you can see the lines, the line that tells how level the plane is was almost vertical (sorry I don´t know the official name). I didn´t move for 20 minutes after the flight.
I am now doing some souvenir shopping in the town center and will visit a couple of sites later, then take an overnight bus to Arequipa.
Adios mis amigos
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Survival of the Peruvian discoteque
I have made it through a very long, jam packed night of dancing salsa, y merengue with a group of crazy Peruvian guys. They were all actually very sweet and took good card of Diane and I. I had so much fun dancing. I think it´s in the blood of Peruvians to know how to dance. All of them were great dancers, and twirled us around like we were on a merry go round. I could keep up with a couple of them, but José was too fast for me. I looked like a typical white girl dancing with him I´m sure. So we stayed until past 3 and the guys made sure we got back to our hostel safely.
I met a street vendor earlier who was trying to convince me there were cowboys in Kentucky. It was amusing trying to tell him otherwise.
Off to lunch, no hearts today. Maybe fish - I´m on the coast and the fish is so good. hhhmmm
I met a street vendor earlier who was trying to convince me there were cowboys in Kentucky. It was amusing trying to tell him otherwise.
Off to lunch, no hearts today. Maybe fish - I´m on the coast and the fish is so good. hhhmmm
Friday, May 18, 2007
Bird Invasion and cow hearts
So, today has been a very Nicole day. I woke up early to depart for my tour of the Islas Ballestas and Reserva National Parque, my bus was supposed to pick me up at 7:15 and of course we are on Peruvian time and they came at 7:45. So me and 2 of my closest French friends, 1 Canadian and about 24 Peruvians headed out to the next town over Paracas. We then waited on the dock for about 15 minutes with lots of other tourists waiting to board our speedboats. I started talking to Diane from Canada (remember her) and she asked me to be her translater because we were wondering if our guide would speak English.
We board our ex-Miami Vice speed boats and put on our life jackets and head out for a 15 minutes ride to the Islands (Islas). As I said yesterday the Islas are the "poor man Gallapagos" and the easiest way to describe the animal life is thousands of birds. I have never seen so many birds in one spot in my life, it was a little creepy. At least 10 different species flying over head, chilling in the water, on the rocks and more guayno than I ever want to smell again. If you don´t know, guayno is bird poop, white smelly, I want to puke bird poop. And historically Peruvians use it for fertilizer (some still do on a small scale). So we drive around several islands looking at birds and poop. There was the occassional sea lion in a very obscure place on the rocks. I don´t know how they got up there and am convinced marine biologists placed them there to guarentee to tourists they will see sea lions. Oh yeah there were some penguins as well. Oh and I almost forgot, on the way to the Islands we passed the candelabro (http://www.caminandosinrumbo.com/peru/ballestas/index.htm scroll down and it´s on the right and side) It is similar to the Nazca lines, but experts are unsure of how it was created. I go back to my theory of Peruvians setting the whole thing up to draw tourists or aliens.
After the islands we go to the National Reserve which is a wild life reserve in the desert. It was really cool to see a desert next to water, and we saw more cool views of the cliffs and water than animals. Then lunch at a really small beach. I had ceviche (raw fish marinated in lemon juice and spices) it was sooooooo good. It´s served with Yucca and sweet potato. When we get back into town Diane was walking towards my hotel with me. Now here is where the story gets muy interesente.
We ran into the two touts (guys who get commission for brining tourists to hotels or travel agencies) who she and I got our hotels with. We started talking and Diane told me she was going to the discoteque with Jose tonight. Now I was scheduled to leave on a 4:30 bus to Nazca to fly over the lines tomorrow. There is nothing in Nazca - nada. I wasn´t looking forward to it and then Jose told me there was a early bus I could take. So of course I got on my guide, Nelson for not telling me about the earlier bus, but there was nothing I could do. Or was there.....
I am waiting in the train station and my bus is late (of course). Nelson and some other guys came over to meet the tourists coming in from the bus so we were talking, I started practicing my spanish. Several told me they would pay me to stay so I could go to the discoteque with them, I only had to get the tourists to come with them when they got off the bus. I said if I could get a hotel for $5 I would stay and catch the early bus, then I was invited to stay at two houses (don´t worry mom, I did not take them up on this offer). So before I knew it, Jose was telling the bus station guys that I wasn´t getting on the bus and I was going to the same hotel Diane was staying in. The guys were very surprised I was just like OK. I was able to get a double room for 1\2 the price (thanks to Jose) and then I went out to eat with Dane and another guy. And I can´t remember his name.....So Jose is going to try to sell my ticket to another tourists for tomorrow.
Diane and our friend and I ate some Peruvian donuts from a street vendor then went to a pool hall. We were of course the only two females in there and when we walked in, some guys at the front looked at me and said "hola mamacita" If you don´t know mamacita is, it's a pretty woman. They apparently didn´t think I could understand Spanish so I said "Hola papi, ¿como estas? which embarrassed them and was funny to me. So we play pool and got Orlando to play on my team (Orlando is a friend of the guy we were with who's name I can't remember). When we were leaving the guys were still talking about me, so I starting talking to them and one asked if I was a mamacita, and I said no. He said si, you are a mamasota, I said si. I have no idea what a mamasota is and I asked our new friend and he said it is a woman who is twice as pretty as a mamacita (I have never heard this before)
Afterwards we to eat corozon de carne (cow heart) from a street vendor. It was actually pretty good (much better than I´ve had in the past). We had a pleasant meal sitting on dirty bench eating off of plates that are just rinsed off in dirty water on a dirty corner. There were three girls there, daughters of the stall owner I think. They got a kick out of me talking to them. Everyone was impressed two gringas were eating cow heart.
So, I have eaten and need to go take a nap before we go to the discoteque. It has apparently turned into a huge party and there are about 15 of us going....I think one of the other guys has some other tourists going. Tomorrow I will take the 6 a.m. flight to Nazca and I´m just out the $10 I spent on my ticket, but so worth it because Pisco is more fun than Nazca.
This is why I love going on a vacation.
Oh yeah last night my bartender who I was talking to while drinking a pisco sour (traditional Peruvian drink with white grape brandy, lemon juice, sugar, and egg whites) asked me to help her get papers to enter the US :) I declined.
FYI when I say I´m talking to people, it usually means in Spanish or Spanglish. Very few people speak English, which is great because I get to practice.
Adios mis amigos!
We board our ex-Miami Vice speed boats and put on our life jackets and head out for a 15 minutes ride to the Islands (Islas). As I said yesterday the Islas are the "poor man Gallapagos" and the easiest way to describe the animal life is thousands of birds. I have never seen so many birds in one spot in my life, it was a little creepy. At least 10 different species flying over head, chilling in the water, on the rocks and more guayno than I ever want to smell again. If you don´t know, guayno is bird poop, white smelly, I want to puke bird poop. And historically Peruvians use it for fertilizer (some still do on a small scale). So we drive around several islands looking at birds and poop. There was the occassional sea lion in a very obscure place on the rocks. I don´t know how they got up there and am convinced marine biologists placed them there to guarentee to tourists they will see sea lions. Oh yeah there were some penguins as well. Oh and I almost forgot, on the way to the Islands we passed the candelabro (http://www.caminandosinrumbo.com/peru/ballestas/index.htm scroll down and it´s on the right and side) It is similar to the Nazca lines, but experts are unsure of how it was created. I go back to my theory of Peruvians setting the whole thing up to draw tourists or aliens.
After the islands we go to the National Reserve which is a wild life reserve in the desert. It was really cool to see a desert next to water, and we saw more cool views of the cliffs and water than animals. Then lunch at a really small beach. I had ceviche (raw fish marinated in lemon juice and spices) it was sooooooo good. It´s served with Yucca and sweet potato. When we get back into town Diane was walking towards my hotel with me. Now here is where the story gets muy interesente.
We ran into the two touts (guys who get commission for brining tourists to hotels or travel agencies) who she and I got our hotels with. We started talking and Diane told me she was going to the discoteque with Jose tonight. Now I was scheduled to leave on a 4:30 bus to Nazca to fly over the lines tomorrow. There is nothing in Nazca - nada. I wasn´t looking forward to it and then Jose told me there was a early bus I could take. So of course I got on my guide, Nelson for not telling me about the earlier bus, but there was nothing I could do. Or was there.....
I am waiting in the train station and my bus is late (of course). Nelson and some other guys came over to meet the tourists coming in from the bus so we were talking, I started practicing my spanish. Several told me they would pay me to stay so I could go to the discoteque with them, I only had to get the tourists to come with them when they got off the bus. I said if I could get a hotel for $5 I would stay and catch the early bus, then I was invited to stay at two houses (don´t worry mom, I did not take them up on this offer). So before I knew it, Jose was telling the bus station guys that I wasn´t getting on the bus and I was going to the same hotel Diane was staying in. The guys were very surprised I was just like OK. I was able to get a double room for 1\2 the price (thanks to Jose) and then I went out to eat with Dane and another guy. And I can´t remember his name.....So Jose is going to try to sell my ticket to another tourists for tomorrow.
Diane and our friend and I ate some Peruvian donuts from a street vendor then went to a pool hall. We were of course the only two females in there and when we walked in, some guys at the front looked at me and said "hola mamacita" If you don´t know mamacita is, it's a pretty woman. They apparently didn´t think I could understand Spanish so I said "Hola papi, ¿como estas? which embarrassed them and was funny to me. So we play pool and got Orlando to play on my team (Orlando is a friend of the guy we were with who's name I can't remember). When we were leaving the guys were still talking about me, so I starting talking to them and one asked if I was a mamacita, and I said no. He said si, you are a mamasota, I said si. I have no idea what a mamasota is and I asked our new friend and he said it is a woman who is twice as pretty as a mamacita (I have never heard this before)
Afterwards we to eat corozon de carne (cow heart) from a street vendor. It was actually pretty good (much better than I´ve had in the past). We had a pleasant meal sitting on dirty bench eating off of plates that are just rinsed off in dirty water on a dirty corner. There were three girls there, daughters of the stall owner I think. They got a kick out of me talking to them. Everyone was impressed two gringas were eating cow heart.
So, I have eaten and need to go take a nap before we go to the discoteque. It has apparently turned into a huge party and there are about 15 of us going....I think one of the other guys has some other tourists going. Tomorrow I will take the 6 a.m. flight to Nazca and I´m just out the $10 I spent on my ticket, but so worth it because Pisco is more fun than Nazca.
This is why I love going on a vacation.
Oh yeah last night my bartender who I was talking to while drinking a pisco sour (traditional Peruvian drink with white grape brandy, lemon juice, sugar, and egg whites) asked me to help her get papers to enter the US :) I declined.
FYI when I say I´m talking to people, it usually means in Spanish or Spanglish. Very few people speak English, which is great because I get to practice.
Adios mis amigos!
Thursday, May 17, 2007
American chain restaurants in Lima
¡Buenos Noches mis amigos! It is the end of my second day in Peru and I feel like I have been here a week already. Yesterday morning I took a tour of the San Franciso Monestary. My tour was in Spanish and I have could only understand about an tenth of the guide was saying. A lot of things were very significant and important, a couple were very, very, very important. For about the first 15 minutes I tried to figure out what my guide was saying, but I got a headache trying to translate in my head. The Monestary was founded in the 17th century (if I understood correctly). There was tons of gorgeous tile covering the walls, they looked like they were handpainted and very old. There is a library with 25,000 (or was it 2500) books with all subjects and several languages - I understood that much- only the boring stuff, when everyone laughed at something she said, I didn´t because I had no idea what she said. So underneath the monestary are catacombs, which apparently were the first cemetary in Lima. The bones were arranged in interesting posistions in circles at the bottom of several things that looked like wells. I saw more arm and leg bones than anything else, I guess they lost their heads somewhere else.
Afterwards I toured the Museo de Nation which is supposed to have this great collection of pre-Inca pottery an artifacts and it is supposed to take hours to tour - I was done in 45 minutes. So I took a walk along the beach and came across one of the malls. It was actually cool, because it sat on the cliffs overlooking the ocean and was partly outdoors and partly indoors. To my surprise they had not only a Tony Romas there, but also a Hooters! Hooters in Peru. I was amused and had to peek in to seek if they dressed the same - they do.
This morning I woke up early hoping to catch the first bus to Pisco, and missed it, so I waited around the bus terminal for 4 hours for the next one - I knew I forgot to bring something - a book. I was hoping for a rickity bus for me to throw my pack on top and sit next to an 80 year old woman and her chickens - nope. Those days are long gone. Peru now had luxery buses that rival airlines. Double decker buses with reclining first class seats, a movie in English plus a bus attendant. We were served lunch! The fact that it was one piece of mystery meat and 1 piece of lettuce on bread doesn´t matter, it was lunch on a bus. Very impressive.
The PanAmerican highway runs along the coast of Peru and passes some beautifu views of the ocean. There were these huts along some of the path that reminded me of ice fishing shacks, but no ice. They did not look liked people lived in them, who knows.
I arrive in Pisco which is about 300 km south of Lima and my hostel here is amazing! I splurged and am spending a little more for my room, since I didn´t have to get lunch. I will try to post pictures of this place, I have a private room with bath and a double bed. There is a lot of pottery and wood furnishings - lots of character and rustic.
I have booked a tour to the Isles Ballistas tomorrow - otherwise known as the poor man gallapagos. Then tomorrow night I am off to Nazca to see the desert lines.
So far, my trip has been boring, I will not lie. I have decided to do some more trekking when I get to Ariquepa in a couple of days so hopefully it will be exciting.
Afterwards I toured the Museo de Nation which is supposed to have this great collection of pre-Inca pottery an artifacts and it is supposed to take hours to tour - I was done in 45 minutes. So I took a walk along the beach and came across one of the malls. It was actually cool, because it sat on the cliffs overlooking the ocean and was partly outdoors and partly indoors. To my surprise they had not only a Tony Romas there, but also a Hooters! Hooters in Peru. I was amused and had to peek in to seek if they dressed the same - they do.
This morning I woke up early hoping to catch the first bus to Pisco, and missed it, so I waited around the bus terminal for 4 hours for the next one - I knew I forgot to bring something - a book. I was hoping for a rickity bus for me to throw my pack on top and sit next to an 80 year old woman and her chickens - nope. Those days are long gone. Peru now had luxery buses that rival airlines. Double decker buses with reclining first class seats, a movie in English plus a bus attendant. We were served lunch! The fact that it was one piece of mystery meat and 1 piece of lettuce on bread doesn´t matter, it was lunch on a bus. Very impressive.
The PanAmerican highway runs along the coast of Peru and passes some beautifu views of the ocean. There were these huts along some of the path that reminded me of ice fishing shacks, but no ice. They did not look liked people lived in them, who knows.
I arrive in Pisco which is about 300 km south of Lima and my hostel here is amazing! I splurged and am spending a little more for my room, since I didn´t have to get lunch. I will try to post pictures of this place, I have a private room with bath and a double bed. There is a lot of pottery and wood furnishings - lots of character and rustic.
I have booked a tour to the Isles Ballistas tomorrow - otherwise known as the poor man gallapagos. Then tomorrow night I am off to Nazca to see the desert lines.
So far, my trip has been boring, I will not lie. I have decided to do some more trekking when I get to Ariquepa in a couple of days so hopefully it will be exciting.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Which way does the water flush south of the equator?
¡Buenos Dias!
I have arrived in Lima after almost 18 hours of travel, 4 airports, 3 countries, and 2 continents. My trip got off to an interesting start in Mexico City when I went to the check in counter at the gate to make sure I didn´t have to check in again (I saw everyone lining up at the counter and got a little worried). I was told that I needed to pass through immigration and have them stamp my immigration card or I couldn´t board the plane...What???? I didn´t technically enter Mexico because I was still in the airport and I didn´t remember having to do this on previous travels. Oh yeah, the plane was boarding in 10 minutes! So I ran to immigration trying to fill out my card as I go, luckily there wasn´t a line and only one person in front of me. Of course it took 10 minutes for the next agent to become available and what seemed like another 10 for them to process my passport. So then I run back to the gate, thinking "great, I´m going to get stuck in Mexico City´s airport until tomorrow". I make it to the gate, only to sit there for 40 minutes until they boarded the plane! All that running for nothing. And the airport in Mexico City is small, I think Louisville´s rinky dink airport is bigger than Mexico City´s. If you´re taller than 6 feet your going to hit your head on the ceiling there as well. Oh and if you´re wandering through the airport wondering what the tequila tastes like....have no fear, they offer samples!
So I arrive in Lima and make my way through immigration, baggage claim, customs to the hoards of men standing on the other side of the police barracade with hundreds of names on sticks (these are the taxi driver´s picking up passengers) How in the world was I going to find my name. Let me back up, it is highly recommended when you arrive in Lima to have a taxi prearranged to pick you up, this can be done by making reservations through a hotel and they will confirm a taxi. Apparently if you don´t prearrange you run the risk of being mugged by a poser cab driver. OK so fast forward to me arriving at midnight to the swarms of names on sticks and drivers....So I walk through the doors and to my luck, my name was plastered on the stand of the Green Taxi company - spelled two different ways, it was very amusing. Nycole Cyssle...interesting spelling. So they were very excited to meet me and hand me off to man #1 who is talking on the radio. We walk outside, where more swarms of men are trying to get you to take their taxi, and I get handed off to man #2, and by the way neither man says in English or Spanish please follow this man. I then walk further and am handing off to man #3 (all men are wearing offical looking badges that say Green Taxi so I wasn´t too worried). I´m then ushered into a cab and man #3 walks off. After a few minutes, man #4 tries to get me to go into his cab, then man #3 comes back and says sorry, this cab please. I then have to switch cabs and am embarrassed Aussie apologizes for stealing my cab. So I´m ushered into a 2nd cab and man #5 gets in and asks ¿Adonde? I then have a very interesting conversation in Spanish with the cab driver for the 35 minute ride to my hotel.
So what are my impressions of Lima? Dirty, Dirty, Dirty. I have finished breakfast and am going to check out some catacombs and maybe the national museum. My cab driver on the way here was just chatting away to me in spanish, I could only make out about every three words. I did understand him when he told me to lock the door because we were driving through an unsafe neighborhood, but not to worry Miraflores (the neighborhood I am staying) is very safe. My spanish is so going to improve after this trip.
So which way does the water flush south of the equator, well I forgot to check so I´ll have to remember to do that. It is supposed to be opposite in the Northern Hemisphere yes? Your homework assigment is to check and let me know :)
Adios para ahora. I will write more exciting information later.
I have arrived in Lima after almost 18 hours of travel, 4 airports, 3 countries, and 2 continents. My trip got off to an interesting start in Mexico City when I went to the check in counter at the gate to make sure I didn´t have to check in again (I saw everyone lining up at the counter and got a little worried). I was told that I needed to pass through immigration and have them stamp my immigration card or I couldn´t board the plane...What???? I didn´t technically enter Mexico because I was still in the airport and I didn´t remember having to do this on previous travels. Oh yeah, the plane was boarding in 10 minutes! So I ran to immigration trying to fill out my card as I go, luckily there wasn´t a line and only one person in front of me. Of course it took 10 minutes for the next agent to become available and what seemed like another 10 for them to process my passport. So then I run back to the gate, thinking "great, I´m going to get stuck in Mexico City´s airport until tomorrow". I make it to the gate, only to sit there for 40 minutes until they boarded the plane! All that running for nothing. And the airport in Mexico City is small, I think Louisville´s rinky dink airport is bigger than Mexico City´s. If you´re taller than 6 feet your going to hit your head on the ceiling there as well. Oh and if you´re wandering through the airport wondering what the tequila tastes like....have no fear, they offer samples!
So I arrive in Lima and make my way through immigration, baggage claim, customs to the hoards of men standing on the other side of the police barracade with hundreds of names on sticks (these are the taxi driver´s picking up passengers) How in the world was I going to find my name. Let me back up, it is highly recommended when you arrive in Lima to have a taxi prearranged to pick you up, this can be done by making reservations through a hotel and they will confirm a taxi. Apparently if you don´t prearrange you run the risk of being mugged by a poser cab driver. OK so fast forward to me arriving at midnight to the swarms of names on sticks and drivers....So I walk through the doors and to my luck, my name was plastered on the stand of the Green Taxi company - spelled two different ways, it was very amusing. Nycole Cyssle...interesting spelling. So they were very excited to meet me and hand me off to man #1 who is talking on the radio. We walk outside, where more swarms of men are trying to get you to take their taxi, and I get handed off to man #2, and by the way neither man says in English or Spanish please follow this man. I then walk further and am handing off to man #3 (all men are wearing offical looking badges that say Green Taxi so I wasn´t too worried). I´m then ushered into a cab and man #3 walks off. After a few minutes, man #4 tries to get me to go into his cab, then man #3 comes back and says sorry, this cab please. I then have to switch cabs and am embarrassed Aussie apologizes for stealing my cab. So I´m ushered into a 2nd cab and man #5 gets in and asks ¿Adonde? I then have a very interesting conversation in Spanish with the cab driver for the 35 minute ride to my hotel.
So what are my impressions of Lima? Dirty, Dirty, Dirty. I have finished breakfast and am going to check out some catacombs and maybe the national museum. My cab driver on the way here was just chatting away to me in spanish, I could only make out about every three words. I did understand him when he told me to lock the door because we were driving through an unsafe neighborhood, but not to worry Miraflores (the neighborhood I am staying) is very safe. My spanish is so going to improve after this trip.
So which way does the water flush south of the equator, well I forgot to check so I´ll have to remember to do that. It is supposed to be opposite in the Northern Hemisphere yes? Your homework assigment is to check and let me know :)
Adios para ahora. I will write more exciting information later.
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