The Adventure Begins Again - Tales from Peru!!

Well goodness gracious, my how quickly time ha pasado!! When I last wrote, I was in Jackson, MS, hanging out at my dad´s house, walking my smelly dog, driving myself wherever I needed to go, and not thinking twice about paying 3 dollars for a drink or 8 dollars for a sandwich and salad. Well, Im baaaaaaaaack. Happy to be attempting to find my way in the chaos that defines Latin America and back to being my insanely frugal self. After being in Argentina and Chile, I cannot get over how inexpensive everythign is here - even in the ultra-touristy town of Cusco. I ate an insane amount of delicious vegetarian food last night for $1.30. Woohoo!

But shall I rewind? After two more days of lounging on my dad´s lovely porch, hanging out with the various guests sleeping and working at the house, catching up with Kilby and Mary Preston one last time, eating my daily muffins and even an afternoon stint of babysitting - I now think of paychecks in terms of how many days I can survive in South America, and, thanks to the Maloufs, I was just rewarded 4-5 more days of life down here!! - I finally threw my backpack together again (this time I brought only the bare minimum) and was whisked off to the aeropuerto Thursday morning to once again bid adieu to my homeland and arrive anew in Sudamerica.

And this time I landed in a new country - PERU!! And as luck would have it - I sure hope luck keeps staying on my side (currently knocking on wood) - Doctora Blanca Baldoceda, a friend and co-worker from my days at PCC South in Chicago last year, was in Lima and was able to meet me at the airport. And you have NO idea how much this helped calm my nerves. There are many events, situations, etc. on this journey that I find difficult, challenging, and sometimes downright frightening, but nothing insights this fear inside of me like the idea of being one gringa ant among a hustling bustling crowd of travelers, vendors, taxistas at big airports and bus terminals. These are the places where people are most likely to hassle you, rip you off, or - worse - rob you. I like to go into such a situation with my head held high, my eyes straight ahead and act like I know what the hell Im doing. But I usually dont and after a couple of weeks of living the "easy" life in the States where I didnt have to worry about how I was going to get to a particular place, where I was going to sleep, or if the food I chose to eat is going to make me sick (giardia, anyone?!?), I was admittedly a little nervous about resuming my trip. I kept asking myself (as I did back in November), "Can I really keep doing this? Am I capable?" So with all of this weighing on my mind, I WELCOMED Blanca´s offer to pick me up. I only hope I was able to properly convey my gratitude for such a seemingly simple gesture!!

And so I was quickly reintroduced to all that is beautiful, crazy, chaotic, and often utterly amazing in Latin America. And I was lucky (there goes my luck again) to get to spend the first few days of my Peruvian adventure with Blanca and her mom. Blanca´s parents were born and raised in Lima and Blanca herself has spent a lot of time with family in Lima and traveling all over Peru. Most recently, she has taken a 6 month break from work to volunteer in clinics around Peru in an attempt to set up an international rotation for residents at the PCC clinic in Chicago. She is nearly finished with her time here, but has spent weeks living in the jungle and the mountains, meeting with countless doctors, directors, nurses, and seeing patients in some of the harshest environments with a severe lack of resources. The day after I arrived, I had the opportunity to accompany her to one of the poorest neighborhoods in Lima to visit a site where they hope to one day have a clinic. For now, the "clinic" is little more than walls made of woven wood or bamboo perched atop the sand and swaying in the wind - no roof, no resources. A large group of children and mothers met us there to receive toothbrushes and books donated by various organizations. The town has no electricity and water is retrieved from communal water buckets that are filled every few days by trucks traveling from Lima. It is one of the starkest places I have ever laid eyes on. There is not a speck of green in the town. It offers an odd contrast as this dusty, sandy, desert town made of wooden huts dives down into the Pacific Ocean.

And after seeing the poorest of the poor in Lima, we went to one of the nicest neighborhoods to eat Peruvian corn - OMG, it has been YEARS since I have had the luxury of chowing down on the FAT kernals that evidentally only grow here in Peru adn in Ecuador - sooooooo YUMMY!! And later cool off with some yummy ice cream while walking along the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. This time the cliffs were covered in green and the ocean felt much less out of place. And THEN, at 10 PM, we got dressed in our dancing best to go to a Peruvian peña. I know, I know. For those of you that know Spanish, pena (the closest word to Peña) means shameful, but no, no, no, this is a party like no other. A folkloric dance extravaganza. And not one designed for ogling gringos to come and experience a taste of Peruvian culture. This is a nightly happening full of Peruvians themsalves. In Blanca´s mother´s words, Peruvians LOVE to watch and experience their own culture! And why shouldnt they?!? So we sat and watched as a folkloric dance from each of the many many indigenous groups from all around Peru danced in their native dress. And in between each dance, we were invited up to the dance floor to let loose. I cant say what my body was doing looked anyhting like the folkloric dances, but it sure was fun!! I was just beaming all night, so excited to be experiencing something so authentically Peruvian. Oh, and the pisco sour and yummy yummy fat corn I ate during the evening were just the icing on the cake!

Then Saturday, Blanca, her mom, and I headed 4 hours South along the coast to the beach town of Paracas. This town was destroyed 2 years ago as a result of an earthquake and is only just beginning to be rebuilt. Which was evident as we approached driving through the sand dune desert-like landscape toward the water and saw NOTHING. Are we going in the right direction? Or driving through the land before time to a ghost town? Eventually, the tiny town rose out of nowhere, and the next three days were spent relaxing by the pool(la vida es MUY dificil, no'!), enjoying the incredible views of the ocean, hiking among mountainous sand dunes, and visiting an island full of comorants, sea lions, Peruvian boobies, and Humblodt penguins - kind of like a mini-Galapagos. I felt so spoiled the whole time I was there and, once again, am so grateful and appreciative to have been invited to join Blanca and her mom on their mini-vacation!! Thanks again and again to some wonderful Peruvian hospitality:)!

And after so many days of the truly pampered life, Blanca and I said our goodbyes and while she adn her mom headed North back to Lima, I boarded a bus for the town of Nazca - known for the Nazca Lines which I opted not to see. While I waited for another bus to make to 14 hour journey to Cusco, I wandered among the town, ate some tasty fried bananas, and made friends with Roland who inflated my ego by telling me I speak like Im from Spain....hmmm...is he serious or just terribly confused?!?! I hopped on my bus and settled in for one of the scariest rides of my life. All I can say is that I am glad I did not do the ride during the day. The few times I could bring myself to look out the window, all I saw was a very very steep drop. The road climbs and winds its way through the mountains and was barely big enough for two cars and here we were making our way (at far too fast a speed) in a freakin´double decker bus. I just closed my eyes, decided to have faith the guy knew what he was doing - I mean, what other choice did I have?! - and chose to focus on being happy that I CAN travel these roads. Not sure how much it worked, but I arrived in Cusco the next morning in one piece without having peed in my pants.

And now Im HERE - Cusco!! I was here 4 years ago with Victor and did most of the tours que hay - Machu Picchu, Maras Moray, and rafting on the Río Urubamba. So this time around, I have enjoyed wandering along the beautiful, narrow, STEEP, cobblestone roads, exploring the many markets, drinking fresh juices, and attempting to acclimatize. Tomorrow, after doing some hiking to visit some nearby ruins, I am meeting up with a Cusqueño friend whom I met back in Futaleufu, Chile. I assume that since he´s from this here town, he amy have some ideas of places to visit. But, if not, I am content to wander among the many winding streets of this town, ogle at the array of things one can buy at the markets (I keep asking the vendors - "And what´s this? And cant get over the varieties of corn and potatoes one can buy here!), and strike up conversations with locals. One guy invited me to his family´s celebration of the Lighting of the Cross - a city wide religious and cultural event to take place Sat night which evidentally involves much dancing and drinking. Hasta la proxima! VIVA!

Wedding Bells, Thunder Storms, Taylor-oke, and Much Rejoicing - Welcome to the the Taylor Fam, Susan!!

Good Afternoon from Jackson, MISSISSIPPI!! I am sitting on the porch of my dad's house on a beautiful, sunny Spring day. It has been YEARS since I have been in MS in April, and I quite like it. It's warm, but not sweltering, sunny, breezy - the type of weather that inspires one to smile all day long for no particular reason and get a sudden desire to put on a sun dress and go skipping through a field of daisies - Im still looking for the field of daisies, but I assure you there will be much skipping when said field is found!

So first of all, to try to update those non-facebook users on my photos, here is a link to some of the photos I have posted from my last month of traveling (you are going to have to copy and paste the link because my silly self cant figure out how to make it a hyperlink....go figure!) -
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2063091&id=5901703&l=8aa6e2c094
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2063133&id=5901703&l=1dcbca4303

Anyhow, I have enjoyed my time in the homeland so very much. I had a great time hanging out in Oxford for a few days where the weather was equally delightful. My mom and I spent one gorgeous afternoon sipping sweet tea and eating pecan pie in the Grove on the University of Mississippi campus. For those of you not familiar with Ole Miss, the Grove is a very very important place not only in the lives of Ole Miss students, but in the lives of anyone who knows anyone who ever stepped foot in the town of Oxford. There is much good, old fashioned tailgating that goes on here during football season, and as a child I spent many a football weekend running around free as a bird with my cousins and random friends eating hot dogs, potato chips, and chocolate chip cookies while my parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents listened to the game on the car radio. I never had any actual interest in the game of football and still do not have any knowledge as to the rules of the sport - it still seems like just a bunch of big, burly men ramming into each other as a ball gets passed around the field. But I LOVE the grove - and what a freaking gorgeous place to have lunch with my mom on a sunny Spring afternoon. Almost makes me want to move here - if only the weather in Mississippi could be a year of Aprils!

On Friday, I made my way back to Jackson to meet up with the many family members and friends coming into town for my dad and Susan's BIG DAY. I love family gatherings. I love MY family. We are a diverse group of individuals who live all over the country, but together we can be a pretty fun (and funny) crowd. Plus, throw in the many friends that might as well be family and you have a recipe for a guaranteed good time! Friday evening, my Aunt Claire and Uncle Dick had all of the out-of-town guests over to their house for dinner. I got to catch up with a few cousins and my favorite of all of dad's friends - Scott and Diane! Then the real party began once we got back to dad's house and he and his two brother's broke out into what I have taken to calling "Taylor-oke" - karaoke with a tone-deaf, hip-swiveling Taylor family twist.

And then the BIG DAY! And what a day it was. While Susan got ready at home, my sister, her boyfriend Alex, my brother, his girlfriend Hanna, dad, and I went to Broad Street Bakery (for the third time in two days) for some tasty Catfish po-boys. There is NOTHING in this world that can compare to Broad Street's catfish po-boy and if any of you non-Southern folk ever happen to find yourself in Jackson, MS (not sure why you would!), you MUST go there and eat it. Even Alex who is a bona fide food snob (I say this with the utmost love and respect for the guy), will vouch for the supreme culinary deliciousness of the sandwich!

Lunch at Broad Street - YUM!

Later Annelle, Alex and I took our dogs on a long long walk around the Belhaven neighborhood where my dad now lives. It certainly was not one of those gorgeous Spring days I was boasting about. In fact, it was cloudy, humid, and threatening rain ALL day, but the neighborhood is one of the oldest in Jackson with big beautiful homes that one sees in movies about the old South, so it was nice to wander around admiring all the houses with their big, manicured yards. One front yard even had a chicken coop! While Hobbes (my big Golden Retriever) dragged me from one exciting pee spot to the next, Alex trailed behind us with Murphy whose little Yorkie legs couldnt keep up the pace. Alex later had to actually carry Murphy for the final leg of the journey as he was plum tuckered out from all the activity!

And after quick showers and throwing on a dress and shoes, the real fun began! Two of my best friends from high school - Kilby and Emily - showed up, as did friends of my dad's who I didnt recognize and awkwardly had to say, "Im sorry...who are you?" We marched behind the Belhaven College marching band to the nearby Belhaven fountain where dad proposed to Susan back in August for a short and sweet exchange of vows before hustling back to the house and under the tents just before the rain arrived with a vengeance. And while the band had to call it quits and leave fairly early into the evening due to intense lightening and thunder (no one wanted them to get electrocuted!), the fun continued late into the night as the party was moved inside and the living room became a discoteque. Chris took over as DJ and kept the good times rolling.


Kilby and Emily joined in the fun!


Annelle and I served as one of Susan's many flower girls.


The Bride and Groom!


My sister, brother, and me!


Annelle, Jarratt, and Alex having a grand ole time!


Chris DJs and shows us a few moves of his own.

Sunday morning, Annelle, Jarratt, Hanna, Alex, and I piled into my dad's four-seater car to accompany the happy couple to the airport to bid them adieu as they headed off to South Africa for their honeymoon! And then a few hours later, the five of us kiddos headed back to the airport where all but your truly boarded planes headed for New Haven or Portland to return to lives of school and work.



And so that leaves me here as the lone Taylor in Jackson. But I am certainly not alone. Dad and Susan's house feels like a hostel with the random people coming and going throughout the day as well as the various people staying as overnight guests. It's a big house o' fun. So no worries, dad and Susan, everything is UNDER CONTROL - ha! Have fun and keep on keepin' on! Oh, and Susan - WELCOME to the Taylor family:)!

Two more days soaking in all that is sunny, Spring-like, and Southern and then Im off to meet Blanca in Peru! VIVA!

Back for a Flash!

This is where I have gotten to live and love and learn for the last few weeks!!


Volcan Osorno

Buenos dias desde Oxford, MISSISSIPPI!! That's right, I am baaaaaaaaack. But only for a short while. I got in on Friday morning and will be here for just under 2 weeks before heading back down south to continue my journey. The original plan had me traveling Nov 5-June 30, but I have taken a little "break" to pop in to visit with my mom and attend my dad's wedding - sure to be the party of the century!!

I had a fan-freakin-tastic time traveling with Joe. Really, I could not have asked for a more delightful traveling companion. I even so much as wallowed in the gringoness of the whole journey - speaking English, visiting all the touristy sites (that is when we were actually in touristy places), taking a million photos of everything in sight, and bumping down the road with Joe's rolling suitcase. It was GREAT! The two of us are working on a joint blog entry documenting our journey together (to be titled "All Empanadas ALL THE TIME - Notes on how all of our wildest dreams just KEPT coming true"), so look forward to reading that once Joe finishes up some school work he put off while galavanting around the most amazing place on earth with yours truly!!


Joe and Claudio enjoying a "Completo" in Pucon - Ummm....YUM?!


Soaking in a Natural Hot Spring outside of Pucon, Chile

I dont know how to sum up the last two weeks of my life, or properly explain my feelings regarding my return to los estados. It is so weird to think about how quickly one can go from such different environments and how quickly one can adapt to any given environment. One week ago I was in Osorno, Chile eating fresh bread bought from the corner bakery and fresh fruit bought from the street market in a humble, but bustling town. Then a 4 and a half hour bus ride with breathtaking views of the Andes mountains blanketed in the yellows, oranges, and reds of Fall (AND los volcanes - woohoo! Joe FINALLY got to see them:)!) as we climbed up and then down winding roads took us from Chile into Argentina back to the clean, manicured, Swiss chalet town of Bariloche to visit with Rosario. Then a 2 hour plane ride whisked us to the big, busy, bustling, over-crowded city of Buenos Aires where we wiled away many hours in the fantastic cafes they have on nearly every street corner and walked for hours and hours hitting all the great sites where Evita (and Madonna) stood. (I could not decide who Joe loved more - Evita or Madonna - but either way we stood where they stood, sang our own rendition of "Dont Cry for Me, Argentina," took dramatic photos, and altogether made great touristy fools of ourselves laughing and loving every moment!) And then hopped aboard a US-bound plane to return to the land of Fried Chicken, Sweet Tea, Southern Accents, Stop Signs, Giant SUVs, Bathrooms with Toilet Paper, Stoves that light with the flip of a switch (i.e. no lighter or match required!), and Spring blooms.

And how do I feel? Well, quite good. I am happy to be here. I was truly giddy to run into the waiting arms of my father at the Jackson airport. Yes, I know I am nearly 25 years old, and I know I was only gone 5 months, but gosh darnit, I wanted to act like a 5 year old child and have one of those moments that only ever seem to happen on movies...call me cheesy! I was also super excited to eat a huge MUFFIN at Broad Street Bakery as soon as I got home. Oh, how I have missed muffins and have made a point to eat at least one (or two, or five) each day since I have been home. Dont get me wrong. There is no way to properly explain my delight over the panaderia's in Argentina and Chile and the delicious sweets that one can buy for super cheap there, but nothing compares to the warm, moist, sweet muffins we make here in los estados unidos. Other things that I have enjoyed include: abundance of bathrooms WITH toilet paper, Stonyfield and Oikos greek yogurt, Barbaras Peanut Butter Puffins, hummus from Keifer's, Susan's and mom's home-cooking, throwing tennis balls for my smelly, slobbery, dumb, but unbelievably happy dog, waking up early to exercise with dad (and now mom), catching up with friends in Jackson, and chatting on the phone with Annelle and Jarratt and Rene and Molly. Things I dont much like and could stand to continue to do without for awhile include: driving, doctor's bills, cell phones. I am so happy to be here right now, but am glad my journey isnt over yet.

For now, I am enjoying catching up with my mom in Oxford. I will spend a few days here before returning to Jackson for the wedding festivities. The WHOLE fam is coming, and I kid you not when I say this is sure to be the party of the century. Both my dad and Susan are very social people, know a TON of people, and love to have a good time. So essentially this wedding is a fantastic reason to throw a REALLY BIG PARTY - WOOHOO! The band is called something like Sammy and the Soul Shakers - and no doubt there will be lots of soul shaking going on. VIVA!

A table Set for Two

Buenos Días desde Osorno, Chile! I am back once again after a crazy round-Northern-Patagonia trip with Joe that most people think the two of us are crazy for doing, but neither Joe nor I feel crazy, just happy and perhaps a little out of the ordinary as it is DEFINITELY low season and we are hitting spots that are off even the high season tourist track. Which basically means that we have had more than a handful of meals that are literally just the two of us. And for some reason the music being played over the speakers includes such romantic tunes as "Truly Madly Deeply," "I Want You," and "I Will Love You Forever." It´s been rather amusing - if only they knew how truly, madly, deeply this friendship of ours will NEVER extend beyond just that - friendship!

I dont have much time to give all the delightful details, so for now I will let you know that the two of us are wonderful. Joe is eating ALL the typical foods - lots of frind meat empanadas, barley with rehydrated peaches, steak and cheese sandwiches, alfajores. And I have finally come through to the other side with my illness. And while it has rained nearly every waking moment since Joe arrived (he has come to think I am lying about the volcanoes that I assure him lay just beyond the clouds and fog in the distance that I stared at nearly non-stop UNTIL he arrived), we have seen and done quite alot - walked along the coast in Barriloche, visited the cemetary, river, and walked "The Way of Christ" (it really was WAY more fun than it soudns as I sit here typing it!) in Junín de los Andes, enjoyed a frutratingly slow border crossing, taken a million photos of monkey puzzle trees (and stray dogs that Joe has taken to naming Mitch, Lady, or Griz), walked along black "sand" beaches in Pucon, soaked in natural thermal springs, and walked along the mystic cliffs diving into the Pacific Ocean. And now we are is Osorno enjoying the company and hospitality of Claudio before jet-setting it back to Bariloche (another fun border crossing for Joe to experimentar!) to meet up with my friend Rosario - and stay in her lovely tree house:) - before flying to Buenos Aires tomorrow morning. I know it must seem like an exhausting trip, but it has not felt like that to either of us. And I have been LOVING showing off this amzing area to Joe. And love even more how excited he has gotten over everything we have seen and done - un PLACER!!

Off we must go to keep the adventure rolling. Hasta la proxima (which will probably be from los estados - I fly home for Poppa T´s wedding on Thursday night!!!)...VIVA!