Buenas noches desde SANTIAGO, CHILE! What´s that, you say? Chile? Wasn´t I supposed to be in Argetina traveling with my sister?!? Well..... I DID go to Argentina. One Monday night, I boarded a night bus, crossed the border at 1 am, arrived at teh bus station in Mendoza at 5 am, and spent the day making friends in the hostel until it was time to catch the bus to the aeropuerto to meet my sister. And at 3:30 PM, Annelle walked off her plane and into the life of my backpacking traveling companion for the next two weeks. And what fun it has been having her here with me!
In only 4 days, we have eaten lots of tasty meat, veggies, and ice cream (sorry Alex, we have been unable to keep up with your suggestion of 15-20 empanadas/day, but NOT for lack of trying...). We spent one gorgeous afternoon biking through the rural pueblo of Maipu visiting wineries, eating yummy olives and sun-dried tomatoes, drinking wine, tasting homemade chocolates, and - at the end of the night - being personally escorted by the police back to the bike place - I managed to get a photo of Annelle biking with the police dude driving 2 mph on his motorcycle next to her so that "Nothing bad would happen to us." Clearly, he just wanted the opportunity to spend a little time with two gorgeous girls! We also walked all over Mendoza, admired the Fall colors of the leaves on the trees in the park, ate ice cream and empanadas, and then boarded a bus for the boonies where we spent yesterday walking along a beatuful tree-lined dirt road at the base of the Andes where the mountains are streaked in green, red, and yellow - amazing! And it was WARM - hot even. Which has been much welcomed by Annelle who has suffered a never-ending Winter up in New Haven. And then the best part was the authentic Argentinian asado we were treated to last night at our hostel - Im loving showing off this place to my sister!!
But we have decided that a trip to Bariloche is a must. Weather be damned, we are GOING! Annelle can´t come all this way and not get to experience the beauty of the area - not to mention the opportunity to meet my wonderful friends who reside there. So geared up with our long underwear, hats, gloves, and winter jackets, we are making the journey South. And for a reason that I cannot explain, it is actually faster to go from Mendoza to Bariloche via Chile. And the totally awesome part of all of this is that Annelle gets the bonus of experiencing two Chilean-Argentinian border crossing (today´s was enough to make me want to pull my hair out, but somehow Annelle enjoyed it - we were really really high in the Andes, after all!), see Santiago, meet and hang out with Claudio in Osorno, and do some hiking in the INCREDIBLE mountains outside of Osorno. So this morning, we headed to Santiago, spent the afternoon eating yummy food - including some awesome hot tamales!, climbing the hills around town, and now catching up with family via email. In a few hours, we are back on the bus for a night trip to Osorno - there is never a dull moment when viajando conmigo!!
Off we two hermanas Taylor go. Hasta la proxima...VIVA!!
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Flying by the Seat of my Pants
Buenas Tardes desde . . . SANTIAGO, Chile! So, if you read my most recent entry and pull out a map to understand where I have been (Cusco, Peru), where I was SUPPOSED to be (Salta, Argentina), and where I AM (Santiago, Chile), your head may start spinning almost as much as mine to understand why exactly I have found myself SO VERY FAR off track. Well...allow me to take a moment to explain.
This journey for me has been so beautiful most especially for the lack of plans that I have made. Really, other than needing to be home for my dad's wedding last month, and now needing to be in Argentina to meet up with my sister, there have been NO set plans. And while, at first, this sent me into a panic as to what I was going to do to keep myself entertained without feeling painfully lonely, it has turned out to be the most delightful part of my trip. I have NO plans. NONE. I wake up in the morning and think to myself, "What will I do today?" Yes, some days there are plans. And I really really like those days. Especially when those plans involve hanging out and going on an adventure with a new friend (i.e. NOT solo!!). But there are plenty of days where I wake up not entirely sure what I will do, where I will go, what I will see, or where I will lay my head the next night. This is exciting and, also, downright overwhelming and frightening at times. And for some reason, these most recent weeks, since I left Blanca and her mom in Paracas, have been especially challenging for me and my psyche. I have had many take-a-deep-breath-all-will-be-okay moments and sent more than a handful of emails to Rene questioning my ability to keep this up. But you know what? It ALWAYS passes. ALWAYS. And even in the midst of feeling alone, lonely, cold, unsure of what step to take next, I KNOW it will pass. I also know that sometimes you just need to cry or send an email (talking is the preferred method, but seeing as how I am a long long way from the nearest free phone call, that method just ain't an opción!). And I know I have some really amazing people on the other end who are rooting for me!!
So as I boarded bus Numero 1 last Wednesday to head South into Chile and then further South into Argentina, I really had NO idea what the heck I was going to do with myself (other than spend nearly 3 days sitting on my butt on a bus) until my sister arrived. I just knew I had to go, and would figure out what to do once I got to Chile. The first bus ride was 17 hours, not nearly as cold as my other Peruvian bus journeys, and I was lucky enough to befriend the woman sitting next to me. We chatted a bit, she invited me to stay with her and her family in their home if I ever returned to Cusco - amazing! - and then even invited me to have a fresh-made papaya/banana juice at the local market once we got to Tacna, Peru. Because there are some tense relations between Peruvians and Chileans, one cannot simply take a bus from one country into the other. Soooooo, after my super tasty juice, exchanging emails, and hugging goodbye, I jumped in a taxi to travel to 2 hours from Tacna to cross the border into Arica, Chile. And when I got to the bus station at 9 AM on Thursday morning, I nearly lost my cool. Arica is beach, but it is also desert. Dry, gray, gloomy, and I was feeling all alone. I missed my mountains. I had 5 days until Annelle would get here. The soonest bus toward Northern Argentina out of this depressing town was not for another 13 hours. I did not know what to do with myself and felt I could not will the time to go fast enough so I could leave. I took many deep breaths, tried to convince myself something good would come out of this, sent an email to my sister and Rene complaining about the miserable town, and then did my best to make the best of the day by catching a bus into town to try to take a walk, see the sights, and cheer up. But I just couldnt. My trip to Salta would involve only more desert, and I do not like the desert. I like green. I like mountains. Desert. Dry. Gray. And alone. For five days. I was not sure Tuesday would be able to come fast enough.
But then the whole plan took a crazy turn for the better when I got online and started talking to Claudio - my friend from Southern Chile with whom I stayed some two weeks at the end of March. He suggested we meet up in Santiago - 28 hours on bus for me, but still more or less on the way to Argentina, and 10 hours North on the bus for him. Really? Would it be crazy for me to jump at this or would it be crazier NOT to? In the end, I decided someone (Big Mama?) was offering me a hand to help pull me up and out of my funk. So I rushed back to the bus station, begged to change my ticket, and boarded my home on wheels for the 28 hour journey down to Santiago where I have spent the last 3 days.
Santiago is a beautiful city with two large hills in the center of town perfect for hiking and feeling like you are in the woods in the middle of a large metropolis. And Saturday and Sunday, in the company of a great great friend, I got to explore the city, eat tasty food, sleep in a real bed, and even go out to a club to listen to some Blues music - WON-DER-FUL!!
And now I am catching up on a few things before boarding a night bus to cross the border into Mendoza, Argentina to meet up with my sister tomorrow afternoon. The weather there is sunny and warm, and I am THRILLED to get to show off the beauty of Argentina to my sister. Drink maté and wine, hike en las montanas, dance some tango in Buenos Aires....oh, I can only imagine the adventures that are in store for us!
Feeling delightfully blessed and hoping to continue to remember to breathe deeply in the midst of the most difficult moments and cherish the beautiful and happy moments. VIVA!
This journey for me has been so beautiful most especially for the lack of plans that I have made. Really, other than needing to be home for my dad's wedding last month, and now needing to be in Argentina to meet up with my sister, there have been NO set plans. And while, at first, this sent me into a panic as to what I was going to do to keep myself entertained without feeling painfully lonely, it has turned out to be the most delightful part of my trip. I have NO plans. NONE. I wake up in the morning and think to myself, "What will I do today?" Yes, some days there are plans. And I really really like those days. Especially when those plans involve hanging out and going on an adventure with a new friend (i.e. NOT solo!!). But there are plenty of days where I wake up not entirely sure what I will do, where I will go, what I will see, or where I will lay my head the next night. This is exciting and, also, downright overwhelming and frightening at times. And for some reason, these most recent weeks, since I left Blanca and her mom in Paracas, have been especially challenging for me and my psyche. I have had many take-a-deep-breath-all-will-be-okay moments and sent more than a handful of emails to Rene questioning my ability to keep this up. But you know what? It ALWAYS passes. ALWAYS. And even in the midst of feeling alone, lonely, cold, unsure of what step to take next, I KNOW it will pass. I also know that sometimes you just need to cry or send an email (talking is the preferred method, but seeing as how I am a long long way from the nearest free phone call, that method just ain't an opción!). And I know I have some really amazing people on the other end who are rooting for me!!
So as I boarded bus Numero 1 last Wednesday to head South into Chile and then further South into Argentina, I really had NO idea what the heck I was going to do with myself (other than spend nearly 3 days sitting on my butt on a bus) until my sister arrived. I just knew I had to go, and would figure out what to do once I got to Chile. The first bus ride was 17 hours, not nearly as cold as my other Peruvian bus journeys, and I was lucky enough to befriend the woman sitting next to me. We chatted a bit, she invited me to stay with her and her family in their home if I ever returned to Cusco - amazing! - and then even invited me to have a fresh-made papaya/banana juice at the local market once we got to Tacna, Peru. Because there are some tense relations between Peruvians and Chileans, one cannot simply take a bus from one country into the other. Soooooo, after my super tasty juice, exchanging emails, and hugging goodbye, I jumped in a taxi to travel to 2 hours from Tacna to cross the border into Arica, Chile. And when I got to the bus station at 9 AM on Thursday morning, I nearly lost my cool. Arica is beach, but it is also desert. Dry, gray, gloomy, and I was feeling all alone. I missed my mountains. I had 5 days until Annelle would get here. The soonest bus toward Northern Argentina out of this depressing town was not for another 13 hours. I did not know what to do with myself and felt I could not will the time to go fast enough so I could leave. I took many deep breaths, tried to convince myself something good would come out of this, sent an email to my sister and Rene complaining about the miserable town, and then did my best to make the best of the day by catching a bus into town to try to take a walk, see the sights, and cheer up. But I just couldnt. My trip to Salta would involve only more desert, and I do not like the desert. I like green. I like mountains. Desert. Dry. Gray. And alone. For five days. I was not sure Tuesday would be able to come fast enough.
But then the whole plan took a crazy turn for the better when I got online and started talking to Claudio - my friend from Southern Chile with whom I stayed some two weeks at the end of March. He suggested we meet up in Santiago - 28 hours on bus for me, but still more or less on the way to Argentina, and 10 hours North on the bus for him. Really? Would it be crazy for me to jump at this or would it be crazier NOT to? In the end, I decided someone (Big Mama?) was offering me a hand to help pull me up and out of my funk. So I rushed back to the bus station, begged to change my ticket, and boarded my home on wheels for the 28 hour journey down to Santiago where I have spent the last 3 days.
Santiago is a beautiful city with two large hills in the center of town perfect for hiking and feeling like you are in the woods in the middle of a large metropolis. And Saturday and Sunday, in the company of a great great friend, I got to explore the city, eat tasty food, sleep in a real bed, and even go out to a club to listen to some Blues music - WON-DER-FUL!!
And now I am catching up on a few things before boarding a night bus to cross the border into Mendoza, Argentina to meet up with my sister tomorrow afternoon. The weather there is sunny and warm, and I am THRILLED to get to show off the beauty of Argentina to my sister. Drink maté and wine, hike en las montanas, dance some tango in Buenos Aires....oh, I can only imagine the adventures that are in store for us!
Feeling delightfully blessed and hoping to continue to remember to breathe deeply in the midst of the most difficult moments and cherish the beautiful and happy moments. VIVA!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Viajando como loca!
Buenos días! So very little time to write, but wanted to throw in a quick update as I am not sure when I will next be on the computer.
I am currently in Cusco, but only for a par de horas before hopping aboard a 17 hour bus to Tacna, Peru to then take a taxi two hours to cross the border into Aric, Chile where I will figure out the next step. Most likely a little bit of time in this town and then 12 hours further South to San pedro de Atacama to breathe, let my legs remember what it feels like to walk, and enjoy some of the scenery before making the last leg of my journey some 12 hours into Northwest Argentina where I will meet up with my sister next Tuesday - I am SO excited to explore Argentina again and all the more wiht my sister - woohoo!
Anyway, for a whirlwind of an update, last Thursday, I decided it was time to head away from Cusco for a bit and check out Lake Titcaca and a series of islands off the coast of Puno that tourists can visit. After an extremely cold night bus ride, I joined a tour, met some wonderful Frenchman, as well as a fellow americano. We visited an indigenous community that lives atop a floating island - literally, the island sits above reeds that float in the water and has to be replenished every 30 days! - spent the night with a local family on the island of Amantaní where they live a totally sustainable existence off of the potatoes, corn, and veggies they grow, climbed to 4000 meters to the highest point on the highest lake in the world, and then danced the night away in the traditional dresses that our families gave us to wear. The next day, we visited the island of Taquile where the men wear hats to indicate their social status. Colorful hat=married. White with a few colors worn with the point in the back of the head = Ocupado or not interested in dating right now. Same hat but worn to the side = available. Seems to me the guy can decided depending on his mood if he is available or not. As for women. The non-married ones wear a cape with colorful pom poms that they hold in there hand and swing aroudn wehn they are available. I kind of like the idea...
And then after a long boat ride from these fairly isolated islands back to the mainland, I ate dinner witha Chilean couple I met who happen to live near the beach town I visited at the beginning of my journey, then hopped aboard yet another incredibly cold - adn this time incredibly crowded - bus back to Cusco. Then after recuperating from my bus ride, I headed to Pisac to meet up with my friend, Jose, to bushwhack our way through the forest along the river valley and climb on hands and feet up the some pretty freakin´ amazing ruins high high above this tiny tourist town. Last night, I went to a completely non-touristy town to eat some pollo a la brasa, spend the evening looking for a place to go out for drink past 8 PM, and sleep in a pretty darn cute hostel for $2 ($2.66 once I paid to take a hot shower - sorry, while I can rough it in many ways, but I absolutely draw the line at cold showers. CAnt do it. It´s cold enough here already...).
And NOW, I am back in Cusco to pick up my things I left in the hostel, change clothes - I am carrying around a certain "Ive-worn-these-same-clothes-for-three-days" odor - eat one last time at my favorite vegetarian restaurant and then climb aboard bus numero uno (1 or 4?!) to begin the next leg of my journey. Wish me luck y espero que no haya tanto frío!!! Until the next town, country, update...VIVA!
I am currently in Cusco, but only for a par de horas before hopping aboard a 17 hour bus to Tacna, Peru to then take a taxi two hours to cross the border into Aric, Chile where I will figure out the next step. Most likely a little bit of time in this town and then 12 hours further South to San pedro de Atacama to breathe, let my legs remember what it feels like to walk, and enjoy some of the scenery before making the last leg of my journey some 12 hours into Northwest Argentina where I will meet up with my sister next Tuesday - I am SO excited to explore Argentina again and all the more wiht my sister - woohoo!
Anyway, for a whirlwind of an update, last Thursday, I decided it was time to head away from Cusco for a bit and check out Lake Titcaca and a series of islands off the coast of Puno that tourists can visit. After an extremely cold night bus ride, I joined a tour, met some wonderful Frenchman, as well as a fellow americano. We visited an indigenous community that lives atop a floating island - literally, the island sits above reeds that float in the water and has to be replenished every 30 days! - spent the night with a local family on the island of Amantaní where they live a totally sustainable existence off of the potatoes, corn, and veggies they grow, climbed to 4000 meters to the highest point on the highest lake in the world, and then danced the night away in the traditional dresses that our families gave us to wear. The next day, we visited the island of Taquile where the men wear hats to indicate their social status. Colorful hat=married. White with a few colors worn with the point in the back of the head = Ocupado or not interested in dating right now. Same hat but worn to the side = available. Seems to me the guy can decided depending on his mood if he is available or not. As for women. The non-married ones wear a cape with colorful pom poms that they hold in there hand and swing aroudn wehn they are available. I kind of like the idea...
And then after a long boat ride from these fairly isolated islands back to the mainland, I ate dinner witha Chilean couple I met who happen to live near the beach town I visited at the beginning of my journey, then hopped aboard yet another incredibly cold - adn this time incredibly crowded - bus back to Cusco. Then after recuperating from my bus ride, I headed to Pisac to meet up with my friend, Jose, to bushwhack our way through the forest along the river valley and climb on hands and feet up the some pretty freakin´ amazing ruins high high above this tiny tourist town. Last night, I went to a completely non-touristy town to eat some pollo a la brasa, spend the evening looking for a place to go out for drink past 8 PM, and sleep in a pretty darn cute hostel for $2 ($2.66 once I paid to take a hot shower - sorry, while I can rough it in many ways, but I absolutely draw the line at cold showers. CAnt do it. It´s cold enough here already...).
And NOW, I am back in Cusco to pick up my things I left in the hostel, change clothes - I am carrying around a certain "Ive-worn-these-same-clothes-for-three-days" odor - eat one last time at my favorite vegetarian restaurant and then climb aboard bus numero uno (1 or 4?!) to begin the next leg of my journey. Wish me luck y espero que no haya tanto frío!!! Until the next town, country, update...VIVA!
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
La vida Cusqueña
Buenos días amigos! I am still in Cusco, Peru. It´s too beautiful here to leave. Not to mention all the cheap yummy food, the fun fruit and veggie markets, and the lively discotecas! I must admit, my birthday was a hard day for me. It was beautiful, no doubt about that, and I was so happy to receive tons of messages from friends - that is my favorite part about birthdays, after all! But it was a weird day, in a way. Birthdays are meant to be celebrated with friends, so how does one celebrate when in a place where you do not really know anyone. I had been so proud of myself for making a few friends - Omar the disco dude and Jose my local tour guide -, but Omar headed back to his hometown that night and it felt mildly pathetic calling Jose to ask if he would hang out with me on my birthday. And Santiago, my Cusqueño friend I knew before actually arriving here, was still working on a river far far away and, thus, not available for birthday companionship. So I swallowed my pride - I was getting sick of eating alone, after all - and invited Jose to celebrate my birthday with me. And, fortunately, he agreed to join me. The dinner itself was nothing to write home about, but afterwards, we went to a Peruvian disco (as opposed to the Gringo disco - which is actually a boatload of fun, but I thought, When in Peru, go where the Peruvians go...). I had such an awesome time dancing salsa, as well as learning a number of other Peruvian dances whose names currently escape me. While I do not have the best rhythm and was no doubt the gringo in the bunch - I swear Latinos are born dancing, it´s in their blood! - I held my own and had a grand ole time. I even managed to stay out dancing until 4 am - I couldnt believe it myself!!
Yesterday, I woke up after only a few hours of sleep and went for a short hike along a river running from the mountain above Cusco down into the city. It was so beautiful and peaceful and weird to think that I was only a 15 minute bus ride from the hustle and bustle of the ciudad. I like that about Cusco. It reminds me of Salt Lake City in that sentido. You have this big, bustling city with life and energy and tons of people and stores and cars, but within 15 minutes you are away from it all, surrounded by the tranquilidad de la naturaleza. No people, no cars, no noises except that of the river flowing at your feet and the occasional sheep baa-ing in the distance. I completed the celebration of my birthday last night with a HUGE piece of chocolate cake as somehow or another I actually failed to consume any sweet tasty yumyums on my actual birthday....very much NOT like me. But all was righted in the world with the purchase and consumption of la torta de chocolate - YUM!
Plans for now involve heading to Puno to visit Lake Titicaca and then on to the colonial town of Arequipa before crossing the border into Northern Chile. That´s the "plan" - just not sure when the plan will be executed. For now, I will be here for at least one more night, and must head off in search of a new hostal to dump my bag and lay my head. Hasta la proxima...VIVA!
Yesterday, I woke up after only a few hours of sleep and went for a short hike along a river running from the mountain above Cusco down into the city. It was so beautiful and peaceful and weird to think that I was only a 15 minute bus ride from the hustle and bustle of the ciudad. I like that about Cusco. It reminds me of Salt Lake City in that sentido. You have this big, bustling city with life and energy and tons of people and stores and cars, but within 15 minutes you are away from it all, surrounded by the tranquilidad de la naturaleza. No people, no cars, no noises except that of the river flowing at your feet and the occasional sheep baa-ing in the distance. I completed the celebration of my birthday last night with a HUGE piece of chocolate cake as somehow or another I actually failed to consume any sweet tasty yumyums on my actual birthday....very much NOT like me. But all was righted in the world with the purchase and consumption of la torta de chocolate - YUM!
Plans for now involve heading to Puno to visit Lake Titicaca and then on to the colonial town of Arequipa before crossing the border into Northern Chile. That´s the "plan" - just not sure when the plan will be executed. For now, I will be here for at least one more night, and must head off in search of a new hostal to dump my bag and lay my head. Hasta la proxima...VIVA!
Monday, May 4, 2009
Festejando Mi Cumple en Peru!
Buenos Días desde Cusco, Peru! It is an absolutely GORGEOUS day outside here high en las montañas de Peru! I cannot get over the beauty here. I cannot get over the beauty I have seen everywhere I go - it is striking, stunning, breath-taking. Cusco is very very high - over 10,000 feet - thus my first few days were spent huffing and puffing my way around town as I tried to acclimatize after being at sea level. One night I even woke up in the middle of the night with my heart racing. But I am loving the challenge, the way it feels to push my body. And I am thoroughly enjoying this here town.
I came here 4 years ago during my Spring Break when living in Ecuador. And while I was only here for 4 days, I somehow managed to do most of the touristy things that many of the agencies offer - visit Macchu Pichu, raft the Río Urubama, bike through the Sacred Valley to see some salt mines and Incan ruins. So this time around, I came to visit Santiago, a friend I met when I was in Futaleufu, Chile, and to check out some of the less visited sites around Cusco, as well as wile away some time in Cusco itself. It is amazing. So much yummy food to eat, so many steep, winding, narrow cobblestone streets to explore, markets to wander through, and interesting people to meet. Unfortuantely, I have only seen Santiago for a total of maybe 45 minutes as he works as a raft guide and has been working since the moment I got here, but it has been a good opportunity for me to truly put myself out there and make friends on my own.
I feel like even though I have been traveling "solo" for 6 months now, there are very few times when I have spent more than a few days truly on my own. I have been fortunate enough to have met enough people that I often end up going from one town to the next meeting up with one friend or another. But since leaving Blanca last Tuesday, I have been on my own to explore as I wish and make friends as I may. Im not the best person at striking up conversations with random strangers, but there is something liberating about being in a foreign country on your own where no one knows you. It makes me feel like I have the liberty to put myself out there without fear of making a fool of myself because no one knows me and most likely - in the case that I come across as totally odd or ridiculous - they will never see me again. So with that attitude in mind, I spent my first few days talking to shop owners, random people in restaurants - I am usually eating alone, and, thankfully, this actually serves to make me more open to having random strangers start talking to me - and visiting the local South American Explorers Club to find out about potential hikes I could do on my own in the area. And along the way, I made a few friends - woohoo! I am sure it very much has to do with the fact that I am a bit of an oddity being both a female traveling solo and that I speak pretty decent Spanish, but it has been exciting to feel that challenging myself to do things that I often find make me uncomfortable has resulted in me making a friend or two. I met the director of the local cultural center who invited me to join his friends and family for a big party on Saturday night celebrating the Lighting of the Cross, another guy who invited me to celebrate his birthday with him at his friend´s cevichería and who later accompanied me to some of the nearby Incan ruins high above the city, and - best of all- a local guide who has taken me to two Incan ruins sites outside of town.
I usually will just go off on my own to do hikes, but here in Peru the hikes arent very clearly marked, so while getting information at the SAE club office, I met Jose, a guide from the nearby town of Ollantaytambo, who offered to accompany me to Tipon, an Incan site about an hour outside of Cusco. On Friday morning, we hopped aboard a local bus for the hour long journey to the "Pork Nugget Town." There are several towns outside of Cusco known for one particular food item (the Guinea Pig town, Bread town, Duck town, and Cake town - YUM!!) and if you have a hankering for such food, you hop aboard the bus with your family and make your way to the town for a big feast on said food. As it was 8 in the morning, pork nuggets did not really make my mouth water, so we headed on past the pork nugget stalls and up into the mountains looming over the town. I had spent the previous two days climbing up and down and around Cusco getting acclimatized, but this was my first true climb and boy did I feel it. I thought my lungs might bust out of my chest. But, OH, the SCENERY!! Thanks to some 6 months of rain, this entire area is green, green, green. I once again felt like I was in a scene out of Braveheart, exploring new territory as we climbed above the city and into a valley where there were no people, houses, cars to be seen. Just us and la naturaleza. Further along into the hike, we passed a small mountain community where the boys were herding goats, the men harveting potatoes, and the women chewing on coca leaves as they weaved garments for sale at artisan markets in Cusco. And after a few hours of climbing up up up and then down again, we made it to the Incan ruins of Tipon. Most people just drive up from the Guinea Pig town, walk around, and then leave, but since Jose is from the area, we were able to take the road less traveled and arrive from above, climbing down along an ancient Incan canal to enjoy the ruins. And after taking picures and staring in awe at yet another Incan ruin - there must be thousands throughout Peru, and I can´t say this one was any less awe-inspiring than Macchu Pichu - we headed down into Guinea Pig town (Pork Nugget towns neighbor)and took a short bus ride to the nearby Bread town to chow down on bread fresh from the wood-burning oven before making our way back to Cusco.
Saturday was an amusing day for me as I decided to try my hand at taking one of the local "carros" to a fruit and veggie market on the outskirts of town. I wanted to get a look at some of the hundreds of varieties of potatoes for sale, as well as the countless varieties of corn they grow here - purple corn, anyone?! After asking 3 people and being personally escorted to the proper bus stop by one kind Peruvian lady, I boarded the "carro" - basically a minivan that stops at every corner picking up and dropping off passengers. I was not really sure where I was going or where to get off, but in the end, I not only managed to get off at the right stop, but after wandering around the market, I managed to get back on another carro headed back to the center and exit just outside of the restuarant where I was to meet two new friends I had met the night before at the disco. After eating some super tasty and super fresh ceviche and washing it down with chicha morada - a juice made from purple corn among other tasty fruits, Omar - one of my new friends - and I hiked in the rain up to a large statue of Jesus Christ - no South American town is complete without one! -to get a view of the city just as the sun came out and a rainbow spread over the center of town. I ended the day with with a salsa lesson and a bit of dancing at the disco -Rene, I WISH you had been there)!!
And then, yesterday, I celebrated my birthday early with another hike with Jose - this time in his hometown of Ollantaytambo. This town is truly unique as it lies in the heart of the Sacred Valley and many of the Incan homes remain intact. Not only that, but the locals actually live in these homes. They are not just for oohing and aahing over! The town is surrounded by mountains and on one side of the town, there is a huge Incan fortress embedded high in the mountains overlooking the town, as well as several Incan temples rising up into the mountains on the other side. In 9 hours of hiking, I managed to hit both of these important sites, as well as hike a bit outside of town deep into the river valley and then up up up again to the ruins of Pumamarka where we had the ruins to ourselves! What a view! Lush green mountains all around, horses and goats grazing on the ancient Incan terraces carved into the hillside, and these ruins that invoke the image of one´s own personal gigantic dollhouse to play in. I kept climbing up and over the walls and through the windows to discover secret gardens of flowers and daisies inside - such fun!
And on our way down, we came across happy pigs digging up roots, campesinos planting crops in the terraces, and a lively fellow who offered Jose and myself some of his homemade chicha - more or less homemade beer made from yellow corn. I opted not to drink too much of the stuff for fear of what it might do to my ever-increasingly sensitive belly... But it was fun to hang out for a bit! Once we made it back to town, we stopped at a local house to have more homemade chica - again, I only had a little - as this is what the locals do on a lazy afternoon, or any afternoon, really. And when in Ollantaytambo... It was such a lovely day and I felt so happy and blessed to see and experience such beauty - and with someone who knew the ins and outs and secret passageways, no less! My ride home on the bus was a bit of an adventure as I changed from the crowded mini-van to mini-bus in Urubamba where I fought alongside the locals for breathing space before being deposited in the dead of night back in Cusco where I met a Peruvian woman who escorted me to the proper bus stop to make it back to my hostal. I ate a large pot of quinoa soup and passed out in my bed. What a day!
And today, life has ben much lazier - reading, writing, eating, and, hopefully, meeting up with some friends later today to eat dinner and go dancing to celebrate turning a quarter of a century - oh my! VIVA!
I came here 4 years ago during my Spring Break when living in Ecuador. And while I was only here for 4 days, I somehow managed to do most of the touristy things that many of the agencies offer - visit Macchu Pichu, raft the Río Urubama, bike through the Sacred Valley to see some salt mines and Incan ruins. So this time around, I came to visit Santiago, a friend I met when I was in Futaleufu, Chile, and to check out some of the less visited sites around Cusco, as well as wile away some time in Cusco itself. It is amazing. So much yummy food to eat, so many steep, winding, narrow cobblestone streets to explore, markets to wander through, and interesting people to meet. Unfortuantely, I have only seen Santiago for a total of maybe 45 minutes as he works as a raft guide and has been working since the moment I got here, but it has been a good opportunity for me to truly put myself out there and make friends on my own.
I feel like even though I have been traveling "solo" for 6 months now, there are very few times when I have spent more than a few days truly on my own. I have been fortunate enough to have met enough people that I often end up going from one town to the next meeting up with one friend or another. But since leaving Blanca last Tuesday, I have been on my own to explore as I wish and make friends as I may. Im not the best person at striking up conversations with random strangers, but there is something liberating about being in a foreign country on your own where no one knows you. It makes me feel like I have the liberty to put myself out there without fear of making a fool of myself because no one knows me and most likely - in the case that I come across as totally odd or ridiculous - they will never see me again. So with that attitude in mind, I spent my first few days talking to shop owners, random people in restaurants - I am usually eating alone, and, thankfully, this actually serves to make me more open to having random strangers start talking to me - and visiting the local South American Explorers Club to find out about potential hikes I could do on my own in the area. And along the way, I made a few friends - woohoo! I am sure it very much has to do with the fact that I am a bit of an oddity being both a female traveling solo and that I speak pretty decent Spanish, but it has been exciting to feel that challenging myself to do things that I often find make me uncomfortable has resulted in me making a friend or two. I met the director of the local cultural center who invited me to join his friends and family for a big party on Saturday night celebrating the Lighting of the Cross, another guy who invited me to celebrate his birthday with him at his friend´s cevichería and who later accompanied me to some of the nearby Incan ruins high above the city, and - best of all- a local guide who has taken me to two Incan ruins sites outside of town.
I usually will just go off on my own to do hikes, but here in Peru the hikes arent very clearly marked, so while getting information at the SAE club office, I met Jose, a guide from the nearby town of Ollantaytambo, who offered to accompany me to Tipon, an Incan site about an hour outside of Cusco. On Friday morning, we hopped aboard a local bus for the hour long journey to the "Pork Nugget Town." There are several towns outside of Cusco known for one particular food item (the Guinea Pig town, Bread town, Duck town, and Cake town - YUM!!) and if you have a hankering for such food, you hop aboard the bus with your family and make your way to the town for a big feast on said food. As it was 8 in the morning, pork nuggets did not really make my mouth water, so we headed on past the pork nugget stalls and up into the mountains looming over the town. I had spent the previous two days climbing up and down and around Cusco getting acclimatized, but this was my first true climb and boy did I feel it. I thought my lungs might bust out of my chest. But, OH, the SCENERY!! Thanks to some 6 months of rain, this entire area is green, green, green. I once again felt like I was in a scene out of Braveheart, exploring new territory as we climbed above the city and into a valley where there were no people, houses, cars to be seen. Just us and la naturaleza. Further along into the hike, we passed a small mountain community where the boys were herding goats, the men harveting potatoes, and the women chewing on coca leaves as they weaved garments for sale at artisan markets in Cusco. And after a few hours of climbing up up up and then down again, we made it to the Incan ruins of Tipon. Most people just drive up from the Guinea Pig town, walk around, and then leave, but since Jose is from the area, we were able to take the road less traveled and arrive from above, climbing down along an ancient Incan canal to enjoy the ruins. And after taking picures and staring in awe at yet another Incan ruin - there must be thousands throughout Peru, and I can´t say this one was any less awe-inspiring than Macchu Pichu - we headed down into Guinea Pig town (Pork Nugget towns neighbor)and took a short bus ride to the nearby Bread town to chow down on bread fresh from the wood-burning oven before making our way back to Cusco.
Saturday was an amusing day for me as I decided to try my hand at taking one of the local "carros" to a fruit and veggie market on the outskirts of town. I wanted to get a look at some of the hundreds of varieties of potatoes for sale, as well as the countless varieties of corn they grow here - purple corn, anyone?! After asking 3 people and being personally escorted to the proper bus stop by one kind Peruvian lady, I boarded the "carro" - basically a minivan that stops at every corner picking up and dropping off passengers. I was not really sure where I was going or where to get off, but in the end, I not only managed to get off at the right stop, but after wandering around the market, I managed to get back on another carro headed back to the center and exit just outside of the restuarant where I was to meet two new friends I had met the night before at the disco. After eating some super tasty and super fresh ceviche and washing it down with chicha morada - a juice made from purple corn among other tasty fruits, Omar - one of my new friends - and I hiked in the rain up to a large statue of Jesus Christ - no South American town is complete without one! -to get a view of the city just as the sun came out and a rainbow spread over the center of town. I ended the day with with a salsa lesson and a bit of dancing at the disco -Rene, I WISH you had been there)!!
And then, yesterday, I celebrated my birthday early with another hike with Jose - this time in his hometown of Ollantaytambo. This town is truly unique as it lies in the heart of the Sacred Valley and many of the Incan homes remain intact. Not only that, but the locals actually live in these homes. They are not just for oohing and aahing over! The town is surrounded by mountains and on one side of the town, there is a huge Incan fortress embedded high in the mountains overlooking the town, as well as several Incan temples rising up into the mountains on the other side. In 9 hours of hiking, I managed to hit both of these important sites, as well as hike a bit outside of town deep into the river valley and then up up up again to the ruins of Pumamarka where we had the ruins to ourselves! What a view! Lush green mountains all around, horses and goats grazing on the ancient Incan terraces carved into the hillside, and these ruins that invoke the image of one´s own personal gigantic dollhouse to play in. I kept climbing up and over the walls and through the windows to discover secret gardens of flowers and daisies inside - such fun!
And on our way down, we came across happy pigs digging up roots, campesinos planting crops in the terraces, and a lively fellow who offered Jose and myself some of his homemade chicha - more or less homemade beer made from yellow corn. I opted not to drink too much of the stuff for fear of what it might do to my ever-increasingly sensitive belly... But it was fun to hang out for a bit! Once we made it back to town, we stopped at a local house to have more homemade chica - again, I only had a little - as this is what the locals do on a lazy afternoon, or any afternoon, really. And when in Ollantaytambo... It was such a lovely day and I felt so happy and blessed to see and experience such beauty - and with someone who knew the ins and outs and secret passageways, no less! My ride home on the bus was a bit of an adventure as I changed from the crowded mini-van to mini-bus in Urubamba where I fought alongside the locals for breathing space before being deposited in the dead of night back in Cusco where I met a Peruvian woman who escorted me to the proper bus stop to make it back to my hostal. I ate a large pot of quinoa soup and passed out in my bed. What a day!
And today, life has ben much lazier - reading, writing, eating, and, hopefully, meeting up with some friends later today to eat dinner and go dancing to celebrate turning a quarter of a century - oh my! VIVA!
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