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Justin's Blog: Bolivia and Peru
July 2 thru August 4, 2007View the Pictures
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Depart for La Paz, Bolivia North America » United States » California » San Francisco » Airport | 1st July 2007 | I
am heading on a month long adventure through Bolivia and Peru and want
to try and capture my diary online to share with everyone. Follow my
footsteps virtually as I make my way from Sucre to Lake Titicaca to
Cuzco to Machu Picchu to Lima (with various other stops on the way).
The itinerary looks something like this:
July 1 - Depart San Francisco
Bolivia:
July 2 - Arrive in La Paz, Bolivia at 5:30 am
July 3 - Free day in La Paz (actual day one of tour)
July 4-5 - Sucre
July 6 - Potosi
July 7-11 - Uyuni / Salt Flats
July 12-13 - La Paz
Peru:
July 14 - Puno
July 15-16 - Lake Titicaca
July 17-20 - Cuzco
July 21 - Ollantaytambo
July 22-25 - Lares Trek to Machu Picchu (The Inca Trail was already closed down due to a limit on permits)
July 26 - Arequipa
July 27-29 - Chivay / Colca Canyon / Arequipa
July 30 - Nazca
July 31 - Pisco
Aug 1-3 - Lima
Aug 4 - Return to San Francisco
| Arrived in La Paz South America » Bolivia » La Paz » La Paz | 2nd July 2007 | Well,
I made it. I can't check into my hostel until approx. 11am and it is
7am now. Luckily, the hostel has free internet so I can waist some time.
I
really don't have much to share just yet. The flight was LONG! First, I
almost didn't make it out of San Francisco. The check-in line was
insane. I was almost to the front when they started calling out people
for my flight. I probably jumped infront of 20 or so people, checked my
bag and headed to the security check point. I had about an hour till
take off. Finally got to the front of the line and went through the
detector and it went off on me...I was shocked! I don't think I have
ever had that thing go off on me! The guy gave me one more pass through
and it went off again. SOOO...I was frisked up and sure enough, I
forgot to take my money clip out of my wallet. I get to the gate and
they are calling final boarding.
I attempted to sleep a bit on
the flight from Miami to La Paz (using sedatives) but I think I twisted
and turned the entire way. Did I mention I had middle sits both legs
yet? YEAH!
When I arrived, I grabbed a taxi into town to
Residencial Rosario (http://www.hotelrosario.com) for $8. Not sure if I
was ripped off yet, but I'll soon figure it out.
That's all I got for now. Hope everyone is well and I'll be in touch.
Till next time,
Justin
| Around La Paz on Foot South America » Bolivia » La Paz » La Paz | 2nd July 2007 | The
keyboard I am using is setup to show spanish letters and special
characters, so I might substitue charaters if I can´t figure out how to
print the correct one. Bare with me.
As you may be able to tell
by now, I have way more time on my hands and way to easy acess to
internet then I will in the future. Anywho, thought I would share
another update...
Last I left off, I was waiting to check-in.
During my wait, I made a visit to the complimentary breakfast buffet
which was quite good, but nothing unusual. I do however have a new love
for papaya. I finally got a room around 11.15am (after 5 hours of
waiting). Just as I am falling asleep on the coach, the call me and
take me to my room. I decided I would fight my exhaustion, take a
shower, change my clothes and head out into town. All went well until I
thought it would be a good idea to lay down for 2 seconds. I fell
asleep for 2 hours! So, at 2pm I got up and headed out on foot.
La
Paz is an extremely dirty, hilly (more so than San Francisco so far)
and a bit confusing. The street signs I finally figured out were on the
buildings, but before I did figure that out, I trekked EVERYWHERE. I
would post some pictures, but none of the computers seem to have a USB
port, they are quite old (running windows 98). So after trekking for 2
hours, I was getting a bit hungry however everything seems to close
down after lunch in preperation for dinner. The only thing I found was
a LA LA LA (fried chicken like KFC) and a Hard Rock. So, I had my first
real meal at friggin Hard Rock Cafe! Not only that, but the food was
quite horrible. The good thing is, it was 32 Boliviano (just over $4).
The
rest of the evening is going to be chill for me. I am planning on
eating at the hostel´s resturant and heading to bed shortly thereafter.
Considering the fact that I have tomorrow to myself again (heading to
Sucre on the 4th with the group) there is a good chance you will get
another update tomorrow...hang tight!
Till next time,
Justin
| The Altitude is going to my head South America » Bolivia » La Paz » La Paz | 3rd July 2007 | Last night was not pleasent. I think I have gotten a little dosage of Altitude sickness.
I
had dinner at the resturant in the hostel and went directly to bed
afterwards. I slept like a baby from 9pm till about 12am. From about 12
till 10.30am I tossed and turned, my head pounding the entire time. The
only reason I got out of bed at 10.30 was due to the front desk calling
me to tell me my roommate was on his way up. Good stuff...
My
roommate is an older dude, probably around 55 or so. Very interesting
fella who is into photography. Matter of fact, he apparently did
photography for a living awhile back. So after we chatted for a bit, I
took a shower (no hot water this morning!) and headed out into town
again. We checked out La Plaza Murillo, where all the government
buidlings are located and walked through some cobble stone allies off
the main drag where it was very pleasant. At the top of the hill we got
to Parque Riosinho where we sat and relaxed for a few minutes. My
hunger craving kicked in so we walked back down the ally to a small
cafe where I ordered a Tortilla de Hecho y Zanahoria. I´m not sure
exactly what I was expecting, but it wasn´t that. It was basically a
large pancake made off eggs and carrots with a side of fries. It was
actually very good, but caught me off guard. From there we headed back
to the hostel which is where I am now.
Due to the altitude
sickness, I think I am going to attempt a nap and take it easy for the
rest of the day. Tomorrow we are meeting at 8am in the lobby to head to
the airport and catch a flight to Sucre.
A few fun facts I have picked up on La Paz
1) Altitude is 3650 m (11975.07 ft)
2) The Aymara culture is the most predominant
Till next time,
Justin
| Feeling better and PICTURES! South America » Bolivia » La Paz » La Paz | 3rd July 2007 | I found a computer that had a memory card reader hooked up to it, so today ended up being a good day!
First,
I am feeling much better. I took a nap after my last entry and then
grabbed a taxi with my new friend to Killi Killi which is a site above
the city. It was an amazing view! I don´t think my pictures quite
capture what it was like. The taxi stuck around for me as I took my
pictures and then took me back to the hotel for 20 Bs (Bolivianos).
Afterwards we received a recommendation for a restaurant and headed out
for dinner. On the way we noticed a soccer game playing in a shop.
Bolivia was playing Peru in the Copa de America. We watched for a few
minutes and then headed on our way. The place was down a small ally and
part of another hostel. It was very interesting. The restaurant was
dark and only lit by candles, but the food was fantastic. I had a
chicken dish, but can´t remember what it was called.
Almost all the pictures posted with this post are related to my previous post, but they´ll do
Hotel Rosario (inside)
Hotel Rosario (inside)
for now. It took me almost 25 minutes to get all of these posted, I would not expect too many more pictures anytime soon.
Alrighty, I´m off to bed as I have an early start tomorrow morning...off to Sucre.
Till next time,
Justin
| La Paz to Sucre South America » Bolivia » Sucre
Pictures | 4th July 2007 | Happy 4th of July! I bumped into one other American today who reminded me that I didn´t see any fireworks this year...
Anywho,
today was a long jam packed day. Woke up at 7am, had breakfast and met
up with the 5 other of my traveling mates at 8am. We all jumped on a
bus to head to the airport at around 8:10. It is amazing how casual
everything was. Our flight was at 9:35. We get to the airport at 8:30,
check our luggage (they didn´t check my ID) , paid the 14 Bs airport
tax and make our way to the gate at about 9:00. We started boarding at
9:15 and were taking off at 9:28! When was the last time you ever took
a flight that left early?!?!?
We arrived in Sucre at 10:15ish,
grabbed a taxi and headed to Hotel de Independencia. After checking in,
we dropped off our luggage and set foot to the town. First we headed to
the other side of town to see the General Cemetary. It was quite
significant and only hope my pictures do it justice. We arrived at the
cementary at 11:53 and they close it down from 12 - 2 (everything
closes down from 12 - 2). So they let us in, and when I say they, I am
referring to a little girl no older than 11. We had about 10 minutes to
walk around. At the very end of the cementary, I found a small gated
off area that was the Jewish cementary. After, we headed bac k into
town and over to Libertados Simon Bolivar Park. There we came across a
few kids (ages 8-12) hanging out and were asking for their photographs
to be taken. While I was "talking" with them, I wasn´t looking down
and kicked a stray dog. The dog came after me for a second barking and
growling and I took a few running steps away before I realized that was
egging the dog on. Instinctly, I stopped, faced the dog, yelled "NO"
and raised my hands to make myself look big. The dog immediatly backed
off with its tail between it´s legs. Who knew that actually worked?
From the park, we walked back into the central area at which point we
decided it was time for lunch. We went to the first cafe we found
situated inside a hostel. It was very calm and relaxing inside. We all
ordered the special which was a 4 coarse meal for 22 Bs! After, we
headed over to the Departamental Government building where we climbed
to the top and had some amazing views of the city. We then headed to La
Recoleta, which is a site seeing spot above the city. Here we sat, I
had a beer, and we watched the sunset.
We then hiked our way
back into town, back to the hotel to meet up with our tour guide and
the rest of the group. In total, there are 9 of us (not counting the
guide). 1 American (me), 3 Canadians (2 male), 4 English (3 male), and
1 Japanese (no males). I think it is going to be a fun group. After
doing the rounds, we headed out to dinner around the corner. I had an
authentic Bolivian dish called Piante (i think). It was very good and
filled with EVERYTHING you can imagine, chicken, beef, carrots, tomato
soup, lentils, potatos, corn, etc.
Eventually, I have no idea
how, a shot came around to the table for everyone. We each did our shot
and then found out our tour guide covered the meal! I was stunned. This
guy is getting a fat tip! Anywho, after dinner we headed back to the
hotel and made a plan to meet up tomorrow for breakfast at 8:30am and
head to the Dino tracks just outside of the city. More on that
tomorrow...
Till next time,
Justin
PS. Our tour guide
informed us he has changed the scheudle and we will be staying in Sucre
one extra day. I am not sure where that day is going to be made up
later, but I´m sure it will work itself out.
| Sucre Day 2 South America » Bolivia » Sucre
Pictures | 5th July 2007 | First
- I haven´t exactly described Sucre yet. It is actually a nice city.
Much cleaner (not clean) and more "chill" then La Paz. Surprisingly,
there a lot more beggers in Sucre, than in La Paz, but not to the point
where you have someone in your face all the time. Typically it will be
kids or elderly ladies sitting on the sidewalk asking for money as you
pass by.
On to my activities...
I met up with the gang at
8:30am for breakfast in the hotel and then headed over to the shuttle
that takes us to the Dino Tracks. It cost 10 Bs for the shuttle and 30
Bs to enter the park. First we sat and watched a dino video and then
did a short tour of the park which is basically just models of the
dinos that roamed the southern hemisphere. At the end we get to a site
that over looks a canyon and on the other side of the canyon is a wall
(about 100 yards away). This wall is where the dino tracks are. It was
very hard to see anything, so I´m hoping I can zoom and crop with my
photos. The entire place was a bit weird actually. It was right next to
a large factory and they seemed to be doing construction between the
park and the dino wall. I was told it is no worth it, and I am telling
everyone that reads this and is planning a trip to Sucre, it is not
worth it...but my entire group was going and it cost less than $4.
Afterwards,
we headed back to town and attempted to visit the Bolivian history
building, but it was 11:45 and they kicked us out (everything closes
from 12 - 2). So, at this point, the group split up a bit. I ended up
walking to a market (same one from yesterday) and then headed out to
lunch with a few of the others. The place we ended up at was an oasis
within Bolivia. It was called El Huerto of which came highly
recommended by the hotel for authentic Bolivian food. The receptionist
at the hotel showed me a map of where it was and suggested taking a
taxi because it was a bit of a hike to get to. I however had already
walked ALMOST there the other day and told her it wouldn´t be a
problem. The 5 of us started out and walked across town and out of the
main area. At no one point did I feel unsafe, but the others were
starting to doubt I knew where I was going and if it was worth the
trek. We finally did get there and first, there was a security gaurd at
the door, then, we get inside and the waiters are wearing tuxedos and
the patrons were all well dressed. We sat down and the sevice was
slow...about an hour before we actually saw food, but the meal was
really good all around. Obviously, this place was a bit pricier than we
were used to, but it was still under $7! (50 Bs each).
After a
long lunch, we walked back into town and attempted to visit the history
building again. This time we succeded. While we were there, we heard a
protest go by outside, which we learned during our tour, was due to the
argument about Sucre or La Paz being the capital. In short, Sucre is
the capital in the document of independance, however, Bolivia has a
civil war in the mid 1800´s and La Paz won. All of the government
buildings and powers were moved to La Paz except for the Judical house
and La Paz was then considered the capital. Now they finally want to
finalize the document and declare a capital. So....the people were
protesting.
After the history building, we went around the
corner to Las Delicios (not sure on the spelling) for some cake and
tea/coffee. Supposedly, this place was the best in Bolivia...and it was
pretty friggin good. For 7 Bs, I had a slice of chocalate cake and a
chocolate "milkshake." It wasn´t exactly a milkshake I am used to, nor
was it actually called a milkshake, but that is the best way to
discribe it. It was actully more like chocolate milk in a shake glass.
We
then headed back to the hotel for some rest time and prepared for a
night on town. We went around the corner for a good dinner and then
over to a bar to start some drinking around 8:30pm. At around 12:30,
when everyone was tipsy, we headed over to a club via taxi, danced the
night away and I returned to the hotel around 2am while some of the
others continued to go dance and drink. Overall, it was a fun evening
and day.
Since there is a line for the computer, I am going to post July 6th later.
Till next time,
Justin
| Last day in Sucre South America » Bolivia » Sucre
Pictures | 6th July 2007 | Okay,
try two at writting up this entry...the first try took me 30 min for
the site to crash and me to lose all my work. I really hope I can get
it all in and saved this time.
Luckily, I did not have a bad hangover from the evening before. It was tough getting out of bed, but in general I felt okay.
We
met up for breakfast at 9am and then headed over to the same bar from
the night before to grab mountain bikes for the day. After everyone got
situated, we headed out across town. About 10 min into the ride, my
chain gets caught, breaks and the entire part of the bike that changes
the gear breaks off. Luckily we hadn´t gotten very far. There was a
bike shop over the hill from where we were so the guide took my bike
there and they were unable to fix it. About 20 - 30 min later, the guy
that set us up with the bikes (the bartender from the night before)
shows up in his jeep with a new bike. We get on our way again until
another 10 or so minutes later, somone elses chain breaks. The guide
took the bike down the hill, replaced the chain and came back about 20
min later. Once again, we set out. Another 10 minutes down the road
someones tire goes flat! The guide had us continue with our tour guide
while he took the bike back into town. The girl with the flat took the
guides bike and we were off again. During the rest of the ride, we left
the main area of Sucre and got into the suburb area and then lost the
road all together and were on a dirt road for the rest of the ride. It
was a very interesting ride as we got a feel for life of the people
that live outside the downtown area of Sucre. Eventually the houses
started diminishing and we eventually got to the moutain biking part.
This road has barely enough room for 2 cars and is an active road with
cars, cows, bulls, sheep, goats, dogs, etc. all around at some point. I
managed to take a video at one point of me biking down and passing a
bull. At the bottom of the hill, we reached a hotel where there were no
guest staying. I don´t think they actually have guest anymore, but
they did once upon a time. We dropped our bikes and hed out on foot for
about a 30 min. hike, all uphill. The hike was mostly through farm
land. We spotted a guy walking his donkeys at one point. I took a few
pictures, so we'll see how those came out. The hike ended at a
waterfall where a few decided to partake in the freezing cold water, I
did not. After eating lunch and relaxing for a few minutes, we headed
back to the deserted hotel and had the option to bike back to the city
or hire a taxi to drive us back. Only tour guide and one other guy in
the group opted to bike back while the rest of us decided to hangout at
the hotel and wait for a taxi. We ended up waiting for about 2 hours.
In the end, a taxi didn't even show up, but rather the guy that rented
us the bikes came. We all pilled into his jeep and we finally got back
at about 6:30pm. He then asked us all give him $5. We thought this was
out of line since we were told a taxi would be 40 Bs total for all of
us. After arguing with him for a few minutes, we all decided to give
him 10 Bs each and call it a day.
For dinner someone suggested
we check out same place we had for lunch the other day, El Huerto.
Again, the food was good. At the end of the meal, they brought out a
cake (see cake story at the below) and all started singing happy
birthday...everyone except me. I was very confused as they set the cake
infront of me and pretended it was my birthday. Funny thing was,
without them knowing, out of the group, my birthday was the closest.
After dinner, a few of us went out for a drink. I had a beer and called it a night.
THE
CAKE STORY: Two of the guys did not go on the bike ride today. While
they were out walking, they checked out the market and saw this cake
that looked really good. They asked how much it cost and it was too
cheap to let it pass. Originally they were going to present it to the
group when we returned from biking, but those plans changed.
| Sucre to Potosi South America » Bolivia » Potosi
Pictures | 7th July 2007 | Happy 07-07-07!
Today
we travled to Potosi , a 1000 meter altitude climb. Potosi sits at
3,976 meters above sea level. We made a few stops along they way,
mostly at police stations where locals set up shop to sell everyone
their fruit, water, soda, etc. One of the stops was a bridge that used
to be the only connection between Sucre and Potosi. There were a few
guys working on the bridge when we arrived and one of them lead me
across the bank to the actual bridge so that I could take some better
pictures. It was awesome!
We arrived in Potosi around 1:30,
grabbed lunch and then headed to the mines. On the way to the mines, we
stopped to get clothing to cover our clothes as well as helmets. Then
we stopped and grabbed head lamps. Then we stopped at a little shop and
bought gifts for the miners that included coca leafs, alcohol,
dynamite, etc. Finally, we headed up to the mines and took an adventure
into the life of a miner. Again, it was amazing. Along the way, we met
with some miners and helped them with their task and gave them the
gifts we bought. We then visited the devil. The miners worship the
devil since they work under ground. They provide offerings so that the
devil does not take their life. We also had the chance to ignite some
dynamite and I can't even explain the feeling, the sound, the smell
when we did this. It was terrifying yet exilerating at the same time.
We then continued to descend into the mine, crawling around and
avoiding big holes with would only leave us stranded if we fell in. The
entire experience was amazing.
After about 2 hours in th emines,
we emerged to the sunsetting over Potosi. We headed back to the hotel,
showered and set out for dinner. After dinner we finished the evening
with a few drinking games at the hotel.
| Potosi to Uyuni South America » Bolivia » Uyuni
Pictures | 8th July 2007 | A
handful of us decided the night before to check out Museo casa de La
Monela (House of the Coins). We met for breakfast at the hotel at 8:30
and headed over to the mueseum at 9. Afterwards, we bumped into a few
of the others from the group and a few of us decided to grab some food
before we hit the road for 6 hours. It was 11:30 and our bus was
suppose to leave at 12:00. We found a small cafe that looked clean
enough and each ordered a burger. The burgeres came out at 11:50. We
stuffed our faces and jetted back to the hotel. We walked in the door
at 12 and our guide was the only one there. The bus was on its way and
people were starting to show up in the lobby. We were on our way at
about 12:20.
Once we got out of the city of Potosi, it was all
dirt roads. We made a stop for lunch in a small town . The entire rest
of the drive was on dirt roads, sometimes crossing little streams of
water. Some of the scenery was incredible, while other spots were
extremly dry and bare. As we approached Uyuni , the sun was setting and
I only wish I was able to capture the scene.
We arrived in
Uyuni at 6pm and agreed to meet up for dinner at 7. We all headed to a
small place that is well known for its pizza...and it was VERY good. I
shared the speical of the day with a fellow travel mate which consisted
of spicy chicken, spinich, fresh garlic and green peppers. Some of the
others ordered the Llama pizza which I swapped a piece for. It was also
very good. While at this resturant, I asked the guy behind the counter
(possibly the owner) for a card so I could remember the name of the
place. He asked if I wanted a business card or a membership card. I
said either will do. As he handed me the cards, he tells me, "You can't
tell anyone about this place." I thought he was joking, but he was dead
serious...just like Fight Club. I said, okay, and went my way. We
walked back to the hotel and off to bed.
| Uyuni 4x4 Day One South America » Bolivia » Uyuni » Salar de Uyuni
Pictures | 9th July 2007 | As
we departed Uyuni, we stopped at the market to pickup goods for our 3
day trip. We then pilled into our 4x4 Land Cruisers and headed out onto
dirt roads, rocky roads, and no roads at all. The scenery was
spectacular. The weater was freezing, constantly a dry wind that is not
pleasent to the skin.
Our first stop, about 1.5 hours in, was
at San Cristobel. This small town is known fo it's gigantic church in
the middle of it. We only spent a few minutes here to take a few
photographs and go to the restroom. The next stop, for lunch, was in
Alota. This was another tiny town in the middle of no where (everything
in Salar de Uyuni was in the middle of no where). We had about 30 min
to walk around a take pictures. I saw maybe 3 people the entire time I
was walking around and one of them had a shop of hand made socks, mits,
hats, etc from Llama and alpaca fur. I bought a scarf for 55 Bs. The
doors, windows and emptyness of the town facinated me the most (as you
will see from my pictures). I felt like I was in a western movie, in a
deserted town where the bad guys were on their way. The wind continued
to blow and I continued to freeze.
Lunch was served...we were
given Llama meat, pasta, veggie salad and Coke. Llama, I must say, is
quite tasty. A bit tougher than beef and not as juicy. From here, we
headed out into some even more amazing landscapes, little towns, and no
sign of "western" life anywhere. It was all quite breath taking. Along
the way, we made a few stops as the sun continued to set and the
temperature continued to drop. After dark, we finally arrived at our
destination, Edwardo Abaron National Reserve.
During this drive, we counted Roxanne 25 times and Red Light 25 times within the song, Roxanne.
| 4x4 Adventure, Day Two South America » Bolivia » Uyuni » Salar de Uyuni
Pictures | 10th July 2007 | Up at 5:35am, in the 4x4 by 6 and driving all over the place....
As
we headed out, our vechile skweaked, everyone silently guessed what
time the sun would rise above the hills to warm us up a little.
As
the sun finally peaked over the horizon, we made a quick stop at the
hot springs to drop off the cooks to prepare breakfast as we continued
on to the green laguna. It was so cold, I couldn´t concentrate on
pictures or the scenery. There were several mounds of stacked rocks
that people had built to make a wish. After, we headed back to the hot
springs for breakfast and a dip. We then headed over to the geysers. As
we walked around, the sounds made by the geysers caused by the wind,
the hot air coming from the geyser and who knows what else was unreal.
I took a few pictures here, but was still freezing my toosh off.
We
then headed up to Arbol de Piedra, then Laguna Honda, then Laguna
Hedionda and finally Volcan Ollague. It was a long day in the car. Our
final stop was at the town of Atulcha. The hotel we were suppose to
stay at was booked, so we walked across the way to another place. All
the walls here were built from salt. The ground was salt as well.
Pretty crazy hotel. I don´t think I would want to be there when it
rained...
The entire day in the car was 14+ hours, I had no problems going to sleep.
| 4x4 Adventure - Day 3 South America » Bolivia » Uyuni » Salar de Uyuni
Pictures | 11th July 2007 | 5am...rise
and shine! We are off into Salar De Uyuni. The sun is slowly rising to
our right as our driver follows an imaginary road. For a good 30+ min,
the driver turns off his head lights and it is as if we are on the red
eye flight to nowhere.
Eventually, there is enough light from
the rising sun to actually see where we are heading...Isla Incahuasi.
We reash the Isla in time to climb the mountain and catch the sunrise.
After
a quick breakfast at the bottom of the hill, we were off into the salt
desert for a little play time. Since there is nothing around for miles
on end, an optical illusion is formed and becomes a really cool Kodak
moment. You´ll have to see my pictures when they are ready for a better
idea.
After playing for a few hours, we had a quick lunch and
then off to a hotel int he middle of the Salt Flats...the middle of
nowhere. We spent a few minutes there and then headed to the town of
Colchani where we were given a demo of how the local people process the
salt. Finally, we paid a visit to the Cementerio de trenes. The area
surrounding the trains was a sight in itself...trash everywhere and
totally deserted. I guess it is a perfect place for a train cemetery.
We
then made our way back to the hotel in Uyuni, showered and got ready
for our 14 hour bus trip to La Paz. Before meeting up at 5:30 for
dinner, a few of us took a short walk around the block. Apparently,
today was the birthday of Uyuni and there was a big festival going on.
We walked through playing some of the games. We played a shooting game
which no one won at and I played a soccer game in which you had to
knock 6 tin cups stacked as a pyramid over with one shot. I paid 1 Bs
and won 5 Bs...not to shabby.
At 5:30 we headed out to dinner
and couldn´t find a place to accommodate all of us. Finally we found a
place at about 6:15ish. Since our bus left at 8pm and we had to be at
the station at 7:30, were were in a bit of a rush now. We all ordered
our food and got our food except for 2 people. Our guide had run off to
take care of an errand and we were unable to communicate well with the
waiter. Finally, Jose came back and it even took him awhile to
straighten things out. The waiter kept saying he brought he pizzas. We
paid and rushed back to the hotel (approx. 7:15 now). Grabbed our bags
and headed to the bus station. We boarded the bus, they fed us fried
chicken and we were on our way back (for me) to La Paz at 8:30pm.
| Uyuni to La Paz South America » Bolivia » La Paz » La Paz
Pictures | 12th July 2007 | The
bus ride was quite a trip. The good majority of it was dirt road, so it
was extremly bumpy the entire way. The seats reclined, but so did the
seat in front of me. My knees were hitting the seat in front of me and
caused me to be quite uncomfortable. None-the-less, I managed to sleep
on and off until we finally arrived in La Paz at 6:30am. I was told the
ride would be 14 hours, but apparently (thank god) it was not. However,
it did feel like it was.
Back at Hotel Roserio, we had to wait
till our rooms were ready. The guys decided we were going to do the
Most Dangerous Road in the World via mtn bikeing (where 8 have died so
far this year). We walked down to Gravity Mtn. Biking, signed up for
$75 and strolled back to the hotel. We checked into our rooms at 10:50
and decided to meet up at 11:15 to go back out. I showered, brought my
laundry down to reception and met up with the others. Jose, our current
tour guide, looked into guiding us through to Lima and is now our
offical guide for the rest of the trip! We were all very stoked to hear
this. There was some other commotion going on, so I jumped on a
computer in the other room next to the lobby. I turned around and
everyone was gone! So, I used this time to update my journal, both
online and off. We were scheduled to meet up again at 1pm for lunch, so
I hung around the lobby and waited around.
We all went to lunch
at 1:30 and did not finish till 3:30. The service was unbelievably slow
and our waiter seemed to be running around like a chicken with his head
cut off! After, we broke up and I went with Christina and Julie and
Jose to the Valley of the Moon. We played around and took a bunch of
photos...
We returned to the hotel to prepare for dinner and a
possible night on the town, but since I was doing the moutain biking
the next day, I wasn´t sure I was going to stay out. We went to dinner
at an Asain place that served mostly Thai and Indian cusines. The
dishes were very good yet different from traditional plates you would
expect. Afterwards, we went to RamJam. This was a club that was an
oasis within Bolivia. I had a beer and headed back to the hotel for a
good night sleep.
Death Road awaits for me tomorrow...
| Death Road South America » Bolivia » La Paz » World's Most Dangerous Road (Coroico)
Pictures | 13th July 2007 | Friday the 13th and Highway to Hell is playing on the bus ride up to the World´s Most Dangerous Road.
5
of us (Ian, James, Adam, Punir and myself...all the guys) were suppose
to meet up at 7am to meet with the biking group lead by Gravity. Punir
apparently returned to the hotel at 6:30am from partying the night
before and was in no shape to take on the moutain biking. The 4 of us
met up with the group at 7:30 and a cafe down the street. While
waiting, I bumped into Dale Kane from San Francisco! Crazy!
As
we took the ride in the bus up to 4,700 meters above sea level, highway
to hell played in the background...a perfect way to start the trip.
During the trip up, there were a group of 4 candian ladies in our group
that we became friendly with. They were actually all Jewish and had
heard of Camp JCA Shalom, but none of them knew the same people I knew.
We
arrived at our starting point, were introduced to our bikes, blessed
our tires and the Pachamama with some 96% alcohol and took a swig for
ourselves and we were off by 9:30am. The first 20km or so was on paved
road, giving us another chance to get used to our bikes. After that, we
were on death road, with a HUGE clift on the left side of us the entire
time. We road through gravel, rocks, water, waterfalls, etc stopping
every few km to check in with everyone and provide riding tips for the
next part of the journey.
We reached the bottom at around 2:30pm
at 1700 meters above sea level, a 3,000 meter drop! It was so easy to
breath again!! At the bottom, we were provided a lunch buffet, one free
beer, a shower and an interesting surrounding. We were at an animal
rescue center where they had sheep, donkey, dogs, monkeys, parrots, etc
that have all been rescued or given up by their owners for one reason
or another. The people that worked there were volunteers and actually
paid to be there. It was a very interesting place. At 4ish, we hopped
back onto our bus, made a quick stop in a little town in the hils and
then started our journey back to La Paz. With Alive playing in the
background, a few of us drank beer that we bought from the small town
and chatted away with our fellow survivors. During our 4.5 hour bus
ride back home, we made several stops to pee and buy more beer. Beers
were 5-6 Bs (less than $1) at each of our 5 or so stops. The sunset,
the music blarred and we were finally dropped off downhill about two
blocks (BIG uphill blocks) from our hotel. The other guys convinced the
ladies from Canada to join us later in the evening at RamJam for some
drinks and dancing.
After a quick shower, we met up with the
rest of the group (we lost 2 canadians and gained 4 new people: All
female, 1 Canadian, 1 Irish, and 2 more British). We ate dinner had a
few drinks and I went back to the hotel and was in bed around 2am. One
of our mates (Punir) stummbled back at 8am just as we had to leave and
head for Peru...
| Bolivia to Peru South America » Peru » Puno | 14th July 2007 | We
crossed the boarder today into Peru. We had to cross Lake Titicaca and
then stopped for lunch in Copacabana. After a quick lunch, we crossed
the boarder and headed for Puno. Because we drove along Lake Titicaca
the entire way, the scenery was quite different from what we were used
to. Mostly farm land an no big villiages or towns.
Puno is the
main port town of about 120,000 people sitting at 3,800 meters above
sea level. Another very dirty, crazy hussle bustle city. The group walk
around for about 2 hours visiting the market and then taking a
bike/cart powered by a biker to get us back to the Hotel. The bikers
had no idea where our hotel was. During the ride we were messing around
and the biker seemed to enjoy it. I held onto a motor vehicle for a few
seconds to give the biker a break and Punir and I got off and helped
push during an uphill strech. After showing our map to the biker twice
and getting directions from a local, we finally got back to the hotel.
We asked how much we owed the biker and he said 4 soles, we couldn´t
believe it! This guy had just worked his ass off taking us all around
town for only $1.33! Punir gave the guy $10.
We then headed out
to dinner were I tried Alpaca and had a lamb steak as my entree. At the
end of the meal, I was exhausted and was in bed by 11pm. (There was a
time change between Bolivia and Peru of 1 hr). Tomorrow we are off for
a home stay in Amantani Island.
| Taquile and Amantani Islands South America » Peru » Lake Titicaca » Taquile Island | 15th July 2007 | Woke
up and headed to the market at 7:30am after breakfast at the hotel. We
all took a ride on the bike carts to get there. Upon arrival, we were
given the option to buy gifts for our homestay "mammas." We only had
about 10 minutes to figure out what to buy, so I just went to the first
vendor and grabbed rice, pasta, sugar, coffee and a bottle of wine
totally about 30 Sols (approx. $10).
After the market, we jumped
on a boat and had a 3 hour tour to Taquile Island, apparently the most
important Island because of the textiles produced there. We hiked up
into the town and were told not to pay for photographs, but you could
buy any gifts the children or others were selling. Paying for photos
turned the kids and communicty into beggers.
We finally reached
the middle of town where there was a great view and was home to the
textile factory. I took over 100 pictures during this walk. We were
then assigned to a resturant to eat at (the community rotates and
serves all the same food at the same price of 15 soles). I decided to
have the omlet over the trout. While we ate, a local paid us a visit
and played music for us. We then were given a demo of the clothes the
locals wear. After lunch, we headed back to the boat bumping into
several more vendors. I bought a few presents along the way.
We
loaded the boat and headed to Amantani Island where we were to meet our
mammas for the evening. An hour boat ride and our mammas were all
waiting for us to arrive. There were probably 10+ mammas there and we
were in groups totally 5, so some mammas were turned away. Adam and I
stayed with Justina (what are the odds) and her son Yemi. We climbed
(about 20 min straight up) to their house. We were given a room with 3
beds in it. The entire house was made of what looked like mud. We had
to climb a small ladder to get up to where our room was.
After
we settled in, our mamma took us to the futbol feild, the main meeting
place, where the locals were playing against some of the other visiting
gringos. After about 5 minutes, someone needed a sub, so I jumped in.
That game ended quickly as people were given the option to hike to the
highest point on the island and watch the sunset. Ian, Punir, myself,
and two locals took on other locals and bet a Coke on the game.
Apparently the gringos never win, well, that all changed. As the
sunset, the game went on and we came out victorious, 4-3.
As the
game ended, Punir and I made a bet to see who could kick the ball into
the basketball hoop first. After a long long long time (I had hiking
boots on so was trying with out shoes), our guide from the island
jumped in and eventually (after we couldn´t see the ball anymore) made
it in. Thank god, cause I was getting board, my foot was freezing, and
I don´t think the game would have ever ended.
We then headed
back home with our mammas and she cooked dinner. While she cooked, Adam
and I played with Yemi, showing him card tricks, playing War, playing
keep away with a ball, etc. Justina called us for dinner at 7pm,
exactly on time. Adam and I sat alone at the table while Justina and
Yemi sat across the "room" on the floor. Everything was very good
though very basic. We fed us soup and rice with potatos and of coarse,
tea. After dinner, Justina provided us tradintional clothing for the
local men which consisted of poncho, a hat, and a scarf. We all met up
at the saloon for some dancing, drinking and all around good time. Our
mamma made us dance every song...it was exhausting. We headed home to
bed around 11pm.
| Uros Islands to Puno to Cusco South America » Peru » Lake Titicaca » Uros Islands | 16th July 2007 | Our
mamma woke us up at 6:30am providing us with a bucket of hot water and
soap to wash our hands and face. She then provided us with breakfast
which consisted of a crepe, marmilade (Jam) and tea. After breakfast,
we headed back to our boat, said goodbye, and headed on a 3 hour tour
to the Uros Islands (floating Islands). The people here litterally
build themselves an Island and live at sea, about 30 - 60 minutes off
the coast of Puno. I could have lived on Amantani Island for awhile,
but there is no way I could live here.
After a breif visit, we
headed back to Puno and back to our Hotel. When we arrived, our GAP
guide informed us that a strike was starting up again and that if we
did not leave Puno tonight we would be stuck for a few days. So, change
of schedule again, we headed for Cusco tonight and will have one extra
day there.
During dinner a few of us decided, since we would be
arring at 3am, to buy some liquor and drink the bus ride away. We had 1
bottle of wine and 2 bottles of rum for the journey. We loaded the bus
at 8pm, popped open the bottle of wine and we were on our way. We told
jokes and drank until all the liquor was gone at about midnight. At
which point, we all, almost simultaneously passed out.
I managed
to sleep on and off until we arrived at 3:30am. We took a small bus to
our hotel, Tikawasi, and checked in and went back to sleep.
Till next time,
Justin
| Cusco - Day One South America » Peru » Cusco | 17th July 2007 | Look at me, I´m all caught up!
We
all met up for breakfast at 10am, got the low down from Jose and set
out to explore the city a little bit. We first hiked to the top of a
hill overlooking the city with a huge statue of Jesus. From there, we
made a stop at A Sacsayhuaman Piscac...basically some Inca ruins. We
decided not to pay to go in today and revisit over the next few days.
From there, we hiked back into the city passing San Cristobal church.
Into the main plaza, Plaza De Armas, we bumped in to a protest marching
around the plaza (I believe it was the transportation protest that
forced us to leave Puno a day early). I took a few pictures of La
Compania within the plaza and the marching protesters. We then headed
to lunch at Jake´s Cafe which came highly recommended by Jose.
After,
we walked pass the Arte Religioso building which has a famous stone
embedded in it´s outer wall. The stone has 12 sides and is apparently
one of the original stones from the Inca era. You are not allowed to
touch that one stone in the wall...all the others are free game.
From
there, we headed back to the hotel to chillax for a little while. I
went down the street to update my blog which is how I am all caught up
now. After, I went back to the hotel and watched some TV with my
roommate, James.
We all met up for dinner at 6pm. After
dinner, we returned to the hotel for some drinking games. At about
11:30 we (James, Miriam, Punir, Ian, Jose and myself) headed out to the
clubs and danced the night away. At one point, Punir and Ian were
dancing up on the bar and Miriam was trying to get up with them. Miriam
was drunk and lost her balance and brought the other two crashing down
with her. Luckily, no one got hurt bad. Ian ended up with a bruised
leg/ass which he enjoys showing to people now. We had the first hook up
of the group as well this evening between James and Miriam. At around
2:30, James, Miriam and Punir headed back to the hotel. Jose and I
stuck around since Ian wanted to continue dancing (he was back up on
the bar). We finally returned to the hotel around 3:30ish to find James
and Miriam passed out on the couch in front of our room. Ian slapped
James a few times across the face, but James didn´t move. I left him
where he was and went to bed.
Till next time,
Justin
| Cusco - Day Two South America » Peru » Cusco | 18th July 2007 | We
all decided to sleep in today and it was much needed. I woke up at
11:30 and met up with the majority of the group for lunch. After lunch,
a few of us were suppose to meet up with Jose to play soccer. Ian was
injuried from the evening before and Punir was sick in his is room
(found out later, Jose got in touch with his Dad and they moved him
into a 5 star hotel so that he would be looked after more
regularly...he wasn´t doing so well). So, I took some time to myself,
walked around town and visited Convento de Santo Domingo del Cusco.
Cusco
is a MUCH cleaner, mellower city than the previous ones. The taxis are
not blowing out black smoke all the time and a lot of people walk more.
The people here seem more westernized as well, probably due to a ton
more tourism here. Pretty much everyone that visits Machu Pichu spends
a day or two in Cusco. After all, Cusco is the capital of the Inca
empire sitting at 3,350 meters above sea level.
After walking
around, I cam back to the hotel and watched TV for a little until it
was time to meet up for dinner at 7:30. We headed to a place called (I
will need to fill this in later). Let me first start by saying, if you
are ever in Cusco, DO NOT come here to eat. The service was so bad,
they couldn´t even manage to bring all of our drinks at the same time.
One person never got their meal and one other was waiting just as long
but decided not to cancel theirs. The meal that never came was soup of
all things. The majority of the meals that did come were not warm, the
food was horrible, the chicken was chewy, and everyone ate alone...no
two meals arrived together. In the end, they appologized, made some
excuss about Wednesday night being their busiest night and after
twisting their arm gave us a 20% discount. To top it off, my stomach
was a bit upset afterwards.
I´m off white water rafting tomorrow!
Till next time,
Justin
| Cusco - Day Three - Rafting South America » Peru » Cusco | 19th July 2007 | I
don´t really have the energy to give specifics, but the rafting was not
much to write about. It took us 2+ hours to get to our launch site, was
on the water for maybe 2hrs, hitting nothing bigger than a class 3 (if
that) rapid. We unloaded the river at around 1:30 and headed back to
the launch point for lunch. Then we took the 2+ hour ride back (I slept
most of it). The coolest part was getting some Inca stories as one of
the main roads to Machu Pichu went along the river.
We returned
to the hotel, showered and relaxed for a bit. After showering, I
started feeling the chills and was unable to warm up. We all met up for
dinner and I was bundled in everything I brought. We walked to a
Japanese place for dinner that Kumiko (the Japanese girl in our group)
went for lunch and wanted everyone to try. I ordered tea and soup to
try and warm myself up a bit. I did warm up, but still felt "off."
After
dinner, everyone went to the clubs and I headed home. Jose bought me
Dristan which he said would help me warmup and sleep. I was sleeping by
10:30pm.
| Cusco - Day 4 South America » Peru » Cusco | 20th July 2007 | When you´re slidding into first and you feel something burst....
Yep,
I spent the day between the bed and the bathroom today, mostly the bed
thank god! So I forgot to mention, and I am positive this is the
cause...during our rafting trip yesterday, near the end, we all pushed
each other off the raft into the miserably cold water. Well, while I
took Adam down, I also took a mouth full of the river. So, today I
started Cipro and I leave for the Lares Trek in 2 days...we actually
leave for the Sacred Valley tomorrow.
I am already feeling
better and hate to leave you all hanging as I will be out of touch for
the next 4 days or so, but, I am keeping an accurate account of my
travels...so you get all the details.
Till next time,
Justin
| Cusco to Ollantaytambo South America » Peru » The Sacred Valley » Ollantaytambo | 21st July 2007 | Sorry
for the lack of details to come, but the internet connection I am using
is the most expensive I have used as well as the slowest I have since
keeping in touch with everyone...a picture is worth a million words, so
you´ll just have to wait till my pictures are available (in a year).
We left Cusco and made a few stops on our way to Ollantaytambo.
Ccora
(not positive about spelling) Valley: most of the people living here
are farmers for beans. We made a stop above the valley for a quick
photo op.
CacaCollo (again, not positive about the spelling:
this little town is actually sponsored by GAP. The men of this town are
hired to be porters for the Inca trail and the women make hats,
blankets, socks, gloves, etc for those visiting the town on the way to
Machu Pichu. Some of the kids were running around with a soccer ball, a
donkey rolled around in the dirt and the woman of the town perpetually
weave their yarn (of sheep, llama and alpaca).
We then at an
Inca ruin site that over looks the Sacred Valley. We climbed to the the
top and had a brief Inca lesson with our guide.
After, we made a
lunch stop at the Pisac market and then had some time to shop in the
market. Those subscribed to my blog are more likely to have a gift
coming their way...
Finally, we headed to Ollantaytambo were we
climbed an Inca wall with a great view over the small town. After our
hike, we had about an hour to ourselves. We are meeting up for dinner
at 7pm and then off to bed for me. Unless there are any crazy stories
for the evening, that will do for today.
Health Update: I am
feeling better. I hired doctor to check me out last night and he put me
on a medical rotation. My schedule is as follows (for those interested):
Dislap: 1 tablet 7am, 12pm, 7pm for 2 days
Cipro: 1 tablet 8am, 8pm for 6 days
Colufuse: 1 tablet 9am, 9pm for 3 days
Pepto: 1 tablet 10am, 2pm, 10pm for 3 days
Lots of Gatorade and a soft diet...fun stuff!
I
am off on the Lares Trek starting tomorrow and will then return to
Cusco on July 25. The following days after look like thy might be
packed, but I will try to input an update the first chance I get.
Till next time,
Justin
| Trek to Machu Picchu...kind of South America » Peru » Lares Trek | 24th July 2007 | July 22 - 24....
Let
me start by saying, I do not recommend doing the Inca Trail or the
Lares Trek with a bad stomach. I am sure you all knew that, but I am
going to spare the details on that for the rest of the entry.
Day One
From
Ollantaytambo (now going to be referenced as OlanTambo for short) I met
up with my new group and made a 20 minute stop in Calca to buy any
goods we still needed for the Trek. I purchased gifts for the porters
(coca leaves) and gifts for the kids we are expected to run into on the
way (bouncy balls, marbles, bananas and colored pencils). At 10:30, we
began our 2hr bus journey to Kiswarani. Here, we were provided lunch, a
hole in the ground as a bathroom (as for the rest of the trip as well),
and were quickly off on the Lares Trek.
The first 3 hours was
the toughest hiking I have ever done, straight up hill. It wasn´t
necessarily hard physically (it was), but it was more so mentally due
to the bus ride, the food we were just fed and the reality shock of the
journey we were embarking on. We started at 3700 meters above sea level
(masl) and our pass (highest peak) was at 4200 (the highest the Inca
Trail gets). The view at the top was amazing and we got there just in
time since the clouds/fog rolled in about 5 min. after we reached it.
From there, it was downhill to the campsite. We ate dinner in -6 degree
Celcius temperatures and I headed to bed right after at about 9pm.
Day Two
Up
at 5:45am and hiking by 7:30, we hiked all day. We passed a few small
villiages, bumping into several kids along the way. These kids, for the
most part, sit along the trail knowing trekkers are going to pass by
eventually. We were advised not to provide them candy or money, but
could provide them gifts (hence the purchases earlier). I took several
pictures of all the kids we bumped into and it was a treat to see their
faces after giving them a gift, particularly the bananas...their faces
just lit up as I pulled them out of my bag.
As we approached the
2nd pass (Isayqocha - not sure on the spelling), I looked back on my
fellow trekkers, I could see the clouds encompass them as I am sure it
looked the same to them. I couldn´t see more than 100 feet infront of
me as the rain began to fall along with small pelts of hail. As I
finally reached the top, I snapped a few shots in the rain and
continued downhill toward the campsite where the sun was still
shinning. I arrived at the campsite around 5:30pm where local
villiagers were selling beer and my fellow trekkers endulged
themselves. We were not waking up till 7am the next morning, so after
dinner all of us played serades (spelling?) until approx. 9:30pm and
headed to bed.
Day Three
Today was an easy day hiking
as it was all downhill. We finished at Patakancha, had lunch and took a
bus back to OllanTambo. I met up with Jose and Pun (aka Punir who is
back and alive). They grabbed lunch while I had a brownie with ice
cream. It was awesome! After, we caught the train to Aguas Calientes (a
1.5 hr train ride). We checked in, showered and headed out for some
Chinese food. It wasn´t traditional, but was very good. We then found a
billards bar and had a few beers. Pun played against some locals for
money. He won the first game, but then lost two after. We were back at
the hotel and in bed at 10:30 for an early rise and head to Machu
Picchu.
Till Next Time,
Justin
| Machu Picchu South America » Peru » Machu Picchu | 25th July 2007 | Last
night, Pun set his clock for a 3:45 wake up. This morning, it went off
at 1:45...apparently he set it for England time...BASTARD! Our wake up
call came at 4am and Pun picked up the phone and hung up without
getting up. At 4:20, we got a knock on the door, which I answered, from
the receptionist saying Jose was waiting for us in the lobby, we were
suppose to meet him at 4:15! I rush to get dressed, wake up Pun and get
downstairs to let Jose know we are awake and on our way. When I get
there, Jose tells me I need my bags because we will not be returning to
the hotel. I run back upstairs, throw everything into my bag, tell Pun
to do the same and get back downstairs. We are out the door at 4:30am...
It
took us 1hr 10min to hike up steep steps that normally takes (I´m still
trying to find out the average time to do this hike). When we arrived
at the gate to Machu Picchu there were probably 20 or so other people
there. We waited together till 6am for them to open the gates. Jose,
Pun and I were the 2nd, 3rd and 4th through the gates! We setup camp
and took a few initial pictures until it got crowded. We then moved to
a new spot where we watched the sun come over the mountains and shine
upon Machu Picchu. It was absolutely amazing! When the rest of our
group showed up from the Inca trail and passing through the sun gate,
we had a bottle of champagne waiting for them. After spending time with
the group, Pun, Jose and I attempted to climb Waynapicchu (the famous
mountain in most pictures of Machu Picchu), but they only allow 400
people a day up and we missed the cut off. We then contemplated
climbing "Machu Picchu," the mountain behind Machu Picchu, but decided
to grab some food first. We all ordered burgers at 9:30am and after
couldn´t think about taking a 2hr hike. I went back into Machu Picchu
and took some more photos (over 200 in all), walking all over the place
by myself.
I met back up with the majority of the group at 11:30
and headed back into town (Agua Clientes) for lunch. After, I walk
around town visiting the market and met up with the group again at 3:30
for our train ride to OllanTambo and bus ride back to Cusco.
We
arrived back in Cusco at about 8:30pm. Pun volunteered to go out and
grab Chinese food for everyone and bring it back to the hotel. While we
waited for Pun to return, we started drinking for the night to follow
on town. After dinner, it was out to the clubs to dance the night away.
What a day....
Till next time,
Justin
| Cusco to Arequipa South America » Peru » Arequipa | 26th July 2007 | Woke up and met up with a few of the others for breakfast at 11am. We went (for the 3rd time) to Jake´s.
We
met up with everyone else at 1pm back at the hotel for our trip to the
airport. We arrived in Arequipa as the sunset and bused over to Hostel
Solar. We took 30 min to get a bag ready for tomorrow (we are off to
Coca Canyon) and met up for dinner. I ordered the Ostrich plate, but
the waiter came back a few minutes later informing me and 2 others that
they were out. I was planning on waiting till our return to Arequipa,
but decided to dive in and order the Guinea Pig. You gotta see the
photos to appreciate (or really not appreciate), but they serve the
entire Guinea Pig...head, feet, everything! It was actually pretty
good. Guinea Pig has the texture of chicken, but taste a bit different.
After
dinner, Christina, Pun, Jose and I attempted to got to the cinema for a
movie, but nothing was playing at the right time in English, so, we
headed back to the hotel for bed time.
Till next time,
Justin
| Arequipa to Colca Canyon South America » Peru » Colca Canyon | 27th July 2007 | Today
was mostly a bus day and site seeing on the way to and into Colca
Canyon. We made a lunch stop in Chivay which was one of the best
buffets I have ever had...YES, better than Vegas. All the food was
local food...Alpca, Llama, chicken, trout, pasta, etc. dishes. I think
I had 4 helpings and two desert helpings.
After lunch, we
stopped at a Sulfa water hot spring for probably about 2 hours. During
this time it got more and more crowded by the second.
We then
made our way to the hotel. This place was the nicest, most charming
place we have stayed at. We all wished we could have stayed another
night or two. I took a few pictures of the surrounding scenery as the
sunset and then joined the others in the "game room." There was a
guitar that I started messing around with and let out a hint of "oh
yeah, hell yeah." We had to go to dinner, but everyone made me promise
to play it afterwards.
Dinner was actually a show of music and dancing (nothing dirty). It was very entertaining and dinner was very good.
When
we returned to the hotel, I was reminded to play "Oh Yeah, Hell Yeah"
and I did. After, we pounced on Punir who was "to comfortable in bed"
to join us for dinner. After a good laugh we all headed to our own head
quarters.
Till next time,
Justin
| Colca Canyon to Arequipa South America » Peru » Arequipa | 28th July 2007 | Happy Independence Day Peru!
We
were up and on the bus at 6am and off to try and catch the Condors
flying over the canyon. We had the luck to see 5 or 6 of them.
After,
we made a few stops over looking the canyon and the below valley as we
made our way to lunch, YEP, another buffet by popular demand. Again, it
was awesome and did not disappoint.
After lunch, it was a 3hr
drive back to Arequipa. I actually managed to sleep for most of it. We
then met up at 4pm to check out the market. Ian and Christina wanted to
buy their own Guinea pigs (live) for dinner tonight. We headed down
there and only ended up leaving with a frog shake! YEAH! A FROG shake.
It was horrible! I only had a sip, but the others had a full glass. As
we strolled back to the hotel, still near the market, I think a pick
pocket was attempted on me, but no worries, everything was hidden
safely and nothing was taken.
We went back to the hotel and had a few hours to chill before meeting up for dinner at 7:45pm.
(ONE OF THE LOST BLOGS)
From
memory...we met up for dinner and went to the same place I had the
Guinea Pig. This evening I decided to have the Ostrich Lomo
Saltado...and it was GOOD! Quite a few people at the table went for the
Guinea Pig and we had some fun pictures with all of the fried animals.
After
dinner, we headed out on town. First we went to a lounge/bar and drank
quite a bit. I believe this place was owned by the same guy that owned
the restaurant (since he was there) and we was treating us well, so I
bought him a drink. He seemed to appreciate it. After, we walked to a
club (I don't remember this walk) and we danced the evening away. Those
Peruvians really now how to party on their Independence Day...we were
out till 5am.
| Nasca South America » Peru » Nasca | 30th July 2007 | We
arrived in Nasca at 6am. We checked in to our hotel and planned on
meeting at 10 to head out to the Nasca Lines. I slept for another few
hours...it has been a long sleeping day!
We arrived at the
airport at around 12:00. For $55, we took at 30 min flight over the
Nasca Lines. For those of you who are not sure what these lines are,
they are basically HUGE images drawn on the desert floor aging back to
300 B.C. up to 600 A.D. They are still a mystery as to what their
meaning is or as to who exactly drew them. It was a very interesting
flight and hopefully my pictures will do it justice.
After, we
visited the cemetary where there were still mummies sitting and
available for viewing. I can´t remember the actual name of the place
right now, but I will try to look it up later.
As we drove back
to the hotel, we stopped to take a few pictures of the sunset and then
made our way back to the hotel. We all met up for dinner at 7:30pm. We
went out so some good chinese food that in the end cost everyone less
than $7 for beer and about 15 plates of food between 9 or so people.
After
dinner, I was dragged out with the group to the clubs, had a few drinks
with everyone, danced by booty, and then finally got home to bed where
I wanted to be around 2am.
Till next time,
Justin
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