I took my last big trip before finals last weekend. It was a last minute little adventure into the Sierra with my roommates and like all my trips, it was wild and had my mother known what I was doing the rest of her hairs would be gray, if not white.
Day 1: Lima to Arequipa to Chivay
My alarm went off at 3:30 a.m. I thought it was a mistake until I remembered we had to catch a plane at 6. The troops gathered and we hailed a taxi around 4 thinking we would have plenty of time at the airport. We did not. The line for Peruvian Airlines was to the door and by the time we checked in, we had to run to our gate. Oops. After a quick nap on the plane we landed in Arequipa, the second biggest city in Peru, nestled in the Andes. Exhausted and disoriented, we took a taxi across town to the bus station where we bought s/. 12.00 ($4.00) tickets to Chivay, a small town 4 hours away. The bus ride was both beautiful and terrifying. We were on a tiny dirt road weaving up mountains at top speed. Upon arrival we were approached by a woman named Marta who offered both a hostel and a buffet. Unable to say no to the promise of unlimited lomo saltado, we followed her through town, stuffed ourselves at the buffet, and met the pet alpaca at the hostel. Not wanting to waste any time, we headed to the other side of town to both zip-line across a small canyon and swim in the hot springs. We signed our lives away, donned helmets, and hiked up to the top of the zip-line. Not used to the altitude, we were all panting and barely shuffling when we reached the top. One by one we flew across the the canyon. I might have screamed a little bit. After the wild and windy ride we decided to warm up in the natural hot springs which turned out to be reeeeaaally hot. As soon as 8 p.m. rolled around, all of us were asleep under three layers of blanket, wearing every piece of clothing we brought. Apparently, the sierra is a little chilly at night.
Day 2: Chivay to Cruz del Condor to Cabanaconde into the Colca Canyon and right back out again
Alarms went off a 6 a.m. I hid under my pillow until I remembered we had to get to the bus station at 6:30. We powered through breakfast and hustled to the station and onto the bus. From Chivay we drove and hour to Cruz del Condor where we witnessed three HUGE condors circling the Colca canyon. These birds have wingspans of 6 feet, but have bodies like vultures. They were both majestic and insanely ugly. I guess you can't have everything. Once we snapped some pictures, we snuck onto a fancy tour bus and begged them to drop us off in a town close by called Cabanaconde. Another scary bus ride later, we wandered around Cabanaconde in search of a hostel and food. We lucked out when we found one named Pachamama which not only fed us, but the owner gave us maps and information on canyon trekking. Crazy on caffeine, we decided to hike down and back up the Colca canyon that day. The owner assured us we could easily descend in 2 hours and make it back up in 3. Ha. He was optimistic. We started out strong, but after 3 hours of rocky, uneven descent and scorching sunshine, not only were our calves and knees were burning, but our skin was too. Once we reached the oasis at the bottom of the canyon, my legs were shaking and I had no idea how we were going to make it up since it was almost 4 and the sun was beginning to set. We asked for flashlights, but the owners of the oasis assured us there would be enough moonlight for us to make it up. Ha. So much optimism. We started the ascent, taking breaks every 10 minutes or so because either our legs felt like they would fall off or our lungs might collapse. Every time Peruvians on mules passed us they asked if we wanted to ride back up. As much as I wanted to say YES SAVE MEEEEEE, I said no gracias. After 3 hours of climbing over jagged steps and loose rocks, it was completely dark. The guys at the bottom were right, we could see in the moonlight, but my brain was so tired I didn't have the energy to figure out the safest route. Luckily, a Peruvian hiking up decided to motivate us to reach the top. He promised to go slow, but his slow was a little faster than my slow. Completely exhausted we reached the top, 4 hours after starting, and we trudged back to the hostel. So grateful for our guide, we bought him a coke and all gave him hugs. At the hostel, the owner told us he thought we had died. I said, it was close. After eating, we slumped to our rooms and once again passed out immediately.
Day 3: Cabanaconde to Arequipa
Once again our alarms went off at 6 in order to catch the 7 bus back to Arequipa. We ate breakfast and literally ran to the Plaza to buy our tickets. They packed as many people as they could onto the bus, people were doubled up in seats and standing in the aisle. Five hours later we arrived in Arequipa. We pulled the usual drill of taxi-ing to the Plaza de Armas and finding a hostel. After lunch we toured a huge convent. I now know so many great facts about Peruvian nuns and nunneries. After hanging with the nuns there was some napping and more eating. After the eating was more eating and sleeping.
Day 4: Arequipa to Lima
Since we were so exhausted and sore from our earlier adventures, Monday was devoted to seeing Juanita the Ice Maiden museum. In 1995, one of the nearby volcanoes erupted, melting surrounding glaciers. Scientists found a perfectly preserved mummy of a 13 year old girl, who they named Juanita. Turns out she was sacrificed by the Inca back in the 1500s. And I got to see her. It was creepy. She still had nails, teeth, skin, and hair. Ewwwwww. Ew. What to do after seeing a creepy 500 year old mummy? Eat, of course. We headed over to the huge indoor market, passed by shrunken llama heads, frog juice, and dozens of underwear stands, and sat down at a stand offering rocotto relleno (spicy pepper stuffed with alpaca, cheese, and kalamata olives) and quinoa juice. SO DELICIOUS. Although I think my doctor strictly advised me to stay away from "street vendor" food. Oops. After basking in the sierra sunshine (which doesn't exist anymore in Lima) we drove to the airport and flew back into Lima.
It's been five days since the Colca canyon hike and I'm still sore. I hope I don't have to hobble around too much longer. It's getting embarrassing.
(P.S. dear mom, I promise I won't take Anna on too many dangerous nighttime hikes up rocky canyons when she comes to Peru. I know she's definitely in your top 3 for favorite children)
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
¡Bienvenidos a la SELVA!
Monday night marked the end of my best adventure yet, an epic journey into the Northern Amazon. Here we go.
Day 1: Lima to Tarapoto to Yurimaguas
Last Tuesday four friends and I met up at the Lima airport more than ready to forgo school for a relaxing trip in hammocks on a cargo boat down the Amazon. We had no idea how crazy this jungle trip would soon become. After an hour flight we landed in a tiny airport in Tarapoto. From there we argued with taxi drivers until we got a reasonable price on a ride to a nearby port town called Yurimaguas. We crammed all 5 gringos into the tiny taxi and took off on a 2 hour drive into the jungle. About an hour in we get flagged down by a group of police. Apparently having 2 people in the front passenger seat is a big no-no. After scaring us half to death by asking to see our passports and having 4 flashlights shining in on us, the police decided we were pretty harmless tourists, stopped interrogating, and started chatting. Some bribe money was exchanged and the taxi driver walked away with out a ticket and our adventure continued. Close to 11 we rolled into Yurimaguas which is a small town full of outdoor mom and pop restaurants and tin roofs. We had a little feast of mystery meats which may have included chicken feet and black catfish. Too tired to explore, we crashed at a hostel nearby.
Day 2: Yurimaguas to Yurimaguas?
The whole reason I wanted to come on this trip was to ride down the Amazon in a cargo boat, so early Wednesday morning we set out to find the docks. We took a mototaxi (a motorcycle with a tiny trailer that is passed off as a taxi) to the dock where we were welcomed by ankle deep mud, dozens of cows, thousands of chickens, and men running every which way loading boats. After asking around we found out the boat didn't leave until that afternoon. To pass the time we decided to go back into town and brave the outdoor markets in search of hammocks. Another mototaxi and 5 hammock stores later, we found the perfect hammocks at the perfect price. The rest of the day was spent mototaxi-ing between the markets and the docks, each time getting a different answer for when the boat was going to leave. This was our first lesson on jungle time: it doesn't exist. When we were finally able to get onto the boat (the Eduardo) and had our hammocks all set, the captain came by and informed us we wouldn't actually leave until morning. Too hot and exhausted to get off the boat and find another hostel, we decided to just sleep on Eduardo and the captain was nice enough to feed us dinner. That night we met two Spaniards, a Belgian, and a Peruvian on vacation who convinced us to go back into town to find a bar. Looking my finest in pajamas and glasses, I followed the group to a small dance club that served up warm beers and sassy salsa music. The DJ was so excited to meet Americans that he changed the music to Michael Jackson, surely to make us feel at home. Once we couldn't stand sweating anymore we slumped back to Eduardo and into our hammocks. The next thing I remember is sunrise and the breakfast bell.
Day 3: Yurimaguas to Lagunas
Hammocks on boats are dangerous. I can't tell you how many times I started my homework and immediately fell asleep. I probably took 3 naps Thursday. Luckily, I wasn't the only one, everybody napped all day. The original plan was to stay on the boat for the next 3 to 4 days until we got to Iquitos, but Chad convinced us all to get off at the next town and find a jungle tour. We were all too disoriented from napping all day to say no so around 10 that night we got off in a tiny town full of huts with thatched roofs. Amid the chaos of dozens of men unloading chickens and cows from the boat, we were approached by a man offering jungle tours. Frazzled by all the activity around us, we followed him on a 30 minute walk to his office/house. Inside he offered us a guided river tour of the jungle and when he saw the looks on our faces after saying the price he threw in free beds for the night and breakfast in the morning. We said yes, please. Carly and I had to share a bed, which turned out to be more of a plank covered by a sheet and surrounded by a mosquito net. I saw the biggest spiders of my life and was hassled by the pet parrot all night, but the bed was free so I can't really complain. besides the wildlife, there was no electricity, no running water, and no toilet. I have bug bites in places no person should ever have bug bites.
Day 4: Lagunas to a hut on the river in the jungle
Thankfully, in the morning I had the best free breakfast of my life with what seemed to be an entire jungle family (even the parrot) which consisted of a tomato and onion omelet the size of my face and grilled plantains. The guides then hustled us into a motorcycle/trailer combo with our backpacks and we drove almost an hour into the jungle. After visiting the police station, signing our lives away to the amazon, getting stuck in mud and almost tipping over multiple times we got to the mouth of the river. Carly, Monica, Tom, and I piled into a tiny canoe with our guide Esteban and our cook Maria. These two turned out to be the biggest characters I would meet on the trip. Squished into the boat, the sides barely 6 inches above the water, we set off. We spent the whole day paddling through jungle, spotting monkeys, and listening to Esteban's ridiculous life stories. The best one involved his uncle and an anaconda in a fight. Apparently, his uncle won by biting the anaconda back. Good to know. Little Maria would pipe in with anecdotes of her own, but her jungle accent and lack of teeth made her hard to understand. Mostly I just smiled and nodded. Late in the afternoon we reached a hut on stilts in the middle of a swamp. A little peruvian family greeted us and offered us dinner which was rice with a side of spaghetti. And bananas, so many bananas. I've never had so many carbs before in my life. Barely 5 minutes after lunch we were swimming in the Amazon and passing it off as a shower. Later came peruvian card games and a night canoe ride in search of crocodiles. No crocs though, only more mosquitoes.
Day 5: A hut on the river in the jungle to Lagunas to Eduardo
The next morning I woke in a tangle of mosquito net and sweat. The jungle was SO HOT. So much for my "shower." We had breakfast, said out goodbyes to the family, and piled back into the canoe with Maria and Esteban. Highlights from the ride back included seeing giant iguanas, Monica being pooped on by monkeys, sitting under a tarp during a downpour while listening to Esteban sing jungle songs. Once back on dry land, we took the motorcyle/trailer back to Lagunas. Back at the house, we asked one of the daughters if there was a boat coming in that night (some of the group was starting to panic since they had flights in Iquitos the next day). The daughter assured us that the boat left that night at 9 and we could get to Iquitos the next day by 3 because it was only a 26 hour ride. Now, I'm no math major, but that didn't quite check out. This was my second lesson in jungle time: no one knows how long anything takes. Not quite trusting her, we rushed to the docks and ended up waiting 6 hours until an Eduardo showed up. This wasn't strange to anyone though, the whole town seemed to just be hanging out at the docks. We watched the sunset and chatted with the locals, many of whom had never seen blonde haired giants. FINALLY around 11 our boat came. We boarded, hung up hammocks, and passed out.
Day 6: Eduardo to Nauta to Iquitos
This day was much like Day 3, a lot of napping. When we were actually able to keep our eyes open, we played cards with fellow passengers and attempted homework, but that usually led to more naps. We thought we could make it to Iquitos in time on this Eduardo, but it turns out the daughter's estimate was way off (no surprise) and Iquitos was still a 3 day trip away. We made the executive decision to get off at the next big town and take a bus to Iquitos. The next town turned out to be Nauta. We made our way onto a bus with a few other passengers, some locals, and one live chicken. Two hours of driving brought us to Iquitos where we picked out the first hostel we saw. After getting the price down from 100 soles to 60 soles we went up to our room. It was the best room we could have hoped for. 1. there was air conditioning. 2. there was a TV and Arrested Development was playing. 3. the beds were actually beds. 4. there was a toilet.
Day 7: Iquitos to Lima
Carly and Tom left to catch their flights at 6 in the morning and Monica and I didn't roll out of bed until 9. I then took my first real shower in 6 days. I felt like a new person. We ventured downstairs and asked the manager what there was to do in Iquitos and he suggested the zoo. He pointed us to the bus stop and we took a 1 sol combi into the middle of nowhere, got off on the side of the highway, and hiked 20 minutes up to the zoo. This zoo trip turned out to be the best part of the whole trip. The zoo was practically empty and since we opted not to hire a guide, we had the run of the place. After petting some monkeys, we headed over to the dolphin tank. The only thing between us and the dolphin was a tiny wooden fence, so of course we climbed under. I swished a stick around under the water to get the dolphin's attention and it came right over with a rock in its mouth, ready to play. Monica and I took turns playing fetch with it, taking short breaks to pet it. Unfortunately, a family headed over and we got scared, said our goodbyes, and snuck out of the enclosure. Our next stop was a toothless man with an anaconda. When he asked if I wanted to hold the snake, I said I didn't come all the way to the jungle not to hold an anaconda. So he promptly put it around my neck and with the help of 4 chubby, peruvian sailors, egged me on to kiss the snake. I did. They loved it. After seeing all the animals we came up to the plant part of the zoo. This is where we met my other favorite jungle friend. He could have been Bill Murray from Caddyshack's peruvian doppleganger. He made us look at ALL of his plants and smell ALL of his plants, even when we told him we had to catch a plane. Once we finally escaped we found a tiny restaurant outside the zoo and decided to eat. As soon as we saw there was suri, we knew we had to try it. Suri are giant jungle meal worms, prepared by skewering them on a stick and throwing them on the grill...live. After a 3, 2, 1 Monica and I closed our eyes and ate the grubs. Turns out they are pretty delicious. They taste like chicken skin. Sort of. We then hopped back on the bus and rode into town. We still had some time so we wandered in search of juice until we found the cutest old couple who made the peruvian equivalent to shaved ice. Monica and I sat on stools on the side or the road and shared 2 giant bowls of ice flavored with jungle fruits I had never heard of while chatting with locals. When it was finally time to go we grabbed a mototaxi to the little airport, waited forever, and flew back to Lima. I can't tell you how excited I was to get home to my bed and shower, Turns out I missed Lima a little bit.
Conclusions: Jungle people are the nicest, slowest moving, happiest people I've met. And this was the best trip I've ever taken. Thank you Peru.
Day 1: Lima to Tarapoto to Yurimaguas
Last Tuesday four friends and I met up at the Lima airport more than ready to forgo school for a relaxing trip in hammocks on a cargo boat down the Amazon. We had no idea how crazy this jungle trip would soon become. After an hour flight we landed in a tiny airport in Tarapoto. From there we argued with taxi drivers until we got a reasonable price on a ride to a nearby port town called Yurimaguas. We crammed all 5 gringos into the tiny taxi and took off on a 2 hour drive into the jungle. About an hour in we get flagged down by a group of police. Apparently having 2 people in the front passenger seat is a big no-no. After scaring us half to death by asking to see our passports and having 4 flashlights shining in on us, the police decided we were pretty harmless tourists, stopped interrogating, and started chatting. Some bribe money was exchanged and the taxi driver walked away with out a ticket and our adventure continued. Close to 11 we rolled into Yurimaguas which is a small town full of outdoor mom and pop restaurants and tin roofs. We had a little feast of mystery meats which may have included chicken feet and black catfish. Too tired to explore, we crashed at a hostel nearby.
Day 2: Yurimaguas to Yurimaguas?
The whole reason I wanted to come on this trip was to ride down the Amazon in a cargo boat, so early Wednesday morning we set out to find the docks. We took a mototaxi (a motorcycle with a tiny trailer that is passed off as a taxi) to the dock where we were welcomed by ankle deep mud, dozens of cows, thousands of chickens, and men running every which way loading boats. After asking around we found out the boat didn't leave until that afternoon. To pass the time we decided to go back into town and brave the outdoor markets in search of hammocks. Another mototaxi and 5 hammock stores later, we found the perfect hammocks at the perfect price. The rest of the day was spent mototaxi-ing between the markets and the docks, each time getting a different answer for when the boat was going to leave. This was our first lesson on jungle time: it doesn't exist. When we were finally able to get onto the boat (the Eduardo) and had our hammocks all set, the captain came by and informed us we wouldn't actually leave until morning. Too hot and exhausted to get off the boat and find another hostel, we decided to just sleep on Eduardo and the captain was nice enough to feed us dinner. That night we met two Spaniards, a Belgian, and a Peruvian on vacation who convinced us to go back into town to find a bar. Looking my finest in pajamas and glasses, I followed the group to a small dance club that served up warm beers and sassy salsa music. The DJ was so excited to meet Americans that he changed the music to Michael Jackson, surely to make us feel at home. Once we couldn't stand sweating anymore we slumped back to Eduardo and into our hammocks. The next thing I remember is sunrise and the breakfast bell.
Day 3: Yurimaguas to Lagunas
Hammocks on boats are dangerous. I can't tell you how many times I started my homework and immediately fell asleep. I probably took 3 naps Thursday. Luckily, I wasn't the only one, everybody napped all day. The original plan was to stay on the boat for the next 3 to 4 days until we got to Iquitos, but Chad convinced us all to get off at the next town and find a jungle tour. We were all too disoriented from napping all day to say no so around 10 that night we got off in a tiny town full of huts with thatched roofs. Amid the chaos of dozens of men unloading chickens and cows from the boat, we were approached by a man offering jungle tours. Frazzled by all the activity around us, we followed him on a 30 minute walk to his office/house. Inside he offered us a guided river tour of the jungle and when he saw the looks on our faces after saying the price he threw in free beds for the night and breakfast in the morning. We said yes, please. Carly and I had to share a bed, which turned out to be more of a plank covered by a sheet and surrounded by a mosquito net. I saw the biggest spiders of my life and was hassled by the pet parrot all night, but the bed was free so I can't really complain. besides the wildlife, there was no electricity, no running water, and no toilet. I have bug bites in places no person should ever have bug bites.
Day 4: Lagunas to a hut on the river in the jungle
Thankfully, in the morning I had the best free breakfast of my life with what seemed to be an entire jungle family (even the parrot) which consisted of a tomato and onion omelet the size of my face and grilled plantains. The guides then hustled us into a motorcycle/trailer combo with our backpacks and we drove almost an hour into the jungle. After visiting the police station, signing our lives away to the amazon, getting stuck in mud and almost tipping over multiple times we got to the mouth of the river. Carly, Monica, Tom, and I piled into a tiny canoe with our guide Esteban and our cook Maria. These two turned out to be the biggest characters I would meet on the trip. Squished into the boat, the sides barely 6 inches above the water, we set off. We spent the whole day paddling through jungle, spotting monkeys, and listening to Esteban's ridiculous life stories. The best one involved his uncle and an anaconda in a fight. Apparently, his uncle won by biting the anaconda back. Good to know. Little Maria would pipe in with anecdotes of her own, but her jungle accent and lack of teeth made her hard to understand. Mostly I just smiled and nodded. Late in the afternoon we reached a hut on stilts in the middle of a swamp. A little peruvian family greeted us and offered us dinner which was rice with a side of spaghetti. And bananas, so many bananas. I've never had so many carbs before in my life. Barely 5 minutes after lunch we were swimming in the Amazon and passing it off as a shower. Later came peruvian card games and a night canoe ride in search of crocodiles. No crocs though, only more mosquitoes.
Day 5: A hut on the river in the jungle to Lagunas to Eduardo
The next morning I woke in a tangle of mosquito net and sweat. The jungle was SO HOT. So much for my "shower." We had breakfast, said out goodbyes to the family, and piled back into the canoe with Maria and Esteban. Highlights from the ride back included seeing giant iguanas, Monica being pooped on by monkeys, sitting under a tarp during a downpour while listening to Esteban sing jungle songs. Once back on dry land, we took the motorcyle/trailer back to Lagunas. Back at the house, we asked one of the daughters if there was a boat coming in that night (some of the group was starting to panic since they had flights in Iquitos the next day). The daughter assured us that the boat left that night at 9 and we could get to Iquitos the next day by 3 because it was only a 26 hour ride. Now, I'm no math major, but that didn't quite check out. This was my second lesson in jungle time: no one knows how long anything takes. Not quite trusting her, we rushed to the docks and ended up waiting 6 hours until an Eduardo showed up. This wasn't strange to anyone though, the whole town seemed to just be hanging out at the docks. We watched the sunset and chatted with the locals, many of whom had never seen blonde haired giants. FINALLY around 11 our boat came. We boarded, hung up hammocks, and passed out.
Day 6: Eduardo to Nauta to Iquitos
This day was much like Day 3, a lot of napping. When we were actually able to keep our eyes open, we played cards with fellow passengers and attempted homework, but that usually led to more naps. We thought we could make it to Iquitos in time on this Eduardo, but it turns out the daughter's estimate was way off (no surprise) and Iquitos was still a 3 day trip away. We made the executive decision to get off at the next big town and take a bus to Iquitos. The next town turned out to be Nauta. We made our way onto a bus with a few other passengers, some locals, and one live chicken. Two hours of driving brought us to Iquitos where we picked out the first hostel we saw. After getting the price down from 100 soles to 60 soles we went up to our room. It was the best room we could have hoped for. 1. there was air conditioning. 2. there was a TV and Arrested Development was playing. 3. the beds were actually beds. 4. there was a toilet.
Day 7: Iquitos to Lima
Carly and Tom left to catch their flights at 6 in the morning and Monica and I didn't roll out of bed until 9. I then took my first real shower in 6 days. I felt like a new person. We ventured downstairs and asked the manager what there was to do in Iquitos and he suggested the zoo. He pointed us to the bus stop and we took a 1 sol combi into the middle of nowhere, got off on the side of the highway, and hiked 20 minutes up to the zoo. This zoo trip turned out to be the best part of the whole trip. The zoo was practically empty and since we opted not to hire a guide, we had the run of the place. After petting some monkeys, we headed over to the dolphin tank. The only thing between us and the dolphin was a tiny wooden fence, so of course we climbed under. I swished a stick around under the water to get the dolphin's attention and it came right over with a rock in its mouth, ready to play. Monica and I took turns playing fetch with it, taking short breaks to pet it. Unfortunately, a family headed over and we got scared, said our goodbyes, and snuck out of the enclosure. Our next stop was a toothless man with an anaconda. When he asked if I wanted to hold the snake, I said I didn't come all the way to the jungle not to hold an anaconda. So he promptly put it around my neck and with the help of 4 chubby, peruvian sailors, egged me on to kiss the snake. I did. They loved it. After seeing all the animals we came up to the plant part of the zoo. This is where we met my other favorite jungle friend. He could have been Bill Murray from Caddyshack's peruvian doppleganger. He made us look at ALL of his plants and smell ALL of his plants, even when we told him we had to catch a plane. Once we finally escaped we found a tiny restaurant outside the zoo and decided to eat. As soon as we saw there was suri, we knew we had to try it. Suri are giant jungle meal worms, prepared by skewering them on a stick and throwing them on the grill...live. After a 3, 2, 1 Monica and I closed our eyes and ate the grubs. Turns out they are pretty delicious. They taste like chicken skin. Sort of. We then hopped back on the bus and rode into town. We still had some time so we wandered in search of juice until we found the cutest old couple who made the peruvian equivalent to shaved ice. Monica and I sat on stools on the side or the road and shared 2 giant bowls of ice flavored with jungle fruits I had never heard of while chatting with locals. When it was finally time to go we grabbed a mototaxi to the little airport, waited forever, and flew back to Lima. I can't tell you how excited I was to get home to my bed and shower, Turns out I missed Lima a little bit.
Conclusions: Jungle people are the nicest, slowest moving, happiest people I've met. And this was the best trip I've ever taken. Thank you Peru.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Semana Santa
Semana Santa is the Peruvian equivalent to our Easter break. So, what better to do than have a little adventure? My Peruvian friend Alfredo (or as I call him, Sauce) has a beach house just outside the border of Ecuador in a tiny town called Colán. So logically we gathered an army of fifteen to share this tiny house for 4 days, which would turn out to have no running water. But let’s start from the beginning:
My roommates Carly, Monica, and I raced home from school Tuesday (okay, this was a while ago so it was March 30th) in order to chow down some dinner, pack, and taxi over to the bus station by 7 p.m. Per usual we cut it close. We grabbed a taxi around 6:45. Sometimes you get silent drivers and sometimes you get the chatty ones. This was a chatty one. We learned his life story, got his business card, and basically became best friends by the time we arrived at the station. He got out to help us with our bags and walked us to the door. Nice guy, right? No more than 5 minutes later he comes storming up to us with a security guard demanding to search our bags. According to him, in the minute between getting out of the taxi and stepping into the station we stole his radio. FIRST OF ALL do I look like I know how to remove a radio from a vehicle? Uh, I can barely figure out my seatbelt let alone stealth an entire radio out of a car in a minute. This guy gave us way too much credit. After searching all our bags, the driver finally admitted defeat and returned to his now radio-less car, the security guard apologized repeatedly, and I gave mad props to the person who did have the skills to sneak that radio out of the car. First adventure, check. (And we hadn’t even gotten on the bus yet)
The bus ride to Chiclayo (a town ¾ of the way to Colán) was 12 hours and it was pouring rain when we arrived. It was the first time I’d seen rain since I got to Peru. The group was tired and cranky so we stopped at a hostel to lock up our goods and eat breakfast. With a whole day ahead of us before the second bus ride, we decided to visit a museum outside town. Turns out it was the site of a mass tomb of some Incan ruler named Señor de Sipán. We saw gold, we saw bones, it was great. A little backstory: When Señor de Sipán died his most valued things were sacrificed and buried with him. He was buried in the center of the tomb and surrounding him was a priest, the military leader, his wife, 2 other women, his son, assorted llamas, and SO MUCH GOLD. This guy was flashy.
Post museum most of the group decided to shower/nap, but Carly, Monica, and I headed a few blocks away to a giant outdoor market. This place was out of control. There was no organization. The hat stand was next to the juice stand, which was next to the pirated DVDs, which were next to the fresh fish stand. Let me tell you, there were some crazy smells happening in that market. But this was no ordinary market. Past the stinky fish and Disney princess underwear were the witch markets. Not just hocus pocus, I met some legitimate witches/wizards. There were jungle beads and love potions and monkeys and voodoo dolls and mystery powders and all sorts of crazy juju magic. I wanted to buy the monkey, but they said no no gringa, so no voodoo juju magic for me. 6 p.m. finally rolled around and we caught another bus to Colán. Unfortunately, Peruvians are not great planners. Also they aren’t so efficient. Therefore, it took us 2 more hours in taxi to get to the beach house because Sauce forgot where it was and didn’t have the directions with him. Ooooooh I was cranky by the time we got there.
The next four days were basically some combination of beach, eat, nap, repeat. We were in a tiny town where there was only one restaurant. Luckily, Peruvian food is fantastic wherever you go. I ate so much ceviche (fresh fish in lima and cilantro), lomo saltado (white rice with beef, tomato, onion, and fries), and chaufa con langostinos (SPICY Peruvian shrimp fried rice), all very popular Peruvian dishes. When we weren’t eating we were splashing in the Pacific and avoiding the stingrays, which are everywhere. When we weren’t swimming we were piled in one room napping since there was only one fan and it was close to 100 degrees and sunny every day. The downside to this trip? NO RUNNING WATER. This meant no showering. For six days. Let’s just say that house did not smell so great.
Sunday we took a 16 hour overnight bus back to Lima. I can’t tell you how happy I was to be back in a real bed with a real bathroom. Unfortunately, being back in Lima meant going back to school and of course the week after break I had 2 exams, which turned out to be in class essays…in Spanish. Ew.
So now I’m in Lima for a while. The trips are on hold now that school finally requires brainpower. Luckily, Lima has plenty of festivals, Incan markets, and art museums to keep me occupied and out of too much trouble for a while.
My roommates Carly, Monica, and I raced home from school Tuesday (okay, this was a while ago so it was March 30th) in order to chow down some dinner, pack, and taxi over to the bus station by 7 p.m. Per usual we cut it close. We grabbed a taxi around 6:45. Sometimes you get silent drivers and sometimes you get the chatty ones. This was a chatty one. We learned his life story, got his business card, and basically became best friends by the time we arrived at the station. He got out to help us with our bags and walked us to the door. Nice guy, right? No more than 5 minutes later he comes storming up to us with a security guard demanding to search our bags. According to him, in the minute between getting out of the taxi and stepping into the station we stole his radio. FIRST OF ALL do I look like I know how to remove a radio from a vehicle? Uh, I can barely figure out my seatbelt let alone stealth an entire radio out of a car in a minute. This guy gave us way too much credit. After searching all our bags, the driver finally admitted defeat and returned to his now radio-less car, the security guard apologized repeatedly, and I gave mad props to the person who did have the skills to sneak that radio out of the car. First adventure, check. (And we hadn’t even gotten on the bus yet)
The bus ride to Chiclayo (a town ¾ of the way to Colán) was 12 hours and it was pouring rain when we arrived. It was the first time I’d seen rain since I got to Peru. The group was tired and cranky so we stopped at a hostel to lock up our goods and eat breakfast. With a whole day ahead of us before the second bus ride, we decided to visit a museum outside town. Turns out it was the site of a mass tomb of some Incan ruler named Señor de Sipán. We saw gold, we saw bones, it was great. A little backstory: When Señor de Sipán died his most valued things were sacrificed and buried with him. He was buried in the center of the tomb and surrounding him was a priest, the military leader, his wife, 2 other women, his son, assorted llamas, and SO MUCH GOLD. This guy was flashy.
Post museum most of the group decided to shower/nap, but Carly, Monica, and I headed a few blocks away to a giant outdoor market. This place was out of control. There was no organization. The hat stand was next to the juice stand, which was next to the pirated DVDs, which were next to the fresh fish stand. Let me tell you, there were some crazy smells happening in that market. But this was no ordinary market. Past the stinky fish and Disney princess underwear were the witch markets. Not just hocus pocus, I met some legitimate witches/wizards. There were jungle beads and love potions and monkeys and voodoo dolls and mystery powders and all sorts of crazy juju magic. I wanted to buy the monkey, but they said no no gringa, so no voodoo juju magic for me. 6 p.m. finally rolled around and we caught another bus to Colán. Unfortunately, Peruvians are not great planners. Also they aren’t so efficient. Therefore, it took us 2 more hours in taxi to get to the beach house because Sauce forgot where it was and didn’t have the directions with him. Ooooooh I was cranky by the time we got there.
The next four days were basically some combination of beach, eat, nap, repeat. We were in a tiny town where there was only one restaurant. Luckily, Peruvian food is fantastic wherever you go. I ate so much ceviche (fresh fish in lima and cilantro), lomo saltado (white rice with beef, tomato, onion, and fries), and chaufa con langostinos (SPICY Peruvian shrimp fried rice), all very popular Peruvian dishes. When we weren’t eating we were splashing in the Pacific and avoiding the stingrays, which are everywhere. When we weren’t swimming we were piled in one room napping since there was only one fan and it was close to 100 degrees and sunny every day. The downside to this trip? NO RUNNING WATER. This meant no showering. For six days. Let’s just say that house did not smell so great.
Sunday we took a 16 hour overnight bus back to Lima. I can’t tell you how happy I was to be back in a real bed with a real bathroom. Unfortunately, being back in Lima meant going back to school and of course the week after break I had 2 exams, which turned out to be in class essays…in Spanish. Ew.
So now I’m in Lima for a while. The trips are on hold now that school finally requires brainpower. Luckily, Lima has plenty of festivals, Incan markets, and art museums to keep me occupied and out of too much trouble for a while.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Welcome to the desert.
I wasn't going to blog until after my spring break this week, but my mom is being sassy and wants more posts. Here ya go Sue.
Last weekend I took a four hour bus to Huacachina in Ica with a huge group of international students. Huacachina is an oasis in the middle of the desert surrounded by hostels and restaurants. Upon arrival we were immediately put into groups and herded into dune buggies. I wish I could accurately describe how crazy the tour through the desert was. I felt like I was on a roller coaster.
An extra sandy roller coaster.
I'm still scraping sand off my body.
The buggies took us out to the biggest dunes where we proceeded to sand board down giant hills on our stomachs. Let's just say none of us have skin left on our feet or elbows after sledding down a sandy drop at 60 mph. After watching the sunset over the desert and syphoning gas from another buggy, we headed back to the oasis only to jump into an already sandy pool. The rest of the night was devoted to eating as much peruvian BBQ and dancing as possible. Luckily, I was so tired by the end of the night, I didn't even mind I had to sleep on a wicker mattress with Hot Wheels sheets. The next day we decided to tour a little museum in downtown Ica. It was super lame at first. I mean, pottery is pretty cool, but after about five rooms of it my patience starts to wear thin. BUT THEN we hit the mummy room. Because the coast of Peru is so dry, everything is preserved, even people. I was both horrified and morbidly intrigued, mostly because the Incas prized giant foreheads so all of the skulls were completely disfigured. All looked like cone heads because the Incas would wear head braces from birth to elongate they're skulls. Also all of the heads had hair.
It was creepy.
And great.
Then we took a four hour bus ride back where we watched a movie called RIDE OR DIE. It was dubbed in Spanish. Too fantastic.
Tomorrow I'm leaving for semana santa (Easter break) and I'm going north to a city called Piura for more beaching and visiting witch doctors.
Oh. Also sometimes I go to school.
Last weekend I took a four hour bus to Huacachina in Ica with a huge group of international students. Huacachina is an oasis in the middle of the desert surrounded by hostels and restaurants. Upon arrival we were immediately put into groups and herded into dune buggies. I wish I could accurately describe how crazy the tour through the desert was. I felt like I was on a roller coaster.
An extra sandy roller coaster.
I'm still scraping sand off my body.
The buggies took us out to the biggest dunes where we proceeded to sand board down giant hills on our stomachs. Let's just say none of us have skin left on our feet or elbows after sledding down a sandy drop at 60 mph. After watching the sunset over the desert and syphoning gas from another buggy, we headed back to the oasis only to jump into an already sandy pool. The rest of the night was devoted to eating as much peruvian BBQ and dancing as possible. Luckily, I was so tired by the end of the night, I didn't even mind I had to sleep on a wicker mattress with Hot Wheels sheets. The next day we decided to tour a little museum in downtown Ica. It was super lame at first. I mean, pottery is pretty cool, but after about five rooms of it my patience starts to wear thin. BUT THEN we hit the mummy room. Because the coast of Peru is so dry, everything is preserved, even people. I was both horrified and morbidly intrigued, mostly because the Incas prized giant foreheads so all of the skulls were completely disfigured. All looked like cone heads because the Incas would wear head braces from birth to elongate they're skulls. Also all of the heads had hair.
It was creepy.
And great.
Then we took a four hour bus ride back where we watched a movie called RIDE OR DIE. It was dubbed in Spanish. Too fantastic.
Tomorrow I'm leaving for semana santa (Easter break) and I'm going north to a city called Piura for more beaching and visiting witch doctors.
Oh. Also sometimes I go to school.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Drag Queens, Crusty Hostels, Desnudos, and Green Cerveza
It has been a whole 2 weeks since I shared my adventures, and they've started piling up. In fact I'm a little overwhelmed with how much I have to regale, so bear with me while I try to retell these stories in a semi-organized manner. I find numbering helps.
1. Drag Queens and Twisted Ankles
2. Another Sketchy Beach Trip?
3. First Days of School
4. St. Patrick's Day
5. Miscellaneous
1. A few days after my return from camping, a few gringo (American) friends and I decided to go dancing, because, well, everyone here dances. It may be the reason I never come home. Knowing nothing about any of the discotheques in Lima, we randomly chose one near our house in Miraflores. Nightlife in Lima is crazy different from that in Madison. You don't leave your house until 11 or 12 at night and you dance until at least 3, 4, 5 in the morning. So far I'm failing at this new lifestyle as it clashes with my ideal sleep time. Anyways, we step into the discotheque and realize it is a different kind of club than what we were expecting. There were drag queens EVERYWHERE. I didn't mind, in fact I kind of loved it because it meant everyone knew how to dance. After hours of endless dancing my roommate Carly and I decided it was bedtime. While trying to find the exit, the lights went out and I missed a step, tripped over the queen of all drag queens, and twisted my ankle. Ooopsie. Luckily, I recovered just in time to explore more of Lima before school started.
2. After many more days of dancing, school orientation, and a trip to Parque de Agua (a park in downtown Lima devoted to giant fountains) a small group of Madison girls and select Peruvians decided on one last beach hoorah before school officially started. We taxied about a hour out of Miraflores to a beach called Punta Hermosa. This beach was much more tourist-y than the beach in Asia, but we still managed to find the cheapest (10 soles each = $3), crustiest, hostel in town. There was no running water, only 3 beds for 7 people, and ants everywhere. Needless to say we loved it. We played on the beach all day where the waves are huge and the sand is black. For dinner we ate ceviche at a little dive on the ocean front and danced all night at an outdoor discotheque. By 4 a.m. I was so tired from dancing I didn't even mind I had to sleep in between 2 people on an extra sandy bed. The next day there was more beach romping, until a giant wave took my suit and me all the way into shore. Due to some tumbling and sand, I now have a pretty juicy wound on my knee. I am done with beaches for a while.
3. Oh boy, now we've reached school. I'm enrolled at La Católica (PUCP) which is about a 20 minute taxi ride or a 40-60 minute combi (glorified vans that are passed off as buses) ride from my house. The school is completely walled in and probably about half the size of Madison. Campus is gorgeous. It's always warm and never rains so I spend most of my days sitting outside with friends watching the deer that just roam the grounds. All of the buildings are really modern and food here is incredibly cheap. I never pay more that 50 cents for lunch which usually consists of bread, rice, and potatoes (they love their carbs here). Everyone is always late. Students waltz into class 15-20 minutes past the bell and professors won't show up for half an hour past start time. It's a very laid back culture.
We had this whole first week to attend whatever classes we wanted to see if we a) could understand the professor and b) actually wanted to take the class. I decided to take modern peruvian literature, modern peruvian history, peruvian sociology, and an art class. The first 3 classes were easy enough to pick, but art was another story. I talked to 4 different art professors in the hopes they could guide me in the right direction since I've never taken an art class in college. One suggested Dibujo Natural. I thought, oh hey, why not? I showed up for the first class with out any materials and upon seeing everyone else was prepared, I begged the girl sitting next to me to show me where to find paper and charcoal. After purchasing supplies, I rushed back to the room only to find myself face to face with a naked potbellied old man. It was one of thoooose art classes. Thank you language barrier. Three hours of sketching later, I decided to take the class. I mean, when else am I going to get to take a nude drawing class?
4. Last Wednesday was St. Patrick's day so my friends and I decided to trek out to the one and only Irish pub in Miraflores. It was packed. The pub seemed a little confused about what an Irish bar should look like. There were Mexican flags on the walls and MTV on the TVs. We befriended a Peruvian 40-something named Enrique who informed us he was at least half, if not all Irish. We drank green beer and rocked out to a Cranberries cover band (think angst-y 90s girl band). Overall, a successful St. Patty's day.
5. Two major obstacles I've had to overcome have been bartering and Combis. Unless prices are clearly labeled (like at a grocery store, fancy mall, or classy restaurant) you are expected to barter. Since I am clearly gringo/extra white everyone tries to overcharge me. Luckily, I'm quickly becoming latina and can talk the taxi drivers down to a reasonable price. It's like a game here. I tell the driver I want to go to school, he suggests some outrageous price like 25 soles and I say "ayyyy amigo, demasiado. Tengo ocho" which means woah guy, way too much. I have eight. Usually we settle on 10 soles which is about 3 dollars that gets split between 4 girls. One time (quite possibly the proudest moment of my trip) the taxi driver asked if I always get the price down to 10. When I said "Claro" which roughly translates to "Duh" he said good for you gringa. Why thanks taxi man.
The other tricky thing around here are the Combis. Like I said earlier, Combis are oversized vans or small buses with a man hanging out of them calling out destinations. These buses don't have designated stops, they just stop wherever you tell them to. They are hot, smelly, and cramped. Riding in one of them feels like you're in a video game (think mario kart). All of the Combis are privately owned and are worried about what will happen next year when the Metro comes to Lima. Personally, I hope these little death traps get to stay on the road.
Side Note: I forgot to mention the time I was dancing in a discotheque and a Peruvian girl asks me if I was latina. I asked her if it was the blonde hair or the pasty white skin that gave it away, but she said it was because I danced like a latina. Second proudest moment of the trip. When I told her I was not actually latina, she asked if my parents were latinos. If anyone has seen my dad dance, they should know that...yes, my parents are clearly latinos. Especially, Dad.
I've probably forgotten crucial stories, so I'll try to stay on top of this blogging thing as to not get so overwhelmed with peruvian adventures.
P.S. I ordered some mystery food at school the other day. My Peruvian friend Chino wouldn't tell me what it was until I'd eaten some of it. Turns out it was stomach. Chino thought it was hilarious. Ha ha feed the clueless gringa cow stomach. Real mature Peruvians.
1. Drag Queens and Twisted Ankles
2. Another Sketchy Beach Trip?
3. First Days of School
4. St. Patrick's Day
5. Miscellaneous
1. A few days after my return from camping, a few gringo (American) friends and I decided to go dancing, because, well, everyone here dances. It may be the reason I never come home. Knowing nothing about any of the discotheques in Lima, we randomly chose one near our house in Miraflores. Nightlife in Lima is crazy different from that in Madison. You don't leave your house until 11 or 12 at night and you dance until at least 3, 4, 5 in the morning. So far I'm failing at this new lifestyle as it clashes with my ideal sleep time. Anyways, we step into the discotheque and realize it is a different kind of club than what we were expecting. There were drag queens EVERYWHERE. I didn't mind, in fact I kind of loved it because it meant everyone knew how to dance. After hours of endless dancing my roommate Carly and I decided it was bedtime. While trying to find the exit, the lights went out and I missed a step, tripped over the queen of all drag queens, and twisted my ankle. Ooopsie. Luckily, I recovered just in time to explore more of Lima before school started.
2. After many more days of dancing, school orientation, and a trip to Parque de Agua (a park in downtown Lima devoted to giant fountains) a small group of Madison girls and select Peruvians decided on one last beach hoorah before school officially started. We taxied about a hour out of Miraflores to a beach called Punta Hermosa. This beach was much more tourist-y than the beach in Asia, but we still managed to find the cheapest (10 soles each = $3), crustiest, hostel in town. There was no running water, only 3 beds for 7 people, and ants everywhere. Needless to say we loved it. We played on the beach all day where the waves are huge and the sand is black. For dinner we ate ceviche at a little dive on the ocean front and danced all night at an outdoor discotheque. By 4 a.m. I was so tired from dancing I didn't even mind I had to sleep in between 2 people on an extra sandy bed. The next day there was more beach romping, until a giant wave took my suit and me all the way into shore. Due to some tumbling and sand, I now have a pretty juicy wound on my knee. I am done with beaches for a while.
3. Oh boy, now we've reached school. I'm enrolled at La Católica (PUCP) which is about a 20 minute taxi ride or a 40-60 minute combi (glorified vans that are passed off as buses) ride from my house. The school is completely walled in and probably about half the size of Madison. Campus is gorgeous. It's always warm and never rains so I spend most of my days sitting outside with friends watching the deer that just roam the grounds. All of the buildings are really modern and food here is incredibly cheap. I never pay more that 50 cents for lunch which usually consists of bread, rice, and potatoes (they love their carbs here). Everyone is always late. Students waltz into class 15-20 minutes past the bell and professors won't show up for half an hour past start time. It's a very laid back culture.
We had this whole first week to attend whatever classes we wanted to see if we a) could understand the professor and b) actually wanted to take the class. I decided to take modern peruvian literature, modern peruvian history, peruvian sociology, and an art class. The first 3 classes were easy enough to pick, but art was another story. I talked to 4 different art professors in the hopes they could guide me in the right direction since I've never taken an art class in college. One suggested Dibujo Natural. I thought, oh hey, why not? I showed up for the first class with out any materials and upon seeing everyone else was prepared, I begged the girl sitting next to me to show me where to find paper and charcoal. After purchasing supplies, I rushed back to the room only to find myself face to face with a naked potbellied old man. It was one of thoooose art classes. Thank you language barrier. Three hours of sketching later, I decided to take the class. I mean, when else am I going to get to take a nude drawing class?
4. Last Wednesday was St. Patrick's day so my friends and I decided to trek out to the one and only Irish pub in Miraflores. It was packed. The pub seemed a little confused about what an Irish bar should look like. There were Mexican flags on the walls and MTV on the TVs. We befriended a Peruvian 40-something named Enrique who informed us he was at least half, if not all Irish. We drank green beer and rocked out to a Cranberries cover band (think angst-y 90s girl band). Overall, a successful St. Patty's day.
5. Two major obstacles I've had to overcome have been bartering and Combis. Unless prices are clearly labeled (like at a grocery store, fancy mall, or classy restaurant) you are expected to barter. Since I am clearly gringo/extra white everyone tries to overcharge me. Luckily, I'm quickly becoming latina and can talk the taxi drivers down to a reasonable price. It's like a game here. I tell the driver I want to go to school, he suggests some outrageous price like 25 soles and I say "ayyyy amigo, demasiado. Tengo ocho" which means woah guy, way too much. I have eight. Usually we settle on 10 soles which is about 3 dollars that gets split between 4 girls. One time (quite possibly the proudest moment of my trip) the taxi driver asked if I always get the price down to 10. When I said "Claro" which roughly translates to "Duh" he said good for you gringa. Why thanks taxi man.
The other tricky thing around here are the Combis. Like I said earlier, Combis are oversized vans or small buses with a man hanging out of them calling out destinations. These buses don't have designated stops, they just stop wherever you tell them to. They are hot, smelly, and cramped. Riding in one of them feels like you're in a video game (think mario kart). All of the Combis are privately owned and are worried about what will happen next year when the Metro comes to Lima. Personally, I hope these little death traps get to stay on the road.
Side Note: I forgot to mention the time I was dancing in a discotheque and a Peruvian girl asks me if I was latina. I asked her if it was the blonde hair or the pasty white skin that gave it away, but she said it was because I danced like a latina. Second proudest moment of the trip. When I told her I was not actually latina, she asked if my parents were latinos. If anyone has seen my dad dance, they should know that...yes, my parents are clearly latinos. Especially, Dad.
I've probably forgotten crucial stories, so I'll try to stay on top of this blogging thing as to not get so overwhelmed with peruvian adventures.
P.S. I ordered some mystery food at school the other day. My Peruvian friend Chino wouldn't tell me what it was until I'd eaten some of it. Turns out it was stomach. Chino thought it was hilarious. Ha ha feed the clueless gringa cow stomach. Real mature Peruvians.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
¡Vamos a Acampar!
It's taken a week, but I finally found a beach! And like everything I do here, it turned into an adventure. Here it goes.
Part 1: Taxi-Taxi- Taxi-Bus-Taxi
Joey called me Thursday morning in a semi-panic saying I had about 2 seconds to decide whether or not I wanted to go camping with her and Raighne that day because her host mom had to buy the tickets asap. Since my brain wasn't fully functioning yet, I said "uhhh, okay?" At that point the plan was to take a 7 hour bus ride north to Trujillo so we could camp on the beach. About an hour later the plan changed to taking a 4 hour bus ride north to Huarmey to camp. I scrambled to the grocery store and made about 10 laps around the aisles trying to find "camping food." I then took a 10 minute taxi ride to Magdalena del Mar where Joey and Raighne live. By the time we got a taxi to the bus station it was 3:30. We had to be in downtown Lima at 4, during rush hour, um not happening. Traffic in Lima is basically a giant game of chicken. Cars are smashed together in every direction, stoplights are totally optional, and you can't even go 2 seconds without hearing a horn. We got to the bus station 10 minutes late and missed the bus. Devastated, we went back to Magdalena and formed plan C. This time we took a taxi to a different bus station and got a bus headed to Asia, an hour south of us. Note that by this time it's dark and we're still planning on finding a camping spot and setting up a tent. On the bus we watched a movie that was the most violent love story between the Norwegians and the Japanese. It was called Dragon Bridges? Unclear. After about 2 hours the bus dropped us off in the middle of nowhere where we somehow flagged down a taxi to take us to the beach. 4 taxis and a bus later WE MADE IT!
Part 2: "Tell us all the swear words you know"
Joey set up the tent by herself. I documented. And who knows what Raighne was doing. Within 5 minutes everything and everyone was covered in sand. To celebrate the successful set-up of our new house, we busted out a loaf of bread, some weird red pepper sauce in a packet, mini bananas, and the Boris. Boris was a fine $4 vodka that after one sip each, it was decided he should go back in the tent. Post-feast we romped around in the water, discovered a giant beached jellyfish, and were given ice cream by the only other people camping on the beach. Three Peruvian girls (all around 18 years-old) beckoned us over and were nice enough to offer tequila and limes. Since it was already midnight we passed, but they managed to finish the bottle by themselves. After making small talk, 2 of the girls (one had fallen asleep at the table) asked us our signs and upon learning Raighne was a Virgo let Joey and I know he was a liar and obsessed with money. Good to know. Thanks. They also wanted to know all the bad words we knew in Spanish. Thanks to Kelly, I am the proud owner of a book called Dirty Spanish that provides me with all the naughty words anyone would ever need. Needless to say I impressed the girls with my extensive knowledge. They asked us if we knew Hannah Montana and if we live Finally around 2 we wandered back to our tent for quite possibly the worst night of sleep. None of us had pillows or blankets so we were literally just sleeping on the beach. Ugh.
Part 3: Good Morning Ocean!
Okay, so although the sleeping part was awful, the waking up to sun and ocean was fantastic. We lounged, we swam, we got even sandier. For lunch we wandered over to a tiny restaurant futher down the beach where we had a feast of fried rice and ceviche. Ceviche is fresh fish that's been cured in a lime/cilantro brine. It was the best meal so far. Also it was only $4.50 which made me love it more. After lunch we decided we were all beached out and couldn't make it another night on the sand so we set off in search of a taxi. An hour later we found some naughty/adorable children who helped us flag down a taxi that took us to the bus stop in, once again, the middle of nowhere. The bus brought us back to Lima where I took a taxi back to my house in Miraflores. I was gone maybe 24 hours, but I can't tell you how happy I was to be back home where Maria cooks me the BEST dinners.
Also my entire body is a really great shade of red. Thanks peruvian sunshine, looks like we're going to have one of those love-hate relationships.
Tonight I'll be going to my first discotheque with kids from my program. When Peruvians go out, they go to the clubs around midnight and stay until 5 or 6 in the morning. That's actually my favorite time to sleep, soooooo I'm not entirely sure how tonight is going to go. Wish me luck?
Part 1: Taxi-Taxi- Taxi-Bus-Taxi
Joey called me Thursday morning in a semi-panic saying I had about 2 seconds to decide whether or not I wanted to go camping with her and Raighne that day because her host mom had to buy the tickets asap. Since my brain wasn't fully functioning yet, I said "uhhh, okay?" At that point the plan was to take a 7 hour bus ride north to Trujillo so we could camp on the beach. About an hour later the plan changed to taking a 4 hour bus ride north to Huarmey to camp. I scrambled to the grocery store and made about 10 laps around the aisles trying to find "camping food." I then took a 10 minute taxi ride to Magdalena del Mar where Joey and Raighne live. By the time we got a taxi to the bus station it was 3:30. We had to be in downtown Lima at 4, during rush hour, um not happening. Traffic in Lima is basically a giant game of chicken. Cars are smashed together in every direction, stoplights are totally optional, and you can't even go 2 seconds without hearing a horn. We got to the bus station 10 minutes late and missed the bus. Devastated, we went back to Magdalena and formed plan C. This time we took a taxi to a different bus station and got a bus headed to Asia, an hour south of us. Note that by this time it's dark and we're still planning on finding a camping spot and setting up a tent. On the bus we watched a movie that was the most violent love story between the Norwegians and the Japanese. It was called Dragon Bridges? Unclear. After about 2 hours the bus dropped us off in the middle of nowhere where we somehow flagged down a taxi to take us to the beach. 4 taxis and a bus later WE MADE IT!
Part 2: "Tell us all the swear words you know"
Joey set up the tent by herself. I documented. And who knows what Raighne was doing. Within 5 minutes everything and everyone was covered in sand. To celebrate the successful set-up of our new house, we busted out a loaf of bread, some weird red pepper sauce in a packet, mini bananas, and the Boris. Boris was a fine $4 vodka that after one sip each, it was decided he should go back in the tent. Post-feast we romped around in the water, discovered a giant beached jellyfish, and were given ice cream by the only other people camping on the beach. Three Peruvian girls (all around 18 years-old) beckoned us over and were nice enough to offer tequila and limes. Since it was already midnight we passed, but they managed to finish the bottle by themselves. After making small talk, 2 of the girls (one had fallen asleep at the table) asked us our signs and upon learning Raighne was a Virgo let Joey and I know he was a liar and obsessed with money. Good to know. Thanks. They also wanted to know all the bad words we knew in Spanish. Thanks to Kelly, I am the proud owner of a book called Dirty Spanish that provides me with all the naughty words anyone would ever need. Needless to say I impressed the girls with my extensive knowledge. They asked us if we knew Hannah Montana and if we live Finally around 2 we wandered back to our tent for quite possibly the worst night of sleep. None of us had pillows or blankets so we were literally just sleeping on the beach. Ugh.
Part 3: Good Morning Ocean!
Okay, so although the sleeping part was awful, the waking up to sun and ocean was fantastic. We lounged, we swam, we got even sandier. For lunch we wandered over to a tiny restaurant futher down the beach where we had a feast of fried rice and ceviche. Ceviche is fresh fish that's been cured in a lime/cilantro brine. It was the best meal so far. Also it was only $4.50 which made me love it more. After lunch we decided we were all beached out and couldn't make it another night on the sand so we set off in search of a taxi. An hour later we found some naughty/adorable children who helped us flag down a taxi that took us to the bus stop in, once again, the middle of nowhere. The bus brought us back to Lima where I took a taxi back to my house in Miraflores. I was gone maybe 24 hours, but I can't tell you how happy I was to be back home where Maria cooks me the BEST dinners.
Also my entire body is a really great shade of red. Thanks peruvian sunshine, looks like we're going to have one of those love-hate relationships.
Tonight I'll be going to my first discotheque with kids from my program. When Peruvians go out, they go to the clubs around midnight and stay until 5 or 6 in the morning. That's actually my favorite time to sleep, soooooo I'm not entirely sure how tonight is going to go. Wish me luck?
Monday, March 1, 2010
Hola Gringos.
Well, I made it to Lima (after only 3 hours of sleep and at 6 a.m. which is far too early to function). I have no idea how I made it through customs or how I found my taxi. I was probably still sleeping. On the way to my house I was given a full tour of the city by my taxi driver who pointed out all the best restaurants and promised he'd let me take him out to eat sometime. At the house I met the cook Maria and her two sons David and Gabriel. Gabriel is 5 years-old and gets to sit at his own table during dinner and color. Jealous! The food here is fantastic. Everything is fresh and there is always a new tropical fruit waiting for me when I wake up. The downside is I can't drink the water unless it's boiled. Brushing my teeth has become a challenge, since I usually forget about this until my mouth is full of toothpaste. Oops. Back to day one. For breakfast I had papaya and instant Peruvian coffee. I don't really understand how instant coffee works so I put three scoops into my mug. Three scoops was two and a half too many. Lesson learned. I did a little exploring with three people from my program who are staying in a hostel for a few blocks away: Joey, Raighne, and Chad. We walked around downtown Miraflores, which is extra fancy, in search of phones. We didn't find any that we liked so we gave up and napped the rest of the afternoon.
Today we decided to find a beach. Let me preface this story with: we never found the beach. The adventure began at their hostel which is only a few blocks from my house. We decided to first go to Chad's student housing so he could drop off his suitcase and then on our return trip we could walk along the coast. Each of us took a good look at Google Maps and memorized the route. I mean, really, why on earth would we write down the directions when the four of us are clearly capable of navigating in a foreign city of 8 million. We left the hostel confident and found Chad's house without any problems. While Chad debated which room to choose, Joey, Raighne, and I chatted with the landlord. My spanish is a little rusty, but here's what I got out of the conversation: cockroaches can survive nuclear war, China has as many multimillionaires as there are people in Peru, Attila the Hun destroyed a library in Alexandria, and the internet is the greatest gift to mankind. Also, the seafood here is delicious. After that stimulating chat we headed toward what we thought was the ocean. Thirty minutes, four ice cream sanwiches, and six olive, ham, and cheese rolls later we found ourselves deciding our direction based on which way the sun was setting.
It sets in the west.
Okay perfect the ocean should be west of us.
But there are mountains west of us.
No, no those are cliffs, remember there were cliffs by the ocean?
No.
Yes, there were cliffs by the ocean! And look, there's a tall building, I bet that's the direction we should go.
Long story short, we ended up roaming the streets of an obviously very poor part of town. Eventually a policeman pulled over and asked us some questions. While Joey answered, a woman walked up to me and told me not to listen to the cop because he was dangerous, the cop told us to leave this area as soon as possible because it was dangerous. Torn, we decided it best to take the taxi the policeman got for us since he had a gun and meant business. The taxi took us back to the safety of our ritzy neighborhood for a whole $3.00. The driver informed us that where we were is the sketchiest part of Barranco and anyone who is white will get mugged. I still haven't figured out what they would have taken from me. My cut-offs? Anyway, it was then agreed we should always ALWAYS have a map and never EVER follow Raighne's directions.
Maybe tomorrow we'll go to the beach.
Today we decided to find a beach. Let me preface this story with: we never found the beach. The adventure began at their hostel which is only a few blocks from my house. We decided to first go to Chad's student housing so he could drop off his suitcase and then on our return trip we could walk along the coast. Each of us took a good look at Google Maps and memorized the route. I mean, really, why on earth would we write down the directions when the four of us are clearly capable of navigating in a foreign city of 8 million. We left the hostel confident and found Chad's house without any problems. While Chad debated which room to choose, Joey, Raighne, and I chatted with the landlord. My spanish is a little rusty, but here's what I got out of the conversation: cockroaches can survive nuclear war, China has as many multimillionaires as there are people in Peru, Attila the Hun destroyed a library in Alexandria, and the internet is the greatest gift to mankind. Also, the seafood here is delicious. After that stimulating chat we headed toward what we thought was the ocean. Thirty minutes, four ice cream sanwiches, and six olive, ham, and cheese rolls later we found ourselves deciding our direction based on which way the sun was setting.
It sets in the west.
Okay perfect the ocean should be west of us.
But there are mountains west of us.
No, no those are cliffs, remember there were cliffs by the ocean?
No.
Yes, there were cliffs by the ocean! And look, there's a tall building, I bet that's the direction we should go.
Long story short, we ended up roaming the streets of an obviously very poor part of town. Eventually a policeman pulled over and asked us some questions. While Joey answered, a woman walked up to me and told me not to listen to the cop because he was dangerous, the cop told us to leave this area as soon as possible because it was dangerous. Torn, we decided it best to take the taxi the policeman got for us since he had a gun and meant business. The taxi took us back to the safety of our ritzy neighborhood for a whole $3.00. The driver informed us that where we were is the sketchiest part of Barranco and anyone who is white will get mugged. I still haven't figured out what they would have taken from me. My cut-offs? Anyway, it was then agreed we should always ALWAYS have a map and never EVER follow Raighne's directions.
Maybe tomorrow we'll go to the beach.
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