Lake Titicaca.... come on now, act your age!

Last week thursday Michaelle and I had the misfortune of booking a tour of the Lake Titicaca Islands. I shouldn´t say that, the 2 day trip was actually really great, but the morning of the trip we sat almost an hour in our hotel lobby only to find that someone had messed up and that we had been left behind. Another hour and a half and many unhappy words later we arrived at our first destination where we met up with our original group. The first stop was the floating islands. These are islands that have for years been constructed by indigenous peoples by pilling up reeds cut from the lake over and over. Honestly, I don´t really get it either. Nonetheless they manage to conduct their everyday lives on this islands (I think the guide said there were 40 or so). They have schools, hospitals, PONDS!! Its really crazy. I will post pictures when I find a better computer.
Our second destination was a 3 hour s-l-o-w and steady boat ride out into the lake to the island of Amanteni. Here we were greated by our new family for the night. Michaelle and I stayed with the family of Sr. Segundino. He was the nicest little island man with his pin stripped pants, wool vest, sandles and cowboy-ish hat. In the afternoon we had a communal soccer game, then climbed to the top of the island to see the sun set. That night we helped "la Senora" make dinner then Segundino helped Michaelle and I into everyday local dress before heading down to the community centre for a hip-hoppin´party of flutes and drumming. It was pretty interesting. The next morning we took another 1 hour boat ride to the next island, Taquile.

This island was gorgeous, we basically just walked in circles around the island gradually going higher and higher, then after a couple hours of hanging out in the main square we did the same thing back down again. Yeah, I´ll post pictures.

Now we are in Cusco and loving it. It is such a nice town with so much to see. Wednesday we begin our 4 day hike to Machu Picchu.

King of the road.

I´ve decided that I am probably prepared to take my Peruvian drivers test. I´ve spent quite a few hours over the last 2 weeks observing driving patterns and it seems that basically the Right of Way in Peru is determined by size; the bigger you are the more worthy you are to be on the road. For example, some observations from the front of the bus:

• I am a huge bus, I will drive on whichever side of the road I choose to, especially if my side is ladden with pot holes. I will go so far as to drive on the opposite shoulder to avoid all pot holes completely.
• I am a huge bus, I will pass up a hill with a sharp left hand turn ahead because I am a bus and I am huge. I am able to do this because I have a horn and when I use it other vehicles barrelling in my direction (though blinded by the bend) will know I am coming, no matter how loud there music might be. (sorry, I wasn't prepared for that shot, but seriously, true story!)
• I am a huge bus, if there are multiple cars ahead of me over the stretch of a mile and no oncoming traffic, I will remain in the passing lane until I have passed all of them. If another car should appear ahead of me (especially if it is a bike or motorcycle) and I have not yet passed all the cars I will run this car off the road, because I am the king of the road.

*** pictures to follow when i can find a computer that will take them...

Colca Canyon, Condors, and Coca

We´ve just returned from a wonderful 2 day trip to the Colca Canyon. It is a far drive, about 5 hrs, but really beautiful. The drive begins around the mountains and volcanoes and through the low land, past the Vicuñas and down into the valley town of Chivay. We began the trip with a several hour hike up the mountain to some Incan tombs. Like most of the Incan and pre-Incan tombs in Peru they had already been broken into by grave robbers probably decades ago, who stole the ceramics. Thus, the graves we saw had human bones scattered everywhere, I really felt like I was impossing. Anyway, interesting fact: Incan tombs always face the east, because they worshiped the sun. Whereas pre-Incan tombs from different cultures would face north or south.

I think perhaps my favourite part of this trip was the landscape. Dad, you would have liked it. The region was entirely agricultural and it seemed that a lot of the locals working in the fields (especially the women) still wore traditional garments. Anyway, what was really spectacular about the landscape was that it was completely divided up into terraces. It was gorgeous looking out and seeing all the perfect lines dividing the land, and each little block was filled with a different colour. Also, because it was a farming region, it was not uncommon to come upon a cow, or sheep, or donkey just wondering down the road. In fact at one point we had to stop the car to allow a whole herd, or pack, or nipsyrussle or whatever of donkeys to pass by.

The last part of the trip was to Cruz del Condor, or Condor Cross. We were really lucky when we went because on that day we were able to see 8 condors, which according to our guide is quite unusual. The condor is the largest bird or the heaviest bird capable of flying. It was really spectacular, some of them flew down within a couple metres of our heads. Here are some pics.

Oh, and to fulfill the title of this post, Michaelle and I chewed our first coca leaves. We´ve had them before in teas but we´d never chewed them before... it is quite complicated. The process involves taking about ten leaves and wrapping them around a tiny chunk of some kind of lime stone. Then, you stick this big wad of leaves into the back of your mouth and between your molars, chew a minute then just hold it in your cheek chewing occassionally for the next 30 mins or so. In order to have any effect that cocain has you would have to chew something like 40kgs of the leaves at once. Our way you only feel a little numbness in your mouth and throat, but I still consider myself pretty bad anyway! hahaha. I guess I should also explain that we haven´t just been sporadically poppin´coca leaves, they are used by people here to combat altitude sickness and nausea, something we haven´t really been affected by. hahaha.

Bus Cama, Awesome!!!

I am now safely in Arequipa, but it was quite a trip getting here. Michaelle and I got tickets for a Bus Cama, which basically means a bus with beds. However, this is again one of those areas where Latin America and I differ on our understandings of some things. A bus cama pretty much means that your seat maybe reclines a little more than usual and there is this padded foot rest thing that flips down so as to convince you you´re in a bed. I was not fooled. This was maybe the most uncomfortable ride I´ve been on. I can´t blame it all on the bus though. A huge contributer to the horridness of the ride was the route itself. The trip was about 9 hours total... well 10.5 if you factor in the fact that the bus was an hour and a half late... but, in here that is expected. The first 3 hours were along a super bumpy road. It was so rough that the windows and everything inside the bus rattled for a full 3 hours. When this part of the trip ended, the next horror began. The bus had at this point reached the coast, so for the next 4 or 5 hours the path taken was one of inceasant curving, in and out and back and forth and breaking and accelerating, all in order to follow the country´s uneven coast line. I couldn´t get any rest because every minute I would roll from one side of my seat to the other, nearly rolling off into the aisle. This however was not the most unsettling part. The bus was (as Lonely Planet so aptly describes) "clinging torturously to the sand dunes dropping down hundreds of feet to the sea". Yup, it was possibly the most terrifying thing I`ve ever experienced. But we arrived safely and have been enjoying the city of Arequipa. The weather is gorgeous. Monday we are going on a 2 day trip into the Colca Canyon, the world´s deepest canyon.

Tomorrow we are taking a full day excursion up to the 5 star hotel in town to lounge by the pool ... What an adventure!

Ta-ta
laura.

Nazca Lines

Thursday morning of last week Michaelle and I took a trip to see the Nazca lines. There are a bunch of theories about the origin of these lines, but I think the basic understanding is that they were etched into the earth about 3000 years ago by the Nazca civilization. The mystery surrounding the lines lies largely in the fact that they can only really be appreciated from the sky, or from a viewing tower. So, how did the creators so accurately draw them from the ground? Also, many of the drawings don´t coincide with the settlement location of the Nazca peoples. The Nazca lived in the desert and one of their drawings is of a monkey and another is of a killer whale. Anyway, I had a great time. Michaelle hated it. We were advised not to eat anything before flying because many people get sick from the small plane´s twisting and turning to give tourists good photo ops. By the end of the flight Michaelle was staring forward, not at all interested in taking in any more lines. haha. The photo to the left is of an Astronaut or Alien and the one below is the whale.

Damn technology!!

So I´ve posted some pictures, both on the blog and on the picture site, but there seems to be some miscommunication between myself, my digital camera, and the computer. I continue to select very specific pictures to post on the blog and when the picture posts it is a completely different picture. Likewise, uploading pictures to the website has resulted in the posting of pictures i never intended to post and the mysterious absence of some I actually requested to upload. Oh well, asì es. We are now in Arequipa, we took an over night bus last night... not a good time. I will have to explain later, my time is up.

Holy Guanisimo!!

Wow, I don´t even know where to start. Michaelle and I have had a pretty action packed couple of days. I guess its easiest to start at the beginning. I will try to include only the most vital details, for those of you who have minute attention spans.

Lima - I guess the highlight of our short stay in Lima was the tour of the city. A friend of mine from Toronto has family in Lima and they met us at our hostel and took us on the most extensive tour we could have ever had. Ricardo and Lucy showed us everything from the central square w/ the National Palace and Cathedral, to the entire length of the city´s coast.

Pisco - Sunday afternoon we got a bus to the coastal town of Pisco 4 hours south of Lima. The drive there was really magnificent. As soon as we left Lima the landscape was littered with archeological digs that most locals didn´t seem to notice much. I didn´t realize it before, but apparently Lima is surrounded by desert. This sandy and hilly view continued most of the trip, with sand dunes on one side of the bus and cliffs down to the ocean on the other. The farther away we got the higher the sand dunes became. Our arrival in Pisco was... interesting to say the least. Our hostal in Lima had assured us that the bus we were taking was a direct bus into Pisco. Apparently the definition of "direct" was lost somewhere in translation. Rather than driving us into town (as was my impression) the bus dumped us on the side of the PanAmerican Highway and we had to hire a "taxi" (aka sketchy car with an eager driver) the remaining 5 kms into the actual town. The second you get off the train you are attacked by drivers each wanting to win your fare. Pisco is kinda a dump, not really what i was expecting. I also almost died though on a chunk of something really REALLY spicy in my Ceviche (raw fish marinated in Lemon juices w/ seasoning), a traditional food here.

Paracas - From Pisco we went to Paracas to take in the Islas de Ballestas and the Paracas National Park. The islands great. The boat ride out the the island is about a 20 minute ride through teal water like I´ve never seen before, it was gorgeous. On our way out we passed a mysterious figure etched into the sand called Candelabro (below). As we got closer to the islands we realized that the black colour a top of the islands was actually formed entirely by the birds covering the surface. Not surprisingly, this bird sanctuary produces an important export for Peru -- Guano. Yeah, you know what I´m talking about.... fertilizer and tons of it. Other than these guano producing birds, the islands were home to hundreds of penguins and even more sea lions. There were also dolphins, and flamingos in the summer season.

Huancachina - Last night we stayed in this really picturesque oasis of Huancachina (I´ll post pictures when i can, but try googling it for now). This was definately an experience. The village surrounds a lagoon which is surrounded by towering sand dunes. Not only were the dunes spectacular to look at, but we had a wild time tearing them up in our dune buggies and on our sand boards. These dune buggies are insane. They go up and down the steepest slopes and stop on a dime. Riding through them was like a natural rollercoaster ride. After a bit of driving around and playing "scare the tourists" we stopped to do some sand boarding. Basically the idea is like snowboarding but harder, my well refined snow boarding skills didn´t help me much. Its no surprise that there were a few classic wipe-outs.....haha. The hill we started on was really steep compared to anything i´ve seen skiing and they just continued to get steeper and longer. On the last hill they actually neglected to wax our boards because it was so long and steep it could definately seriously harm some over confident riders. It was a great day until our buggy died and the sun started to set. We had to push our ride down the hill on three different occations to start it up! haha. It was good fun though any way. Driving up and down the dunes was more fun in the dark. I permanently have sand in the tips of my shoes now from it entering through the material! Our dune buggy going straight down a vertical dune.

This was the longests and perhaps steepest hill we did... those are our tiny little dune buggies at the bottom.

Today I am in Nazca. The city is nice and inviting and our hostal is pretty comfortable. Tomorrow we will leave in the morning to see the Nazca lines (a collection of mysterious drawings etched into the earth that can only be seen from the sky) then we will grab another bus to Arequipa where we plan to stay a few days. I will try to get this picture uploading thing working.

Ta-ta
Laura

Oh, and I have the power...

I just want to quickly clarify something about "comments". Like I said earlier, I would love to get your comments/hellos. But, I'll have you know, I control the power of which comments actually make the cut. So if they're not funny enough, forget it! haha.. no, seriously.

If you don't want your comment posted just say it. I think for the most part though I can judge whether it public or private or not. Likewise, if you are inclined to say something that is perhaps not family friendly (Kassie, I'm looking at you!) go ahead, I'd love to hear it, but I'll likely not post it. So, in conclusion, both comments and general hellos are very welcome. In fact, I think you should send one now! .... Ok, later is fine too.


ta-ta

22hrs and counting...

My bags are packed, I'm ready to go. Yes, the content count of my backpack has soared from zero to something like 30 times my body weight... I can see this is going to get interesting. I'm going to be the most generous tourist ever pretty soon. I'll be the one giving away my clothes, bug spray, vitamins... peanut butter, whatever it takes to lighten the load.

So Michaelle and I leave tomorrow night from Toronto -- straight 8hr flight to Lima, arriving in the early hours of Saturday morning. Here's a preview of Laura and Michaelle in Peru: We have a month pretty well planned (I'll disclose our route as we go, I don't want any crazy terrorists who follow my blog to be able to intercept us on our way, because, you know, our route is definately NOT predictable.... Oh, "they" probably scan the internet for the word "terrorist(s)".. oh, i said it again!!). Ok, sooo anyway, after the month things get kinda blurry. Michaelle sadly abandons me and returns to Canada while I (if things go as planned and I don't fall in love and get married and settle down) will mosey on up to Ecuador.

Its so exciting, I love the unpredictability of it... the spontaneity, the exploring and discovery. Oh, I'm gonna be so wise when I get back! haha... On that note, I think I'll conclude this posting by taking a moment to reflect on a thought from the brilliant and always thinking Jack Handy... I think this quotation captures very well what lies before me. He says:

"Maybe in order to understand mankind we have to look at that word itself. MANKIND. Basically, it's made up of two separate words "mank" and "ind." What do these words mean? It's a mystery and that's why so is mankind."

goodnight.

Disclaimer:

I can't bare to hear the sound of my own voice (don't even try to make a joke out of that... not funny) and I hate to see pictures of myself (though that is usually due to the fact that i'm probably the least photogenic person alive), so I can't imagine how this posting of my personal thoughts in a public space is going to go (I'm sure I won't ever be able to read it). I will try though, for the sake of my concerned friends and family at home, to post something here regularly.

There are a few links below if you have an interest in Peruvian weather or if you want to check out Brendan's adventures in Japan. I should say, the likelyhood of finding pictures at the "more pictures" link will rest on my patience and skill to upload pictures at the various internet cafes - whether high speed or developing country speed.

Anyway, that's it... that's my warning, I hold myself completely unaccountable if this blog does not keep you sufficiently distracted from what you're really supposed to be doing. I will try to keep it up and I hope to keep you entertained. Feel free to leave me comments too, I would really love to have them.

Ta-ta
laura.


Number of items packed: zero