So I have been back from Nicaragua/Central America for about 4 months now... and I am randomly updating my blog because I am dying to go back! An awesome couple that I took Spanish classes with down there - Dan and Kate - are now back in San Juan del Sur and helping run a new boutique hotel...
I am so jealous they are down there living/working in paradise. The hotel is called Adventura Lodge and it looks awesome! Check out the Web site: www.aventurasanjuan.com.
If anyone is interested in looking for a relaxing, beautiful location in Nica to visit, check out this place! I know the refreshing breezes of SJDS and this new hotel will be enticing me back soon. Plus I have no doubt that Dan and Kate are taking very good care of their guests.
Salud!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Saturday, June 6, 2009
tikal y belize
We moved on from Flores to a little town closer to Tikal so we could get an early start at the ruins. El Remate , wasn't really much of a town, but we ended up staying @ some little "hippie hut" on the side of a hill. Interesting place... to say the least. We met some nice French Canadians who were also staying there that we ended up hanging out with them that night and visited the ruins with them the next day.
We caught the bus for Tikal at 5:30 a.m. and literally were there for the National Park gates to open. The best part about the drive into the park was all the animal crossing signs on the road (turkey, jaguar, snakes, anteater, pizote, etc.) we thought this was really hilarious. Tikal was amazing, the temples were massive and we were able to climb up lots of them. The whole site was in the middle of jungle too, so we would be walking through the jungle and then another massive temple/site would appear. Pretty amazing. There was also tons of wild life in the park - monkeys, birds and other little creatures scurrying about. After about 8 hours there I was beat... after the park we headed back to Flores.
The next day I split paths with Micael, the Swiss guy I had been traveling with and headed to Belize and he headed towards Antigua. Belize has been great - I have spent all of my time on Caye Caulker, a beautiful little island about 45 minutes north of the city. I have basically spent all of my time here relaxing, partying with new friends, swimming, snorkeling and wandering around the island. It has been a really peaceful way to end my time in centroamerica. Tomorrow I am headed back to CO... I am not quite ready to leave let, but I am certain that I will be back to many of these places in the future!
We caught the bus for Tikal at 5:30 a.m. and literally were there for the National Park gates to open. The best part about the drive into the park was all the animal crossing signs on the road (turkey, jaguar, snakes, anteater, pizote, etc.) we thought this was really hilarious. Tikal was amazing, the temples were massive and we were able to climb up lots of them. The whole site was in the middle of jungle too, so we would be walking through the jungle and then another massive temple/site would appear. Pretty amazing. There was also tons of wild life in the park - monkeys, birds and other little creatures scurrying about. After about 8 hours there I was beat... after the park we headed back to Flores.
The next day I split paths with Micael, the Swiss guy I had been traveling with and headed to Belize and he headed towards Antigua. Belize has been great - I have spent all of my time on Caye Caulker, a beautiful little island about 45 minutes north of the city. I have basically spent all of my time here relaxing, partying with new friends, swimming, snorkeling and wandering around the island. It has been a really peaceful way to end my time in centroamerica. Tomorrow I am headed back to CO... I am not quite ready to leave let, but I am certain that I will be back to many of these places in the future!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
copan y guatemala
I guess I was getting spoiled in San Jan del Sur, I forgot how tiring "backpacking" really is.
My last day in Utila I rented a bike and basically rode on every road in the whole island (maybe even twice). The island is so small, bikes are the best way to explore. My favorite part was watching the lizards and crabs scatter as I rode toward them. While on my ride I also decided that Utila really needs my brother... the bikes on the island are in the worst condition I have ever seen, I think my brother would have years of work trying to fix and maintain these bikes, I kept thinking that if he was on the island he would probably have preferred to walk than ride the rusted-out POS that I rode around the island. That evening I also took a couple hours of Spanish at the local Spanish school to practice pronunciation and other stuff.
We left Utila on the 6:20 a.m. the next day en route back to La Ceiba - the ferry was great expect for the all the crying children and barf bags - just what you need at the crack of dawn (also, for those who were wondering, we continued to have lots of aftershocks while on the island, there was even one more earthquake the next night that was strong enough to wake everyone in our room up).
From Ceiba we took a bus to San Pedro Sula and then caught another bus from there to Copan Ruinas. On one of our bus rides we passed over a bridge that had been demolished because of the earthquake - it was the same picture I had seen on the NYTimes Web site - pretty cool.
Copan Ruinas was a great little town - we were very happy to back in a place where they only spoke Espanol. The main thing to do in Copan was visit the ruins of course. We spend most of Sunday doing that - we also just happened to be visiting the ruins that same day that the President of Honduras was along with the President of Ecuador (monkey business... I think so). Just about wherever we went in the park these guys showed up with their entourage. It was quite entertaining to watch though with all the media and secret service wondering about. Aside from the circus, the ruins were great. I do have some great pics, to be posted soon. We also visited a nice museum in the town and hiked up to a mirador.
Yesterday, we made another epic journey from Copan Ruinas to Flores, Guatemala (where I am now). After taking a van (with 23 people, including 3 on the roof) to the boarder and having the easiest and friendliest boarder crossing, we took another bus to Chicimula, where we caught an 8ish hour bus to Flores. Flores is the staging point for most people who are going to Tikal - that is what we are doing tomorrow. We are staying on this tiny island in the middle of this massive lake - pretty cool setting here.
Probably one more update to come before I am back stateside on Sunday. Hope this finds you all well.
Salud!
My last day in Utila I rented a bike and basically rode on every road in the whole island (maybe even twice). The island is so small, bikes are the best way to explore. My favorite part was watching the lizards and crabs scatter as I rode toward them. While on my ride I also decided that Utila really needs my brother... the bikes on the island are in the worst condition I have ever seen, I think my brother would have years of work trying to fix and maintain these bikes, I kept thinking that if he was on the island he would probably have preferred to walk than ride the rusted-out POS that I rode around the island. That evening I also took a couple hours of Spanish at the local Spanish school to practice pronunciation and other stuff.
We left Utila on the 6:20 a.m. the next day en route back to La Ceiba - the ferry was great expect for the all the crying children and barf bags - just what you need at the crack of dawn (also, for those who were wondering, we continued to have lots of aftershocks while on the island, there was even one more earthquake the next night that was strong enough to wake everyone in our room up).
From Ceiba we took a bus to San Pedro Sula and then caught another bus from there to Copan Ruinas. On one of our bus rides we passed over a bridge that had been demolished because of the earthquake - it was the same picture I had seen on the NYTimes Web site - pretty cool.
Copan Ruinas was a great little town - we were very happy to back in a place where they only spoke Espanol. The main thing to do in Copan was visit the ruins of course. We spend most of Sunday doing that - we also just happened to be visiting the ruins that same day that the President of Honduras was along with the President of Ecuador (monkey business... I think so). Just about wherever we went in the park these guys showed up with their entourage. It was quite entertaining to watch though with all the media and secret service wondering about. Aside from the circus, the ruins were great. I do have some great pics, to be posted soon. We also visited a nice museum in the town and hiked up to a mirador.
Yesterday, we made another epic journey from Copan Ruinas to Flores, Guatemala (where I am now). After taking a van (with 23 people, including 3 on the roof) to the boarder and having the easiest and friendliest boarder crossing, we took another bus to Chicimula, where we caught an 8ish hour bus to Flores. Flores is the staging point for most people who are going to Tikal - that is what we are doing tomorrow. We are staying on this tiny island in the middle of this massive lake - pretty cool setting here.
Probably one more update to come before I am back stateside on Sunday. Hope this finds you all well.
Salud!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
honduras
So I have now moved on from Nica. I left on Saturday after our big night out (which was quite fun). It was hard to say say adios to SJdS, but I'll be back. I took a longish bus ride to Managua - standing and crowded almost the entire way... ugh. There I met up with a Swiss dude who had also studied in the school for a week, we have similar plans for travel and are both solo, so we decided to travel together for a bit. After an eventful night of poweroutages and good food in Managua we caught our 5 a.m. bus to San Pedro Sula, Honduras. In total, I think we were on the bus that day for about 13 or 14 hours. We stopped in Tegucigulpa for an hour too. We finally made it to San Pedro and met up with some other backpackers and went to a hostel in town, the city is supposidly not that safe, so we made a big group dinner and drank some beers (by the way, I already miss Tona - the Nica beer) at the hostel and relaxed. From San Pedro we headed to Utila, were we are now.
I decided to give SCUBA a chance while here in Utila, it is supposidly one of the cheapest places to get your certification. After some classes and exercises underwater, I decided that it probably isn't for me at the moment. I didn't feel comfortable after many chances hanging out down there, maybe some other time...
Last night we had some serious excitement on this little island. They had an earthquake - 7.1 to be exact. It was quite a feeling, I was on the lower part of a bunkbed and my guess was that the guy above me was having a seizure when the bed started to move, but then I noticed the other bed was moving too and everything else in the room. Pretty wild! It went on for about 10 seconds I think. Of course, the place we are staying is right on the water too, so the thought was tsunami... we all grabbed a couple of things and headed for the hill (mostly since we noticed all the locals doing this). After a fun 3 a.m. hike with a local family though a forest we made it to the top of the hill, when we got there they started singing and praying. It was all actually pretty cool. We stayed up there until sunrise, and then some. After a while we decided all was well and headed back. I think I got 1 hour of sleep last night...
Heading out of here on Saturday to Copan.
I decided to give SCUBA a chance while here in Utila, it is supposidly one of the cheapest places to get your certification. After some classes and exercises underwater, I decided that it probably isn't for me at the moment. I didn't feel comfortable after many chances hanging out down there, maybe some other time...
Last night we had some serious excitement on this little island. They had an earthquake - 7.1 to be exact. It was quite a feeling, I was on the lower part of a bunkbed and my guess was that the guy above me was having a seizure when the bed started to move, but then I noticed the other bed was moving too and everything else in the room. Pretty wild! It went on for about 10 seconds I think. Of course, the place we are staying is right on the water too, so the thought was tsunami... we all grabbed a couple of things and headed for the hill (mostly since we noticed all the locals doing this). After a fun 3 a.m. hike with a local family though a forest we made it to the top of the hill, when we got there they started singing and praying. It was all actually pretty cool. We stayed up there until sunrise, and then some. After a while we decided all was well and headed back. I think I got 1 hour of sleep last night...
Heading out of here on Saturday to Copan.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
el ultimo dia in SJdS
So today is my last day in San Juan del Sur. Time flies! I really could see myself staying here for another couple of months (if not more). The people are nice and laid-back, the town is quiet (with some lively spots, of course), the scenery is awesome and everything is cheap. Its hard to complain about any of those things! In short, this place is awesome. So naturally I am sad to be leaving, but I know that I will not be able to stay away for too long...
Regarding my Espanol, I am feeling pretty good about what I have learned here. I mostly need to learn a lot more vocab and work on my pronunciation. When I return home, I plan to keep up the Espanol and hopefully return to Central America in the future for more practice. I am looking forward to practicing over the next couple of weeks while I travel north. Today, I already successfully purchased my bus ticket to San Pedro Sula, Honduras only using Espanol - I even understood what the gal was saying, I checked the ticket and I am headed to the correct place. Success!
Today is a massive day because it was my last day of class and we celebrated/are celebrating my bday and another gal's bday who is in my class, jointly. They even have a tasty cake and tigre pinata for us! (I am kicking myself for forgetting my camera to upload photos of today's festivities - but I will put them up asap).
Anyways, I am off to celebrate - I can sense a big night coming on... In addition to celebrating bdays and el ultimo dia de la escuela - I will also be celebrating the NUGGS (in hope that they are still playing upon my return to los estados unidos)!!!
Salud!
Regarding my Espanol, I am feeling pretty good about what I have learned here. I mostly need to learn a lot more vocab and work on my pronunciation. When I return home, I plan to keep up the Espanol and hopefully return to Central America in the future for more practice. I am looking forward to practicing over the next couple of weeks while I travel north. Today, I already successfully purchased my bus ticket to San Pedro Sula, Honduras only using Espanol - I even understood what the gal was saying, I checked the ticket and I am headed to the correct place. Success!
Today is a massive day because it was my last day of class and we celebrated/are celebrating my bday and another gal's bday who is in my class, jointly. They even have a tasty cake and tigre pinata for us! (I am kicking myself for forgetting my camera to upload photos of today's festivities - but I will put them up asap).
Anyways, I am off to celebrate - I can sense a big night coming on... In addition to celebrating bdays and el ultimo dia de la escuela - I will also be celebrating the NUGGS (in hope that they are still playing upon my return to los estados unidos)!!!
Salud!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
mas
I'm not going to lie, this last week of clase de Espanol was not easy, I was actually quite frustrated a couple of times, but I am pretty sure I am over that hump and now am back to understanding what is going on again. During the week we visited a couple if nice beaches and also the overlook (with a Jesus) above San Juan del Sur.
This is the new Jesus statue overlooking the bay at San Juan del Sur. Literally a week before I got here they stuck on his head (so he is very new). We walked up to visit him this week - it was a good hike, but also had a great view. One problem that we noticed with Jesus is that he is possibly missing a finger one of his hands... hmmm
Ever wonder what happened to school buses from the States? They are now city and inter-city buses in Nicaragua. Riding on these has been like stepping back in time.
San Juan del Sur (from Jesus)
Cathedral in Grenada
We just got back from a weekend trip to Grenada. After some interesting bus rides and experiences it is good to be back in quiet San Juan del Sur. I think Grenada is probably the most touristy city in Nicaragua - it has beautiful buildings and is set up for tourists. We had some excellent food there and also met some nice people. It has been good to see some different places the last couple weekends.
This is the new Jesus statue overlooking the bay at San Juan del Sur. Literally a week before I got here they stuck on his head (so he is very new). We walked up to visit him this week - it was a good hike, but also had a great view. One problem that we noticed with Jesus is that he is possibly missing a finger one of his hands... hmmm
Ever wonder what happened to school buses from the States? They are now city and inter-city buses in Nicaragua. Riding on these has been like stepping back in time.
San Juan del Sur (from Jesus)
Cathedral in Grenada
We just got back from a weekend trip to Grenada. After some interesting bus rides and experiences it is good to be back in quiet San Juan del Sur. I think Grenada is probably the most touristy city in Nicaragua - it has beautiful buildings and is set up for tourists. We had some excellent food there and also met some nice people. It has been good to see some different places the last couple weekends.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
la isla de ometepe
This weekend an Aussie classmate and I visited the island of Ometepe on massive Lake Nicaragua. The island is basically 2 volcanoes that are connected. We rented dirt bikes and toured the whole island. It is a beautiful/interesting spot.
FettyFun vs. the volcano (Concepcion)
Vulcan Maderas con arbols plantanos
Many picturesque spots on Ometepe
Since full disclosure is necessary - I have to say that the moto trip was really fun and the best way to see the island, but it ended bad when I got a flat tire... in the middle of nowhere. Luckily my Espanol is good enough now that we managed to find a guy in some little pueblo to patch it. Its always something...
FettyFun vs. the volcano (Concepcion)
Vulcan Maderas con arbols plantanos
Many picturesque spots on Ometepe
Since full disclosure is necessary - I have to say that the moto trip was really fun and the best way to see the island, but it ended bad when I got a flat tire... in the middle of nowhere. Luckily my Espanol is good enough now that we managed to find a guy in some little pueblo to patch it. Its always something...
Thursday, May 7, 2009
el segundo semana
My time in San Juan del Sur continues to be great/interesting. Last
weekend was very quiet and relaxing. I stayed here the whole time and took some nice walks to explore the town and also studied quite a bit. Sunday was especially interesting observing the Nica families on the beach enjoying the day. I have had a new profesora this week, she has made me talk and write a lot, which is what I really need. For our afternoon activities we have been visiting other local beaches and also had a cooking class. The beaches have been beautiful (see fotos) and cooking class was very tasty. We made salpicone, which is a dish with minced up tuna (or other fish) and veges all mixed together with some lime juice. It was pretty tasty, I actually had it at my house again for lunch today. We also made homemade tortillas and the infamous gallo pinto.Ok, really all is great here, but I would be lying if I said it was is perfect. The other mo
rning I woke up and there was a massive cockroach in my bathroom, after I took care of him (splat) I managed to break the shower nozzle (and there is only one - aka no hot water aqui). The town also was without power for a couple nights this week, due to some storms. No power = No fan = hot/sweaty/quiet nights here! O
ne of those nights I planned to go to the bar to watch the Nuggets (win again) but of course no power = no TV in the bar too, so that would have been a lost cause. Que lastima! Despite minor set-backs I continue to enjoy this tropical paradise! Gotta go, we have clase de baile a noche (Latin dance class tonight), which was a hoot last week - these people really get into it! Salud!
Saturday, May 2, 2009
fotos!
Playa Roblas - we had class here one day after a nice boat trip. Nice place to swim!
We have been celebrating the puesta del sol (sunset) with beers on the beach.
Mi Calle. This is the street I live on. The house I live is is right behind the palm tree in the middle of the photo. More photos to come of mi casa....
Friday, May 1, 2009
el primero semana
Feliz dia de trabajar! Today is labor day in Nicaragua... not sure what that means, everything still seems to be open and I still had class... I finished my first week of class successfully and passed my first exam with flying colors. The week has gone really well. I had a great profesora named Margarita (which will change next week, so I learn different styles). Most of the afternoon activities included going to different beaches - which was nice. We also had Latin dance class last night, which was fun... and interesting... Also, the food here has been great. I have been eating wonderful meals with the family I am staying with. Every main meal has been different, but most include gallo pinto - which is the national dish of beans and rice, it sounds boring but they spice it up so it tastes pretty good.
I am glad to be spending my time in San Juan del Sur now because I think people are just beginning to find it, in no time I think this place will be a tourist mecca. For example - there are more cruise ships stopping here now because they are not stopping in Mexico and/or Costa Rica because of the swine flu fiasco.
Also, glad to see the Nuggets win and move on in the playoffs! I actually even got to watch some of the game at a bar here. I think the win was even better considering I was drinking a cold beer and hearing the ocean lap up against the beach in the background!
I am glad to be spending my time in San Juan del Sur now because I think people are just beginning to find it, in no time I think this place will be a tourist mecca. For example - there are more cruise ships stopping here now because they are not stopping in Mexico and/or Costa Rica because of the swine flu fiasco.
Also, glad to see the Nuggets win and move on in the playoffs! I actually even got to watch some of the game at a bar here. I think the win was even better considering I was drinking a cold beer and hearing the ocean lap up against the beach in the background!
Monday, April 27, 2009
HOLA
Hola mis amigos. Estoy en San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua.
I just had to put up a post to tell you all that I did arrive in Nica after a fun weekend at Relays (thanks all who I got to hang out with).
I´m not going to lie, I have had some major fiascos - aka - my camera was taken out of my backpack in some airport, somewhere during its 12+ hours in transit (but I do have an extra) and my ride was not at the airport when I arrived, but I figured it out. The best part is that those details have been out-weighed by the good here so far.
San Juan del Sur is beautiful and is going to be a blast. My teacher has been great so far. My family and the food that Lucilla has been making for me (though it includes rice every meal) is wonderful. The other people who are learning right now also seem to be really cool - which makes everything all the better. Needless to say, I am excited about the next month here.
More to come, with photos soon, but I need to study and then to get some sleep. Tomorrow we are headed on a boat trip to some remote beach where we will have our daily Spanish lession and enjoy la playa and the 90 degree weather (with the perfecto breeze).
I just had to put up a post to tell you all that I did arrive in Nica after a fun weekend at Relays (thanks all who I got to hang out with).
I´m not going to lie, I have had some major fiascos - aka - my camera was taken out of my backpack in some airport, somewhere during its 12+ hours in transit (but I do have an extra) and my ride was not at the airport when I arrived, but I figured it out. The best part is that those details have been out-weighed by the good here so far.
San Juan del Sur is beautiful and is going to be a blast. My teacher has been great so far. My family and the food that Lucilla has been making for me (though it includes rice every meal) is wonderful. The other people who are learning right now also seem to be really cool - which makes everything all the better. Needless to say, I am excited about the next month here.
More to come, with photos soon, but I need to study and then to get some sleep. Tomorrow we are headed on a boat trip to some remote beach where we will have our daily Spanish lession and enjoy la playa and the 90 degree weather (with the perfecto breeze).
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Voy a Nica!
I'm not sure how many of you I have talked to recently, but after about a week at home and much thought I decided that this is the right time to become more proficient in Spanish - this is something that I have always wanted to do and my interest was re-spurred by my time in South America. I have now been home for more than a month and I have been studying vocab and preparing for further studies.
I am headed to Nicaragua on Sunday (after Relays weekend in Des Moines) for a month to participate in a Spanish immersion program. I will be living in the town of San Juan del Sur with a host family and will be working one-on-one with a tutor 5 days a week for 4 hours. All of my meals will be at my home-stay and we will also be participating in various activities during the rest of the day. I think this is really a way to put "the pedal to the metal" as far as learning a language goes - it should be pretty interesting!
I will be updating my FettyFun blog while I am down there - it should be quite a bit easier than in South America, since I will be taking my computer and the school has WiFi. Hopefully pictures will be easier to upload (fingers crossed).
The program will end on May 23 and after that I will venture out on my own for a couple weeks in Central America (should be good practice). So far I am planning on visiting Routan, Copan, Antigua, Tikal and Belize. I will be returning to Denver on June 7.
I am headed to Nicaragua on Sunday (after Relays weekend in Des Moines) for a month to participate in a Spanish immersion program. I will be living in the town of San Juan del Sur with a host family and will be working one-on-one with a tutor 5 days a week for 4 hours. All of my meals will be at my home-stay and we will also be participating in various activities during the rest of the day. I think this is really a way to put "the pedal to the metal" as far as learning a language goes - it should be pretty interesting!
I will be updating my FettyFun blog while I am down there - it should be quite a bit easier than in South America, since I will be taking my computer and the school has WiFi. Hopefully pictures will be easier to upload (fingers crossed).
The program will end on May 23 and after that I will venture out on my own for a couple weeks in Central America (should be good practice). So far I am planning on visiting Routan, Copan, Antigua, Tikal and Belize. I will be returning to Denver on June 7.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Rio
As most of you have guessed, I am no longer in Rio (and I am back in the states), but just have slacked on the old blog... to be quite honest though, Rio was just too crazy to deal with any blogging!
It was very exciting to finally arrive in Rio, we had literally been camping for about 4 weeks and the idea of staying in a hotel was very appealing to everyone. We stayed in a part of the city called Lapa, which turned out to be a really wild part of town for Carnival - it seemed to be a center of all of the massive street parties that were going on, which was wonderful (but sometimes made it difficult to return to our hotel through the masses).
After the first night in Rio our tour was officially over, so we were basically on our own from there, which was a good feeling - we still managed to hang out a lot with our tour mates though.
Aside from the Carnival activities (no I was not partying for every second while in Rio) Rio had tons to offer as far as tourist activities. My favorite things were going up Sugar Loaf Mountain, visiting Christ the Redeemer (though going on the Sunday of Carnival was a bad idea), and strolling on Ipanema and Copacabana beaches. Looking back on my time in Rio, I might have to make the argument that Rio is quite possibly the most beautiful city in the world. I think the views from Christ the Redeemer and Sugar Loaf really solidified that opinion...
While in Rio a group of us also attended a soccer match, which was nothing short of amazing - mostly because Brazil and soccer are synonymous. The game was great and the fans were very passionate about their teams (no rushing the field or anything though). We happened to go to a game that turned out to be a major upset, so I kept wondering how crazy it would have been if the team that had 50,000+ fans in the stadium would have actually won like they were supposed to, instead of the team that had about 1,000 fans there.
As far as Carnival goes, I have to concede that it has to be the largest party in the world (sorry Drake Relays)... I couldn't imagine how anything could be bigger. I have never seen anything like it - the city is literally taken over by massive parties where tens of thousands of people take to the street all over the city. In addition to that, the parties are non-stop. I am fairly certain that at any time and in any part of the city you could find a party 24/7 during Carnival. It really was amazing to be there for all the madness!
The major event associated with Carnival (besides the start of Lent of course) is the Sambadrome. On the Sunday and Monday night of Carnival the 12 best samba schools in Rio compete to be named the best samba school - it was really weird to have this dance basically treated as a sport. Anyways, we attended the Sambadrome on Sunday night (it goes from about 10 p.m. to about 7 a.m.). It was truly amazing to see all of the costumes, floats and dancers from the samba schools - these are the images you see, if you ever see photos/tv from Carnival in Rio. Each school is given about 45 minutes to an hour to parade through the Sambadrome, where all the fans are going wild and dancing. What an amazing event!
A week in Rio was the perfect end to an unforgettable trip!
Monday, February 16, 2009
Beach
After two long days of driving we finally made it to the beach! We are now in Paraty (take one a out of that of that name and you get PARTY) and camping right across the street from an awesome little bay that is lined with little beach bars and huts. Last night there was a jazz festival going on in town, which was very fun - I think the whole town was out for it. I plan on spending most of the time here on the beach or in a lukewarm water, apart from the boat trip we are taking tomorrow. Very excited to only be 4 hours away from Rio - this sounds cheesy, but you can almost feel the excitement in the air here. Hope this finds you all well! Cheers
Friday, February 13, 2009
Brazil
So we are finally in Brazil... everything is great, except no one can understand a lick of Portuguese! It has been really frustrating going from doing really well practicing Spanish to attempting this crazy language, on paper it looks like Spanish, but really sounds nothing like it. We´re making do though, I have learned to bark English at the locals (and expect them to understand) like the Aussies have done all along the trip.
So it is hot as anything here, but I´m not complaining! Just wake up sweating in the tent every morning...
When we arrived in Brazil we visited the other side of Iguazu Falls - which was even better than the Argie side. The Brazilian side featured awesome vistas of all of the 100´s of falls and was really amazing (just a note about photos - I am trying to download them as we speak for about the 10th time this trip, so if they don´t make it up I will send them around right when I get back). From there we camped right outside of the city of Foz de Iguazu, our campsite had a nice pool and bar area which provided a great place to celebrate some Kiwi holiday, since our guide and driver and one girl on the tour are from New Zealand. While we were in Foz we also took a bus over to Paraguay... apparently the city we visited is known as one of the most corrupt cities in South America, it wasn´t terribly impressive - they were known for selling cheap electronics, so I got a new watch (since I lost the one I got for the trip). Overall the day in Paraguay was not great, mostly because it rained harder that day than I think I have ever seen before!
From Foz we trekked north for 2 days to the Pantenal. The Pantenal is known as one of the best wildlife viewing areas on the planet. We spent three days there watching animals from all means of transport - foot, horseback, boat, open-air truck, hammocks, etc. It was a really nice place, minus the swarms of mosquitos. We mostly got to see lots of different birds, reptiles, monkeys and other random animals. I was most excited about seeing an armadillo rooting around when we were horseback riding. While we were at the Pantenal lodge and we also went pirahna fishing, using bits of beef as bait. That was a really cool experince, their teeth were amazing - I wasn´t the best fisherman in our group as far as quantity, but I am pretty sure I caught the biggest one. We ate the piranhas for lunch and dinner (thank god we had other food though because there is not much meat on those little guys, and yes, they tasted like chicken). We were disappointed that we didn´t see anacondas and jaguars in the Pantenal, I imagine you would have to put in more than 3 days to see those guys.
From the Pantenal we headed to Bonito (where we are now). Yesterday, we went on this awesome snorkeling trip down this amazingly clear river. There were massive fish and brilliant colors in this very unique river - I constantly had to remind myself that I was not snorkeling in the sea. I know my folks would have loved it since they like snorkeling so much... maybe someday I will send them... gotta get a job first though! Sorry guys! I do have some great pictures of the river that I will be sharing. Tomorrow we start two long days of driving to the ocean, where will camp on the beach for 3 days before finally making it to the party in Rio.
I am so excited to get the Rio, the tour officially ends on the 20th, but most people in the group will be staying in the same hotel. At this point I am ready to be done with traveling with this large of a group, just a couple more days to go...
more to come...
So it is hot as anything here, but I´m not complaining! Just wake up sweating in the tent every morning...
When we arrived in Brazil we visited the other side of Iguazu Falls - which was even better than the Argie side. The Brazilian side featured awesome vistas of all of the 100´s of falls and was really amazing (just a note about photos - I am trying to download them as we speak for about the 10th time this trip, so if they don´t make it up I will send them around right when I get back). From there we camped right outside of the city of Foz de Iguazu, our campsite had a nice pool and bar area which provided a great place to celebrate some Kiwi holiday, since our guide and driver and one girl on the tour are from New Zealand. While we were in Foz we also took a bus over to Paraguay... apparently the city we visited is known as one of the most corrupt cities in South America, it wasn´t terribly impressive - they were known for selling cheap electronics, so I got a new watch (since I lost the one I got for the trip). Overall the day in Paraguay was not great, mostly because it rained harder that day than I think I have ever seen before!
From Foz we trekked north for 2 days to the Pantenal. The Pantenal is known as one of the best wildlife viewing areas on the planet. We spent three days there watching animals from all means of transport - foot, horseback, boat, open-air truck, hammocks, etc. It was a really nice place, minus the swarms of mosquitos. We mostly got to see lots of different birds, reptiles, monkeys and other random animals. I was most excited about seeing an armadillo rooting around when we were horseback riding. While we were at the Pantenal lodge and we also went pirahna fishing, using bits of beef as bait. That was a really cool experince, their teeth were amazing - I wasn´t the best fisherman in our group as far as quantity, but I am pretty sure I caught the biggest one. We ate the piranhas for lunch and dinner (thank god we had other food though because there is not much meat on those little guys, and yes, they tasted like chicken). We were disappointed that we didn´t see anacondas and jaguars in the Pantenal, I imagine you would have to put in more than 3 days to see those guys.
From the Pantenal we headed to Bonito (where we are now). Yesterday, we went on this awesome snorkeling trip down this amazingly clear river. There were massive fish and brilliant colors in this very unique river - I constantly had to remind myself that I was not snorkeling in the sea. I know my folks would have loved it since they like snorkeling so much... maybe someday I will send them... gotta get a job first though! Sorry guys! I do have some great pictures of the river that I will be sharing. Tomorrow we start two long days of driving to the ocean, where will camp on the beach for 3 days before finally making it to the party in Rio.
I am so excited to get the Rio, the tour officially ends on the 20th, but most people in the group will be staying in the same hotel. At this point I am ready to be done with traveling with this large of a group, just a couple more days to go...
more to come...
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
¡Hola Argentina!
Much has happened since my last post! Lots of driving and territory covered.
After a big night out at the disco in Potosi, we made our way south over some very bumpy roads - one was so bumpy in fact that we had to wait about 4 hours to pass while construction crews worked on it. Some kind of dynamite problem I guess... We finally made it to our overnight stop in Tupizia - only a couple hours away from the Argentinian boarder. The next day we headed for the boarder (another sketchy boarder town), the most exciting part about the crossing was a bunch of brats throwing water balloons at the gringos in line at immigration. After finally getting into Argie, we drove for many hours to our next overnight in Salta.
Salta was great - felt a lot more like Spain than anywhere we had been in South America. We spent 4 nights camped out on the southside of town, right next to this massive swimming pool (we were told it was the largest in the southern hemisphere). There was tons to do in town and in the Salta area - we spent one day cruising the town and eating lots of the famous Argentinian beef. We had this meal that including lots of interesting parts of the cow, that I was brave enough to try... yuck! We also spent a day in Salta on a rafting trip, it had been a long time since I had gone rafting, so it was a lot of fun - good rapids and a downpour of rain ensured that everyone got soaked.
Salta was also where our group was for the Super Bowl... unfortunately the Super Bowl fell on the same night as a massive soccer game in Argentina, so we had to wait until that game was over before we got to turn on the Super Bowl. Luckily we turned it on right at the beginning of the 4th! What an awesome game! There was a good crowd of us watching from our group and then some random Americans here and there watching too. That night turned into quite a party in Salta! On Monday we left Salta early and had two full days on driving (not fun... including camping at a gas station one night - yes, they do that here I guess) to get where we are now, Puerto Iguazu.
We spent all of today at the AWESOME Iguazu Falls - one of the hightlights of the trip so far. They have a beautiful National Park set up for the Falls here and they were nothing short of breath taking. The coolest part of the day was taking a power boat to the base of the falls, where we were soaked/blown by the power of the falls. Tomorrow we will cross the boarder into Brazil and visit that side of the falls - I´m trying to limit myself to around 100 waterfall pictures... hahaha.
I hope everyone had great Super Bowl parties! Cheers
After a big night out at the disco in Potosi, we made our way south over some very bumpy roads - one was so bumpy in fact that we had to wait about 4 hours to pass while construction crews worked on it. Some kind of dynamite problem I guess... We finally made it to our overnight stop in Tupizia - only a couple hours away from the Argentinian boarder. The next day we headed for the boarder (another sketchy boarder town), the most exciting part about the crossing was a bunch of brats throwing water balloons at the gringos in line at immigration. After finally getting into Argie, we drove for many hours to our next overnight in Salta.
Salta was great - felt a lot more like Spain than anywhere we had been in South America. We spent 4 nights camped out on the southside of town, right next to this massive swimming pool (we were told it was the largest in the southern hemisphere). There was tons to do in town and in the Salta area - we spent one day cruising the town and eating lots of the famous Argentinian beef. We had this meal that including lots of interesting parts of the cow, that I was brave enough to try... yuck! We also spent a day in Salta on a rafting trip, it had been a long time since I had gone rafting, so it was a lot of fun - good rapids and a downpour of rain ensured that everyone got soaked.
Salta was also where our group was for the Super Bowl... unfortunately the Super Bowl fell on the same night as a massive soccer game in Argentina, so we had to wait until that game was over before we got to turn on the Super Bowl. Luckily we turned it on right at the beginning of the 4th! What an awesome game! There was a good crowd of us watching from our group and then some random Americans here and there watching too. That night turned into quite a party in Salta! On Monday we left Salta early and had two full days on driving (not fun... including camping at a gas station one night - yes, they do that here I guess) to get where we are now, Puerto Iguazu.
We spent all of today at the AWESOME Iguazu Falls - one of the hightlights of the trip so far. They have a beautiful National Park set up for the Falls here and they were nothing short of breath taking. The coolest part of the day was taking a power boat to the base of the falls, where we were soaked/blown by the power of the falls. Tomorrow we will cross the boarder into Brazil and visit that side of the falls - I´m trying to limit myself to around 100 waterfall pictures... hahaha.
I hope everyone had great Super Bowl parties! Cheers
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Bolivia continued...
After running around La Paz for a day, we left early the next morning for Uyuni. We had to change the route a bit due to a vote that was taking place (aka - we had to get out of La Paz early in case there were riots due to a referendum vote). I think it was a 15 hour drive to Uyuni, which was pretty painful - some of the roads are not the best in Bolivia... mostly dirt, not I-80 or I-25 to say the least... After finally arriving in Uyuni we find out that we are not allow to visit the salt flats the next day (the reason why we were there) because the vote was taking place - apparently no private vehicles are allowed to be on the roads on election days.... interesting huh?
With a free day we visited a really cool train graveyard that was on the outside of Uyuni. It was also apparently Austrailia Day, with 19 Aussies on tour it seemed appropriate that we celebrate. Though I know nothing about Australia Day, I was lucky enough to get to listen to Aussie music all day and partake in some cricket.
After a very long Aussie Day, the next day we were able to visit the salf flats. We drove in some LandCruisers for hours over miles and miles of salt, it was a pretty cool spot and learned they were the largest salt flats in the world. There was a cool ¨island¨in the middle of the flats that provided an awesome 360 degree perspective of the white land. I wish I would have brought a massive salt shaker to fill up...
We are now in Potosi, the highest city in the world - 4070 meters (close to 13,000 ft). It is a really nice city, but most people on tour are ready to head back to normal altitudes and feel regular again. The lung capacity of the people that live here is amazing! We will spend 2 more nights in Bolivia before heading to Argentina.
With a free day we visited a really cool train graveyard that was on the outside of Uyuni. It was also apparently Austrailia Day, with 19 Aussies on tour it seemed appropriate that we celebrate. Though I know nothing about Australia Day, I was lucky enough to get to listen to Aussie music all day and partake in some cricket.
After a very long Aussie Day, the next day we were able to visit the salf flats. We drove in some LandCruisers for hours over miles and miles of salt, it was a pretty cool spot and learned they were the largest salt flats in the world. There was a cool ¨island¨in the middle of the flats that provided an awesome 360 degree perspective of the white land. I wish I would have brought a massive salt shaker to fill up...
We are now in Potosi, the highest city in the world - 4070 meters (close to 13,000 ft). It is a really nice city, but most people on tour are ready to head back to normal altitudes and feel regular again. The lung capacity of the people that live here is amazing! We will spend 2 more nights in Bolivia before heading to Argentina.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Bolivia, death road, etc...
After about 3 weeks in Peru, we finally made it to the boarder of Bolivia. What a fiasco that was! Me and the other American had to obtain visas, while the rest of the group basically just got their passports stamped. It was like a bad movie, the boarder guards took us back through 4 different rooms, locking doors and everything - pretty interesting. The worst part was that we had to pay for our visas, but I was expecting to have to anyways, so it really wasnt a big deal. After finally clearing the boarder we hopped back on the bus and headed off... but it wasnt that simple because our bus driver accidentally hit a food stand and knocked over all the food. We sped off with angry locals chasing the bus.... always interesting! haha!
We made it into La Paz late in the evening and prepared for our early departure to DEATH ROAD for the next day. Death Road is some crazy road right outside of La Paz that people bike down for fun. The road decents over 3000 meters (about 9500 ft) in a short period of time and supposidly people die more often on that road than anywhere else in the world (most in cars though). The ride was great and really fast, we went with a guide who does the trek virtually everyday, so we were in good hands. Though I have to say that we had 5 or 6 semi-serious crashes in our group. Luckily no one went off the edge or broke anything. I kept thinking that Chad (my bro) would have really loved the ride - it was fast, the scenery was awesome and pretty dangerous. After arriving at the bottom after an all day ride we grabbed a couple victory cervezas and headed to a hotel where we had a great feast and took a dip in their picturesque pool. We then made the long bus ride back up death road (almost as interesting as the way down). Of course on the way back to La Paz we got a flat tire to make the day last even longer... only in Bolivia.
Today, I have been bumming around La Paz - we visited the Witches Market and the Coca Museum and had a tasty lunch. Everything is soooo cheap here. It is great!
We made it into La Paz late in the evening and prepared for our early departure to DEATH ROAD for the next day. Death Road is some crazy road right outside of La Paz that people bike down for fun. The road decents over 3000 meters (about 9500 ft) in a short period of time and supposidly people die more often on that road than anywhere else in the world (most in cars though). The ride was great and really fast, we went with a guide who does the trek virtually everyday, so we were in good hands. Though I have to say that we had 5 or 6 semi-serious crashes in our group. Luckily no one went off the edge or broke anything. I kept thinking that Chad (my bro) would have really loved the ride - it was fast, the scenery was awesome and pretty dangerous. After arriving at the bottom after an all day ride we grabbed a couple victory cervezas and headed to a hotel where we had a great feast and took a dip in their picturesque pool. We then made the long bus ride back up death road (almost as interesting as the way down). Of course on the way back to La Paz we got a flat tire to make the day last even longer... only in Bolivia.
Today, I have been bumming around La Paz - we visited the Witches Market and the Coca Museum and had a tasty lunch. Everything is soooo cheap here. It is great!
Titicaca
Much to tell since the last blog... thanks to all of those who have commented on the blog so far. For those of you who I told that I was going on vacation or holiday, I think I lied, because this has been quite a tiring affair, waking up early and going to bed late. I think I will need a real vacation after this trip!
During our last days in Peru we spent most of the time on Lake Titicaca - it is the largest lake in South America and basically reminded me of being on a sea or an ocean. We visited 3 different islands while scooting around the lake a really slow boat. The islands were pretty interesting because of the inhabitants and their traditional ways of life. We had homestays on one of the islands, which was really cool, though they were really set up for tourists. I had to
break out my Spanish skills during the visit to understand anything that was going on. We ate traditional meals (lots of potatos) in a tiny little kitchen, that was the only heated (by a clay, wood-buring oven) room in the house. Luckly the bedrooms that we slept in had massive piles of blankets for sleeping. During the evening they locals dressed up all of the gringos and we had a little fiesta where we learned some traditional dances. It was a fun night, our host mama was named Mary and was very helpful/kind and she really knew how to cut a rug. After another wood-fired breakfast in the cave-like kitchen, we headed to the last group of islands. To my surprise everything on them (including the islands) was made of reeds, it was pretty awesome - you could actually feel the islands floating moving as we walked around on them. From there we made it back to Puno, ate lunch and headed for the Bolivian boarder.
During our last days in Peru we spent most of the time on Lake Titicaca - it is the largest lake in South America and basically reminded me of being on a sea or an ocean. We visited 3 different islands while scooting around the lake a really slow boat. The islands were pretty interesting because of the inhabitants and their traditional ways of life. We had homestays on one of the islands, which was really cool, though they were really set up for tourists. I had to
break out my Spanish skills during the visit to understand anything that was going on. We ate traditional meals (lots of potatos) in a tiny little kitchen, that was the only heated (by a clay, wood-buring oven) room in the house. Luckly the bedrooms that we slept in had massive piles of blankets for sleeping. During the evening they locals dressed up all of the gringos and we had a little fiesta where we learned some traditional dances. It was a fun night, our host mama was named Mary and was very helpful/kind and she really knew how to cut a rug. After another wood-fired breakfast in the cave-like kitchen, we headed to the last group of islands. To my surprise everything on them (including the islands) was made of reeds, it was pretty awesome - you could actually feel the islands floating moving as we walked around on them. From there we made it back to Puno, ate lunch and headed for the Bolivian boarder.
Monday, January 19, 2009
el football en Peru
My last day in Cuzco was great! I wondered the streets, ate some good food, got an awesome Inca massage (I was still pretty sore from the Inca Terk and it only cost $8 for an hour) and scouted out an American bar to watch a bit of football. The NFL games were great and it was a lot of fun to be in a bar thousands of miles away with a bunch of crazy Americans doing my favorite Sunday activity. I even drug an Aussie trip-mate with me to watch the game (apparently NFL doesnt make much sense to anyone but Americans - haha, he enjoyed it though). We left Cuzco early this morning and drove south to Lake Titticacca (sp? - I am going to have to go back and edit all of these posts for spelling, the local words are killing me). We are now in the city of Puno, right on the lake - seems like a really nice place. Tomorrow we will be heading out on the lake for a homestay on one of the islands - should be interesting...
Lots of people here are talking about the inaguration tomorrow, enjoy the celebrations everyone! Cheers
Lots of people here are talking about the inaguration tomorrow, enjoy the celebrations everyone! Cheers
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Inca Trek
Wow... what an amazing week! On Tuesday morning our group left Cuzco very early to head to the Sacred Valley of the Inca. After much preperation we finally arrived to the Inca Trail.
Part of me wants to paint the picture of this trek as very hardcore and the other part of me wants to say that is was easy, I really can see it both ways... It was easy because we had great guides, chefs and porters (who carried our tents and sleeping bags and stuff) who made the trek much easier. It was hard because the trek was difficult, we did some serious climbing and trekked for many hours.
The first day was a warm-up day and the trek was long, but there was not much climbing. We saw some cool Inca ruins and really got used to how the trek was going to go. Each night we camped at different locations along the trail, the first night we had an awesome spot in this very lush valley that overlooked some massive mountains. The second day was the most difficult, we crossed a huge mountain pass - known as Dead Womans Pass (luckily the weather cooperated). The pass was about 4200 meters, about the same size as Pikes Peak. Everyone was really tired after the big hike... a nap was in order for nearly everyone. That night we camped in the valley between some massive mountains - it was quite a spot! The third day was by far the best, the weather was great, the terrain was up and down (a couple small passes) and the scenery and ruins were amazing (I really need to get some photos on this thing!). That night was arrived just a short hike away from Machu Picchu. The last morning we woke up at 4 a.m. to head for the famous Inca spot of Machu Picchu. We arrived to the Sun Gate around 7 a.m. to see the wonderful view and first spotting of the sacred city. We spent much of that day hiking around the ruins and learning about the place. It really was rewarding to have hiked for 4 days to arrive to such a special spot. Granted everyone was really tired and dirty, it still was an awesome way to get there! With some free time I made the mistake of hiking up WynaPicchu, the mountain right next to the site, when I arrived at the top after the grueling hike the mountain was covered in clouds and a thunder storm was brewing... needless to say I hurried back down. After that unecessary hike I had enough and took the bus down the mountain where we got a bite to eat and waited for the train back to Cuzco.
I am not back in Cuzco and will be relaxing and recovering here until Monday. It is nice to be back to having regular showers and food (though I have to say the food and service on the trek was nothing short of amazing).
If you have facebook a couple of my trip-mates have posted some pics online, there is also a group that I belong to called Atlantic to Pacific, where there are some others photos. I promise I will work on getting mine on a site soon, it really is a pain though!
I hope this finds everyone well!
Part of me wants to paint the picture of this trek as very hardcore and the other part of me wants to say that is was easy, I really can see it both ways... It was easy because we had great guides, chefs and porters (who carried our tents and sleeping bags and stuff) who made the trek much easier. It was hard because the trek was difficult, we did some serious climbing and trekked for many hours.
The first day was a warm-up day and the trek was long, but there was not much climbing. We saw some cool Inca ruins and really got used to how the trek was going to go. Each night we camped at different locations along the trail, the first night we had an awesome spot in this very lush valley that overlooked some massive mountains. The second day was the most difficult, we crossed a huge mountain pass - known as Dead Womans Pass (luckily the weather cooperated). The pass was about 4200 meters, about the same size as Pikes Peak. Everyone was really tired after the big hike... a nap was in order for nearly everyone. That night we camped in the valley between some massive mountains - it was quite a spot! The third day was by far the best, the weather was great, the terrain was up and down (a couple small passes) and the scenery and ruins were amazing (I really need to get some photos on this thing!). That night was arrived just a short hike away from Machu Picchu. The last morning we woke up at 4 a.m. to head for the famous Inca spot of Machu Picchu. We arrived to the Sun Gate around 7 a.m. to see the wonderful view and first spotting of the sacred city. We spent much of that day hiking around the ruins and learning about the place. It really was rewarding to have hiked for 4 days to arrive to such a special spot. Granted everyone was really tired and dirty, it still was an awesome way to get there! With some free time I made the mistake of hiking up WynaPicchu, the mountain right next to the site, when I arrived at the top after the grueling hike the mountain was covered in clouds and a thunder storm was brewing... needless to say I hurried back down. After that unecessary hike I had enough and took the bus down the mountain where we got a bite to eat and waited for the train back to Cuzco.
I am not back in Cuzco and will be relaxing and recovering here until Monday. It is nice to be back to having regular showers and food (though I have to say the food and service on the trek was nothing short of amazing).
If you have facebook a couple of my trip-mates have posted some pics online, there is also a group that I belong to called Atlantic to Pacific, where there are some others photos. I promise I will work on getting mine on a site soon, it really is a pain though!
I hope this finds everyone well!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Cuzco
After what seemed to be an eternal trip on Bernie (the bus) to Cuzco, we finally arrived. On the way there was some awesome scenery - including a couple of mountain passes (over 4,000 meters) that we went over. On the top of one pass we ate lunch and also got stuck in a random hail storm. Cuzco is pretty touristy, this is where most people start their treks to Machu Picchu. For the last couple of days I have been wondering around the town - there is a ton of Inca/Peruvian history here. This morning a group of us hiked up to an overlook of the city - pretty amazing views! Tomorrow we start our trek to Machu Piccu at 6 a.m., it is a 4 day hike and we are camping the whole way up there, arriving during the morning of the 4th day. Apparently it is very well travelled and our group will be supported by a group of porters/chefs/guides to take care of us. We will then return to Cuzco and spend a couple more nights here for R&R.
Also, yesterday I popped into an American sports bar and caught the end of the Eagles-Giants game and to get caught up on NFL playoffs.... I cant believe all of the crazy upsets! I suppose to Broncos could have won it all this year if they got the right breaks.
Also, yesterday I popped into an American sports bar and caught the end of the Eagles-Giants game and to get caught up on NFL playoffs.... I cant believe all of the crazy upsets! I suppose to Broncos could have won it all this year if they got the right breaks.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Big night... long day
Last night we had a big night out - we had some drinks on this cool rooftop patio overlooking the city, then we had a nice dinner on patio overlooking the Place De Armas (most of us ate alpaca, the local dish of choice - they also serve guinea pig here though!), we then headed out to check out the nightlife at some cool local clubs. Great live musica! After late night snacks we headed back to camp very late - so most of us have been dragging today. Another beautiful day though! Tomorrow we head to Cuzco, where we will begin the Inca Trail!
For some reason my photos are not uploading properly, if they don´t work in the next place I will set up a Kodak account , so people can see them. Sorry about that!
For some reason my photos are not uploading properly, if they don´t work in the next place I will set up a Kodak account , so people can see them. Sorry about that!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
¡viva peru!
I am glad to hear that there are actually a couple people following the old blog (besides mom and dad - the givens).
After a quiet night in Nazca, we headed back to the coast. Along the way we stopped at an awesome ancient cemetary. They had excavated some the the bureal sites so visitors can see exactly what the bureals were like - I think that also made the 3rd day in a row that we had been exposed to heaps of bones, pretty cool nonetheless. We arrived early that afternoon in Puerto Inca (where the Incas used to fish and prepare their seafood before transporting it). We camped on the beach, played volleyball and jumped in the ocean before having a great beach BBQ and drinking too much beer and jungle juice. The location was truely awesome - probably could have spent a week there (at least).
From Puerto Inca, we headed along the coast and had a final lunch on the beach before saying adios to the Pacific Ocean. The drive was awesome, huge cliffs the whole way - reminded me of a tropical/desert version of Amalfi. We then crossed a massive desert in route to the Andes and where I am now, Arequipa. This city is awesome, from what I have seen so far, we took a walking tour when we arrived and had a quiet night last night. Today we hit the market, where I got a couple ridic sombreros and visited an ancient monestary. The best part of the day had to be lunch, where I had a three course meal, including drink for 6 sols (2 bucks) - just for the record I am still bursting at the seams 4 hours later.... tonight we are headed out for a big night on the town - should be fun!
Just an update on the Espanol... I have been doing a pretty good job of using my Spangish - much to my surprise, I speak some of the best Spanish in our group (probably 4 or 5 better than me), chalk that up to living in the States I guess. The real problem is that there are so many funky accients and slang usage in our group (Kiwis, Aussies, Brits) that I am more likely to pick up their rubbish banter rather than Spanish! aaahhhh!!!
I will try and get some pictures up in the next couple of days. I keep forgetting to bring the connector cord...
After a quiet night in Nazca, we headed back to the coast. Along the way we stopped at an awesome ancient cemetary. They had excavated some the the bureal sites so visitors can see exactly what the bureals were like - I think that also made the 3rd day in a row that we had been exposed to heaps of bones, pretty cool nonetheless. We arrived early that afternoon in Puerto Inca (where the Incas used to fish and prepare their seafood before transporting it). We camped on the beach, played volleyball and jumped in the ocean before having a great beach BBQ and drinking too much beer and jungle juice. The location was truely awesome - probably could have spent a week there (at least).
From Puerto Inca, we headed along the coast and had a final lunch on the beach before saying adios to the Pacific Ocean. The drive was awesome, huge cliffs the whole way - reminded me of a tropical/desert version of Amalfi. We then crossed a massive desert in route to the Andes and where I am now, Arequipa. This city is awesome, from what I have seen so far, we took a walking tour when we arrived and had a quiet night last night. Today we hit the market, where I got a couple ridic sombreros and visited an ancient monestary. The best part of the day had to be lunch, where I had a three course meal, including drink for 6 sols (2 bucks) - just for the record I am still bursting at the seams 4 hours later.... tonight we are headed out for a big night on the town - should be fun!
Just an update on the Espanol... I have been doing a pretty good job of using my Spangish - much to my surprise, I speak some of the best Spanish in our group (probably 4 or 5 better than me), chalk that up to living in the States I guess. The real problem is that there are so many funky accients and slang usage in our group (Kiwis, Aussies, Brits) that I am more likely to pick up their rubbish banter rather than Spanish! aaahhhh!!!
I will try and get some pictures up in the next couple of days. I keep forgetting to bring the connector cord...
Monday, January 5, 2009
It begins...
OK... I think this is going to be quite a trip, I can hardly even remember where I left off...
After arrival in Lima, I ran into some of the tripmates and we toured around Lima centro. There are 28 in all and 2 guides. Quite an interesting group, mostly Aussies and one other American. Most are around my age, well travelled and here for a good time.
After a decent night sleep we headed out of Lima at about 6:30 a.m. From there we travelled south, down the coast about 3 hours and took a boat out to the Ballestra (sp?) Islands - they were basically plots of land cover in bird poo (so the smell was great). It was a nice boat ride, we got to see lots different birds (even penguins) and sea lions.
From there we headed to the desert (some massive sand dunes). We then took a trip to go dune bashing on some dune buggies - was just like I did when I visited Oman, except we didn't get to drive. It was an awesome trip and we also went "sledding" (on snowboards) down the dunes, that was pretty sweet until I got a gash in my hand - but all is good. We spent the night in the desert and camped under the stars, sounds pretty tame, but really everyone drank too many pisco sours (the local drink) and passed out. After a rough a.m. for many, we dune bashed back to the truck and were on our way. Today has been pretty chill - we are in Nazcra and I have spent most of the day in the pool and hanging out - perfect weather. Glad to be where it is summer!
After arrival in Lima, I ran into some of the tripmates and we toured around Lima centro. There are 28 in all and 2 guides. Quite an interesting group, mostly Aussies and one other American. Most are around my age, well travelled and here for a good time.
After a decent night sleep we headed out of Lima at about 6:30 a.m. From there we travelled south, down the coast about 3 hours and took a boat out to the Ballestra (sp?) Islands - they were basically plots of land cover in bird poo (so the smell was great). It was a nice boat ride, we got to see lots different birds (even penguins) and sea lions.
From there we headed to the desert (some massive sand dunes). We then took a trip to go dune bashing on some dune buggies - was just like I did when I visited Oman, except we didn't get to drive. It was an awesome trip and we also went "sledding" (on snowboards) down the dunes, that was pretty sweet until I got a gash in my hand - but all is good. We spent the night in the desert and camped under the stars, sounds pretty tame, but really everyone drank too many pisco sours (the local drink) and passed out. After a rough a.m. for many, we dune bashed back to the truck and were on our way. Today has been pretty chill - we are in Nazcra and I have spent most of the day in the pool and hanging out - perfect weather. Glad to be where it is summer!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Lima... and sleepy
After countless hours on planes and sitting in airports (who would have guessed Dallas and Miami are on the way to Peru), I have finally made it to Lima. I was expecting a bustling, crazy, sunny city.... When I arrived I found a quiet, hazy, ghost town of a place. Apparently, people in Peru are not up at 6:30 am... I suspect my original expectations will be correct once the city wakes.
The good news is that I did have a good taxi driver, I practiced my Spanglish on him. I even grabbed a pocket English-Spanish dictionary at the airport in Miami so I could perfect my Spanglish. Its amazing what you remember from 2 years of high school Spanish, about 10 years ago (in addition to lots of trips to Mexico and a couple trips to Espana).
The good news is that I did have a good taxi driver, I practiced my Spanglish on him. I even grabbed a pocket English-Spanish dictionary at the airport in Miami so I could perfect my Spanglish. Its amazing what you remember from 2 years of high school Spanish, about 10 years ago (in addition to lots of trips to Mexico and a couple trips to Espana).
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