Thursday, May 31, 2007
Glass or Plastic
This adventure begins in our hostal, Hobo Hideaway. Emily wants some water and, of course, what emily wants, emily gets, unless it´s an illfated jungle trip. however, this is not a jungle trip, it is a trip to the mini mart. she sent me on my own, my virgin trip in peru, she even let me have the key. Anyway, it all started with a simple request, "go get me water, papa." I figured i´d get it at the front desk, but it was dry, so i ventured out barefoot ( i believe this is what is known as going native)to the nearest mini mart. I had watched emily and was feeling pretty confident that i could handle 2 waters. So, i proudly requested, "dos aqua". It instantly went down hill from there when she replied in Spanish, "congass" or something that sounded suspiciously like glass. So I politely reply in my best English, "No, plastic". To make sure she understands I point the the plastic water container on the 3rd shelf. She picks it up and i instantly see my error. The bottle is labeled "Con Gas", with gas, in other words (i.e. English) carbonated. With gas, why i didn´t instantly think of emily, i´ll never know. But i recover nicely, smile and say "no, no" and point to a still boxed and unopened stack of water bottles (all plastic, by the way)that are the the kind without gas, just like the bottle we had yesterday. She puts that bottle of con gas away she points to another one in the cooler. She doesn´t get it, it´s the same brand. I don´t want con gas. So I insist on the familiar brand in the stack on the floor, same as we had yesterday. When she again gives me a puzzled look (i seem to be getting a lot of these), i figured she still didn´t get it and was never going to get it, but since I did, i didn´t worry about it. She handed me the familiar bottles but couldn´t resist one more look. I bought my dos aqua and proudly hurried back, still barefoot, to the hostal. It was not until the first bottle fizzed all over my pants that i understood her looks. I had rejected the con gas in the cooler, made by Cielo, and the ´sin gas´ (without gas) in the cooler, also made by Cielo, and insisted she give me the more familiar brand, SanLuis. How was i to know San Luis made two types of water?
dengue fever.
just because a visit to the police occurred doesnt mean the trip is complete.
of course it wouldnt be without a trip to the hospital.
i thought i had malaria and so papa researched it and came back to the hostel room saying we have to go now (something about kidney failure and coma). so we went. first paying two whole soles to have a guy take us 115 steps (we didnt know we were at the end of the same street the first private doctor was on) and then went to the 24 hour emergency room when that one was closed.
i said malaria. the lady looked at me, poked my stomache, and said, no, it´s dengue fever.
well, great.
so i sat in this hospital bed with an IV dripping painfully slow and a medication on top of that... which helped. but they need urine, blood, and "excrement" samples. the first two i gave successfully and quietly. the third was a bit of a problem as i had taken immodium AD earlier that day in order to try and "block" myself up, if you will.
i got up repeatedly, to be a good patient, and try, i even ingested some lubey, minty, NASTY drink to try and encourage my digestive system. no luck. on top of that, everytime i got up i somehow managed to mess up the needle in my hand and it sent the blood rushing back the wrong way. saline was no longer going in. blood was going out.
five hours later and no bowel movement, i felt better and papa and i just wanted to get out of that place. we had some good laughs at first (youll have to see the photos) but soon grew tired and just wanted bed.
i dont think i have dengue. though that would have been a great story. i think i was dehydrated and had a lack of good nutritious food. i´ll soldier on.
unfortunately, we cancelled our second jungle trip that we had planned and paid for. iquitos sure is expensive for a whole lot of nothing. so no jungle this time, but we´re off to lima (a day and a half early) and then off to arequipa to meet niall (the scottish guy from huaraz) for some hiking and mountain biking.
love love to all.
please pray for health.
of course it wouldnt be without a trip to the hospital.
i thought i had malaria and so papa researched it and came back to the hostel room saying we have to go now (something about kidney failure and coma). so we went. first paying two whole soles to have a guy take us 115 steps (we didnt know we were at the end of the same street the first private doctor was on) and then went to the 24 hour emergency room when that one was closed.
i said malaria. the lady looked at me, poked my stomache, and said, no, it´s dengue fever.
well, great.
so i sat in this hospital bed with an IV dripping painfully slow and a medication on top of that... which helped. but they need urine, blood, and "excrement" samples. the first two i gave successfully and quietly. the third was a bit of a problem as i had taken immodium AD earlier that day in order to try and "block" myself up, if you will.
i got up repeatedly, to be a good patient, and try, i even ingested some lubey, minty, NASTY drink to try and encourage my digestive system. no luck. on top of that, everytime i got up i somehow managed to mess up the needle in my hand and it sent the blood rushing back the wrong way. saline was no longer going in. blood was going out.
five hours later and no bowel movement, i felt better and papa and i just wanted to get out of that place. we had some good laughs at first (youll have to see the photos) but soon grew tired and just wanted bed.
i dont think i have dengue. though that would have been a great story. i think i was dehydrated and had a lack of good nutritious food. i´ll soldier on.
unfortunately, we cancelled our second jungle trip that we had planned and paid for. iquitos sure is expensive for a whole lot of nothing. so no jungle this time, but we´re off to lima (a day and a half early) and then off to arequipa to meet niall (the scottish guy from huaraz) for some hiking and mountain biking.
love love to all.
please pray for health.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
fotos de iquitos.
ok guys. since i understand spanish a little more every day i was finally able to understand how to upload photos on picasa.
no username. no password. no problema.
para ti.
no username. no password. no problema.
para ti.
Almost in the Jungle
When I last blogged, we were headed to the jungle. i said, "if we return. . ." I should have said, "If we get there." it´s 2 days later (dos dias - i´m mastering the language, the keyboard is quite another thing.) Anyway, we´re still not in the jungle. Good thing is, Iquotis is a pretty cool town. not sure why i think so, but i´m having a great time. Almost got killed, but you´ll have to read lu´s blog entry for that.
Day one of jungle turned out to be a looooonng day in travel agency. we met out tour guide at 8sharp, which means 8:15ish. Eagarly we boarded the 16´ boat with it´s 40hp Suzuki outboard motor and headed up the Amazon. Precisely 17 minutes later the engine lost power, broken shaft, shear pin, bearings, whatever. never sure, but it made us turn around and head back down river under trolling speed. We met up with a barge of logs with a family on it. The woman was doing the wash by hand in the water that had seeped between the logs. (Maybe this is why i think iquitos is such a great town.) Whilst moored to their raft, our boat driver fashioned a new shear pin to put on the replaced prop and we limped a little faster back to an Iquitos shoreline boat repair shop. We waited patiently for the repair to take place, even enduring the little jaunts to prove that it indeed hadn´t. two and 1/2 hours later, we exceeded even my patience and we demanded another boat. "you guys fix this on your own time and get us another boat." They promised another motor and 90 minutes and a new contract later we were back in the same boat equipped suspiciously with a Suzuki 40hp motor witht the same scratches, wires hanging and dents. When i pointed out that this was the same motor, they acted offended i would suggest such a thing. When i pointed out that i remembered the type, hp and wires, they claimed that the owner bought 2 of the same and had just replaced it. emily suggested to them there was no need to lie about it, and i, too - this will be hard for marcie to believe - did not believe their story. especially when as we motored off the new driver held up some old parts from the repair and said something in spanish, which i could not interpret, but i could read his body language perfectly; "you forgot these, oops, i shouldn´t have said that in front of the guys we just lied to, guess we´re too far off shore to get them to you, i´ll sheepishly put them here under the seat and pretend . . ."
So now we´re headed backup the Amazon and the motor sounds great. We reach the 10 minute mark and Lu says, Ï´ll be more relaxed when we get there.¨ At the 17 minute mark, I pointed out we set a new record. At the 20 minute mark the motor stalled again. Mind you, this is a 3 hour boat ride up the amazon and we were already 4hrs into it and headed back to the dock. Actually, the driver said he´d fix it, but given the track record of the Suzuki 40 i figured i didn´t want to get 2 hours up the river with only a paddle. We turned around and arrived back at 1:15ish.
Now is the time to recall two stories. 1) emily in cuba with the lost wallet and 2) dave in Evanston with the bad transmission. This is a bad combination of the two.
We went back tothe agency to get out money back, and we were told not one, not two, not three, but 7 different stories, none of which were or became true.JuanCarlos is out of town, back at 6; JuanCArlos will be back in 5 min; JuanCArlos willbe back at noon; JuanCarlos will be back at 12:30; JuanCarlos´wife will get you the money andwill be back in an hour. I sat in the office from 1:15 until 5p, hoping any of these would be true. emily, in the meantime, came and went several times to enlist the help of anyone who would listen. her approach was not random, but very thoughtful, and i´m proud of her. Some of her new friends include the police, the tourist police, a woman named Delicia (like delicious), the owner of a restaurant who also had a bit part in The Motorcycle Diaries, another travel agent who was trying to get her business, and several gringos who came to her rescue when the tears finally came. It was Delicia who was most help. She entered the travel agency (don´t think US agencies; picture a decent size Minnesota fishhouse--with out the ice or the lake--equipped with a bench, a desk and a phone) and lit into the two men who where there. Again, I know very little Spanish, but I´m top notch on body language. Ouch! We finally gave up the vigil, deciding to regroup and recoup on Wednesday. We decided it would be cleaner for all if we just took the trip with JuanCArlos´ agency and left him a message tothat effect. In the meantime the stories continued to mount; wife in the hospital, JuanCArlos stuck on the road, they´d have the money later. Considering they had the money now, it was becoming obvious they did plan tohave the money later. I was hoping we´d have themoney later. Gerald of Motorcycle Diaries fame is also BMOC in the town of Iquitos. Busses, motorcarro, cars, pedal bikes don´t stop for anyone. (well a bus stopped for me, but that´s emily´s story). They don´t stop for anyone, but they do stop for Gerald. We were walking with him to the Peru Agency and it was like walking behind Moses. He is a retired engineer and has set up shop in Iquitos. His word and recommendation carry tremendous weight, tho he has no official status in the city. Anyway, he escorted us to Peru TRavel and it appears we´ll get out money back. It also appears Emeral Forest will not be getting Gerald´s recommendations. Perhaps we´re the ugly Americans, perhaps we misread some cultural tendancies. Well, not perhaps, we did. But Emily and I look at each other and say, Why can´t people just be honest.
AFter all that, we´re headed into the jungle tomorrow (Lord Willing) to see His creation as we´ve not seen it before. Sloths, caymans, pink dolfins, butterflies the size of really big butterflies, and more. Emily is planning on holding a sloth and I´m planning on being the luckiest dad in the whole world, just watching her.
Keep checking
Day one of jungle turned out to be a looooonng day in travel agency. we met out tour guide at 8sharp, which means 8:15ish. Eagarly we boarded the 16´ boat with it´s 40hp Suzuki outboard motor and headed up the Amazon. Precisely 17 minutes later the engine lost power, broken shaft, shear pin, bearings, whatever. never sure, but it made us turn around and head back down river under trolling speed. We met up with a barge of logs with a family on it. The woman was doing the wash by hand in the water that had seeped between the logs. (Maybe this is why i think iquitos is such a great town.) Whilst moored to their raft, our boat driver fashioned a new shear pin to put on the replaced prop and we limped a little faster back to an Iquitos shoreline boat repair shop. We waited patiently for the repair to take place, even enduring the little jaunts to prove that it indeed hadn´t. two and 1/2 hours later, we exceeded even my patience and we demanded another boat. "you guys fix this on your own time and get us another boat." They promised another motor and 90 minutes and a new contract later we were back in the same boat equipped suspiciously with a Suzuki 40hp motor witht the same scratches, wires hanging and dents. When i pointed out that this was the same motor, they acted offended i would suggest such a thing. When i pointed out that i remembered the type, hp and wires, they claimed that the owner bought 2 of the same and had just replaced it. emily suggested to them there was no need to lie about it, and i, too - this will be hard for marcie to believe - did not believe their story. especially when as we motored off the new driver held up some old parts from the repair and said something in spanish, which i could not interpret, but i could read his body language perfectly; "you forgot these, oops, i shouldn´t have said that in front of the guys we just lied to, guess we´re too far off shore to get them to you, i´ll sheepishly put them here under the seat and pretend . . ."
So now we´re headed backup the Amazon and the motor sounds great. We reach the 10 minute mark and Lu says, Ï´ll be more relaxed when we get there.¨ At the 17 minute mark, I pointed out we set a new record. At the 20 minute mark the motor stalled again. Mind you, this is a 3 hour boat ride up the amazon and we were already 4hrs into it and headed back to the dock. Actually, the driver said he´d fix it, but given the track record of the Suzuki 40 i figured i didn´t want to get 2 hours up the river with only a paddle. We turned around and arrived back at 1:15ish.
Now is the time to recall two stories. 1) emily in cuba with the lost wallet and 2) dave in Evanston with the bad transmission. This is a bad combination of the two.
We went back tothe agency to get out money back, and we were told not one, not two, not three, but 7 different stories, none of which were or became true.JuanCarlos is out of town, back at 6; JuanCArlos will be back in 5 min; JuanCArlos willbe back at noon; JuanCarlos will be back at 12:30; JuanCarlos´wife will get you the money andwill be back in an hour. I sat in the office from 1:15 until 5p, hoping any of these would be true. emily, in the meantime, came and went several times to enlist the help of anyone who would listen. her approach was not random, but very thoughtful, and i´m proud of her. Some of her new friends include the police, the tourist police, a woman named Delicia (like delicious), the owner of a restaurant who also had a bit part in The Motorcycle Diaries, another travel agent who was trying to get her business, and several gringos who came to her rescue when the tears finally came. It was Delicia who was most help. She entered the travel agency (don´t think US agencies; picture a decent size Minnesota fishhouse--with out the ice or the lake--equipped with a bench, a desk and a phone) and lit into the two men who where there. Again, I know very little Spanish, but I´m top notch on body language. Ouch! We finally gave up the vigil, deciding to regroup and recoup on Wednesday. We decided it would be cleaner for all if we just took the trip with JuanCArlos´ agency and left him a message tothat effect. In the meantime the stories continued to mount; wife in the hospital, JuanCArlos stuck on the road, they´d have the money later. Considering they had the money now, it was becoming obvious they did plan tohave the money later. I was hoping we´d have themoney later. Gerald of Motorcycle Diaries fame is also BMOC in the town of Iquitos. Busses, motorcarro, cars, pedal bikes don´t stop for anyone. (well a bus stopped for me, but that´s emily´s story). They don´t stop for anyone, but they do stop for Gerald. We were walking with him to the Peru Agency and it was like walking behind Moses. He is a retired engineer and has set up shop in Iquitos. His word and recommendation carry tremendous weight, tho he has no official status in the city. Anyway, he escorted us to Peru TRavel and it appears we´ll get out money back. It also appears Emeral Forest will not be getting Gerald´s recommendations. Perhaps we´re the ugly Americans, perhaps we misread some cultural tendancies. Well, not perhaps, we did. But Emily and I look at each other and say, Why can´t people just be honest.
AFter all that, we´re headed into the jungle tomorrow (Lord Willing) to see His creation as we´ve not seen it before. Sloths, caymans, pink dolfins, butterflies the size of really big butterflies, and more. Emily is planning on holding a sloth and I´m planning on being the luckiest dad in the whole world, just watching her.
Keep checking
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
eyebrows and BANGS.
i can´t wait for my tweezers back home (i have no idea why i didn´t bring them) and a trim from corrinne at salon buzz.
yikes.
yikes.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Iquitos May 28 2007
Woke up at 3:15, 3:30, 3:45 this morning. Love that snooze button! Lu paid our way out of the hostal and we waited for our ride. we waited . . . and waited. . . and finally we hopped into a toyota corolla that somehow seemed even smaller than it really was. However, it did have the great old cigar smoke odor to add to the ambiance. after largely ignoring stop lights and stop signs we arrived at lima airport several horn blasts later. paid the guy and checked in. no hurry in line or behind the counter - good thing we risked cutting off the other vehicles to get there. as deliberate as the line seemed to move, we did depart on time and somehow managed to snag seats 1D and 1F on the bulkhead.
before our flight we had, of all things, Dunkin' Donuts. Chocolate chocolate here. Ems wnet for the coconut glaze but got the coconut with filling. My Spanish is about as good as my doughnut and Emily´s is infinitely better. Altho´' Spanis for Dunkin' Donuts is Dunkin' Donuts. Got that one down, both the name and the doughnut.
Iquitos (our destination after the doughnuts) is aninteresting town. Tiny airport (IQT) exp for an international airport. brief walk across tarmak to baggage claim, plants, boxes of baby chicks and the occasional bag were offloaded. our was last which was nice b/c it allowed us to watch the whole process. As soon as we exited baggage we rec'd a hero's welcome. Many, many men came running to us, calling ´taxi, taxi, taxi'. I´ll have to look that one up. We selected our taxi driver, but that didn´t deter the others from continuing to adore us and swarm us calling after us until we actually got into our limo. The ´limo´is locally called a motocarro, which is basically a motor cycle cut off just behind the driver to which is added a two seater with an open trunk. Picture a pedal bike ice cream wagon with a motor cycle engine. my backpack straps were dangling around the rear tire as we flew between, somehow never over, people and other moto carros on our way to our $15 anight hostal. Well, being me and anal and all that, I reached down to make sure my straps didn´t get hung up in the wheel, but my hand almost did. Didn´t tell Emily then or yet. She´ll have to read it here. Would have been just one more rookie thing I did and am sure to do on this trip.
Off to the jungle tomorrow (Tue, 29th) for 4d/3n. If we return, we´re heading for Colca Canyon.
before our flight we had, of all things, Dunkin' Donuts. Chocolate chocolate here. Ems wnet for the coconut glaze but got the coconut with filling. My Spanish is about as good as my doughnut and Emily´s is infinitely better. Altho´' Spanis for Dunkin' Donuts is Dunkin' Donuts. Got that one down, both the name and the doughnut.
Iquitos (our destination after the doughnuts) is aninteresting town. Tiny airport (IQT) exp for an international airport. brief walk across tarmak to baggage claim, plants, boxes of baby chicks and the occasional bag were offloaded. our was last which was nice b/c it allowed us to watch the whole process. As soon as we exited baggage we rec'd a hero's welcome. Many, many men came running to us, calling ´taxi, taxi, taxi'. I´ll have to look that one up. We selected our taxi driver, but that didn´t deter the others from continuing to adore us and swarm us calling after us until we actually got into our limo. The ´limo´is locally called a motocarro, which is basically a motor cycle cut off just behind the driver to which is added a two seater with an open trunk. Picture a pedal bike ice cream wagon with a motor cycle engine. my backpack straps were dangling around the rear tire as we flew between, somehow never over, people and other moto carros on our way to our $15 anight hostal. Well, being me and anal and all that, I reached down to make sure my straps didn´t get hung up in the wheel, but my hand almost did. Didn´t tell Emily then or yet. She´ll have to read it here. Would have been just one more rookie thing I did and am sure to do on this trip.
Off to the jungle tomorrow (Tue, 29th) for 4d/3n. If we return, we´re heading for Colca Canyon.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
back to lima. blah blah blah.
lima aint got nothin on huaraz.
did absolutely nothing today except was really grumpy at this loud dirty city.
two more hours and papa arrives!
did absolutely nothing today except was really grumpy at this loud dirty city.
two more hours and papa arrives!
final days in huaraz.
i was in huaraz for about a week.
the altitude kicked my butt.
the library at california cafe was my lifesaver. especially when the hippy expat that runs it deemed the books i brought and had already read worthy enough to exchange with the 'classics' on the shelf. yay for truman capote and some weird italian author that are coming with me.
that night, after spending the day drinking mate de coca (which i assure you, does not get one high. it does help with acclimating to the altitude and is a great substitute when in a country that is incapable of making a good cup of coffee), i met a young scottish fellow by the name of niall (the gaelic spelling of neil). niall and i had a nice chifa dinner and then decided to go on a daytrek to some ancient ruins the next day. i couldnt believe my luck finding an englsih-speaking hiking partner!
after buying fruit at the market we hiked to wilcahuain, 6 km up a mountain. the local boys showed us around the rather unremarkable ruin. but afterwards niall and i sat and had a cerveza being rather 'jealous of ourselves' and our situation. 'we are in peru!' i kept exclaiming.
of course, my exclamations didnt stop there as we hiked down a footpath, used mainly by locals, that took us through villages and gave us the most picturesque view of the cordillera blanca and huaraz below. we sat for awhile, once again, being jealous of ourselves--but not so jealous of ourselves as we were of the farmer in the field below us who had the job of sitting, watching the vista whilst the animals frolicked around him.
and so that is what we did. we found a wheat field and, as unobtrusively as we could, we frolicked like heidi, or like maria, in the mountains of huaraz, peru. yea for us.
the climb down wasnt as pleasant and my two big toes, which now have two big blisters, can attest to that. we did arrive at the piscina (swimming pool) and enjoyed a quick dip in the warm and brown water. we decided we wanted to experience the healing powers of the hot baths and so we found ourselves in a soviet-style small room with a facuet to let in hot mountain spring water into a bathtub. a bit ackward, not what we expected, but we rather enjoyed it. as did our blistering feet and sunburnt shoulders.
check out the photos. they give more justice to the experience.
the altitude kicked my butt.
the library at california cafe was my lifesaver. especially when the hippy expat that runs it deemed the books i brought and had already read worthy enough to exchange with the 'classics' on the shelf. yay for truman capote and some weird italian author that are coming with me.
that night, after spending the day drinking mate de coca (which i assure you, does not get one high. it does help with acclimating to the altitude and is a great substitute when in a country that is incapable of making a good cup of coffee), i met a young scottish fellow by the name of niall (the gaelic spelling of neil). niall and i had a nice chifa dinner and then decided to go on a daytrek to some ancient ruins the next day. i couldnt believe my luck finding an englsih-speaking hiking partner!
after buying fruit at the market we hiked to wilcahuain, 6 km up a mountain. the local boys showed us around the rather unremarkable ruin. but afterwards niall and i sat and had a cerveza being rather 'jealous of ourselves' and our situation. 'we are in peru!' i kept exclaiming.
of course, my exclamations didnt stop there as we hiked down a footpath, used mainly by locals, that took us through villages and gave us the most picturesque view of the cordillera blanca and huaraz below. we sat for awhile, once again, being jealous of ourselves--but not so jealous of ourselves as we were of the farmer in the field below us who had the job of sitting, watching the vista whilst the animals frolicked around him.
and so that is what we did. we found a wheat field and, as unobtrusively as we could, we frolicked like heidi, or like maria, in the mountains of huaraz, peru. yea for us.
the climb down wasnt as pleasant and my two big toes, which now have two big blisters, can attest to that. we did arrive at the piscina (swimming pool) and enjoyed a quick dip in the warm and brown water. we decided we wanted to experience the healing powers of the hot baths and so we found ourselves in a soviet-style small room with a facuet to let in hot mountain spring water into a bathtub. a bit ackward, not what we expected, but we rather enjoyed it. as did our blistering feet and sunburnt shoulders.
check out the photos. they give more justice to the experience.
fotos de huaraz.
ok. so now that ive made it easy for you to see photos via snapfish (please see below if you dont know what i am talking about) here are some more photos de huaraz.
snapfish.
i know i know, giving out your email to see someones photos is so not fun.
thats why:
snapfish username: lulutruck@gmail.com
password: peruorbust
there ya go folks.
thats why:
snapfish username: lulutruck@gmail.com
password: peruorbust
there ya go folks.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
don´t let the bed bugs bite.
on the airplane on the way down here i was reading an article in national geographic about how bed bugs may be making a comeback in the united states, where it was previously thought they were eradicated.
i don´t know about the USofA but, one thing is certain, bed bugs are still in Peru.
sick.
i don´t know about the USofA but, one thing is certain, bed bugs are still in Peru.
sick.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Thursday, May 24, 2007
laguna churpa.
because there was a strike for a day, i wasnt able to go on the four day trek to santa cruz bc i need to be back in lima in time to meet my dad at the airport.
instead, coqui took me to laguna churpa. its a lake below montana churpa and it is so beautiful. it´s a good thing that coqui didnt tell me that it included rock climbing with my huge pack on bc i probbly would have been a bit more apprehensive. but, when i get photos on, you will all be so proud of me... at least those of you who know i have this terrible fear of falling (think: honeyrock, bike and climb trip).
but, like a soldier, i made it.
we camped out next to the lake. cooked. read. hung out. my spanish improved greatly since i wasn´t intimidated like i was at the hostel.
we returned today taking another route to the carros-cambios. the people are so beautiful and interesting and the farms they live in are so practical and simple.
like i said, photos to follow.
oh, and some book recommendations:
--things fall apart by chinua achebe
--children on their birthdays, a short story by truman capote.
i´m tired. this entry was WAY lame.
more later.
ciao.
instead, coqui took me to laguna churpa. its a lake below montana churpa and it is so beautiful. it´s a good thing that coqui didnt tell me that it included rock climbing with my huge pack on bc i probbly would have been a bit more apprehensive. but, when i get photos on, you will all be so proud of me... at least those of you who know i have this terrible fear of falling (think: honeyrock, bike and climb trip).
but, like a soldier, i made it.
we camped out next to the lake. cooked. read. hung out. my spanish improved greatly since i wasn´t intimidated like i was at the hostel.
we returned today taking another route to the carros-cambios. the people are so beautiful and interesting and the farms they live in are so practical and simple.
like i said, photos to follow.
oh, and some book recommendations:
--things fall apart by chinua achebe
--children on their birthdays, a short story by truman capote.
i´m tired. this entry was WAY lame.
more later.
ciao.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
bicicletas y montanas.
today, coqui y yo rode our bikes up to the hot springs. he was so impressed that we made it in only two hours. i don´t know what it usually is but i do know that mis piernas (legs) are not used to climbing uphill on a mountain bike a couple sizes too small for me. it definitely was not my boyfriend: langster, the gangster.
the vistas were beautiful. we stopped at a roadside statue of mary and jesus to get a photo of huascaran, the second highest peak in sudamerica. que bonita.
the line was too long at the hot springs but we did get ice cream from some old man. i am now remembering what i read about in my lonelyplanet guidebook and am terrified that i will get sick from the homemade ice cream. i suppose it might make the trip more memorable. not.
after that, we took a ´bus´home, squished in with the locals and our bikes up top. we arrived in time for anita and teo, madre y pare de la casa, to invite me to lunch with the rest of the family and some other trekkers. lunch is the most important meal in peru and it was delicious. the hot sauce for the soup and rice kicked any others salsa picante´s butt that i have tried.
tomorrow i leave for a four day trek around the cordillera blanca to sta. cruz. yay!
p.s. coqui is the nephew of teo and anita who lives and studies in roma, italy, but is here for his summer holiday helping them out with caroline lodge. he is defintely helping me with my spanish but i am still so hesitant to start conversations. the other travellers who speak spanish don´t seem to have any time in the world for me who doesn´t speak spanish.
the vistas were beautiful. we stopped at a roadside statue of mary and jesus to get a photo of huascaran, the second highest peak in sudamerica. que bonita.
the line was too long at the hot springs but we did get ice cream from some old man. i am now remembering what i read about in my lonelyplanet guidebook and am terrified that i will get sick from the homemade ice cream. i suppose it might make the trip more memorable. not.
after that, we took a ´bus´home, squished in with the locals and our bikes up top. we arrived in time for anita and teo, madre y pare de la casa, to invite me to lunch with the rest of the family and some other trekkers. lunch is the most important meal in peru and it was delicious. the hot sauce for the soup and rice kicked any others salsa picante´s butt that i have tried.
tomorrow i leave for a four day trek around the cordillera blanca to sta. cruz. yay!
p.s. coqui is the nephew of teo and anita who lives and studies in roma, italy, but is here for his summer holiday helping them out with caroline lodge. he is defintely helping me with my spanish but i am still so hesitant to start conversations. the other travellers who speak spanish don´t seem to have any time in the world for me who doesn´t speak spanish.
Monday, May 21, 2007
foto album!!
i finally figured out how to upload fotos and found a machine fast enough to do it.
visit my album here.
visit my album here.
mis amigos primeros.
i met dan (from idaho), daniel (israel), sandy and jonny (scotland and cambridge, respectively) and niels (denmark) at the casa de arena after sandboarding. we went to ica for comida and then this hippy place at the end of the street for to-die-for pecan pie. of course, the boys needed their free ´chocolate.´muy interesante.
this place had a monkey in the tree, two tortoises, and floor pillows galore. some people, like me, go one day and have enough. an aussie i shared a cab with had been there two months. i´m off to huaraz to see the cordillera blanca.
niels and jonny with cristal and chocolate.
sand boarding in huacachina.
no me gustan todos los turistas en huacachina pero me gustan muchos los dune buggies! those are people at the top of the done and those are people waiting at the bottom. it was pretty bad ace. going down on your stomach was the speed demon way to go.
jesus es mi guia.
peruvians are perhaps the most religious people i have encountered on my travels. most of the taxis and buses have decals stating: ´Jesus es mi guia´ (Jesus is my guide) or ´lea la biblia´ (read the Bible). additionally, many public transportation stops, parking lots, courtyards and walkways have mini-shrines with statues of Mary in them. all of it is quite beautiful and the imagery is encouraging.
God bless you all.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
huacachina.
i took the cheapest bus possible the next morning to get to Ica, where from there i would take a cab to Huacachina. the bus ride was crowded and we stopped at many little towns. every time we stopped someone would get on walking up and down the aisles selling treats. it was so much more convenient than gas station stops in the states.
i sat next to a mother and her little girl in the very back row. i was at the window. the little girl got sick--twice--and god bless her mother who was so adept at getting the plastic bag out of her pocket and around the girl´s mouth before any catastrophe could occur. i was in charge of opening the window so she could throw the tied up bag of vomit out onto the highway. what a team. for those of you that know me you know that this is an accomplishment for me who has an irrational fear of vomit.
i arrived in huacachina. it´s a small oasis surrounded by huge dunes in the desert. it´s a neat idea but is simply a tourist hangout. the hostel has a handful of australians, danes, brits, and a busload of israelis. hung out with a guy from Brown, two royal brits, and a dane. not very memorable but it was nice talking to people after a whole day of nothing.
besides the free weed handed out at the cafe down the street (you just have to ask for chocolate), people come to huacachina for one thing: sand boarding. oh my goodness. they take us in these dune buggies up and down the most impossible dunes and it is far better than any rollercoaster i could imagine going on. then they drop you off at the top of dunes and give you oiled up boards and, while the more hardcore stood on them like snowboards, you go down SO FAST on your stomach. crazy. i had sand in every nook and cranny. it´s not smart to put on sunscreen before something like that.
i liked the dune buggy part the best and would recommend it to anyone if you are ever in peru.
i enjoyed my time but this kind of hostel is bearable for one night only. i´m going north to huaraz to the cordillera blanca mountain range. brian, i think its something you would like.
love to all.
i sat next to a mother and her little girl in the very back row. i was at the window. the little girl got sick--twice--and god bless her mother who was so adept at getting the plastic bag out of her pocket and around the girl´s mouth before any catastrophe could occur. i was in charge of opening the window so she could throw the tied up bag of vomit out onto the highway. what a team. for those of you that know me you know that this is an accomplishment for me who has an irrational fear of vomit.
i arrived in huacachina. it´s a small oasis surrounded by huge dunes in the desert. it´s a neat idea but is simply a tourist hangout. the hostel has a handful of australians, danes, brits, and a busload of israelis. hung out with a guy from Brown, two royal brits, and a dane. not very memorable but it was nice talking to people after a whole day of nothing.
besides the free weed handed out at the cafe down the street (you just have to ask for chocolate), people come to huacachina for one thing: sand boarding. oh my goodness. they take us in these dune buggies up and down the most impossible dunes and it is far better than any rollercoaster i could imagine going on. then they drop you off at the top of dunes and give you oiled up boards and, while the more hardcore stood on them like snowboards, you go down SO FAST on your stomach. crazy. i had sand in every nook and cranny. it´s not smart to put on sunscreen before something like that.
i liked the dune buggy part the best and would recommend it to anyone if you are ever in peru.
i enjoyed my time but this kind of hostel is bearable for one night only. i´m going north to huaraz to the cordillera blanca mountain range. brian, i think its something you would like.
love to all.
speaking with the angel.
by ron sexsmith.
he don´t know how to lie or undermine you
he don´t know how to steal
how to deal or deceive
so leave him alone
set him free
´cause he´s speaking with the angel
speaking with the angel
that only he can see
you say he´s so helpless but what about you
you don´t pull the strings
don´t you know anything
leave him alone
let him be
´cause he´s speaking with the angel
speaking with the angel
that only he can see
would you teach him ´bout heaven
would you show him how to love the earth
would you poison him with prejudice
from the moment of his birth
he, in the name of love, in the blood of the lamb
he that never lays blame
he don´t even know his name
so leave him alone
set him free
´cause he´s speaking with the angel
speaking with the angel
the very one that spoke to you and me
my last night in lima i joined laurie and rik for a gathering at another teacher couple´s house. we enjoyed good food, cerveza and vino and sang songs. i was a bit apprehensive at first as i can´t sing but it really was so delightful. some songs were spanish (silvio the cuban) and others were classics (peter paul and mary, the doors). teaching internationally really doesn´t sound like a bad gig.
he don´t know how to lie or undermine you
he don´t know how to steal
how to deal or deceive
so leave him alone
set him free
´cause he´s speaking with the angel
speaking with the angel
that only he can see
you say he´s so helpless but what about you
you don´t pull the strings
don´t you know anything
leave him alone
let him be
´cause he´s speaking with the angel
speaking with the angel
that only he can see
would you teach him ´bout heaven
would you show him how to love the earth
would you poison him with prejudice
from the moment of his birth
he, in the name of love, in the blood of the lamb
he that never lays blame
he don´t even know his name
so leave him alone
set him free
´cause he´s speaking with the angel
speaking with the angel
the very one that spoke to you and me
my last night in lima i joined laurie and rik for a gathering at another teacher couple´s house. we enjoyed good food, cerveza and vino and sang songs. i was a bit apprehensive at first as i can´t sing but it really was so delightful. some songs were spanish (silvio the cuban) and others were classics (peter paul and mary, the doors). teaching internationally really doesn´t sound like a bad gig.
Friday, May 18, 2007
fotos?
oh, and mama, computers here are not so rapido. so it might take a while to upload fotos.
patience, my little grasshopper.
patience, my little grasshopper.
bikes and skirts.
do not always make a bad match. especially, and ironically, if they are short enough. at least that was my experience in chicago and minneapolis.
however, this skirt is a bit longer so sometimes it got stuck in the brake pads. also, it may be the beginning of summer in the states but to peruvians, it is something to them like mid-november to us. so they looked at me and my skirt and flip-flops like i was crazy. which i guess i am.
that and the fair skin and blonde hair really seem to throw everyone for a loop. i had one man profess his love to me ("te amo! te amo!" he shouted as i biked by on the malecon) and one little girl nearly drove her doll stroller into the street as she was so busy staring at the gringa rubia walking by.
don't they know?: the hair color is fake.
however, this skirt is a bit longer so sometimes it got stuck in the brake pads. also, it may be the beginning of summer in the states but to peruvians, it is something to them like mid-november to us. so they looked at me and my skirt and flip-flops like i was crazy. which i guess i am.
that and the fair skin and blonde hair really seem to throw everyone for a loop. i had one man profess his love to me ("te amo! te amo!" he shouted as i biked by on the malecon) and one little girl nearly drove her doll stroller into the street as she was so busy staring at the gringa rubia walking by.
don't they know?: the hair color is fake.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
lima, peru.
i wish i had photos for ya'll.
my plane rides over were uneventful. i was pleased to have the middle seat open on the 6hr 15 min flight from houston to lima. i was on the aisle and dr. rolando viani was at the window. he is a peruvian pediatrician who does a lot of HIV clinical research and is in town to give lectures at a conference. he was a very kind man who gave me good conversation and great tips about peru.
sr. bolzaro picked me up from the airport with a sign, "emely dryver." he was an older gentlemen who threw me into the spanish-speaking world right away. a lot came back but other times i just had to shake my head with a sheepish smile and say 'si.'
today i wandered around lima, the only blondie for most of the time.
i met tom, nancy and terri. tom and nancy are from tacoma, wa and terri is their friend who works for the farm and agriculture office for the UN in rome. we took a tour through the crazy catacombs at the san franciscan monestary and then went to town on a roasted chicken, gimondor plate of papas fritas, and three large cervezas.
i enjoyed a pisco sour (peru's national drink) sola at the gran hotel boliviar. delicious.
needless to say, after that it was time to go back to hostal iquique and take a rest.
i then hopped in a taxi to miraflores away from centro lima to meet ms. bangs, my former teacher. dinner with her and her husband in their apartment on the malecon overlooking the--gasp--ocean below the cliffs. beautiful.
tomorrow i will bike down south on the malecon and explore mirasflores and bohemian barranco.
my plane rides over were uneventful. i was pleased to have the middle seat open on the 6hr 15 min flight from houston to lima. i was on the aisle and dr. rolando viani was at the window. he is a peruvian pediatrician who does a lot of HIV clinical research and is in town to give lectures at a conference. he was a very kind man who gave me good conversation and great tips about peru.
sr. bolzaro picked me up from the airport with a sign, "emely dryver." he was an older gentlemen who threw me into the spanish-speaking world right away. a lot came back but other times i just had to shake my head with a sheepish smile and say 'si.'
today i wandered around lima, the only blondie for most of the time.
i met tom, nancy and terri. tom and nancy are from tacoma, wa and terri is their friend who works for the farm and agriculture office for the UN in rome. we took a tour through the crazy catacombs at the san franciscan monestary and then went to town on a roasted chicken, gimondor plate of papas fritas, and three large cervezas.
i enjoyed a pisco sour (peru's national drink) sola at the gran hotel boliviar. delicious.
needless to say, after that it was time to go back to hostal iquique and take a rest.
i then hopped in a taxi to miraflores away from centro lima to meet ms. bangs, my former teacher. dinner with her and her husband in their apartment on the malecon overlooking the--gasp--ocean below the cliffs. beautiful.
tomorrow i will bike down south on the malecon and explore mirasflores and bohemian barranco.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
one more night in mn.
i leave tomorrow morning, 10:08 from msp int'l airport and will be in lima 12 hr 20 min later. i will be greeted by sr. barzola who will drive me to hostal iquique for my first night in peru.
i received an email from my high school 'epistemology' teacher (the class was Theory of Knowledge) who is currently teaching at an IB school in Miraflores in lima. she has offered to let me stay a couple of nights at her place. this is quite delightful as i have been meaning to see this teacher since i left st. louis park and also, well, you can't beat a free place to stay.
can't you tell i'm excited?
(me in my amazing sun hat)
additionally, my father flies in ten days later and, who is on his flight but none other than my high school history teacher and her IB history class. ms. page took my senior class to cuba for our senior trip and this class is going to lima and cusco. what a coincidence or, rather, what comical ways God works!
i received an email from my high school 'epistemology' teacher (the class was Theory of Knowledge) who is currently teaching at an IB school in Miraflores in lima. she has offered to let me stay a couple of nights at her place. this is quite delightful as i have been meaning to see this teacher since i left st. louis park and also, well, you can't beat a free place to stay.
can't you tell i'm excited?
(me in my amazing sun hat)
additionally, my father flies in ten days later and, who is on his flight but none other than my high school history teacher and her IB history class. ms. page took my senior class to cuba for our senior trip and this class is going to lima and cusco. what a coincidence or, rather, what comical ways God works!
Saturday, May 5, 2007
My REI adventure
Got an invite to go to Peru from my daughter. Thought it was 'cool' at first, but now figured it's just so I'd pay. Too late to back out, already bought tickets. Oh yeah, about that REI adventure, Peru is a great excuse to buy some great stuff "all for Peru"; clothes, purifiers, bottles, flashlights (which Marcie won't let me try out on our walks), and anything else I can pass off as necessary for the trip.
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