Hi Everyone!
So I know you all have been dripping in anticipation for my photos of Peru. Well, wait no longer! They have arrived! (*Applause*)
There are three albums, starting with Cusco, then Machu Picchu, and then Lake Titicaca. I also want to forewarn you that I believe the photos are out of order (or the order is completely backwards). Something is weird with photobucket.com (the site that I use to upload). Sooo it may be a little hard to follow but you'll get the gist.
It was an amazing trip, of course. But I am definitely glad to be home in Santiago... Home Sweet Home. We are gearing up for Christmas, so please stay tuned for updates about the festivities (especially the cooking baking) as well as photos!
¡Ciao!
Monday, December 19, 2011
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Lake Titicaca: Yes Please!!
Well, hello again!
I can officially announce that Caroline and I survived Peru, the crazy overnight bus rides, the seat-less toilets, and the crazy-high altitudes. We are officially, as of 8AM this morning, in CHILE. Home Sweet Home. Although we LOVED Peru (the food, the people, the landscape, the culture), I, for one, am very excited (and relieved) to be home. Right now, we are spending our last day of vacation lying on the beach in Arica, Chile (just over the border from Peru). It is hot and we are lovin´ it.
But how did the rest of Peru go, you ask? Well, it was a success. Last time we talked, Caroline and I were struggling to digest guinea pig in the countryside. Afterwards, we relaxed in Cusco for a day or two more and actually got to meet up with the Emilys again, who had just finished their four day adventure trek through the Andean jungle up to Machu Picchu. After swapping stories, we said our official last goodbye as the Emilys were flying out of Peru to the States while Caroline and I were taking off for Lake Titicaca, which is where this blog post begins...
Lake Titicaca, located on the border between Peru and Bolivia, has its claim to fame in that it is the highest commercially navigable lake in the world (reference: Wikipedia, por supuesto). To get to Puno, on the coast of Lake Titicaca, is an eight hour journey, more or less, from Cusco. We had heard the scenery on the way was unbelievable, so we elected to take a tour bus, which stops in about five different places along the route. For example, we stopped in a tiny town, which is (supposedly) home to the ¨Sistine Chapel¨ of the Americas. It was impressive but not comparable to the real thing. We also took a pit-stop on the side of the road when we were at over 4000 meters to take pictures. (This was the only point in the trip when I had a headache from the altitude... rough stuff.) Eventually, we arrived in Puno, where we were caught in a terrential downpour of rain. As we were walking to dinner, our shoes were literally filled with water but luckily we found a cute little restaurant with a fire where we took off our shoes. (I`m not sure how they felt about gringas taking off their shoes in their restaurant, but I figured they had seen weirder things, right?) After an amazing bowl of soup, we took shelter in our cheap-as-could-be hotel with a private bathroom and everything. It even had a TV! So, of course, after a hot shower, we watched some House (in English) before going to bed at 9PM. (Don´t judge.)
Yup, 9PM because we were up before 5AM to get ready for our boat tour of Lake Titicaca. Our first stop on our tour? Uros Islands, which are actually man-made floating islands (yes, they float). On these islands live the pre-Inca Uru people. We stopped on one of the islands to walk around, meet some of the natives, and get a little 101-course on the history and culture of the Uru people as well as a How-To in terms of making floating islands. Pretty impressive, I´d say. A little sobering as well... Although these people hunt and farm etc. on their islands, they are almost entirely dependent on tourism. They live and eat by tourists coming to their islands to buy their tapestries, take rides on their reed boats etc. Not to mention many of the tour companies exploit them and don´t give them a fair percentage of what they themselves make. As we traveled through Peru, Caroline and I had numerous conversations about the inequity right before our eyes. Everywhere we went, Peruvians just trying to make their next sell to get by. Of course not all Peruvians are poor and dependent on tourism but so many are. After climbing Machu Picchu, Caroline and I wondered how many Peruvians had ever been to Machu Picchu... Not very many, that´s for sure. Yet they see thousands of tourists come through their country every year, paying the big bucks to see one of the seven wonders of the world while some of them (Peruvians) are barely making ends meet on a few soles each day. Very sobering. It definitely makes you think twice about buying a $4 Starbucks latte, right?
But I´ll digress... after the Uros Islands, we traveled about three hours on the boat to the largest island on Lake Titicaca - Taquile Island. Highest point on the lake at 4050 meters with absolutely breathtaking views of the lake. In 2005, the people of Taquile Island were honored by UNESCO for its textile work and art. Beautiful handwoven alpaca. On the island, we were treated to a wonderful lunch of trout from Lake Titicaca on the patio of Taquileño family. (Again, this family makes most of its living off the tourists who come through every day.) Afterwards, our guide gave us the run down of the island and its people. Very interesting. For instance, the men and women wear specific clothing (such as hats, shawls, and skirts) as a declaration of their marital status. The men wear specific hats to show if they are single or married. And if they are single, wearing their hat to one side or the other declares whether or not they are looking for a woman seriously or just trying to have some fun. (Don´t you think we should export this system to the US? I think it would eliminate a lot of confusion... Haha)
All in all, the tour of Lake Titicaca was a massive success. Once back in Puno on dry land, we packed up our things, ate a quick bite for dinner, and jumped on another overnight bus back to Tacna, while crossing our fingers that it would not be like the first one. Gracias a Dios, it wasn´t. There was at least a bathroom on this bus!!! Major improvement. Eight hours later, we were in Tacna and then a mere two hours later, we were home. After a wonderful Peruvian adventure, we are now headed for the beach for some R&R. I hope you all are enjoying the holidays and spending lots of time with family and friends. I miss you all so much. Please stay tuned for TONS of photos on Monday or Tuesday. :)
Besitos,
Sarita
I can officially announce that Caroline and I survived Peru, the crazy overnight bus rides, the seat-less toilets, and the crazy-high altitudes. We are officially, as of 8AM this morning, in CHILE. Home Sweet Home. Although we LOVED Peru (the food, the people, the landscape, the culture), I, for one, am very excited (and relieved) to be home. Right now, we are spending our last day of vacation lying on the beach in Arica, Chile (just over the border from Peru). It is hot and we are lovin´ it.
But how did the rest of Peru go, you ask? Well, it was a success. Last time we talked, Caroline and I were struggling to digest guinea pig in the countryside. Afterwards, we relaxed in Cusco for a day or two more and actually got to meet up with the Emilys again, who had just finished their four day adventure trek through the Andean jungle up to Machu Picchu. After swapping stories, we said our official last goodbye as the Emilys were flying out of Peru to the States while Caroline and I were taking off for Lake Titicaca, which is where this blog post begins...
Lake Titicaca, located on the border between Peru and Bolivia, has its claim to fame in that it is the highest commercially navigable lake in the world (reference: Wikipedia, por supuesto). To get to Puno, on the coast of Lake Titicaca, is an eight hour journey, more or less, from Cusco. We had heard the scenery on the way was unbelievable, so we elected to take a tour bus, which stops in about five different places along the route. For example, we stopped in a tiny town, which is (supposedly) home to the ¨Sistine Chapel¨ of the Americas. It was impressive but not comparable to the real thing. We also took a pit-stop on the side of the road when we were at over 4000 meters to take pictures. (This was the only point in the trip when I had a headache from the altitude... rough stuff.) Eventually, we arrived in Puno, where we were caught in a terrential downpour of rain. As we were walking to dinner, our shoes were literally filled with water but luckily we found a cute little restaurant with a fire where we took off our shoes. (I`m not sure how they felt about gringas taking off their shoes in their restaurant, but I figured they had seen weirder things, right?) After an amazing bowl of soup, we took shelter in our cheap-as-could-be hotel with a private bathroom and everything. It even had a TV! So, of course, after a hot shower, we watched some House (in English) before going to bed at 9PM. (Don´t judge.)
Yup, 9PM because we were up before 5AM to get ready for our boat tour of Lake Titicaca. Our first stop on our tour? Uros Islands, which are actually man-made floating islands (yes, they float). On these islands live the pre-Inca Uru people. We stopped on one of the islands to walk around, meet some of the natives, and get a little 101-course on the history and culture of the Uru people as well as a How-To in terms of making floating islands. Pretty impressive, I´d say. A little sobering as well... Although these people hunt and farm etc. on their islands, they are almost entirely dependent on tourism. They live and eat by tourists coming to their islands to buy their tapestries, take rides on their reed boats etc. Not to mention many of the tour companies exploit them and don´t give them a fair percentage of what they themselves make. As we traveled through Peru, Caroline and I had numerous conversations about the inequity right before our eyes. Everywhere we went, Peruvians just trying to make their next sell to get by. Of course not all Peruvians are poor and dependent on tourism but so many are. After climbing Machu Picchu, Caroline and I wondered how many Peruvians had ever been to Machu Picchu... Not very many, that´s for sure. Yet they see thousands of tourists come through their country every year, paying the big bucks to see one of the seven wonders of the world while some of them (Peruvians) are barely making ends meet on a few soles each day. Very sobering. It definitely makes you think twice about buying a $4 Starbucks latte, right?
But I´ll digress... after the Uros Islands, we traveled about three hours on the boat to the largest island on Lake Titicaca - Taquile Island. Highest point on the lake at 4050 meters with absolutely breathtaking views of the lake. In 2005, the people of Taquile Island were honored by UNESCO for its textile work and art. Beautiful handwoven alpaca. On the island, we were treated to a wonderful lunch of trout from Lake Titicaca on the patio of Taquileño family. (Again, this family makes most of its living off the tourists who come through every day.) Afterwards, our guide gave us the run down of the island and its people. Very interesting. For instance, the men and women wear specific clothing (such as hats, shawls, and skirts) as a declaration of their marital status. The men wear specific hats to show if they are single or married. And if they are single, wearing their hat to one side or the other declares whether or not they are looking for a woman seriously or just trying to have some fun. (Don´t you think we should export this system to the US? I think it would eliminate a lot of confusion... Haha)
All in all, the tour of Lake Titicaca was a massive success. Once back in Puno on dry land, we packed up our things, ate a quick bite for dinner, and jumped on another overnight bus back to Tacna, while crossing our fingers that it would not be like the first one. Gracias a Dios, it wasn´t. There was at least a bathroom on this bus!!! Major improvement. Eight hours later, we were in Tacna and then a mere two hours later, we were home. After a wonderful Peruvian adventure, we are now headed for the beach for some R&R. I hope you all are enjoying the holidays and spending lots of time with family and friends. I miss you all so much. Please stay tuned for TONS of photos on Monday or Tuesday. :)
Besitos,
Sarita
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
What WON'T Two Gringas Do For Cuy?
Catchy title, eh? Well, you probably don't think so if you, like the majority of the people reading this blog, don't know what "cuy" is. I didn't either when I first ventured to Peru. However, I soon discovered that cuy is the Spanish word for guinea pig, which is quite the delicacy in Peruvian culture. As it turns out, they don't just slice it up and put it on the grill. Oh no, they pop the whole dang thing in the oven and go to work. Thus, when one orders cuy for dinner, they get the entire guinea pig, head and all.
So, of course, like any other crazy, food-aventurer gringa, I had to try it. However, since Cusco is so touristy, most restuarants around the area demand upwards of twenty dollars to try it. Caroline and I weren't willing to take that risk. We wanted cheap and traditional. And that desire led us on a crazy adventure...
We had heard that there were a few tiny towns just outside of Cusco that specialized in certain foods, like bread or cuy for instance. So we busted out our map, got some directions, and hopped on a colectivo. Okay, so what's a colectivo? Well, it's more or less like a bus but crazier. For one, there are way more people, think sardines in a can. Also, there is almost like a doorman, who allows people to get on and off while the driver maneuvers the crazy streets. There is yelling and shouting constantly. Makes for an interesting ride. Our colectivo was cramped, loud, hot, and incredibly cheap - about fifty cents. Anyways, so we get on this colectivo thinking the town we were headed towards, Tipon, with the guinea pig would be just down the road, perhaps twenty minutes. But ohhhh no... we were on that colectivo for at least an hour while constantly asking the other Peruvian passengers how much further until Tipon.
Before we know it, we are out in the middle of the countryside, hoping to find Tipon/guinea pig and not get stranded all at the same time. Eventually we made it. We get off the colectivo and before we can even look around, a typical Peruvian lady starts asking us if we want cuy and how much we were willing to pay. She must have seen us coming... We assume that they don't have gringas coming to town just for fun. They come for one thing and one thing only - guinea pig, of course. Thus, Caroline and I looked at each other and thought what the heck, let's do this. So we followed this little Peruvian woman up the hill to her "restaurant" where we chose to split the ten dollar guinea pig. And split it we did. Not more than fifteen minutes later our guinea pig split right down the middle arrives at our table. (Just wait for the pictures!)
Well, here goes nothing... And we went to work, at first unsure about how to approach the situation... I guess I can probably describe it as eating your freshmen biology (cooked) fetal pig, or at least that's what it kinda looked like with the insides, claws, and head all there on the plate. The texture is comparable to pork I would say. However, the taste... indescribable... interesting... strange... I'm not sure there is a word to describe the flavor. To be quite honest, it really was not an enjoyable experience, more like a fascinating one. Unique, absolutely unique. Do I regret eating guinea pig? No, although it made me think of my pet guinea pig, Cinnamon, I had while we lived in Florida. Would I eat it again? Absolutely not. Unless it was cooked in an entirely different manner and I wasn't able to see the head etc. Maybe guinea pig stew... but "cuy al horno," as it is called, never again.
Although Caroline and I will never eat guinea pig again in that fashion, we did not regret our little Peruvian guinea pig adventure. Now we can say that we ate cuy in Peru. It all adds up to just another Peruvian experience, just another notch in our belts. I will say, however, that Peruvian food on the whole is absolutely delicious. While we have been in Cusco, we have had some AMAZING dishes, like aji de gallina and other specialties. In comparison to Chilean cuisine, Peruvian takes the cake. Flavorful, delicious, and varied. However, cuy does not make it on the list of "Best Of's"...
Never again...
So, of course, like any other crazy, food-aventurer gringa, I had to try it. However, since Cusco is so touristy, most restuarants around the area demand upwards of twenty dollars to try it. Caroline and I weren't willing to take that risk. We wanted cheap and traditional. And that desire led us on a crazy adventure...
We had heard that there were a few tiny towns just outside of Cusco that specialized in certain foods, like bread or cuy for instance. So we busted out our map, got some directions, and hopped on a colectivo. Okay, so what's a colectivo? Well, it's more or less like a bus but crazier. For one, there are way more people, think sardines in a can. Also, there is almost like a doorman, who allows people to get on and off while the driver maneuvers the crazy streets. There is yelling and shouting constantly. Makes for an interesting ride. Our colectivo was cramped, loud, hot, and incredibly cheap - about fifty cents. Anyways, so we get on this colectivo thinking the town we were headed towards, Tipon, with the guinea pig would be just down the road, perhaps twenty minutes. But ohhhh no... we were on that colectivo for at least an hour while constantly asking the other Peruvian passengers how much further until Tipon.
Before we know it, we are out in the middle of the countryside, hoping to find Tipon/guinea pig and not get stranded all at the same time. Eventually we made it. We get off the colectivo and before we can even look around, a typical Peruvian lady starts asking us if we want cuy and how much we were willing to pay. She must have seen us coming... We assume that they don't have gringas coming to town just for fun. They come for one thing and one thing only - guinea pig, of course. Thus, Caroline and I looked at each other and thought what the heck, let's do this. So we followed this little Peruvian woman up the hill to her "restaurant" where we chose to split the ten dollar guinea pig. And split it we did. Not more than fifteen minutes later our guinea pig split right down the middle arrives at our table. (Just wait for the pictures!)
Well, here goes nothing... And we went to work, at first unsure about how to approach the situation... I guess I can probably describe it as eating your freshmen biology (cooked) fetal pig, or at least that's what it kinda looked like with the insides, claws, and head all there on the plate. The texture is comparable to pork I would say. However, the taste... indescribable... interesting... strange... I'm not sure there is a word to describe the flavor. To be quite honest, it really was not an enjoyable experience, more like a fascinating one. Unique, absolutely unique. Do I regret eating guinea pig? No, although it made me think of my pet guinea pig, Cinnamon, I had while we lived in Florida. Would I eat it again? Absolutely not. Unless it was cooked in an entirely different manner and I wasn't able to see the head etc. Maybe guinea pig stew... but "cuy al horno," as it is called, never again.
Although Caroline and I will never eat guinea pig again in that fashion, we did not regret our little Peruvian guinea pig adventure. Now we can say that we ate cuy in Peru. It all adds up to just another Peruvian experience, just another notch in our belts. I will say, however, that Peruvian food on the whole is absolutely delicious. While we have been in Cusco, we have had some AMAZING dishes, like aji de gallina and other specialties. In comparison to Chilean cuisine, Peruvian takes the cake. Flavorful, delicious, and varied. However, cuy does not make it on the list of "Best Of's"...
Never again...
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Machu Picchu: Can We Talk About It?!
Machu Picchu: One of the seven wonders of the world, the ¨Lost City of the Incas,¨ built in the 1400s approximately 2400 meters above sea level, and absolutely mindblowingly spectacular. Period. End of Story.
Okay, so let´s talk about it...
On Sunday, Caroline and I boarded a bus in order to tour around the Sacred Valley. We visited Pisac as well as Ollantaytambo, which are both small towns in the Valle Sagrado. This little tour was kinda like a stepping stone to Machu Picchu. Not only did we get to visit a really cool Sunday market in Pisac but we also visited multiple Inca ruins in both Pisac and Ollantaytambo. As far as ruins go, let´s just say they were spectacular and with our tour guide, we were able to learn about the history etc. The Incas were incredibly brilliant in the way they constructed their cities, religious temples, etc. Brilliant is probably an understatement, especially after seeing Machu Picchu. The way they carried HUGE rocks up 1000s of meters is incredible. It makes modern day humans with all our machinery look like wimps. Haha. Anyways, super impressive. The Incas were also quite brilliant with the way they utilized terraces to plant their crops on the sides of these mountains. Furthermore, due to the use of terraces which produce microclimates, the number of species of potatoes and corn for example is insane. Peru, nowadays, has 3000 species of potatoes and over 500 types of corn. Wow. (PS I think those numbers are correct.)
Okay, but I won´t bore you all with random fun facts that I learned on my tour, let´s get to the point: Machu Picchu. We arrived in Aguas Calientes on Sunday night and immediately crashed at our hostel. We did, afterall, have to get up at 5AM to catch one of the first buses up to Machu Picchu. However, waking up at 5AM was NOT a problem. Both Caroline and I were pumped to conquer (haha) Machu Picchu and conquer it we did. Even the bus ride up was spectacular. I have never seen mountains so beautiful in my life, especially with the Andean jungle stretching as far as the eye can see. Anyways, we get up there and meet our tour guide at 630AM and off we went. The first view of the ¨Lost City of the Incas¨ was breathtaking. It was kinda cloudy and rainy but with the clouds and the mist hovering above the mountains, Machu Picchu looked mystical and enchanting. Honestly, I cannot even begin to describe how beautiful Machu Picchu is and I know that my photos (when I upload them) will never do it justice. This place was amazing. Caroline and I couldn´t help but snap photos every five seconds. At one point, we hiked up to a high point overlooking the site just to sit on a rock and marvel over the 15th century Inca city.
Other than tour around the site, learning about the techniques and history of the Inca, Caroline and I also set out to tackle Huayna Picchu (meaning ¨young mountain¨ whereas Machu Picchu means ¨old mountain¨ in Quechua). Machu Picchu is about 2400 meters above sea level and Huayna Picchu is a little over 2700 meters and is almost a straight vertical climb. That vertical climb took us about 45 minutes to an hour and was grueling at times. Needless to say, our calves and thighs as well as our poor knees are definitely feeling the climb this morning. However, it was well worth it. The view of Machu Picchu from Huayna Picchu was spectacular. Yes, at moments we thought that our legs might give out or that we might fall off the mountain, but when we got to the top... none of that mattered. We were on top of the world, overlooking one of the most amazing place in the world. I cannot even begin to explain how I felt. I just couldn´t believe I was actually there. Machu Picchu definitely exceeded my expectations and left me feeling humbled. Humbled? Yeah, humbled. To think that I am so blessed to be able to travel to South America and then go climb one of the seven wonders of the world... I don´t deserve it at all. Saying thank you or acknowledging how much God has blessed me doesn´t seem to do it, ya know? I think seeing something as amazing and stunning as Machu Picchu makes me a little pensive and reflective... about life and all. But I don´t want to bore you with all my ¨deep thoughts¨ and all... Just wanted to say that being at Machu Picchu was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, just like my entire time in Chile and South America has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life as well.
I don´t really know where to go from here... anything I write seems so... inadequate... So I´ll digress...
It´s Tuesday morning and we are back in Cusco, safe and sound. We are still floating on our Machu Picchu high. Today, however, we are just going to take it easy. Give our poor legs and knees a break for once. We´ll spend another day in Cusco then head for Puno, located on Lake Titicaca, the highest commercially navigable lake in the world. Lake Titicaca 3800 meters above sea level and serves as a border for both Peru and Bolivia. Should be a good time.
Sorry if this blog post was lame... Maybe I need a few days to process Machu Picchu and then I´ll come back and write a bit more. Overall, it was incredible, which is also the understatement of the year. If you´ve ever been, then you know what I´m talking about. And if you haven´t, GO. Definitely well worth your time and money. Put it on your bucket list. You won´t regret it.
Anyways, hope you all are doing well and getting into the Christmas spirit. I love and miss you all.
Besitos,
Sarah
Okay, so let´s talk about it...
On Sunday, Caroline and I boarded a bus in order to tour around the Sacred Valley. We visited Pisac as well as Ollantaytambo, which are both small towns in the Valle Sagrado. This little tour was kinda like a stepping stone to Machu Picchu. Not only did we get to visit a really cool Sunday market in Pisac but we also visited multiple Inca ruins in both Pisac and Ollantaytambo. As far as ruins go, let´s just say they were spectacular and with our tour guide, we were able to learn about the history etc. The Incas were incredibly brilliant in the way they constructed their cities, religious temples, etc. Brilliant is probably an understatement, especially after seeing Machu Picchu. The way they carried HUGE rocks up 1000s of meters is incredible. It makes modern day humans with all our machinery look like wimps. Haha. Anyways, super impressive. The Incas were also quite brilliant with the way they utilized terraces to plant their crops on the sides of these mountains. Furthermore, due to the use of terraces which produce microclimates, the number of species of potatoes and corn for example is insane. Peru, nowadays, has 3000 species of potatoes and over 500 types of corn. Wow. (PS I think those numbers are correct.)
Okay, but I won´t bore you all with random fun facts that I learned on my tour, let´s get to the point: Machu Picchu. We arrived in Aguas Calientes on Sunday night and immediately crashed at our hostel. We did, afterall, have to get up at 5AM to catch one of the first buses up to Machu Picchu. However, waking up at 5AM was NOT a problem. Both Caroline and I were pumped to conquer (haha) Machu Picchu and conquer it we did. Even the bus ride up was spectacular. I have never seen mountains so beautiful in my life, especially with the Andean jungle stretching as far as the eye can see. Anyways, we get up there and meet our tour guide at 630AM and off we went. The first view of the ¨Lost City of the Incas¨ was breathtaking. It was kinda cloudy and rainy but with the clouds and the mist hovering above the mountains, Machu Picchu looked mystical and enchanting. Honestly, I cannot even begin to describe how beautiful Machu Picchu is and I know that my photos (when I upload them) will never do it justice. This place was amazing. Caroline and I couldn´t help but snap photos every five seconds. At one point, we hiked up to a high point overlooking the site just to sit on a rock and marvel over the 15th century Inca city.
Other than tour around the site, learning about the techniques and history of the Inca, Caroline and I also set out to tackle Huayna Picchu (meaning ¨young mountain¨ whereas Machu Picchu means ¨old mountain¨ in Quechua). Machu Picchu is about 2400 meters above sea level and Huayna Picchu is a little over 2700 meters and is almost a straight vertical climb. That vertical climb took us about 45 minutes to an hour and was grueling at times. Needless to say, our calves and thighs as well as our poor knees are definitely feeling the climb this morning. However, it was well worth it. The view of Machu Picchu from Huayna Picchu was spectacular. Yes, at moments we thought that our legs might give out or that we might fall off the mountain, but when we got to the top... none of that mattered. We were on top of the world, overlooking one of the most amazing place in the world. I cannot even begin to explain how I felt. I just couldn´t believe I was actually there. Machu Picchu definitely exceeded my expectations and left me feeling humbled. Humbled? Yeah, humbled. To think that I am so blessed to be able to travel to South America and then go climb one of the seven wonders of the world... I don´t deserve it at all. Saying thank you or acknowledging how much God has blessed me doesn´t seem to do it, ya know? I think seeing something as amazing and stunning as Machu Picchu makes me a little pensive and reflective... about life and all. But I don´t want to bore you with all my ¨deep thoughts¨ and all... Just wanted to say that being at Machu Picchu was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, just like my entire time in Chile and South America has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life as well.
I don´t really know where to go from here... anything I write seems so... inadequate... So I´ll digress...
It´s Tuesday morning and we are back in Cusco, safe and sound. We are still floating on our Machu Picchu high. Today, however, we are just going to take it easy. Give our poor legs and knees a break for once. We´ll spend another day in Cusco then head for Puno, located on Lake Titicaca, the highest commercially navigable lake in the world. Lake Titicaca 3800 meters above sea level and serves as a border for both Peru and Bolivia. Should be a good time.
Sorry if this blog post was lame... Maybe I need a few days to process Machu Picchu and then I´ll come back and write a bit more. Overall, it was incredible, which is also the understatement of the year. If you´ve ever been, then you know what I´m talking about. And if you haven´t, GO. Definitely well worth your time and money. Put it on your bucket list. You won´t regret it.
Anyways, hope you all are doing well and getting into the Christmas spirit. I love and miss you all.
Besitos,
Sarah
Friday, December 9, 2011
¡Peru No Es Chile!
¡Hola everyone!
Perhaps ya´ll are shocked that I´m writing you already. Don´t worry, I didn´t intend to but it just so happens that it´s pouring rain right now in Cusco so I thought I would take this opportunity to sit here in the hostel, drinking tea with cocoa leaves and write you all about our adventure thus far. And believe me, it has been an adventure.
Caroline (my travel buddy) and I were up at the crack of dawn on Thursday morning in order to board our flight to Arica, Chile, which is the northern most part of the country. After taking three planes (more or less) to get there, we arrived safe and sound... and a little tired, needless to say. Once in Arica, we had to take a taxi, yes a taxi, across the border into Peru. We got to the bus station in Arica and serveral taxi drivers were eager to take us. So we went with our gut and chose one. In the beginning we were a little sketched out because he asked for our passports. And rule #1 of safe travel is never give your passport to a strange man, or anyone at all. However, we were warned by our friends that this is how is went so we said a little prayer, held our breath, and trusted the guy. It ended up being just fine, in fact, taking a taxi made the border crossing super simple. An hour later, we were in Peru!!
And Peru it was. We were in Tacna, the small town right across the border. Believe it or not, I think we were the only gringas in town, which made us a little uneasy. In fact, the town of Tacna on the whole made us quite frightened. Our first realization that Peru is definitely NOT Chile. However, we bought a bus ticket through a company that ended up being in our Lonely Planet Travel Guide. Gracias a Dios. It was supposedly a straight-shot to Cusco on an overnight bus. Haha. Definitely not. After having a little snack at a pizza joint that also ended up being in our Travel Guide, we ventured to the bus station, where we were surrounded by traditional Peruvians. What do I mean by traditional Peruvians? Well, I am mainly referring to the women, who were wearing twin braids all the way down their backs, colorful skirts and sweaters, with blanket packs on their backs that looked as if they weight fifty pounds. Oh, and to top it all off, they had those flat-brimmed hats that are super stereotypical. By this point we weren´t surprised that we were the only gringas on the bus that didn´t end up being a straight shot at all. In fact, it was about fifteen-sixteen hours. First shock, this bus did not have a bathroom, which led us to ask ourselves, what type of overnight bus doesn´t have bathrooms... uh oh... we were in for an adventure. The bathroom breaks we took every hour to two hours were less than sanitary. I won´t go into details, really, you´ll thank me later. Let´s just say my thighs got a work out for squatting while holding my breath to lessen the stench of urine. Haha. Yes, we were not in Chile anymore. (Of course, no toilet seats, that´s a given.) On the bus, well, that´s another story. Cramped. Loud Peruvian music playing throughout the entire night, which made me thankful for my neon orange ear plugs. As we went higher and higher into the mountains, I felt it becoming more difficult to breath. With altitude sickness, it is essential to stay hydrated, which was near impossible seeing as the bus didn´t have a restroom and the pit stops were less than glorious. So hungry, tired, dehydrated, and freezing cold, we swallowed our pride and stuck it out.
I cannot even begin to describe the joy deep down in my heart when we arrived into Cusco. We were there. Finally. We had arrived. AND none of our stuff got stolen!!! Day 1-2 have to be rated a complete success. An adventure it was. Once in Cusco, we taxied to our hostel, which is in a great location, close to Plaza de Armas and in an old colonial home, making the atmosphere well worth our while. Plus, our friends, Emily and Emily, from our study abroad program are staying here as well! What a relief it was to see familiar faces. After long, long hot showers, Caroline and I headed to a coffee shop near Plaza de Armas where we were able to fulfill our caffeine craving while looking out at the Plaza from a second story balcony. Perfect scenery. Then, we walked around a bit, found a Cocoa shop that sells everything cocoa. I bought chocolates with cocoa in them, not sure if I can bring those back to the States... They might think I´m trying to traffic drugs. This place even had cocoa brownies, which made me think of my mom. (Sorry, Mom, I had to mention you here. Haha. Kidding... Kinda) Anyways, I also paid to pet a three day old llama and take a picture of the llama with three traditional Peruvian women. Well worth the 10 soles I paid. Oh! We also stopped and saw the Inca stone wall with the twelve-sided stone. Famous and super old, of course.
Then it started to thunderstorm so we headed back to the hostel, where I sit now blogging while waiting for the Emilys to wake up from their nap so we can go for dinner together.
All in all, the beginning of our Peruvian adventure started out a little rocky, however now we are completely confident we are going to LOVE Peru. Tomorrow we will be touring around Cusco with the Emilys. Sunday we are going to tour the Sacred Valley and head to Agua Caliente where we will spend the night on Sunday night in order to get up before the sun to head up the mountain to Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu will take up our entire day on Monday. We have plans to climb Huayna Picchu if it´s not raining. Wow. It all seems so surreal. I´ll keep ya´ll updated as much as possible. Of course, pictures will be coming at the end of the trip once we make it back to Santiago safe and sound. Please continue to pray for our safety, good weather, and not to get sick from the altitude or food/water.
Hope you are all doing well in the States, getting ready for Christmas and all.
Besitos,
Sarah
Perhaps ya´ll are shocked that I´m writing you already. Don´t worry, I didn´t intend to but it just so happens that it´s pouring rain right now in Cusco so I thought I would take this opportunity to sit here in the hostel, drinking tea with cocoa leaves and write you all about our adventure thus far. And believe me, it has been an adventure.
Caroline (my travel buddy) and I were up at the crack of dawn on Thursday morning in order to board our flight to Arica, Chile, which is the northern most part of the country. After taking three planes (more or less) to get there, we arrived safe and sound... and a little tired, needless to say. Once in Arica, we had to take a taxi, yes a taxi, across the border into Peru. We got to the bus station in Arica and serveral taxi drivers were eager to take us. So we went with our gut and chose one. In the beginning we were a little sketched out because he asked for our passports. And rule #1 of safe travel is never give your passport to a strange man, or anyone at all. However, we were warned by our friends that this is how is went so we said a little prayer, held our breath, and trusted the guy. It ended up being just fine, in fact, taking a taxi made the border crossing super simple. An hour later, we were in Peru!!
And Peru it was. We were in Tacna, the small town right across the border. Believe it or not, I think we were the only gringas in town, which made us a little uneasy. In fact, the town of Tacna on the whole made us quite frightened. Our first realization that Peru is definitely NOT Chile. However, we bought a bus ticket through a company that ended up being in our Lonely Planet Travel Guide. Gracias a Dios. It was supposedly a straight-shot to Cusco on an overnight bus. Haha. Definitely not. After having a little snack at a pizza joint that also ended up being in our Travel Guide, we ventured to the bus station, where we were surrounded by traditional Peruvians. What do I mean by traditional Peruvians? Well, I am mainly referring to the women, who were wearing twin braids all the way down their backs, colorful skirts and sweaters, with blanket packs on their backs that looked as if they weight fifty pounds. Oh, and to top it all off, they had those flat-brimmed hats that are super stereotypical. By this point we weren´t surprised that we were the only gringas on the bus that didn´t end up being a straight shot at all. In fact, it was about fifteen-sixteen hours. First shock, this bus did not have a bathroom, which led us to ask ourselves, what type of overnight bus doesn´t have bathrooms... uh oh... we were in for an adventure. The bathroom breaks we took every hour to two hours were less than sanitary. I won´t go into details, really, you´ll thank me later. Let´s just say my thighs got a work out for squatting while holding my breath to lessen the stench of urine. Haha. Yes, we were not in Chile anymore. (Of course, no toilet seats, that´s a given.) On the bus, well, that´s another story. Cramped. Loud Peruvian music playing throughout the entire night, which made me thankful for my neon orange ear plugs. As we went higher and higher into the mountains, I felt it becoming more difficult to breath. With altitude sickness, it is essential to stay hydrated, which was near impossible seeing as the bus didn´t have a restroom and the pit stops were less than glorious. So hungry, tired, dehydrated, and freezing cold, we swallowed our pride and stuck it out.
I cannot even begin to describe the joy deep down in my heart when we arrived into Cusco. We were there. Finally. We had arrived. AND none of our stuff got stolen!!! Day 1-2 have to be rated a complete success. An adventure it was. Once in Cusco, we taxied to our hostel, which is in a great location, close to Plaza de Armas and in an old colonial home, making the atmosphere well worth our while. Plus, our friends, Emily and Emily, from our study abroad program are staying here as well! What a relief it was to see familiar faces. After long, long hot showers, Caroline and I headed to a coffee shop near Plaza de Armas where we were able to fulfill our caffeine craving while looking out at the Plaza from a second story balcony. Perfect scenery. Then, we walked around a bit, found a Cocoa shop that sells everything cocoa. I bought chocolates with cocoa in them, not sure if I can bring those back to the States... They might think I´m trying to traffic drugs. This place even had cocoa brownies, which made me think of my mom. (Sorry, Mom, I had to mention you here. Haha. Kidding... Kinda) Anyways, I also paid to pet a three day old llama and take a picture of the llama with three traditional Peruvian women. Well worth the 10 soles I paid. Oh! We also stopped and saw the Inca stone wall with the twelve-sided stone. Famous and super old, of course.
Then it started to thunderstorm so we headed back to the hostel, where I sit now blogging while waiting for the Emilys to wake up from their nap so we can go for dinner together.
All in all, the beginning of our Peruvian adventure started out a little rocky, however now we are completely confident we are going to LOVE Peru. Tomorrow we will be touring around Cusco with the Emilys. Sunday we are going to tour the Sacred Valley and head to Agua Caliente where we will spend the night on Sunday night in order to get up before the sun to head up the mountain to Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu will take up our entire day on Monday. We have plans to climb Huayna Picchu if it´s not raining. Wow. It all seems so surreal. I´ll keep ya´ll updated as much as possible. Of course, pictures will be coming at the end of the trip once we make it back to Santiago safe and sound. Please continue to pray for our safety, good weather, and not to get sick from the altitude or food/water.
Hope you are all doing well in the States, getting ready for Christmas and all.
Besitos,
Sarah
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Chuta: You're Leaving Already?
Well hello there everyone!
I bet you all are wondering what the heck this little world traveler has been up to lately, especially since the last time I wrote you all I was just getting back from vacationing in the desert and in Buenos Aires. Lovely time, might I add. Well, to put your minds at ease, I haven't been up to much. Okay, that's not true. I just haven't traveled anywhere (yet). The reason being? With the end of the semester drawing near, I have been extremely busy doing all those papers, presentations, and projects. Haha. No, but really, I have been busier than usual with school. It is my last semester of college you know so I must go out strong. On the flip side, I've been pretty busy trying to get in as much "face-time" as possible with my "gringa" friends in my program. Although I will be hanging around in South America a while longer, the students in my program will be returning to the States for Christmas. Lucky ducks. Actually, the past few weeks have been quite bittersweet. On the one hand, we have had a blast doing fun things in the city and just having a blast with each other. You know, livin' it up in Santiago, Chile. On the other hand, I know what it's like to leave your study abroad experience behind (friends, a host family you adore, the way of life you have become accustomed to etc). It's absolutely unbearable and heartbreakingly painful. So my heart goes out to everyone going home soon. Then, there's me, watching everyone leave and feeling quite homesick to be brutally honest.
Homesick? You, Sarah? No way! No te creo!
Yup, believe it or not, I'm homesick. Don't get me wrong I love Santiago and I love being here. Definitely don't want to leave, yet. However, knowing that everyone is going home for Christmas and that the friends I became so close to this semester are leaving (me) is hard. Saying goodbye is never fun. It never gets any easier. In fact, I think it gets harder, especially as I become more sentimental in my "old age." Then, there's the subject of Christmas making me homesick. I thought Thanksgiving was hard. It doesn't really seem like Christmas down here. Sure there are Christmas decorations pretty much everywhere but it's 80/90 degrees outside. Weird, right? (I know ya'll in the cold Midwest are thinking, "Tough life, Sarah" but believe me, you'd miss your white Christmas.) I've been trying to get into the Christmas cheer by helping my Chilean family put up their Christmas tree, listening to Mariah Carey and *NYSYC Christmas albums as well as working on my grocery list for the Christmas cookies. I have a lot to look forward to (like going to the beach for Christmas and baking with my host family) and many new cultural experiences to embrace. I keep telling myself it's just one Christmas I'll be "missing" but some days I just want it to snow. Thus, my host sister and I will be making paper snowflakes to take with us to the beach so I can have a "white" Christmas. Cute, right? I am so blessed to be with a Chilean family who loves me. (It's mutual.) And we are going to have a blast. I think my host family is especially stoked to have a "gringa" spending the holidays with them. Or perhaps they are just using me for my insanely great baking abilities. :) What's on the menu so far? Snickerdoodles, gingerbread cookies (at the request of mi mamá), Oreo balls, chocolate Christmas pretzels, and Rolo cookies. Then, I am preparing my Nana's egg casserole and coffee cake for Christmas morning, a tradition of my family back in the States.
Anyways, the past couple weeks have been entertaining to say the least. A few weekends ago my host sisters had a concert for their university that I went to with my host family. My oldest sister studies music and it was her first time directing on her own. Thus, it was a really special event that I was able to share with the family. I'm posting some pictures of the past few weeks as well, included is the concert etc. Similarly, you will find pictures of Cerro San Cristóbal, which is the highest point in Santiago. One morning, my friend Amanda and I were feeling ambitious and ran, yes ran, up the hill. We were definitely feeling it the following day. Oh yes, also you will find pictures of Santiago's cemetery. Cemeteries in Latin America are huge as you will see. They are absolutely gorgeous as well and very interesting to walk through. We mainly ventured to the cemetery in order to see the grave of Salvador Allende, the Chilean president who was overthrown by a military coup on September 11, 1973. Related to that topic was the visit to the Human Rights Museum that just opened two years ago in Santiago. It was definitely sobering but also very informative and interesting. Honestly, I have just been doing the last minute things that I have forgotten to do or haven't had time to do yet in Santiago. Lots of time with the family and friends. Like tonight, when my good friend Emily and I decorated her mamá's Christmas tree, swapped Christmas music, and watched Elf.
Wow, I cannot believe this semester (and my college career) are almost over. Two finals remain. Only three days left in Santiago before everyone leaves and I leave for Peru, which I suppose brings me to my next noteworthy news. I'll be trekking up to Peru, mainly to visit Machu Picchu and tour around the Sacred Valley. Kinda surreal, right? Machu Picchu is the infamous Inca site in Peru that was voted as one of the seven wonders of the world in 2007. It will be absolutely incredible if it doesn't rain the entire time. So we'll be crossing our fingers. Anyways, it is going to be a little bit of an adventure since we really don't have much planned. To our defense, it is kinda hard to plan out the when's and the where's since things like public transportation are a little more "relaxed" than in the US. We are flying up to Arica, Chile near the border and then busing up to Cuzco and Machu Picchu. It's definitely not a quick trip, which is why we are giving ourselves ten days. Oh I might want to mention who we are - my friend Caroline and I, although there will be a bunch of other people we know up there around the same time so we might run into some of our friends.
Well, to be honest I'm about to fall asleep so I better get going but I just wanted to give you all a little update so you knew I was still alive down here in South America. So I'm alive and kicking. Do not worry! And stay tuned for some beautiful pictures of Peru and entertaining blog posts about our little adventure. Then, get excited for some Chilean Christmas action. I hope you all are doing well and getting into the Christmas spirit! I love and miss you all!
Un besito,
¡Ciao!
I bet you all are wondering what the heck this little world traveler has been up to lately, especially since the last time I wrote you all I was just getting back from vacationing in the desert and in Buenos Aires. Lovely time, might I add. Well, to put your minds at ease, I haven't been up to much. Okay, that's not true. I just haven't traveled anywhere (yet). The reason being? With the end of the semester drawing near, I have been extremely busy doing all those papers, presentations, and projects. Haha. No, but really, I have been busier than usual with school. It is my last semester of college you know so I must go out strong. On the flip side, I've been pretty busy trying to get in as much "face-time" as possible with my "gringa" friends in my program. Although I will be hanging around in South America a while longer, the students in my program will be returning to the States for Christmas. Lucky ducks. Actually, the past few weeks have been quite bittersweet. On the one hand, we have had a blast doing fun things in the city and just having a blast with each other. You know, livin' it up in Santiago, Chile. On the other hand, I know what it's like to leave your study abroad experience behind (friends, a host family you adore, the way of life you have become accustomed to etc). It's absolutely unbearable and heartbreakingly painful. So my heart goes out to everyone going home soon. Then, there's me, watching everyone leave and feeling quite homesick to be brutally honest.
Homesick? You, Sarah? No way! No te creo!
Yup, believe it or not, I'm homesick. Don't get me wrong I love Santiago and I love being here. Definitely don't want to leave, yet. However, knowing that everyone is going home for Christmas and that the friends I became so close to this semester are leaving (me) is hard. Saying goodbye is never fun. It never gets any easier. In fact, I think it gets harder, especially as I become more sentimental in my "old age." Then, there's the subject of Christmas making me homesick. I thought Thanksgiving was hard. It doesn't really seem like Christmas down here. Sure there are Christmas decorations pretty much everywhere but it's 80/90 degrees outside. Weird, right? (I know ya'll in the cold Midwest are thinking, "Tough life, Sarah" but believe me, you'd miss your white Christmas.) I've been trying to get into the Christmas cheer by helping my Chilean family put up their Christmas tree, listening to Mariah Carey and *NYSYC Christmas albums as well as working on my grocery list for the Christmas cookies. I have a lot to look forward to (like going to the beach for Christmas and baking with my host family) and many new cultural experiences to embrace. I keep telling myself it's just one Christmas I'll be "missing" but some days I just want it to snow. Thus, my host sister and I will be making paper snowflakes to take with us to the beach so I can have a "white" Christmas. Cute, right? I am so blessed to be with a Chilean family who loves me. (It's mutual.) And we are going to have a blast. I think my host family is especially stoked to have a "gringa" spending the holidays with them. Or perhaps they are just using me for my insanely great baking abilities. :) What's on the menu so far? Snickerdoodles, gingerbread cookies (at the request of mi mamá), Oreo balls, chocolate Christmas pretzels, and Rolo cookies. Then, I am preparing my Nana's egg casserole and coffee cake for Christmas morning, a tradition of my family back in the States.
Anyways, the past couple weeks have been entertaining to say the least. A few weekends ago my host sisters had a concert for their university that I went to with my host family. My oldest sister studies music and it was her first time directing on her own. Thus, it was a really special event that I was able to share with the family. I'm posting some pictures of the past few weeks as well, included is the concert etc. Similarly, you will find pictures of Cerro San Cristóbal, which is the highest point in Santiago. One morning, my friend Amanda and I were feeling ambitious and ran, yes ran, up the hill. We were definitely feeling it the following day. Oh yes, also you will find pictures of Santiago's cemetery. Cemeteries in Latin America are huge as you will see. They are absolutely gorgeous as well and very interesting to walk through. We mainly ventured to the cemetery in order to see the grave of Salvador Allende, the Chilean president who was overthrown by a military coup on September 11, 1973. Related to that topic was the visit to the Human Rights Museum that just opened two years ago in Santiago. It was definitely sobering but also very informative and interesting. Honestly, I have just been doing the last minute things that I have forgotten to do or haven't had time to do yet in Santiago. Lots of time with the family and friends. Like tonight, when my good friend Emily and I decorated her mamá's Christmas tree, swapped Christmas music, and watched Elf.
Wow, I cannot believe this semester (and my college career) are almost over. Two finals remain. Only three days left in Santiago before everyone leaves and I leave for Peru, which I suppose brings me to my next noteworthy news. I'll be trekking up to Peru, mainly to visit Machu Picchu and tour around the Sacred Valley. Kinda surreal, right? Machu Picchu is the infamous Inca site in Peru that was voted as one of the seven wonders of the world in 2007. It will be absolutely incredible if it doesn't rain the entire time. So we'll be crossing our fingers. Anyways, it is going to be a little bit of an adventure since we really don't have much planned. To our defense, it is kinda hard to plan out the when's and the where's since things like public transportation are a little more "relaxed" than in the US. We are flying up to Arica, Chile near the border and then busing up to Cuzco and Machu Picchu. It's definitely not a quick trip, which is why we are giving ourselves ten days. Oh I might want to mention who we are - my friend Caroline and I, although there will be a bunch of other people we know up there around the same time so we might run into some of our friends.
Well, to be honest I'm about to fall asleep so I better get going but I just wanted to give you all a little update so you knew I was still alive down here in South America. So I'm alive and kicking. Do not worry! And stay tuned for some beautiful pictures of Peru and entertaining blog posts about our little adventure. Then, get excited for some Chilean Christmas action. I hope you all are doing well and getting into the Christmas spirit! I love and miss you all!
Un besito,
¡Ciao!
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