The Real Peru

Cusco was a really beautiful and historic city but overly touristic. Instead I moved into a small town, TikaTika 20 minutes outside the city in the poor country side. I slept on the floor of a school with several other volunteers for a week helping in anyway possible. During the day we would tend the gardens, add straw roof thatching to the new school rooms, clean the facility, or do other various tasks.

Then at 2pm everyday 30-35 children ages 2 to 14 would show up to study, do yoga. or play. Getting to know the kids and being a part of their everyday life was a rewarding experience and let me really see the Peru lifestyle.

I had a memorable Thanksgiving dinner at the school with the other volunteers. A roast guinea pig replaced the turkey and we improvised some yams and pasta. Saturday, my last day there, the kids came at 9am and we organized a day of games for them ending with a chaotic game of capture the flag atop the hill. After we prepared a healthy meal for them all and ate as one big family. It was sad to say bye to them all at the end of the day as they all jumped into my arms one by one to give me a hug. I definately wish I had more time to spend in that magical place where I learned so much, but have to keep moving.

Thanksgiving in Machu Picchu - A strange irony.

A 3AM wake up call November 24 in Aguas Caliente was the perfect way to start my Thanksgiving, unaware it was actually a holiday. I stumbled out into the rainy night and walked the 30 minutes to the Machu Picchu entrance via flashlight. There I met 5 other mates from England and Sweden also dedicated to saving money and being the first ones there. When the first tourist train arrived we furociously stood infront of the gate to guard our place.

At 4:30AM the guard opened the gate and allowed the 6 of us to run across the the bridge while the others were forced to show tickets, giving us a good head start. Nothing like an early morning climb up the side of a mountain in the rain with a ball of coca leaves in your mouth. At the top we were soaked in our own sweat and dying of exhaustion, but the first ones in line to enter the actual park. As the buses started arriving and dumping people off we felt damned proud. A girl from the USA came up with a paper turkey and for the first time I realized it was Thanksgiving.

When the park finally opened at 6AM we received our Wanapicchu tickets and then ran into the park before anyone. I instantly found myself lost in the ancient ruins, masked by early morning mist. With no sense of direction I weaved my way in and out of the labyrinth of ruins eventually getting to the Wanapichu entrance. When it opened at 7AM I joined up with 4 guys from Peru and began the tiresome hour climb up the misty jungle mountain. While relaxing on the ruins at the top the clouds and mist cleared revealing the most spectacular view down into the canyon and Machu Picchu.

Touring the ruins all day was a mystical experience and took me into an ancient world. The irony was, that being Thanksgiving, we celebrate a holiday that essentially signifies the beginning of European conquest and the decline of native culture. Yet there I was exploring the ruins of a great city that once thrived before European conquest. It was a very powerful feeling of sorrow amongst a day of beauty and excitement.

Peace on Lake Titicaca...

Lake Titicaca provided me several much needed days of complete tranquility and peace. The first day sitting with friends on the beach of Copacabana, watching the sunset while eating fresh trout from a food stall, and drinking a beer displaced me from the hectic buses and backpacking. Isla del Sol was a pristine island of ancient Inca terraces and donkeys. Our 3$ a night hostel from the top of the hill gave us a picturesque view over the lake with snow capped mountains in the distance.

 

Hiking from the south to the north of the island across farm land with the lake always in sight was completely relaxing. It left us with a sense of belonging to the culture and the land. On the last day I crossed over to Puno, Peru for a visit to the Floating Islands. Although extremely touristic, the islands were still impressive man made structures. Just floating in the middle of the lake are hundreds of islands made from water reeds, supporting small straw hut villages. A really beautiful place with beautiful people.

Bolivian Desert and Salt Flats

The 4 attempts to obtain a Bolivian Visa and 135$ it cost me was all worth it after just my first 3 days here. I took an epic 3 day jeep trek from San Pedro de Atacama, Chile to Uyuni, Bolivia. We had a great group of 12 representing Poland, Singapore, Switzerland, France, and the USA! During the first day I got serious altitude sickness going from 2000m to over 4000m in just a few hours, but nothing would hold back the beauty the landscape offered.

Day 1 we passed green, blue, and white lagoons full of flamingos. The surrounding desert and mountain back drop made for spectacular views. We also visited sulfur hot springs and geysers. The land was dotted with wild and domestic lamas. The place where we would sleep was out of this world. There was a large red lagoon with white rivers swerving through it. Mountains in the back ground and green algae on the shore with a thin line of blue water. Yellow golden grass fringed the lake and thousands of flamingos filled the waters creating an other worldly atmosphere.

Day 2 we drove long distances across the desert visiting several small desert towns and white lagoons along the way. While driving we went through the middle of dust storms and passed spectacular canyons. During the night we slept in a hostel made entirely of salt on the edge of the desert where we relaxed to some overpriced beers in the middle of nowhere.

Day 3 we visited the salt flats creating a false winter wonderland.. White salt covered the ground as far as the eyes could see on the flat plain. In the middle of the vast expanse of salt was a small desert island covered with massive cacti all in bloom.

At no point during the 3 days could a postcard picture not be taken. It was by far one of the most unique landscapes and amazing experiences of my life with an awesome group of friends.

CHILE

After a long night of freezing in the rain of Santiago and sleeping in the subway I finally got a bus to Arica. There I would really get the Chilean experience while staying with a family near the beach. I spent a lot of my time there trying to get my Bolivian visa, but along with the walks to the embassy everyday was plenty of time for sitting on the beach, watching surfers, and relaxing.

The family I lived with instantly made me feel as if I was part of it. The mother took excellent care of me and kept me well fed and washed my clothes for the first time in months. They gave me a large room to myself while they all moved into 1 room together to make me feel more at home. I tutored the youngest son 11 math and the others English, while in return they taught me Spanish.

I spent the week relaxing and the boys showed me around the city. At night we would wrestle around the house and play games. The last day YoYo took me swimming in the cold pacific surf wearing wet suits. While catching a surf through a cave I got thrashed into the side and sea urchines destroyed me. With adequate amounts of beer we spent most of the night digging spines out of my hands and feet. It took me 3 days before I finally got them all out.

My week was so amazing, it was sad to say goodbye. I have to return in a few weeks and get proper surf lessons from the kids once my foot is fully healed. The entire family is surf champions and run the Magic Surf School. It was an absolutely authentic experience and I feel like I always have a home in Arica, Chile.

Valpariso

Valpariso, Chile was a far over-rated city. The best part had to have been crossing the Andes into Chile through the winding mountain roads. There wasn´t a minute that couldn´t have made the front of a postcard. Valpo is nothing more than piles of brightly colored houses on hills, over looking the Pacific and cargo boats. The highlights here are the excellent sea food and the endless murals of spray paint on the sides of all the buildings. Maybe better luck in Viña del Mar tomorrow before making the long bus trek to Northern Chile for some paragliding and attempt 3 to obtain a visa for Bolivia.

Mendoza!

Mendoza, Argentina was a perfect stop over on the way to Chile. Nothing beats a day riding around wine country on a bicycle in the sun. Starting with shots of absynth at a chocolate factory was the perfect way to begin a day of fun. On the way to the first winery the 5 of us got a proper police motorcycle escort, stopping traffic so we could get to our wine faster. Each winery served out full glasses of wine not the normal sample size so we took our time. A micro-brewery at the end was the perfect way to end the day. Not to mention the entire day of riding through grape and olive fields had snow-capped mountains as the backdrop.