Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Copa-Copacabana!
Well I have officially crossed over into Bolivia! The trip was supposed to last until around noon today, but there was some sort of strike on the highway here and I didn't arrive into Copacabana until 7pm! I left Cusco at 10pm last night...horrible bus trip to say the least! Anyways, I'm safe and well and will write again soon when I have more to say!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Colca Pichu Chinchero
I am back in Cusco. Machu Pichu was even more impressive than I had imagined- the photos can never do it justice. It was definitely worth every penny of the US$105 that the trip cost, and was even worth the torturous 6hr van and 1hr train ride each way. I'm not sure if I mentioned that I am also very sick with a cold, and the drastic changes in altitude gave me such a bad sinus headache that I felt like throwing myself out of the van and over a cliff (a bit dramatic, I know, haha). I finally gave in today and went to the pharmacy for antibiotics to clear up what I think is a sinus infection. Oh, and I woke up with a eye infection this morning as well- so add antibiotic eyedrops to that as well.
Only since I've contracted these infections have I actually opened my eyes to the filth that surrounds me. For starters are of course the public buses or colectivo cars. Just today, I was crammed into a 15 seater van that eventually filled up to 30 people. Many of which were visibly ill with colds as evidenced by the secretions on their faces and hands, the sneezing, and of course the coughing. After the van, I took a ¨taxi¨, the back seat of which I had to share with 3 other people- none of which small children. I then took note today of how common it is to pass a man or child in the street peeing against a wall or squatting in the middle of the sidewalk like it ain't no thang. Oh, and I used my first squatter toilet in South America, reminiscent of Asia. And another thing, very few of the bathrooms seem to be equipped with toilet paper, let alone soap, and sometimes even running water. After purchasing the antibiotics I also bought myself some hand santitizer, although this won't protect me from the food vendors that don't wash their hands before preparing food.
On a more positive note, I really have been enjoying Peru. The people are really friendly for the most part, although it is a much more reserved culture than in Colombia (which I miss). The country is spectacular- the Andes are breathtaking and the scenery changes dramatically from place to place. I was really surprised travelling along the coast and around Arequipa and Lima- I hadn't imagined it to be such a dry, vast desert- essentially just rock and sand dunes for as far as the eye can see.
The villages that I visited today were especially interesting- both located in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, and both traditional Andean villages, however tainted by tourism. The first was called Ollataytambo, which is where I spent the night recovering after Machu Pichu. This village, like all Andean villages I imagine, is located in a valley with mountains surrounding it. Only these mountains happen to have Inca ruins built into the sides of them- on impossibly steep slopes. The ruins are clearly visible from the town, and I can't imagine how magical it would be to live in such a place and to enjoy those spectacular views everyday.
The second village that I visited was Chinchero- also in a beautiful setting. The highlight of visiting Chinchero was the Sunday market that I was lucky enough to see. The traditional clothing of the Indigenous people alone was intriguing enough, but to see all the textiles and artesania being sold was also interesting. Before heading back to Cusco I had myself a coca tea for the altitude and for my cold, spiked with limejuice which I was assured would help to cure me. Coca leaves are commonly used here for teas and are also chewed to aid with the altitude as well as to supress hunger and provide energy. It must work somehow because it's incredible to see the loads some of the woman carry to and from the markets- many of which appear to be quite elderly and debilitated.
And now to back track a bit and provide some details of the Colca Canyon. As I mentioned, I set off on an unguided tour of the canyon with a friend from Spain who I met in Ecuador. We took the bus 6 hours to the head of the trail into the canyon. The first view of it was breath-taking and we were lucky enough to see a condor soaring above before we descended into the canyon. The descent took about 3 hours and it was rough going because it was quite steep and the trail littered with loose gravel. My hiking shoes were also all of a sudden too small for my feet(?) and it killed going down. For once hiking uphill was easier than down.
After reaching the bottom we crossed a river via a foot bridge and began the ascent through the village of San Miguel onto the village of Malata. Here we stayed at the hospedaje of a local couple, who were excellent hosts. They had a little museum set up that the husband guided us through- showing us the processes they use to make flour, how they store their crops of corn, what kind of offerings they give to the Pachamama (mother earth), etc. The wife cooked us up nice dinner and we went to bed early for lack of anything else to do in the village.
The next day, Kike wanted to continue on uphill to some waterfalls and on to another village, but I didn't have it in me (I was already sick then). We parted ways and I went on to Llahuar, which is a place with naturally heated pools to soak in. I got there ready to relax in the pools,but they were all drained for maintanence! On I went back down to the bottom of the canyon, crossing the river again before beginning the ascent back up out of the canyon. The trail I needed to follow was visible from the opposite side of the canyon, but somehow I still managed to go almost an hour up the wrong trail. When I finally realized my mistake, the sun was beating down heavily and there was no shade to be found anywhere. In order to prevent another burn, I changed into jeans from shorts and draped a scarf around my shoulders, applying more sunscreen every hour. Knowing I still had a good 4 hours uphill ahead of me, I started to feel a bit panicky; looking around me at the enormity of the canyon I felt so small and insignificant. I knew I would make it up alright without getting lost, but the work that was ahead of me was intimidating.
I eventually passed a couple with a guide on their descent into the canyon, and they assured me that all I had left was about an hour and a half. It was brutally exhausting but I eventually made it as it was cooling off- I arrived in Cabanaconde around 5pm, after hiking the canyon since 8am. There I spent the night for 10 soles (approx. $4.00)- it was money well spent. If nothing else I can say that I have been having many interesting adventures on this trip!
Tonight I leave on another night bus for Copacabana, Bolivia which is located on Lake Titicaca.
Only since I've contracted these infections have I actually opened my eyes to the filth that surrounds me. For starters are of course the public buses or colectivo cars. Just today, I was crammed into a 15 seater van that eventually filled up to 30 people. Many of which were visibly ill with colds as evidenced by the secretions on their faces and hands, the sneezing, and of course the coughing. After the van, I took a ¨taxi¨, the back seat of which I had to share with 3 other people- none of which small children. I then took note today of how common it is to pass a man or child in the street peeing against a wall or squatting in the middle of the sidewalk like it ain't no thang. Oh, and I used my first squatter toilet in South America, reminiscent of Asia. And another thing, very few of the bathrooms seem to be equipped with toilet paper, let alone soap, and sometimes even running water. After purchasing the antibiotics I also bought myself some hand santitizer, although this won't protect me from the food vendors that don't wash their hands before preparing food.
On a more positive note, I really have been enjoying Peru. The people are really friendly for the most part, although it is a much more reserved culture than in Colombia (which I miss). The country is spectacular- the Andes are breathtaking and the scenery changes dramatically from place to place. I was really surprised travelling along the coast and around Arequipa and Lima- I hadn't imagined it to be such a dry, vast desert- essentially just rock and sand dunes for as far as the eye can see.
The villages that I visited today were especially interesting- both located in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, and both traditional Andean villages, however tainted by tourism. The first was called Ollataytambo, which is where I spent the night recovering after Machu Pichu. This village, like all Andean villages I imagine, is located in a valley with mountains surrounding it. Only these mountains happen to have Inca ruins built into the sides of them- on impossibly steep slopes. The ruins are clearly visible from the town, and I can't imagine how magical it would be to live in such a place and to enjoy those spectacular views everyday.
The second village that I visited was Chinchero- also in a beautiful setting. The highlight of visiting Chinchero was the Sunday market that I was lucky enough to see. The traditional clothing of the Indigenous people alone was intriguing enough, but to see all the textiles and artesania being sold was also interesting. Before heading back to Cusco I had myself a coca tea for the altitude and for my cold, spiked with limejuice which I was assured would help to cure me. Coca leaves are commonly used here for teas and are also chewed to aid with the altitude as well as to supress hunger and provide energy. It must work somehow because it's incredible to see the loads some of the woman carry to and from the markets- many of which appear to be quite elderly and debilitated.
And now to back track a bit and provide some details of the Colca Canyon. As I mentioned, I set off on an unguided tour of the canyon with a friend from Spain who I met in Ecuador. We took the bus 6 hours to the head of the trail into the canyon. The first view of it was breath-taking and we were lucky enough to see a condor soaring above before we descended into the canyon. The descent took about 3 hours and it was rough going because it was quite steep and the trail littered with loose gravel. My hiking shoes were also all of a sudden too small for my feet(?) and it killed going down. For once hiking uphill was easier than down.
After reaching the bottom we crossed a river via a foot bridge and began the ascent through the village of San Miguel onto the village of Malata. Here we stayed at the hospedaje of a local couple, who were excellent hosts. They had a little museum set up that the husband guided us through- showing us the processes they use to make flour, how they store their crops of corn, what kind of offerings they give to the Pachamama (mother earth), etc. The wife cooked us up nice dinner and we went to bed early for lack of anything else to do in the village.
The next day, Kike wanted to continue on uphill to some waterfalls and on to another village, but I didn't have it in me (I was already sick then). We parted ways and I went on to Llahuar, which is a place with naturally heated pools to soak in. I got there ready to relax in the pools,but they were all drained for maintanence! On I went back down to the bottom of the canyon, crossing the river again before beginning the ascent back up out of the canyon. The trail I needed to follow was visible from the opposite side of the canyon, but somehow I still managed to go almost an hour up the wrong trail. When I finally realized my mistake, the sun was beating down heavily and there was no shade to be found anywhere. In order to prevent another burn, I changed into jeans from shorts and draped a scarf around my shoulders, applying more sunscreen every hour. Knowing I still had a good 4 hours uphill ahead of me, I started to feel a bit panicky; looking around me at the enormity of the canyon I felt so small and insignificant. I knew I would make it up alright without getting lost, but the work that was ahead of me was intimidating.
I eventually passed a couple with a guide on their descent into the canyon, and they assured me that all I had left was about an hour and a half. It was brutally exhausting but I eventually made it as it was cooling off- I arrived in Cabanaconde around 5pm, after hiking the canyon since 8am. There I spent the night for 10 soles (approx. $4.00)- it was money well spent. If nothing else I can say that I have been having many interesting adventures on this trip!
Tonight I leave on another night bus for Copacabana, Bolivia which is located on Lake Titicaca.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Backed out on Machu Piccu
Well not exactly, haha. I had been planning on doing one of the many treks offered by one of the hundreds of tour agencies here in Cusco. After deciding long ago that the Lares trek, which visits many traditional villages along the way to the ruins, was the one I wanted, I began asking around yesterday. However, I was sadly informed that this is a poor time of year (lots of rain) for this trek, and that were no groups scheduled to go out. Aside from this, it's f$%king freezing here, especially at night, and the thought of sleeping in a tent kills me. So I have booked a van tour to the ruins, which has you spend one night in Aguas Calientes and then hike up to the ruins at 430am. Although it's not what I had wanted, I have decided that I will have the driver drop me off on the way back in one of the small towns near Cusco where I will look to stay with a local family. This way I can reconcile with myself not doing the Lares trek! I'm off right away!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Conquered Colca Canyon!!
Just a quick note that I have arrived to the village at the top of the Colca Canyon safely. I am BEAT though and my back is so sore I can hardly sit here and write- I will have the details soon!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Colca Canyon
Just a quickie to say that I'm off tomorrow to the Colca Canyon on a 3 day hike. I'm going with a Spanish guy named Kike who I keep running into in random places (like the tour office this morning). The overnight bus was deluxe and I slept like a baby. Am looking forward to my $3.50 bed tonight though.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Lovely Lima
So I had the priviledge of arriving into Lima at 4 am this morning. Luckily the people at Loki Hostel are amazing and let me sleep on the couch in the TV room until morning when I could get my Visa card from the office. Cash advance was successful!!! I am officially back on track, however I'm not quite sure what I'm running on. I saved my sleeping pill for tonight because I ended up on a semi-shady bus and wanted to have my wits about me, just in case. I witnessed someone get violently arrested outside the bus station before I boarded, and the bus just wasn't the nicest. All went well though (aside from maybe dozing a total of 2 hours). I leave on the 5pm bus tonight for Arequipa (15 hours). The hostel booked me a ticket with a much better company so I hope to sleep tonight.
I wandered around a few hours through Lima today, in the swankier, newer area of Miraflores. I then hopped a bus down to the historic centre just in time to see the ¨changing of the guards¨at noon. I wandered around some more, stretching my legs after all the buses. Lima is hotter than I expected, and although I again applied factor 30 sunscreen, I feel I may have gotten a bit of colour again. It's as though I'm taking malaria pills again and I'm photosensitive- I can't understand why I keep getting burned. And it was cloudy all day as well. I suppose I shouldn't complain about the heat and sun though...
I wandered around a few hours through Lima today, in the swankier, newer area of Miraflores. I then hopped a bus down to the historic centre just in time to see the ¨changing of the guards¨at noon. I wandered around some more, stretching my legs after all the buses. Lima is hotter than I expected, and although I again applied factor 30 sunscreen, I feel I may have gotten a bit of colour again. It's as though I'm taking malaria pills again and I'm photosensitive- I can't understand why I keep getting burned. And it was cloudy all day as well. I suppose I shouldn't complain about the heat and sun though...
Friday, March 20, 2009
Super Transient
All right. So I left Ecuador Wednesday evening. Somehow got chatting with this Chilean guy who is a mountain guide in San Pedro de Atacama named Felipe who was on his way back from a big climb in Ecuador. He decides to change his bus itinerary a bit to ride with me a longer to Lima because we're both bored of travelling alone and are getting along well. We get off in Piura and catch another 3 hour bus to Chiclayo because there isn't anything leaving for Lima until the afternoon. Once in Chiclayo we have to take another bus to Trujillo (3 more hours). Since we were passing through anyways, we decide to check out the beach and the ruins of Chan Chan (a huge sandstone village in it's day). Felipe then convinces me to take a bus a little out of the way to pass through Huaraz and the Cordillera Blanca, which happens to be known as one of the world's most beautiful mountain ranges. All he wants to do is see it, as he doesn't have time to hike the area. So back on the night bus another 11 hours. This time with the aid of a sleeping pill, the night passes quickly and comfortably and we awake in time to see the sunrise over the snow-capped mountains! Breath-taking...
This morning I said good-bye to my new friend Felipe and he invited me to come hiking for free in Chile if I ever pass through there. I spent the day on a less than impressive laguna tour in the area of Huaraz- not because the laguna and the mountains aren't spectacular but because it was too much of cheesy organized-package tour and it involved way too many more hours in the bus. We also passed over a sort of memorial site of a town that existed prior to 1970 but was completely wiped out by an earthquake in 1970. Apparently 25, 000 people perished and the town that once was lies buried under 7 feet of stone and earth. They say the earthquake took 2 minutes to wipe out 2 towns and the debris travelled at a speed of 400km/hr. Apparently some Japanese tourists caught it on film.
I have another bus ticket for tonight to Lima to pick up my Visa card which the hostel has informed me is there and locked away safely. This will be the third night in a row sleeping on a bus. A nice guy from Hungary that I met on the tour today let me use the shower in his hotel. Thankfully Felipe also left me with an extra sleeping pill for the bus tonight. (I know what some of you are thinking- oh great, she's showering in random hotels and taking drugs from strangers on buses- it doesn't sound too good. But I was in the pharmacy and took the pills from the package and I have used this kind before. About the shower- I just couldn't go 4 days without one...)
This morning I said good-bye to my new friend Felipe and he invited me to come hiking for free in Chile if I ever pass through there. I spent the day on a less than impressive laguna tour in the area of Huaraz- not because the laguna and the mountains aren't spectacular but because it was too much of cheesy organized-package tour and it involved way too many more hours in the bus. We also passed over a sort of memorial site of a town that existed prior to 1970 but was completely wiped out by an earthquake in 1970. Apparently 25, 000 people perished and the town that once was lies buried under 7 feet of stone and earth. They say the earthquake took 2 minutes to wipe out 2 towns and the debris travelled at a speed of 400km/hr. Apparently some Japanese tourists caught it on film.
I have another bus ticket for tonight to Lima to pick up my Visa card which the hostel has informed me is there and locked away safely. This will be the third night in a row sleeping on a bus. A nice guy from Hungary that I met on the tour today let me use the shower in his hotel. Thankfully Felipe also left me with an extra sleeping pill for the bus tonight. (I know what some of you are thinking- oh great, she's showering in random hotels and taking drugs from strangers on buses- it doesn't sound too good. But I was in the pharmacy and took the pills from the package and I have used this kind before. About the shower- I just couldn't go 4 days without one...)
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Passport- Check!
So I have received the temporary passport. I leave on the night bus to Piura, Peru tonight at 7:20 and hope to catch another bus from there into Lima in the morning. I think things are looking up and I will arrive there without a hitch!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Moving Along...
A quickie here to say that I plan to leave Ecuador tomorrow evening on a lengthy journey to Lima, Peru. I am told that my passport will be ready for pick-up tomorrow at noon. I have made arrangements for my Visa to be sent to a hostel in Lima. I am hoping for my luck to turn around and that things will go smoothly. I have purchased a small over the shoulder purse with a zipper and flap that I'm hoping with prove more difficult to steal from. Thanks to everyone for their help and concern in dealing with this unfortunate occurence.
Monday, March 16, 2009
New Enemy: The Sun
Back in Guayaquil from Montañitas earlier than expected... No sense in staying in the beach town if you can't be on the beach. Despite travelling in sunny places for the past 4 months and plastering myself with factor 30 sunscreen, I still managed to get painfully burnt from just one day on the beach. Other than that incident, the weekend was a nice getaway from sweaty industrial Guayaquil. Shortly after I arrived, I ran into Kike, a guy from Spain that I had been out with in Baños the night of the robbery. He was there with some people from couchsurfing so we all hung out together there which saved me from having to make friends (which is sometimes tiring, admittedly).
Saturday night was pretty busy in town, and we enjoyed $1.50 caipiriñas made with cheap cane liquor from the street vendors before going to a horrible rowdy ''spring break'' party. The bar even had a pool in it for those trampy girls who like to take off their clothes and prance around half-naked and wet. There were also jello shooter girls up on a ledge feeding the crowd shots. Most of the staff and partiers were tourists. Not my scene. So I made my infamous escape just after 2am- snuck off back to the hostal not to be seen until the next morning. After contemplating for awhile about why I wasn't having a good time at the spring break party even though it seemed as though everyone else was, I remembered that a) I'm 26 yrs old (although by far not nearly the oldest there); b) I would never choose to attend a party like that at home; c) I'm not the hugest fan of American pop music or Reggaeton and d) guys taking off their shirts and dancing around flexing their muscles doesn't excite me much...Cheesy.
So I'm back in Guayaquil with little else to do but sit in the apartment on facebook or MSN, pathetically uploading pictures one by one and hoping someone comes online to chat with, haha... This, and running ten blocks down the street a few times a day to use the only computer with skype on it in order to call the bank, the courier, etc. I also have to admit that I'm tiring of being gawked at while out in public- I am one of the few tourists around and seem to attract attention. My biggest mistake was wearing shorts out last week- after sweating for the first 3 days in jeans I went out with cutoffs (not even short shorts), and found that the locals were unable to stop themselves from staring (not in a perverse way- it's just that I was clearly breaking some unspoken rule). Despite the suffocating heat here, no one wears shorts. I won't make the mistake again. Second reason being that I don't need any more sun on my legs for awhile...
Saturday night was pretty busy in town, and we enjoyed $1.50 caipiriñas made with cheap cane liquor from the street vendors before going to a horrible rowdy ''spring break'' party. The bar even had a pool in it for those trampy girls who like to take off their clothes and prance around half-naked and wet. There were also jello shooter girls up on a ledge feeding the crowd shots. Most of the staff and partiers were tourists. Not my scene. So I made my infamous escape just after 2am- snuck off back to the hostal not to be seen until the next morning. After contemplating for awhile about why I wasn't having a good time at the spring break party even though it seemed as though everyone else was, I remembered that a) I'm 26 yrs old (although by far not nearly the oldest there); b) I would never choose to attend a party like that at home; c) I'm not the hugest fan of American pop music or Reggaeton and d) guys taking off their shirts and dancing around flexing their muscles doesn't excite me much...Cheesy.
So I'm back in Guayaquil with little else to do but sit in the apartment on facebook or MSN, pathetically uploading pictures one by one and hoping someone comes online to chat with, haha... This, and running ten blocks down the street a few times a day to use the only computer with skype on it in order to call the bank, the courier, etc. I also have to admit that I'm tiring of being gawked at while out in public- I am one of the few tourists around and seem to attract attention. My biggest mistake was wearing shorts out last week- after sweating for the first 3 days in jeans I went out with cutoffs (not even short shorts), and found that the locals were unable to stop themselves from staring (not in a perverse way- it's just that I was clearly breaking some unspoken rule). Despite the suffocating heat here, no one wears shorts. I won't make the mistake again. Second reason being that I don't need any more sun on my legs for awhile...
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Killin' Time...
A little more bad news... I was anxiously awaiting the emergency replacement visa that was supposed to be sent to Miguel's apartment Friday (yesterday). Well, it came. I sat outside the building for 3 hours in the sweaty heat, conversing with the characters of the neighborhood- the police officer who guards the building but who also asked me to bring him back a photo of me on the beach so he could tell his friends that I'm his girlfriend, the nice jobless man who watches parked cars for tips, and the friendly neighborhood homeless drunk who wanted to share his wine with me. I finally received the package from DHL courier at 2pm and ran off to activate it and get a cash advance from Visa. I soon realized that the Visa was not set up for cash advances from the ATM, and therefore was virtually useless. It would have only served to make purchases in retail outlets that accept credit cards, which unfortunately does not include restaurants or bus terminals. Which would therefore leave me stranded in Guayaquil slowly starving to death of boredom, heat, and hunger.
Thankfully CIBC has assured me that they can send me another card which will enable me to take out money- they say it should arrive by Tuesday or Wednesday. I have my fingers crossed tightly. This is about the time that I expect my passport to be ready for pick-up if all goes smoothly. Here's hoping, because I sure would like to get on to Peru ASAP.
I have essentially been passing the time in Miguel's apartment alone all day on the computer- which has given me the opportunity to catch up on my facebook addiction. I also had a little retail therapy by buying a new bathing suit with the credit card (I left my other on hanging on line somewhere in Colombia). And I ate the most delicious Chilean empanada ever yesterday afternoon.
Speaking of food- here it is relatively similar to that in Colombia only cheaper. A typical plate might include a lot of bland rice, some beans, some patacones (double deep-fried and smashed plantains), and some sort of meat (always a paper thin cut, even when it's chicken breast!) Needless to say, you have to add a lot of salt and also hope they have a bottle of Aji somewhere (hot sauce, which can only be described as pathetically weak in comparison to Mexico). But really what can you expect for $1-2US a meal? They also serve batidos or fresh fruit juices like in Colombia, which is really good news. I have been cooking breakfast whenever I can- usually buying some fresh papaya, pineapple, and banana for a fruit salad, then whipping up some eggs and having it with a fresh roll from the bakery All this for around $1.00. In Quito I tried a local dish called Guatita which consists of trype (spelling?) in a sauce served with rice, avocado, etc. I could not bring myself to put a second forkful anywhere near my mouth- disgusting! Surprisingly there are also probably as many Chinese food restaurants (Chifas) here as local eateries, but I try to avoid them because I'm sure they are heavy on the MSG and they are a bit pricier.
I am heading to Montanitas today, which is supposed to be a small, super touristy, surfer town on the Pacific coast. I plan to work on my tan there and try to forget about my troubles for a bit...
Thankfully CIBC has assured me that they can send me another card which will enable me to take out money- they say it should arrive by Tuesday or Wednesday. I have my fingers crossed tightly. This is about the time that I expect my passport to be ready for pick-up if all goes smoothly. Here's hoping, because I sure would like to get on to Peru ASAP.
I have essentially been passing the time in Miguel's apartment alone all day on the computer- which has given me the opportunity to catch up on my facebook addiction. I also had a little retail therapy by buying a new bathing suit with the credit card (I left my other on hanging on line somewhere in Colombia). And I ate the most delicious Chilean empanada ever yesterday afternoon.
Speaking of food- here it is relatively similar to that in Colombia only cheaper. A typical plate might include a lot of bland rice, some beans, some patacones (double deep-fried and smashed plantains), and some sort of meat (always a paper thin cut, even when it's chicken breast!) Needless to say, you have to add a lot of salt and also hope they have a bottle of Aji somewhere (hot sauce, which can only be described as pathetically weak in comparison to Mexico). But really what can you expect for $1-2US a meal? They also serve batidos or fresh fruit juices like in Colombia, which is really good news. I have been cooking breakfast whenever I can- usually buying some fresh papaya, pineapple, and banana for a fruit salad, then whipping up some eggs and having it with a fresh roll from the bakery All this for around $1.00. In Quito I tried a local dish called Guatita which consists of trype (spelling?) in a sauce served with rice, avocado, etc. I could not bring myself to put a second forkful anywhere near my mouth- disgusting! Surprisingly there are also probably as many Chinese food restaurants (Chifas) here as local eateries, but I try to avoid them because I'm sure they are heavy on the MSG and they are a bit pricier.
I am heading to Montanitas today, which is supposed to be a small, super touristy, surfer town on the Pacific coast. I plan to work on my tan there and try to forget about my troubles for a bit...
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
The Robbery
Well, I have some really bad news... I went to a bar on Sunday night in Banos with some people that I met on the hiking trip and someone stole my money belt from my purse. In the money belt was my passport, my bank cards, my Visa, 2 memory cards with pictures, $200.00 US and various other things. Big hit it was. I don't really care to go into the details of it all, for example why I would have had all these valuables in the bar with me, but there it is. Bad news. I guess I have been pretty lucky so far though, and at least I didn't have a knife or gun pulled on me or something- there is always something worse happening to someone else somewhere.
I know you will all be feeling people bad for me, but don't- these things happen all the time and I'm trying not to feel sorry for myself or dwell on it.
I am in Guayaquil at the moment- basically a port city with not much to do or see but it houses the Canadian Consulate. Thankfully I have arranged a good host from couchsurfing- Miguel. He picked me up from the bus terminal, took me to get my passport pictures taken, drove me to the embassy today, etc. Some other CSers took me out and showed me around today too and we're going to get together tonight for some beers and guitar-playing. I'll bring the harmonica that I bought in Quito and want to learn how to play.
Hopefully my passport will be ready within a week and Visa is trying to get me a credit card by Friday. I hope to be crossing over into Peru by Wednesday or Thursday of next week.
Unfortunately this has soured my experience of the country a bit, even though I know that this happens all over and probably just as often at home. Also mostly everyone that I have encountered here has been amazing and all the Ecuadorians I tell about the robbery feel absolutely horrible that it happened. A woman working at a bike shop in Banos named Anita even came with me 3 times to talk to the owner of the bar where it happened to see if there wasn't anything more that could be done (eg: get the word out and offer a reward). Hopefully my next post will bear great news!
I know you will all be feeling people bad for me, but don't- these things happen all the time and I'm trying not to feel sorry for myself or dwell on it.
I am in Guayaquil at the moment- basically a port city with not much to do or see but it houses the Canadian Consulate. Thankfully I have arranged a good host from couchsurfing- Miguel. He picked me up from the bus terminal, took me to get my passport pictures taken, drove me to the embassy today, etc. Some other CSers took me out and showed me around today too and we're going to get together tonight for some beers and guitar-playing. I'll bring the harmonica that I bought in Quito and want to learn how to play.
Hopefully my passport will be ready within a week and Visa is trying to get me a credit card by Friday. I hope to be crossing over into Peru by Wednesday or Thursday of next week.
Unfortunately this has soured my experience of the country a bit, even though I know that this happens all over and probably just as often at home. Also mostly everyone that I have encountered here has been amazing and all the Ecuadorians I tell about the robbery feel absolutely horrible that it happened. A woman working at a bike shop in Banos named Anita even came with me 3 times to talk to the owner of the bar where it happened to see if there wasn't anything more that could be done (eg: get the word out and offer a reward). Hopefully my next post will bear great news!
Sunday, March 8, 2009
The Big Rescue
Well I´m back in civilization. Not that I really left it but anyways... I departed Quito with Kate from Boston on Friday for the Andean highlands. We took a bus and then rode in the back of a truck to get to the breathtaking Laguna Quilotoa. From there we checked into a hostel run by a local indigenous Quichua family that cost $8/night including dinner and breakfast (did I mention that Ecuador is even cheaper than Colombia?). After dropping some weight from our backpacks we left to complete the 5 hour hike around the rim of the Laguna (inside of an inactive volcano). The first 2/3 of the hike went smoothly; indescribable scenery all around- the sparkling laguna, patchwork mountainside, etc. After following the top rim of the volcano for approx. 3 hours, the path began to wind down towards the laguna, which was a welcome change to the taxing inclines and fierce winds. After awhile though, we realized that we should not have dropped down from the rim at all. We had long ago lost the path and were descending into bush. Then came the giant ridge that would prove to be impossible to cross. We began to worry abut how difficult it would be to get back up when out of nowhere a local Quichua woman appeared to offer us her ¨guide services¨ After bartering her down from $8 to $5, she led us to a path that we never would have found on our own and was patient as we struggled to keep up behind her. Best $5 I ever spent...
After returning to the hostal, we realized that we had no running water in our room to shower (very smelly we were). But it would have been to cold to get wet anyways. While we waited for supper, we huddled under the 20 pounds of blankets with all our clothes on. With supper finished in 5 minutes or less (we were STARVING), we found ourselves back in the room at 8pm with nothing to do to pass the time until bed. After playing a few rounds of tic tac toe and MASH, we settled in under the blankets to sleep. I woke up around 1am and was unable to fall back asleep the rest of the night as my heart was racing too hard from the altitude.
After breakfast the next day, we hiked back along the crater rim aways to get to the path that would take us through one village and on to another, 5 hours away. The day went quite smoothly and we found ourselves a great hostel in Chugchilan. Being only 1 pm when we arrived, we decided to do some more hiking, mostly to avoid playing tic tac toe again. We started uphill along a road that was to lead us to a cheese factory and then a small cloud forest. An hour and a half later we reached the top of the road, just when the heavy fog began to descend from the other side of the mountain. We were starving by this time and ready for some cheese. Just then we saw the sign through the mist for the cheese factory, which came as a great relief. But after descending down the road past the for over an hour, we cxame to the conclusion that we musthave made a wrong turn somewhere. It was beginning to rain at this point and it was very cold. Again afraid that we may not make it home before dark, we turned around to head back the way we came.
At this point we were thoroughly exhausted and in no shape to run from or defend ourselves from dogs. The choice however was not ours, and when the dog came running behind us barking out of the mist, we picked up sticks and began shouting to intimidate it from infecting us with rabies. It followed at a far distance for quite some time, occasionally closing in a bit. Eventually it backed off and we were safe but completely spent and we still had some was uphill to go before we couild descend back into town. Clearly we made it alive or I would not be posting this, but it was quite the experience!
Today was less exciting, but we did get to ride in the back of a milk truck for an hour to the next town to catch the bus back to Latacunga. From there we had 2 more short bus rides, which brings me to Banos where I now sit typing.
After returning to the hostal, we realized that we had no running water in our room to shower (very smelly we were). But it would have been to cold to get wet anyways. While we waited for supper, we huddled under the 20 pounds of blankets with all our clothes on. With supper finished in 5 minutes or less (we were STARVING), we found ourselves back in the room at 8pm with nothing to do to pass the time until bed. After playing a few rounds of tic tac toe and MASH, we settled in under the blankets to sleep. I woke up around 1am and was unable to fall back asleep the rest of the night as my heart was racing too hard from the altitude.
After breakfast the next day, we hiked back along the crater rim aways to get to the path that would take us through one village and on to another, 5 hours away. The day went quite smoothly and we found ourselves a great hostel in Chugchilan. Being only 1 pm when we arrived, we decided to do some more hiking, mostly to avoid playing tic tac toe again. We started uphill along a road that was to lead us to a cheese factory and then a small cloud forest. An hour and a half later we reached the top of the road, just when the heavy fog began to descend from the other side of the mountain. We were starving by this time and ready for some cheese. Just then we saw the sign through the mist for the cheese factory, which came as a great relief. But after descending down the road past the for over an hour, we cxame to the conclusion that we musthave made a wrong turn somewhere. It was beginning to rain at this point and it was very cold. Again afraid that we may not make it home before dark, we turned around to head back the way we came.
At this point we were thoroughly exhausted and in no shape to run from or defend ourselves from dogs. The choice however was not ours, and when the dog came running behind us barking out of the mist, we picked up sticks and began shouting to intimidate it from infecting us with rabies. It followed at a far distance for quite some time, occasionally closing in a bit. Eventually it backed off and we were safe but completely spent and we still had some was uphill to go before we couild descend back into town. Clearly we made it alive or I would not be posting this, but it was quite the experience!
Today was less exciting, but we did get to ride in the back of a milk truck for an hour to the next town to catch the bus back to Latacunga. From there we had 2 more short bus rides, which brings me to Banos where I now sit typing.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Hostal Characters...
I´m currently still in Quito, getting ready to leave for a place called Latacunga. From here I will be doing what´s called the ¨Quilotoa Loop¨- essentially a three-day hike around a lake. Expect no emails for a few days. I have been hearing that the trek is safe, and I am going with a girl that I met here in the hostal in Quito.
Since my arrival in Quito, I have met some very interesting people, as is common while staying in hostels. Just thought I´d give a couple details on some interesting characters in particular. Firstly is Raul, a tall and lanky guy from Spain. He accompanied Kate and myself to the Teleferiquo cable car yesterday and to an art museum today. He is absolutely hilarious- his mannerisms, accent, and enthusiasm for all things remind me of none other than Borat. He finds everything ¨curious¨, using this word in the same context as anyone else would use the words ¨weird¨or ¨unusual¨. He kept me almost in tears yesterday, especially when he took my challenge to race up a hill at 4200metres elevation and we both almost passed out after about 10 paces.
The second character would be the middle-aged Philipino man who appears to be living here at the hostal. Raul shares a dorm with him and tells me that he has woken up in the middle up the night to alot of grunting and groaning, and for this he feels very uncomfortable. The two of them had an argument last evening about how to best fend of wild dogs while trekking in Ecuador- it got pretty heated.
The third and most ridiculous character would be the other middle-aged man, originally from Poland but now living in Montreal, who also appears to be a long-term resident of the hostal. My first encounter with him was when he told me a story about how Manitobans really do live up to the ¨friendly¨slogan, as he was assisted to fill his empty gas tank on the highway outside Winnipeg. Good enough, normal conversation. He then goes on to talk about his experiences and views about the cocaine in Colombia, and also about how he was very disappointed by an experience he had in Cartagena. He tells us that he was promised ¨fresh college graduates¨by some pimp in the street, but when he arrived to where they were to be had, the girls were cleary no graduates of anything.
Another of his stories involves him going to a club in Bolivia. He says he had been eyeing up a fancy dance-floor in the bar for awhile, wondering why no one was dancing on it. Finally he decided he was going to test it out, only to find himself falling up to his neck in a pool of water after stepping onto the ¨dance-floor¨. What took the cake though was his story about his 2 months in the Galapagos. He claims there is a turtle there that refuses to mate but is the last of it´s species. He tells us that the park hired a ¨woman from Switzerland who arrived to the island with a suitcase to masterbate the turtle¨. The funniest stories I have ever heard from this guy. Did I mention he has the wild disheveled hair of Jack Nicholson and the same sort of facial expressions? Priceless.
Gotta run...
Since my arrival in Quito, I have met some very interesting people, as is common while staying in hostels. Just thought I´d give a couple details on some interesting characters in particular. Firstly is Raul, a tall and lanky guy from Spain. He accompanied Kate and myself to the Teleferiquo cable car yesterday and to an art museum today. He is absolutely hilarious- his mannerisms, accent, and enthusiasm for all things remind me of none other than Borat. He finds everything ¨curious¨, using this word in the same context as anyone else would use the words ¨weird¨or ¨unusual¨. He kept me almost in tears yesterday, especially when he took my challenge to race up a hill at 4200metres elevation and we both almost passed out after about 10 paces.
The second character would be the middle-aged Philipino man who appears to be living here at the hostal. Raul shares a dorm with him and tells me that he has woken up in the middle up the night to alot of grunting and groaning, and for this he feels very uncomfortable. The two of them had an argument last evening about how to best fend of wild dogs while trekking in Ecuador- it got pretty heated.
The third and most ridiculous character would be the other middle-aged man, originally from Poland but now living in Montreal, who also appears to be a long-term resident of the hostal. My first encounter with him was when he told me a story about how Manitobans really do live up to the ¨friendly¨slogan, as he was assisted to fill his empty gas tank on the highway outside Winnipeg. Good enough, normal conversation. He then goes on to talk about his experiences and views about the cocaine in Colombia, and also about how he was very disappointed by an experience he had in Cartagena. He tells us that he was promised ¨fresh college graduates¨by some pimp in the street, but when he arrived to where they were to be had, the girls were cleary no graduates of anything.
Another of his stories involves him going to a club in Bolivia. He says he had been eyeing up a fancy dance-floor in the bar for awhile, wondering why no one was dancing on it. Finally he decided he was going to test it out, only to find himself falling up to his neck in a pool of water after stepping onto the ¨dance-floor¨. What took the cake though was his story about his 2 months in the Galapagos. He claims there is a turtle there that refuses to mate but is the last of it´s species. He tells us that the park hired a ¨woman from Switzerland who arrived to the island with a suitcase to masterbate the turtle¨. The funniest stories I have ever heard from this guy. Did I mention he has the wild disheveled hair of Jack Nicholson and the same sort of facial expressions? Priceless.
Gotta run...
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Quickie
Just a quick note to say that I have safely arrived in Quito after a long and exhausting journey from Colombia. The bus ride to the Ecuadorian border was 15 hours with another 5 hours to follow once inside the country. The border crossing could not have gone any smoother thankfully...
Monday, March 2, 2009
Ecuador-Bound
I have now been in Salento, in the Zona Cafetera, for 2 nights. It´s the perfect place to relax and get ready for the journey to Ecuador. I plan to catch the night bus to the border this evening and cross into Ecuador in the morning. I have heard the line at the border can be horrendous and I´m not tlooking forward to it!
I´m not sure if I mentioned it, but I decided to give Medellin a miss. After the night bus (12 hours) pulled up into Medellin from Cartagena and I saw what a huge, overwhelming, and smoggy city it appeared to be, a had a mild panic moment and decided to get on another bus immediately and head further south to Armenia. 7 hours later, the bus was cruising through Armenia towards the terminal and I again decided it too was far too big a city. Nevertheless, here I am in Salento, 45 mins further, staying at a coffee plantation-turned hostal. I spent 5 hours yesterday hiking throught the Valle de Cocora, clearing my mind and body from the flurry of activity that was the last few weeks on the coast. The temperature here is cooler, the air much cleaner and fresher. I had to fight a bit with the altitude on the hike, but I´m also suffering a bit of a cold as well so I´m sure that didn´t help.
After landing back into town after the hike, I stopped for a piece of street-pizza and ended up chatting away with a local family. The women let me in on a bit of info about local men- that being that most of them have at least 2 women going at once, sometimes more, and that it´s no big secret to anyone. The one woman´s husband was arguing that it was not true, but based on his grin and that he was joking with me to take him away in my backpack, I´m guessing it is. It was hilarious sitting with them at the pizza stand for an hour or so.
So that´s it for now, the next post I write will likely be from Ecuador in a couple of days!
I´m not sure if I mentioned it, but I decided to give Medellin a miss. After the night bus (12 hours) pulled up into Medellin from Cartagena and I saw what a huge, overwhelming, and smoggy city it appeared to be, a had a mild panic moment and decided to get on another bus immediately and head further south to Armenia. 7 hours later, the bus was cruising through Armenia towards the terminal and I again decided it too was far too big a city. Nevertheless, here I am in Salento, 45 mins further, staying at a coffee plantation-turned hostal. I spent 5 hours yesterday hiking throught the Valle de Cocora, clearing my mind and body from the flurry of activity that was the last few weeks on the coast. The temperature here is cooler, the air much cleaner and fresher. I had to fight a bit with the altitude on the hike, but I´m also suffering a bit of a cold as well so I´m sure that didn´t help.
After landing back into town after the hike, I stopped for a piece of street-pizza and ended up chatting away with a local family. The women let me in on a bit of info about local men- that being that most of them have at least 2 women going at once, sometimes more, and that it´s no big secret to anyone. The one woman´s husband was arguing that it was not true, but based on his grin and that he was joking with me to take him away in my backpack, I´m guessing it is. It was hilarious sitting with them at the pizza stand for an hour or so.
So that´s it for now, the next post I write will likely be from Ecuador in a couple of days!
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