Regis Broke Free

My brother asked me, "Is Regis coming along to Southeast Asia with you?"

Regis, anticipating the climb up Roraima, Venezuela.

Alas, I cannot escape the hard truth any longer. I've been putting it out of my mind. 

I am faced with the profound question Nelly Furtado once asked: "Why do all good things come to an end?".

Triumphant at the Summit

Regis has broken free once and for all.

Regis at Angel Falls (Venezuela), the highest waterfall in the world!

As I have said before, he has always been a free spirit. He enjoyed life on the road, and he met a lot of people and saw things many monkeys will only dream of seeing.

Day 2 of the Inca Trail, hitting the highest altitude of the trek.

He was with me as I set off on my own last December, trekked the Inca Trail, and witnessed Machu Picchu.

Going where few monkeys have gone before!

 For every journey, he was there.

Sightseeing in Cusco

At the summit of Pacha Mama, Lake Titticaca

We had our differences, I once or twice I feared that something would come between us for good. But we stuck together through the cold and damp of Peru, and the sweltering humidity of Venezeula.

Marveling over Moray

Swooning over Salineras

I even gave him a traditional Peruvian woolly hat. Because monkeys don't like to be cold.

Overlooking the lake city of Guatape, Colombia. My last photo of Regis. 

 I still have the hat. He left it behind. Just like me.

Reaching Tayrona National Park in Colombia was a turning point for us. I didn't realize it at the time. We had been on the road for a while, both tuckered out. I planned to get some serious R&R while chilling at this remote, tropical paradise. 

Perhaps this was why I failed to notice the change in him. I was too busy with my own plans and feelings. But looking back, it makes sense.

When I think of Tayrona, it is really just the ideal location for a monkey. As a National Park, it is very safe. The white sandy beach and turquoise waters are surrounded by thick jungle, filled with other monkeys. I saw a few of them...maybe it was then, while I was distracted, that he slipped away.

I know he was there when we arrived, and I remember thinking "Tomorrow I will take a photo of Regis on the beach", and brought him along on a hike through the Jungle. Unfortunately, then my camera broke, and I tucked him away in my daypack. Perhaps he saw his rellies frolicking in the treetops, and considered the warm breeze and swinging hammocks that were abundant in that wonderful place. Perhaps then he thought of how we were headed for the snow-capped mountains of Quito, and then, ultimately, the far North: Canada. 

Perhaps he weighed his options, and decided he would like to stay. 

I never saw him again. 

On my last day, as I packed my things, he was nowhere to be found. Nothing else was missing from my pack. I searched frantically through the entire beach site, even enlisting the help of a sympathetic friend. But Regis was gone. 

Eventually I had to face the facts, pack my things, and hike back without him. It felt a bit callous that he never even said goodbye, but I understand. After all, I also felt like I could stay in Tayrona forever. Its that kind of place. It was bound to happen sooner or later, and at least I know he is happy, enjoying the sort of lifestyle that suits monkeys best. 

It will be a bit lonely not to have him along as I travel SE Asia, but the blog will live on bearing the name of this inspiring free spirit. 

Goodbye Regis. Roam free. 

"You're Traveling ALONE?!"

The NUMBER ONE question I am asked when someone discovers that I am going traveling is...

"Are you going with someone, or are you traveling alone?!".

The general population worries that I will be robbed/murdered/raped/trafficked Taken-style when I leave home. Especially as my destinations include developing countries.
It is also a common assumption that solo travelers are friendless wanderers who spend their time in silent contemplation, wishing they had brought a companion to speak with.
This is in fact, not the case. Generally speaking.

I am a woman. I am single. I am an introvert.

I travel solo...and I like it!

I am not superwoman. I am not especially streetwise. I am not particularly out-going.
And I am not going to let fear hold me back!

When I was 19, I packed up and moved to a different country where I knew no one, and I lived there for nearly a year. This came out of the blue in some respects. I was considered "quiet" and some might consider me shy. I had never lived on my own before. I was a homebody. I was not the girl to do the unexpected thing.

But I was driven by a long-standing and passionate desire to see Ireland. An opportunity came up, and I seized it!

I don't remember exactly what I was thinking at that point. The decision surprised even me! I was nervous, but I was excited for the adventure.

By the end of that year I had seen a lot of the area surrounding my home base, and I loved it. The people, the natural beauty, the SHEEP! It was amazing. It was a great exercise in independence, but the fact is that I was probably too immature at that point to undertake such an extreme transplanting and thrive. In some ways my confidence in myself was rattled.
Luckily one of my good friends flew in and we traveled around Ireland together for a month...I'm not sure I would have pushed myself to do that trip if I had been on my own.

To further instill a dread of solo traveling, I did a 10-day guided tour of Scotland, at which I was the only person that came without a friend (or two)! I was also the youngest by a number of years, and I felt a little lost and intimidated.

After that, I told myself that I "couldn't" travel on my own. It wasn't for me.

I wasn't brave enough. I wasn't smart enough.
It was too dangerous. It was too hard. It was too lonely.

For years I wanted to travel SO badly...but I didn't, because I had no one to travel with. My friends were in university, getting married, or in jobs where they couldn't get the time off. I sat around waiting...and waiting...

It took a long time for me to decide to take the plunge and go to South America alone last year, The soundtrack of fears and doubts played in my head over and over. I hated it. And eventually I became driven to prove it wrong. There was no one to go with me? Screw that! I was going alone!

I began reading up on women traveling alone through South America. As it turns out, there are a lot of women traveling alone all over the world! And they are safe! And they love it!

And after nearly 4 months of solo travel through South America, I can now say I have officially joined their number!

So, let's address these doubts, shall we?

The first one...is self-defined. You are as brave as you decide to be. Its up to you whether to let your fears hold you back or not.

The second...well, all I can say, is that if I can make it to South America and back in one piece without meeting a sticky end, pretty much anyone can. That is all. No, but actually, if you are capable of reading a travel guide, then yes, you are smart enough, and smarter than a lot of the other travelers you will meet.

On to other 3 points!

Is it too dangerous?
No! It certainly can be dangerous, but it doesn't have to be dangerous. I learned self-sufficiency, and I learned to be careful, and how to take precautions. But I also learned a lot about the kindness of strangers. There are many, many good people out there. I made mistakes, and time after time there would be wonderful, friendly local people there to help me out. As a woman you may be more vulnerable in some ways, but this also means that others are watching your back for you too.

I was taking the city bus once in a small town in Colombia, looking for a grocery store. I eavesdropped on a local couple with a little girl sitting behind me, and once I was reasonably sure they were nice, normal people, I turned around an asked them if they could recommend a stop for me to get off at that had a grocery store. They promptly took me under their wing, got off with me, showed me where to go, which bus to take to get back to my hostel, and where to catch it.
This was not the only time I was blown away by the simple kindness of strangers. Remember that the average person is not out to get you. Be safe, but don't close yourself off from the world.

Is it too hard?
No! There are many different ways to travel solo, depending on how much time and money you have, as well how much flexibility and independence you want.
I personally have enjoyed volunteering for a while in different countries. This gives me a home base where I can acclimatize to a new culture, learn a little bit about the way people live, meet new friends, give back to a community, and ask people to refer me on what to see and where to go afterwards. Then I can make a plan, set my own pace, and figure it out as I go! The buses, hostels, and tours can be booked along the way.
Others enjoy guided tours with a set itinerary and someone else to worry about the logistics! You just have to show up and meet your fellow adventurers! There are a lot of companies that provide this kind of service, and its a great way to get your feet wet in solo travel. You have a support system to help you with any problems that arise, and you won't have to worry about where to sleep/eat/meet people.

Is it too lonely?
No! If anything, I meet more people when I'm traveling alone! As a decided introvert, sometimes it does take a little extra effort to strike up conversations or tag along on a group activity, such as a hostel pub crawl. However, when you travel alone, you also get to make your own rules about how social you want to be! If you don't want to go out every night, you don't have to! You will not have to figure this out with a travel buddy, and you won't be letting anyone down when you do things your way! On the flip side, if you want to go out with total strangers to swap travel tips and stories, join up with others to go on a daytrip on a whim, or buddy up for a few weeks- you totally can! You are free to meet, talk, hangout, drink, dance, travel, eat, etc. with whomever floats you boat! And you can leave whenever you want, or not! Its totally up to you (and the other person/people you meet...haha).
There are never any shortage of other travelers to be found at hostels, or on tours, or sightseeing. And guess what- many of them are other women traveling alone!
I made some great friends by simply putting myself out there, saying hello, asking where someone is from or where they're going, and just hanging out together.
I made a friend with a girl stuck in front of me in a long line at the airport. I made a friend sitting next to me on the plane. I made a friend swinging in a neighboring hammock. I made a friend when I heard a girl mention she wanted to go to a local market, and I offered to show her the way. I made a friend commenting on their accent (strange but true). I made a friend couchsurfing.
You get my point-- you have literally endless possibilities to make friends when you travel!

Don't get me wrong. Traveling with friends and family is SO much fun, and it is wonderful to be able to share those experiences and memories with someone close to you. But if you, like my past self, put off traveling because you don't have a friend to go with you, I think you might be making a big mistake. Don't wait for an opportunity that is dependent on someone who may or may not appear. Just do it!

Traveling solo can be scary, especially the first time. Its natural to be scared of the unknown. But I think that if you go for it, you will surprise yourself with just how much you enjoy it! It can definitely be safe, simple, and social!

Here's a handy-dandy link to some quick tips for solo female travelers- good to keep in mind!

Edit: And another link that will shoot down any other excuses :-P

First Days in Cusco

Getting ready for my next adventure has me reminiscing about my first days in Cusco last December.

I'm trying to remember what it was like, how I felt, and the things that seemed so strange at first, before I slowly grew accustomed to life in South America. I'm mentally preparing to go through that awkward stage again once I reach Bangkok.

I remember it was very cold when I arrived. There was no central heat in house, which was not uncommon. I would bundle up in my newly-purchased alapaca sweater and wrap myself in my blankets while I typed away on my tablet or studied my Spanish lessons. It didn't help that I couldn't figure out how to get a hot shower for the first week, so I would come out shaking like a leaf and stay shivering for a very long time! (note to newbies: to get hot water out of those electric showerheads, only use the very smallest level of water pressure possible. Also, try not to get electrocuted)

Regis in front of the Catholic cathedral in Plaza de Armas, 

I loved my homestay hosts from the very first. They were an adorable older couple that just loved to have young travelers stay with them. They patiently helped us along with our Spanish, advised us on how much was a reasonable price for taxis, instructed us which buses to take, and fed us delicious food!!! They were a huge highlight of my stay in Cusco, and I highly recommend living with locals while traveling, at least for a portion of the time. I lived in a part of the city I probably would never have seen otherwise, and experienced the day-to-day Cusco from a local perspective. 

L-R: me, my homestay "parents", and my Dutch housemate 

Speedy Gonzales was the little terrier pup that belonged to my hosts. Since they were empty-nesters, Speedy became their fur baby and he was spoiled, but so much fun! It felt very homey and reassuring to have a pet around. He was always happy to see me when I got home :)

I arrived in Cusco at an awkward time, right before New Years. The regular classtimes at my Spanish school were interrupted due to the holidays which delayed the ideal scenario of slipping into a regular routine, and in addition to that there were not many students enrolled. I ended up in individual classes for the first while because no one else was at the beginner level with me. This was nice because it meant I was basically being tutored, but it was also overwhelming.
To have to adjust to a new home, culture, language, and social situation was exhausting and stressful! I had no friends, no family, and nothing familiar at all to turn to. 

When New Years came around, I felt lonely and isolated. I was incredibly relieved when E., a young Peruvian employee at the Spanish school, invited me to join her and her friends for the celebration.

E. and I joining the festivities in Plaza de Armas at New Years

I had only spoken to her over email before I arrived, and a couple times at the school, but I really liked her because she was so friendly and outgoing. Her English is fantastic as well, so I finally had someone to talk to! She ended up not joining her other friends for the night, so we just hung out and talked the night away, danced around the plaza at midnight amidst fireworks and drunken revelry, and then chilled at a local pub and listened to some fantastic live music until the wee hours!
Having a friend made a huge difference to me, and things started to look up.

At the beginning, everything is new and difficult. I took this photo from a cafe off Plaza de Armas, while exploring the city alone and ordering a meal in Spanish for the first time. I was so nervous about the most basic phrases, but with practice it became easier. Navigating transit and city streets by myself was stressful at first as well, but eventually I learned my way around (I made lots of mistakes, and it wasn't the end of the world!), and it felt awesome to be able to show newbies how to get around and where to go. 

I loved randomly experiencing something unexpected. Sometimes it was festivals and dancing in the streets. Sometimes it was a conversation with a local lady. Sometimes it was trying a new food I had never seen before. Every day was something new and exciting. 

I know that my first weeks traveling will be difficult and full of uncomfortable adjustments. A part of me dreads that and wishes I could skip it all together, but the truth is that those first days are when the impressions are the strongest and there is so much potential to see things so clearly...things that fade and become normal over time. I want to try to do better at capturing those moments this time. Hopefully it won't take me 10 months to get around to sharing them with you :) 

The Neglected Blog

Contrary to how things might appear due to this blog's neglect, I did not meet a sticky end traveling through South America on my own. Quite the opposite in fact! I had a great time! However I didn't have much access to a computer in order to post updates, and since I returned home mid-April I've been busy with family stuff, catching up with friends, and getting ready to head back up North for treeplanting season #3! 

This means spare time will be sparse over the next couple of months, and you likely won't get much in the way of writing in the near future! You can however check out my Instagram to see some of my favorite photos and moments from the past several months, and probably some planting photos as well! 

https://instagram.com/jillkc79/

Walking the Equator line at Mitad del Mundo in Quito, Ecuador

Maybe Not Quite 8 Weeks

SO! I´ve been in Santa Elena at Aldeas de Paz for just over a week now! 

I had some reservations right off the bat because the situation was not quite as advertised, ie: the founding director was not here, there were no other volunteers, and things seemed a bit disorganized, but I thought I would give it some time to see how it all worked out. 

Its not that its terrible or that I´ve hated it...but I found myself getting antsy and wondering what I´m really doing here, or if I should be spending my time elsewhere. Without any volunteers I haven´t really been able to meet new people and go exploring, and the NGO admin work I´ve been doing is pretty basic since there are no real programs running at the moment. 

I felt guilty when I thought to myself that I would rather be traveling than sitting around here at a computer, because I had committed my time to the organization and I didn´t want to be flaky and back out. But eventually I realized that I wasn´t meeting the goals I had set out for myself, and I didn´t sell my soul to the organization, so I should just do what was best for me. Its very quiet here and I¨m by myself quite a bit, and that makes me go a little mental sometimes...its not good for me. 

So I´ve decided to only spend a couple weeks here and then hit the road again! 

As soon as I made that decision, I felt so relieved and excited, so I knew it was the right thing! I didn´t realize how much I was dreading plodding through the 8 weeks I had planned on originally until I decided to leave. 

The hard part has been breaking the news to the staff here...I´m terrible with confrontation, and sometimes I´m such a people-pleaser and I don´t want to hurt anyone´s feelings that I end up backpedalling so much from what I mean that I don´t even make sense anymore. 

The two guys here have been very understanding and still want me to get as much out of the experience as I can, so I will be more involved in shadowing the manager this week I still have to hear back from the founding director, which admittedly I´m nervous about.

Meanwhile, I´m in the process of changing my flight so that I will head home from somewhere besides Caracas! Right now I´m contemplating traveling to Colombia to see Medellin and Bogota after I´ve done the two treks here in Venezeula, and then bussing down to Quito in Ecuador and possibly seeing some Amazon jungle! I´m so excited! I´ve heard so many good things about Colombia lately that I kept thinking to myself, "I´m going to have to come back for another trip to S. America", and now I am incredibly stoked to actually get to spend some time in two more countries! 

(I will still have to come back to see Bolivia, Argentina and Brazil though...traveling only makes the to-do list longer and longer!)

This will be significant for me as well, because it will be my first real solo backpacking trip! While I didn´t know anyone in Peru or Venezuela, I wasn´t really backpacking it. When you are volunteering/going to school you are kind of plugged into a specific program and centralized in one place. This time, its just me and my backpack and the open road! Kind of scary, and kind of exciting! I know my poor mother is probably terrified for my life, but everything I´ve heard and read is that these countries are very safe now, even for solo women travelers. 

So, in conclusion, I have approximately 2 more weeks here and then I´m off to see more of this beautiful continent! Wahoo!

How To Deal With An Insect Situation

I think I mentioned earlier that I have a new reptilian roommate named Oliver.
Well, he is pretty quiet and clean and keeps to himself, so we get along just fine. No problems.
As I was resting on my bed for a moment this evening, I happened to glance upwards at the ceiling of my room. I saw a shadowy figure above my head. I shuddered a bit, as I tend to do when I see creepy crawlies, even decent ones like Oliver, but I then I ignored it.
For a while.
Then I looked back.
"Oliver" looked...different. Wait...was that another set of legs?
I squinted for a better look, an icy fear creeping over me.
That was no friendly lizard!
But what WAS it?!
I saw up and tried to examine this terrifying discovery, without disturbing it.
What I saw was quite horrifying.
An insect as long as my hand, with six long spidery legs, far-reaching antennae, and a thick.shelled body that looked like it could use a good crunching, hunkered down among the shadowed rafters.
I struggled to contain the vomit rising in my throat, and was incredibly grateful for the thin but protective gauze of my misquito net. The only thing between me and this monster.

In such situations, here are the steps to follow, if you want to deal with it like an expert such as myself:

1. Stare at the intruding insect for a very long period of time, willing it to die. Make sure your heart is pounding with fear, and every sense is on high alert. This is crucial for the next step as well.

2. Slowly gather your courage and remove yourself from the protection of your misquito net. No sudden movements, since that will probably cause the insect to attack you. Never take your eyes off the enemy.

3. Repeat step 1.

4. Remove all clothing, bedding, etc. from the surrounding area. The fight will likely get a little hectic, and the last thing you want is for the insect to take cover in your covers.

5. Repeat step 1.

6. Find a weapon. A shoe, a broom, whatever you can find that will give you some method of killing the beast, but from a safe distance. Slowly approach the offender.

7. Repeat step 1.

8. Attack! And scream like a total ninny.

9. Assess the effectiveness of your attack. If unsuccessful repeat step 8 until a new result.

10. Ask for a flashlight if your enemy disappears. Check under the bed, in the bed, all around the surrounding area, etc.

If, like me, you are unsuccessful in slaying your enemy, and it disappeared into the unknown to haunt your every waking thought...well, I guess we are both going to lose some sleep.

8 Weeks of Tropical Living

So, what the heck am I doing in Venezuela? 

I stumbled across Foundacion Aldeas de Paz (Peace Villages Foundation) website while googling volunteer opportunities in South America, and it appealed to me because it has an NGO Administration Internship program. Since I've been studying Sociology, I've been trying to figure out a potential career direction within that field, and this seemed like a cool way to explore one aspect. They also offer free Spanish classes, and it's in friggen Venezuela for Pete's sake! That sounded like an adventure to me! 

So far, it's been a pretty neat-o experience, though off to a slow start. As it turns out, the social and political climate is kind of crappy in Venezuela right now, which makes it a sort of unappealing place for potential volunteers. This fact combined with some other drama that occurred in the previous months, means that I have arrived at a time when there are literally no other volunteers here! There are 2 guys on staff that are really nice, but I was expecting there to be a big community here and instead its just the three of us! The founder is not here either, as he is currently working on a project in the Dominican Republic. Since I¨m working in the office, its ok. I´ve been going through our old listings on different volunteer agency websites updating information, and doing some maintenance for the guesthouse. I think I will be able to keep busy, but it can get pretty quiet over here sometimes, especially since its a 2km walk to the town, which is not recommended to do alone. 

So, its not really what I was expecting as far as meeting people, but on the plus side I´m hoping my Spanish will improve! 

Some highlights and memorable moments include:

-the lovely warm weather! No alapca sweaters necessary! 

-beautiful mountains and jungle

-delicious fresh fruit, including mangos from a tree on the grounds, and weird bananas we chopped down and then deep-fried with seasoning salt and garlic....sooo delicious! 

-driving 20 minutes to cross the border into Brazil! We bought things like fresh milk, laundry soap, and chocolate...you literally can't buy these in Venezuela, they are just not available! 

-an abundance of creepy crawlies, including a frog that jumped out of the toilet bowl after I flushed (causing confusion and outright terror/horror), a black moth the size of my hand, a cockroach under the cuttingboard, and my new roommate Oliver, a lizard, who watches over me while I sleep.

-Falling asleep to the sound of crickets and frogs, and waking up to the birds and monkeys. 

-homemade arepas and empanadas...easy to make, and so tasty!

-eating a red ant in a spicy sauce...apparently this is a Venezuelan snack, but I will pass on it next time...

-watching a futbol game in town, and snapping some photos of the Carneval parade

It's been a pretty chill week for me, which has been kind of a nice way to adapt to a new surroundings. Cusco was kind of a warm-up to the real culture shock that comes with Venezuela. Things here are just completely different than at home, so its good that I´ve had time to get used to some of the different things about South America before plunging straight into this crazy place. 

Obviously, one thing to get used to is the completely different concept of time. I simply accept that things will happen approximately an hour after they are scheduled to occur. Sometimes its more like 2 hours. Everything is done at a more leisurely pace, there is no rush. Everything takes a long time. For example, I was supposed to have a planning meeting when I arrived, but since I got there late in the week,  we decided to do it "on Monday". Monday comes, and we plan for 2pm. At 2, it sounds like someone will be late, so we reschedule for 5. At 6pm, I realize its not going to happen, so we reschedule for 8am the next morning. The next morning at 8am, we are eating breakfast, so we finally get around to starting the meeting at 9am, and then one of the guys is distracted by the uneven table leg, so that has to get fixed before we can start...you get the idea. Things get done, but at a verrrry different pace. I´m actually embracing it, though I know its going to be rough when I throw myself back into a treeplanting camp and have to have meals ready on time! haha...

Getting used to the aforementioned creepy-crawlies takes a bit of effort. At least there haven´t been any spiders...yet. 

There are a lot less tourists here in Santa Elena than in Cusco, so being white and speaking English makes me stand out even more than before. While in Peru I stood out as a tourist, here I´m more of a novelty. South American culture is very "macho", so guys tend to catcall and whistle at women a lot, and be very persistent when showing interest in girls. On my first morning here I joined one of the guys on staff to the morning market to do the grocery shopping, and I was quite surprised to find my blue eyes attracted a lot of attention from guys in the village...this is not something I am used to or very comfortable with! I am relieved that I decided to get rid of the platinum blonde hair before traveling. Its going to be an adjustment for me to get used to this part of the culture. 

Things I am looking forward to: 
I am planning on doing two different treks while I´m here, which I´ve heard are really, really good. Details to come (and maybe eventually photos!)
I am also putting some pressure on the guys to do some exploring on the weekends, because I want to see more of the country and get off the property once in a while! We´ll see how it goes :) 

Until next time...

The Long Road to Venezuela

I shouldn't be tired after 4 days of doing practically nothing but sitting on my tush looking out a windows, but As it turns out travel can be kind of exhausting. 

I got up at about 5am on Monday to catch a flight from Cusco to Lima at 7:45am. Unfortunately that flight was delayed, meaning when I arrived in Lima I was basically already late for my connecting flight to Caracas, Venezuela.  

Airports have always been an uncomfortable place for me. They bring out irrational fears, and I have long held a deep-seated phobia of missing a flight. As I stood stranded in a long, twisted queue waiting to go through security and realized I was supposed to be at my boarding gate 15 minutes ago,  I got that sinking feeling...the knowledge that I was going to have to face this fear.

After what felt like hours of waiting in lines, I burst through the last checkpoint. And scanned the departures board. My flight read "last call". I sprinted across the airport to the very farthest gate possible...which was completely deserted. Still hoping against all odds that I might be spared this tragedy, I gasped to the uniformed employee, "Am I too late?"

With a wry smile, he nodded, and my poor little heart stopped. I dropped all my bags and clutched the edge of the desk, probably looking more than a little bit insane. "What do I do now?!" 

Long story short, I was booked for a flight to Bogota, Colombia, for that evening. I spent the night curled up on some chairs beside Dunkin Donuts in the Bogota airport, wrapped in my new alpaca blanket, paranoid about somehow sleeping through the departure announcement. 

That didn't happen, and I departed Colombia in the morning (I'll be back someday for a proper visit!), and arrived in Caracas before noon, where the airport was practically empty and security and immigration was surprisingly quick and relaxed.

I had arranged to be picked up at the airport through a service recommended by the foundation I am staying with. "Peter", a friendly Swiss expat, happily answered all my questions, got me settled at a cute little oceanside hotel outside Caracas (much safer), changed money for me, and told me where I could get some food. The next day, he arranged for me to be picked up by an adorable little Venezuelan man named Luis, who bought my bus ticket and dropped me off at the station. He even bought me my first "arepa", a hot cornbread sandwich that is quite delicious! 

The bus was meant to depart at 3:45pm and run for 22 hours to Santa Elena. At this point, my expectations for timing are no longer to punctual North American standards, so I wasn't completely shocked when we finally rolled out at quarter after 6. 

I was also able to observe with mild amusement a very loud and dramatic argument between a man and woman about who had the Window seat. The woman vehemently insisted it was hers, but later on was kicked out by another man claiming it was rightfully his. Turned out the woman was on the wrong bus.

I was lucky enough to land a seat beside a German woman who has lived in Santa Elena for 30 years...she was the only other person on the bus who spoke English, which was very helpful! 

The big festival of Carneval is coming up this weekend, so a lot of people were taking huge boxes and bags of goods from Caracas to sell in the smaller towns. This meant there were some security checks along the way. At one point the driver came into the cabin and told everyone who had extra goods that they needed to pay off the national guard if they didn't want them to go through all the stuff. Bribery is just normal here! 

At another point we were all made to get off the bus, grab our bags, line up, and wait for the guards to go through all our stuff. They literally shook out every last sock and panty, but when they got to my German "mother" (as we began to joke, because everyone assumed that was the case), they just waved us away. It's the big innocent blue eyes.

At one of the last stops a guard with a huge gun burst onto the bus and demanded our IDs. I think I'm becoming desensitized, because this didn't phase me one bit when a month ago I would have been terrified. 

Honestly, I've been seeing some pretty bizarre stuff here, and hearing some crazy stories, but I haven't felt personally unsafe. 

I finally arrived in Santa Elena in the early evening, approx. 24 hours after departing Caracas. What a trip! 
Now I am happily tucked away at Foundation Aldeas de Paz, enjoying the delightful heat, mouthwatering mangos that drop from the mango tree beside the office, and my adorable little cabana (complete with reptilian roommate). 

I have so much to say, and not quite enough computer access to get it all down fast enough, so until next time...I´ll be swinging in my hammock...I mean, working...

Insomnia Strikes Again

In general I have been sleeping pretty well in Peru, apart from the first week of adjusting to the altitude and a few nights during my Inka Trail Trek. I never sleep past 6am, but I don't usually have trouble falling or staying asleep...until just now! I went to bed around 10pm and now it is just after 2am, and I've been laying wide awake for at least an hour. This makes no sense, because 
1. I haven't had more than 4-5 hours sleep the last two nights due to late nights and early mornings
2. I just expended more energy yesterday than I have since the Inka Trail. 
Since I'm awake anyway I'll tell you about that great adventure! 

There are some pretty nifty Inka ruins and salt mines around Chinchero, a bit of a drive outside Cusco. I have really wanted to see them since I first arrived, but I was really turned off bus tours after my super-touristy/boring city tour bus experience in January. Enter Peru Path, the non-profit tour company that I used for my Inka Trail Trek. These guys are so great at what they do; super knowledgeable about the Inkan history, fun, laid-back, helpful...AND the company supports education in needy local communities! What's not to love? 
I shot off an email to my Inka Trail guide to inquire about whether they had tours to the Moras Moray sites, and received a quick affirmative. Before I knew it, I was getting together a group of students from my Spanish school for an all-day mountain bike tour! 
This is especially funny to those that know that I haven't been on a bike in years, and I'm pretty sure I've never been mountain biking in my life. 
However, I was determined that this was the best way to go because you really get to experience the countryside and it would be a personal challenge. 
I was warned by one of the school staff that it was "difficult", but in my ignorance I thought, "how hard can it really be?". 
Well, for one thing the seat was very hard, as my poor bruised bottom is now telling me!
And yes, it was really, really challenging, and I walked my bike up most of the hills...but at 3,500 meters above sea level, I'm going to blame at least a little bit of the rapid heartbeat and lung combustion on the altitude ;)

The good news is that I really loved the experience, and was inspired to give mountain biking a try back at home. Of the 4 friends that joined me on the tour, all of them had biking experience and admitted it was a tough trail. I didn't quite keep up, but I really pushed myself, and I think all you lovelies at home would be pretty impressed with what I tackled! Some of it was really steep, and pretty technical (again, I walked the worst of it!), but I was especially thrilled with the downhill sections where you are whipping down the hill, dodging rocks, and navigating the twists and turns. It took a lot of concentration and I had a few close calls where I almost wiped out, but in the end I just couldn't wipe the smile off my face! 

The historical sites were very cool, interesting, and I am really glad I visited them, but now I'm convinced mountain biking is the only worthwhile way to get there! Just say no to bus tours! 

Only One Week Left in Peru...

Greetings, friends!
Despite the lack of blog updates, I am in fact still alive! Since I started volunteering after my Inca Trail trek my days have been very full of activity and time to write has been limited, to say the least.
Now I find myself once more at the end of a full and delightful day, with an early start awaiting me tomorrow...so I will keep this brief.

What have I been up to?
Well, I finally completed my Spanish lessons...I clocked approx. 100 hours, though that might be a bit of a stretch if you only count classtime...there were many "field trips" which was usually practicing conversation in a cafe, or browsing a market. Overall, I really enjoyed my classes at Proyecto Peru, and I know I learned a lot! Now I just need to do some studying to solidify what I've learned into my brain! The irregular verbs are the bane of my existence!

As previously mentioned, I've also been volunteering at an orphanage for girls. This was definitely a placement that was outside my comfort zone, but it has been a neat experience. I think it probably deserves a Blog post if it's own, so I won't say too much right now. This week is my last with them...In fact I leave Cusco a week from Tuesday! So crazy how fast time flies!

Last weekend I went with 3 other girls from the school to do a tour of Lake Titticaca, which was really alot of fun! We left late Friday night on a sleeper bus, complete with big comfortable reclining chairs, and arrived in the lakeside town of Puno at about 5am. From there we joined the rest of the tour group and hopped on a boat to visit the Uros' man-made "floating islands" (really incredible!), as well as a much largeer regular sort of island where we climbed some mountains/big hills, dressed in traditional clothing for a fiesta, and lodged with a local family for the night. The next day we visited another island after a bumpy ride on the  choppy early-morning water, climbed another hill, ate fried trout for lunch, and then clambered down over 500 stairs to reach the Harbour to get back on the boat.

It took a couple hours to get back into Puno where we browsed some shops and bummed around in a cafe for a while. At an appropriate hour we visited a delightful restaurant in the Plaza which served me a delicious ceviche (fresh fish marinaded in lime juice, and slathered in some kind of cool, herby sauce...not cooked, btw! I'm getting more adventurous with seafood), and then back to the cafe for hot drinks. I had the opportunity there to Skype my family for the first time since I left at the end of December, which was really nice.

We departed Puno on another night bus, arriving back in Cusco in the week hours of the morning on The Monday.  We tried to sleep once back at home with limited success! That was a rough day for Spanish lessons!

This weekend was much more chill. Yesterday my friend and I slept in after a late (fun) Friday night, and then spent the afternoon haggling in the markets, trying to get some souvenir shopping out of the way. A mouthwatering meal at "Korma Sutra" curry house, and a fruity pisco cocktail at the Pisco Museum with some friends completed the day.

Today we visited some little-known, untouristed ruins about an hours walk from our homestay. It was a gorgeous sunny day, a steep climb, and a refreshing break from the bustling busy city and tourist crowds. Afterwards we made ourselves some lunch (avocados here are just infinity x better than at home....it's not fair), chilled out, and went to the "cine" to watch "unbreakable"...In English, with Spanish subtitles :)

Tomorrow the plan includes volunteering, getting my mullet cut off, (yes, one of the many perils of the pixie cut is growing it out often results in a horrific mullet), doing laundry, and visiting the Inka Museum! Not sure what the rest of the week will hold, but I'm organizing a group to visit some sights in the sacred valley next Saturday! Hopefully I'll have time to put up another post soon!

Adios for now!

Adventura de Domingo

I had big plans to pack in 2 bus tours this weekend...however, after last week's "city tour" I was reminded that in fact I loathe bus tours. The cramming of many tourists into many tiny seats, the herding of many tourists through sites of interest, and the pressuring to purchase overpriced touristy souvenirs is exhausting and actually not very enjoyable. It is a cheap and convenient way to cover a lot of ground in a short time, though. 

After trekking the Inca Trail, beginning my volunteer placement, and a wild and fun birthday last week, I just wasn't up to putting myself through the tourist mill all weekend. 

Instead, Saturday was spent making up for a few hours of Spanish lessons missed while I was away, and then enjoying a delicious lunch with the school secretary and my new friend/roommate from Holland. 
In Cusco (and maybe all of South America, I'm not sure), the waiter will never bring your bill unless you ask for it. This is one of the things I love about South American culture...they are never in a rush (unless they're driving). You can spend hours in a restaurant ( and we did), and you will never feel like they are waiting for you to leave. Lingering and having long conversations over a meal is perfectly acceptable. 

Sunday morning I woke up early and decided to go on an adventure. Rather than tour bus the destination in mind, I was going to self-guide! I roped in my new friend, and did a quick search for some details in my travel book. We walked to a certain street, haggled with a couple drivers, and were soon headed to the little riverside town of Pisac in a 12-passenger "colectivo" minibus (basically a taxi that doesn´t leave til it full). 

I had heard that Pisac is best known for it's Sunday market, but I also knew that there were some Inca ruins too, which I personally find more interesting. Once we arrived we had to haggle again to get a taxi to take us to the ruins. Since only tourists go that way, the taxi drivers try to get away with absolute robbery. For instance, it cost us S/.6 for a 45 minutes drive to Pisac, but the taxi driver wanted S/.25 for a 15 min drive up the hill. We walked away from him three times, but he kept following us and lowering the price and eventually we gave in!
We shared the taxi with a Peruvian couple and their little girl, who was absolutely adorable! She sang us a little song in Spanish as we drove. 

The Pisac ruins were much bigger and more elaborate than I expected! The main entrance area was packed with tourists on bus tours, and we even ran into a couple friends from Proyecto Peru who admitted they felt like they were being rushed from place to place. I tried not to feel smug about my decision to explore on my own.

Apparently there are park wardens that will give information about the sites for free, but we missed out on that. It was okay though because it was fun to just poke around on our own and take photos at our leisure without feeling like we were taking up someone's time, or feeling pressured to move on. 

The ruins were very beautiful! At the entrance you overlook a huge terraced semi-circle built into the mountainside. The Incas used these terraces to grow different types of crops, because the difference in elevation could be quite extreme. For instance, they grew corn and quinoa on the lower levels, and potatoes higher up. 

There were many structures that could've been homes, but there was also a military fortress and a temple. It was like a whole city on these mountains! 

We were able to enjoy all of it because we didn't have to rush back to a bus! After about an hour the tourist hordes dispersed and we followed the trail around the mountain, up some steep stairs (my legs screamed in terror...they remember the Inca Trail all too well), through a tunnel, and emerged on the other side, with even more ruins to enjoy! It was perfectly quiet and peaceful, with only a handful of other visitors around. We had incredibly hot sunny weather, and I was so happy that we had as long as we wanted to take it all in. 

If you follow the trail, it takes you through all the ruins, and then down the mountainside right into the center of Pisac, where the famous marketplace is. We browsed the stalls on our way to lunch. It was typical tourist stuff for the most part...alpaca goods, some little carved musical instruments, and jewellery. Eventually I will have to buy some stuff, but at that time food was priority!

We went to a tourist hot spot called Ulrike's, and enjoyed pumpkin cream soup, chickpea curry with mint chutney, and a slice of lemon cheesecake! Delicioso! 

We caught another colectivo back to Cusco, and I really enjoyed catching a glimpse of non-touristy Peru as we drove. Because it is Sunday many places are closed, and because it was sunny out there were many families outside playing futbol or picnicking in the fields beside the road. 

Cusco is a big, busy, noisy city, so it was really enjoyable to get outside and enjoy the outdoors. I'm really glad I visted Pisac the way I did.

Though I can't lie...I may brave another bus tour to see Lake Titticaca next weekend...

The long awaited update

Hola! 
I'm sorry to have kept you faithful readers in suspense for so long...it's been crazy busy since I last wrote, I literally have not had time to write anything. 

Yesterday (my birthday!) I got a few unexpected hours off in the afternoon, so after a much-needed siesta (which as everyone knows is probably the best birthday present I could receive), I decided to try to tap out a few thoughts and memories of my latest adventure: a four-day trek through the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu!

Where to begin??
I have done hiking and I have done camping, but I have never combined the two before, and to say I was nervous about embarking on this trek would be a serious understatement. I am not a hardcore outdoorswoman and I feared to the weight of my backpack (which ended up at approx. 11 kilos...which is a lot for me!) combined with the difficulty of the trail would be too much for me. 
However...this is a challenge I have been thinking about for quite a while, and I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. It is another fear that I needed to overcome. 

There is so much to say...and I can't seem to find the words...

I know it sounds cheesy, but this was not just a hike, it was also a journey on many different levels. There is a lot of time for reflection and I was challenged and confronted with things about myself that I wasn't expecting. If I had to sum up the whole experience in one word it would be "Humbling". 

It was humbling to be surrounded by jagged mountain ranges, in absolute peace and quiet, just taking in the stunning natural beauty and incredible Inca ruins staggered along the trail. It made me feel transported to a different world, like I was sneaking a peek at "the big picture", which also made me feel completely tiny and insignificant.

It was humbling to be served by the porters, like the unjustly privileged white girl that I am. While I struggle to carry a 30 L padded, brandname backpack of my personal "necessities" up a hill, sweating and breathing hard, they scamper past with probably over twice as much weight on their backs in nothing more than glorified nylon bags, so that they can arrive at our campsite hours before us to set up our tents and cook us a gourmet meal. Some wear worn-out sandals, or sneakers, and they bring nothing for themselves but the clothes on their backs. They get up before us, and go to bed after us. They do our cooking and cleaning. They pack in everything from propane tanks to the dining table. Their lives are very difficult, and the work is the only way they can provide for their families.
And so they clap and thank us for our business. Humbling.

On the third day we got into a bit of a time crunch because we wanted to visit a certain historical sight which would close at 4:30pm, and we were running late. Due to the unrelenting evil stairs of the previous day followed by MORE hours of stairs that afternoon, we had to pick up the pace and my knees and quads literally gave out with about a half hour of walking left to go. 
It is a difficult thing to face when your body refuses to do what you tell it to. 
I am a proud woman and I do NOT like to admit defeat, or to accept help. That day, I had to do both. It was extremely Humbling, and I have a hard time admitting it even here where only friends will read it. 

Neverthless, the trek was an amazing experience, and I loved almost every minute. I was with a really fun group, and our guide was funny, and very knowledgable and passionate about Inca history, which really enriched the whole trip. As a huge bonus, we had PERFECT weather the whole time. It basically only rained at night after we had gone to bed. Amazing. Especially since we are in the middle of the rainy season!

I´m sorry I am not able to to put up any photos at this time. I don´t have the cable to connect the camera, and there is no spot for the memory chip...I might be able to figure something out eventually, but for now you´ll just have to imagine it :) 

Weekend Update: Conquering Fears

Friday:

My second day of Spanish lessons. I'm adding more words to my vocabulary every day, but still struggling to understand people when they talk...comprehension is coming little by little.
I ventured out of my comfort zone today (this is now a daily occurrence...between the stress, mate de coca, and all the exploring on foot, my heart is getting pretty fit) when I ate lunch at a restaurant by myself after my lesson. Granted, not much speaking was required, but I didn't use any English at all, so that was an accomplishment!

Afterward I conquered another fear: bartering! I'm now a proud owner of a chompa de alpaca (alpaca sweater) which apparently I got a fair deal on. This is probably due to the compassion of the lovely woman who sold it to me, rather than my pathetically timid bartering skills. I probably looked like a drowned rat as I shivered and explained "soy muy frio!" ("I am very cold!"). Today was very rainy and cool, and there is no indoor heating anywhere! Now with my new purchase I am cozy and "muy caliente"! I wish I had more room in my pack to load up on these for my next Canadian winter!

My final task of the day was to get a phone. I rented a basic phone from the school for S/.10 a month (approximately $3-4) and bought the recommended amount of credit from a hole-in-the-wall pharmacy for an additional S/.5. Though I miss my trusty smartphone from home, I'm glad I didn't bring it. My roommate said his was stolen within his first week in Cusco.

I still haven't ridden the bus...this speaks to the amount of terror it strikes into my heart. I have been overcharged nearly every time I've taken the taxi, so I've begun walking everywhere which can take a very long time and usually results in me huddled in a doorway during a downpour. Maybe this weekend I'll finally take the bus...

Saturday:

Friday night had my stomach producing some interesting sounds, and after a sleepless night tossing and turning, I arose in the morning with a seriously upset stomach, feeling shaky and aching for sleep. The thought of food was not appealing, but I managed some breakfast and then postponed my planned putting and went straight back to bed. For the rest of the day.
I have no idea what it was...maybe a bug or delayed "soroche" (altitude sickness). Overall, I can't complain as it was relatively mild and I was feeling back to normal the next morning.

Sunday:

After breakfast and a cold shower (still not used to it), I decided enough was enough and I needed to tackle my (perhaps disproportionate) phobia of the city bus.
The buses here are independently owned companies, with names that can be quite funny (ie: "batman"). Their destinations are printed on the side, but since I only know approximately 3 streets and have only a very basic understanding of the city layout, this is not very helpful.
The buses honk as they approach the curb, and when the front door opens the driver's assistant hops out and shouts out the bus's destinations in hopes of attracting potential customers.
I approached the "pereno" (bus stop) hesitantly and even more timidly approached a stranger to inquire which bus I should take. My Spanish must have been muy malo indeed, because he simply brushed me off and I scurried back to my corner. My next tactic was to run up to the next business and ask the assistant "plaza de armas?". She shrugged with an indifferent "Si", and waved me aboard. I clambered into the first available seat, which happened to be at the front, and observed the proceedings with interest.
The main street by my guesthouse is one of the busiest in the city...basically that equivalent of a highway. Driving in Cusco is...an experience. Apart from a few stoplights, it mostly seems like a free-for-all! There are 3 lanes on this particular road, but they are more like guidelines. Cars drift between them at will, dodging built up traffick, pedestrians, and taxis creeping up from crossroads, or simply drive over the lines to keep their options open. I have never seen such aggressive yet skillful weaving through traffic...it looks like chaos, but I have yet to witness an accident or road rage. There is honking a-plenty, though! They honk for everything...to let pedestrians know they are approaching, to inform another car there isn't a chance in the world that they can cut in, to greet one another, or in the case of a bus making a stop: to say get out of my way, or I will crush you! I am even more impressed by the drivers here because there is basically no such thing as automatic transmission. Another fun fact: there are seriously old VW bugs and vans EVERYWHERE!
Back to my bussing experience.
People seemed to pay upon their departure, and the standard fare is 70 cientes...the equivalent of about $.23, which is a vast improvement over arguing with taxi drivers insisting on S/.5.
The downside, of course, is that I'm in charge of knowing where to hop off. I have yet to master this. Both times I rode the bus today resulted in a long walk to my actual destination (though not as long as it would have been without the bus)! Good thing I have nothing but time on my hands! Tomorrow I try again, with a different destination. We'll see how it goes!