After leaving the rather depressing city of Nasca, we arrived in beautiful Arequipa. It is said that when the Moon separated from the Earth it left Arequipa behind. The startelingy white buildings made of rock from the nearby volcanos are rarley higher than two stories as the city is ravaged by frequent earthquakes. The second story is ususally a slightly differnt coloured stone so that in the event that it comes tumbling down, they have a better idea of where things go.
After a few weeks of minimal activity we decided to sign up for a 3 day trek to nearby Colca Canyon (which is really a valley).
Day 1: 5 hr bus ride to Cobanconda, lunch, 3 knee crushing hours into the Canyon, and 1 hour uphill to a small village of 100 people where we ate and slept in a local families house. The mixture of a light rain and the setting sun gave us the pleasure of an amazing rainbow and a sunset at the same time. Beautiful!
Day 2: Wake up early, hike another knee crushing hour back down into the cayon were there just happens to be a beautiful little oasis. Here we were allowed a few hours to laze in the sun and swim in a pool boardered by two massive boulders. Next was the exausting 3 hrs hike back out of the canyon. Poor Hyme (Amy) from Korea couldnt hack the hike, and rented a donkey.
Day 3: Bus to Cruz del Condor to view the amazing flight of the massive Condor, measuring up to 3m in wingspan. Too bad we didnt see any... just a whole lot of tourists. However, the next stop was the hotsprings, where we sat in the sweatering hot water to sooth our aching muscles.
All in all this was an amazing experiance, and we met some really cool people. Vincent from Montreal is traveling with us still, and while he is un poco loco, its been lots of fun.
From Arequipa the three of us, along with a french guy we met on the bus, headed to Puno which is on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca. Here we did a full day boat tour on the lake stopping to visit the incredible floating islands. The islands are made completely out of reeds that grow in the lake. When there is a fiesta, the people will drag 3-4 islands together to make a larger dance floor! Our second day in Puno was spend visiting a large ruin site, and then once again, we hopped on a bus and headed for Bolivia.
Vikki and I have been keeping track of our bus time. So far we have been on 33 busses... adding up to well over 150hrs.
Bolivia is beautiful... and cheap!! Where else in the world does your accomodation cost the same as a beer? (Both= 10 Bolivianos... about 1.25$) We are currently rexaling in the small town of Copacabana, which is also on Lake Titicaca. While it is quite cold at night (hats, mits, down jackets), when the sun shines its nice and hot (t-shirts and lots of sun screen).
Today we took out a ghetto little sail boat to cruise around the lake for an hour. It was quite a sight... the mast and boom made out of tree branches, and a big purple sail that looked like it was stolen off someones bed.
Tomorrow Vikki and I are headed off on another little trek... this time sin guide! We will hike 4hrs north to a small port town where we can catch a boat to the nearby Isla del Sol. We plan on staying a night or two on the island for some hiking and relaxing (something we are getting really good at)
I hope that everyone is doing well and smiling!!!
Here are some photos for you!!!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=19749&l=5df6c&id=510641175
Take Care!!!
Love
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Mancora, Huacachina and Nasca
Hi All!
Let`s get right into the thick of things...
Mancora was a blast. We sat in the sun and dabbled in some surfing for 5 days. Stacey managed to get 2 men calling her ¨mi amor¨ without moving a muscle. The boys there seemed to hook themselves to you if you so much as smiled at them. It got fairly annoying very quickly.
I have to say that one of the guys who took a liking to Stacey was a complete creep. In South America it is polite to give a cheek to cheek greeting, but every time Stacey did this with Mr. Creep, he would turn his head and try to sneak in a lip to lip greeting. Stacey reacted by twisting her face more away. It was fairly humurous to watch, but altogether distrubing. I just glared at him, thinking that if he tried that on me he wouldn`t have such a deep voice after I was done with him. Aren`t I just a peach? Then there was the time where we were on the beach and he came up while Stacey was dozing. They did the whole awkward head twisting away from nasty lips greeting, and then Stacey went back to sleeping. A normal person would take this as a hint and leave, but Mr. Creep just sat there for over half an hour and watched her sleep. OH MY CREEP! Needless to say we did our best to avoid him after that, which is a fairly difficult task considering Mancora is made up of one road. The rest of our time in Mancora was much more pleasant, and we both left with more colour on our faces and our packs full of sand.
After a 16 hour overnight bus ride to Lima sitting across from the loudest snorer I have ever born witness to, and another 5 hour bus ride, we arrived in the city of Ica. After paying 15 soles each for a lunch that should have been 5 soles each, we grumpily caught a cab to the little oasis that is Huacachina. Sand dunes rise up proudly around the little resort town, blocking out the loud, dirty noises that all large cities seem to produce. We spent 2 full days lounging by our hotel pool, and exploring the sand dunes (which are immensely difficult to walk up by the way, but a blast to run down!). We also visited a winery and had a free tour of the facilities, while being enlightened on how wine is made. Then at the end we got to do some wine tasting. I know there is supposed to be some proper technique to it all, but Stace and I just sniffed and sipped, trying not to look too clueless.
We also tried sandboarding, which was a huge letdown for us. We rented to most godawful boards. They were basically just long hungs of wood with velcro strips to strap your feet into. We were so excited to zoom down the hill, but when we tilted our boards downhill nothing happened. After a few side shuffles, the boards slid a few feet and then stopped. ¨whooo hooo....¨ was our response. Apparently you need copious amounts of wax for anything to happen..something we were not told until afterwards. Oh well, at least we can say we tried.
This morning we left Huacachina and took a 2 hour bus to Nasca, a city famous for the Nasca Lines. These are huge animal and trapezoid shapes drawn in the earth on the Pampa in Peru that are only truly appreciated from the air. I booked my ticket in Huacachina, while Stacey decided to save her money for her travels. The ticket included a very interesting movie on the lines, as well as a day at the hotel across the street from the airport, which was handy for Stacey. So after we stored our bags, I raced off to catch my flight and Stacey lathered up on the sun screen for a tanning session by the pool. I don`t understand how she can stand the heat, she`s like our Mum!
It was an incredible experience being up in a little 4 person plane and seeing these formations with my own eyes. They were much smaller than I pictured in my mind`s eye, but just as marvelous. Unfortunately, the lady in the seat beside me was unable to enjoy these human works of art, as the bumping and jostling of the little aircraft was distracting her stomach. Everytime I glanced over, she was sitting with her eyes closed and the barf bag pressed up against her mouth. Whenever the pilot pointed out another figure, she would quickly open her eyes, point her camera in the figure`s general direction, click, and then back to the barf bag. Fortuantely the bag remained clean, that would be been just a lovely experience for us all.
So that is my update for you all. Next stop is Arequipa, which we are leaving for tonight on a night bus.
I hope everyone is smiling!
All my love,
Vikki
Let`s get right into the thick of things...
Mancora was a blast. We sat in the sun and dabbled in some surfing for 5 days. Stacey managed to get 2 men calling her ¨mi amor¨ without moving a muscle. The boys there seemed to hook themselves to you if you so much as smiled at them. It got fairly annoying very quickly.
I have to say that one of the guys who took a liking to Stacey was a complete creep. In South America it is polite to give a cheek to cheek greeting, but every time Stacey did this with Mr. Creep, he would turn his head and try to sneak in a lip to lip greeting. Stacey reacted by twisting her face more away. It was fairly humurous to watch, but altogether distrubing. I just glared at him, thinking that if he tried that on me he wouldn`t have such a deep voice after I was done with him. Aren`t I just a peach? Then there was the time where we were on the beach and he came up while Stacey was dozing. They did the whole awkward head twisting away from nasty lips greeting, and then Stacey went back to sleeping. A normal person would take this as a hint and leave, but Mr. Creep just sat there for over half an hour and watched her sleep. OH MY CREEP! Needless to say we did our best to avoid him after that, which is a fairly difficult task considering Mancora is made up of one road. The rest of our time in Mancora was much more pleasant, and we both left with more colour on our faces and our packs full of sand.
After a 16 hour overnight bus ride to Lima sitting across from the loudest snorer I have ever born witness to, and another 5 hour bus ride, we arrived in the city of Ica. After paying 15 soles each for a lunch that should have been 5 soles each, we grumpily caught a cab to the little oasis that is Huacachina. Sand dunes rise up proudly around the little resort town, blocking out the loud, dirty noises that all large cities seem to produce. We spent 2 full days lounging by our hotel pool, and exploring the sand dunes (which are immensely difficult to walk up by the way, but a blast to run down!). We also visited a winery and had a free tour of the facilities, while being enlightened on how wine is made. Then at the end we got to do some wine tasting. I know there is supposed to be some proper technique to it all, but Stace and I just sniffed and sipped, trying not to look too clueless.
We also tried sandboarding, which was a huge letdown for us. We rented to most godawful boards. They were basically just long hungs of wood with velcro strips to strap your feet into. We were so excited to zoom down the hill, but when we tilted our boards downhill nothing happened. After a few side shuffles, the boards slid a few feet and then stopped. ¨whooo hooo....¨ was our response. Apparently you need copious amounts of wax for anything to happen..something we were not told until afterwards. Oh well, at least we can say we tried.
This morning we left Huacachina and took a 2 hour bus to Nasca, a city famous for the Nasca Lines. These are huge animal and trapezoid shapes drawn in the earth on the Pampa in Peru that are only truly appreciated from the air. I booked my ticket in Huacachina, while Stacey decided to save her money for her travels. The ticket included a very interesting movie on the lines, as well as a day at the hotel across the street from the airport, which was handy for Stacey. So after we stored our bags, I raced off to catch my flight and Stacey lathered up on the sun screen for a tanning session by the pool. I don`t understand how she can stand the heat, she`s like our Mum!
It was an incredible experience being up in a little 4 person plane and seeing these formations with my own eyes. They were much smaller than I pictured in my mind`s eye, but just as marvelous. Unfortunately, the lady in the seat beside me was unable to enjoy these human works of art, as the bumping and jostling of the little aircraft was distracting her stomach. Everytime I glanced over, she was sitting with her eyes closed and the barf bag pressed up against her mouth. Whenever the pilot pointed out another figure, she would quickly open her eyes, point her camera in the figure`s general direction, click, and then back to the barf bag. Fortuantely the bag remained clean, that would be been just a lovely experience for us all.
So that is my update for you all. Next stop is Arequipa, which we are leaving for tonight on a night bus.
I hope everyone is smiling!
All my love,
Vikki
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Missing Ecuador Already
We were warned about the border crossing near Tumbes a few times. Its dangerous, lots of robbers, and its very confusing.
We arrived fully alert, ready for anything, but this sweet old guy took it upon himself to help us through the whole process. We should have known. He even told us to watch out for people trying to scam us. He took us though Ecuadorian customs (which is a 5 min cab ride from the boarder) and then to Peruvian customs (also 5 min from the border). When we first asked he said he was going to charge us 1$ each. Great!! right?? Then all of a sudden were driving away... were in the car for a bit and Vikki asked where we were going. Tumbes!! Ok, great, how much now?? 30$. Vikki and I were so mad. We stopped talking to him, and then I called him a liar. We were able to talk him down to 20$, and thankfully he was bad at math because he settled for 50 soles (20$ is 60soles)
We got to Mancora just as the sun was going down and found the hostel Sol y Mar, which is just up from the water and very clean. It seemed like the perfect place, pool and all, until we tried to interact with the people who worked there... they were the most unwelcoming bunch of people I have come across so far in my travels. Not to mention the bad 40 hits pumping until 3 in the morning, and the shotty roof that squeaked its way into my fit full sleep.
We didn't last long there, and just moved into a beautiful place on the main drive in town. There is no pool, but the owner is actually capable of smiling and making us feel welcome.
Mancora does not have the most beautiful landscape, but there is surf and sun. We plan to stay a few days soaking up some rays!
We arrived fully alert, ready for anything, but this sweet old guy took it upon himself to help us through the whole process. We should have known. He even told us to watch out for people trying to scam us. He took us though Ecuadorian customs (which is a 5 min cab ride from the boarder) and then to Peruvian customs (also 5 min from the border). When we first asked he said he was going to charge us 1$ each. Great!! right?? Then all of a sudden were driving away... were in the car for a bit and Vikki asked where we were going. Tumbes!! Ok, great, how much now?? 30$. Vikki and I were so mad. We stopped talking to him, and then I called him a liar. We were able to talk him down to 20$, and thankfully he was bad at math because he settled for 50 soles (20$ is 60soles)
We got to Mancora just as the sun was going down and found the hostel Sol y Mar, which is just up from the water and very clean. It seemed like the perfect place, pool and all, until we tried to interact with the people who worked there... they were the most unwelcoming bunch of people I have come across so far in my travels. Not to mention the bad 40 hits pumping until 3 in the morning, and the shotty roof that squeaked its way into my fit full sleep.
We didn't last long there, and just moved into a beautiful place on the main drive in town. There is no pool, but the owner is actually capable of smiling and making us feel welcome.
Mancora does not have the most beautiful landscape, but there is surf and sun. We plan to stay a few days soaking up some rays!
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Our Soggy Week on the Beach
Hola Chicas and Chicos,
A quick update for you all! After our lovely rainstorm adventure in Cuenca, we figured we well deserved a treat, and headed for the crazy town that is Montanita. About 7 hours from Cuenca, Montanita is a tiny surfing town on the coast. It is basically just one street lined with hostels and restaurants, each one blaring their own selection of music. If you walk about 100 steps from the main street, you are on the beach with the roar of the waves crowding over your senses.
After a particularly nasty bus ride, we arrived in Montanita eager to chill out and enjoy both the surf and the sun. Unfortunately you can`t have everything in life and we were only able to enjoy the surf. The only hint of sun we saw the whole week was a brilliant sunset on the horizon that lasted all of 30 seconds. It rained the entire time, though just a slight misty rain, ensuring that we were both in a permantely soggy state. It also ensured that the main road was one big mud bath. I still have dirt in my toenails.
Stacey and I both discovered our love for surfing in Montanita, as they have the best surf in Ecuador. I am sure future travel plans will include trips to the beach for more than sunshine!
After a week of little sleep (Montanita is a party town!), we decided we needed to escape lest we permanently damage our livers with the copious amounts of alcohol we found ourself consuming.
We are currently back in Cuenca, for the city`s birthday. Last night there were huge celebrations, but Stacey and I were both too tired from our ¨relaxing¨ week at the beach that we slept through it all.
Tomorrow we are heading back down south into Peru. Our next destination is another beach town called Mancora. After that, it`s way south down to Ica, Nazca, Arequipa and Lake Titicaca!
We`ll be moving around alot, so keep checkin the blog for more updates!!
I hope all is well and everyone is enjoying their November!
All my love,
Vikki
A quick update for you all! After our lovely rainstorm adventure in Cuenca, we figured we well deserved a treat, and headed for the crazy town that is Montanita. About 7 hours from Cuenca, Montanita is a tiny surfing town on the coast. It is basically just one street lined with hostels and restaurants, each one blaring their own selection of music. If you walk about 100 steps from the main street, you are on the beach with the roar of the waves crowding over your senses.
After a particularly nasty bus ride, we arrived in Montanita eager to chill out and enjoy both the surf and the sun. Unfortunately you can`t have everything in life and we were only able to enjoy the surf. The only hint of sun we saw the whole week was a brilliant sunset on the horizon that lasted all of 30 seconds. It rained the entire time, though just a slight misty rain, ensuring that we were both in a permantely soggy state. It also ensured that the main road was one big mud bath. I still have dirt in my toenails.
Stacey and I both discovered our love for surfing in Montanita, as they have the best surf in Ecuador. I am sure future travel plans will include trips to the beach for more than sunshine!
After a week of little sleep (Montanita is a party town!), we decided we needed to escape lest we permanently damage our livers with the copious amounts of alcohol we found ourself consuming.
We are currently back in Cuenca, for the city`s birthday. Last night there were huge celebrations, but Stacey and I were both too tired from our ¨relaxing¨ week at the beach that we slept through it all.
Tomorrow we are heading back down south into Peru. Our next destination is another beach town called Mancora. After that, it`s way south down to Ica, Nazca, Arequipa and Lake Titicaca!
We`ll be moving around alot, so keep checkin the blog for more updates!!
I hope all is well and everyone is enjoying their November!
All my love,
Vikki
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
