Well, after the panoramic views of Colca Canyon, our next adventure was an all night bus ride that would put us in Nasca at 7am so that we could get an early start on seeing the ever popular Nasca lines.
I should note that we were still ever in debt to our designated guides, Alberto and Yvone and her 1 year old baby and our driver Pedro, who had made all of our arrangements from Cuzco to the hostels and reservations for Colca Canyon also booked our bus to Nasca and set us up with plane tickets to see the Nasca Lines. We wouldn't have made it without them.
Well they had taken us as far as they could go, but kind as they are, they set us up with bus tickets to Nasca and arranged to have a guide meet us at the bus station to take us to the airport where our plane tickets to see the Nasca lines would be awaiting our arrival. We paid our wonderful guides the money and threw in a large tip for all their trouble and were on our way.
All was according to plan as we slept well on the bus and even arrived a little early in Nasca. We grabbed our stuff and immediately began looking for the EMILY CARLSEN sign held by an unknown guide that we had become so accustomed to seeing. Nothing. Given that we were a bit early, nothing seemed to amiss, so we waited. 7am...nothing...730 nothing...8am nothing...830 nothing...
At this point the light bulb began to go off in a few of our heads, but it was a brief flicker. We had Alberto's card so we figured, lets give him a jingle. After figuring out how to work the public phones, thanks to a taxi driver who was overly anxious to help, we finally got through to Alberto's cell...a disconnected number. So we tried the number of an agency that Alberto worked for but they did not seem to understand what was going on.
The light bulb was beginning to glow a bit brighter. Still, wanting to believe the best, Mandy and I departed with the cabby who drove us to a square where you could rent cell phones. He rented one for us and tried the calls again. Still no luck. he then took us to his friends hostel because his friend was fluent in English and may be able to help. The friend got through to the agency and explained the problem. The agency told us to go back to the bus station and someone would be there soon. PROBLEM SOLVED!
Another hour at the bus station and the same taxi driver stopped by again to find us all standing, eagerly awaiting a guide that we all now knew, would never show. Our last chance was to have him take us to the airport and maybe we would find something booked in our name....no luck. So back to the bus station where he found a woman, Rosa and her husband George (of the jungle...literally) and their baby dominicke. All three were quite helpful. After an hour of haggling with the agency it became final...We had been had! A bunch of American suckers had been taken down by the oldest con in the book.
Fortunately, Rosa helped us book new tickets to see the lines and her husband and the cabby became our guides. We saw the Nasca Lines, which were unbelievable, the local cemetery and even got special instructions on how to make pottery and mine for minerals.
Bus Trip from Arequipa to Nasca....60 Soles...we paid 180
Plane ticket to see the Nasca Lines....80 US dollars
Second plane ticket to see the Nasca Lines...80 US dollars
Getting taken by a woman and her one year old baby in Peru....Priceless
After that we headed off to Huachachina (sp) for some sand boaring and dune buggy riding. Our driver was a bit loco and took us for a pretty exciting ride. The dunes were amazing and we had so much fun that we forgot all about the fact that we had been played just a day earlier.
We are now in Lima for our final stint...heading to the black market to see what kind of goods we can smuggle back for you all! Home at midnight...see you all soon!
Mike
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Lake T and Colca Canyon
Alright friends, I guess it´s my turn to update this thing. Emily here, alive and well. After we survived the bridge incident we indeed made it safe to Puno at 3:15 am where we woke up at 6am to see the one and only Lake Titicaca!! Yes, we all remember learning about this lake in the third grade and giggling over its name- well folks we got to see it in person.
The lake itself was enormous. As we departed from the dock it look more like an ocean then a lake. Beyond the horizon one could barely make out Bolivia and the snowy mountains in the distance. Our first stop was the floating islands, where the native Uros colony lived amongst the floating reeds. In small tents they habitated in a colony of 8 families where they greeted us with songs and smiles. The children were adorable and malled Mandy when she brought out some Coca candy. After taking a ride on a raft built of reeds we were off to a trout lunch on another island on the lake, Tranquille. Here we were entertained with dancing and to my surprise I was picked out of the crowd by a 4 year old and pulled to the pavilion to join the festivities. I have to admit, I bust out a few signature moves, haha, jk. After lunch we walked up and over the other side of the island checking out some spectacular views. Overall Lake T was better than we expected and worth the near death experience :).
Onto Colca Canyon..... that night we headed toward Chavay. After 2 days of no showers we were once again up at the crack of dawn 6am. Michelle, the newest member of the polar bear club, took a glacier water shower as I (in 17 degree weather) ran around in my long underwear up and down the stairs, outside the front of the hostal, frantically looking for the woman to turn on our hot water. I finally found her as we were all happy to take out room temperature showers.
Colca Canyon was like a scene straight out of the movie, ¨The Rescuers Down Under¨. Twice as deep as the Grand Canyon and 4th deepest in the world! As the condors flew overhead we watched in awe as our guide explained to us the importance of this sacred bird in the Inca´s beliefs. After a few more panoramic views we were off and running once again, this time on our way to Arequipa.... adios until next time.
The lake itself was enormous. As we departed from the dock it look more like an ocean then a lake. Beyond the horizon one could barely make out Bolivia and the snowy mountains in the distance. Our first stop was the floating islands, where the native Uros colony lived amongst the floating reeds. In small tents they habitated in a colony of 8 families where they greeted us with songs and smiles. The children were adorable and malled Mandy when she brought out some Coca candy. After taking a ride on a raft built of reeds we were off to a trout lunch on another island on the lake, Tranquille. Here we were entertained with dancing and to my surprise I was picked out of the crowd by a 4 year old and pulled to the pavilion to join the festivities. I have to admit, I bust out a few signature moves, haha, jk. After lunch we walked up and over the other side of the island checking out some spectacular views. Overall Lake T was better than we expected and worth the near death experience :).
Onto Colca Canyon..... that night we headed toward Chavay. After 2 days of no showers we were once again up at the crack of dawn 6am. Michelle, the newest member of the polar bear club, took a glacier water shower as I (in 17 degree weather) ran around in my long underwear up and down the stairs, outside the front of the hostal, frantically looking for the woman to turn on our hot water. I finally found her as we were all happy to take out room temperature showers.
Colca Canyon was like a scene straight out of the movie, ¨The Rescuers Down Under¨. Twice as deep as the Grand Canyon and 4th deepest in the world! As the condors flew overhead we watched in awe as our guide explained to us the importance of this sacred bird in the Inca´s beliefs. After a few more panoramic views we were off and running once again, this time on our way to Arequipa.... adios until next time.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
indiana jones and the hol(e)y bridge of death
well crew, we last left you after our rafting venture through the peruvian rapids, before our trek up to puno for lake titicaca. alberto, the man, set us up with our own private van (high roller!) to take to puno, because buses werent going through due to the strike.
while this may seem highly posh and totes magotes bomb digs chilltastic, i assure you, dear friends, that you would be incorrect. the protesters closed off most of the main roads of peru, and we were forced to take the back roads. i`m thinking our driver must be a professional off roader in his downtime, because you know those huge jumps monster trucks make? thats what we did in our van. for 11.5 hrs. the off-roading combined with the constant road blocks of boulders made our ride feel like mario kart come to life.
despite all of this, things were good! we were making our way to south america`s 2nd biggest lake! then things got a little too indiana jones. we had to make our way over the same bridge we had to pass to raft, and the protest was still raging. with people on both sides of us, our driver attempted to push through and over. things got a little out of control when the planks of the bridge were being pulled out in front of us, and our back tire fell through the bridge. twice. but fear not! we were ready. thanks to that worst case scenario book everyone flips through in passing at urban outfitters, we were prepared to bust open the windows and the doors, were we to fall through! seatbelts were off in a flash. luckily, i didnt come to that. we hopped our of the van and walked across the bridge, while our driver managed to get our full van back on the bridge.
we continued for another million hours, paying off protesters to move their roadblocks, and fixing (rather watching our driver fix) flat tires. the good thing is that we made it to puno unharmed, and when we were outside the fix the flat, you`ve never seen a brighter or clearer picture of that milky way galaxy.
TB out.
while this may seem highly posh and totes magotes bomb digs chilltastic, i assure you, dear friends, that you would be incorrect. the protesters closed off most of the main roads of peru, and we were forced to take the back roads. i`m thinking our driver must be a professional off roader in his downtime, because you know those huge jumps monster trucks make? thats what we did in our van. for 11.5 hrs. the off-roading combined with the constant road blocks of boulders made our ride feel like mario kart come to life.
despite all of this, things were good! we were making our way to south america`s 2nd biggest lake! then things got a little too indiana jones. we had to make our way over the same bridge we had to pass to raft, and the protest was still raging. with people on both sides of us, our driver attempted to push through and over. things got a little out of control when the planks of the bridge were being pulled out in front of us, and our back tire fell through the bridge. twice. but fear not! we were ready. thanks to that worst case scenario book everyone flips through in passing at urban outfitters, we were prepared to bust open the windows and the doors, were we to fall through! seatbelts were off in a flash. luckily, i didnt come to that. we hopped our of the van and walked across the bridge, while our driver managed to get our full van back on the bridge.
we continued for another million hours, paying off protesters to move their roadblocks, and fixing (rather watching our driver fix) flat tires. the good thing is that we made it to puno unharmed, and when we were outside the fix the flat, you`ve never seen a brighter or clearer picture of that milky way galaxy.
TB out.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Her name was rio...
After returning from Machu Piccu we decided to book a river rafting trip. For only $45 each we were able to raft down the Urabamba river in class 1, 2, and 3 rapids. On the way to the river we were slowed down a bit by locals who had filled the roadways with boulders in an attempt to show their protest for the way the government is treating them. Apparently (from what we could gather through broken conversations) the Peruvian Government has sold a large amount of land in the jungle that was inhabited by native Peruvians. They sold the land off to some big businesses who are now forcing the natives off their land and not even providing them the opportunity to work in the factories.
Anyhow, after moving some boulders and eventually having to ask for permission to pass, we were at the bank of the river. All six (well 5.5 really as Emily was just along for the ride with her arm in a sling) of us jumped in the same boat with our guide Renee and we were off. All and all the ride was tame but fun nonetheless. Nobody fell out and Mandy even got to play guide and lead us down the river for a bit by telling us when and how to paddle (we ended up spinning in circles).
After the ride the guides cooked us a great lunch and we were on our way home (stopping occasionally to move boulders). Our travel plans to Puno looked to be in jeopardy as the travel agent informed us that the bus could not navigate the roads due to the protesters. Fortunately he offered to hire a private driver for us (at no extra cost) so in the morning we depart for Puno.
Mike
Anyhow, after moving some boulders and eventually having to ask for permission to pass, we were at the bank of the river. All six (well 5.5 really as Emily was just along for the ride with her arm in a sling) of us jumped in the same boat with our guide Renee and we were off. All and all the ride was tame but fun nonetheless. Nobody fell out and Mandy even got to play guide and lead us down the river for a bit by telling us when and how to paddle (we ended up spinning in circles).
After the ride the guides cooked us a great lunch and we were on our way home (stopping occasionally to move boulders). Our travel plans to Puno looked to be in jeopardy as the travel agent informed us that the bus could not navigate the roads due to the protesters. Fortunately he offered to hire a private driver for us (at no extra cost) so in the morning we depart for Puno.
Mike
13,345,634,264,674,349 steps to the promiseland
whats crackin guys, tanya here. the boss on this trip (you know who you are) has sat me in this chair and forced me against my will to regale in our biggest adventure yet, the reason why we chose peru to begin with, world wonder number 1, machu picchu.
to pick up where michelle left off, we trained it over to aguas calientes to be picked up by a kindly woman holding up a sign for emily (who is apparently a celebrity now that she has signs held up for her left and right). we walked approximately two feet to our hotel, where we proceeded to meet with our guide, his name is pedro, and his guide group will be called pedro, and then pass out in preparation for our 4:30 a.m. wake up call. upon awaking (late, mind you), we hauled over to the bus station, as quickly as 6 people could on 4 hrs of sleep and only instant coffee as a caffiene stimulant.
we beat the sun up to machu picchu and barely made the group of 400 who go up to winu picchu (the worlds best stairmaster) and overlook machu picchu and the andes mountains. to be honest, machu picchu before sunrise was breathtaking, and nothing i say here can speak highly enough of the spectacular view we witnessed as the sun rose over the mountains and onto the city.
after we toured the ruins, we began the 1 hour climb up to winu picchu that small children and grandmas with hip replacements can make without any problems. NOT. let me tell you that all 6 of us are in relatively good physical condition, and i think a part of my soul died on that climb and is stuck on the mountain forever. we manage to seriously throw down and make it up in 40 minutes, and our time up there made this whole trip worth it on its own. Has anyone heard that sigur ros song, staralfur? (april? zach? help a brother out) i think that song is the only way i can explain what it felt like to be up there. we had a 360 degree view of the andes mountains with the city of machu picchu below us. it was so magnificent, i was seriously tempted to jump off and see if i could fly. i managed to talk myself out of that one. look at the fotos em posted, but even they won't do it justice. for cereal.
we made our way back down from the cloud forest, and for me, i left with my spirit lighter and my heart fuller.
to pick up where michelle left off, we trained it over to aguas calientes to be picked up by a kindly woman holding up a sign for emily (who is apparently a celebrity now that she has signs held up for her left and right). we walked approximately two feet to our hotel, where we proceeded to meet with our guide, his name is pedro, and his guide group will be called pedro, and then pass out in preparation for our 4:30 a.m. wake up call. upon awaking (late, mind you), we hauled over to the bus station, as quickly as 6 people could on 4 hrs of sleep and only instant coffee as a caffiene stimulant.
we beat the sun up to machu picchu and barely made the group of 400 who go up to winu picchu (the worlds best stairmaster) and overlook machu picchu and the andes mountains. to be honest, machu picchu before sunrise was breathtaking, and nothing i say here can speak highly enough of the spectacular view we witnessed as the sun rose over the mountains and onto the city.
after we toured the ruins, we began the 1 hour climb up to winu picchu that small children and grandmas with hip replacements can make without any problems. NOT. let me tell you that all 6 of us are in relatively good physical condition, and i think a part of my soul died on that climb and is stuck on the mountain forever. we manage to seriously throw down and make it up in 40 minutes, and our time up there made this whole trip worth it on its own. Has anyone heard that sigur ros song, staralfur? (april? zach? help a brother out) i think that song is the only way i can explain what it felt like to be up there. we had a 360 degree view of the andes mountains with the city of machu picchu below us. it was so magnificent, i was seriously tempted to jump off and see if i could fly. i managed to talk myself out of that one. look at the fotos em posted, but even they won't do it justice. for cereal.
we made our way back down from the cloud forest, and for me, i left with my spirit lighter and my heart fuller.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Trip to Cuzco
This is Michelle...writing my first blog in Peru...Woo!!! I was the last to arrive (sadly) Saturday night to a group of drunk girls. The party starts late in Lima!!! We went to bed for a few hours and woke early to start our trip to Cuzco. When we got to the airport in hopes to catch a flight. Thankfully, we all thought we would be on our way on the 9:45 flight; however, in the process of buying our tickets the airline sold out. Mike and Kara were forced to take a later flight, poor Kara had a panic attack but we all made it to Cuzco safely. In Cuzco is where we met Alberto...our savior. He not only was our transportation from the airport but our tour guide and planner for the next few days. We spent the rest of the day resting, drinking Coco Tea and adjusting to the altitude.
Day 2 in Cuzco consisted of shopping and sight seeing. We visited Museums and Churches, walked on narrow cobblestone streets, and watched the town prepare for the approaching festival. Throughout the day we saw numerious people dancing in the streets, from small children to adults....so much fun!!! We left Cuzco in the afternoon on our way to Aquas Calientes and finally MACHUPICCHU!!!!!
Day 2 in Cuzco consisted of shopping and sight seeing. We visited Museums and Churches, walked on narrow cobblestone streets, and watched the town prepare for the approaching festival. Throughout the day we saw numerious people dancing in the streets, from small children to adults....so much fun!!! We left Cuzco in the afternoon on our way to Aquas Calientes and finally MACHUPICCHU!!!!!
Running Off a Cliff...and so on...
Apologies for the delay in blogging, but were not receiving very many comments so we figured you all were disinterested. But now we have some catching up to do after being given a hard time (thanks April).
While waiting in Lima for Michelle to arrive we had to fill our time some how...so we decided to jump off a cliff! It was a blast! But really....we went para gliding and literally ran off a cliff over looking the pacific ocean. We were obviously hooked to experience guides and had huge parachutes attached....but it was definitely an amazing experience. We were in the air for approx 20 minutes, with our feet dangling hundreds of feet above the city district of Mira Flores in Lima. We passed over the ocean, through buildings, and waved to shoppers at a near by mall. The guides were awesome and made us go around in circles and change directions. I amazingly landed on my feet, while a few of us took to our butts (aka Mike..haha). It was all in all a great experience...and an excellent way to pass the time until Michelle arrived.
BTW...Tanya went first and they do not really tell you much...so she was off the cliff in no time. It was hilarious! Do not worry...we have video.
Ok...well that is my part of our updates. A couple more blogs to come shortly. We are in Cuzco and leaving for Puno...so there are a lot of stories to tell.
Hope all is well in the states!
Bible
While waiting in Lima for Michelle to arrive we had to fill our time some how...so we decided to jump off a cliff! It was a blast! But really....we went para gliding and literally ran off a cliff over looking the pacific ocean. We were obviously hooked to experience guides and had huge parachutes attached....but it was definitely an amazing experience. We were in the air for approx 20 minutes, with our feet dangling hundreds of feet above the city district of Mira Flores in Lima. We passed over the ocean, through buildings, and waved to shoppers at a near by mall. The guides were awesome and made us go around in circles and change directions. I amazingly landed on my feet, while a few of us took to our butts (aka Mike..haha). It was all in all a great experience...and an excellent way to pass the time until Michelle arrived.
BTW...Tanya went first and they do not really tell you much...so she was off the cliff in no time. It was hilarious! Do not worry...we have video.
Ok...well that is my part of our updates. A couple more blogs to come shortly. We are in Cuzco and leaving for Puno...so there are a lot of stories to tell.
Hope all is well in the states!
Bible
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Life is good...
Peruvian sunset surf session....T$ arrived safely, waiting for Michelle to come in tonight. Hanging at the Pt. Hostal, then off to Cuzco!
Friday, June 12, 2009
Vaction Within A Vaction
So as you can all imagine...we spent a little more time in Mancora than anticipated. After checking into Las Olas (the waves) we kind of fell in love with this small town in the north of peru. Although we probably could have spent everyday lounging on the beach, we decided that a few activities were in order.
After spending countless hours laying on the sun and gorging ourselves with delcious food, we splurged slightly and signed up for a $50 soles mudbath experience. We arrived at Iguanas (a bar) and 9 PM and Ursula (aka. the coolest woman we have ever met!! More to come) took us away in her truck. We drove over rivers and through woods, as our guide told us all about her amazing life (Class 5 River Guide, Dolphin Trainer, Surfer, mother of two, world traveler, spoke great english, fed us wine and cheese, and had a hairless dog named Pellagro). We arrived at the hotspring/mudbath approx 30 mins later...which was a 20 x 8 mud pool with natural minerals that bubbled up from one side. Not sure how deep it was we all jumped in and found ourselves up to our chest in muddy water. It was the perfect temperature!! And muddy of course. As you can see in the picture below....we had fun rubbing mud all over our entire body and of course downing wine during the whole experience. After washing of the mud our skin felt smooth and silky, but we were all ready for a hot shower!
That´s the story of the mudbath. The End.
But Mancora continues...the next day at breakfast as we overlooked the point break in front of our hostal, Mike, Kara and I decided it was time for some surf lessons. Emily was the designated photographer (due to the damn shoulder), so there will be many pictures of me flailing on my board to come! The three of us each took a one hour lesson from some locals...wiping out multiple times. My guide Christian invited us for some dancing that night (which we were stood up for! How rude! Hahahah...never trust the locals!).
But we did meet a couple cool people during our time in Mancora (Link - a native of utah and Inigo - an english speaking local). We went out later that night for the most amazing dinner ever!! Emily and I split seared ahi and scallop tortellini...it might rank as one of my top-10 dinners EVER!!! The meals were all plated beautifully...and probably would have cost at least $50 bucks a person in the states...we walked away paying about $10 bucks a plate...a pricey dinner in peru!
A 16 hour overnight bus ride later...we are now back in the big city of Lima, awaiting the arrival of Tanya and Michelle (woo hooo!!). More updates to come when we are in Cusco and visiting the first world wonder of our list!!!
Miss you all! And don´t forget to comment!!! It keeps us connected to the real world!
Bible
After spending countless hours laying on the sun and gorging ourselves with delcious food, we splurged slightly and signed up for a $50 soles mudbath experience. We arrived at Iguanas (a bar) and 9 PM and Ursula (aka. the coolest woman we have ever met!! More to come) took us away in her truck. We drove over rivers and through woods, as our guide told us all about her amazing life (Class 5 River Guide, Dolphin Trainer, Surfer, mother of two, world traveler, spoke great english, fed us wine and cheese, and had a hairless dog named Pellagro). We arrived at the hotspring/mudbath approx 30 mins later...which was a 20 x 8 mud pool with natural minerals that bubbled up from one side. Not sure how deep it was we all jumped in and found ourselves up to our chest in muddy water. It was the perfect temperature!! And muddy of course. As you can see in the picture below....we had fun rubbing mud all over our entire body and of course downing wine during the whole experience. After washing of the mud our skin felt smooth and silky, but we were all ready for a hot shower!
That´s the story of the mudbath. The End.
But Mancora continues...the next day at breakfast as we overlooked the point break in front of our hostal, Mike, Kara and I decided it was time for some surf lessons. Emily was the designated photographer (due to the damn shoulder), so there will be many pictures of me flailing on my board to come! The three of us each took a one hour lesson from some locals...wiping out multiple times. My guide Christian invited us for some dancing that night (which we were stood up for! How rude! Hahahah...never trust the locals!).
But we did meet a couple cool people during our time in Mancora (Link - a native of utah and Inigo - an english speaking local). We went out later that night for the most amazing dinner ever!! Emily and I split seared ahi and scallop tortellini...it might rank as one of my top-10 dinners EVER!!! The meals were all plated beautifully...and probably would have cost at least $50 bucks a person in the states...we walked away paying about $10 bucks a plate...a pricey dinner in peru!
A 16 hour overnight bus ride later...we are now back in the big city of Lima, awaiting the arrival of Tanya and Michelle (woo hooo!!). More updates to come when we are in Cusco and visiting the first world wonder of our list!!!
Miss you all! And don´t forget to comment!!! It keeps us connected to the real world!
Bible
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
Mancora
HOLA amigos!
Ok, so after the long journey we`re back at sea level! Kara´s happy and back to her old self with a pilsen in hand. Peru is definitely a diverse country. We came from beautiful mountains, backed with glacier peaks, waterfalls and roaring rivers...we´ve now arrived to the palm trees and white sand beaches. Mancora is a one street beach town, located in the north of Peru. One can walk the entire town from one end to the next in approx. 15 minutes, maneuvering between about 100 vendors. I bought about 1 bracelet from each, they´re addicting what can I say?
Our hostal is located 20 steps from a sweet point break, long fast left, about waist high (supposed to pick up weds)...... I´m going crazy not being able to surf, but the view is pretty amazing. The sunset is even better! Today we spent the entire day lying on the beach catching some rays and relaxing on the sand. Waters warm, clear and blue, thus we all are thinking of moving and becoming some Peruvian beach bums!
Langosta (lobster) was on tonight´s menu. Delicious, fresh and 30 soles ($10), who could ask for more? Much better than the cow intestines Mandy and I tried in Huaraz. Been exploring this layed back town, playing some cards (I´m 9 and 1 in egyptian war...mooohahaha, Kara has the lone win....shoot!).
Most everyone hear speaks little engligh, therefore we have all been forced to step up and speak the local language. It´s been interesting and funny, but we have managed to get everything we need and get around the country. I definitley have heard some improvement in all of us throughout the last week.
Alright well I´m off for now. Hope everyone is well and you´re enjoying the updates.
ADIOS!!
EMILIA
Ok, so after the long journey we`re back at sea level! Kara´s happy and back to her old self with a pilsen in hand. Peru is definitely a diverse country. We came from beautiful mountains, backed with glacier peaks, waterfalls and roaring rivers...we´ve now arrived to the palm trees and white sand beaches. Mancora is a one street beach town, located in the north of Peru. One can walk the entire town from one end to the next in approx. 15 minutes, maneuvering between about 100 vendors. I bought about 1 bracelet from each, they´re addicting what can I say?
Our hostal is located 20 steps from a sweet point break, long fast left, about waist high (supposed to pick up weds)...... I´m going crazy not being able to surf, but the view is pretty amazing. The sunset is even better! Today we spent the entire day lying on the beach catching some rays and relaxing on the sand. Waters warm, clear and blue, thus we all are thinking of moving and becoming some Peruvian beach bums!
Langosta (lobster) was on tonight´s menu. Delicious, fresh and 30 soles ($10), who could ask for more? Much better than the cow intestines Mandy and I tried in Huaraz. Been exploring this layed back town, playing some cards (I´m 9 and 1 in egyptian war...mooohahaha, Kara has the lone win....shoot!).
Most everyone hear speaks little engligh, therefore we have all been forced to step up and speak the local language. It´s been interesting and funny, but we have managed to get everything we need and get around the country. I definitley have heard some improvement in all of us throughout the last week.
Alright well I´m off for now. Hope everyone is well and you´re enjoying the updates.
ADIOS!!
EMILIA
The Journey Continues
After recovering from the death hike we decided to try our luck at a few ruins in Huaraz. We took a three hour bus ride to a small town called Chavin...which houses ancient ruins...800 BC aka older than christ...wow...that´s old. It was a pretty amazing experience...undergound tunnels, the deepest part of the moon (energy center when the old people were high on drugs), 20 foot stone daggers, happy faced statues and ancient technology. We also went on a tour in a museum located in town...the power was shut off...luckily Mike, Emily and I all had our handy dandy flashlights powered and ready to go. We helped guide the tour with our lights...and made it out safely.
PS - During this entire day Kara was MIA...floating in a cloud somewhere, or in the bathroom.
We got back to Huaraz around 7:00 PM, which gave us, what we thought, over two hours of preparation before we had to catch our 9:30 over night bus. After showering and packing our bags we headed across the street for dinner, where we ordered some amazing dishes. We were also waiting for our bus tickets to arrive at our hotel, peeking out heads outside the restaurant every so often. Around 8:50 (with no food yet), Mike and I went across the street to see if they had come yet. To our surprise a taxi had arrived to take us to our bus...which actually left at 9:00 PM SHARP!!!! AhhHHHHH!!! We rushed upstairs grabbed all the bags...then sprinted across the street where we tried to communicate that we needed our food to go!! We scooped it all up in boxes...threw some money at the woman who took our order and probably prepared each of our meals on her own...and ran out the door. Luckily for us we made it to the station with a minute or two to spare and headed to Trujillo.
We popped open our boxes of hot food and immediately were given the stink eye due to the smell...and the bus attendent was insistent that we take some barf bags for the trip. The 9:00 PM departure was the start to our 20 hour bus adventure...
Three bus rides later and a two hour packed to the brim van ride...we arrived in paradise!!! Mancora is everything we thought it would be and more!!
Much too long of a blog...you´ll hear about the amazing beach and warm water later!
Peace on Earth!
Mandy
PS - Don´t be surprised if we never make it home!
PS - During this entire day Kara was MIA...floating in a cloud somewhere, or in the bathroom.
We got back to Huaraz around 7:00 PM, which gave us, what we thought, over two hours of preparation before we had to catch our 9:30 over night bus. After showering and packing our bags we headed across the street for dinner, where we ordered some amazing dishes. We were also waiting for our bus tickets to arrive at our hotel, peeking out heads outside the restaurant every so often. Around 8:50 (with no food yet), Mike and I went across the street to see if they had come yet. To our surprise a taxi had arrived to take us to our bus...which actually left at 9:00 PM SHARP!!!! AhhHHHHH!!! We rushed upstairs grabbed all the bags...then sprinted across the street where we tried to communicate that we needed our food to go!! We scooped it all up in boxes...threw some money at the woman who took our order and probably prepared each of our meals on her own...and ran out the door. Luckily for us we made it to the station with a minute or two to spare and headed to Trujillo.
We popped open our boxes of hot food and immediately were given the stink eye due to the smell...and the bus attendent was insistent that we take some barf bags for the trip. The 9:00 PM departure was the start to our 20 hour bus adventure...
Three bus rides later and a two hour packed to the brim van ride...we arrived in paradise!!! Mancora is everything we thought it would be and more!!
Much too long of a blog...you´ll hear about the amazing beach and warm water later!
Peace on Earth!
Mandy
PS - Don´t be surprised if we never make it home!
Friday, June 5, 2009
Huaraz
Ok, day one in Huaraz, we woke up at 530am to catch a private tour to Laguna 69. Now from my memory, it was definitely a windy and bumpy ride up for three hours but we were all so excited we didnt care as we took in the sites as the sun rose over the country side.
Upon arriving into the national park, we paid 5 soles per person to spend a day in paradise.... or so we thought. We then drove the bus up a lil further where we were dropped off with our tourguide to start the trek up the 14,400+ feet to the lake. The trek started off great. We passed peruivan locals and cows (oh yeah, forgot, one ran into our bus on the way up while also at the moment Emily had her head out the window... very frightening). So we walked pretty flat land, saw some cool waterfalls, had to jump rocks to cross a few streams(where Kara only took one spill into the water) and took some awesome pictures of the only mountain I thought we would be climbing.
Little did I know, after the first mountain, we then had to trek up the most ridiculous sloped mountain i have ever seen in real life. So Emily and I, took our jackets off, and applied mucho sunscreen. As we continued walk, we noticed quite the gap between the tour guide, mandy, and mike. We tried to pick up the pace only to realize, it was only making matters much much more worse.
As we ascended straight up the mountain, Emily´s face and lips began to turn white, and I began to feel concern. We then would go about 40 steps, before we had to take a quick break so we would be able to lift our feet from the ground once again. At one break, Emily obviously began to experience altitude sickness and she continued to tell me my face was a flash of white, and she could not make out anything behind me. I gave her some tigermilk and water, and we once again continued on.
The greatest words of our day, were "Girls, one more minute to the top!" I´m pretty sure we stopped once again in that one minute, but we finally made it to the most beautiful sight any of us have seen! Laguna 69! The bluest, tealest, and most pristine body of water you will ever see in a lifetime. We took some more awesome trips and continued our trek down...
Once we finally got the van, Mike, Emily, and I were experiencing severe headaches and nausea from the quick descent down. Little did we know, we would know be experiencing the true skills of our bus driver. Apparently you dont have to stay on the right side of the road while your driving, you can just do whatever the hell you feel like. After swerving around the street and almost slamming into the back of a cab, we finally made it back to huaraz!!
Although it was a challenging day, we laughed the whole way home despite the moments of gasping for breath during our near death carride experience and we wouldnt have changed anything.
ok adios,
Kara
Upon arriving into the national park, we paid 5 soles per person to spend a day in paradise.... or so we thought. We then drove the bus up a lil further where we were dropped off with our tourguide to start the trek up the 14,400+ feet to the lake. The trek started off great. We passed peruivan locals and cows (oh yeah, forgot, one ran into our bus on the way up while also at the moment Emily had her head out the window... very frightening). So we walked pretty flat land, saw some cool waterfalls, had to jump rocks to cross a few streams(where Kara only took one spill into the water) and took some awesome pictures of the only mountain I thought we would be climbing.
Little did I know, after the first mountain, we then had to trek up the most ridiculous sloped mountain i have ever seen in real life. So Emily and I, took our jackets off, and applied mucho sunscreen. As we continued walk, we noticed quite the gap between the tour guide, mandy, and mike. We tried to pick up the pace only to realize, it was only making matters much much more worse.
As we ascended straight up the mountain, Emily´s face and lips began to turn white, and I began to feel concern. We then would go about 40 steps, before we had to take a quick break so we would be able to lift our feet from the ground once again. At one break, Emily obviously began to experience altitude sickness and she continued to tell me my face was a flash of white, and she could not make out anything behind me. I gave her some tigermilk and water, and we once again continued on.
The greatest words of our day, were "Girls, one more minute to the top!" I´m pretty sure we stopped once again in that one minute, but we finally made it to the most beautiful sight any of us have seen! Laguna 69! The bluest, tealest, and most pristine body of water you will ever see in a lifetime. We took some more awesome trips and continued our trek down...
Once we finally got the van, Mike, Emily, and I were experiencing severe headaches and nausea from the quick descent down. Little did we know, we would know be experiencing the true skills of our bus driver. Apparently you dont have to stay on the right side of the road while your driving, you can just do whatever the hell you feel like. After swerving around the street and almost slamming into the back of a cab, we finally made it back to huaraz!!
Although it was a challenging day, we laughed the whole way home despite the moments of gasping for breath during our near death carride experience and we wouldnt have changed anything.
ok adios,
Kara
Bowing to the Peruvian Porcelain
Hmmm where did we leave off. Let´s start with day two of our trip. It was an exciting day. We woke up at 7:30 am to catch a bus to Huaraz. It was a quick 8 hour bus ride...or at least for some of us. Mandy, Mike and Emily had a great trip. Kara on the other hand encountered a few problems. The night before leaving we were awoken at 3am to the sound of doors slamming and Kara projectile vomiting in the bathroom. She seemed to have recovered in the morning...key word being seemed. About 30 seconds after...wait...we almost forgot a puke session. On the way to the bus station, Kara began feeling sick in the cab. Unfortunately, none of us speak much espanol, so talking the cabby into pulling over was a bit difficult. After a few minutes of trying to explain that there was about to be puke all over the floor of his cab, Mike finally yelled...enfermo and Kara yelled ALTO...the driver quickly cut across three lanes and brought the cab to an immediate halt (alto). Kara jumped out and puked what looked like neon yellow acid...maybe some remnants from her two Pisco Sours and ceviche from the previous night.
Anyhow back to the bus. About 30 seconds after departure we heard Kara say "I´m going to be sick," as she whipped out a plastic bag and proceeded to puke her guts out...for the third time.
Despite living with the smell of vomit for the next 8 hours, we made it safe and sound to Huaraz and found ourselves a $5/night hostel, checked in and headed down stairs for some italian food and the lakers game (unfortunatley they won).
In a nut shell, our update is this:
Three days in Peru, Three Vomit Attacks by Kara.
Please check in again to hear about our other adventures (i.e. backpacking etc).
Sincerely,
Mike Samuels (A.K.A The Lone Wolf)
Anyhow back to the bus. About 30 seconds after departure we heard Kara say "I´m going to be sick," as she whipped out a plastic bag and proceeded to puke her guts out...for the third time.
Despite living with the smell of vomit for the next 8 hours, we made it safe and sound to Huaraz and found ourselves a $5/night hostel, checked in and headed down stairs for some italian food and the lakers game (unfortunatley they won).
In a nut shell, our update is this:
Three days in Peru, Three Vomit Attacks by Kara.
Please check in again to hear about our other adventures (i.e. backpacking etc).
Sincerely,
Mike Samuels (A.K.A The Lone Wolf)
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Uno Dia
We made it. That's all you really need to know.
Just kidding...hahaha. Emily and I are sitting at the Pointe Hostal computers....and she pretty much looks like she's about to pass out on me. On our way from SF to El Salvador an middle aged man proceeded to get hammered, nudge her every two minutes, wake up the entire plan and then propose to her by the end of the flight. Needless to say she was not a happy camper....but she took it like a champ and didn't complain at all (wink, wink).
Other than our flight were very smooth...oh wait...emily's backpack didn't make it to Lima and then she was the only one of us called to customs and questioned. What a great day! But honestly folks, it went very well and the rest of our flights were a breeze. The weather isn't great...but definitely warm enough!
The Point Hostal in Barranca (a section of Lima) is pretty sweet....lots of young backpackers...along the pacific...free breakfast and internet...and we got a four bed room. We are about to head out and hopefully grub down on some ceviche...we'll see what we find.
Tomorrow we head north...wish us luck...hopefully Emily's bags get here (fingers crossed).
Loves and kisses!!
The Crew (Mostly just Mandy and Emily)
PERU WOOOOOOO!!!!!!
Just kidding...hahaha. Emily and I are sitting at the Pointe Hostal computers....and she pretty much looks like she's about to pass out on me. On our way from SF to El Salvador an middle aged man proceeded to get hammered, nudge her every two minutes, wake up the entire plan and then propose to her by the end of the flight. Needless to say she was not a happy camper....but she took it like a champ and didn't complain at all (wink, wink).
Other than our flight were very smooth...oh wait...emily's backpack didn't make it to Lima and then she was the only one of us called to customs and questioned. What a great day! But honestly folks, it went very well and the rest of our flights were a breeze. The weather isn't great...but definitely warm enough!
The Point Hostal in Barranca (a section of Lima) is pretty sweet....lots of young backpackers...along the pacific...free breakfast and internet...and we got a four bed room. We are about to head out and hopefully grub down on some ceviche...we'll see what we find.
Tomorrow we head north...wish us luck...hopefully Emily's bags get here (fingers crossed).
Loves and kisses!!
The Crew (Mostly just Mandy and Emily)
PERU WOOOOOOO!!!!!!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Kara and Emily travel to SF!
K and E left SB after a few friendly mimosas to start off our journey. K did not puke out of nervousness, thankfully, and overall it was a successful flight to San Fran to meet the third ninja, aka Rocky. Hanging out in SF for some dinner and drinks complimentary of the Big Bibes, aka April, before heading out at 2 am. Peru here we come! WOOOOHOOOO. Catch you on the flip side!!
Over and out- Emily, Emily Carlsen
PS - For those of you unfortunate enough not to know us Emily is in Blue and Kara is in white/pink.
Monday, June 1, 2009
The Peru Crew
Although this blog is under my name (Mandy)...I figured I should introduce everyone that might be blogging at any given point...
First off...I'm Mandy (the co-planner of the trip) and I am the lucky one that is some how connected to everyone that is going. I'm originally from Santa Barbara and have been life long friends with Emily Carlsen, Tanya Barnett and Kara Weirum. I currently live in Moraga (NorCal) now and just finished working at Saint Mary's College, which is how I know Mike Samuels. I graduated from SMC in 2007, along with fellow Gael Michelle Mathis.
Emily Carlsen...the other co-planner of the trip. Emily and I booked our flights on Christmas Eve...and then invited friends whom we thought could hang with us. Emily is also from Santa Barbara, graduated from Cal Poly, and is currently going through nursing school. Just a week or two she passed some big test...and now she's an RN. Congrats Em!
Kara Weirum...also from Santa Barbara. Kara, Emily, and I have known each other since junior high and played sports together forever. Kara is currently living in the best city in the world, Santa Barbara, where she is a teacher. Kara has never traveled outside the country before...so this should be an experience!!
Mike Samuels...works at Saint Mary's College and resides in Walnut Creek. Mike graduated from San Diego State and is the lone male on the trip (aka body guard). He has also never truly been out of the country (TJ doesn't count)...and is looking forward to the big adventure ahead.
Michelle Mathis...a 2007 Saint Mary's graduate, Michelle lives in San Ramon and teaches kindergarden. Michelle played softball at SMC and is always up for something adventurous and crazy.
Tanya Barnett...the final Santa Barbara local to make the trip. T-money lives in the LA and is loving her Los Angeles Life Style (go lakers). She graduated from UCLA...is wannabe Japanese and just got into UCLA grad school, impressive...I think so!
So that's the break down on our crew...we will all be writing throughout the trip...so hopefully you'll get to know us all a little better!
Now I really need to go pack....
Preparation for the Big Journey!!
Why Peru??
As most of you are probably wondering/asking (Kara, Emily, Mike, Michelle, Tanya & Myself)...what was the reason for choosing Peru?
Emily and I decided a year or so ago that it would be good idea to set a traveling goal. The travel bug had bit us hard after traveling to Thailand/Laos, but there were so many places to see that it became a little daunting. Most of you probably saw the movie "The Bucket List," in which Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman travel the world and check things off their bucket list. The movie inspired Emily and I and helped us narrow down our world travels...we decided to make our goal to visit the seven wonders of the world.
Now this brings up a another question....which seven wonders? When we looked up the seven wonders of the world there were tons of different lists...modern, natural, new, etc, etc, etc. Luckily for us the world voted on a new set of seven in 2007...that are now the designated seven wonders of the world (of the original seven wonders only one still exists - the pyramids in egypt). The pyramids were named the honorary member since they still stand...and the additional voted seven are Machu Pichu (Peru), Chichen Itza (Mexico), Great Wall (China), Taj Mahal (India), Petra (Jordan), Collosseum (Italy), Christ Redeemer (Brazil)...so eight total.
Hopefully this answers your question! Machu Pichu is the first of the wonders that we will visit...and from what I have heard it will be a spectacular start to our life journey of traveling the world!
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