Today, I tried on my packed backpack and it felt like coming home. A little strange to think? Maybe. But I realize that it is the wanderlust part of me was waiting for that. It is always planning, anticipating, picking new places to go. It makes sense that I have an idea and a time frame for probably 3 of my 5 next travel destinations. I mean, I picked South Africa, two weeks into my travels in South America.
It is weird to think it is finally here. That in two days of travelling, I will be on another continent and have new countries to explore. The anxiety I feel isn't a worry (like it was a bit of last time) but an anticipation of the excitement of what is to come. I am so excited to see what volunteering on a game reserve will be like, how amazing seeing the animals will feel, to be reunited with my travel partner in crime and to see how a tour works for an extended period of time and if it is for me.
Apparently, we will have wifi in the wild although it is temperamental (a quote from my tour agent). I kind of hate this, I want the experience they had before social media and yet I do feel tied to it. I want that true idea of travel. I guess I want the disconnect and yet I feel tied to everything. Sometimes I wonder what the 'authentic' experience is and if we always desire more than what we have. As for this trip, I am going to try my best to be open and live in the moment.
Friday, January 16, 2015
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Huacacina and Sandboarding
Oh Huacacina, the oasis in the desert, how much fun you were. If you have been missing out on beach time because you situated your trip to never really be on the coast of Peru, Huacacina is the place to go. Just a few minutes drive outside of Ica and you´ve landed yourself in this tiny little Oasis where they primarily offer dune buggy rides, sandboarding, and a hostel with a pool.
I´m not going to lie, I really only went there for the sandboarding. I opted out of doing sandboarding in San Pedro because a) it was way more expensive and b) you had to climb back up the sand dune to go down again. No thanks. In Huacacina, I paid 30 soles through my hostel to go for a dune buggy ride and sandboarding. Best purchase ever!
The dune buggy ride was like being on a roller coaster, but with more jostling. Our driver went up and down the dunes like they were nothing and my stomach flipped over and over again. Originally, I wanted to go in a different buggy and be in the front. But I was glad they put me in the buggy with the backseat as the people were amazing and our guide was really safe. Watching the other group go down, I swear we almost saw so many collisions.
When it came time to sandbard, most of us went on our stomachs and the advice was keep your elbows in and use your legs to stop. I was nervous at first and I anticipated eating a mouthful of sand. But it was totally fine. No sand, no hurt elbows, it felt like maybe I´d done it before. But then, the guide showed us our next set. It was going down three dunes in a row that got steeper as you went! Keep in mind we only gone down one medium sized hill by now. I felt nervous again but it was actually super fun and picking up speed wasn´t bad at all. On that ride however, I did lose my new sunnies to the sand but in my mind it was totally worth it! I definitely enjoyed myself and the next few runs were just as fun. A must do in Huacacina:)
I´m not going to lie, I really only went there for the sandboarding. I opted out of doing sandboarding in San Pedro because a) it was way more expensive and b) you had to climb back up the sand dune to go down again. No thanks. In Huacacina, I paid 30 soles through my hostel to go for a dune buggy ride and sandboarding. Best purchase ever!
The dune buggy ride was like being on a roller coaster, but with more jostling. Our driver went up and down the dunes like they were nothing and my stomach flipped over and over again. Originally, I wanted to go in a different buggy and be in the front. But I was glad they put me in the buggy with the backseat as the people were amazing and our guide was really safe. Watching the other group go down, I swear we almost saw so many collisions.
When it came time to sandbard, most of us went on our stomachs and the advice was keep your elbows in and use your legs to stop. I was nervous at first and I anticipated eating a mouthful of sand. But it was totally fine. No sand, no hurt elbows, it felt like maybe I´d done it before. But then, the guide showed us our next set. It was going down three dunes in a row that got steeper as you went! Keep in mind we only gone down one medium sized hill by now. I felt nervous again but it was actually super fun and picking up speed wasn´t bad at all. On that ride however, I did lose my new sunnies to the sand but in my mind it was totally worth it! I definitely enjoyed myself and the next few runs were just as fun. A must do in Huacacina:)
Arequipa
I came to Arequipa to do a day trip of the Colca Canyon, but what I found was myself being much more open to experiences with the local people. I arrived in Arequipa just after 4 am so I decided that I would take it easy the first day. The only thing I planned for myself was a late afternoon walking tour.
In the afternoon, I asked the owner and tour operator of my hostel about the Colca Canyon and where I could get a memory card. Unexpectedly, he took me to a local place to get a memory card so that I wouldn´t be over charged and then we went together for a set menu lunch. Partly, I think he did this because he thought I was 19 (it actually was assumed twice that day! Here´s to looking young:)) and partly it was because that´s how Peruvian people are. Normally, I wouldn´t have accepted this offer had it been a random on the street, but because he was the hostel owner it was fine.
Over lunch, we had a discussion about how different Peruvian people are than Westerners and an offer to a stranger to go to lunch like that was perfectly normal. No one is so tied to a fix schedule that they can´t be spontaneous. People greet you with a warm embrace or a handshake or some subtle form of touch as if they´ve know you forever and not just five minutes. It is a huge cultural difference and it is one that I hadn´t taken the time to fully recognize or embrace until I had the conversation with him.
This actually led to me sitting in the plaza the next day and accepting an offer from a stranger to go to an art gallery around the corner. Unfortunately, I had already seen the art gallery on my walking tour the day before. However, Oscar was determined to show me something that I hadn´t seen within his city. We ended up crossing the bridge and going over to the old side of town where you get an excellent view of the new parts of Arequipa. It was really cool having someone whose a local show me around simply because he had some free time on his hands. The idea is something that I definitely want to take back to Canada with me.
After we went our separate ways, I went to Santa Catalina monastery. The monastery used to operate like a little city within a city and was fascinating to walk through. It is painted in a terrcotta red and then a dark royal blue and the contrast is stunning. I got some really nice photos. Plus, at the viewpoint, I got to see a glimpse of Misti Mountain in the distance!
In the afternoon, I asked the owner and tour operator of my hostel about the Colca Canyon and where I could get a memory card. Unexpectedly, he took me to a local place to get a memory card so that I wouldn´t be over charged and then we went together for a set menu lunch. Partly, I think he did this because he thought I was 19 (it actually was assumed twice that day! Here´s to looking young:)) and partly it was because that´s how Peruvian people are. Normally, I wouldn´t have accepted this offer had it been a random on the street, but because he was the hostel owner it was fine.
Over lunch, we had a discussion about how different Peruvian people are than Westerners and an offer to a stranger to go to lunch like that was perfectly normal. No one is so tied to a fix schedule that they can´t be spontaneous. People greet you with a warm embrace or a handshake or some subtle form of touch as if they´ve know you forever and not just five minutes. It is a huge cultural difference and it is one that I hadn´t taken the time to fully recognize or embrace until I had the conversation with him.
This actually led to me sitting in the plaza the next day and accepting an offer from a stranger to go to an art gallery around the corner. Unfortunately, I had already seen the art gallery on my walking tour the day before. However, Oscar was determined to show me something that I hadn´t seen within his city. We ended up crossing the bridge and going over to the old side of town where you get an excellent view of the new parts of Arequipa. It was really cool having someone whose a local show me around simply because he had some free time on his hands. The idea is something that I definitely want to take back to Canada with me.
After we went our separate ways, I went to Santa Catalina monastery. The monastery used to operate like a little city within a city and was fascinating to walk through. It is painted in a terrcotta red and then a dark royal blue and the contrast is stunning. I got some really nice photos. Plus, at the viewpoint, I got to see a glimpse of Misti Mountain in the distance!
Friday, January 24, 2014
Cities
**The computers I am on won´t actually let me edit. So I apologize for the bad formatting and lack of photos. Maybe I can gt some up in the next few days.
I am beginning to feel as though cities are like people. They can shock and surprise you in both good ways and bad. But what I find most interesting, is how my àll of my preconceived notions about the places that I am going to visit, have been broken. Nowhere has been like I expected and the places that I hadn´t even planned to visit have quickly become my favourite.
This week was probably one of the roughest weeks I have had travelling. I lost and found my wallet (see story below), dealt with some drama from home, and then lost my hard drive with ALL of my photos from the past 3.5 months and the memory card that had all of my favourites and all the new photos from La Paz and the Pampas. Gutted. Completely and utterly gutted.
I love taking pictures. I love the way you line up shots and can play with settings and lightings and angles. No, I am no professional. But, I love the way photography can be art. As a friend can attest, I might´ve had 20 pictures of one lighthouse on my hard drive (which made him feel better about all his salt photos) but they were still all different. I know I can get photos from other people and essentially get most of them back, which I am forever grateful for, but at the same time, they´re not mine. My eye wasn´t behind the lens trying to snap the perfect shot and I think that´s what´s getting me. Alas, at least I still have 2.5 months to take more;)
I am beginning to feel as though cities are like people. They can shock and surprise you in both good ways and bad. But what I find most interesting, is how my àll of my preconceived notions about the places that I am going to visit, have been broken. Nowhere has been like I expected and the places that I hadn´t even planned to visit have quickly become my favourite.
This week was probably one of the roughest weeks I have had travelling. I lost and found my wallet (see story below), dealt with some drama from home, and then lost my hard drive with ALL of my photos from the past 3.5 months and the memory card that had all of my favourites and all the new photos from La Paz and the Pampas. Gutted. Completely and utterly gutted.
I love taking pictures. I love the way you line up shots and can play with settings and lightings and angles. No, I am no professional. But, I love the way photography can be art. As a friend can attest, I might´ve had 20 pictures of one lighthouse on my hard drive (which made him feel better about all his salt photos) but they were still all different. I know I can get photos from other people and essentially get most of them back, which I am forever grateful for, but at the same time, they´re not mine. My eye wasn´t behind the lens trying to snap the perfect shot and I think that´s what´s getting me. Alas, at least I still have 2.5 months to take more;)
Puno...
Originally, I wasn’t sure about Puno. Was it a must see? I´d heard it was nothing special. But then I figured how many times will I be on Lake Titicaca? I may as well go see the floating houses.
Outside of really cheap market food and a nice kind of walking area, I really shouldn’t have gone to Puno. This is where my hard drive and camera were taken and this is where Aoife and I got put on the WRONG tour. They picked us up early and then told us to follow this man on to this boat. They didn´t even check our receipt. Seeing as how things like this are common in Peru and Bolivia, I was questioned it but then thought okay.
We were supposed to see three different types of floating islands. We saw one, where we learned some of the history, ate the root of the reeds, went on a reed boat and looked a local artisan crafts. Then we went to the island of Taquille to eat lunch. It was honestly a glorified boat ride. The island did provide some good cultural information about the groups of people who lived there and why they wore certain types of hats, but again not really what we were expecting. We later came back to the hostel to have a man from the tour come and tell us to pay for our lunch. In the tour we were supposed to be on, lunch was included. It was all so ridiculous and at this point I was more concerned about my hard drive than anything so we made a consensus that it wasn´t our problem and left.
Outside of really cheap market food and a nice kind of walking area, I really shouldn’t have gone to Puno. This is where my hard drive and camera were taken and this is where Aoife and I got put on the WRONG tour. They picked us up early and then told us to follow this man on to this boat. They didn´t even check our receipt. Seeing as how things like this are common in Peru and Bolivia, I was questioned it but then thought okay.
We were supposed to see three different types of floating islands. We saw one, where we learned some of the history, ate the root of the reeds, went on a reed boat and looked a local artisan crafts. Then we went to the island of Taquille to eat lunch. It was honestly a glorified boat ride. The island did provide some good cultural information about the groups of people who lived there and why they wore certain types of hats, but again not really what we were expecting. We later came back to the hostel to have a man from the tour come and tell us to pay for our lunch. In the tour we were supposed to be on, lunch was included. It was all so ridiculous and at this point I was more concerned about my hard drive than anything so we made a consensus that it wasn´t our problem and left.
Copacabana and Isla del Sol
When Aoife and I decided to make our escape from La Paz, Copacabana was our destination. After taking a bus and a ferry to get there, we settled on a cheaper hostel (which in the end had some rooms that looked like murder scenes) and went to explore by the water. It was nice to be by the water again. Lake Titicaca is so vast that it looks like an ocean. It felt like being back on the Island as I soaked up the sunshine and watched the water.
Pumped for what´s about to happen Zorbing!
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What made this even better though was the discovery that on Lake Titicaca they have zorbing balls. Zorbing balls! I have only ever heard of it being done in Germany, so when Aoife was keen to give it a go I was so in. I don’t think I have ever laughed so hard. If one person goes to move before the other, you´re falling and then toppling all over yourself just trying to stand back up. I lost the things in my purse so many times. You only go for 10 minutes but honestly 10 minutes is enough. Definitely a highlight in Copacabana.
After that we went to a restaurant on the water for happy hour and dinner. After dinner, we went to use the bathroom above the restaurant. I went to take a picture of the view and my wallet fell out of my bag. I didn´t realize until we got back to the hostel and when we went back to the restaurant everything was closed and locked up. We banged on the door and shined our flashlights but no one answered. The area itself was kind of a little ally that shared its back with a hotel so we thought we´d go ask in there. The man at reception thought I lost my wallet in the bathroom and then after explaining took us out to the back where they hang the sheets and the wall is. While trying not to decapitate myself on clotheslines, I went closer to the wall. This led the man to think that we actually were trying to jump over the wall and break in and a bunch of yelling ensued. Not at all what was happening. Then we went back to the door and there was another man who had a key but he wouldn’t let us in because he didn’t know us, even after we explained all we wanted was to just look at the stairs. We gave up after that and went for drinks.
The next day, when we went to the restaurant there was my wallet with all my cards (both debits, VISA, and Driver´s Liscence)! So lucky!! After that it was on to Isla del Sol. While everyone tells you to go to Isla del Sol, no one tells you how pretty it actually is.
We got there around 3;30 in the afternoon and were welcomed by an Argentinean filled beach. This surprised me. I hadn´t expected beaches. We had decided to do the hike from North to South that day and set out for the ruins. By the ruins, there is another lovely beach that hardly anyone was at. If I were to go back in the non-rainy season this is definitely where I would choose to camp. The hike itself was very pretty. It gave views of the lakes and mountains and a thunder storm that kept threatening to take out the sun. However, we were lucky. We hit the south part of the island and found a hostel right as darkness was hitting. When we woke up the next day, it was pouring. So we waited it out rather than getting rained on and enjoyed ourselves for the sunny afternoon. When we got back to Copacabana, the power was out. This made for an interesting sing a long on the main road once it got dark out. It was really cool to be by the water and see all the stars and have a hippie group of Argentineans perform an impromptu concert
Back to La Paz
Coming back from the Pampas, I wasn´t sure I was going to stay in La Paz for more than a day. But things changed. I decided to go to Tihuanaco with Aoife and her friend. We took public transport which was a lot like a roller coaster on the way back. If you go to the ruins without expectations or you haven’t seen the ruins in Peru these are good ruins. The main attractions to me, were the large statues that they had put in the center of the sun gate and this lower dwelling that had all these carvings of faces. Some of them were still so intact considering it is a pre-incan ruin.
The next day, Aoife and I decided to go on tour of Mount Chacaltaya and the Moon Valley. Mount Chacaltaya is a part of the Cordillera Real and is 5,421m above sea level. In the winter, it is the ski hill for Bolivia, however, due to global warming they only use it for about a month. On the tour, you are bussed up the mountain to 5000m and then you walk the rest. Even after bring in La Paz for a while I could feel the altitude. The buzzing in my ears, the rapid pulse of my heart, and the twisting in my stomach. It is amazing how much it can affect you. The mountain would give striking views on a clear day. But it is the rainy season and clouds were in sight. I still had a lovely time though and would definitely recommend it just for the different lakes and scenery. The Moon Valley in the La Paz was made from a lake. It is all silt that has been formed into craters. Originally, I wasn´t into going because of the moon valley tour I did in San Pedro. However, I am glad I did because their definitely is a stark difference between the two.
The next day, Aoife and I decided to go on tour of Mount Chacaltaya and the Moon Valley. Mount Chacaltaya is a part of the Cordillera Real and is 5,421m above sea level. In the winter, it is the ski hill for Bolivia, however, due to global warming they only use it for about a month. On the tour, you are bussed up the mountain to 5000m and then you walk the rest. Even after bring in La Paz for a while I could feel the altitude. The buzzing in my ears, the rapid pulse of my heart, and the twisting in my stomach. It is amazing how much it can affect you. The mountain would give striking views on a clear day. But it is the rainy season and clouds were in sight. I still had a lovely time though and would definitely recommend it just for the different lakes and scenery. The Moon Valley in the La Paz was made from a lake. It is all silt that has been formed into craters. Originally, I wasn´t into going because of the moon valley tour I did in San Pedro. However, I am glad I did because their definitely is a stark difference between the two.
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