Llego en Chile

At last I am checking in! I have experienced a lot since Cusco, and I wish I could be posting images right now, but alas, I have some sad news....

On the bus ride from Cusco to Puno (on Lake Titicaca), my camera was stolen. It was a shitty situation, and I was partly responsible for not watching my bag closer. I am super bummed, obviously, about the photos more than the camera. I reported it to the bus company but there really wasn't anything they could do. Jess has been letting me take a lot of pics with her camera, and I will be posting some of those pics soon.

Lake Titicaca was incredible- from the floating islands (constructed by the people out of reeds), to the wonderfully quiet of Amantani, where we stayed with a family and attended a dance dressed in traditional garb. The altitude was still very high, and we did quite a bit of hiking in the area- so we were exhausted!

After the lake, the 3 of us headed to Arequipa which ended up being not at all what we thought it would be. It wasn't charming at all, and we decided to head to the coast instead of doing even more hiking at a canyon that was 3 hours away. Off to Mollendo we went, where we spent 2 days relaxing on the beach and enjoying our hostel's rooftop lookout.

Upon return to Arequipa, Ramon said goodbye to Jess and I :( He went north to do some surfing in Puerto Chicama, and Jess and I headed south into Chile. After about 3 days of buses (with a short respite in Arica, a beach town), we at last landed in Vicuña, Chile (Elqui Valley), in Pisco making country. Pisco is a liquor made from grapes, and the infamous drink, the Pisco Sour, was invented in either Peru or Chile... depending on whether you talk to a Peruvian or a Chilean.

We camped last night and it was beautiful- finally my tent got some use! We also met up with a couple from England that Jess had made friends with in Santiago de Chile. Today we are heading to Pisco Elqui for a distillery tour, and more camping! We should be next a river soon, so swimming is also in our near future! Yay!

I miss you, my friends and family, more every day! Hugs and kisses!!!!

Cuzco y mas

At last we have completed our trek to Machu Picchu after months of planning! It was the most difficult (and longest at 4 days) hike I have ever done! The second day we climbed about 1,000 feet and it was about 6 hours of hiking straight uphill. Jess and I were the first of our group (aside form the porters of course) to arrive at camp- Ramon arrived about an hour later. I am going to put up a few pictures from the journey, which was ridiculously beautiful. We kept repeating that we couldn't believe how amazing the scenery was. The only downside was that we really didn't have enough time in Machu Picchu on the last day. I definitely want to go back and just chill on the lawn capturing the energy.

When we returned to Cuzco after the trek, our hostel in San Blas had no water- which is apparently a frequent problem in this neighborhood. This was especially shitty since we hdan't showered in 4 days, except for baby wipe showers. Yesterday we switched hostels, however, and took loooong, hot showers. Amazing.

Cuzco is an awesome city, full of hippies from around the world. There are plenty of great places to eat, and even more places to go out and listen to live music. Our first night here (before the trek), we saw a small band that consisted of a singer/guitarist/accordian player, a clarinet player, and a stand-up bass player. They played a sort of jazz fusion type music with heavy french influence. Hard to describe but it was incredible! Our second day here consisted completely of preparation for the trek- buying last minute necessities and packing our backpacks as lightly as possible.

We had a great group on the trek; us, 2 other Americans (of asian descent), 2 Brazilians, 4 Argentinians, and 2 Austrians who were around 60 years old and rather high maintenance. We had a blast even though we were constantly sore and exhausted. Now I am battling the repercussions- feeling still pretty weak and tired.

Tonight we are taking an overnight bus to Puno- the starting point for Lake Titicaca. We are hoping to do a homestay on a floating island, as well as one of the other islands. Traveling with Ramon and Jess has been awesome- we have been cooperating very well and been keeping up good communication for our needs. por suerte!

Until next time, besitos y abrazos fuertes!

Salgo de La Punta

I know I have been promising photos and they still aren´t here, so sorry!

Anyhew, since Puerto Chicama I have been laying low here in La punta and Miraflores. I got a really nice tan, and burned a little- that was exciting!

On Sunday (I think), Luis Alberto (Bibi´s cousin) invited me to go jetskiing with him and his friend Farid, although Luis Alberto never got on the thing because, he claims, he is of the land only ("de la tierra solamente"). Farid and I, however, had a great time. At one point I got the jetski ("moto del agua) up to 50 mph- whoo hoo! Later that evening I met up with the daughter of one of my mom's book club friends, Leah. She, Luis Alberto and I went to a super fancy restaurant in Barranco, where I tried octopus ("pulpo") and scallops. Now, I am not a big fan of seafood, especially not shellfish, but these were "espectácular!" The restaurant is called Amor Amar and was recommended to me by a fellow foodie that read about it in the states.

The next day, Leah and I went on a shopping mission to find some nice lotion in Miraflores. We shopped for hours, I was exhausted, and we never found any... weird since all the women here always smell really good. Then I got home to La Punta and found some in a little store that I pass by literally every day. I scored some presents for my host family too- new flip-flops for Vaughn since his had holes in them, and a doll called "niño de la espina" for Pochi, which consists of Jesus as a tot, sitting down and crying because there is a splinter in his bleeding foot. Ahhh, Catholicism. Although Pochi is not inherently Catholic, she does go to church on Sundays and adores the baby Jesus.

Yesterday was definitely an exciting day! I´m sure you all heard about the giant earthquake in Japan, and the ensuing tsunami. Well that tsunami was also headed to the west coast of the Americas. Where I am staying, La Punta, we are surrounded by water. I mean, I can stand on one of the main streets and see water both the left and right of me, about 2 blocks away in each direction. That being said, I gladly evacuated with Pochi. Around 5pm we left La Punta for higher ground in Bella, at her parents house. Vaughn decided to stay home and "guard the apartment", which Pochi had the foresight to predict- having been through 2 hurricanes and an earthquake with him. She and I spent the evening hanging with 17-year-old Stefanya, who's family has known and worked with Pochi's family for years. Her father Miguel Ángel is our regular "taxista", and her mother does in-home care for Pochi's mom. Additionally, I was able to watch TV in english for the first time in almost a month.

Waking up today I felt refreshed, and Pochi and I headed to the market in Callao to pick up a couple dresses of mine. One I had requested be made after Bibi inspired me to do so with her dress projects, and the other was a strapless one I brought in to put straps on. When we arrived, we proceeded to watch the seamstress search her shop high and low, as well as track down another client, to try to find the dress I brought in. This was about the 4th or 5th time that Pochi and I had been to see her about dresses, and we were pretty over it. I thought I had lost the dress forever. Pochi advised the seamstress that if the dress was in fact gone, she would have to make me a new one- in less than 5 hours. We returned around 4pm and alas, a woman had returned it who had taken it home on accident. Whew! and the dress is like new, with beautiful straps that will allow me to dance without fear of flashing an entire club.

Tonight, Ramon arrives! Finally! We have both been so excited! And he has had an insanely stressful last few weeks. He had to finish finals early to get here in time for Machu Picchu, as well as move to LA, plus prepare for the trip! ¡Ay, Díos mío! Luckily for him, I have booked us an amazingly luxurious hotel for tomorrow night, and have beautified in preparation for his arrival... well, I got my nails done and shaved my legs- for me that´s a big deal!

On Monday we leave for Cuzco, and begin our trek for Machu Picchu on Wednesday. The next time I write I will most likely be exhausted from the journey. Until then, much love to my peeps! Say hello to California spring for me! Muchos besitos!!!

Olas largas

Returned yesterday from Puerto Chicama where I rode the longest left wave ever! The only sad part is that they were only about waist high. However it was very beautiful and I know I would like to go back when there is a swell, to experience near mile long waves! Eric was a really fun travel partner and he was very appreciative of my translating skills.

Today I spent the day with my Peruvian family and we went to Barranco, a really beautiful neighborhood in Lima. I forgot to take blog-friendly photos in Chicama, so I will post some from today. Tomorrow we are going to a BBQ at a friend´s house, and hopefully go out in Barranco!

BTW, I am writing down recipes for Peruvian dishes, yay! Today I had Tacú Tacú con Pescado, which is a beans and rice dish with fish... photos to come! MMMMMMMMM!

I haven´t posted in awhile, so there is much to talk about! Eric, a friend of Bibi´s and Ramon´s whom I have somehow never met, arrived about 4 days ago, and so began my surf exploration of Peru.



We went to Playa Makaja near Miraflores (in Lima) and scored a few mushy but decent sized waves. After jumping off my first good wave, I came up out of the water, forgetting to cover my head- and got dinged with my heavy wooden surfboard. It didn´t hurt very much so I brushed it off and continued my session. A few moments later Eric came over and informed me that I had blood dripping down my face. ¡Coño! Still I didn´t let it stop me. I finished my session and went in to warm up on the rocky beach. When I got to the tent where we rented our boards and suits, two young women there kindly attended to my hound ("herida"). The first gave me a napkin, and the second got ice for me from a nearby vendor. As I stood there with a napkin in one hand and a cup of ice in the other (half of which I had already spilled), debating whether to finish taking off my springsuit first or stop the bleeding- the second girl finally said "ya" and carefully dried and iced my eye until the bleeding stopped. This is what I love about Peruvians: they see someone in need and they help them, without even knowing your name.



That evening (Friday) was our planned "big night out." Bibi´s cousin, Carlos Alberto (who is actually a childhood friend who´s mom went to school with Pochi), instructed a friend of his who lives in La Punta to meet us outside our apartment. Franco, a lanky, blue-eyed native of La Punta, graciously met us at the corner of Grau and Larco streets. From there we shared a taxi (Bibi, Eric, Franco and I) to Luis ALberto´s (Carlos Alberto´s brother) apartment in the fancy business district of Lima called Miraflores. Luis Alberto´s apartment was very modern with lots of windows and a rooftop patio.

Luis and Carlos Alberto were grilling fish and steak when we arrived, and we shared several 4-packs of beer with their group of friends, which consisted only of men until an hour later- when the well-dressed and definitely sassy girls arrived. Another hour went by before we finally made it out the door to head to the club. Bibi and I were fortunate enough to ride in one of the girls´car- complete with champagne during the drive- while the boys shared a taxi. (Sidenote: during the girls only car ride I learned how to say "suck it!" in spanish... "chúpaselo!" ahh the pleasure of profanity- the universal language.)

The club was actually on the first floor of a very fancy (complete with a KFC) 2 story mall. We went in about midnight- no cover charge, no ID check, just a bag check- and didn´t leave until about 5am. The evening´s music began with pretty bad techno (including a remake of a Dirty Dancing song), and concluded with local favorites lika Shakira and various other latin american musicians. I watched carefull and realized I could dance without moving too much and kind of look like I fit in. Luckily I paced myself, not wanting a repeat of the weekend before, when I stayed in bed all day Sunday, getting up only to use the bathroom and eat soup.

We ended up sleeping at Luis Alberto´s apartment, and Bibi and I scored 1 of only 3 beds, while Eric took the couch and Franco the floor. Although we only slept a few hours, I felt refreshed in the mornig as we made our way back to La Punta.

Bibi, Pochi, and Vaughn went to the Abuela´s house for her 83rd birthday while Eric and I rested and showered. On our first solo micro (small public bus) adventure, we met the LeClair family about 15 minutes from the house. From there we headed to downtown Lima for a visit to the new "water park," although it´s not the water park that you´re thinking of, with slides and Breaker Beach. This park has a series of water fountains illuminated by colored lights. We got there right at sunset which made for some sweet photos. We also saw a show od one of the largest fountains that had laser beam graphics shot through the water. Era muy bonita.

Immediately after the show, we picked ourselves up off the ground where we were sitting, to stretch our legs. Eric also needed to stretch his lower back, so he was bent over for a couple minutes. I noticed a small family standing directly behind him and being typically short as Peruvians are, were almost eye level with his rear end. Thankfully they didn´t stare, but they certainly noticed the gringo derrier close to their faces. They graciously ignored the situation and only briefly glanced from the fountain to his ass a couple of times. All of this passes in about 30 seconds and when it was over I took one look at Bibi and knew she had witnessed the scenario as I did. It was only a matter of seconds before we were laughing hysterically, while poor Eric stood there with a confused look on his face. We tried explaining the situation, but it just didn´t seem as funny to him. Thanks, Eric, for that bit of comedy that continues to make me laugh even as I type.

Leaving the park we knew we needed to eat, but finding "dinner" in Peru is problematic because lunch is the main meal of the day. We scored, thanks to Vaughn, and I had my first- and probably best- "chicharron" at a restaurant calle "El Chinito" ("the little chinaman"). This sandwich is made of sliced, roasted pork, sliced yam-like potato, and grilled onions with spices and spicy chunks of hot pepper. With a little mayo and mustard...mmmmmmmmm ¡Que rico! I ate it like an animal! We returned to the house full and content, and crashed out hard after watching a DVD.

Yesterday we got to have lunch with the family at the Racing Club ("rah-ceeng cloob") where we had barbequed pork chops with chimichurri, baked potaoes with cheese sauce, corn on the cob, and fresh tomatoes with lime juice salad dressing. MMMMMMMM! I LOVE Peruvian food- lots of garlic, onions, spice, and cilantro. Afterwards Eric and I went to a small bar so he could try a Pisco Sour. The owners were very friendly, and made the drinks so strong (which is typical) that I was beet faced halfway through, and couldn´t finish it.

As we planned earlier (which is a mission in Latin America), Eric and I had the family taxi driver, Miguel Angel, pick us up around 8pm to head to the Cruz del Sur bus station. From there we took an overnight, coche-cama bus to Trujillo in the north, where we then took another bus to Puerto Chicama. Waiting for the second bus was hilarious; we were at the corner of a busy intersection where buses were constantly passing by for pickups and dropoffs. Our first 2 El Dorado buses to Puerto Chicama were full, and the bus stop attendant told us "you have to run!" ("¡Tienen que correr!" When we finally saw another El DOrado bus, we hauled ass to get on almost before it stopped, and behind us the attendant shouted "that´s how you run!" (¿Así is como corren!)

About an hour later we arrived in Puerto Chicama- home of the longest left hand wave in the world. Within 2 hours of arriving, we were in the water after checking into the hostel "El Hombre." And here we are- whew! Sorry for the long post, I had some catching up to do!!! Pictures yet to come! I love you allll!!!!!!!!

Viene el sol

I posted some photos below- I guess I´ll need to make them smaller!

Bibi, Pochi, Vaughn and I went to downtown Lima yesterday- sensory overload to say the least! Crowds of people were shopping and eating and chillin in a huge plaza surrounded by government palaces..er...housing. We also visited a huge department store that used to be a bank- complete with marble flooring and looming columns.

Today the sun came out so I went to the rocky beach and enjoyed watching the locals enjoy their Saturday. It´s surprisingly cool here in La Punta, with a near-constant ocean breeze. When the sun is out however, I can feel my tan coming on!

Currently I await the return of the family from a visit with Grandma so we can eat lunch. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day here, and it´s normal to not really eat dinner. Yesterday for lunch I had rice with deliciously seasoned ground beef and a fried plantain. MMMMMMM! Sorry Eric, I don´t know how well the food will travel!

Until next time- cheers!

The Journey

¡Hola a todos!

I have been in Peru only one day and it already feels like a lifetime! I departed Oceanside, Ca at about 9am yesterday, after missing the train I was originally supposed to catch. That left me at LA´s Union Station at 1115am- 15 minutes before I was supposed to be at the airport. Luckily the shuttle bus left promptly at 1130 and there wasn´t much traffic to LAX. Lines, lines, and more lines, however, got me to my gate right as they began boarding (whew!). I landed a middle seat between a Mexican businessman and a Korean kid who only woke up long enough to drink a beer.

The Mexico City airport was grandiose to say the least, and much nicer than LAX! I enjoyed my 4 hours there (after 2 bag searches) in the typical American fashion- with a burger and a beer in Chili´s Too. They had awesome classic music videos on like ¨YMCA¨and ¨Strangers in the Night¨- good times!

The second flight went off without a hitch, despite some disturbing rattling and banging noises as we took off. We arrived promptly at 650am and Bibi´s dad was waiting at the snack booth in a Detroit Red Wings hat as promised.

Since my arrival I have had the pleasure of getting to know Bibi´s (Yvette´s) parents, Vaughn and Pochi. They have fed me and given me a tour of La Punta, which is a beautiful and almost utopian town reminiscent of Cadiz, Spain. Vaughn has some fantastic stories ranging anywhere from local politics to life as a kid in Detroit, Michigan. Funny that my whole extended family is from Michigan- ¡pequeño mundo!

That being said, I am safe, well fed, and loving Peru already! Bibi arrives at midnight tonight and I am excited at the ventures we will embark on.

Much love to all my peeps!!!