Hello all! Jessie here!
Adam posted about our crazy Machu Picchu trek, Machu Picchu being the absolute highlight of the 5 days. While we were totally burnt out from trekking, our crazy Dutch oxen-like friends wanted to go on a 3 day trek through the Colca Canyon near Arequipa. It really wasn't too bad of a hike, especially because I wussed out at the last minute and took a mule up the super steep mountain at 2am!!
While everyone arrived safely and on time, the guy in charge of the mule dropped me off at the top telling me to follow the path. ´No problem,´ I thought to myself. Unfortunately, while it was still dark at 5am, I went down the wrong path and got COMPLETELY and utterly lost in the Peruvian wilderness... finally, after an hour or so, I made it back to some terrace farming and hopped and slid my way down to the town! Whew! Talk about a long night (morning)!
Anywho, there is much too much stress involved in trekking, so I cannot see anymore in our near future... Thijs, Eric, Adam and I are planning a day of nothingness tomorrow, consisting of lots of jugo (juice), hammocks, and reading. We are all exhausted! But how worth it it is to be in South America! So far, we have made lots of fantastic friends and have seen the most beautiful things! Monday, we are planning to take a quick (approx.15hr) bus ride to Tacna and then Iquique.. fun stuff!
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Our apologies. It´s been entirely too long since the last post. We were so exhausted after finishing our 5 day trek that we really hit the R&R hard when we got back to Cuzco. A lot has happened since then, so this post may be a bit long.
Tuesday we embarked on our 5 day trek to Machu Picchu. We found what seemed like a great deal ($200/person) at a local agency. Initially, we were a bit suspicious, since the other more reputable companies cost more than $350/person and we had just previously been scammed on the bus to Cuzco. We decided to go for it, and we were picked up by minibus Tuesday morning bright and early at 4:30 AM.
We took a bus to a small town a few hours from Cuzco and had breakfast before we began the trail. There we met our trekking partners: Eric & Tihjs from Holland, Lars & Tor from Norway, and Mark & Isabell from Holland and Peru, respectively. Awesome people. Looking back, I wouldn´t have changed our group for anything. Everyone was very patient and we meshed exceptionally well. Our guide´s name was Kenny, a Cuzco resident who has experience guiding tours in the nearby Jungle where his Father lives. His Mother lives in Arequipa, where I´m writing this post from.
The first day was tough. The occasional flat trail was a welcomed gift after hours of quad-popping vertical climbing. The altitude didn´t help at all either, but thankfully noone got sick. Aside from hiking, most of the day was spent getting to know our new friends and learning about the local flora and fauna from Kenny. We made it to our first camp at the base of Salkantay just before nightfall (which comes early here, around 6ish, mas o menos). Our bags were transported to the camp site earlier in the day by pony, and our porters had our tents and stuff ready to go when we got there. This was common every day of the trek and I am very very appreciative of the hardwork of these men. They would always hike ahead (which was a simple task for them... many of them didn´t even seem to break a sweat) and set up the kitchen tent for lunch, and then later in the night, dinner. The first night was literally freezing cold. Jessie and I had washed some close the day before we left, but since our Hostel was indoors, the clothes didn´t dry. We laid them out on our tent when we arrived in hopes that they would dry enough to be worn the next day, but the next morning we woke up to shirts and underwear frozen stiff the the top of our tent. Oops.
The second day was arduous. No, it was absolute hell. The ENTIRE day was spent hiking to the peak of Salkantay mountain, uphill (in Quechua, Salkantay means ¨Savage Mountain¨ :-/ ). The path criss-crossed up the side of the mountain, and if it had been anymore vertical, we would of had to of used our hands. The sun was scorching in the thin air, but the temperature was brisk and cold. I must have changed my jacket 3 or 4 times.... taking it off and putting it back on; the moment you move into the shade the temperature drops considerably. On the last part before we reached the peak, Jessie put her headphones on to give her an extra boost. I must say, I wish I had had headphones at that moment. She just took off up the path and I was seriously DYING trying to keep up with her! Nevertheless, we all made it and took an awesome photo at the top. The peak was beautiful. All the previous hikers that had made it there had stacked numerous piles of rocks onto eachother; vestiges of human presence at the peak of the savage mountain. Before beginning our descent, I picked up my rock and placed it gently on top of one of the stacks. Much better than a free T-Shirt.
The rest of the day we hiked downhill (which is not exactly easy on the legs). It was amazing to see the changes in climate as we descended. The first day we hiked through high altitude, dry forest. The second day we experienced the dry & cold desolation of the peak as well as the forest again and finally the increasing humidity of the trees that bordered between the dry forest and the lowland jungle. In each of these places different crops are grown and different ways of life are implemented. It was truly amazing to see this vertical ecological system in a span of 2 days. The speed of our hike was perfect in recognizing the patterns and differences in subsistence of the people who lived on the mountain. Our second camp was in a small village in the jungle where farmers were burning their terraced plots on the hills behind us to release nutrients back into the soil for future cultivation. The second night was nice, except for a few swarms of mosquitos (deet solved that problem).
The third day we continued down the mountain. At this point walking had become meditation... repitition after repitition that brought my attention continuously into the present moment surrounded by the lush green foliage of the mountain jungle. Breathing became easier as we descended from the altitude and the release from physical strain allowed for more time to take in the beautiful scenery instead of focusing on ascending the next step. Perhaps it also become easier because we were told we´d reach a beach at the end of the day. The last stretch was a sandy road that led to a small village with a few shops and a sign that pointed down a rocky road that read "Playa" (beach in Spanish). Although I wouldn´t consider it a beach, the rocky bank of the river was still nice to take a frigid bath in. The sore muscles welcomed the cold water and many people hung out on the rocks, bathing in the sun and the knowledge that the rest of the day could be spent relaxing (the hike was only a half day). Jessie, Tihjs, Eric and I played gin and drank beer before dinner. Dinner was the usual: soup, tea, rice, meat, tomatoes. After dinner, our guide Kenny took us over to the one room school house next to our camp site. They were celebrating their 18th anniversary. The children watched from the windows as their parents partied it up and danced inside their school. The desks were pushed to the sides of the room and people sat, talked, laughed, danced, and drank. The man sitting next to me was *very* happy to see us. He informed me of the anniversary and he and I talked of the rural Peruvians relationship to the tierra (´land/earth´ in Spanish). He was also kind enough to share his bottle of beer with me. Jessie was fortunate enough to be asked to dance by one of the locals. Despite her sore calves, she learned the dance everyone seemed to be doing; a suttle shuffle of feet back and forth with a touch of hip movement. I sat and watched her while sharing beer with man next to me; she was having so much fun! I, however, wasn´t so fortunate to be asked to dance (I´m a bad dancer anyways) so after the song was over Jessie and I went outside to the nearby soccer field to watch our hiking companions take on the local children. Jessie and I stood in the shadows and watched with our guide, Kenny. We spoke to Kenny about all kinds of things: The tendency of people in Arequipa to place themselves above those in Cuzco, their supposed disrespect for people who speak Quechua ( a local indigenous language found in Peru & Bolivia), the lack of respect for Americans abroad (based on foreign policy), and the nature of trade between the different ecological zones on the mountain. After the guys got their butts kicked by the local children in soccer, we returned to the camp site and went to bed. Tomorrow we were to hike to Aguas Calientes, the town right outside Machu Picchu.
Tuesday we embarked on our 5 day trek to Machu Picchu. We found what seemed like a great deal ($200/person) at a local agency. Initially, we were a bit suspicious, since the other more reputable companies cost more than $350/person and we had just previously been scammed on the bus to Cuzco. We decided to go for it, and we were picked up by minibus Tuesday morning bright and early at 4:30 AM.
We took a bus to a small town a few hours from Cuzco and had breakfast before we began the trail. There we met our trekking partners: Eric & Tihjs from Holland, Lars & Tor from Norway, and Mark & Isabell from Holland and Peru, respectively. Awesome people. Looking back, I wouldn´t have changed our group for anything. Everyone was very patient and we meshed exceptionally well. Our guide´s name was Kenny, a Cuzco resident who has experience guiding tours in the nearby Jungle where his Father lives. His Mother lives in Arequipa, where I´m writing this post from.
The first day was tough. The occasional flat trail was a welcomed gift after hours of quad-popping vertical climbing. The altitude didn´t help at all either, but thankfully noone got sick. Aside from hiking, most of the day was spent getting to know our new friends and learning about the local flora and fauna from Kenny. We made it to our first camp at the base of Salkantay just before nightfall (which comes early here, around 6ish, mas o menos). Our bags were transported to the camp site earlier in the day by pony, and our porters had our tents and stuff ready to go when we got there. This was common every day of the trek and I am very very appreciative of the hardwork of these men. They would always hike ahead (which was a simple task for them... many of them didn´t even seem to break a sweat) and set up the kitchen tent for lunch, and then later in the night, dinner. The first night was literally freezing cold. Jessie and I had washed some close the day before we left, but since our Hostel was indoors, the clothes didn´t dry. We laid them out on our tent when we arrived in hopes that they would dry enough to be worn the next day, but the next morning we woke up to shirts and underwear frozen stiff the the top of our tent. Oops.
The second day was arduous. No, it was absolute hell. The ENTIRE day was spent hiking to the peak of Salkantay mountain, uphill (in Quechua, Salkantay means ¨Savage Mountain¨ :-/ ). The path criss-crossed up the side of the mountain, and if it had been anymore vertical, we would of had to of used our hands. The sun was scorching in the thin air, but the temperature was brisk and cold. I must have changed my jacket 3 or 4 times.... taking it off and putting it back on; the moment you move into the shade the temperature drops considerably. On the last part before we reached the peak, Jessie put her headphones on to give her an extra boost. I must say, I wish I had had headphones at that moment. She just took off up the path and I was seriously DYING trying to keep up with her! Nevertheless, we all made it and took an awesome photo at the top. The peak was beautiful. All the previous hikers that had made it there had stacked numerous piles of rocks onto eachother; vestiges of human presence at the peak of the savage mountain. Before beginning our descent, I picked up my rock and placed it gently on top of one of the stacks. Much better than a free T-Shirt.
The rest of the day we hiked downhill (which is not exactly easy on the legs). It was amazing to see the changes in climate as we descended. The first day we hiked through high altitude, dry forest. The second day we experienced the dry & cold desolation of the peak as well as the forest again and finally the increasing humidity of the trees that bordered between the dry forest and the lowland jungle. In each of these places different crops are grown and different ways of life are implemented. It was truly amazing to see this vertical ecological system in a span of 2 days. The speed of our hike was perfect in recognizing the patterns and differences in subsistence of the people who lived on the mountain. Our second camp was in a small village in the jungle where farmers were burning their terraced plots on the hills behind us to release nutrients back into the soil for future cultivation. The second night was nice, except for a few swarms of mosquitos (deet solved that problem).
The third day we continued down the mountain. At this point walking had become meditation... repitition after repitition that brought my attention continuously into the present moment surrounded by the lush green foliage of the mountain jungle. Breathing became easier as we descended from the altitude and the release from physical strain allowed for more time to take in the beautiful scenery instead of focusing on ascending the next step. Perhaps it also become easier because we were told we´d reach a beach at the end of the day. The last stretch was a sandy road that led to a small village with a few shops and a sign that pointed down a rocky road that read "Playa" (beach in Spanish). Although I wouldn´t consider it a beach, the rocky bank of the river was still nice to take a frigid bath in. The sore muscles welcomed the cold water and many people hung out on the rocks, bathing in the sun and the knowledge that the rest of the day could be spent relaxing (the hike was only a half day). Jessie, Tihjs, Eric and I played gin and drank beer before dinner. Dinner was the usual: soup, tea, rice, meat, tomatoes. After dinner, our guide Kenny took us over to the one room school house next to our camp site. They were celebrating their 18th anniversary. The children watched from the windows as their parents partied it up and danced inside their school. The desks were pushed to the sides of the room and people sat, talked, laughed, danced, and drank. The man sitting next to me was *very* happy to see us. He informed me of the anniversary and he and I talked of the rural Peruvians relationship to the tierra (´land/earth´ in Spanish). He was also kind enough to share his bottle of beer with me. Jessie was fortunate enough to be asked to dance by one of the locals. Despite her sore calves, she learned the dance everyone seemed to be doing; a suttle shuffle of feet back and forth with a touch of hip movement. I sat and watched her while sharing beer with man next to me; she was having so much fun! I, however, wasn´t so fortunate to be asked to dance (I´m a bad dancer anyways) so after the song was over Jessie and I went outside to the nearby soccer field to watch our hiking companions take on the local children. Jessie and I stood in the shadows and watched with our guide, Kenny. We spoke to Kenny about all kinds of things: The tendency of people in Arequipa to place themselves above those in Cuzco, their supposed disrespect for people who speak Quechua ( a local indigenous language found in Peru & Bolivia), the lack of respect for Americans abroad (based on foreign policy), and the nature of trade between the different ecological zones on the mountain. After the guys got their butts kicked by the local children in soccer, we returned to the camp site and went to bed. Tomorrow we were to hike to Aguas Calientes, the town right outside Machu Picchu.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Anywhere is better than Puno...
Jessie here-
Holy hell, what a couple of days we have had.
Yesterday started off with the mourning of my accidentally deleted photos... ALL of them. So, for anyone with or without precious photos from South America, never press "format" unless you know what it means. :(
Then began the arduous 11hour bus ride to Cuzco, with the less than impressive stop in Puno. At the bus stop we could not finish our "spaghetti," or whatever it actually was, and we had to pay to use the bathrooms. These bathrooms, or rather, rusted toilets with no seats, no working doors, no soap, and with the extra bonus of crumpled up very obviously used toilet paper to stare into, gave us a bad first impression of Peruvian cities.
The bus ride itself was a bit hellish. Besides the frequent and lengthy stops to gain more passengers, Adam had 2 drunk men standing up that kept crashing into him. Also, one of the men ´directing´the bus ride, took our $50 soles and totally scammed us. He lent us a pamphlet with a beautiful hotel to stay in and said we would have a taxi waiting for us to take us to our already paid room. While the taxi did take us somewhere, it was a crap hostile and we had a huge issue this morning when they expected us to pay again! We paid what we had, because we understood that it was neither of our faults, but whoever that man on the bus was hopefully has bad karma...
So, as a warning to future travelers: avoid paying for places to stay unless you do so at the hostal/hotel itself, or at a registered store that deals with that sort of stuff.
So! Things can only get better now that we are in Cuzco! We had the best breakfast of our lives this morning in our new, livable hostile! We hope to meet up with our British friends sometime while we are here, and we would also like to take a tour of Machu Picchu and possibly hang glide into remote Inca ruins.
I´m glad father´s day was nice for both of our dads! To my dad, I´ll DEFINITELY bring you back something from Machu Picchu! I can´t wait to take a shower! It´s been a while.. yikes! Talk to you all soon, and keep posting!
Holy hell, what a couple of days we have had.
Yesterday started off with the mourning of my accidentally deleted photos... ALL of them. So, for anyone with or without precious photos from South America, never press "format" unless you know what it means. :(
Then began the arduous 11hour bus ride to Cuzco, with the less than impressive stop in Puno. At the bus stop we could not finish our "spaghetti," or whatever it actually was, and we had to pay to use the bathrooms. These bathrooms, or rather, rusted toilets with no seats, no working doors, no soap, and with the extra bonus of crumpled up very obviously used toilet paper to stare into, gave us a bad first impression of Peruvian cities.
The bus ride itself was a bit hellish. Besides the frequent and lengthy stops to gain more passengers, Adam had 2 drunk men standing up that kept crashing into him. Also, one of the men ´directing´the bus ride, took our $50 soles and totally scammed us. He lent us a pamphlet with a beautiful hotel to stay in and said we would have a taxi waiting for us to take us to our already paid room. While the taxi did take us somewhere, it was a crap hostile and we had a huge issue this morning when they expected us to pay again! We paid what we had, because we understood that it was neither of our faults, but whoever that man on the bus was hopefully has bad karma...
So, as a warning to future travelers: avoid paying for places to stay unless you do so at the hostal/hotel itself, or at a registered store that deals with that sort of stuff.
So! Things can only get better now that we are in Cuzco! We had the best breakfast of our lives this morning in our new, livable hostile! We hope to meet up with our British friends sometime while we are here, and we would also like to take a tour of Machu Picchu and possibly hang glide into remote Inca ruins.
I´m glad father´s day was nice for both of our dads! To my dad, I´ll DEFINITELY bring you back something from Machu Picchu! I can´t wait to take a shower! It´s been a while.. yikes! Talk to you all soon, and keep posting!
Saturday, June 16, 2007
I love monkeys!
Hi this is Jessie again!
Yesterday, Adam and I went for a 3 hour hike on Isla del Sol! It proved to be more difficult than just a "walk" as the locals called it... whether it was the altitude, steep hills or the intense sun, Adam, our new British friends and I were exhausted at the end! The view was beautiful though, and the dehydration was well worth it :)
After waking up nice and early this morning, we walked to a nearby restaurant and had a hearty breakfast of bread butter and marmalade, eggs, pancakes, fresh OJ and coca tea. And who else was to interrupt our meal but a MONKEY! It was so exciting!! The owner told us to break off pieces of our bread to feed him! (the monkey, not the owner;) For some reason, he really liked me and started grooming my hair and climbing all over me!! I have some great pictures of Adam and I feeding the monkey, but my camera cord broke in the backpack so it will be a while before I can find some alternative.
Other than that, we spent most of today walking throughout Copacabana and browsing through the local/semi-local merchandise. The jewelry is so beautiful! must be careful... :) Tonight we plan on dining at a recommended restaurant- every time we pass by, it smells SO good! Tomorrow, we are headed to Cuzco (10hr bus ride) and will either find a tour of Machu Picchu or go hangliding! Either way, I'm stoked!
Talk to you from Cuzco!
Yesterday, Adam and I went for a 3 hour hike on Isla del Sol! It proved to be more difficult than just a "walk" as the locals called it... whether it was the altitude, steep hills or the intense sun, Adam, our new British friends and I were exhausted at the end! The view was beautiful though, and the dehydration was well worth it :)
After waking up nice and early this morning, we walked to a nearby restaurant and had a hearty breakfast of bread butter and marmalade, eggs, pancakes, fresh OJ and coca tea. And who else was to interrupt our meal but a MONKEY! It was so exciting!! The owner told us to break off pieces of our bread to feed him! (the monkey, not the owner;) For some reason, he really liked me and started grooming my hair and climbing all over me!! I have some great pictures of Adam and I feeding the monkey, but my camera cord broke in the backpack so it will be a while before I can find some alternative.
Other than that, we spent most of today walking throughout Copacabana and browsing through the local/semi-local merchandise. The jewelry is so beautiful! must be careful... :) Tonight we plan on dining at a recommended restaurant- every time we pass by, it smells SO good! Tomorrow, we are headed to Cuzco (10hr bus ride) and will either find a tour of Machu Picchu or go hangliding! Either way, I'm stoked!
Talk to you from Cuzco!
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
The Bliss at Copacabana
¡Hola mis amigos! This is Jessie! Thanks to everyone for posting on the blog and thinking of us!
Today, Adam and I traveled four hours from La Paz to the GORGEOUS Copacabana, on Lake Titicaca. It is breath-takingly beautiful here. I had no idea how busy and crammed La Paz was until I experienced life at a slower pace in Copacabana!
How they get the bus over the lake to reach Copacabana is hilarious/frightening. They have all the passengers get out and ride over on a small ferry, while they float the bus over on a huge platform!! I have pictures... unfortunately the computers here are rather slow, so it may be a while before I can post any :(
Other than that, we met an adorable little girl, Rosalina, at our hostel and she made herself comfortable talking with us in our room! She was fascinated by my earrings- for some reason, the kids here seem to be much cuter than those back home. The hostel itself is very nice, our room is 30 Bolivianos a night, less than $4US dollars! Also, Adam and I had dinner for 2 from an indigenous street vendor for 3 Bolivianos, way less than $1US dollar.. we'll see how we feel later tonight... other tourist attractions, though, are more expensive. Hopefully, we can find a bank so we can stay longer in Copacabana... our South American Handbook says there are no ATMs here, and I would be devastated to have to leave without going to Isla del Sol!
Other than the two Americans we met in La Paz, we haven't come across anyone else from the US. Lots of Europeans though- I hear French almost as much as I hear Spanish!
Tomorrow, we are planning to take a hike up a large hill near hear- many fantastic photo ops to come! The day after that, a trip to Isla del Sol, the birthplace of mankind by Inca tradition.
These three days have already been amazing! I keep realizing how lucky we are to have this opportunity while in college. So, thank you donors!! hehe
Alright, we are off to listen to some live Caribbean music down the street! Bye for now :)
Today, Adam and I traveled four hours from La Paz to the GORGEOUS Copacabana, on Lake Titicaca. It is breath-takingly beautiful here. I had no idea how busy and crammed La Paz was until I experienced life at a slower pace in Copacabana!
How they get the bus over the lake to reach Copacabana is hilarious/frightening. They have all the passengers get out and ride over on a small ferry, while they float the bus over on a huge platform!! I have pictures... unfortunately the computers here are rather slow, so it may be a while before I can post any :(
Other than that, we met an adorable little girl, Rosalina, at our hostel and she made herself comfortable talking with us in our room! She was fascinated by my earrings- for some reason, the kids here seem to be much cuter than those back home. The hostel itself is very nice, our room is 30 Bolivianos a night, less than $4US dollars! Also, Adam and I had dinner for 2 from an indigenous street vendor for 3 Bolivianos, way less than $1US dollar.. we'll see how we feel later tonight... other tourist attractions, though, are more expensive. Hopefully, we can find a bank so we can stay longer in Copacabana... our South American Handbook says there are no ATMs here, and I would be devastated to have to leave without going to Isla del Sol!
Other than the two Americans we met in La Paz, we haven't come across anyone else from the US. Lots of Europeans though- I hear French almost as much as I hear Spanish!
Tomorrow, we are planning to take a hike up a large hill near hear- many fantastic photo ops to come! The day after that, a trip to Isla del Sol, the birthplace of mankind by Inca tradition.
These three days have already been amazing! I keep realizing how lucky we are to have this opportunity while in college. So, thank you donors!! hehe
Alright, we are off to listen to some live Caribbean music down the street! Bye for now :)
Monday, June 11, 2007
We made it - first day in La Paz
So after an entire day of flying, we finally arrived at La Paz, Bolivia´s humble little airport around 6:30 am. Both of us were exhausted; the flight from Miami to La Paz was long and uncomfortable. After we got our bags we caught a taxi into the center of La Paz and sought out a hostal to recharge in for a few hours before we went exploring. The first 3 hostals we went to were full so we had to settle on a more expensive place called "Hotel Maya." Great atmosphere, complete with some computers to access the internet and a few shops right outside its doors selling alpaca garmets and offering tours. Our room has a tiny balcony that opens up to the street, complete with a great view of Iglesia San Francisco.
...multiple hours later, after a tremendously satisfying nap, we decided to explore the immediate area around us. Complete with our water bottle, Spanish dictionary, and our eagerness to see what La Paz has to offer, we headed for the enormous Franciscan church right down the street from our room. Eventually we will post some pictures to Flickr so you all can see.
Following our awesome solo tour of Iglesia San Francisco, we thought it´d be a good idea to find a cheaper hostal to stay in... 110 Bolivianos per night (around $13.5) was a little too expensive for our blood. During our search we stumbled upon another plaza where many people were hanging out, talking, eating ice cream, and feeding the loads of pigeons that would eating seed right out of your hand. We met two wonderful people, one girl born in Syracuse and a priest who was here to learn Spanish so he could go on to do missionary work in Argentina. Upon our recommendation, they headed across the street to check out Iglesia San Francisco. Jessie and I went and sat on a set of stairs surrounding this pigeon-laden plaza and watched a young boy chase the pigeons around. He eventually returned gripping one between his small hands and gave it to a traditionally dressed woman sitting next to us. This gave Jessie an idea, so we bought some seed and fed the birds ourselves. But before she could even open the bag containing the seeds, the pigeons flocked to her arm and hand, pecking at the bag. We had some fun with this, allowing the birds to land all over our bodies while we held the food in our hands... it was AWESOME!
Afterwards, we entered an enormous church across the street (not Iglesia San Francisco, another one). It was magnificent! We didn´t get any pictures of the inside, but the outside attests to its size and splendor.
At the moment we are hanging out in an internet cafe down the street from where we are staying. We plan to grab some food soon and possibly head back to our room and call it a day. Tomorrow I think we are going to head to Tihuanaco and see the archaeological remains. On Wednesday I think we might wave goodbye to La Paz and head to Copacabana on Lake Titicaca. We hope everyone is doing great back home and abroad! We are having a wonderful time, and it´s only the first day!
At the moment, Jessie is working on uploading some pictures so you all can see what our first day in La Paz was like.
We´ll post again soon!
...multiple hours later, after a tremendously satisfying nap, we decided to explore the immediate area around us. Complete with our water bottle, Spanish dictionary, and our eagerness to see what La Paz has to offer, we headed for the enormous Franciscan church right down the street from our room. Eventually we will post some pictures to Flickr so you all can see.
Following our awesome solo tour of Iglesia San Francisco, we thought it´d be a good idea to find a cheaper hostal to stay in... 110 Bolivianos per night (around $13.5) was a little too expensive for our blood. During our search we stumbled upon another plaza where many people were hanging out, talking, eating ice cream, and feeding the loads of pigeons that would eating seed right out of your hand. We met two wonderful people, one girl born in Syracuse and a priest who was here to learn Spanish so he could go on to do missionary work in Argentina. Upon our recommendation, they headed across the street to check out Iglesia San Francisco. Jessie and I went and sat on a set of stairs surrounding this pigeon-laden plaza and watched a young boy chase the pigeons around. He eventually returned gripping one between his small hands and gave it to a traditionally dressed woman sitting next to us. This gave Jessie an idea, so we bought some seed and fed the birds ourselves. But before she could even open the bag containing the seeds, the pigeons flocked to her arm and hand, pecking at the bag. We had some fun with this, allowing the birds to land all over our bodies while we held the food in our hands... it was AWESOME!
Afterwards, we entered an enormous church across the street (not Iglesia San Francisco, another one). It was magnificent! We didn´t get any pictures of the inside, but the outside attests to its size and splendor.
At the moment we are hanging out in an internet cafe down the street from where we are staying. We plan to grab some food soon and possibly head back to our room and call it a day. Tomorrow I think we are going to head to Tihuanaco and see the archaeological remains. On Wednesday I think we might wave goodbye to La Paz and head to Copacabana on Lake Titicaca. We hope everyone is doing great back home and abroad! We are having a wonderful time, and it´s only the first day!
At the moment, Jessie is working on uploading some pictures so you all can see what our first day in La Paz was like.
We´ll post again soon!
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Here we go!
Today is the day! We are finishing up some last minute packing and after I make copies of all my importance documents (passport, credit card, license, etc.) we will be heading to the airport. Our flight leaves as 2:35pm, and we will be arriving in La Paz, Bolivia @ 5:35am tomorrow (Monday 6/11). We are super excited!! YAY!!!! (that was Jessie's "yay"). Hope everyone is doing well... our next post will be from an internet cafe on a street corner in La Paz in the next few days. Here we go.
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