We made it back to the US.
My mind is scattered in a million pieces.
The culture shock began when we got off the plane and... I cant even go into detail. It was horrible.
Ill be fine.
Breathe...
Ill keep this blog going for the rest of the summer.
Thanks for following along.
It means a lot.
Now, I sleep...
Goodnight and dulce suenos.
Love ya.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
O, the beautiful sound
of falling coins
on steel
My three eyes
Spinning in circles
Bar
Bar
Bar bar bar
There is no sunshine in the Tigre casino.
We left the flourescent money mansion with full pockets and heavy eyelids.
My eyes blinded by the darkness of the night.
I don´t believe in luck - I believe in destiny. But last night, luck was on our side.
Jonathan and I dominated the blackjack table, though Jonathan had no idea what was going on. We turned 50 into 190.
Abril and Ro looked like two old ladies, stuffing more and more coins into slot machines. I joined Abril, and after saaay 10 minutes, I stood triumphantly glaring at the 720 gold circles plumetting, bowing to their rightful owner - me. Buena suerte or buena onda - whatever you wanna call it, Abril and I had it.
Twas a good way to say goodbye to Tigre, or rather Tigre saying goodbye to me. We sadly cannot stay in Argentina for Abrils birthday, and will head back to the US tomorrow morning.
6 months abroad. Growth. Insight. Wisdom.
The adventure never ends...
of falling coins
on steel
My three eyes
Spinning in circles
Bar
Bar
Bar bar bar
There is no sunshine in the Tigre casino.
We left the flourescent money mansion with full pockets and heavy eyelids.
My eyes blinded by the darkness of the night.
I don´t believe in luck - I believe in destiny. But last night, luck was on our side.
Jonathan and I dominated the blackjack table, though Jonathan had no idea what was going on. We turned 50 into 190.
Abril and Ro looked like two old ladies, stuffing more and more coins into slot machines. I joined Abril, and after saaay 10 minutes, I stood triumphantly glaring at the 720 gold circles plumetting, bowing to their rightful owner - me. Buena suerte or buena onda - whatever you wanna call it, Abril and I had it.
Twas a good way to say goodbye to Tigre, or rather Tigre saying goodbye to me. We sadly cannot stay in Argentina for Abrils birthday, and will head back to the US tomorrow morning.
6 months abroad. Growth. Insight. Wisdom.
The adventure never ends...
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
On the move, keepin the groove
Back in Buenos Aires!
Our night in Arequipa was absolute awesome madness. A new Claro was opening, equivalent to say Verizon Wireless, and as we walked by, Jonathan peeked back and wanted to enter the party. The big security guards at the door gave us gringos skeptical looks. I peered in to see a jolly round guy with a blue jacket holding a full bottle of Cusqueña cerveza gave me the "come on in" gesture. I immediately yelled "we´re with him, him, HIM!" and we entered. The man, Guillermo, really hooked it up. Tons of free beer, music, and he introduced us to a group of five girls, saying "dance, dance" C´mon!" Feeling slightly embarassed, I moved weakly towards them, but as our cab driver Edwin advised earlier in the day, "Arequipa girls love fireigners."
Edwin was right.
We danced the hell out of Claro, ate some celestial crepes at Zig Zag´s, then went out clubbing with the group of five. Twas a great night to say the least.
After 2 hours of sleep, we awoke from our drunken slumbers and booked it to the station. We discover that "Bus cama" AKA bed bus, is the best thing ever. We have the whole bottom section of the bus to ourselves. The 9 hour ride to Nazca felt like a "ratito".
When we arrived in Nazca, we went directly to the airport. "We have no tickets, but we wanna fly and see the lines!" We got a 4 seater plane, 2 pilots and booked it to the sky... the last flight out that afternoon. We saw the most incredible, head achy, mind hypnotizing Nazca Lines, formations of Incan rock patterns resembling different animals and figures across an arid desert. How it got there, or why it was there, remains a mystery. Google search Nazca Lines...
We then got some juicy sleep and booke dit to Lima, met our Israeli-LA friend Oren in the Loki Hostel (Miraflores) and walked around the trendy uppermid class neighborhood. Eventually, Jona nd I went to the movie theater and saw "The A-Team" (AKA "Los Magnificos") .... seriously... As much as the movie continued to pile ridiculousness on top-of-itself, it brought out a lot of analysis within us. After the movie, deep philisophical-psychological conversation ensued within the "rauchy arcade" of a a shopping mall strip. Who ever thought The A-Team would bring out such intense analysis. Go AMERICA!
Anyways. QWe followed with an adventurous search for cuy (guinea pig). We had yet to eat the delicasey in Peru, and in our last night, would settle for nothing less. Our final Peruvian dinner took place in a fancy shmansy restaurant-bar. We drank amazing cocktails and munched on heavenly cuy (followed by a massive banana sundae downt he block). We met Oren and our new Alabama spunk-punk friend Joseph at La Noche Jazz night, drank some beers, and returned to the hostel to be bothered and confused by raging drunk Irish burly men int he hostel bar.... Anyways.
We woke up slightly late and ended up sprinting down the terminal for our plane back to Buenos Aires. Long story short, we made it. Slept the whole 4 hour plane ride, got outta the BsAs airport safely back home. Jonathans upstairs resting and Cachop went to pick up Elvira from their daughters house. Lovely dinner with Malbec ahead.
2 days in Buenos Aires before we return to the States. Lots of internal reflection going on, but thats another blogpost, if I can even put it down from my head. All in all. Tuto ben!
Daviiid
Our night in Arequipa was absolute awesome madness. A new Claro was opening, equivalent to say Verizon Wireless, and as we walked by, Jonathan peeked back and wanted to enter the party. The big security guards at the door gave us gringos skeptical looks. I peered in to see a jolly round guy with a blue jacket holding a full bottle of Cusqueña cerveza gave me the "come on in" gesture. I immediately yelled "we´re with him, him, HIM!" and we entered. The man, Guillermo, really hooked it up. Tons of free beer, music, and he introduced us to a group of five girls, saying "dance, dance" C´mon!" Feeling slightly embarassed, I moved weakly towards them, but as our cab driver Edwin advised earlier in the day, "Arequipa girls love fireigners."
Edwin was right.
We danced the hell out of Claro, ate some celestial crepes at Zig Zag´s, then went out clubbing with the group of five. Twas a great night to say the least.
After 2 hours of sleep, we awoke from our drunken slumbers and booked it to the station. We discover that "Bus cama" AKA bed bus, is the best thing ever. We have the whole bottom section of the bus to ourselves. The 9 hour ride to Nazca felt like a "ratito".
When we arrived in Nazca, we went directly to the airport. "We have no tickets, but we wanna fly and see the lines!" We got a 4 seater plane, 2 pilots and booked it to the sky... the last flight out that afternoon. We saw the most incredible, head achy, mind hypnotizing Nazca Lines, formations of Incan rock patterns resembling different animals and figures across an arid desert. How it got there, or why it was there, remains a mystery. Google search Nazca Lines...
We then got some juicy sleep and booke dit to Lima, met our Israeli-LA friend Oren in the Loki Hostel (Miraflores) and walked around the trendy uppermid class neighborhood. Eventually, Jona nd I went to the movie theater and saw "The A-Team" (AKA "Los Magnificos") .... seriously... As much as the movie continued to pile ridiculousness on top-of-itself, it brought out a lot of analysis within us. After the movie, deep philisophical-psychological conversation ensued within the "rauchy arcade" of a a shopping mall strip. Who ever thought The A-Team would bring out such intense analysis. Go AMERICA!
Anyways. QWe followed with an adventurous search for cuy (guinea pig). We had yet to eat the delicasey in Peru, and in our last night, would settle for nothing less. Our final Peruvian dinner took place in a fancy shmansy restaurant-bar. We drank amazing cocktails and munched on heavenly cuy (followed by a massive banana sundae downt he block). We met Oren and our new Alabama spunk-punk friend Joseph at La Noche Jazz night, drank some beers, and returned to the hostel to be bothered and confused by raging drunk Irish burly men int he hostel bar.... Anyways.
We woke up slightly late and ended up sprinting down the terminal for our plane back to Buenos Aires. Long story short, we made it. Slept the whole 4 hour plane ride, got outta the BsAs airport safely back home. Jonathans upstairs resting and Cachop went to pick up Elvira from their daughters house. Lovely dinner with Malbec ahead.
2 days in Buenos Aires before we return to the States. Lots of internal reflection going on, but thats another blogpost, if I can even put it down from my head. All in all. Tuto ben!
Daviiid
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Dust Demons
We jump out of the pickup truck and the man riding shotgun calls me closer: "Cuidado con los perros salvajes. Es mas seguro para llevar piedras..." He gave me a queesy look and the green machine headed left, shooting a cloud of dust over us like a thin brown blanket.
Walking up to the junk yard, Jonathan and I start laughing uncontrollably. "What ARE we doing? We are probably the stupedest people alive!"
Well, with great risk comes great reward.
We only had one day in Arequipa to enjoy whatever offer came a´callin. The trip to Colca, the famous (Machu Pichu scale-esque) canyon with condors and extreme views was out of the picture. 5 hours away? No thanks. So, we settled for Misti, the massive volcano that dominates the Arequipa skyline. The thing about Misti is that it looks much closer than it is. Also, it is "safer" to go with a guide, something we shrugged off. When we asked our cab driver how we´d get back to town, he just smiled and laughed... Great.
So we told Edwin, the driver, to return three hours later to the San Luis cemetery. We then hitched a ride in the back of a pickup truck and walked uphill through the arid dusty wasteland. Imagine: no one but us and poisonous rotten evil killing junk yard dogs. With rocks and big bottles of water in our hands, we were equipped for battle. We werent looking for a fight, though it would make a good story. pproahing their territory, a pack of black drooling devil dogs ran up to us barking in broken English mostly screaming, "Beat it gringos, we eat white meat!!!!" There were no stone throwing, but I came close. We moved past the pack and up the hill, ate lunch,took a grand sista, and went on a wild off-road hike up and down canyons, through ravine, and over cacti. I got stung quite a few painful times. It clear that my "magic pants" arent completely magical after all.
Edwin returned. We ate banana chips and laughed. Took a quick disposable photo with our man and ducked into the Santa Catalina monastary. Gorgeous red hallways. Sick-looking Jesus statues and a great city-mountain view.
We are now showered and are ready for delicious-sounding crepes. We head for Nazca tomorrow morning. Always on the move. Stone-throwing-dog-killer-blood boiling in our blue veins.
RAWWWR!!!
Walking up to the junk yard, Jonathan and I start laughing uncontrollably. "What ARE we doing? We are probably the stupedest people alive!"
Well, with great risk comes great reward.
We only had one day in Arequipa to enjoy whatever offer came a´callin. The trip to Colca, the famous (Machu Pichu scale-esque) canyon with condors and extreme views was out of the picture. 5 hours away? No thanks. So, we settled for Misti, the massive volcano that dominates the Arequipa skyline. The thing about Misti is that it looks much closer than it is. Also, it is "safer" to go with a guide, something we shrugged off. When we asked our cab driver how we´d get back to town, he just smiled and laughed... Great.
So we told Edwin, the driver, to return three hours later to the San Luis cemetery. We then hitched a ride in the back of a pickup truck and walked uphill through the arid dusty wasteland. Imagine: no one but us and poisonous rotten evil killing junk yard dogs. With rocks and big bottles of water in our hands, we were equipped for battle. We werent looking for a fight, though it would make a good story. pproahing their territory, a pack of black drooling devil dogs ran up to us barking in broken English mostly screaming, "Beat it gringos, we eat white meat!!!!" There were no stone throwing, but I came close. We moved past the pack and up the hill, ate lunch,took a grand sista, and went on a wild off-road hike up and down canyons, through ravine, and over cacti. I got stung quite a few painful times. It clear that my "magic pants" arent completely magical after all.
Edwin returned. We ate banana chips and laughed. Took a quick disposable photo with our man and ducked into the Santa Catalina monastary. Gorgeous red hallways. Sick-looking Jesus statues and a great city-mountain view.
We are now showered and are ready for delicious-sounding crepes. We head for Nazca tomorrow morning. Always on the move. Stone-throwing-dog-killer-blood boiling in our blue veins.
RAWWWR!!!
Friday, July 9, 2010
Lake Titicaca Blues
Fried trout. Inka Kola. Churango case lookout. Gelatin old women selling Sublime candy bars and chicklets. Beggers and babies. The smell of fresh shit wafting in the wind. Steep hills. Uros island loca lone ladies. Bright night electric lights. Haggeling tourist trappers. Machupizza. Really cheap wine. Colorful pants. Good friends. The brightest sun in the world.
Thanks, Puno.
Hello, Arequipa.
Thanks, Puno.
Hello, Arequipa.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Earth eaters
Mushy muddy hands. Hot afternoon sun. Sunscreen and sweet potato chips...
We escaped Cuzco last night after a ridiculously fun day in Pisac with some super-surfery lady-hollering natives. The Pisac market is HUGE! Lots of souveneirs, negotiating, and great potatoes (as there are everywhere in Peru). Here, when a girl has great tits, you say "que buenas papas!"
We took the freezing cold night bus to Puno. The knife twisting stomach pains passed, but I was left rubbing my legs back to life. No heater - no problem.... lies!
After some delicious sleep, a hot misty shower, omeletes and coffee, we set out to Chicuito to find my Ann Arbor co-op friend Erin who has been volunteering in the Puno area for the past two summers. We got down and dirty, building walls and securing cracked areas with freshly made mortar. We felt like kids squishing the brown goo between our crusty fingers. Yesterday, Jonathan bought a beautiful churango at the Pisac feria and showcased his blossoming skills for the old residents of the Chicuito lot. Dancing delight. Music. Love.
After some mate and warm showers, we sit in this internet cafe checkin in on the outside world. Erins housemates are very sweet and we will probably go out for dinner and drinks around Puno.
The journey continues...
Besos!
We escaped Cuzco last night after a ridiculously fun day in Pisac with some super-surfery lady-hollering natives. The Pisac market is HUGE! Lots of souveneirs, negotiating, and great potatoes (as there are everywhere in Peru). Here, when a girl has great tits, you say "que buenas papas!"
We took the freezing cold night bus to Puno. The knife twisting stomach pains passed, but I was left rubbing my legs back to life. No heater - no problem.... lies!
After some delicious sleep, a hot misty shower, omeletes and coffee, we set out to Chicuito to find my Ann Arbor co-op friend Erin who has been volunteering in the Puno area for the past two summers. We got down and dirty, building walls and securing cracked areas with freshly made mortar. We felt like kids squishing the brown goo between our crusty fingers. Yesterday, Jonathan bought a beautiful churango at the Pisac feria and showcased his blossoming skills for the old residents of the Chicuito lot. Dancing delight. Music. Love.
After some mate and warm showers, we sit in this internet cafe checkin in on the outside world. Erins housemates are very sweet and we will probably go out for dinner and drinks around Puno.
The journey continues...
Besos!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
THE SALKANTAY TRAIL
I cut through the cold wind with flailing arms and return to the yellow tent. Im wearing every article of clothing I ripped from my pack and yet I still feel as if I am wrapped in ice. When I peak inside the tent, its worse than I suspected; the smell nearly knocks me to the dusty dirt floor. I fight through the odor and witness vomit splashed across my oversized sleeping bag and sleeping mat. I guess that plastic bag didnt hold after all...
We ariived last night in Aguas Calientes, the tourists shithole village beneath Machu Pichu after three days of intense trekking... bum bum bum BA! The Salkantay trail. Glorious. My cousin Jonathan and I were joined by two young boring couples, who probably thought we were showtune aliens. Our group leader, Puma, was the f*in man. Half Incan/half spanish suave with knowedgable insight and lots of sarcastic laughs. The cooks, Valentin and Javier, blew my food expactations off the mountain, and were super nice, even if they continuously wanted to chat with me about sex and girls. We also had two horse drivers that carried our bags. But, if you think this trek would be simple with such lovely assistance, you are SO wrong. Lets start at the top, shall we?
Day 1. We hear the doorbell ring in our quiet guest house at 5 AM. Two men take our bags and we aboard a mini-van. We pick up four strangers in another hostel and are off for unknown territory. Jonathan and I are too tired to make conversation with the newbies. My sleepy cuz immediately passes out in the car but I endure the agonizing up and downhill turns for 2 and a half hours, sending my already damaged stomach to sloshy pieces. We meet our crew after breakfast, 2 chefs and 2 horse drivers. I imagine that without carrying bags and eating prepared meals will be a sintch, but before you know it, Im behind the group, head spun and crazy. I look and feel like llama shit. Jonathan wants to stay behind with me but my inner voice screams NO! GO! THIS IS MY PROBLEM AND IM GONNA GET OVER IT PERSONALLY! Soon thereafter, we arrive at a check point and I pray to the Incan gods for strength. Things turn around when I meet a nice german girl who zips up my "magic pants" (the pants part) and I receive new love energy. I feel better and overcome slightly.
Im moving quickly now, completely oblivious to the extreme amount of nature surrounding us. Its quite spectacular, but as I later realize, this world takes some adjusting to. Anyways, I soon fall back behind the group and trudge on. The sickness returns and I feel as if Im dragging myself forward with a soggy rope. Yet, I sing and rhyme to the mountains, the Incan gods, and everything else. Its in these moments where my rhymes are the best, but never get written down. I finish the hike and fall hard to the floor. "Dave, get up! Get uuup!" It takes some time, but I slither into my dusty tent, shiver hard, and change clothes. I pass out without recognizing and as I wake up in the clotstrophobic tent, my stomach spins 540 on me and yells, "coming through!!!" I grab a bag and let loose in the dark. I then stumble out the door and brush by a group of sheraders, mumbling to Jonathan, "Im sick man."
It was a good thing I threw up for multiple reasons: I HAD TO; I received a better sleeping bag, and felt much refreshed. We cleaned the mess and watched the myriad of stars above, made our own constellations, and proceeded to have a terrible sleep.
Day 2: The night took forever. I turned and turned in sleeping bag, and felt horrible in the morn. Morning coca tea and slight breakfast. Thankfully, the boring couples had boughten an extra horse which I rode for the day. I could not breathe properly and felt death creeping over me. Eeeeek. Ya know what, I look kinda fabulous on a horse. I pushed up the mountains like a Lord of the Rings Rider of Rohan character and napped hard at every rest point. While the others (not Jon) complained about the trecherous hike, I just wanted to crumble into a piece of matter and fly to Hawaii. I finished the day on foot, conversed with our hilarious crew, and practiced French with a cute Bulgarian girl in another group. The Salkantay trail is much less populated than the Inca trail, but we did cross other on the way. I arrived at out new campsite feeling more fresh and ready for a delicous meal.
Day 3: Slept like a golden god! The hike was not that tough. It was a gorgeous jungle voyage. We ate wild strawberries, passion fruit, and blackberries (no stomach side effects) and rested in a lovely farm where a HUGE turkey reigned over the wild dogs. I felt at my best, stayed well hydrated, and did my doody with mother earth. We lunched in a village called La Playa and said goodbye to our crew. I finessed a comical drawing for the cooks and caballeros. In the middle it reads, "muchas gracias pajeros!" (thank you so much, jerk offs!) I also gave my dirty infested sleeping bag to Valentin the chef. I know he comes from a poor village and even though the bag was sickened, he appreciated it (and the drawing).
Waiting for the train to Aguas Calientes, Jonathan and I haki sacked and improv percussion Stomp style on the train, trash, benches, and rocks. We tried "ava" and sweet hot drink and made friends with a vender lady and daughter. The train broke down, blacked out, and became infested with moths, but we still had a good time. Warmish shower and dinner. Sleep tight. Machu Pichu, tomorrow.
Day 4: We get a wake up call that I never heard and Jonathan shakes me to life. Gotta move. We stretch deep and grab bread to go. Its 4 in the morning and we are heading down a pass to a bridge check point. When we pass, we encounter steep steps leading to heaven AKA MAchu Pichu. One foot in front of the other, we clib and climb, dislayering each chance we get. Up and up we go. The light begins illuminating the sky and we can make out the surrounding mountains. "Come on, we gotta beat the sunrise!" We PUSH AND PUSH and finally reach the TOP! Expecting the marvel of the universe, we are bitch-slapped by buses pouring out loads and loads of people, and a line of infinite tourists. Ughhh.
Anyways, the tour around Machu Pichu was splendid. We met some hip younger people (a refeshing contrasting to our uninteresting married group trekkers) and marvel at the scenery. After some Tai Chi and good conversation, Jonathan and I head up Waina Pichu (the mountain in all the Machu Pichu postcards). Its straight up with ropes and stone steps. Coca leaves and constant breaths. We step up and up again and again. Top drop uber hot. Fotographs and morphing mountains. Fresh dopamine rushing naturally through me. Who DAT! High flying birds! Condors!
It was a trek for the ages and Im glad I survived. In my opinion, the trek was better than Machu Pichu. Nature explosion. Fresh feeling phenomena. On and on. We go.
We ariived last night in Aguas Calientes, the tourists shithole village beneath Machu Pichu after three days of intense trekking... bum bum bum BA! The Salkantay trail. Glorious. My cousin Jonathan and I were joined by two young boring couples, who probably thought we were showtune aliens. Our group leader, Puma, was the f*in man. Half Incan/half spanish suave with knowedgable insight and lots of sarcastic laughs. The cooks, Valentin and Javier, blew my food expactations off the mountain, and were super nice, even if they continuously wanted to chat with me about sex and girls. We also had two horse drivers that carried our bags. But, if you think this trek would be simple with such lovely assistance, you are SO wrong. Lets start at the top, shall we?
Day 1. We hear the doorbell ring in our quiet guest house at 5 AM. Two men take our bags and we aboard a mini-van. We pick up four strangers in another hostel and are off for unknown territory. Jonathan and I are too tired to make conversation with the newbies. My sleepy cuz immediately passes out in the car but I endure the agonizing up and downhill turns for 2 and a half hours, sending my already damaged stomach to sloshy pieces. We meet our crew after breakfast, 2 chefs and 2 horse drivers. I imagine that without carrying bags and eating prepared meals will be a sintch, but before you know it, Im behind the group, head spun and crazy. I look and feel like llama shit. Jonathan wants to stay behind with me but my inner voice screams NO! GO! THIS IS MY PROBLEM AND IM GONNA GET OVER IT PERSONALLY! Soon thereafter, we arrive at a check point and I pray to the Incan gods for strength. Things turn around when I meet a nice german girl who zips up my "magic pants" (the pants part) and I receive new love energy. I feel better and overcome slightly.
Im moving quickly now, completely oblivious to the extreme amount of nature surrounding us. Its quite spectacular, but as I later realize, this world takes some adjusting to. Anyways, I soon fall back behind the group and trudge on. The sickness returns and I feel as if Im dragging myself forward with a soggy rope. Yet, I sing and rhyme to the mountains, the Incan gods, and everything else. Its in these moments where my rhymes are the best, but never get written down. I finish the hike and fall hard to the floor. "Dave, get up! Get uuup!" It takes some time, but I slither into my dusty tent, shiver hard, and change clothes. I pass out without recognizing and as I wake up in the clotstrophobic tent, my stomach spins 540 on me and yells, "coming through!!!" I grab a bag and let loose in the dark. I then stumble out the door and brush by a group of sheraders, mumbling to Jonathan, "Im sick man."
It was a good thing I threw up for multiple reasons: I HAD TO; I received a better sleeping bag, and felt much refreshed. We cleaned the mess and watched the myriad of stars above, made our own constellations, and proceeded to have a terrible sleep.
Day 2: The night took forever. I turned and turned in sleeping bag, and felt horrible in the morn. Morning coca tea and slight breakfast. Thankfully, the boring couples had boughten an extra horse which I rode for the day. I could not breathe properly and felt death creeping over me. Eeeeek. Ya know what, I look kinda fabulous on a horse. I pushed up the mountains like a Lord of the Rings Rider of Rohan character and napped hard at every rest point. While the others (not Jon) complained about the trecherous hike, I just wanted to crumble into a piece of matter and fly to Hawaii. I finished the day on foot, conversed with our hilarious crew, and practiced French with a cute Bulgarian girl in another group. The Salkantay trail is much less populated than the Inca trail, but we did cross other on the way. I arrived at out new campsite feeling more fresh and ready for a delicous meal.
Day 3: Slept like a golden god! The hike was not that tough. It was a gorgeous jungle voyage. We ate wild strawberries, passion fruit, and blackberries (no stomach side effects) and rested in a lovely farm where a HUGE turkey reigned over the wild dogs. I felt at my best, stayed well hydrated, and did my doody with mother earth. We lunched in a village called La Playa and said goodbye to our crew. I finessed a comical drawing for the cooks and caballeros. In the middle it reads, "muchas gracias pajeros!" (thank you so much, jerk offs!) I also gave my dirty infested sleeping bag to Valentin the chef. I know he comes from a poor village and even though the bag was sickened, he appreciated it (and the drawing).
Waiting for the train to Aguas Calientes, Jonathan and I haki sacked and improv percussion Stomp style on the train, trash, benches, and rocks. We tried "ava" and sweet hot drink and made friends with a vender lady and daughter. The train broke down, blacked out, and became infested with moths, but we still had a good time. Warmish shower and dinner. Sleep tight. Machu Pichu, tomorrow.
Day 4: We get a wake up call that I never heard and Jonathan shakes me to life. Gotta move. We stretch deep and grab bread to go. Its 4 in the morning and we are heading down a pass to a bridge check point. When we pass, we encounter steep steps leading to heaven AKA MAchu Pichu. One foot in front of the other, we clib and climb, dislayering each chance we get. Up and up we go. The light begins illuminating the sky and we can make out the surrounding mountains. "Come on, we gotta beat the sunrise!" We PUSH AND PUSH and finally reach the TOP! Expecting the marvel of the universe, we are bitch-slapped by buses pouring out loads and loads of people, and a line of infinite tourists. Ughhh.
Anyways, the tour around Machu Pichu was splendid. We met some hip younger people (a refeshing contrasting to our uninteresting married group trekkers) and marvel at the scenery. After some Tai Chi and good conversation, Jonathan and I head up Waina Pichu (the mountain in all the Machu Pichu postcards). Its straight up with ropes and stone steps. Coca leaves and constant breaths. We step up and up again and again. Top drop uber hot. Fotographs and morphing mountains. Fresh dopamine rushing naturally through me. Who DAT! High flying birds! Condors!
It was a trek for the ages and Im glad I survived. In my opinion, the trek was better than Machu Pichu. Nature explosion. Fresh feeling phenomena. On and on. We go.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Peru
Cuzco.
Bolivian buses put to a close. So long to traveling buddies but we awake to new ones. Always. The road is a circle. People keep popping up again and again. I think we are on a good path.
Tomorrow morning, we begin our trek up to Machu Pichu on the Salkantay Trail, less crowded and "better nature" than the inca trail. We have everything in order to go, especially after a seriously Peruvian dinner which included sopa criolla, ceviche, and alpaca. Cuzco is gorgeous. Today, we saw some big rocks, great views, and a billion haggeling clinging venders with our new buddy Oren, a Los Angeles physical therapist Jew buena onda awesomeness guy. Jonathan and I bring the fire, keep the fire burning, and add for fire to the already burning fire.
Gotta go sleep. Ill check back when we finish the trek. Super stoked!!!!!!! Give me mountain!
Dave
We are music of the world.
Bolivian buses put to a close. So long to traveling buddies but we awake to new ones. Always. The road is a circle. People keep popping up again and again. I think we are on a good path.
Tomorrow morning, we begin our trek up to Machu Pichu on the Salkantay Trail, less crowded and "better nature" than the inca trail. We have everything in order to go, especially after a seriously Peruvian dinner which included sopa criolla, ceviche, and alpaca. Cuzco is gorgeous. Today, we saw some big rocks, great views, and a billion haggeling clinging venders with our new buddy Oren, a Los Angeles physical therapist Jew buena onda awesomeness guy. Jonathan and I bring the fire, keep the fire burning, and add for fire to the already burning fire.
Gotta go sleep. Ill check back when we finish the trek. Super stoked!!!!!!! Give me mountain!
Dave
We are music of the world.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Salty clouds - Bolivian babies
Slow ride! Take it patiently! Damn right. Bolivian internet sucks! But, apart from an irritatingly slow interconnectedness websitean wants AND needs, Bolivia has been better than I expected. We, meaning Jonathan, I, and our hilariously fun traveling French companion Nordine, have been biting through Bolivia. Yesterday, we awoke early to beat traffic at the border, but had a stupid issue with the sole-working border cheif, who took forever to attend to our needs to cross into Bolivia. It turned out the only thing that was out-of-line was that there were no more GREEN stickers for my passport clearance. So, we waited and waited and he FINALLY found one in a HUGE safe, probably filled with just GREEN stickers. Scared we´d miss the bus to Uyuni, we moved like dogs to the terminal. Amazingly, upon arival, we discovered that the BOlivian time zone is an hour back, giving us just enough time to buy a ticket and hot cinnamon juice and jump on the sketchy looking bus.
You know what, Bolivian buses DO suck! I still cannot believe the trek we did, constantly bumpy, winding up dangerously curvy mountain sides. The desert landscape was empty and pretty much the same the whole way, but twas nice to be on the road. After a strange vomit-like substance flooded the floor, we got some deep naps. After 8 hours, we made it to Uyuni, met two Columbian backpackers and followed them to a nice hostel, where we layed our stuff down - eventually getting 10 hours of sleep. But before that we had a great night.
Imagine a small fried chicken shack filled with Bolivians glued to the TV screen shooting big Hollywood KING KONG into their faces. Yeah, we were into it to. Yay Hollywood...or not.
Later, we followed loud noises and found ourselves inside a humungous packed gymnasium, where the Uyuni girls basketball championship game was in full force. Twas super awesome being part of another communal gathering.
On the record, BOlivian babies are the cutest in the world and I WANT ONE!
Today, we took a tour to the worlds greatest salt flats, which blew our minds to salt crystals. Imagine a vast white desert of salt. Blue sky, white ground. Even the clouds were filled with salt. In the middle of the white desert lies an island of ancient coral reef. Some quick history: the salt flats used to be an ocean tons and tons of years ago, and now it has dried, and on this random huge island, cacti have grown. Crazy views. Beautiful scenery. Lots of pictures and fun. We ate quinua and meat, salad, drank coca cola, and chewed on some coca leaves. Good for digestion and altitude sickness. What a crazy day.
Tonight, soon, very soon, we will take a night bus to La Paz with our crew of 5 and continue to on Copacabana, a Lake Titicaca pueblo. We have a few days to get to Peru, but we´ll make it. The road never ends. We are ready for more.
You know what, Bolivian buses DO suck! I still cannot believe the trek we did, constantly bumpy, winding up dangerously curvy mountain sides. The desert landscape was empty and pretty much the same the whole way, but twas nice to be on the road. After a strange vomit-like substance flooded the floor, we got some deep naps. After 8 hours, we made it to Uyuni, met two Columbian backpackers and followed them to a nice hostel, where we layed our stuff down - eventually getting 10 hours of sleep. But before that we had a great night.
Imagine a small fried chicken shack filled with Bolivians glued to the TV screen shooting big Hollywood KING KONG into their faces. Yeah, we were into it to. Yay Hollywood...or not.
Later, we followed loud noises and found ourselves inside a humungous packed gymnasium, where the Uyuni girls basketball championship game was in full force. Twas super awesome being part of another communal gathering.
On the record, BOlivian babies are the cutest in the world and I WANT ONE!
Today, we took a tour to the worlds greatest salt flats, which blew our minds to salt crystals. Imagine a vast white desert of salt. Blue sky, white ground. Even the clouds were filled with salt. In the middle of the white desert lies an island of ancient coral reef. Some quick history: the salt flats used to be an ocean tons and tons of years ago, and now it has dried, and on this random huge island, cacti have grown. Crazy views. Beautiful scenery. Lots of pictures and fun. We ate quinua and meat, salad, drank coca cola, and chewed on some coca leaves. Good for digestion and altitude sickness. What a crazy day.
Tonight, soon, very soon, we will take a night bus to La Paz with our crew of 5 and continue to on Copacabana, a Lake Titicaca pueblo. We have a few days to get to Peru, but we´ll make it. The road never ends. We are ready for more.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Shwing!
Bike ride, siesta, flat tire. Damn. I hitched a ride on a motorcycle back to Humahuaca and left my friends with the irritating task of dragging my dead bike. First time riding on the back of a moto. Id do it again.
We are now in La Quica, tippy-top of Argentina, planning our next move, probably to Uyuni, which lies next to the biggest salt flats in the world! We hope for a single day tour. From there, probably La Paz, and we´ll swing around Lake Titicaca to Cuzco. We are confirmed for our trek to Machu Pichu, which makes me feel like hip thrusting the air, which is my current sign of approval.
Jonathan and I have started a rap group called Best Rappers Alive and we rap about mundane, ordinary things. Life is a musical between us. Uh....YEAH!
We stumbled upon some traditional voodoo-like rituals, where little cute delicious brown kids set a giant scarecrow creature on fire. We also received blessing from flower-holding, water-throwing preist. Today, I experienced the coldest shower of my life. New slam poetry. Brain excercises. Siesta fiestas.
Gotta wake up early early to get to Uyuni. So long for now Argentina. Te amo.
DAVE!
We are now in La Quica, tippy-top of Argentina, planning our next move, probably to Uyuni, which lies next to the biggest salt flats in the world! We hope for a single day tour. From there, probably La Paz, and we´ll swing around Lake Titicaca to Cuzco. We are confirmed for our trek to Machu Pichu, which makes me feel like hip thrusting the air, which is my current sign of approval.
Jonathan and I have started a rap group called Best Rappers Alive and we rap about mundane, ordinary things. Life is a musical between us. Uh....YEAH!
We stumbled upon some traditional voodoo-like rituals, where little cute delicious brown kids set a giant scarecrow creature on fire. We also received blessing from flower-holding, water-throwing preist. Today, I experienced the coldest shower of my life. New slam poetry. Brain excercises. Siesta fiestas.
Gotta wake up early early to get to Uyuni. So long for now Argentina. Te amo.
DAVE!
Suavedad
Pasta and steak dinner. Red Mendoza wine on the side. The three of us were a great team in the kitchen last night.
This morning - egg omletes with onions, tomatoes, cheese,and avocado.
Fresh cheap empanadas today.
We will rent bikes and ride around Humahuaca, then take a bus to the border in a few hours, and probably stay the night in La Quiaca tonight, and hit the Unuyi salt flats tomorrow, hopefully.
Laundry is done. Clothes are fresh.
Onwards and upwards.
Dave
This morning - egg omletes with onions, tomatoes, cheese,and avocado.
Fresh cheap empanadas today.
We will rent bikes and ride around Humahuaca, then take a bus to the border in a few hours, and probably stay the night in La Quiaca tonight, and hit the Unuyi salt flats tomorrow, hopefully.
Laundry is done. Clothes are fresh.
Onwards and upwards.
Dave
Friday, June 25, 2010
Rainbow Mountain Boys
Currently in Humahuaca. Purmamarca was beyond words gorgeous. We climbed a tough hill today, had lunch with white wine, and meditated. Fresh air. Rainbow mountains. Whoa...
Met a nice buena onda frenchman today and traveled with him here to Humahuaca and will make dinner soon.
We are getting closer and closer to Bolivia and can see the transformation in the darker faces, dirt roads, prices, etc. People are nice to us. Keeping a watchful eye but having fun.
I am over that stupid sickness and feel GREAT!
Salta was pretty cool. We saw a Incan mummy that blew our minds. My friend Katelyn from Buenos Aires met us at our kick-ass hostel and we got to hang out, dance, groove, be crazy, and enjoy life.
Jonathan and I are practicing more and more Spanish and he is improving/gaining more confidence. I, on the other hand, can speak normally and am so happy to see how I have improved over the past 5 months. I started learning French from our French cutie roommates in Salta, and caught on quickly. I have a thing for languages. It might be my good memory or something else. Whatever it is, I wanna keep going.
Speaking of going, I gotta do just that. Soon, we will hit Bolivia and hopefully see the salt flats before heading towards La Paz and Lake Titicaca. We are confirmed for our Salkantay Trail trek and the light is bright on the horizon.
Sending my love in every direction,
Dave
Met a nice buena onda frenchman today and traveled with him here to Humahuaca and will make dinner soon.
We are getting closer and closer to Bolivia and can see the transformation in the darker faces, dirt roads, prices, etc. People are nice to us. Keeping a watchful eye but having fun.
I am over that stupid sickness and feel GREAT!
Salta was pretty cool. We saw a Incan mummy that blew our minds. My friend Katelyn from Buenos Aires met us at our kick-ass hostel and we got to hang out, dance, groove, be crazy, and enjoy life.
Jonathan and I are practicing more and more Spanish and he is improving/gaining more confidence. I, on the other hand, can speak normally and am so happy to see how I have improved over the past 5 months. I started learning French from our French cutie roommates in Salta, and caught on quickly. I have a thing for languages. It might be my good memory or something else. Whatever it is, I wanna keep going.
Speaking of going, I gotta do just that. Soon, we will hit Bolivia and hopefully see the salt flats before heading towards La Paz and Lake Titicaca. We are confirmed for our Salkantay Trail trek and the light is bright on the horizon.
Sending my love in every direction,
Dave
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Flow
I stumble out of the minivan after shaken from a quick nap. Look! Colors! Mountains! Nature! God! Life! Yes!
I had doubts about this excursion, a whole day traveling around nothern Salta and lower Jujuy, pinned inside a minivan. We did get see San Antonio de Los Cobres, an ooold mining town, where we picked up lunch and picnicked on the Salt Flats. Damn. Thats a lot of salt. But, as Jonathan put it, the salt flats were kinda bizzare. Outstrected white canvas with various digging expeditions and random object thrown here and there. We took some amazing photos, continued our ¨Foto loco¨ jumping pose, which continues to be epic everytime. DAMN! I gotta post them soon. Not that easy yet... Anyways. Nature everywhere. 1 day roadtrip. Solid.
Antibiotics! Gotta get this throat healed!
USA won today so we get a FREE night at Backpackers World, AKA the best hostel ever. Such good vibes, backpackers, bar, free dinners, discounts, excursions, and so on.
Tomorrow, we will explore the city of Salta and then head to Purmamarca, a quiet village in Jujuy, by late evening. Never has "going with the flow" made so much sense.
More hot tea and good times ahead.
MUCHO AMOR!
David
I had doubts about this excursion, a whole day traveling around nothern Salta and lower Jujuy, pinned inside a minivan. We did get see San Antonio de Los Cobres, an ooold mining town, where we picked up lunch and picnicked on the Salt Flats. Damn. Thats a lot of salt. But, as Jonathan put it, the salt flats were kinda bizzare. Outstrected white canvas with various digging expeditions and random object thrown here and there. We took some amazing photos, continued our ¨Foto loco¨ jumping pose, which continues to be epic everytime. DAMN! I gotta post them soon. Not that easy yet... Anyways. Nature everywhere. 1 day roadtrip. Solid.
Antibiotics! Gotta get this throat healed!
USA won today so we get a FREE night at Backpackers World, AKA the best hostel ever. Such good vibes, backpackers, bar, free dinners, discounts, excursions, and so on.
Tomorrow, we will explore the city of Salta and then head to Purmamarca, a quiet village in Jujuy, by late evening. Never has "going with the flow" made so much sense.
More hot tea and good times ahead.
MUCHO AMOR!
David
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Fotos
I have been taking great photos. Once I get time to sit, relax, and upload, I will post em up.
Salty Skies
We made it to Salta. Cutting through colored mountains, thermoses of tea honey lemon explosions. Still, my throat kills. Push forward. Movement. Change. Life. Love. We will probably check out the salt flats tomorrow and skip the Train de los Nubes (a touristicy lookout at the nearby gorges). We will save more intensely colored mountains for La Montana de Siete Colores in Purmamarca in the province of Jujuy. Free breakfast and dinner in Backpackers World Hostel. Argentina continues to dominate in futbol. Spirits are sky high. Mochileros. Folklore. Chivito. Back to more tea.
D
D
Vino Puro, Piedra Sangre
I will write this post as i do sometimes in my journals, quick thoughts and images FYI i am writing on a strange keyboard so bear with me...
Wind walkin flying fish we swish through air like its our bussiness, twirlin in mid air mid cares about much else, ucuman blues gotta move, we arrive in tafi de valle, Tomo japanese hostel queen and late night tea, colds going down gradually, hike up the cerro de la cruz what a view, big lunch glass of wine ride up to cafayate, its fresh air season for good reason, them boys have arrived, best rappers alive, wine tasting tour and a full day canyon hike, tye dye colored mountains, rock paradise,its a chivito goat lunch and dinner is the same, step up to thetable and bring your A game, with wine anf folklore musics my ears eyes and soul; rock and roll pass themic we roll,cqllme gangsta sniffles, makin some more tea, its a mystery out there in front of us but its Salta i can kiiiinda see, well get in before the futbol game, argentina, lets go.
and los mejores alfajores del mundo!
Wind walkin flying fish we swish through air like its our bussiness, twirlin in mid air mid cares about much else, ucuman blues gotta move, we arrive in tafi de valle, Tomo japanese hostel queen and late night tea, colds going down gradually, hike up the cerro de la cruz what a view, big lunch glass of wine ride up to cafayate, its fresh air season for good reason, them boys have arrived, best rappers alive, wine tasting tour and a full day canyon hike, tye dye colored mountains, rock paradise,its a chivito goat lunch and dinner is the same, step up to thetable and bring your A game, with wine anf folklore musics my ears eyes and soul; rock and roll pass themic we roll,cqllme gangsta sniffles, makin some more tea, its a mystery out there in front of us but its Salta i can kiiiinda see, well get in before the futbol game, argentina, lets go.
and los mejores alfajores del mundo!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Wind walkin
The plane lands, or should I say smashes on night pavement. Bienvenidos a Tucuman!
The man with the white moustache to my right hands me a paper with his info. "If you need anything, dont hesitate to call me. I have many connections with the Tucuman embassy." Suddenly, the capital city of Tucuman seems less dangerous than what others have described: poverty and crime. "Thanks Fernando! We´re off to Tucuman Hostel."
When we arrive, Carlos, the desk employee, greets us with open arms. He was a pilot in California pre-911 and now is back in Tucuman. We converse about Cali and the Santa Monica airport. Jonathan mentions paragliding in Tucuman, AKA jumping off a mountain with a parachute (and a guide), and Carlos´ eyes open wide and shoot lazer sun rays over his hypnotizing smile. He immediately whips out his phone and shows us videos. "Yes! I will go with you tomorrow! Ill book it now..."
So, its morning in Tucuman and we chill out over some toast and tea. After we paraglide, we will head to Tafi de Valle, a picturesque green valley with nothing much but walking roads and from what I read, amazing cheese. But, we´ll find out soon. Then, we will hit up the ruins in Amaicha for a couple hours before we hit Cafayate, the wine capital of Salta. Do I taste drunk horseback riding on the tip of my mind´s tongue? Take it in stride. Glide with wind. Tucuman day 1, begin!
The man with the white moustache to my right hands me a paper with his info. "If you need anything, dont hesitate to call me. I have many connections with the Tucuman embassy." Suddenly, the capital city of Tucuman seems less dangerous than what others have described: poverty and crime. "Thanks Fernando! We´re off to Tucuman Hostel."
When we arrive, Carlos, the desk employee, greets us with open arms. He was a pilot in California pre-911 and now is back in Tucuman. We converse about Cali and the Santa Monica airport. Jonathan mentions paragliding in Tucuman, AKA jumping off a mountain with a parachute (and a guide), and Carlos´ eyes open wide and shoot lazer sun rays over his hypnotizing smile. He immediately whips out his phone and shows us videos. "Yes! I will go with you tomorrow! Ill book it now..."
So, its morning in Tucuman and we chill out over some toast and tea. After we paraglide, we will head to Tafi de Valle, a picturesque green valley with nothing much but walking roads and from what I read, amazing cheese. But, we´ll find out soon. Then, we will hit up the ruins in Amaicha for a couple hours before we hit Cafayate, the wine capital of Salta. Do I taste drunk horseback riding on the tip of my mind´s tongue? Take it in stride. Glide with wind. Tucuman day 1, begin!
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