62 hours by bus and we're in Quito, Ecuador. Not a bad trip since we were able to see the variety of flora and fauna this botanical garden of South America has to offer. I can't say so much for the driving though. Every bus was skidding and sliding around corners, breaking through thick cloud covering and stopping frequently for snack carrying road vendors. We spent most of the time looking out over huge cliff drops and sliding back and forth in our seats trying to get comfortable. It seems like both Peru and Ecuador are lands made of just mountains. We spent so much time travelling through the Andeas I kept wondering if any part of these countries have flat land.
We didn't get much sleep so we are resting for a few days before jumping into our next volunteer opportunity. We are taking in Ecuador even though it feels weird to be using U.S. currency again. It's a good thing the prices aren't the same. We had dinner last night for a dollar a piece and there were firsts and seconds. It was a good meal but when I discovered there was what appeared to be a chicken head in my soup I kept using my spoon to cover it with more juice. Every once in a while the head would turn up and I would see an eye looking up at me. I thought I must have just gotten a special batch but it turns out that was the soup of the day. Mateo ate the soup but not the chicken but I went for it. I can't say I would do it again. Not that it wasn't tasty, I'm just still trying to get over the chicken thing.
So tommorrow it's off to Otavalo where we'll get on another bumpy bus for a quick 4 hour trip to our pueblo.
Joronda
20 April 2006
16 April 2006
Machupicchu
It's cold and rainy today and we're feeling the after effects of a hard day on the Inca trail. We left our hostel three days ago in search of a glimpse of the lost Inca city. Arriving in Cusco was impressive. The city is planned in the shape of a puma, the animal most sacred to the Inca's. From Cusco we jumped on a small local bus to Urubamba about and hour or so up the mountain. We were the only foreign tourist on the bus but we were told going this route would be more rewarding. In Urubamba I noticed most of the houses had crosses with two bulls flanking the symbol. I had no idea what this meant but I knew we were getting closer to Machupicchu.
From Urubamba we climbed into a 10 seater colectivo where a number of passengers were already waiting. I have found that I enjoy the way people take public transportation in other countries. Our colectivo was packed but four people waiting on the side of the road in the middle of an agricultural district climbed right on in and with one man on Mateo's lap and another right in my face we found a way to slide the door closed and chug further up the mountain to Ollantaytambo. No one left behind.
Peru is beautiful! The colors across the land make it look like a patchwork quilt and the dialects and clothing are so vibrant. It's a culture I don't believe I have ever been privileged to. In Ollantaytambo we bought our way overpriced tickets to Agua Calientes (AC), the Machupicchu pueblo. With 3 hours to spare we sat in the town square ate choclo con queso (huge corn and cheese) and watched tourist try to sneak pictures of the Inca Trail porters who were wearing traditional Peruvian garments.
2 hours after leaving Ollantaytambo we made it to AC and settled in for the night. At 5 am the adventure began. In the dark on the previous night the shadow of the mountain was a bit intimidating and at 5 am the dark was still looming. We bought our tickets and began the 5km walk straight up. We met a large group of Semana Santa worshippers who were walking in a candle light vigil carrying a huge cross. With a few days until Easter there's a lot of re-enactments of the Passion in this area. We broke through the crowd and met a raging river and a stone staircase with a small sign reading " a Maccupicchu" to Macchupicchu.
The sounds, smells, temperature and feeling in my chest were all incredible. At over 11'000 ft elevation the clouds are just right on your shoulder. Some of it must have been in my chest too because I was sucking so much air I was finding it hard to believe I was once an athlete. Surprisingly we passed other mountain goers and one poor guy was really on the brink of giving up saying a very loud "NEVER AGAIN". Mateo was dripping with sweat but passing people no less and calling back for me every once in a while. I was there but, my goodness...
At the top sweet victory and when we walked passed the control tower into this unbelieveable pristine lost civilization I didn't want to leave. Can you believe the Spanish missed this huge community on their conquest. It's a good thing they did and it's a good thing the Inca knew how to keep a secret. Only in 1911 was it discovered, centuries later.
The morning sunrise is a great time to get there. Very few group tours are there and watching the clouds reveal and cover the city minute after minute is like opening a present and then closing it to open it again with the same pleasantly surprised look on your face. I could have stayed up there for days. Well we did stay for 12 hours and went even higher to a point that looks down on the ruin. That is a story in itself. Let's just say we came down on our hands and butts. What a site.
So that was Machupicchu for us. The rustic route. Now it's off to Ecuador. We probably won't have contact for a few days but stay tuned to see where we make it to. Our destination is a small village east of Otavalo, just outside of Quito. Talk to you soon.
Joronda
From Urubamba we climbed into a 10 seater colectivo where a number of passengers were already waiting. I have found that I enjoy the way people take public transportation in other countries. Our colectivo was packed but four people waiting on the side of the road in the middle of an agricultural district climbed right on in and with one man on Mateo's lap and another right in my face we found a way to slide the door closed and chug further up the mountain to Ollantaytambo. No one left behind.
Peru is beautiful! The colors across the land make it look like a patchwork quilt and the dialects and clothing are so vibrant. It's a culture I don't believe I have ever been privileged to. In Ollantaytambo we bought our way overpriced tickets to Agua Calientes (AC), the Machupicchu pueblo. With 3 hours to spare we sat in the town square ate choclo con queso (huge corn and cheese) and watched tourist try to sneak pictures of the Inca Trail porters who were wearing traditional Peruvian garments.
2 hours after leaving Ollantaytambo we made it to AC and settled in for the night. At 5 am the adventure began. In the dark on the previous night the shadow of the mountain was a bit intimidating and at 5 am the dark was still looming. We bought our tickets and began the 5km walk straight up. We met a large group of Semana Santa worshippers who were walking in a candle light vigil carrying a huge cross. With a few days until Easter there's a lot of re-enactments of the Passion in this area. We broke through the crowd and met a raging river and a stone staircase with a small sign reading " a Maccupicchu" to Macchupicchu.
The sounds, smells, temperature and feeling in my chest were all incredible. At over 11'000 ft elevation the clouds are just right on your shoulder. Some of it must have been in my chest too because I was sucking so much air I was finding it hard to believe I was once an athlete. Surprisingly we passed other mountain goers and one poor guy was really on the brink of giving up saying a very loud "NEVER AGAIN". Mateo was dripping with sweat but passing people no less and calling back for me every once in a while. I was there but, my goodness...
At the top sweet victory and when we walked passed the control tower into this unbelieveable pristine lost civilization I didn't want to leave. Can you believe the Spanish missed this huge community on their conquest. It's a good thing they did and it's a good thing the Inca knew how to keep a secret. Only in 1911 was it discovered, centuries later.
The morning sunrise is a great time to get there. Very few group tours are there and watching the clouds reveal and cover the city minute after minute is like opening a present and then closing it to open it again with the same pleasantly surprised look on your face. I could have stayed up there for days. Well we did stay for 12 hours and went even higher to a point that looks down on the ruin. That is a story in itself. Let's just say we came down on our hands and butts. What a site.
So that was Machupicchu for us. The rustic route. Now it's off to Ecuador. We probably won't have contact for a few days but stay tuned to see where we make it to. Our destination is a small village east of Otavalo, just outside of Quito. Talk to you soon.
Joronda
15 April 2006
more new pictures
salaam
4 more albums have been added, including one that was missing from viet nam (9), and the infamous shaolin pics.
enjoy.
salaam
mateo
p.s. machupicchu was nuts, but more on that later...they're closing the lab down.
4 more albums have been added, including one that was missing from viet nam (9), and the infamous shaolin pics.
enjoy.
salaam
mateo
p.s. machupicchu was nuts, but more on that later...they're closing the lab down.
10 April 2006
NEW PHOTOS FINALLY!!!!
8 new albums have been uploaded to the photo section. We know we´re really behind but please bear with us... as we have some 2600 photos to upload. If you would like to refresh your memory of the stories then check the photos and reread the post for those countries.
Thanks for being patient.
Mateo and Joronda
Thanks for being patient.
Mateo and Joronda
Soaring to new heights
Mateo and I both have our issues with heights so why are we trying to figure out how to climb the largest sand dune in the world and somewhat ski-surf down it. Sandboarding is a popular sport in Southern Peru and with the number of dunes around here there are plenty of places to practice. Cerro Blanco is where we´re trying to learn.
We arrived in Nazca last night after a 9 hour bus ride through the ever changing Peruvian land. The bus was extremely packed at times and when it shut off once all the men got off and started pushing. We weren´t sure what was happening but when the push driver routinely put it in gear we just shrugged and said great we´re on our way. Had Mateo figured out what was going on he would have been at the back of the Ormeño bus with the rest of the passengers getting us down the highway.
When we walked through the city of Nazca today, we could see the height and mass of the sand and it is too impressive. Nazca itself is just impressive with the 2000 year old drawings in the sands. We could get a private plane and soar over the Nazca Lines but I don´t know about that. Maybe we´ll have to come back with one of you and do that.
As far as sandboarding we´ve got about 5 days to get our nerves together. Our bus for Cusco leaves at midnight and we´ll stay their for two days to acclimatize before we go to Machu Picchu. At 11,000 feet and rising I´m curious to see how our bodies react. Although we wanted to hike the Inca Trail to get the full 4 day experience of reaching the ruins we´ll have to settle for the 1 hour walk to the top of the hill from Agua Calientes. It costs $6 to take a bus from the hostel to the gates of the ruins but I´m sure the Crocodile Hunter will want to wack bushes at 5 o´clock in the morning and show up at sunrise as the lazy tourist step comfortably from their 20 minute lazy ride.
If you have no idea what any of these cities or names are check out the map on our page. Just click on the moving flag.
Joronda
We arrived in Nazca last night after a 9 hour bus ride through the ever changing Peruvian land. The bus was extremely packed at times and when it shut off once all the men got off and started pushing. We weren´t sure what was happening but when the push driver routinely put it in gear we just shrugged and said great we´re on our way. Had Mateo figured out what was going on he would have been at the back of the Ormeño bus with the rest of the passengers getting us down the highway.
When we walked through the city of Nazca today, we could see the height and mass of the sand and it is too impressive. Nazca itself is just impressive with the 2000 year old drawings in the sands. We could get a private plane and soar over the Nazca Lines but I don´t know about that. Maybe we´ll have to come back with one of you and do that.
As far as sandboarding we´ve got about 5 days to get our nerves together. Our bus for Cusco leaves at midnight and we´ll stay their for two days to acclimatize before we go to Machu Picchu. At 11,000 feet and rising I´m curious to see how our bodies react. Although we wanted to hike the Inca Trail to get the full 4 day experience of reaching the ruins we´ll have to settle for the 1 hour walk to the top of the hill from Agua Calientes. It costs $6 to take a bus from the hostel to the gates of the ruins but I´m sure the Crocodile Hunter will want to wack bushes at 5 o´clock in the morning and show up at sunrise as the lazy tourist step comfortably from their 20 minute lazy ride.
If you have no idea what any of these cities or names are check out the map on our page. Just click on the moving flag.
Joronda
06 April 2006
Anyone up for Spain?
Hey guess what we did for fun on Sunday night? We all got weighed on a pig scale. It started with the family wanting to know how much Mateo weighs. He eats so much that they just had to know where he was putting it. About two minutes later Francisco walks in with a long silver contraption with ropes hanging from it. One by one we secured ourselves with the ropes and dangled from the chestnut beams in the ceiling of the house. I thought it would only be us youngsters but everyone hoped on. Francisco, Pepe, Isabel their guests and no one was shy to let their weight be told. Pepe beat us all out at 86 Kilos. If you want to do the conversion Mateo is 75 kilos.
We all pitched in to prepare dulces for Mateo the goloso. It was great and after a few hours at the house we headed down into the pueblo to snuggle into our casita until the next days work. Once again it´s sad to leave a place where people are so good and everyday is an adventure. Before we went home you´ll be interested to know that Mateo doubles as the Crocodile Hunter when wild snakes find themselves stuck in tiny holes. I walked outside to see if the sweets were being prepared on some big open flame and found Mateo unwinding a large snake from a hole in the bottom of a propane tank. Everyone one was standing really far back while this snake was gapping his mouth in what seemed like pain and curling it´s tail around Mateo´s hand. Even though he´s not a trained zoologist the Crocodile Hunter knows snakes can´t crawl up their own bodies; and they say don´t try those things at home. Everyday is an adventure.
If you´re interested in doing a bit of hard work in Spain and helping out a great family let us know. There are only three people in the family to do a ton of work and they can really use some good assistance. There are goats to be milked everyday and a host of other things to be taken care of including picking up fresh bread from the panaderia every morning on the way to the farm. I´ll miss that alot. This is another place on our list to return to. Seriously if you´re interested let us know and we´ll give you more details.
So we´re on the road again and we´re off to Peru. At 10:30 p.m. Spainish time we´ll set off on a 13 hour excursion to Lima. Look out America we´re coming home!
Joronda
We all pitched in to prepare dulces for Mateo the goloso. It was great and after a few hours at the house we headed down into the pueblo to snuggle into our casita until the next days work. Once again it´s sad to leave a place where people are so good and everyday is an adventure. Before we went home you´ll be interested to know that Mateo doubles as the Crocodile Hunter when wild snakes find themselves stuck in tiny holes. I walked outside to see if the sweets were being prepared on some big open flame and found Mateo unwinding a large snake from a hole in the bottom of a propane tank. Everyone one was standing really far back while this snake was gapping his mouth in what seemed like pain and curling it´s tail around Mateo´s hand. Even though he´s not a trained zoologist the Crocodile Hunter knows snakes can´t crawl up their own bodies; and they say don´t try those things at home. Everyday is an adventure.
If you´re interested in doing a bit of hard work in Spain and helping out a great family let us know. There are only three people in the family to do a ton of work and they can really use some good assistance. There are goats to be milked everyday and a host of other things to be taken care of including picking up fresh bread from the panaderia every morning on the way to the farm. I´ll miss that alot. This is another place on our list to return to. Seriously if you´re interested let us know and we´ll give you more details.
So we´re on the road again and we´re off to Peru. At 10:30 p.m. Spainish time we´ll set off on a 13 hour excursion to Lima. Look out America we´re coming home!
Joronda
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)