So my first day in Quito was a nice one. After getting my bags no problem at the airport, I got a cab to 'Mansion del Angel,' the hotel my family was staying in that night. I checked in and soon after was in paradise, lounging in my nice robe with tasty food on my big comfy bed. It was so nice to get a really nice hotel room after more than three months of lousy accomodation.
I expected my family to arrive at 10 PM, and my anticipation was high as I waiting, watching TV. Come 11:30, there was still no sign of them so I decided to investigate. The hotel receptionist made a call for me and found out that the airport in Quito was closed due to bad weather so my family`s flight had gone to Guayaquill, a city to the south of Quito. He also said the airport would not open until the morning, so I went to bed alone and dissapointed.
In the middle of the night, there was loud knocking at my door. I got up and opened to the door, dazed and still half asleep. I was so surprised to see Annie followed by Ellie jump into my arms! then followed Will, Dad, and then Mom. I was so happy to see them and even though it was 3 or 4 in the morning, we stayed up talking for a while. It felt so good to see them all after three months.
The next morning after a deliscious breakfast in the hotel, we cruised around the Old Town of Quito, before getting a nice lunch at an Italian restaurant. After lunch we got our car that took us to our hotel just outside of `Parque National Cotopaxi.` It was a nice, old hostel with nice gardens and open spaces. After an intitial problem that came up regarding our rooms, we settled in and went for a `walk` that lasted about five minutes and took us halfway down the hotel`s driveway. The rest of the day we relaxed, playing car, reading, and chatting.
The next day, we got a car that took us to the park entrance, where we rented bicycles. Unfortunately, the bikes looked like they were about to fall apart and riding them assured one of the validity of this observation. We got a car that took the bikes and ourselves to the very same parking lot where I began my trek up to the top of Volcan Cotopaxi months ago. We got out of the cars and got right back in when we felt how cold and windy it was. Once the bikes were unloaded, we got on our bikes and took off, wanting to get to lower, warmer, and less windy grounds asap. After half an hour or so, the temperature became tolerable and we were enjoying ourselves. The views were amazing, just like my previous visit. However, I was experiencing them in a very different mindstate than my first time, being with my family and having done so many things since my visit back in September.
The ride was a lot of fun, but the lack of functioning breaks and gears made it somewhat difficult and sometimes scary, when Annie or Ellie went flying past me at high speeds approaching sharp turns.
Back at the hotel, we relaxed doing much the same thing we did before. The only difference was that it was Christmas Eve, and we all couldn`t believe it.
The next morning, Ellie, being the first one awake, woke everyone up at 8:30 and we had a nice morning opening presents. At 11, the kids all went horsebackriding. We met our guide, who accompanied us on an old bike. The ride lasted two hours and took us down nice roads with nice views and through a nearby town`s center. My horse, which I gladly traded to William halfway through the ride, was nuts. I was constantly pulling back on the reins as hard as I could. If I let my guard down for even a moment, the great beast would take off at frightening speeds.
For dinner, we got a car to a nearby hotet and had a nice dinner that was preceded by a small firework show and all sorts of problems with our car, a snotty couple, and a long wait. It was a great Christmas day, but not being at home or in the home of a relative felt strange.
The next morning, we were picked up at 5:30 AM and drove back to the airport in Quito where we got out flight to The Galapagos Island. Oh man, it was incredible. As we stepped out of the plane, we instantly felt the extreme heat that was so different to what we had been experiencing on the mainland. We packed into a crowded bus then got a little boat across a channel. Then we got in out nice, air conditioned private bus with other people staying at our hotel. We visited huge sink holes and a massive, naturally created tunnel created by eruptions of the island`s volcano before going to see the world famous Galapagos Giant Tortoises. They were similiar to the Giant Tortoises at Santa Martha, but there were many more and some of them were much bigger. These things are massive, dinosaur-like creatures whose top speed is simply laughable. Then we drove into Puerto Ayora, the main city on the island, Isla Santa Cruz. We got a boat from our hotel to a path leading to our hotel. One of the first thing we saw as we strolled down the walkway towards our hotel was a group of marine iguanas at the beach, chilling out taking in the sun. Our hotel was right on a nice beach, and shortly after checking in Will, Annie, Ellie and I rushed off to Las Grietas, a strange but incredily beautiful place. It is a spot where freshwater and saltwater are combined, and the turqoise-blue body of water is long and skinny and flanked by high cliffs. Cliffjumping time! After checking the depth, I climbed up about 15 feet and jumped down into the cool, refreshing water. Then being totally sure of the depth, I climbed up to the top (about 50 feet high) and jumped in. It was awesome. The girls had a good time watching, swimming, and jumping off the low ledge. Will took a few jumps from the low ledge before gaining confidence in himself and jumping off the big cliff. Oh man, he decided to do the old lifeguard jump, and the resulting SLAP frightening but funny. The undersides of his arms were bright red and he was definitely hurting. We hung out at the hotel that night, enjoying a nice dinner and the hotels comforts. Unfortunately, Mom was feeling sick and turned in early before dinner. During the night, Ellie also got sick so the two of them decided to skip the next day`s excursion.
The next morning, Dad, Will, Annie, and I got up early and met the hotel`s group that was going on the excursion. We got on the Sea Finch, our hotel`s beautiful boat that would be taking us to various spots on different island for the next few days. After a two hour trip, we arrived at a beach on another island, and we were greated by an enthusiastic group of baby sea lions! They were adorable, and lost no time flopping over each other to get a better look at the strange humans. Adult sea lions were sprawled out all over the beach enjoying the sun`s warm rays.
We took a short hike around the area, seeing cactuses with odd shapes and land iguanas. We went back to the Sea Finch and had a light snack before cruising to a nearby spot for some snorkling. This was, HANDS DOWN, the best snorkling I have ever done in my life. The water was crystal clear and I saw huge schools of big fish with colors vibrant and varied, ominous galapagos sharks, and big rays. Then we went to a new spot to snorkel with sea lions. They were in a little cove, but out guide warned us to be careful of the alpha male who was relaxing nearby. I got in the cove and one big sea lions took a great interest in me. He was so eager to see me that his nose touched my mask, and we stared at each other for a brief moment. Then the alpha male started barking and coming towards us, so we jetted out of that cove and back to the boat real fast.
Back at the hotel, Mom, Dad, Will, and I walked over to Las Grietas. Will and I did some cliff jumping then snorkled for a bit. That night we relaxed as usual.
The next day held another great excursion for us. We went to a spot on Isla Santa Cruz to see a huge colony of sea lions. Then we took a hike around the area, and the landscape seriously looked like it would be better at home on Mars than on Earth. Big, funky cactuses all around and some low, red plant that was growing all over. We saw lots of blue footed boobies (awesome birds endemic to the Galapagos) and what our guide explained was the `bachelor`s pad,´ an area where alpha males would come to recover after being beated by another male in a fight. It was great.
After the hike we snorkled nearby, and today it was much foggier than the day before but it was still awesome. We went back at the hotel and enjoyed another evening of relaxation in the hot tub or by the pool reading.
The next day was amazing. We were on the Sea Finch in the morning, and someone spotted a few dolphins, ahead in the distance. 15 minutes later, they were EVERYWHERE! There must have been well over twenty of them. A group of 5 or 6 started swimming right in front of the boat, and one did a massive jump out of the water less than 10 feet away from the front of the boat. It was as if they were greeting us. After we stopped, we went out in the small boat for a closer look at the dolphins. It was just as cool as before, except we were much lower and had a better view. Then we snorkled with them, and it was definitely one of the top three experiences I`ve had with animals in my entire life. There were dolphins all around us, swimming all over the place. At one point I counted 7 or 8 swimming together in a group. These animals have such a majestic way of moving through the water. Allthough some of them are huge, they cut through the water smoothly, with an amazing grace. Oh man it was incredible. A sea turtle also decided to check the scene out and slowly swam by under o ut feet. A fat shark appeared out of nowhere and we hurried back to the boat, all more than satisfied with what we has seen. We moved closer to shore where we snorkled around, seeing lots of fish before finding a sea lion. The first thing I saw was Will, floating vertically in the water while one of his flippers was gnawed on by this sea lion. We were joined by another sea lion, and we played with them for a while. It was so much fun, they swam along with us and right up to us. Myself and several others received a couple of playful bites that did not really seem playful. Then we got in the boat in search of the Galapagos Penguins, but we only found one lone fellow standing by himself on a rock.
Back at the hotel, we all sat down together after cleaning up for me to open presents. Whoops! I forgot to say that it was my 19th birthday, and could not have asked for a better day. I got lots of good gifts from everyone and we had a great dinner. All in all, it was a fantastic birthday.
The next day we got up early and went to the Charles Darwin Center and saw baby tortoises no bigger than the palm of my hand, more HUGE tortoises, and Lonesome George, the last tortoise of his species. Then, sadly, we drove to the airport to get our flight to Quito. The Galapagos were awesome. Most definitely one of the main highlights of my trip.
Back in Quito, we checked back into Mansion del Angel and went out for an awesome dinner at an Argentinian steakhouse. Will and I went to Finn McCools, an Irish pub I had visited when I first arrived in South America.
The next day, we walked around the Old Town again doing a little shopping and getting some tasty food. Then we went back to our hotel before going to a nearby `parade` which was actually just tons of stands and huge stages with big dolls that were mainly poking fun at various politician. One stand titled The Fantastic Four impersonated George Bush as Dr. Doom! It was lots of fun.
We chilled for a while back at the hotel before going out for our New Year`s Eve dinner. It was a good meal at a nice place, but it was somewhat hard for me to enjoy it, knowing that it would be the last family dinner we would have in a long time. After dinner, we went back to the hotel and everyone hit the sack, except for Will and I. We went out for some New Year`s festivites and hit the streets and were delighted to find fireworks and beer for sale all over the place (our excitement was almost totally for the fireworks). It was crazy, people were setting off huge fireworks right in the center of the city as police officers enjoyed the show. There were fires all over the street, the remnants of lifesize puppets made for the sole purpose of setting on fire.
The next morning, my family left the hotel early for the airport and I miserably crawled back into bed.
Wednesday 23 January 2008
Saturday 5 January 2008
Lake Titicaca and Machu Picchu
So, I was so relieved to be in Cusco. I decided I would leave the next day to go to Puno, the city in Peru right next to Lake Titicaca, the highest lake in the world. I also ended up booking the four day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.
I left Cusco the day after I arrived at 10 PM. I arrived in Puno at around 5 AM, exhausted. I walked into the bus terminal, and instantly I had two or three guys trying to get me to go on a tour of Lake Titicaca with their agency. I ended up getting together with another American and a Brit, and together with our increased bargaining power we were able to get a very good price for a 2-day and 1-night tour.
The man with whom we booked our tour took us to a hostel where we ate breakfast and met up with other members of our group. At about 7 AM, we were off. We squezzed into a van and drove to the port of Puno on the Lake. Our driver showed us to our boat, where we met more group members and our guide, Zakaria. After seeing how many people were in our group, I understood why we were able to get such a cheap price. We left the port, and Zakaria started giving us basic information on ´Las Islas Flotantes,´ the floating islands. These islands are completely made of reeds by people who live on the islands. Back in pre-Incan times, people decided to make and live on reed islands on Lake Titicaca to escape the conquests of other pre-Incan people who had said they must join them and adapt to their way of life or die.
We arrived at the reed islands about thirty minutes after leaving the port, and I was instantly in awe. There were many islands, and we landed on one and got out for a look around and an information session. As I stepped on to the island, I felt my foot sink down a few inches and it was very obvious that I was not standing on real ground. It was very cool to see the islas flotantes, but they were very touristy. It was clear that a large part of the lives of the people on these islands relies on tourism.
We left the islas flotantes and started the two hour boat ride to Isla Amantani, one of the two important island on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca (part of the lake is in Bolivia). Due to my lack of sleep the night before, I passed out and slept like a rock for most of the journey. When we arrived on the island, we were assigned our host family. I was put together with Joachim, a German carpenter and Jorgio, an Italian lawyer, and we stayed in the small and simple house of a man named Vicente.
We got to Vicente´s house and had a small lunch before walking over to the main plaza of the small town to meet our group. Once the group had assembled, we started the climb to the top of a small mountain on the island. Along the way, we stopped several times and Zakaria gave us information about the island, the way of life of the people, and how the people had lived in pre-Incan times. At the top of the mountain, the views were incredible. We could see nearby islands, and the lake seemed to go on forever at some points. It really looked more like a sea than a lake. We climbed back down to the town, met up with Vicente and went back to his house where we had dinner (unotunately, another small meal). After dinner, Vicente brought us tradition clothing of the men on Isla Amantani, and we all dressed up and went over to the community center where a dance was taking place. It was very funny. Our whole group was dressed up, and many of the locals were there dancing with us. We all tried to do the dance correctly, but I am positive not one of us was doing so.
That night, there was a huge storm that lasted all night long and into the next day. I woke up several times during the night, very disoriented due to the noise of the heavy rain on our sheet-metal roof and the total lack of light in our room.
The next morning, it was still raining but not quite as hard as during the night. We had a light breakfast before heading over to our boat. We left the island after saying goodbye to our hosts, and headed for Isla Taquile, the other important island on the Peruvian side of the gigantic lake.
We arrived at Isla Taquile and were dissapointed that the rain had not stopped. Nonetheless, we all threw on our rain jackets and started the walk towards the island`s small town center. Once again, we heard a lot about the island and saw some incredible views. It was great, but of the two island Amantani was my favorite. Before we got back on the boat to head back to Puno, I decided to take a quick dip in the lake. I stripped down to my boxers and jumped in the ice cold water. After about thiry seconds, I was more than ready to get out.
I had an amazing time on the tour, and decided that I had to see the Bolivian side of the lake. We got back to Puno around 4 PM, and I got a bus back to Cusco at 8 PM after relaxing and having a nice meal with several members of the group.
I got to Cusco at around 4 AM, and I went straight to my hostel and hit the sack. I woke up around 10, and started taking care of some last minute things I had to do before starting the Inca Trail.
The next day, I woke up at 6 AM and got dressed and ready to take off. I got picked up at around 7, and couldn`t wait to get started on the trek. We drove for about 2 hours total until we reached our starting point. It was here that I met all the members of the group, which proved to be very diverse and full of interesting people. There was an Australian couple travelling all over the world for 12 months, an Australian travelling for three months before going back to University, three Brazillians travelling for five weeks over vacation, one English man travelling around Peru for a month over vacation, and three Canadians (a son with his mother and step father) travelling around Peru. I was the only American.
The first day of the trek was awesome and easy. The scenery was awesome, and we got very lucky with the weather so I was able to hike in shorts and a tee shirt all day. When we were almost at camp, we arrived at a high point looking out onto an incredible Incan city. Our campsite was really nice, being situated on a small feild, looking out onto surrounding mountains. At tea time, our guide asked if any of us were Catholic, and said that there was a service for the nearby town. I decided to join him.
The church was a small, dark room lit only by three candles and full with people who looked like they just finished work on the feild. Many women had small babies on their backs, and children scampered in and out of the church laughing with each other.
The next day, we woke up at 5:30 when two of the porters came around to each tent giving us ´mate de coca,´coca leaf tea. After packing up, we had breakfast at 6 and were on our way by 6:45. This day was not easy. The first four hours (or more, for some people) were pure uphill. Steep steps leading upwards that never seemed to end. Finally, I arrived at the top with legs of lead and lungs of fire. The next hour was pure downhill and I arrived at our camp with Duncan, the Australian student, at around 11 and we chilled out for the rest of the day.
The third day was almost pure downhill. I decided to take it easy and go nice and slow, and didn`t get to camp until around 5:30, we had left around 7 that morning. We didn`t get so lucky with the weather that day. It rained all day long and most views were obscured by the fog. We saw a couple Incan ruins and went through two tunnels that were also made by the Incans. Even though we had bad weather, I still enjoyed myself and had a great day.
The fourth and final day, we woke up at 4 AM so we could arrive at the Sun Gate, the first view of Machu Picchu, for sunrise. We didn`t get to the sungate until around 7 AM, well after the sunrise. When we arrived, I was very dissapointing. It wasn`t raining, but nearly the entire city was covered by fog. We relaxed at the Sun Gate for almost an hour, and as we left the fog started to clear. Thiry minutes later, the sun was shining and Machu Picchu was revealed in all its glory! It was incredible. Truly amazing to see this ancient city in the mountains and know that it was once full with people, thousands of years ago. I was so happy that the weather turned out well. In fact, it turned out great. I changed into my sandals, shorts and a tea shirt and ended up getting sunburned!
We all dropped our bags off at the main entrance, and stayed together as a group for a tour of the ruins, and then split up. Duncan and I left the group to climb Wayna Picchu, the tall mountain peak right next to the city. The climb up was very steep, but only about half an hour, a piece of cake for us Inca-trailers. The views from the top were unreal. We could see the entire city of Machu Picchu and all the surrounding mountains. Duncan and I relaxed up top for well over an hour, taking in the scenery and basking in the sun. Then we hiked back down to Machu Picchu, got our things, and started the hour hike to Aguas Calientes, the nearest town.
We met up with our group in Aguas Calientes, said goodbye to out two guides and hopped on the train back to Cusco.
That night, I went out with a few people from the group and had a really good time. Unfortunately, the next morning I had to be at the airport at 6:30 for my 8:30 flight to Quito, Ecuador where I would be meeting my family for Christmas. The next morning, I slept through my alarm, and woke up at 7:45 and started panicing. I still hadn`t packed, so I threw my stuff into my backpack, ran outside and got a taxi to the airport. Thank God, I got on my plane and arrived safely in Quito that afternoon.
I left Cusco the day after I arrived at 10 PM. I arrived in Puno at around 5 AM, exhausted. I walked into the bus terminal, and instantly I had two or three guys trying to get me to go on a tour of Lake Titicaca with their agency. I ended up getting together with another American and a Brit, and together with our increased bargaining power we were able to get a very good price for a 2-day and 1-night tour.
The man with whom we booked our tour took us to a hostel where we ate breakfast and met up with other members of our group. At about 7 AM, we were off. We squezzed into a van and drove to the port of Puno on the Lake. Our driver showed us to our boat, where we met more group members and our guide, Zakaria. After seeing how many people were in our group, I understood why we were able to get such a cheap price. We left the port, and Zakaria started giving us basic information on ´Las Islas Flotantes,´ the floating islands. These islands are completely made of reeds by people who live on the islands. Back in pre-Incan times, people decided to make and live on reed islands on Lake Titicaca to escape the conquests of other pre-Incan people who had said they must join them and adapt to their way of life or die.
We arrived at the reed islands about thirty minutes after leaving the port, and I was instantly in awe. There were many islands, and we landed on one and got out for a look around and an information session. As I stepped on to the island, I felt my foot sink down a few inches and it was very obvious that I was not standing on real ground. It was very cool to see the islas flotantes, but they were very touristy. It was clear that a large part of the lives of the people on these islands relies on tourism.
We left the islas flotantes and started the two hour boat ride to Isla Amantani, one of the two important island on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca (part of the lake is in Bolivia). Due to my lack of sleep the night before, I passed out and slept like a rock for most of the journey. When we arrived on the island, we were assigned our host family. I was put together with Joachim, a German carpenter and Jorgio, an Italian lawyer, and we stayed in the small and simple house of a man named Vicente.
We got to Vicente´s house and had a small lunch before walking over to the main plaza of the small town to meet our group. Once the group had assembled, we started the climb to the top of a small mountain on the island. Along the way, we stopped several times and Zakaria gave us information about the island, the way of life of the people, and how the people had lived in pre-Incan times. At the top of the mountain, the views were incredible. We could see nearby islands, and the lake seemed to go on forever at some points. It really looked more like a sea than a lake. We climbed back down to the town, met up with Vicente and went back to his house where we had dinner (unotunately, another small meal). After dinner, Vicente brought us tradition clothing of the men on Isla Amantani, and we all dressed up and went over to the community center where a dance was taking place. It was very funny. Our whole group was dressed up, and many of the locals were there dancing with us. We all tried to do the dance correctly, but I am positive not one of us was doing so.
That night, there was a huge storm that lasted all night long and into the next day. I woke up several times during the night, very disoriented due to the noise of the heavy rain on our sheet-metal roof and the total lack of light in our room.
The next morning, it was still raining but not quite as hard as during the night. We had a light breakfast before heading over to our boat. We left the island after saying goodbye to our hosts, and headed for Isla Taquile, the other important island on the Peruvian side of the gigantic lake.
We arrived at Isla Taquile and were dissapointed that the rain had not stopped. Nonetheless, we all threw on our rain jackets and started the walk towards the island`s small town center. Once again, we heard a lot about the island and saw some incredible views. It was great, but of the two island Amantani was my favorite. Before we got back on the boat to head back to Puno, I decided to take a quick dip in the lake. I stripped down to my boxers and jumped in the ice cold water. After about thiry seconds, I was more than ready to get out.
I had an amazing time on the tour, and decided that I had to see the Bolivian side of the lake. We got back to Puno around 4 PM, and I got a bus back to Cusco at 8 PM after relaxing and having a nice meal with several members of the group.
I got to Cusco at around 4 AM, and I went straight to my hostel and hit the sack. I woke up around 10, and started taking care of some last minute things I had to do before starting the Inca Trail.
The next day, I woke up at 6 AM and got dressed and ready to take off. I got picked up at around 7, and couldn`t wait to get started on the trek. We drove for about 2 hours total until we reached our starting point. It was here that I met all the members of the group, which proved to be very diverse and full of interesting people. There was an Australian couple travelling all over the world for 12 months, an Australian travelling for three months before going back to University, three Brazillians travelling for five weeks over vacation, one English man travelling around Peru for a month over vacation, and three Canadians (a son with his mother and step father) travelling around Peru. I was the only American.
The first day of the trek was awesome and easy. The scenery was awesome, and we got very lucky with the weather so I was able to hike in shorts and a tee shirt all day. When we were almost at camp, we arrived at a high point looking out onto an incredible Incan city. Our campsite was really nice, being situated on a small feild, looking out onto surrounding mountains. At tea time, our guide asked if any of us were Catholic, and said that there was a service for the nearby town. I decided to join him.
The church was a small, dark room lit only by three candles and full with people who looked like they just finished work on the feild. Many women had small babies on their backs, and children scampered in and out of the church laughing with each other.
The next day, we woke up at 5:30 when two of the porters came around to each tent giving us ´mate de coca,´coca leaf tea. After packing up, we had breakfast at 6 and were on our way by 6:45. This day was not easy. The first four hours (or more, for some people) were pure uphill. Steep steps leading upwards that never seemed to end. Finally, I arrived at the top with legs of lead and lungs of fire. The next hour was pure downhill and I arrived at our camp with Duncan, the Australian student, at around 11 and we chilled out for the rest of the day.
The third day was almost pure downhill. I decided to take it easy and go nice and slow, and didn`t get to camp until around 5:30, we had left around 7 that morning. We didn`t get so lucky with the weather that day. It rained all day long and most views were obscured by the fog. We saw a couple Incan ruins and went through two tunnels that were also made by the Incans. Even though we had bad weather, I still enjoyed myself and had a great day.
The fourth and final day, we woke up at 4 AM so we could arrive at the Sun Gate, the first view of Machu Picchu, for sunrise. We didn`t get to the sungate until around 7 AM, well after the sunrise. When we arrived, I was very dissapointing. It wasn`t raining, but nearly the entire city was covered by fog. We relaxed at the Sun Gate for almost an hour, and as we left the fog started to clear. Thiry minutes later, the sun was shining and Machu Picchu was revealed in all its glory! It was incredible. Truly amazing to see this ancient city in the mountains and know that it was once full with people, thousands of years ago. I was so happy that the weather turned out well. In fact, it turned out great. I changed into my sandals, shorts and a tea shirt and ended up getting sunburned!
We all dropped our bags off at the main entrance, and stayed together as a group for a tour of the ruins, and then split up. Duncan and I left the group to climb Wayna Picchu, the tall mountain peak right next to the city. The climb up was very steep, but only about half an hour, a piece of cake for us Inca-trailers. The views from the top were unreal. We could see the entire city of Machu Picchu and all the surrounding mountains. Duncan and I relaxed up top for well over an hour, taking in the scenery and basking in the sun. Then we hiked back down to Machu Picchu, got our things, and started the hour hike to Aguas Calientes, the nearest town.
We met up with our group in Aguas Calientes, said goodbye to out two guides and hopped on the train back to Cusco.
That night, I went out with a few people from the group and had a really good time. Unfortunately, the next morning I had to be at the airport at 6:30 for my 8:30 flight to Quito, Ecuador where I would be meeting my family for Christmas. The next morning, I slept through my alarm, and woke up at 7:45 and started panicing. I still hadn`t packed, so I threw my stuff into my backpack, ran outside and got a taxi to the airport. Thank God, I got on my plane and arrived safely in Quito that afternoon.
Tuesday 1 January 2008
Rejection and the Resulting Journey To Cusco, Peru
So, I left the community with the plans of going through Bolivia to get to southern Peru. I got to the border town of Brasileia the night after I left. I decided to go straight to Bolivia that night. Upon seeing my passport, the first thing the immigration official asked me was, "Visa?" Visa, what? I needed a visa? Apparently, starting at the beginning of that month, all citizens of the USA needed a visa in order to enter Bolivia. Well, thats great. I got rejected at the Bolivian border. The official told me that I could come back the next morning and get a visa, no problem. Ok, thats not so bad, I thought. I found myself a cheap hostel in Brasileia and hit the sack.
The next morning, I set out to get money from an ATM. My two cards were rejected by three different banks which happened to be the only three banks in the town. I used my last reia (about 50 cents) to buy myself a small snack and figured I would just have to get money in Bolivia. That meant I would have to walk to the border, and somehow get to the border town in Bolivia. I got my things together in the hostel, put on my rain jacket, and set out into the pouring rain to find the border. About an hour and a half later, after bad directions and broken flip flops, I arrived at the border. But then I was informed that I had to get a new exit stamp from the federal police in Brazil, because my exit stamp was yesterday. Half an hour later, I was back at the border, only to receive the very news I did not want to hear. I couldn´t get a visa. I did not have a passport photo, flight back to the states, or a hotel reservation. Great. I was rejected at the Bolivian border for the second time, flat broke, with no way of getting money.
Thankfully, God decided to show a little mercy in the form of great kindness by the border official. He did me a huge favor by taking me to a bank in the Bolivian town on the back of his tiny motorcycle and then back to the border. That guy really saved me, if he hadn´t done that I have no idea what I would have done. He also told me that, contrary to what I had previously thought, I could go directly into Peru from Brazil. I just had to get a bus to Assis, Brazil and then cross the border to Inapari, Peru.
Once in Inapari, I got a shared taxi to Puerto Maldonado. Right before arriving at about 1 AM, we had to cross a river via car ferry. This particular car ferry had a tiny motor and space for just one car. The man operating the ferry simply set up two planks of wood for the car to drive up onto the ferry. Getting on the ferry was easy and uneventfull, getting off was quite the opposit. Luckily, the other passengers and I got out of the car while we got on and off the ferry. When the driver backed onto the two planks of wood, on of the planks was pushed back and dropped, leaving the car on three wheels. It looked like it was about to fall off of the ferry. Luckily, after several minutes the driver was able to get the car back on it´s four wheels on the ferry before successfully backing down the two planks of wood.
The next day, I got on a bus that would take me directly to Cusco from Puerto Maldonado. Luckily, I got to the bus station right in time and got the last ticket available for the bus. This busride proved to be the worst one I have ever experienced. We left Puerto Maldonado at around 2 PM and arrived in Cusco around 7 AM the next morning. That is 17 hours, the first 14 of which were on one of the worst roads I´ve ever seen. To make things worse, we got a little rain making the road muddy. The bus was constantly rocking back and forth due to crater-like pot holes. We bottomed out numerous time on gravel, each time a horribly loud metal-on-rock sound was produced that could wake the dead. It certainly woke me up several times throughout the night. We also drifted around several turns and got stuck in several exceptionally muddy bits. It was scary. I got a terrible sleep, waking up at least once every hour. The next morning I felt horrible, due to the high altitude of Cusco, the infected cuts in my feet, and the soreness present throughtout my body. Regardless, I was there. I got there much faster than I thought I would have been able to, so, I guesse it was kindof a good thing I got rejected at the border.
I know I am way behind, and I will try to update again tomorrow.
The next morning, I set out to get money from an ATM. My two cards were rejected by three different banks which happened to be the only three banks in the town. I used my last reia (about 50 cents) to buy myself a small snack and figured I would just have to get money in Bolivia. That meant I would have to walk to the border, and somehow get to the border town in Bolivia. I got my things together in the hostel, put on my rain jacket, and set out into the pouring rain to find the border. About an hour and a half later, after bad directions and broken flip flops, I arrived at the border. But then I was informed that I had to get a new exit stamp from the federal police in Brazil, because my exit stamp was yesterday. Half an hour later, I was back at the border, only to receive the very news I did not want to hear. I couldn´t get a visa. I did not have a passport photo, flight back to the states, or a hotel reservation. Great. I was rejected at the Bolivian border for the second time, flat broke, with no way of getting money.
Thankfully, God decided to show a little mercy in the form of great kindness by the border official. He did me a huge favor by taking me to a bank in the Bolivian town on the back of his tiny motorcycle and then back to the border. That guy really saved me, if he hadn´t done that I have no idea what I would have done. He also told me that, contrary to what I had previously thought, I could go directly into Peru from Brazil. I just had to get a bus to Assis, Brazil and then cross the border to Inapari, Peru.
Once in Inapari, I got a shared taxi to Puerto Maldonado. Right before arriving at about 1 AM, we had to cross a river via car ferry. This particular car ferry had a tiny motor and space for just one car. The man operating the ferry simply set up two planks of wood for the car to drive up onto the ferry. Getting on the ferry was easy and uneventfull, getting off was quite the opposit. Luckily, the other passengers and I got out of the car while we got on and off the ferry. When the driver backed onto the two planks of wood, on of the planks was pushed back and dropped, leaving the car on three wheels. It looked like it was about to fall off of the ferry. Luckily, after several minutes the driver was able to get the car back on it´s four wheels on the ferry before successfully backing down the two planks of wood.
The next day, I got on a bus that would take me directly to Cusco from Puerto Maldonado. Luckily, I got to the bus station right in time and got the last ticket available for the bus. This busride proved to be the worst one I have ever experienced. We left Puerto Maldonado at around 2 PM and arrived in Cusco around 7 AM the next morning. That is 17 hours, the first 14 of which were on one of the worst roads I´ve ever seen. To make things worse, we got a little rain making the road muddy. The bus was constantly rocking back and forth due to crater-like pot holes. We bottomed out numerous time on gravel, each time a horribly loud metal-on-rock sound was produced that could wake the dead. It certainly woke me up several times throughout the night. We also drifted around several turns and got stuck in several exceptionally muddy bits. It was scary. I got a terrible sleep, waking up at least once every hour. The next morning I felt horrible, due to the high altitude of Cusco, the infected cuts in my feet, and the soreness present throughtout my body. Regardless, I was there. I got there much faster than I thought I would have been able to, so, I guesse it was kindof a good thing I got rejected at the border.
I know I am way behind, and I will try to update again tomorrow.
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