Okay so we are back in Huanchaco! What can we say we are beach babes and couldn't get enough of the sun, sand and ocean. Huanchaco is our last destination of our trip, other than the Lima airport... which we willsadly and happily be at on Thursday morning at 5am! Not to worry we have a ten hour bus ride before that! So since this will be our last blog we are going to do a count down of our ten favorite moments on this trip not in any particualr order.
1. Iguazu Falls was absolutrly amazing. We felt like we were in Heaven! We also meet some pretty funny tourists! "Is this the way to the Falls"... we will explain this one if you ask in person :)
2. Machu Picchu is beautiful and Whynapicchu is a butt kicker with stinky stinging nettle! It should be on everyone's travel bucket list... we stood there in awe for a long time!
3. The Salar de Uyuni was dry and white... but we loved it! We also realized on that trip that we are probably some of the most fun people we know!
4. La Isla in Cochabamba has delicious choripans and street food! Thank you Gama for taking us there!
5. Countless attempts by the male South American population to pick up on us... Thank you Men of South America for the pick-up lines, whistles, attempted english and confidence booster... We will miss you!
6. Live music everywhere we went, From the parades in Puno to the little club that Gamma and Vinny played Green Day! We loved the shows!
7. STREET FOOD! We seriously have been offered all of hearts desires on the street... From Honey cakes to meat on a stick! Thank you street venders for filling our stomachs, our hearts and increasing our mad dashes ro bathrooms!
8. Bus rides... We are very proud to say that we travelled through three countries solely by bus! We couldn't have done it with out the vendors that kept us entertained, the babies that we helped feed and change, the Choletas mocking us for not being married and the creepy old men staring at us in our sleep! Half the fun was in the ride!
9. The street kids and dogs... We have loved the street kids! They filled our nights with laughter and hope :) We even left them with some little gifts in Cusco! We also want to take them home with us... and the dogs....
10. Being together for this adventure has been the best part of this trip! We have entertained eachother through long bus rides, tried to interrupt eachothers reading so we could talk, we have given other travellers advice on how to get along... Being together for this life changing adventure has not only made us better freinds, but better people!
We would kie to thank you all for taking the time to read about our trip... Your Friendships mean the world to us! Thanks for sharing the journey along the way. We are sad to leave, but happy to come home to all of you! Thanks again!
ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE!... not just in South America, it is everywhere!
P.S. Stayed tuned in for next summer... we aren't stoping with this trip... South East Asia here we come!
P.P.S.We would like to give a big shout out to Megan "Sides" Pike, Thank you for the amazing guest blogging!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
That's all Folks
Okay so we are back in Huanchaco! What can we say we are beach babes and couldn't get enough of the sun, sand and ocean. Huanchaco is our last destination of our trip, other than the Lima airport... which we willsadly and happily be at on Thursday morning at 5am! Not to worry we have a ten hour bus ride before that! So since this will be our last blog we are going to do a count down of our ten favorite moments on this trip not in any particualr order.
1. Iguazu Falls was absolutrly amazing. We felt like we were in Heaven! We also meet some pretty funny tourists! "Is this the way to the Falls"... we will explain this one if you ask in person :)
2. Machu Picchu is beautiful and Whynapicchu is a butt kicker with stinky stinging nettle! It should be on everyone's travel bucket list... we stood there in awe for a long time!
3. The Salar de Uyuni was dry and white... but we loved it! We also realized on that trip that we are probably some of the most fun people we know!
4. La Isla in Cochabamba has delicious choripans and street food! Thank you Gama for taking us there!
5. Countless attempts by the male South American population to pick up on us... Thank you Men of South America for the pick-up lines, whistles, attempted english and confidence booster... We will miss you!
6. Live music everywhere we went, From the parades in Puno to the little club that Gamma and Vinny played Green Day! We loved the shows!
7. STREET FOOD! We seriously have been offered all of hearts desires on the street... From Honey cakes to meat on a stick! Thank you street venders for filling our stomachs, our hearts and increasing our mad dashes ro bathrooms!
8. Bus rides... We are very proud to say that we travelled through three countries solely by bus! We couldn't have done it with out the vendors that kept us entertained, the babies that we helped feed and change, the Choletas mocking us for not being married and the creepy old men staring at us in our sleep! Half the fun was in the ride!
9. The street kids and dogs... We have loved the street kids! They filled our nights with laughter and hope :) We even left them with some little gifts in Cusco! We also want to take them home with us... and the dogs....
10. Being together for this adventure has been the best part of this trip! We have entertained eachother through long bus rides, tried to interrupt eachothers reading so we could talk, we have given other travellers advice on how to get along... Being together for this life changing adventure has not only made us better freinds, but better people!
We would like to thank you all for taking the time to read about our trip... Your Friendships mean the world to us! Thanks for sharing the journey along the way. We are sad to leave, but happy to come home to all of you! Thanks again!
ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE!... not just in South America, it is everywhere!
P.S. Stayed tuned in for next summer... we aren't stoping with this trip... South East Asia here we come!
P.P.S.We would like to give a big shout out to Megan "Sides" Pike, Thank you for the amazing guest blogging!
1. Iguazu Falls was absolutrly amazing. We felt like we were in Heaven! We also meet some pretty funny tourists! "Is this the way to the Falls"... we will explain this one if you ask in person :)
2. Machu Picchu is beautiful and Whynapicchu is a butt kicker with stinky stinging nettle! It should be on everyone's travel bucket list... we stood there in awe for a long time!
3. The Salar de Uyuni was dry and white... but we loved it! We also realized on that trip that we are probably some of the most fun people we know!
4. La Isla in Cochabamba has delicious choripans and street food! Thank you Gama for taking us there!
5. Countless attempts by the male South American population to pick up on us... Thank you Men of South America for the pick-up lines, whistles, attempted english and confidence booster... We will miss you!
6. Live music everywhere we went, From the parades in Puno to the little club that Gamma and Vinny played Green Day! We loved the shows!
7. STREET FOOD! We seriously have been offered all of hearts desires on the street... From Honey cakes to meat on a stick! Thank you street venders for filling our stomachs, our hearts and increasing our mad dashes ro bathrooms!
8. Bus rides... We are very proud to say that we travelled through three countries solely by bus! We couldn't have done it with out the vendors that kept us entertained, the babies that we helped feed and change, the Choletas mocking us for not being married and the creepy old men staring at us in our sleep! Half the fun was in the ride!
9. The street kids and dogs... We have loved the street kids! They filled our nights with laughter and hope :) We even left them with some little gifts in Cusco! We also want to take them home with us... and the dogs....
10. Being together for this adventure has been the best part of this trip! We have entertained eachother through long bus rides, tried to interrupt eachothers reading so we could talk, we have given other travellers advice on how to get along... Being together for this life changing adventure has not only made us better freinds, but better people!
We would like to thank you all for taking the time to read about our trip... Your Friendships mean the world to us! Thanks for sharing the journey along the way. We are sad to leave, but happy to come home to all of you! Thanks again!
ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE!... not just in South America, it is everywhere!
P.S. Stayed tuned in for next summer... we aren't stoping with this trip... South East Asia here we come!
P.P.S.We would like to give a big shout out to Megan "Sides" Pike, Thank you for the amazing guest blogging!
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Cusco, Etc. ... a Guest Blog by Megan Sides Pike
Hi friends and family! Aly and Jo have given me a chance guest blog here, I hope I can do it justice!
About two weeks ago I was lucky enough to meet up with my friends here in Peru and join them for a little piece of their adventure of a lifetime. After telling them the wrong neighboorhood where I was staying (oops!) I got the best wake-up call ever from two (very tan) friends knocking on my hotel door in Cusco. (Who knew there were such good beaches in Peru?) We spent the next couple of days hanging out in Cusco, the biggest mountain city I´ve ever seen. I was prepared for the ancient architecture, the street vendors and the cobbled streets, but I wasn´t prepared for the spectacular scenery, the vast-ness of it all and the amazingly cute children (more on this later).
Our first introduction to an ancient Inkan ruin was just outside the city at ¨Sachsayhuman¨ We figured it worked for us both because it was close and because it is actually pronounced ¨Sexy Woman.¨ Yep, that´s us. Also, it´s close to the giant white Jesus on the hill. One stop shop. At Sexy Woman, we realized the full effects of altitude... ow. We also learned that Muña is a better plant for curing it than Coca. We met our new dog friend Bow Wow and learned that he doesn´t really like protein bars or dark enclosed caves (the street dogs here are seriously the cutest anywhere). And Aly was the first one to suck up the courage to slide down an ancient Inkan playset (pictures to come).
Our other favorite things about the city of Cusco include - The restaurant Chez Maggie where you can get Mexican Food and hear live music, The Artisan Market (which is cheaper than the big market and slightly out of town), and Sarah and Jefferson (more on them later). A good amount of our time is spent trying to sneak picures of cute kids and furry street dogs. (We each have our favorite kind of street dog, the variety here is remarkable.)
All the children here are cute, but we definitely have two favorite street kids. Jefferson (Me llamo Hhhhhefferson!) is five years old and tries to sell us ¨cheeeeeklay!¨ every night and yells "Aye! Tu es Loca!¨ everytime he sees Aly. Sara is also really cute and in the fifth grade. She will sell you a Cusco beanie for 5 soles as long as none of the other street vendors are watching (it´s like a half-price discount)! Jefferson and his friend Theresa are now the proud owners of a backpack and canvas shopping bag filled with some of the clothes and shoes we thought they might like that we don´t need anymore. The bags were a hit and the clothes got some pretty funny looks.
And finally, the tenth best thing about Cusco: the massages! They are only about ten US dollars and they range from great to awesome! Aly and I are currently planning where to get our fourth massage of the week (Jo is planning which cappucino shop to spend her hour in).
If Cusco is beautiful, then the rest of the Sacred Valley must be paradise. Jo and Aly, who are now extremely wise in the ways of public transit, introduced me to my first collectivo on the way out of town. It is my new favoirte way to travel. You get to meet new friends, practice your Spanish, hang on for dear life around corners and play peak-a-boo with adorable children all the while getting travel and life advice from abuelos and abuelitas. All this for about one US dollar. In the Sacred Valley we found ancient ruins, a ¨magic hostal¨, taxi drivers who charge way too much money, a spectacular landscape that cannot be described, donkey/bull/llama/alpaca/sheep crossings and people all along the way who are willing to help you find your way and have fun.
Every town we went to I heard at least one tourist complaining that they just couldn´t look at anymore ruins. But that was definitely not us! We consdiered our Boleto Touristico our little paper of empowerment and put it to good use, using it to get into all but three historic sites before it expired!
Here are some hilights of our history-nerd adventures: Dangling our feet in "ancient river water" that fed the Incan baths, Having a picnic in the grassy pastures above an ancient palace while listening to cows and pigs being hearded, Wondering how many different ways you can make a nativity scene out of nesting dolls at the Museum of Popular Art, Reading guide books out loud to each other to figure out exactly what we´re looking at, Trying to ask the docent in Spanish if that Mummy´s hair is real, and Posing as the different paintings hanging on the wall in the Museum of Contemporary Art.
But the hilight of our ancient ruins adventure culmintated in waking up at 4:30 in the morning to get on a bus for Machu Pichu! We were so excited we couldn´t stand it (but a little cup of coffee would have been nice). Walking into the park entrance was one of the most breathtaking moments of our lives (and not just because we were wheezing from the stairs). There was a thick blanket of morning fog which added a veil of mystery to the view, but made our planned photo shoot a little iffy. So, we camped out at our ¨spot¨ played with the llamas and prepared ourselves to look gorgeous. Finally, the fog lifted and we got some awesome pictures. After the ¨pictures that will last a lifetime¨(-A. Leavitt), we used our friendliness and good looks to join an English tour group for free! We learned a lot and enjoyed ourselves immensely. Finally, it was our ¨time slot¨to enter the trailhead for Huyanapichu, the hill that you see on postcards. Only 500 people are allowed to climb to the top everyday and the path is stone steps all the way up. The view from the top is impressive, to say the least! Again, photo shoot extraordinaire. Our Machu PIchu experience is one we will never forget!
Having been in Peru already for several weeks when I got here meant that Aly and Jo got to go on a ¨best-of¨ tour to show me some of the sights that they had already been to. How incredibly nice of you two! The best of the ¨best of tour¨in my opinion, was Lake Titicaca, the world´s highest navigable lake. A close second - the eight hour bus ride to get there! Anyone who´s ever been in a car with me for more than an hour should be incredibly impressed that you guys were willing to take on that challenge. Anyway, Lake TIticaca and the floating islands are abslolutely worth it. Also, if you´re looking for a place to eat in Puno, may we reccommend the Sweet Cafe? They serve panqueques all day and will let you sit there and watch an entire movie on their big ol TV!
Now we are back in Cusco, our plans to go to planetarium have been replaced by plans to stay dry and out of the rain for the night! Our shopping is almost done, and Aly has found her true calling as a professional haggler. If it weren´t for her I would be paying twice as much for everything I buy. We are savoring every moment of the near-end of this trip and Aly and Jo talk everyday about how they can´t wait to hug their moms again! (And how they can almost taste the Chipotle burritos... but don´t worry moms - you still take first place in the conversations!)
Everything these past few days has been amazing. The sights and sounds, the people and the places, the markets and ruins! But, by far, my very favorite part was getting to do it all with two of the kindest, funniest, and most adventerous girls I know! Thanks for everything!
About two weeks ago I was lucky enough to meet up with my friends here in Peru and join them for a little piece of their adventure of a lifetime. After telling them the wrong neighboorhood where I was staying (oops!) I got the best wake-up call ever from two (very tan) friends knocking on my hotel door in Cusco. (Who knew there were such good beaches in Peru?) We spent the next couple of days hanging out in Cusco, the biggest mountain city I´ve ever seen. I was prepared for the ancient architecture, the street vendors and the cobbled streets, but I wasn´t prepared for the spectacular scenery, the vast-ness of it all and the amazingly cute children (more on this later).
Our first introduction to an ancient Inkan ruin was just outside the city at ¨Sachsayhuman¨ We figured it worked for us both because it was close and because it is actually pronounced ¨Sexy Woman.¨ Yep, that´s us. Also, it´s close to the giant white Jesus on the hill. One stop shop. At Sexy Woman, we realized the full effects of altitude... ow. We also learned that Muña is a better plant for curing it than Coca. We met our new dog friend Bow Wow and learned that he doesn´t really like protein bars or dark enclosed caves (the street dogs here are seriously the cutest anywhere). And Aly was the first one to suck up the courage to slide down an ancient Inkan playset (pictures to come).
Our other favorite things about the city of Cusco include - The restaurant Chez Maggie where you can get Mexican Food and hear live music, The Artisan Market (which is cheaper than the big market and slightly out of town), and Sarah and Jefferson (more on them later). A good amount of our time is spent trying to sneak picures of cute kids and furry street dogs. (We each have our favorite kind of street dog, the variety here is remarkable.)
All the children here are cute, but we definitely have two favorite street kids. Jefferson (Me llamo Hhhhhefferson!) is five years old and tries to sell us ¨cheeeeeklay!¨ every night and yells "Aye! Tu es Loca!¨ everytime he sees Aly. Sara is also really cute and in the fifth grade. She will sell you a Cusco beanie for 5 soles as long as none of the other street vendors are watching (it´s like a half-price discount)! Jefferson and his friend Theresa are now the proud owners of a backpack and canvas shopping bag filled with some of the clothes and shoes we thought they might like that we don´t need anymore. The bags were a hit and the clothes got some pretty funny looks.
And finally, the tenth best thing about Cusco: the massages! They are only about ten US dollars and they range from great to awesome! Aly and I are currently planning where to get our fourth massage of the week (Jo is planning which cappucino shop to spend her hour in).
If Cusco is beautiful, then the rest of the Sacred Valley must be paradise. Jo and Aly, who are now extremely wise in the ways of public transit, introduced me to my first collectivo on the way out of town. It is my new favoirte way to travel. You get to meet new friends, practice your Spanish, hang on for dear life around corners and play peak-a-boo with adorable children all the while getting travel and life advice from abuelos and abuelitas. All this for about one US dollar. In the Sacred Valley we found ancient ruins, a ¨magic hostal¨, taxi drivers who charge way too much money, a spectacular landscape that cannot be described, donkey/bull/llama/alpaca/sheep crossings and people all along the way who are willing to help you find your way and have fun.
Every town we went to I heard at least one tourist complaining that they just couldn´t look at anymore ruins. But that was definitely not us! We consdiered our Boleto Touristico our little paper of empowerment and put it to good use, using it to get into all but three historic sites before it expired!
Here are some hilights of our history-nerd adventures: Dangling our feet in "ancient river water" that fed the Incan baths, Having a picnic in the grassy pastures above an ancient palace while listening to cows and pigs being hearded, Wondering how many different ways you can make a nativity scene out of nesting dolls at the Museum of Popular Art, Reading guide books out loud to each other to figure out exactly what we´re looking at, Trying to ask the docent in Spanish if that Mummy´s hair is real, and Posing as the different paintings hanging on the wall in the Museum of Contemporary Art.
But the hilight of our ancient ruins adventure culmintated in waking up at 4:30 in the morning to get on a bus for Machu Pichu! We were so excited we couldn´t stand it (but a little cup of coffee would have been nice). Walking into the park entrance was one of the most breathtaking moments of our lives (and not just because we were wheezing from the stairs). There was a thick blanket of morning fog which added a veil of mystery to the view, but made our planned photo shoot a little iffy. So, we camped out at our ¨spot¨ played with the llamas and prepared ourselves to look gorgeous. Finally, the fog lifted and we got some awesome pictures. After the ¨pictures that will last a lifetime¨(-A. Leavitt), we used our friendliness and good looks to join an English tour group for free! We learned a lot and enjoyed ourselves immensely. Finally, it was our ¨time slot¨to enter the trailhead for Huyanapichu, the hill that you see on postcards. Only 500 people are allowed to climb to the top everyday and the path is stone steps all the way up. The view from the top is impressive, to say the least! Again, photo shoot extraordinaire. Our Machu PIchu experience is one we will never forget!
Having been in Peru already for several weeks when I got here meant that Aly and Jo got to go on a ¨best-of¨ tour to show me some of the sights that they had already been to. How incredibly nice of you two! The best of the ¨best of tour¨in my opinion, was Lake Titicaca, the world´s highest navigable lake. A close second - the eight hour bus ride to get there! Anyone who´s ever been in a car with me for more than an hour should be incredibly impressed that you guys were willing to take on that challenge. Anyway, Lake TIticaca and the floating islands are abslolutely worth it. Also, if you´re looking for a place to eat in Puno, may we reccommend the Sweet Cafe? They serve panqueques all day and will let you sit there and watch an entire movie on their big ol TV!
Now we are back in Cusco, our plans to go to planetarium have been replaced by plans to stay dry and out of the rain for the night! Our shopping is almost done, and Aly has found her true calling as a professional haggler. If it weren´t for her I would be paying twice as much for everything I buy. We are savoring every moment of the near-end of this trip and Aly and Jo talk everyday about how they can´t wait to hug their moms again! (And how they can almost taste the Chipotle burritos... but don´t worry moms - you still take first place in the conversations!)
Everything these past few days has been amazing. The sights and sounds, the people and the places, the markets and ruins! But, by far, my very favorite part was getting to do it all with two of the kindest, funniest, and most adventerous girls I know! Thanks for everything!
Friday, April 23, 2010
Sorry We´re Slackers!!
Okay, so we admit, it´s been like two weeks, maybe three....since the last time that we have written. We are sorry....but we have been having so much fun, and we hope this blog, filled with stories, rainbows, and love makes up for it.
So...we left off when we were about to start our week of volunteering at a school in Cusco. It was great. The kids were so CUTE! We want to take them all home with us!! We spent our week changing lyrics to popular Latin American pop songs about French Guinea (our assigned topic of the week)..dancing and really just playing around with them. The kids were hilarious, some used our hands for bandaids, kleenexes, and poked us to make sure that yes, we really really are this white! We did some art projects, taught the kids about the solar system and how to say ¨booger¨...all very important things..... We had a great time, and spent a week in beautiful Cusco.
After our week.... we headed to the beach!! We spent 30 hours on a bus to get there, but it was worth it!! Huanchaco is the name.....really an oasis for chilling. Upon arrival, we made a new friend, a traveler... or gypsy, from Argentina. He started talking to us at the bus station, and decided he wanted to hang out with us for a few days...all good. We started our trip afraid of gypsies a little bit, since they sometimes harrass us, hit on us, and try to sell us friendship bracelets.. (don´t get us wrong, we love friendship bracelets!!). It really is only fitting that we now have a new gypsy friend and free friendship bracelets to prove it!! Days were spent realxing on the beach...we even found a place to rent an umbrella as to avoid being turned into a Pollo Broaster! People also use reed boats to fish and we def. had a lot of fun mingling with the locals (there are not too many tourists at this tiny beach, which we loved!!).
We are now back in Cusco with Megan Sides Pike.!!!!! We were so excited that she decided to come down and meet us here. We first spent a few days going to the Sacred Valley to visit the ruins and small towns around Cusco. WE would also like to send a shout out to the colectivo rides we have been taking around the valley (really just buses...but we meet the most awesome people on there....cute babies, sleeping old ladies, and funny old muchachos!!). The Sacred Valley is beautiful!! Mountains for days...green hillsides, and picturesque little pueblitos. We must say though that nothing can compare to Machu Picchu!!
That´s right folks, we made it....!! We started our journey at 5:30 in the morning....we wanted to get an early bus to see the sun rise, but turns out everyone else wanted to as well...so we ended up making it to Machu Picchu about an hour later. It is awesome!! Definitely should be on everyone´s bucket list of things to do!! When we get home we will post tons of pictures (we felt compelled to have a series of very long photo shoots). We also managed to find a tour group that let us join for free!! Since we are the cheapest travelers in South America, we decided to go to Machu Picchu on our own...to find public transportation the entire way there...and then somehow we lucked out in finding a free tour. Our guide was awesome, and we learnt so much!!....Including that everyone else on the tour paid a ton of money!! In addition to learning all of these things, we also learnt that some people still think that Incas live around Machu Picchu....we may be Simpletons (Gama....) but we did however, know this not to be true. Needless to say the tour was great.
After touring the ruins we decided to climb up Waynapicchu, the mountain that sits behind the ruins that is featured in all the postcards. THE BIG ONE. OUr trek was eventful and certainly an adventure. It mostly involves climbing stairs (Incan stairs) for the entire time. The stairs also have water making them very slippery (some guy almost took us out when he tripped on the way down!). THe view of the valley and Machu Picchu is amazing, definitely worth the climb (yes Braidy, you bet we sang it on the way up!).
Now we are back in Cusco for a few days....going to rest up from the adventures of the past few weeks for a couple of days.... Until next time, adventure is out there!
So...we left off when we were about to start our week of volunteering at a school in Cusco. It was great. The kids were so CUTE! We want to take them all home with us!! We spent our week changing lyrics to popular Latin American pop songs about French Guinea (our assigned topic of the week)..dancing and really just playing around with them. The kids were hilarious, some used our hands for bandaids, kleenexes, and poked us to make sure that yes, we really really are this white! We did some art projects, taught the kids about the solar system and how to say ¨booger¨...all very important things..... We had a great time, and spent a week in beautiful Cusco.
After our week.... we headed to the beach!! We spent 30 hours on a bus to get there, but it was worth it!! Huanchaco is the name.....really an oasis for chilling. Upon arrival, we made a new friend, a traveler... or gypsy, from Argentina. He started talking to us at the bus station, and decided he wanted to hang out with us for a few days...all good. We started our trip afraid of gypsies a little bit, since they sometimes harrass us, hit on us, and try to sell us friendship bracelets.. (don´t get us wrong, we love friendship bracelets!!). It really is only fitting that we now have a new gypsy friend and free friendship bracelets to prove it!! Days were spent realxing on the beach...we even found a place to rent an umbrella as to avoid being turned into a Pollo Broaster! People also use reed boats to fish and we def. had a lot of fun mingling with the locals (there are not too many tourists at this tiny beach, which we loved!!).
We are now back in Cusco with Megan Sides Pike.!!!!! We were so excited that she decided to come down and meet us here. We first spent a few days going to the Sacred Valley to visit the ruins and small towns around Cusco. WE would also like to send a shout out to the colectivo rides we have been taking around the valley (really just buses...but we meet the most awesome people on there....cute babies, sleeping old ladies, and funny old muchachos!!). The Sacred Valley is beautiful!! Mountains for days...green hillsides, and picturesque little pueblitos. We must say though that nothing can compare to Machu Picchu!!
That´s right folks, we made it....!! We started our journey at 5:30 in the morning....we wanted to get an early bus to see the sun rise, but turns out everyone else wanted to as well...so we ended up making it to Machu Picchu about an hour later. It is awesome!! Definitely should be on everyone´s bucket list of things to do!! When we get home we will post tons of pictures (we felt compelled to have a series of very long photo shoots). We also managed to find a tour group that let us join for free!! Since we are the cheapest travelers in South America, we decided to go to Machu Picchu on our own...to find public transportation the entire way there...and then somehow we lucked out in finding a free tour. Our guide was awesome, and we learnt so much!!....Including that everyone else on the tour paid a ton of money!! In addition to learning all of these things, we also learnt that some people still think that Incas live around Machu Picchu....we may be Simpletons (Gama....) but we did however, know this not to be true. Needless to say the tour was great.
After touring the ruins we decided to climb up Waynapicchu, the mountain that sits behind the ruins that is featured in all the postcards. THE BIG ONE. OUr trek was eventful and certainly an adventure. It mostly involves climbing stairs (Incan stairs) for the entire time. The stairs also have water making them very slippery (some guy almost took us out when he tripped on the way down!). THe view of the valley and Machu Picchu is amazing, definitely worth the climb (yes Braidy, you bet we sang it on the way up!).
Now we are back in Cusco for a few days....going to rest up from the adventures of the past few weeks for a couple of days.... Until next time, adventure is out there!
Friday, April 2, 2010
Bye Bye Bolivia we will miss you... Hello Peru!
Okay so where we last left off we were going back back to Cocha Cocha Bamba... and we did :) It was really fun to see our Cochabamba friends and enjoy being in a city that we feel like we have already mastered... How many times to you go to Bolivia with a list of restaurants you want to hit up? Surprise we did! Needless to say we had so much fun in Cochabamba. We even visited thanks to Gama this street food Mecca called "La Isla" had more Choripans than one should ever have in a lifetime... okay we don´t actually believe that because they are delicious! Seriously thank you Gama for bringing us to food Heaven! In Cocha we also were lucky enough to see a traveling circus with a tree gymnast dressed in a spandex Zebra full body suit. It was simply amazing!
After a few days of fun we set off for Copacabana and then to the Peruvian border. now we like to think all of our bus rides have been fun and filled with charm and delicious stories to tell later but this one was more of a horror ride to begin with. It was a late night in Cochabamba Bolivia. Two young girls set off on a mission to make it to Peru. As they boarded their bus with sadness in their hearts from leaving their friends but a glimmer of hope for new adventure in their eyes they realized the bus was fisrt class and a new journey was in their midst. They also got to sit next to the Bolivian Elvis which was enough to get them through the night! Shortly after the bus started on their journey it stopped... for food. The two girls where completely parched and agua was their innermost desire. Aly decided that getting off the bus to retrieve some of this sweet thirst quencher was a good idea, especially after seeing the street smart Elvis get off... Little did she know this stop may be her last. As she searched far and wide for cheap water and a little lady to sell it to her. Just as she had found a good deal she heard a bus engine start to rumble and saw from the corner of her eye her bus begin to take off. Meanwhile Jo and Elvis´wife were calling for Aly and Elvis to get back on the bus and asking the bus driver to stop. The bus driver didn´t! Luckily Aly abandoned hopes for water and started sprinting for the bus. The next thing Jo can remember is Aly in the bus headlñights and then a horrid scream of "Wait I´m on this Bus!!!" Luckily Jo didn´t die of heart attack from screaming at the bus driver and Aly just barely made it on by jumping into the bus. Once everyone was happy, safe and securely on the bus the two bus soldiers (that´s us) looked out the window to see Elvis still in line for his coveted pollo broaster. The bus driver stopped the bus and waited for Elvis to load. Obviously he has more street cred than us! Lesson learned never get off the bus!
We are now in Puno at a great hostel called Bothy. On the way to our hostel we had the greatest, taxi/ motorcycle with an attached carriage to it, ride ever! The mortorcycle converted into little carriage was very slow and about half way through ran out of gas. However the driver, clearly a motorcycle baller, managed to get it started by turning over the engine for five minutes. We could not help but crack up in the back seat because we kid you not it was the longest we have ever heard anyone turn an engine for... we thought there was no hope of getting it restarted. However he did and we made it safely to Bothy. After getting out of the motorcar we said goodbye to our new hero and he put the bad boy in neutral and let it roll down the hill, taxis honking all the while!
So we are now at Bothy, unfortunately every other traveller is trekking to Cuzco so we are stuck with the two male workers of our hostel constantly flirting with us. We also some how got roped into buying trout for a little fiesta we had today with a family and the boys. Which was actually really fun because we got to go shopping in the market and see women pull fish eggs right out of the fishes baby maker! Oh yeah go Puno Ladies you truely are the women!
So now we are just chilling in our hostel catching up on life and getting ready to head for Cuzco, where we will be teaching children english. We are really excited and know we will have great stories to tell! Until Next Time Adventure is out There!
After a few days of fun we set off for Copacabana and then to the Peruvian border. now we like to think all of our bus rides have been fun and filled with charm and delicious stories to tell later but this one was more of a horror ride to begin with. It was a late night in Cochabamba Bolivia. Two young girls set off on a mission to make it to Peru. As they boarded their bus with sadness in their hearts from leaving their friends but a glimmer of hope for new adventure in their eyes they realized the bus was fisrt class and a new journey was in their midst. They also got to sit next to the Bolivian Elvis which was enough to get them through the night! Shortly after the bus started on their journey it stopped... for food. The two girls where completely parched and agua was their innermost desire. Aly decided that getting off the bus to retrieve some of this sweet thirst quencher was a good idea, especially after seeing the street smart Elvis get off... Little did she know this stop may be her last. As she searched far and wide for cheap water and a little lady to sell it to her. Just as she had found a good deal she heard a bus engine start to rumble and saw from the corner of her eye her bus begin to take off. Meanwhile Jo and Elvis´wife were calling for Aly and Elvis to get back on the bus and asking the bus driver to stop. The bus driver didn´t! Luckily Aly abandoned hopes for water and started sprinting for the bus. The next thing Jo can remember is Aly in the bus headlñights and then a horrid scream of "Wait I´m on this Bus!!!" Luckily Jo didn´t die of heart attack from screaming at the bus driver and Aly just barely made it on by jumping into the bus. Once everyone was happy, safe and securely on the bus the two bus soldiers (that´s us) looked out the window to see Elvis still in line for his coveted pollo broaster. The bus driver stopped the bus and waited for Elvis to load. Obviously he has more street cred than us! Lesson learned never get off the bus!
We are now in Puno at a great hostel called Bothy. On the way to our hostel we had the greatest, taxi/ motorcycle with an attached carriage to it, ride ever! The mortorcycle converted into little carriage was very slow and about half way through ran out of gas. However the driver, clearly a motorcycle baller, managed to get it started by turning over the engine for five minutes. We could not help but crack up in the back seat because we kid you not it was the longest we have ever heard anyone turn an engine for... we thought there was no hope of getting it restarted. However he did and we made it safely to Bothy. After getting out of the motorcar we said goodbye to our new hero and he put the bad boy in neutral and let it roll down the hill, taxis honking all the while!
So we are now at Bothy, unfortunately every other traveller is trekking to Cuzco so we are stuck with the two male workers of our hostel constantly flirting with us. We also some how got roped into buying trout for a little fiesta we had today with a family and the boys. Which was actually really fun because we got to go shopping in the market and see women pull fish eggs right out of the fishes baby maker! Oh yeah go Puno Ladies you truely are the women!
So now we are just chilling in our hostel catching up on life and getting ready to head for Cuzco, where we will be teaching children english. We are really excited and know we will have great stories to tell! Until Next Time Adventure is out There!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
A New Appreciation for Salt, Flat Tires, and Coca Cola
Alright, we admit, it´s been awhile since we have last blogged...again. In our defense we have been spending a good amount of time in remote areas without internet and on more epic bus rides!!
We last left off in Argentina..... Shortly after our last blog we made the treck by bus to Bolivia. We made it easily across the border and to a town that looks like it´s in an old western movie called Tupiza and home of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (shoutout to Vinny). After spending one day there we decided to take the train to Uyuni....the town closest to the biggest salt flats in the world. Before taking the train we ate the most delicious street food we have ever had in our lives! Imagine fried potato and in some glorious batter with the best salsa we have ever tasted...all fried in front of your face!!
We got on the train at like 7 at night....and finally made it to Uyuni at like 2 in the morning. The next day was spent looking for a group to go to the salt flats with and going to this glorious market that had everything you could have imagined. We have also become big fans of the ¨set lunch¨here.... it´s pretty much eating a three course meal for like 2 dollars.
The next day we hopped in a jeep with four other folks from all over Europe and headed to the salt flats. However, before we even made it to the salt flats, our jeep got a flat tire, our driver, Jimmy, assured us that this is normal, and that it was all good!The salt flats are amazing. Blindingly white for days...they sort of look like snow, but good thing for us it was nice and warm! Jimmy spent a good portion of the day checking the jeep....mostly just walking around it and kicking the tires....but sometimes looking under the hood (a little more cause for alarm than a tire). But nevertheless....Jimmy was right, it was all good. We spent the night at a hostel made completely out of salt in the middle of nowhere...and spent a good portion of the evening playing cards by headlamp...what can we say, even after all this time, we never lose at Spoons!
The next day we went to the lagoons in the desert around the salt flats, right after we got up to watch the sunrise of course! The lagoons have flamingos in them, and Deanna you were right, they live in a beautiful place! They also took us to go see the "arbol de pìedra", a rock that has been eroded by the wind to look like a tree( sorry Braidy, we nerded out for a sec)!
The day was great, even if Jo woke up with the worst stomach pain she had ever experienced. At our first stop we tried everything...Coca leaves, crackers, alka seltzer, coca cola....and the pain just wouldnt subside...however, she was determined not to have this stomach pain steal her of seeing the flamingos..... At a stop to help another jeep with another flat tire, another traveler told her it was a parasite.... Oh my... WHAT!?? Ok, ok, so who says that to someone in the middle of the Bolivian desert??? So maybe we have been eating more delicious street food than usual...but a parasite? Really? Slighltly freaked out, we continued on, and as the day went on the stomach pain started to disappear, so if she does have a parasite, it is living happily inside her...so it´s all good.
On the last day of the trip we spent a lot of time crammed in the back of a jeep! We would like to send a shoutout to Lizzy Leavitt for the use of her ipod. Lizzy, you have a great taste in music, and have totally save us on numerous bus rides and this insanely long jeep ride....!
Speaking of bus rides....just when we thought they couldn´t get any better...they did. After the tour we took a morning bus to Potosi. The bus was packed...Aly spent her time squished in the back row of the bus with some sassy ladies that we absolutely loved! Oh....plus a baby...and Jo spent her time being a pillow for some guy she just met. Throughout the bus ride we helped feed and entertain the baby, and had some lively conversations with the sassy ladies as to why we were not married. We jokingly told them we had boyfriends, and they claimed..:¨Let us see the ring!!¨. Neverthelss, it was the best bus ride ever. We have heard some other travelers claim that they do not want to ride on buses with other Bolivians....this to us is a shame. They have no idea what they are missing. Bus rides are the best way to make tons of friends. Enough said...
So...now we are in Sucre...a beautiful city with white buildings...they even Eiffle Tower here..who would have thought...we def. climbed it in like two minutes, but took tons of pictures. We have spent a good part of today and yesterday being bums and chilling around the city.... Tonight we have hopes for chicken wings that we saw earlier (shoutout to Chad). We also did our laundry in the sinks of our hostel yesterday...got in trouble for it, but are now sporting clean clothes. Totally worth it.
We plan on heading to Cochabamba soon (get excited guys!) and can´t wait for a miny reunion. Until nex time, Adventure is Out There....
We last left off in Argentina..... Shortly after our last blog we made the treck by bus to Bolivia. We made it easily across the border and to a town that looks like it´s in an old western movie called Tupiza and home of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (shoutout to Vinny). After spending one day there we decided to take the train to Uyuni....the town closest to the biggest salt flats in the world. Before taking the train we ate the most delicious street food we have ever had in our lives! Imagine fried potato and in some glorious batter with the best salsa we have ever tasted...all fried in front of your face!!
We got on the train at like 7 at night....and finally made it to Uyuni at like 2 in the morning. The next day was spent looking for a group to go to the salt flats with and going to this glorious market that had everything you could have imagined. We have also become big fans of the ¨set lunch¨here.... it´s pretty much eating a three course meal for like 2 dollars.
The next day we hopped in a jeep with four other folks from all over Europe and headed to the salt flats. However, before we even made it to the salt flats, our jeep got a flat tire, our driver, Jimmy, assured us that this is normal, and that it was all good!The salt flats are amazing. Blindingly white for days...they sort of look like snow, but good thing for us it was nice and warm! Jimmy spent a good portion of the day checking the jeep....mostly just walking around it and kicking the tires....but sometimes looking under the hood (a little more cause for alarm than a tire). But nevertheless....Jimmy was right, it was all good. We spent the night at a hostel made completely out of salt in the middle of nowhere...and spent a good portion of the evening playing cards by headlamp...what can we say, even after all this time, we never lose at Spoons!
The next day we went to the lagoons in the desert around the salt flats, right after we got up to watch the sunrise of course! The lagoons have flamingos in them, and Deanna you were right, they live in a beautiful place! They also took us to go see the "arbol de pìedra", a rock that has been eroded by the wind to look like a tree( sorry Braidy, we nerded out for a sec)!
The day was great, even if Jo woke up with the worst stomach pain she had ever experienced. At our first stop we tried everything...Coca leaves, crackers, alka seltzer, coca cola....and the pain just wouldnt subside...however, she was determined not to have this stomach pain steal her of seeing the flamingos..... At a stop to help another jeep with another flat tire, another traveler told her it was a parasite.... Oh my... WHAT!?? Ok, ok, so who says that to someone in the middle of the Bolivian desert??? So maybe we have been eating more delicious street food than usual...but a parasite? Really? Slighltly freaked out, we continued on, and as the day went on the stomach pain started to disappear, so if she does have a parasite, it is living happily inside her...so it´s all good.
On the last day of the trip we spent a lot of time crammed in the back of a jeep! We would like to send a shoutout to Lizzy Leavitt for the use of her ipod. Lizzy, you have a great taste in music, and have totally save us on numerous bus rides and this insanely long jeep ride....!
Speaking of bus rides....just when we thought they couldn´t get any better...they did. After the tour we took a morning bus to Potosi. The bus was packed...Aly spent her time squished in the back row of the bus with some sassy ladies that we absolutely loved! Oh....plus a baby...and Jo spent her time being a pillow for some guy she just met. Throughout the bus ride we helped feed and entertain the baby, and had some lively conversations with the sassy ladies as to why we were not married. We jokingly told them we had boyfriends, and they claimed..:¨Let us see the ring!!¨. Neverthelss, it was the best bus ride ever. We have heard some other travelers claim that they do not want to ride on buses with other Bolivians....this to us is a shame. They have no idea what they are missing. Bus rides are the best way to make tons of friends. Enough said...
So...now we are in Sucre...a beautiful city with white buildings...they even Eiffle Tower here..who would have thought...we def. climbed it in like two minutes, but took tons of pictures. We have spent a good part of today and yesterday being bums and chilling around the city.... Tonight we have hopes for chicken wings that we saw earlier (shoutout to Chad). We also did our laundry in the sinks of our hostel yesterday...got in trouble for it, but are now sporting clean clothes. Totally worth it.
We plan on heading to Cochabamba soon (get excited guys!) and can´t wait for a miny reunion. Until nex time, Adventure is Out There....
Sunday, March 14, 2010
A week at a Glance
Hello everybody! Due to the immense amount of funhad in the last 2 weeks, our lack of funds, a long line of people waiting in our hostel for the one computer and now malfunctioning internet we are going to make this blog a quick one... Don´t worrywhen we have the time and perfectspot we will elaborate on the awesomeness that is Argentina. So here is our brief overview of whatwe have been doing:
1. Hungout in Buenos Aires which was awesome!
2. Saw a Tango Show and ate delicious Argentinian Steak in Boca.
3. Mastered the BA public transportation system and saw some really beautiful sites around the city.
4. We were reunited with our Homie Ambra! P.S. Ambra you plus us equals India!
5. Went to the Recoleta Cemetery and saw Evitas grave and it was just straight up the coolest cemetery ever!
6. Went to an awesome street fair... Jo got a Mate she got into the Spirit of Argentina and Aly a scarf after pondering the awesomeness of the mate but lack of drinking hot drinks...
7. Left for Foz de Iguazu... the biggest falls in the world.
8. Spent hours at the falls and took about hundred pictures... It was literally our heaven there were rainbows and raccoons!
9. Got a wicked sunburn while observing the beauty of the falls.
10. Spent a lot of time at the pool at our Falls hostel! It was awesome... added to the sunburn!
11. We have a new appreciation for Reggeaton... sorry Gama...
12. Left on a 36 hour bus to Mendoza the land of wine.
13. Was pestered all bus ride by our bus ride host who was once attractive and now is the bane of our existence.
14. Played Bingo on the bus! Aly thought she had won with 4 in a row and screamed BINGO at the top of her lungs and jumped out of her seat only to find out it was a game of black out... looked like an American idiot.
15. Was woken u`p by bus attendant fake tap dancing on the stairs and playing a fake piano on the coffee machine all night... We love sleep more than cute guys!
16. Got to Mendoza and walked around the city looking for the cheapest food deals.
16 1/2. Went to a Godoy Cruz vs. Tucuman Futbol game. It was seriously amazing. The crowd was super pumped and sang the whole game through. Godoy from Mendoza won in the last three minutes with a beautiful shot. Jo had toexplain every play to Aly... It was absolutely amazing!
17. Went on a self guided bike tour of the wineries in Maipu.
18. Rented bikes from the greatest bike rental place ever! Mr. Hugo is the best!
19. Jo Drank some at Mr. Hugo´s before starting our personal tour... it improves her bike riding.
20. Visited some awesome wineries and a chocolate factory... Jo loved the wine and food and Aly was all about the chocolate...
21. Felt like we were in the sound of music... sang as rode on our bikes.
22. Took awesome photos... get excited!
23. Made it back to Mr. Hugo´s... Mr. Hugo is the nicest man ever.
24. Got back to Mendoza and searched for a magical buffet.
25. Found magical buffet. Ate for hours and it was glorious!
26. Recorded bullet points of Argentina from bus terminal Internet cafe.
So tomorrow or the next day we are going to start our long trek back to Bolivia. We are so excited to see the Salt Flats and our frineds! We will try and write more frequently, our bad, but when you are having this much fun it is hard to stop the magic! Until then Adventure is out there! Love ya all!
1. Hungout in Buenos Aires which was awesome!
2. Saw a Tango Show and ate delicious Argentinian Steak in Boca.
3. Mastered the BA public transportation system and saw some really beautiful sites around the city.
4. We were reunited with our Homie Ambra! P.S. Ambra you plus us equals India!
5. Went to the Recoleta Cemetery and saw Evitas grave and it was just straight up the coolest cemetery ever!
6. Went to an awesome street fair... Jo got a Mate she got into the Spirit of Argentina and Aly a scarf after pondering the awesomeness of the mate but lack of drinking hot drinks...
7. Left for Foz de Iguazu... the biggest falls in the world.
8. Spent hours at the falls and took about hundred pictures... It was literally our heaven there were rainbows and raccoons!
9. Got a wicked sunburn while observing the beauty of the falls.
10. Spent a lot of time at the pool at our Falls hostel! It was awesome... added to the sunburn!
11. We have a new appreciation for Reggeaton... sorry Gama...
12. Left on a 36 hour bus to Mendoza the land of wine.
13. Was pestered all bus ride by our bus ride host who was once attractive and now is the bane of our existence.
14. Played Bingo on the bus! Aly thought she had won with 4 in a row and screamed BINGO at the top of her lungs and jumped out of her seat only to find out it was a game of black out... looked like an American idiot.
15. Was woken u`p by bus attendant fake tap dancing on the stairs and playing a fake piano on the coffee machine all night... We love sleep more than cute guys!
16. Got to Mendoza and walked around the city looking for the cheapest food deals.
16 1/2. Went to a Godoy Cruz vs. Tucuman Futbol game. It was seriously amazing. The crowd was super pumped and sang the whole game through. Godoy from Mendoza won in the last three minutes with a beautiful shot. Jo had toexplain every play to Aly... It was absolutely amazing!
17. Went on a self guided bike tour of the wineries in Maipu.
18. Rented bikes from the greatest bike rental place ever! Mr. Hugo is the best!
19. Jo Drank some at Mr. Hugo´s before starting our personal tour... it improves her bike riding.
20. Visited some awesome wineries and a chocolate factory... Jo loved the wine and food and Aly was all about the chocolate...
21. Felt like we were in the sound of music... sang as rode on our bikes.
22. Took awesome photos... get excited!
23. Made it back to Mr. Hugo´s... Mr. Hugo is the nicest man ever.
24. Got back to Mendoza and searched for a magical buffet.
25. Found magical buffet. Ate for hours and it was glorious!
26. Recorded bullet points of Argentina from bus terminal Internet cafe.
So tomorrow or the next day we are going to start our long trek back to Bolivia. We are so excited to see the Salt Flats and our frineds! We will try and write more frequently, our bad, but when you are having this much fun it is hard to stop the magic! Until then Adventure is out there! Love ya all!
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