Merry Christmas, my leg is on fire

Ho ho ho! Sort of. Due to the warmish weather and general total-differentness of Christmas season in Peru, I repeatedly forgot about Christmas this year. But there it was, and I enjoyed it!

They typically celebrate la noche buena (Christmas Eve) much more than the 25th, so I decided when in Rome.. I accepted a dinner invitation last night to go out with my 12 Argentines who I´d met on the Inca Trail, plus 5 more of their friends, plus the other honeymooning Argentine couple I met while stranded in Aguas Calientes after finishing the Inca Trail. So yes, I was out with 19 Argentines, making me the crazy gringa rounding things out to 20 people. We went to a nice place right on the Plaza de Armas in downtown Cusco and I ordered a traditional feast, which involved coca sours (pisco sours with coca), champagne, a stuffed turkey dish, and a quinoa dessert... all was delicious, albeit slightly strange (note: quinoa doesn´t make very good dessert, just sayin´).

At midnight we headed out into the plaza to check the fireworks, and I swear I have never seen anything like it. It´s like the 4th of July on crack. There were so many fireworks exploding at once all around the city that it sounded like a war was going on, and the sky was filled with explosions and smoke. Also there had been an artisan fair in the plaza all day long, and vendors had left trash around, so kids were going around setting piles of trash on fire, so it really looked like a war zone And just to make things extra exciting, the local hooligans thought it was hilarious to not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES throw their fireworks directly at us after setting them on fire, and so they kept exploding at our feet and we´d have to run away as they went off!!! Kind of scary... but also funny in retrospect! I´m just glad my leg didn´t get blown off, so yay for that.



Tonight I´m overnighting back to Arequipa, and will arrive tomorrow morning at Kieran´s once again. The plan is to make a huge Christmas feast and drink beer. The perfect December 26th. Merry xmas to all!

The Inca Trail and Machu Picchu

Yesterday I finished the 4 day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu! I will just come out and say that it was one of the most difficult and rewarding things I have ever done. I am so, so happy I did it, and just feel so lucky to have had the opportunity!

I was in a group of 17 people. That´s a bit sketchy because supposedly there is a 16 person limit, and most are 7-10 people, but mine was 17. It was 12 Argentines from Cordoba, all 19-20 year old Scouts traveling together, then a French couple and an American couple. Everyone was pretty cool, though I could have done without the French (sorry, it´s true, they were anti-social and wierd). There was a bit of a language barrier, as the American couple didn´t speak Spanish and none of the Argentines spoke English, but you know me, I was happy to chat with everyone and play translator. We also had a team of 3 guides and about 10 porters, the guys who carried the tents, food, and equipment. They are incredible! It´s just insane how fast they an go carrying so much weight. We, however, all carried all our own stuff, like clothes, water, sleeping bags, mattress pads, and snacks. Wooooo it was heavy!! But hardcore, and you know I love being hardcore.

So we set off on Thursday morning bright and early form Cusco. In another sketchy turn of events, our group was thrown together so last minute that there were no official camp spots left for us that first night, so we had a really short day 1, which meant we had an insanely long and difficult day 2. Day 1 we walked only about 2-3 hours, then arrived at a camp area next to a river, before even entering the national park area, and just chilled out for the evening, enjoyed the first of many delicious meals prepared for us by the cook (each meal begins with a soup, always yummy, and then we usually ate rice with chicken or meat and some kind of vegetable, plus coca tea-- and pancakes!!-- in the morning and herbal tea before bed), and then headed to bed at 8. My first night I shared a tent with 2 of the Argentine girls... the other two nights I was thrown into a tent with 2 of the boys, the two biggest ones no less. What a spectacle we were, 3 of the tallest people on the trip! They were super nice though, so we had fun and made it work.

On day 2 we woke up at 5:00 am and began the longest and hardest day of the trek. We climbed from 2,400 meters all the way to the highest point of the trek of 4,200 meters, and then we climbed all the way back down to 2,800 before stopping. It was by far one of the most physically challenging days of my life, especially given the altitude, which makes it harder to take in air. I´m thankful that I never felt sick though, as others weren´t so lucky. But I will tell you that after 4 continuous hours climbing thousands of stairs, my legs were absolutely killing me and I thought my lungs would explode. I never stopped eating the entire day, and still was ravenous at the end. All day I snacked on nuts and granola bars and fruit and drank tons of the water I was purifying (don´t drink the water in Peru!!) and just tried to stay motivated. It is an incredibly psychological trek, and requires you to really WANT to finish. I really, really did, and pushed through the pain. Arriving at the 4,200 meter summit was so amazing I almost cried. We all hugged at the top once everyone had made it and were so proud of each other. However we still had about 3 more hours of hiking DOWN the steps before we could camp. And I must say, going down thousands of steps is in many ways harder than going up. My knees were killing me, and my legs were shaking, but we made it.



Along the way we saw so much gorgeous scenery and many ruins, and our guides gave short explanations, though I´ll admit they weren´t very helpful. I mostly just enjoyed taking in the breathtaking views and enjoying being in a place so green and bright and fresh. It´s rainy season right now, but we were so lucky it rained very little. The gods were on our side!!! Or as the guides told us, La Pachamama (Quechua for Mother Earth) liked us. It was cold on the second night, but other than that the climate held out pretty well, and I was fairly comfortable with my t-shirt, long sleeve shirt, and one hoodie. I actually packed very well, especially for me, who is a notorious over-packer. Knowing I had to carry it all for 4 days helped a lot...

Day 3 was very tough too. It was a lot of climbing again and then hours and hours of decending. One section involved over 3,000 stairs going down, so you can imagine how that was on the knees. Couldn´t stop thinking of my dad, we just had knee surgery last week to have his knee replaced. Oh man, it´s a killer, but I did it! Just thankful I don´t have any existing injuries. The scenery and fresh air makes it all worth it though, and the company was great too. I became friends with everyone on the trip and we all motivated each other a lot. Plus it was nice to have yummy food to look forward to 3 times a day. Honestly I was surprised at how well organized everything was.

The third night, everyone on the Inca Trail, which is about 400 people or so, all camp at the same big campground, which has a bar and showers. I was weak and paid 5 soles for a shower, because I smelled soooo bad and it was so tempting. I also had a couple beers because, well, they were there and sounded delicious. We were treated to the best dinner of the trip that night too, a smorgazborg of beef, chicken, rocoto relleno (a traditional peruvian dish of stuffed hot peppers), rice, pasta, yucca, and grilled vegetables. I ate myself silly before passing out at a less reasonable 10pm.

Bright and early at 3:45 we had our wake up call for the final day. I forgot to mention that each morning our guides brought us coca tea in bed in our tents, which was sooo nice and so helpful to wake up. Such service! In the dark we all scrambled out of our beds and got ready for the final push. Had a big breakfast of pancakes and bread with jelly and coffee and hot chocolate, and then made our way to the main gates. At 5:30 they opened, and after all showing our passports and tickets we headed in for about a 2 hour hike up to Machu Picchu. We arrived at the Puerta del Sol (the Sun Gate) around 7:00 am. It´s supposed to be one of the best views of Machu Picchu, but we waited around for a while and the clouds never cleared away. In the rainy season it gets very cloudy, and I was nervous we wouldn´t end up seeing anything, that it would just stay foggy all day. Bummed, we left the Sun Gate witout seeing anything, and continued maybe another hour to Machu Picchu.

Along the way the clouds began to lift and I could start to make out some forms in the distance... it was it!! I started getting really excited and I could feel my feet moving faster. It felt like out of nowhere that suddenly, after 4 long days of walking, Machu Picchu was there in the distance, nestled between us and the bigger Wayna Picchu mountain. The clouds started to disappear and I suddenly had a perfect view of Machu Picchu below. I couldn´t believe my eyes. Was that really it?? It was huge and beautiful, and so much better than any picture I´d ever seen. We came in high above it and enjoyed one of the best views I´ve ever seen in my life. I took a bunch of pictures of course, but mostly just had a moment of giving thanks for my life and how special it has been. I thought about my family and my friends in that moment and wished you could all be there to share such beauty with me. I really was taken aback by the whole experience, and just appreciated every little detail... the clouds lifting... the crisp morning... fewer tourists during the low season... and no rain... 4 days of walking was absolutely worth it, and I´d do it again in a heartbeat.



I wish the story ended there, but it doesn´t. That´s the good part. After taking a tour of Machu Picchu and learning more about the area, the idea was that we´d walk 45 minutes downhill to Aguas Calientes, the city that lies below, and then would have lunch and take a train back to Cusco. However, when I finished the tour I was informed that my tour company never bought my train ticket. Errggggggg!!! So I walked all the way to Aguas Calientes in the rain.. yes right at that point it finally started raining.. and when I got there the guide told me he´d been calling the company over and over but that they weren´t answering the phone, and that I´d probably have to buy another train ticket. Which I´d already purchased. The best part is that I was about 20 soles short of the cost of the ticket, so I started worrying that I was stranded in this lame, overpriced, tourist town of Aquas Calientes. I had planned on enjoying the afternoon before the train ride soaking in the hot springs there, but instead I spent the entire afternoon calling the agency over and over and finally (you know me, I make things happen) getting someone to fax me a train ticket. Problem solved! I made it back to Cusco fine, although I lost the afternoon and came back much later than expected. The good news is that it was an adventure, and I also made some new friends while waiting around, a really nice Argentine couple on their honeymoon (it´s like Argentina is following me!!) and another cool American guy on the train who is teaching English in Peru. So of course I made lemonade out of lemons and all was well in the end.

Overall I had an absolutely amazing experience, and I would recommend the real deal Inca Trail to anyone who has the opportunity. It´s hard and it´s not glamorous, but it´s beautiful, fulfilling, inspiring, and will whip your butt into shape, and in the end you are rewarded with Machu Picchu. This is something I have wanted to do my whole life, and I´m just absolutely humbled by the experience. Yay for my life.

I´m back in Cusco and planning on staying here through X-mas, and then heading back to Arequipa to be with Kieran for the 26th and 27th... we´re going to have a Christmas celebration together then. Today I am taking it very easy, had a pedicure and an hour long massage this morning for a whopping 35 soles total (about $12 USD) and have just been hanging out today enjoying this gorgeous city. Can´t wait to see what Christmas festivities they have! Peruvians tend to celebrate Christmas Eve more than Christmas (actually I think that might be all South Americans), so I think the 24th there will be a lot going on in the city. I hear there is a big craft market that day and fireworks at night. Also, apparently everyone goes out that night, so ¨when in Rome¨!! It´s my first Christmas out of the U.S. and in summer, so I´m sure it will be interesting, and I´m looking forward to seeing what happens. I will miss you all at home very much though, and will be thinking of you. xo

Cusco is INCREDIBLE

I arrived in Cusco yesterday morning after a 13 hour bus ride (puke-free, I´m glad to announce) from Arequipa. I am happy to report that I haven´t suffered any altitude sickness, and have actually been feeling great. Just lucky, I guess!

I have fallen absolutely in love with this city!! I really adore it, and I´m so glad I don´t need to rush away too quickly, because even after 2 full days of exploring, there is still so much to discover. It´s truly a magical place, so rich with history and culture. There are many people speaking Quechua and wearing traditional clothing, and it just feels so surreal to walk these streets. Every so often I just burst out laughing, literally, because I am just so happy to be here and to experience this place. I have never been anywhere like this before, and it didn´t take long for me to fall in love. Frankly, I could see myself living here for a while.

Yesterday while wandering around I met a Peruvian photographer from Lima named Ivan who is also touring around, and ended up making plans to go on a hike with him today. We met up this morning and spent all day today hiking in the hills surrounding Cusco. Simply incredible. Cusco is a city of winding cobblestone streets and endless stairs up up up! It´s the perfect place to get lost, which is one of my favorite things to do when I travel. I love just exploring, mapless, and ending up somewhere beautiful. Today Ivan and I began our adventure by first heading up to the Cristo Blanco (the white Jesus), a statue of Jesus that sits high up on a hill overlooking the city. It was a tiring walk up many streets and a lot of stairs, but very much worth it. Then we became ambitious and spent the next 4 or 5 hours continuing to wander through the hills, visiting the ruins of Saqsaywaman (sounds a lot like Sexy Woman, I know) and Q´asqo, an also el Templo de la Luna (Temple of the Moon). It was all simply breathtaking. So incredible, in fact, that I spent a large portion of my day staring in wonderment at these ancient structures, touching their cold stone surfaces, and just being thankful to be there. Everywhere I went I found ancient stone ruins with a backdrop of the gorgeous city of Cusco to one side and the mountains on the others. There are alpacas and llamas and horses and sheep wandering around everywhere too. It´s really something so special that it can´t be described. My day was perfect, everything I wanted it to be. I took a million pictures, and I promise when I can to go back and upload pictures onto my blog.

Anyway, now for the most exciting news of all-- THE INCA TRAIL to Machu Picchu! I´d been told that you need to book the Inca Trail months in advance, and it can be incredibly expensive, running anywhere from $300-500 for the 4 day trek. I didn´t want to spend so much, and also didn´t plan that far in advance, so arrived thinking Í´d do one of the many cheaper alternative treks to Machu Picchu, which I´m sure would still be a great experience. However, coincidentally yesterday at a travel agency, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, and I ended up getting the very last spot on the Inca Trail FOR THE REST OF 2009! Not sure how I got so lucky, but he also gave it to me at a discount, so I paid a lot less than normal. Sweet! I feel so incredibly lucky.

I leave tomorrow morning at 6:30am! I´d write more on this blog, but I have a lot to prepare. The hike will be 4 days long, and I´ll be camping out the whole time. I ended up randomly in a group of all Argentines who know each other. Very random, but also very cool, because we automatically have something in common, and they are people who won´t look at me funny for having an Argentine accent in Peru! Hopefully I´ll bust into their posse nicely and we can enjoy the experience together.

Anyway I´m off to pack-- I´ll be carrying all my own stuff, so I´m keeping it as minimal as possible. I can assure you I will take a million pictures, and will try to get some photos up after Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas, it´s looking like I´ll be spending it here in Cusco at the hostel. I´m actually really excited about it and think it will be a nice time with other travelers. Besides, I am happy to have some extra time in this amazing city.

I´ll be MIA for 4 days while on the Inca Trail, but will report back afterward! Visiting Machu Picchu has been a dream of mine for many, many years, so I feel incredibly lucky to have this opportunity and plan to live it to the fullest.

Bus from hell... here at last.

This is going to be a really graphic blog post, but I feel like you guys can handle it.

So I´m the idiot for deciding that spending 90 soles (about $30 USD) on a trip all the way from Trujillo to Arequipa was a good idea. You know me, I love a good bargain, especially while traveling. Coulda paid more than double for a fancier bus, but I figured, how bad can it be?? Classic case of famous last words.

After a super relaxing and wonderful last day in my new favorite beach town, Huanchaco, I rallied over to the Trujillo station to meet my 10:00pm bus to Lima. 9 hours, leg 1 of 2. It didnt´t seem so bad, although the fact that I was virtually the only tourist on the bus was a small bad sign. The woman who´d sold me the ticket promised me a window, but of course I had an aisle. And though should couldn´t promise me a skinny person next to me, it would have been cool if she didn´t put me next to the large man carrying a sack of what looked like leaves and sticks. Whatever though, no problem. 9 hours isn´t so bad.

Hours before, I´d realized run out of Dramamine on the last bus ride, and had frantically gone to 2 pharmacies, only to be told that they had none. However, a very nice girl at the hostel gave me 5 pills of something alled Mareaol, which she said had helped her a lot with sea sickness. How different can that be?

SIDE NOTE to those who don´t know me or have never been in a car with me-- I get really freaking car sick. It´s just one of those annoying things about me. How I turned out to be such a traveler with such travel sickness is just bad luck I guess. There are very few members of my family who haven´t been puked on at some point in my life, though that was mostly when I was a little kid, and it´s been years since my last vomit-fest on a bus.

But anyway. I popped 2 Mareaol for the journey, inflated my new best friend the inflatable neck pillow, and went to sleep.

5 hours later I woke up with the sytmptoms I am all too familiar with. I was sweating and nauseaous and felt like if I didnt open a window I would die. The bus´s windows of course didn´t open though, and I found myself scrambling in my bag for something to puke in. I found a plastic bag, grabbed it, and made it aaaalmost to the bathroom before I just threw up into the bag. Okay, mostly in the bag. Okay-- shameless, graphic blog post-- okay, I threw up a little bit into the bag and mostly on myself and the floor of the bus. Hour 5 of 28 and I´m now covered in vomit. I tried to wash myself off in the bathroom but it didnt accomplish much. Anyway I felt a lot better so I just went back to sleep and tried to act natural...

I arrived in Lima at 7:00am... I was supposed to have a 2.5 hour layover at this point, but I got bumped right onto a 7:15 bus, which was fantastic because it meant a 2 hour shorter trip, and horrible because it left me no time to change. I ran right onto the next bus, and this time was literally horrified by what I found. Dirty seats and no overhead storage. A bathroom with no sink. Seats that literally went back maybe 2 inches, AKA nothing, and ZERO LEGROOM. Even a midget would complain. This was to be my home for the next 17 hours.

I immediately wanted to die. I popped 2 more Mareaol, although they clearly didn´t work, based on previous experience. Everything about this second bus was horrible except for 2 critical details-- 1. it had windows that opened... although mine didn´t.. but the one behind me did.. and 2. there was no one seated next to me. And frankly, who would want to be seated next to me anyway.

Hour 1: Crazy Catholic Jesus guy preaches and preaches and preaches and preaches. No I mean, he talked for 45 MINUTES about Jesus. And he was shouting, so there was no rest for the weary. He explained the basics, like that Michael Jackson died young because he dyed his skin white, and that´s a sin, and that men who sleep with men also die young, as in the case of some guy named Mauricio. And he kept pointing at me, and explaining in Spanish to the other passengers that even though the gringa tourist couldn´t understand a word he was saying (which I unfortunately could), that Jesus loved me anyway. God is in Peru. Jesus is from Peru. I don´t know, my attention went in waves. He then explained that we will all be protected by God in our lives--amen-- if we just believe, and pray--amen--and on this long journey he will protect us--amen--and we should BUY HIS CHOCLATES FOR 1 SOL EACH because that is the Christian thing to do. Yes, after 45 minutes and talking he tried to sell me something. These crappy chocolates! And just wait til you find out how I found out they were crappy! He came around to every seat and asked for money, and when someone bought one, he´d say loudly to everyone on the bus, ¨this wonderful person has a heart and god bless them,¨and when they didn´t buy them, he´d say, ¨this person doesn´t care about Peru or about Jesus or about the starving babies something something...¨ yes, he actually talked about starving babies at one point. He then made it to my seat and said to everyone, ´this tourist doesn´t understand a word I´m saying, but let´s see if she cares about the people of Peru and the babies of the world¨, after which all the heads in the bus were turned toward me, the baby hater. Here I am, covered in my own vomit, hating babies and Peru and who knows what else, and all I could think of was to dig into my pocket for a sol to buy the chocolate and get the guy the hell away from me. Oh, the look of shock on his face! An actual tourist who doesn´t hate babies! I half expected the entire bus to erupt into applause as he announced that the crazy confused tourist did, in fact, have god in her heart, but thankfully they didn´t.

Hour 2-3: The baby directly next to me WAILS and SCREAMS and CRIES for almost 2 consecutive hours. I mean, it was impressive. I felt bad complaining because the poor mother was much more stressed out about it than me, but I still secretly wanted to kill her.

Hour 4: After finally getting to sleep after the crying baby extravaganza, I awake from one of my many awkward positions to that feeling again... sweating... hot... gonna die... and all i can think of is the open window behind me. I had to puke NOW (Mareaol be damned!!!) and ended up standing up and leaning out the window of the guy BEHIND ME, much to his horror, and throwing up about 3 times, until some guy tapped me on the shoulder to alert me that there was, in fact, a bathroom. I barged into the bathroom and found it occupied by a woman with her pants down, and, of dear god, all I could do was shoo the man next to me out of his seat and puke out HIS window.

Yes, everyone´s favorite passenger. I know, this blog post is disgusting, but I figured I may need these details recorded someday if I ever write my memoirs or a horror movie script.

Hours 5-11: No more puking. My stomach had finally decided to let me and the rest of the passengers chill for a while. I bend and fold my body into unhuman positions, feet hanging out into the aisle, head hanging into the aisle. I figured at this point, everyone on the bus already hates me, so might as well try to get some sleep.

Hour 12: An adorable little old man carrying a huge basket gets on the bus (yes, the discount bus makes 5 million stops) and chooses to sit down next to me. I look at him with imploring eyes, but he doesn´t budge. So I say, ¨You can sit there, but you should know I have been throwing up frequently.¨ He moves.

Hour 14: Three hours short of arrival and the driver wants a dinner break. I´m eating peanuts at a roadside restaurant. The restaurant is simulaneously playing reggaeton on the radio, a loud variety show in which women have their clothing ripped off on the tv, and the Christmas tree has singing lights that repeatedly sing Silent Night. I resume wanting to die.

1:30am: Two hours early, I role up to Kieran´s house, a back-aching, vomit-encrusted shell of my former self. He´s nevertheless happy to see me. God bless the Irish.

UPDATE: 24 hours have passed. My stomach cramps have subsided and my back isn´t too bad. Had a great day in Arequipa exploring the city center, various markets, and learning about all the crazy animals and their parts that can be thrown in a soup. Kieran and his roommate have another couchsurfer here named Stef that I hung out with while Kieran was working, and that´s been great. Super glad to be catching up with my old friend, and to have a couple days to relax. Arequipa isn´t the most exciting, but it´s a very pretty city (only slightly white though, despite its name The White City) and is keeping me entertained. Doesn´t take much, honestly.

Despite the traumatic experience, I bought a slightly less discounted bus ticket to Cusco for tomorrow night. I´ll be there by Thursday morning. Can´t wait!!!

Bonfires and buses

It´s my final day in Huachaco, and it couldn´t be more relaxing. I arrived Friday night around 11'30 and didnt have a hotel reservation, so I asked the taxi driver to recommend something. I ended up at a hostel called Hostal La Suiza, which has turned out to be great. Cheap, really nice and helpful staff, and lots of young travelers. Within 30 minutes on Friday night I´d made friends with a group of girls (a couple Norwegians who have been here for 3 weeks doing absolutely nothing, which is admirable I suppose, a DJ from NYC, and 2 crazy girls from Detroit). We ended up somehow assembling a posse of locals and us and heading to the beach to build a bonfire. It was a ton of fun!! This town is so cool because it´s right along the beach, so there´s a big beach culture and every night there are bonfires and music. This is the kind of place I needed to be.

Glad I came when I did and didn´t spend another minute in Chiclayo! Wow that city was a bust. Although my day on Friday was great. As planned, I took a combi to the nearby city of Lambayeque where I visited the Museo del Señor del Sipan, which was super interesting (he was buried under about 25 layers of gold and silver jewelry covered in precious stones, textiles guilded with gold, etc, not to mentioned buried with a couple concubines, a bunch of guards, a llama, a dog, and one main guard who´s feet had been severed, to symbolize that he would stay there forever guarding) and so the museum is just packed with all the crazy jewelry and treasures that were found in his tomb. How one man can wear so many necklaces is beyond me. You know me, I was totally fascinated by the stone and metal work, and the insane earrings that everyone wore, which were made of metals and stones and were about 5 inches in diameter literally, must have weighed a ton!! Anyway, after that museum I also took another combi to the nearby town of Tucumé, where I hiked up a million steps and got a spectacular look at some ancient pyramid ruins.

On the way back from the pyramids I took a mototaxi back to the highway, and got to talking to the driver. Turns out he´s a shaman, as are many people in the area, and when I expressed interest, he offered to show me the whole shamanism area of his house. I couldn´t refuse. I met his wife and one of his kids, and then he took me to a small area closed off with tapestries behind the house, with a blanket on the floor covered in herbs and potions and animal skulls. I of course took a million pictures, being the raging tourist that I am. Anyway, he put on his pancho and his hat and asked me a bunch of questions about my love life, because he says he specializes in working with lovers. Since I´m single, he seemed slightly stumped, but still he selected a bottle of what smells like jasmine and some other herbs, and poured the oil allover my hands and had me rub them together. As I did, he started drinking from the bottle which I thought was very strange, and before I knew it he was spitting it back all over my face in a spray. He says it will bring me good luck... I think he means with love, but I´m secretly hoping it will just help me not get robbed or abducted by guerrillas in the jungle.

Up next... tonight at 10pm I will be beginning a horrendous 29 hour bus journey on a budget bus, no less, all the way to Arequipa. 9 hours from Trujillo to Lima, then waiting 3 hours, and then 17 hours to Arequipa down south, where I will meet up with my friend Kieran, an Irish guy I met during my TEFL course in Buenos Aires who is now teaching in Peru. Wish me luck, because I have a feeling that I will need it!! I will be hopping on the bus with dramamine, snacks, and possibly a classy box of wine, just in case. Anything to help me sleep.

Peeing under a banana tree, and other Peruvian adventures

I spent 2 nearly perfect days in Mancora... it is a beautiful beach in a small, sandy little town with one main street. It apparently gets very crowded in the summer, but the mobs didn´t seem to have hit yet, so it was actually very mellow. Jano turned out to be a fantastic travel buddy, we got along great and had so much fun doing basically nothing.. lounging on the beach, eating fresh ceviche (omg i LOVE) and drinking mosquitos, which are mojitos made with pisco instead of rum. Yesterday we rented horses and rode them all along the beach, and I swear I felt like I was in paradise. We also checked out another similar beach just north called Punta Sal, had some sort of bizarre set menu beef stew thing with the locals, lounged under a palm hut in the sand, and then headed back for more relaxation. I know, life is tough.

Today I feel like my trip has officially begun, because for the first time, I am now traveling alone. I managed to stick with people, first Chio and then Jano, until this point, so today feels like a relatively important moment. Its a bit scary, honestly, but also more exciting than words can describe. Not knowing what will come next is part of the thrill of it all.

That being said, Ive managed to have a pretty ridiculous day. I bought a bus ticket yesterday for a 9:00am bus to Chiclayo today from Mancora. On schedule I arrived at the bus stop this morning, and waited around for what felt like forever. Around 9.30 (please excuse the faulty punctuation, I cant figure out how to use this computer) a bus pulled up, kind of slowed to a stop, dumped one person off, and kept driving. I figured it wasnt mine, but the bus company employee started screaming at me that I´d missed my bus, then grabbed my backpack and started running after it. When the bus kept driving he threw my backpack in a mototaxi (these adorable 3 wheeled taxis they use all over the coasts here) and basically threw me in after it and instructed the driver to follow the bus. Meanwhile he jumped on the back and proceeded to scream and whistle and bang on the mototaxi. I of course had no clue what was going on, but kind of went with it. Apparently we were in hot persuit of the bus, although at quite a disadvantage, given that we were in a vehicle that has a maximum speed of probably 30 miles/ hour. I kept saying, hey its fine, I´ll just wait for the next one, but no this guy was in quite a mood and shushed me repeatedly. Finally we arrived 15 minutes later to the next town, a crazy little fishing town called Los Organos, the bus nowhere in sight. After a heated argument between the bus employee and the taxi driver, we then headed all the way back, where I waited for the 11:00 bus. It was royally annoying, but the whole time I kept reminding myself how the pure entertainment factor made it worth it!! It really was hilarious!

Anyway I took the 6 hour bus ride to Chiclayo and arrived around 5:00. Was befriended on the bus by quite a crazy character named Victor, a completely broke travling bohemian type who apparently snuck onto the bus for free somewhere mid trip and sat down right next to me and planted a kiss on my cheek, then proceeded to act like he was drunk or just totally lost for the next 2 hours. Turns out he´s one of those guys who runs out in front of cars at traffic lights and juggles for money. He claims he´s going to teach me to juggle but I doubt it... I´m very uncoordinated! Anyway the bus itself was a relative nightmare. Worst seats I´ve ever sat in, dirty curtains, and most critically, NO BATHROOM. After the 2 hour wait this morning for the second bus I´d put back a few coffees and had to ask the guy twice to pull over. The first time I ended up peeing in a gas station... the second time I was not so lucky, and ended up next to the highway under a banana tree. Oh bodily functions be damned! The scenery was nice though. Mostly sandy hills at first and then it becomes huge expanses of dunes. You go forever without seeing any houses and then suddenly these bizarre little shantytowns pop up out of nowhere, corrugated tin roofs and brick walls and all. I´d be curious to find out how they make their living. I snapped pictures but ughhh it´ll be a while before I get pictures uploaded, sorry blog readers.

So yes, back to the story. In Chicalyo, Victor the crazy juggler got off too, and I´m too nice and offered to take him into town in my taxi, seeing as he had literally no money and was planning to juggle his way there. I guess that´s my good deed for today. He also followed me to my hostel, and while I paid for my room, he somehow bargained his for free. Not fair! Anyway he´s gone now, off juggling in traffic I´m sure!

Finally alone, in the past few hours I´ve had some time to explore this city, and I´m going to be honest... this is going on the list of lamest and least worth it cities ever. I thought it would be more of a town, but it´s a bustling city chock full of all the budget hoochie clothing money can buy. Since, thanks to the bus fiasco, I arrived too late to check out the ruins of Sipan or Pimentel beach (though both are now my plans for tomorrow! yay!) I wandered over to the recommended medicinal herbs market, where shamans sell you strange herbs and concoctions made with hoofs and tongues and who knows what else, to cure your diabetes or your arthritis or your broken heart. I, being the raging sucker that I am, walked away with what appears to be a bottle of worms and flowers stewing in a ´love perfume´ and topped off with a miniature doll, supposedly a representation of the man of my dreams. Apparently if I carry this bottle around with me long enough, good luck will follow me. And for 3 soles (the equivalent of about a dollar) I figured I can use all the luck I can get! ;-)

Other than that though, the city and the rest of the market have been quite unpleasant. So unpleasant, in fact, that instead of being outside enjoying it, I am writing an incredibly long blog in an internet cafe. I am glowing more than usual here with foreignerness, my height and hair throwing everyone in my vicinity into a wild tizzy. They want to sell me EVERYTHING and are persistent to the bitter end. I received more marriage proposals today than I have received combined in the rest of my life. One of which included a tiny, slightly deformed man running after me with the plastic-wrapped meat cleavers he was selling in his hands, screaming, ´Soy feo, pero de corazon sincero!´(I´m ugly, but my heart is sincere!) and promising me that if I marry him, he is able to provide me with 2 meals a day and my own room in his apartment. What more could a girl ask for?

I´m looking forward to tomorrow, planning to get up early and go to the ruins of Sipan and still have time in the afternoon to take a bus to Pimentel for the day. Not that I need more sun, I´m a bit red, but I have to get my base tan at some point, and the clock is ticking. Tomorrow night or Saturday, depending, I´ll head to Trujillo and Chan Chan, and then Sunday or Monday to Arequipa. Adventures abound!

I am now going to go search for dinner, and it is likely that I will finally succumb to the temptations of anticucho, grilled beef heart on a stick. I hear it´s delicious.

Mancora, Peru... life is good

I´m in a beautiful beach town in the very northern coast of Peru called Mancora. I arrived in Lima safely on Saturday, and was greeted as planned by Jano, a friend of a friend in Buenos Aires. The 2 of us went by combi (little crazy van buses that drive like maniacs) to my couchsurfing host´s house in Surco. Rocio and her family were the best hosts I could have imagined, took me in, made me a yummy lunch of arroz con pollo and gave me my own room. My first night I went out with Rocio and Jano in Miraflores for some delicious pisco sours. Explored Miraflores and the beautiful coastline malecon with the rest of my time in Lima... when I got back towrd the end of my trip I will explore the towntown historical areas. Yesterday went with Jano to Fiori, a wild bus terminal in the north of Lima to take a 17 hour bus ride to Mancora. Wasnt too bad considering it was a budget bus. The whole experience of the bus terminal was loco in itself, all the different buses lined up and bargaining bus fare.. anyway, here I am now at the beach, planning to stay here until Thursday and then begin going back south, first to Chiclaya and then to Trujillo, and then start heading down to Arequipa around the end of the weekend. I´m having a really fun adventure so far, and will update when I can, Peru is beautiful!!! So I´m sure no matter what I do it will be an incredible experience. Love to all!

Leaving Buenos Aires

I am leaving Buenos Aires for 4 months of travel in 8 hours! I'm home packing like a maniac, the classic Erica move because I notoriously leave everything until the last possible minute.

Anyway I had a lot of other blogs I wanted to write about Argentina, and I hope to be able to write those and back-date them at some point, but for now, off I go on new adventures! First stop is Lima, Peru, and then... beyond! I'm couchsurfing in Lima for the first couple days, and have a friend of a friend picking me up from the airport... not a bad start, considering my utter lack of organization.

I plan to blog at least a couple times a month, and hopefully much much more. Please keep in touch and check in on the blog! Knowing someone is actually out there reading it inspires me to keep writing.

Love to all! Next time you hear from me I'll be in Peru. Besos!!!

xoxo

Ode to San Telmo

My favorite thing about my entire experience in Buenos Aires? Living in San Telmo. Hands down.

It's not for everyone. All the cool people live in Palermo. San Telmo is dirty, dangerous, and covered in dog poo. None of the "coolest" bars are here. Everything is poorly marked. Most of the stores and kioskos require you to ring a doorbell to get in, or have bars on the doors that you have to reach through to buy a Coke or a pack of gum. It's not exactly luxurious, but it has a historically-rich and shabby-chic appeal that I find downright lovable.

In fact, looking off my balcony at the trash-littered streets and the sketchy types standing on the corner below me, make me incredibly happy and can always get a smile out of me. It's so real. When I am in San Telmo, I feel Buenos Aires in a way that I don't feel in Palermo or Recoleta or Belgrano or even downtown. They are places that are absolutely beautiful in their own right, but often make me feel like I could be in any international city. In many ways, for me anyway, San Telmo is Buenos Aires.

San Telmo, along with la Boca, is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city. By Buenos Aires standards it's a small neighborhood, and it's characterized by beautiful, (albeit run-down) colonial architecture, older locals recalling the good old days, and plenty of young, artsy bohemian types hanging around. It is home to a bursting tango scene, tons of art shops and galleries, cheap and amazing restaurants, and some of the best antiques shopping in the world.

My experience during these past nearly 10 months in Buenos Aires has had its ups and downs. There have been days when I've been really happy, and others when I've been miserable. Such is life. But one thing I've never regretted is my decision to live in San Telmo. It wasn't recommended, and even I myself wasn't quite sure why I was choosing it, but my apartment seemed nice and the area had a certain mystique that I just by instinct felt like I would jive with. All these months later, choosing to live here remains the best decision I've made during this entire experience.

I've compiled a small list of my favorite things in and about San Telmo, this barrio that I love so much.

Bar El Federal: (Peru y Carlos Calvo) Not only is it either the oldest or one of the oldest restaurants in San Telmo, but it's also fantastically grungy and perfect. The waiters give awful service, but never get an order wrong. The coffee is great, the decorations rustic and dusty, like being in an old cantina. It's one of my favorite places to sit for hours... and I do. I also live directly across the street, so it's one of the first things I see every morning.



La Poesía: (Bolivar y Chile) El Federal's sister restaurant. Same menu, same owner, different location, better service, plus a piano you can play if you're so inclined. Every table carries a plaque that lists a famous local person that used to sit there and what they used to work on (plays, books, etc)... neat.

Pizzeria Pirillo: (Defensa y Independencia) One of my more recent discoveries, which is a crying shame. It's so small that I've been walking by it for 9 months without noticing. Hole in the wall pizza joint, standing room only, selling slices for $3.25 pesos of either pizza, fugazetta (a pizza with cheese and onions), or faina (a baked chickpea yummy pizza thing). The make huuuuuuge round pizzas and then cut slices randomly out of it, so they're not necessarily in the shape of a triangle. Greasy, cheesy, perfect. It's been there since 1932 with the same, magical ovens. Marry me, Pirillo.



El Desnivel: (Defensa y Giufra) BEST STEAK IN BUENOS AIRES. I don't care what your guide book says. They are cheap and unpretentious and you'd be an idiot to miss out.

The Sunday feria and antiques market: (Plaza Dorrego and all along Defensa) There is nowhere else I'd rather be on a Sunday afternoon than right here in San Telmo at the feria. Every sunday, Plaza Dorrego becomes a diverse and very impressive antiques market, covered corner to corner with old jewelry and dishware and keys and musical instruments and bottles and coins and anything else you can think of. Calle Defensa, all the way from Plaza Dorrego to Avenida de Mayo, is covered with artisans and street vendors selling their clothes, jewelry, mates, toys, hand-painted signs, knick-knacks and a million other little things, while bands play all along the street, street performers strike poses, and a drum circle is always in progress. You can snack on a delicious pan relleno or fresh roasted nuts, or sip a glass of fresh squeeze orange juice while you enjoy the music and the vibe.

One of my favorite local groups, Orquesta Tipica Ciudad Baigón, performing tango music at the feria:


The choripan place on Carlos Calvo y Bolivar: AWESOME. Filled with disgusting old men. Piles of meat. $5 pesos for the choripan of your dreams. Open pretty late, just gets sketchier and more delicious with every passing hour.

The guy who sells Bugambilia flowers from the back of his bicycle.



Origen Café: (Humberto Primo y Peru) When you need something vegetarian and organic, or when you want to drink an ENORMOUS café con leche. Also the perfect spot to bring your laptop and spend hours using the wifi.

La Puerta Roja/ The Red Door: (Chacabuco y Chile) I was here every single weekend almost the entire time I've lived here. My friend Emilia worked here, I knew all the bartenders, they serve the amazing "chili bomb" (a shot of jalapeño-infused vodka dropped into a glass of Red Bull and chugged), and it was always good for a good time. It was basically my Cheers. These days, with most of my friends gone and Emilia no longer working there, I haven't been going much. But it'll always have a special place in my heart.

The epic quantities of trash in the street: I know I'm supposed to hate it. And I guess I kind of do. But it's also pretty uniquely disgusting, and that's saying something.

Just a wee bit of trash outside the Red Door:


Pride Café: (Balcarce y Giufra) Cute, cozy little gay-owned and operated café. Yummy coffee, plus they serve ham and cheese waffles... only in Argentina!

Calle Balcarce: My favorite street in Buenos Aires. Just so, so pretty. Cobblestones, sleepy cafes, and just a general sense of quiet. I stroll it often, just for the smell and the feel.

Guevara: (Plaza Dorrego) Coolest little hole-in-the-wall divey rock bar ever. Great music, great people, disgusting bathrooms. Get a liter of Warsteiner and dance the night away. Currently this is my favorite bar in the area... every time I go something exciting or hilarious happens!

MY APARTMENT: (Peru y Carlos Calvo) Obviously. It's the best, and even though my landlord keeps raising the price and that's obnoxious, and even though the internet is never working properly, and even though there was an iceberg growing in my refrigerator for 6 months and we don't really have a living room, it's still a place that makes me smile every time I walk in the door. My roommate Andrea is one of my favorite people ever, and standing on my balcony and looking down on the street below is one of the simple pleasures in my life. I've lived now in 3 of the 5 bedrooms here, and my current room is perfect. This place will missed.

Patagonia is the most gorgeous place in the world

Where to even start?! I'm in El Calafate, Patagonia right now having an absolutely amazing time! Never in my life have I seen so much breathtaking beauty in one place. I have literally been in constant awe for the past 4 days. My friend from Boston, Dave, flew into Buenos Aires on Monday morning for a two week visit, and we're spending 8 days of it down here in Patagonia.

We flew down to El Calafate (where I am now writing this in a café) on Wednesday for the first leg of the trip. We took it easy for the first day and did some planning, and then Thursday set off on the excursion of a lifetime to visit Perito Moreno, a massive, incredible, perfect, unbelievably beautiful advancing glacier! It's truly a wonder to see... and hear! Because of its constant movement (it is said to advance up to 2 meters per day), you don't need to be near it very long to see and hear huge icebergs calving off it and falling into the water below.

I can guarantee that no photo can do this glacier, or any scenery in Patagonia for that matter, any sort of justice. But I will certainly try. :-) This is the view from the glacier from the balconies, during the first part of our excursion.



And here is one of the may views from the back, after we took a boat around to the other side.



Then the most exciting part came-- an ice trek, complete with crampons, on top of the glacier itself!! It was so much fun, so unique! We wandered around the glacier by jamming our crampons into the ice (its like walking normally but more aggressively, like stomping), and just enjoyed reveling in the utter beauty of it all. The glacier was perfectly white, as were the clouds above, and so at times it appeared I was just walking through a perfect sea of white. I've never felt so exhilerated!



Then, as if the day hadn't been perfect already, we finished off the tour by arriving back from our trek to glasses of whiskey, poured over natural glacier ice. Perfect.



To top it all off we had ideal weather throughout the day. Apparently the day had called for rain or even snow, but instead we had perfect skies, "warm" weather (aka I was only wearing 3 layers instead of 4 or 5), and no precipitation. We really lucked out with some incredible conditions.

...and that was just Thursday!

Yesterday we got up early, rented a car, and took a road trip to El Chaltén, a tiny town, population about 600, completely surrounded by mountains as far as the eye can see. It's truly a gem. The entire road trip (about 2.5 hours via the famous Rt. 40) consisted of Dave and I staring in amazement at the scenery outside. There is literally NOTHING but incredible landscapes, the occasional cow, horse, or guanaco, and breathtaking views Lago Argentino, Lago Viedma, and the Andes mountains off in the distance.



Once in El Chaltén, we headed off to do a hike and see some of the spectacular views we'd both heard about. Once again we had a perfect day. The sun was shining brightly, and the sky was a clear blue with just a few fluffy white clouds. For a place famous for getting snow in summer and heavy precipitation, it really felt like the gods were on our side. We hiked for about 5 hours on the Sendero de Fitz Roy, a trail that took us up to incredible views of Mount Fitz Roy, several glaciers, and a lake called Lago Capri. We even drank the natural river water that was flowing by, as it is totally uncontaminated and refreshing to drink. (What a concept!)




Here's the river we drank from, with views of the mountains behind... Mount Fitz Roy is off to the left, buried in the clouds.


And this is a view of the mountains with glaciers nestled within them... can you make out the two bits of blue glaciers, one to the left and another to the right, along the part where the mountains meet the land in the photo?


I don't know quite how to capture with words the magic that exists in these places, but it is truly something special. I've never before felt so utterly blown away by the world. Seeing how much natural beauty exists makes everything else seem so small. At the base of Mount Fitz Roy, with the sun on your face and crisp air in your lungs, all problems disappear.



I don't think words like these even require a summary, but overall I can say I am having what I would consider one of the most amazing times of my life. And it's not over yet! Today, Dave and I will head to the airport and fly to Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego until Wednesday evening when we head back to Buenos Aires. We plan to hike, relax, eat some fresh seafood, and hopefully see some penguins.

And now...to the end of the earth!

Ain't like it used to be

You know, I've been thinking about how EASY us travelers have it lately. With all of the technology we have available these days, there is no reason not to communicate or to feel truly disconnected anymore. Times really have changed.

I'm going to make myself sound really old right now. Back when I started really traveling 9 years ago (my first real independent travel experience was when I lived in Granada, Spain in 2000, at the ripe age of 19), cell phones were juuuuust coming into fashion, most of my family didn't use email, and I had (gasp!) a non-digital camera which required me to actually develop film. Skype, ipods, and even this beloved blog weren't even a gleam in my eye... yet.

And that was NOTHING. Four years later, in 2004 I spent 4.5 months living in Havana, Cuba, where I couldn't make a phone call to the US (banned), check email (i had no internet at my house and there were only two computers at my office, and when they were working, they were in hot demand-- so I emailed about once a week, briefly), blog (internet connection was just too slow, and no one knew what a blog was then anyway), facebook (I didn't even have MYSPACE yet, people!), or really effectively communicate with my friends and family at home AT ALL.

Granted, living in Cuba is a specific set of circumstances in itself with more restrictions than most places, but still, when I find myself homesick and disconnected here in Buenos Aires, surrounded by modern technology, I'm humbled by the months I spent in near confinement in Havana, and I'm thankful for all the communication I have. I know my parents are too. :-)

A year after Cuba, in January of 2005 after graduating from college I bought myself the famous one way ticket to Mexico, and much to the horror of my mother, proceeded to largely disappear int the abyss that is Mexico and Central America for about 6 months. I didn't have a laptop, so it was internet cafes all the way. Skype didn't exist (or did it? In any case, I didn't know about it.) and so calling cards were how I called home. Video chat still felt like a thing of the future. Blogging still felt too complicated, uploading photos too slow. I still communicated via the postcard, while my poor parents waited weeks for their respective phone calls to alert them that I hadn't been abducted by guerrillas in Chiapas, wasn't thrown into a Salvadorian prison, had survived my stint in the Guatemalan hospital. I could hear the incredible relief on the other end of the line literally every time I reached my mom.

These days, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, our calls rarely, if ever, reach that level of relief/ desperation. Why? Because she and everyone else knows where I am and that I'm safe at all times. Haven't received an email from me lately? Check my blog. Look at my pictures and read my status updates on Facebook. Call me on Skype for a live video chat. Suddenly 8,000 miles of separation just dissolves.

I listen to music and my beloved Dan Savage podcasts on my ipod... carry photos, important files, and anything else my heart desires with me whenever I want on a tiny and convenient thumb drive... I make calls from my house phone, cell phone, Skype line... I have friends on Facebook and Myspace, Yelp, Messenger, g-chat... I can upload digital photos online with one click...and I can tell you all about it on a this blog.

So as I prepare myself for a long 4 months of travel around South America, I am comforted to know that no matter how far away I am, there is always going to be an internet café in the city nearest me, and there, you are all just one click away.

And YOU will be comforted to know that I am, you know, alive. :-)

Happy Halloween!

It's hard to get into the Halloween spirit when it's hot outside and I'm in a culture that doesn't really celebrate. Luckily, I've been inspired by the enthusiasm of my American friends, and will be going to a costume party this evening as Pippi Longstocking. Haha!!

Mismatched stripes socks + ridiculous layers of colorful skirts and dresses + classic wirey braids = Halloween miracle

Happy Halloween to all!

---------------------------------
UPDATE: Nov. 1st

The party was a lot of fun! I went with Andrea (who was Bam Bam from the Flinstones, and the rest of the Flinstones were there too), Ali (who was Lady Gaga's disco stick) and Claire (who was a Walk of Shame hahaha).

Anyway, it was about 7:00am by the time Andrea and I made it back to San Telmo... we got off the bus and were walking home, and a group of guys walked past us and made some unpleasant comments. As they walked ahead, I thought I felt one of them touch my bag. I looked and it had been unzipped and... my camera was gone! Given the amount of alcohol in my system and the number of hours we'd been out partying, I processed things fairly quickly... within about 30 seconds I realized what had happened and spotted the guy still walking up ahead of me. So on instinct, I ran after the guy! I don't think he expected that, because he didn't really react. When I caught up with him I just tapped him on the shoulder and said, "You stole my camera!" and he kind of stared at me, shook his head, and tried to cover his pocket, but the IDIOT, I could see my camera's chord hanging out!! So I just grabbed it out of his pocket and ran. Luckily it was broad daylight and there were other people on the street, so I felt reasonably safe from being re-attacked. I also took opportunity to yell some unpleasant comments of my own at him as I ran off. But the whole thing was insane.

The part I find most hilarious, of course, is that this all happened while I was in my Pippi costume. :-)

That's my first time being pick-pocketed, and I guess you could say it went rather well. It was quite empowering, anyway! Not to mention a good lesson for me to learn. I tend to walk around obliviously, and I suppose it wouldn't kill me to be more careful. It was such a close call, and I might not be so lucky next time.

Moral of the story-- Don't mess with Pippi.

Plane Tickets Purchased!

Yesterday afternoon, after much headache, I bought my plane tickets for Peru, Colombia, and Brazil! Sooo exciting! And nothing like putting a large sum of money on your credit card to make a trip seem very real. They are not-refundable, so it's official!

I spent a long time stressing about where I would be for Christmas and New Year, because let's face it, I may not be religious, but I can be quite sentimental when it comes to missing holidays with my family. I finally determined that I would head to La Paz, Bolivia to be with my roommate Andrea and her family (she's Bolivian/American) for Christmas and then jet up to Manizales, Colombia to be with my other roommate Diana in her hometown for the New Year.

Unfortunately, it didn't quite work out that way, as I couldn't find any flights from La Paz to Bogotá, without basically doubling the cost of the whole trip. So I resigned myself to flying out of Lima, and I will take things as they come. I have an Irish friend who I met here in Buenos Aires during my TOEFL course who is now living in Arequipa, Peru, and it's possible I'll go stay with him, or also possible I'll find a way to wander into Bolivia for the holiday and then back out. The exciting part is that I have no idea!!

Plane itinerary is:

December 5th-- Fly from Buenos Aires to Lima, Peru (3 weeks in Lima, Arequipa, Cuzco, Machu Micchu, and beyond)
December 29th-- Fly from Lima to Bogotá, Colombia (5 whole weeks exploring Colombia's beaches, cities, and jungle, with a likely road trip through parts with Diana and her boyfriend!)
February 4th-- Fly from Bogotá to Sao Paulo, Brazil (a week in Sao Paulo, then Rio de Janeiro for Carnival! And then who knows... I didn't buy a return ticket for a reason!)

It all feels a bit surreal, but is happening regardless, and I am acutely aware that this is probably the coolest thing I have ever done, and I need to make the most of it. Four months traveling in beautiful places. Four months with no job!! Yes, my excitement greatly outweighs my nervousness. I'll do my best to keep my blog updated with my location while I travel... I need to learn to make one of those google map "where is Erica now?" thingies....

Help me plan

Anyone who has talked to me in the past few days knows that I'm basically freeeeeaking out about all the stuff I have to do and how little time I have to do it. HALP.

Basically, somehow I have less than 2 months in Buenos Aires?!?! How can this be?? No, really, where does the time go? And basically, amidst a week visit from my sister Christie this week (yay!) and a two week visit from my friend Dave in November (yay!), I also need to apply to grad school/ financial aid/ scholarships, and figure out my entire 4 month travel plan around South America!!!! All while still working. I'm on contract and am too nice (and frankly, too in need of the recommendation) to break it.

Okay, so this is where YOU, oh loyal reader, come in. I'm talking to YOU, anyone who has ever traveled around South America. I need some tips, because I'm running into some major issues.

The biggest one is that I hate planning, obviously. I'm the kind of traveler who likes to just show up to a place, see what's going on, and take it from there. And that is exactly what I would do if it weren't for various frustrating details like...

1. Visas. I need one for Bolivia and another for Brasil, and I apparently can't get them without having proof of how I'm entering and leaving the country, which means advanced tickets. :-( Ughhhh can someone help me get around this?
2. Carnival. I want to be in Rio de Janeiro for Carnival, which is going to be AMAZING amazing amazing amazing, but before all transportation into the city around that time completely sells out, I need to book my travel... which means I need to decide which city I'll be coming from, and when...
3. Various excursions, like Machu Picchu... so expensive! And reservations months in advance, are you kidding me? Can people with experience please chime in here and tell me the cheapest and most last minute ways to trek Machu Picchu?? I don't care if it's the Inca Trail, it can be an alternate route, but I am not spending $500 on a 4 day hike. Also, the Ciudad Perdida in Colombia... anyone done it? Tips? Good/ bad?
4. Christmas and New Years... god when did I become so sentimental... I just don't want to be alone at these holidays! So I'm attempting to do very illogical things in my travel plans in order to be near people I know for the holidays... which I think might be kind of stupid. Right now it's between Colombia (where roomie Diana is from) and Bolivia (where roomie Andrea will be), if that makes any sense.

As you can see, I'm scatter-brained and a horrible planner. That being said, I am SO EXCITED about the upcoming adventures! Just could use a few tips from those who've done it to help me get into the trip planning groove.

Mochilera

My neighborhood San Telmo (my one true love in Buenos Aires) is amazing, colonial, peaceful, rustic, filled with creative young people, cheaper than most parts of town, has an off-the-beaten-path vibe... and yet is overrun with tourists. I hate admitting it, but San Telmo, let's face it, is no secret. And all day every day as I stroll my streets, go in and out of my apartment, run to the store, walk to the gym, or go to pick up an alfajor at the kiosko, I encounter groups of mochileros, backpackers, getting out of taxis, examining their maps, searching for their hostels with looks of awe, confusion, and utter GREENness on their faces.. and I think to myself, "HA! Glad I'm not you!!!"

I remember my days of backpacking in Europe in '03 or through Mexico in '05... it was a blast!... And yet there is something about having a massive backpack on your back that just screams "I'm not from here!" in a way that even my red hair and fair skin cannot compete with. It's truly been a joy to live long term in a place where I can more or less integrate, get to know the locals, and be a recognized neighborhood face, rather than just another tourist to overcharge.

As I walked home today, one of these groups was hovering around the corner from my house, clearly looking around for their hostel-- the signage is not so good in San Telmo-- and I had a moment.. THAT IS GOING TO BE ME. Oh me god, THAT IS GOING TO BE ME IN TWO MONTHS.

Panic.

No more integration. No more house keys. No more neighborly smiles from the weird hairdresser guy downstairs.

THAT IS GOING TO BE ME.

Once again, I am tossing stability, clean laundry, and my very own bed to the wind, in favor of the open road. It's a beautiful experience, one of my favorite feelings in the world, and yet stability is not an easy thing to leave behind, even if you're crazy old Me. That feeling of heading home, cooking a meal in YOUR kitchen, and getting into YOUR bed at night is something truly wonderful. And for four months, I won't feel that. Not even once. It's... well, eye-opening to think about.

In Peru, Colombia, Brasil, or Bolivia, I won't be the knowledgeable ex-pat living and working in the area, won't be someone who knows the local haunts and scenes or someone whose opinion on local matters is worth asking for-- I'll be a tourist, just like everyone else. Ugghhhh it hurts to even type it.

Going to the gym is hard enough...

I've taken to going to the gym. Months ago I was running, but then I developed those shin splints I couldn't shake, so then I sat about lazily for a few months, and in August I re-motivated and re-started the tedious process of finding a gym in San Telmo.

Oh, there are gyms in San Telmo, but they ain't pretty. It's hard enough to go to the gym when it's clean, modern, and offers plasma TV screens on every treadmill (man, I miss Healthworks). But motivating to exercises in a dirty environment? on 80s equipment? to walk on a MANUALLY-OPERATED treadmill?! Simply not happening. And yes, people, they still exits!

San Telmo gyms are where all used First World gym equipment goes to die.

The process of choosing a gym was simply ridiculous. Unlike other parts of the city that are a bit more upscale (Palermo, Recoleta, or even the downtown/Microcentro area, for example), San Telmo doesn't have any "nicer" options, so us gym rats are left with hole-in-the-wall gyms. The fancy gym chain Megatlon, for example, doesn't have a location anywhere near me. Not that I could afford it anyway.

I spent weeks going in and out of the gyms in the area trying to decide who would get my $90 pesos/ month. Most are small, dusty, and have limited equipment. One, for example, only had one treadmill and one stationary bike and weights. Another one only had treadmills that were non-electric... I don't even know how those things operate, but I'm SURE they haven't been manufactured for at least 20 years! And one of the nicest options, a big place with a pool and yoga classes, required me to get a physical examination with one of their doctors before joining, and not only did I have to pay extra for that, but the waiting list to see the doctor was over a month long. Bureaucracy!!!

I finally settled on City Gym, a short 4 block walk from my house. I like it enough and the people are friendly, but I've really had to lower the bar. The machines are often broken, and no one wipes them down (how very fancy of me to expect my machines NOT to be slimed over with someone else's sweat). There are spinning classes, and I LOVE spinning classes, but the bikes are atrocious. The bikes I'm used to in the US have knobs that you can give a couple full turns to in order to achieve a variety of different levels, but on these bikes you just barely touch the knob and the level changes from easy to impossible. It's a bit of a mess. On the upside, one of my spinning teachers plays cumbia and reggaeton music and gets up and dances in the middle of the class, which is always hilarious.

I'm sure I've developed a reputation as that red-faced red-headed foreign girl, but I think I've gone enough now that people are used to seeing me around and don't gawk quite as much. Now I do the gawking. I can't believe the boys who work out in Chucks, or worse, alpargatas. Nuts.

Hilarious student quotes... about me

Haha!! My students crack me up.

Top two quotes I've received from students so far:

1. "Erica, you are half spicy woman, half crazy monkey!" (From Pedro, who has the pleasure of hearing my latest crazy stories every Friday afternoon.)

and

2. "Now I suppose I need a psychologist more than a teacher. The new girl is a good teacher, but she needs your piece of madness... and your portion of beer." (From Guillermo, in an email lamenting that I was no longer teaching him, and comparing me to his new teacher.)

I really, really, REALLY <3 my students!

I'll post more quotes if I think to write them down. I get some good ones from time to time. :-)

Felíz Día de la Primavera

Happy First Day of Spring!! To me! And to those back home, happy first day of fall! Which is fine I guess, but spring is way better. :-)

Today was gorgeous. It was really a great day, considering it's Monday. I worked all morning teaching in an office, then hit the gym, and then wandered outside with some friends to drink mate, attempt to fly Diana's homemade kite, and sit outside in the grass in Puerto Madero... the sun was bright and gorgeous, the sky a perfect blue. To top it off, I then taught my afternoon class outside at a café over a café con leche. Couldn't have asked for more.



It's also Día del Estudiante (Student Day) today, so all the kids didn't have school, and were out in full force drinking beer in the streets. There must have been thousands of teenagers wandering around drunk and happy in the sun, and I marveled at their life, and contemplated how I might have turned out had I been permitted to do such a thing at age 13. (Kids here ages 12-17 can go to certain nightclubs... they just have to leave at the reasonable hour of.. ahem... 3:00am, when the adults arrive... it's so crazy to think about, so different from my childhood!!!) However, there were also a lot of police out monitoring things, so nothing too crazy happened.

From here it will just get hotter and hotter until the sweltering heat and oppressive humidity finally take over Buenos Aires this summer... around that time, I will be off on my next travel adventure, hopefully to places equally warm and yet significantly less humid. I'll keep you posted.

...e iré lejos, como un bohemio...

I've made some big, big, BIG life decisions recently, so listen up, peeps!

First of all, my biggest news of all is that I've decided to apply to graduate school at the School for International Training (SIT) in Brattleboro, Vermont for Fall '10. Yes, this means that if I get it (fingers crossed please!) I will be gracing you all with my presence back in the NE. The program would be a 1-year Masters in International Education, the focus being on managing international education/study programs, which many of you know that 1) I've wanted to do for a long time, and 2) well, I'm kind of perfect for. :-) So I'm very excited to have discovered this program, and will be working on getting my application in ASAP!

Also, I'll be leaving Buenos Aires, basically for good, the first week of December. This is something I've gone back and forth about forever... do I stay? do I go? keep trying? will it get better? will I learn to love it? Frankly, the past 7.5 months that I've been here have been bittersweet. I've learned so much, grown and changed so much, and gained incredibly valuable life experience, and I wouldn't change that for anything. However, it's also taken its toll on me. The people aren't what I'd --ahem-- wished they would be. It's not an open, friendly place. I have my friends, most of whom are from other countries like me, and I love them to death. But it's a lonely life here. I never quite fit in, never quite made it totally work. Every day has been a challenge with work life, cultural issues, people, and just general navigation of my daily life. And challenges are good, and its been good for me in many ways, but I think I've gotten what I can out of this experience, and it's time to move on. I just never fell in love with Buenos Aires the way I guess I hoped I would.

So, this is not bad news! It's actually very exciting. After spending this whole year teaching (and really loving it in the end), I feel so confident about this decision, and so ready to take on whatever life throws at me next. I am a strong believer that everything happens for a reason, and that each decision we make, each turn we make when the road divides and we choose our path, is right. It's right, even when it's wrong. Because as the old saying goes, "when one door close, another door always opens." I live my life by this philosophy, and it's taken me this far.

My next adventure is (well, after I turn in my grad school application, of course) to do a long trip around South America. It's such a huge, diverse continent, with so many amazing things to see an do, and I want to soak up as much as possible before I go. Because who knows when the next time I will be passing through S. America will be! I've decided to travel for approximately 4 months, December-March, then popping back into BsAs for my good byes (and to get my stuff) and then heading back to the States around mid-April.

The very-tentative-and-very-subject-to-change plan is to visit both the northern and southern regions of Argentina, Peru, Colombia, Brasil, and Bolivia. My friend Dave will be down for a visit in November, and we'll go to Patagonia together, thus checking that off the list! So the rest will happen Dec-March, and will probably go in the order I listed them. I want a full month in Colombia and another full month in Brasil, I want to climb Machu Picchu, I want to explore Bolivia, I want to spend Carnaval in Rio! I want to do a lot. And you know what, I'm young (for a little while longer!) so why not?

Travel is worth going totally broke for.

So that, my friends, is my grand update. I welcome any and all suggestions you have about my travels, and any feedback you have on these new plans and ideas! I'm very excited, nervous too, but mostly just happy to throw my backpack on and do some serious traveling, and then see my friends and family back in the States again. By the time I get back in April, 14 months will have passed. I think that's plenty.

Love to all!

The People's Republic of Florida

Quick rant-- I'm not so sure having been to Florida exactly counts as a visit to the United States. I mean, sure, somewhere in the fine print I suppose Florida is technically part of the US, but... come on! We all know that Florida is a separate country... at least culturally speaking.

So, for those of you saying that you've experienced American culture (and especially to those of you who seem to have strong opinions of "who my people are" based on that experience) because you spent a week or two lounging on the beaches of Miami (speaking Spanish, no less) and then another week parading from one attraction to another at Disney World, well you, my friend, are mistaken.

That is all! :-)

Happy Teacher's Day!

Today is Teacher's Day in Argentina-- that's me! I'm celebrating in a couple ways.

1) Tonight I am going out to dinner with everyone from the English Institute that I work for, Network Institute. They've invited us all out to celebrate our day, and conveniently the restaurant is located right down the street from me. Also, it'll be a good opportunity for me to meet everyone, because although I recognize most of the teachers by sight, I really don't know any of them at all. They are all Argentines (I'm the one native speaker at the school, so of course they pimp me out) so it should be interesting. I'm looking forward to a quiet night of free dinner, meeting my colleagues, and celebrating my very first Teacher's Day together. :-)

2) YESTERDAY, I QUIT WORKING FOR THAT CRAZY %$#*& VIVIAN!!! I couldn't be happier! The story is, she never pays me on time, ever. And then when I tell her I need my money, she either doesn't answer the phone or return calls, or she just yells at me and hangs up on me. She's really, truly awful. The worst. So this month, as always, when pay day came and went once again, I sent her my usual emails and made my usual phone calls, and she ignored me. So I called her a million times, and she ignored me. I got really mad, realizing she was screening my calls, and finally called her from another phone... and like magic, she answered! ...Then proceeded to yell and scream at me and.. you guessed it... hang up on me. Ughhh I hate her. So I finally got in touch with her husband, and yesterday after a huge headache and a lot of stress, finally got my money from him. The whole process was incredibly stressful, and this happens every month! And it seems like every month just gets worse and she treats me more and more disrespectfully. I mean, I'm her employee! So I made a difficult but ultimately good decision, and I decided that even though I love the students I teach for her, I have to stop working for her. It's not worth the money, and it's not worth the strain on my mental health. The moment the money hit my hand last night, I sat down and sent her an email explaining that I was resigning, effective immediately. This decision means a smaller paycheck, but it also means more free time, more time to potentially take on new students, and more time to take care of myself. And a whole lot less stress.

Happy Teacher's Day to me!

La Tormenta de Santa Rosa

The weather in Argentina is a bit crazy. Right now, for example, it's winter, headed toward spring, and yet all weekend it was simply gorgeous, perfect summery weather. Blue skies, sun, and hot hot hot-- in fact, I spent all afternoon yesterday in the park in a sun dress trying to take my extreme whiteness to a healthy shade of pink. (I failed-- still white.)

The summer-in-winter weather has been a popular topic of discussion in my classes, and so this week several of my students have told me the story of La Tormenta de Santa Rosa -aka- the Santa Rosa Storm. This is a storm that every year inevitably hits the week of August 30th, either a few days before or after.

Apparently, every year around this time, it oddly gets very hot and nice, like a flash forward to summer. Then suddenly, within a couple days of August 30th, Santa Rosa blows through the city, usually with heavy rains and strong winds, and takes the warm weather away when it goes.

Anyway, it was impossible for me to believe yesterday, looking up at the perfect blue, cloudless sky that there could be a storm today, but the weathermen insisted. And lo and behold, today, right on schedule, I woke up to a grey sky, torrential rain and heavy winds. SANTA ROSA!

In all honestly, it wasn't bad. Granted, it's still mid-day and maybe it will get bad again, but it seems to be clearing up a bit, albeit a very ugly, grey day. But once again the legend was right... Santa Rosa really does strike, without fail, right at this time. This naysayer has been humbled.

Here's one article about today's mini-Santa Rosa Storm. And here's some more information on Santa Rosa, which talks a bit about its history.

Dad arrived!

After much anticipation, my dad arrived in Buenos Aires this morning! He'll be here for 2 weeks of wine, steak and tango. Life is hard. :-)

MUSIC

I love music, you love music. If you don't love music, what do you live for?

I think a lot about the soundtrack to my life. I feel like everything I'm doing, there is a song playing in the background, literally or figuratively, that sort of narrates it all... it's like a free concert in there at all times, and I have the VIP pass... which explains why I have been known, from time to time, to bust out in a sudden dance party in the middle of the street. I don't need outside music to dance-- it's inside my head. I wonder a lot, what would the sound track be if they were to make a movie about my life?.. and then I make long, long, endless lists inside my head...

(It's a very schizophrenic soundtrack, and I'm not so sure anyone would actually buy it, but it starts off sort of slow and jammy with a Dispatch/Ani DiFranco collaboration, and Tracy Chapman is there [like a dream] and I think India.Arie is in there somewhere too... then it goes all nuts and Jurassic 5, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, and Outkast all step in to take care of things... which logically progresses to Weezer, fading into Ween, then Iron and Wine... in the distance, the Buena Vista Social Club is playing... in the foreground, it's a messy dance off between Michael Jackson and Madonna... the Beatles start to fade in and next thing you know, Amy Winehouse is there. naturally, MGMT comes next, followed by a confusing mish mash of The Clash, Johnny Cash, the Killers, Nirvana, Pink Floyd, Portishead... Britney Spears?? where did she come from?! and then it's just Lauryn Hill, a capella, joined eventually by a solo Joe Strummer [without his Mescaleros], and then a single guitar... drums... BASS... salsa beats, tango... acoustic... electric... rock n roll, swing... reggae reggae reggae [this is, of course, my life, afterall]... the Chili Peppers are never far away, Sublime wants in on the fun, and all the while, Yo La Tengo has been playing 'Autumn Sweater' over and over... then 2Pac! then Cake!... then a moment of silence... and then it goes on and on and on...)

Is the soundtrack to my life bilingual? trilingual? more?

Well, now that my life is in Spanish, I'm becoming more and more into música en español. I've always been into a few bands here and there, but lately I find myself listening to more in Spanish than in English. It's good practice, but also, I've just been discovering a lot of bands I like. Thought I'd share them with you... no pressure, but if you want to practice your Spanish, maybe you could brush up with some of these band recommendations.

Disclaimer: This is a non-comprehensive list and a very spur-of-the-moment blog post. Feel free to add/ suggest stuff, congratulate me for my great choices, or berate me for my terrible taste.

Some favorites/ classics from various countries:
Manu Chao-- If for some reason you've been under a rock for the last 10 years and haven't heard his stuff, GO GET IT NOW. He's originally from France, but sings in Spanish, English, and French.
Orishas-- Cuban hip hop, not to be missed.
Maná-- One of the greatest bands OF ALL TIME. From Mexico. I particularly recommend their unplugged album.
Buena Vista Social Club-- A bunch of old Cuban men making music??? Yes, please! Pretty much amazing.
Jarabe de Palo-- I am in LOVE. Sometimes I spend hours listening to the same 5 Jarabe de Palo songs on repeat. From Spain.

Some Argentine rock you should know about that I've been rocking out to lately:
Los Fabulosos Cadillacs
Bersuit Vergarabat
Soda Stereo
No Te Va a Gustar
Los Piojos
Divididos
Charly García
Babasónicos
(...ugh I am looking for more good local bands, so Argentine readers, please burn me some CDs so I can recommend, yes?? Gracias.)

Anyway, enjoy.

Time flies..

Wow! Today I celebrate 6 months of living in Buenos Aires... qué loco! It has been an intense ride, has had its ups and downs, trials and tribulations... but I have also made some amazing life-long friends, grown up and learned a lot, started a successful new career as a teacher, and had a lot of time to reflect on my life and what I really want. Living here has been an important part of my personal evolution, and for better or for worse, I wouldn't change it for the world.

...Here's to 6 more!