(no subject)
hey everyone!
i haven't been keeping in touch cuz it's been hectic and crazy in south america so i am just gonna give a very brief update:
-land in la paz, bolivia arounf may 18th. felt altitude sickness immediately and was laying in bed the whole time. i had a private room and tv. there was only 1 english channel and it played, on repeat, some jenny mcarthy reality tv show that involved her and a bunch of girls who looked like porn stars hanging out around a swimming pool.
-met up with some of the travellers in my GAP group. 2 canadians, a belgian and a norwegian. we wandered around markets and bargained for handicrafts. visited the "witches market" where you can find llama fetises .... they burn them as an offering to the gods for good luck.
-last stop in boliva b4 peru: Cocacobana! i had barry manilow in my head all day.
- soon headed off to peru. landed in some random small towns. lots of markets. lots of people, including children, trying to sell stuff. arrived in puno which gets you to lake titicaca and the island where we were doing a homestay (staying with locals for a night).
-altitude sickness sets in big time when i get to the homestay site. i threw up 5 times in one hour. the local family tried to dress us up in traditional clothing so we could go to a dance which they called Incatheque (instead of discotheque). as the lovely woman who i couldn't speak a word of quechua to tightened what was akin to a corset around my torso i had to run out of the room and throw up again. it was NOT a pleasant evening.
-next day we visited Uros which was a floating island made by people out of grass and reeds. pretty cool. i started to feel better but could only consume sprite, water, and a few baby crackers.
- i can't break down things as specifically anymore. i think we went to cuzco next. a lovely city ... witha big square, lots of handicrafts, election campaigning going on. went white water rafting for the first time for only 25 bucks. the weather, i forgot to mention, is freezing because we are at such a high altitude. lots of shopping and psychological prep to do a 3 day hiking/campin trip in the andes to see macchu picchu --the lost inca city.
--i got stuck with lares trek instead of the famous inca trail because the inca trail was too full. most of my group got inca trail so i was hiking with just 3 other people plus our porters and guide. lares trek was cool tho. much higher elevation, much quieter (less tourists), lots of mountains and difficult terrain, beautiful, cold, we passed lots of traditional quechua families. gave bread and coca leaves to families and children. we chewed coca leaves to help prevent altitude sickness. ( coca leaves are the first ingredient in cocaine!!!).
--the porters took good care of us but i was so cold and tired that i did start crying in my sleeping bag at one point. it was below zero. frost on ground and we hiked about 16 km per day. lots of good food tho. two of the hikers turned back after half an hour on first day because of exhaustion. the other one, a lovely irish girl, got really sick on the second day and had to ride a horse the rest of the way. she was slumped over like a corpse most of time. so it was just me, the guide, and the mountains.
-arrived at macchu picchu on third or fourth day. it was pretty great but i think the hike was more memorable than the finish. isn't that true of everything?
--after macchu picchu we went back to cuzco. went out to a bar called mythology and partied with very forward latinos til 3am. details later to those who ask after i have had a few drinks at ethels or jb!
--flew to lima, peru. the air quality...wow... i may as well breathe car exhaust. i could have used the oxygen tank that i used in puno (forgot to mention that) to cure my altitude sickness.
--flew to quito, ecuador. went to the galopagos islands. and slept on a houseboat for three nights. beers only 2 bucks. highlights: swam with sea lions, reef sharks, iguanas, penguins. saw lots of birds. my fav part of trip by far.
--now i am back in quito. i am hanging with some people i met with the gap tour. i come home on monday june 12...just a few days from now.
im sure im forgetting some things.. but this is long enuf.
i hope everyone is happy and well. i look forward to chilling on some patios with a cold beer on hot summer nights. it's crazy that aside from the warm galopagos... it's been very cold here.... because of the altitude... and i am in south america! i can't wait for warm canadian weather! ironic, no?
xoxoxox
i haven't been keeping in touch cuz it's been hectic and crazy in south america so i am just gonna give a very brief update:
-land in la paz, bolivia arounf may 18th. felt altitude sickness immediately and was laying in bed the whole time. i had a private room and tv. there was only 1 english channel and it played, on repeat, some jenny mcarthy reality tv show that involved her and a bunch of girls who looked like porn stars hanging out around a swimming pool.
-met up with some of the travellers in my GAP group. 2 canadians, a belgian and a norwegian. we wandered around markets and bargained for handicrafts. visited the "witches market" where you can find llama fetises .... they burn them as an offering to the gods for good luck.
-last stop in boliva b4 peru: Cocacobana! i had barry manilow in my head all day.
- soon headed off to peru. landed in some random small towns. lots of markets. lots of people, including children, trying to sell stuff. arrived in puno which gets you to lake titicaca and the island where we were doing a homestay (staying with locals for a night).
-altitude sickness sets in big time when i get to the homestay site. i threw up 5 times in one hour. the local family tried to dress us up in traditional clothing so we could go to a dance which they called Incatheque (instead of discotheque). as the lovely woman who i couldn't speak a word of quechua to tightened what was akin to a corset around my torso i had to run out of the room and throw up again. it was NOT a pleasant evening.
-next day we visited Uros which was a floating island made by people out of grass and reeds. pretty cool. i started to feel better but could only consume sprite, water, and a few baby crackers.
- i can't break down things as specifically anymore. i think we went to cuzco next. a lovely city ... witha big square, lots of handicrafts, election campaigning going on. went white water rafting for the first time for only 25 bucks. the weather, i forgot to mention, is freezing because we are at such a high altitude. lots of shopping and psychological prep to do a 3 day hiking/campin trip in the andes to see macchu picchu --the lost inca city.
--i got stuck with lares trek instead of the famous inca trail because the inca trail was too full. most of my group got inca trail so i was hiking with just 3 other people plus our porters and guide. lares trek was cool tho. much higher elevation, much quieter (less tourists), lots of mountains and difficult terrain, beautiful, cold, we passed lots of traditional quechua families. gave bread and coca leaves to families and children. we chewed coca leaves to help prevent altitude sickness. ( coca leaves are the first ingredient in cocaine!!!).
--the porters took good care of us but i was so cold and tired that i did start crying in my sleeping bag at one point. it was below zero. frost on ground and we hiked about 16 km per day. lots of good food tho. two of the hikers turned back after half an hour on first day because of exhaustion. the other one, a lovely irish girl, got really sick on the second day and had to ride a horse the rest of the way. she was slumped over like a corpse most of time. so it was just me, the guide, and the mountains.
-arrived at macchu picchu on third or fourth day. it was pretty great but i think the hike was more memorable than the finish. isn't that true of everything?
--after macchu picchu we went back to cuzco. went out to a bar called mythology and partied with very forward latinos til 3am. details later to those who ask after i have had a few drinks at ethels or jb!
--flew to lima, peru. the air quality...wow... i may as well breathe car exhaust. i could have used the oxygen tank that i used in puno (forgot to mention that) to cure my altitude sickness.
--flew to quito, ecuador. went to the galopagos islands. and slept on a houseboat for three nights. beers only 2 bucks. highlights: swam with sea lions, reef sharks, iguanas, penguins. saw lots of birds. my fav part of trip by far.
--now i am back in quito. i am hanging with some people i met with the gap tour. i come home on monday june 12...just a few days from now.
im sure im forgetting some things.. but this is long enuf.
i hope everyone is happy and well. i look forward to chilling on some patios with a cold beer on hot summer nights. it's crazy that aside from the warm galopagos... it's been very cold here.... because of the altitude... and i am in south america! i can't wait for warm canadian weather! ironic, no?
xoxoxox