To say the least, I am freaking out! I don´t even know where to begin. Tomorrow, at this time, I will be home in my home with my family in my beloved Austin!!! This whole past week and month i´ve been trying to reflect on my journey, and its hard to belive that 6 months is over. I have learned so, so SO much. First, I have learned how to live in a big city- Santiago was a challenge, yet such a joy to explore.. and now I have arrived by myself to several more big cities and I feel comfortable getting there, finding a place, and going out and getting to know the city. I´m trying to think of how many hours I have spent on a bus these past 6 months... which made for some fun times, funny times, and not so funny times. Being here is a wonderful opportunity to practice my meditations- ``Breathe deep`` and``Be Here Now`` both of these have helped me infinitely on this trip, helping me to relax and to keep my mind and my heart open for the new experiences.
I definitely cannot pick favorites, but there are some memories that stand out for being especially fun- our whole spring break trip(puerto varas, bariloche, buenos aires, el calafate, torres del paine), all our trips to the beaches, how we camped out every single weekend until spring break, all the hikes and nature activities, being on the VIP list at the clubs in Santiago, meeting all our chilean friends who were so welcoming and the best friends in the world, sneaking in to macchu pichu at midnight, being in the driest desert in the world, seeing the 3rd largest glacier field in the world, the gorgeous colombian coast, ahh EVERYTHING. I have been so, so happy this whole trip, my only bad day was when my camera got stolen... but seriously I feel so blessed to have had no major problems, no health issues, just 180 days of sunshine and happy memories... Seriously there is nothing that compares to learning another country´s culture, and feeling like you are a part of it, Chile will have my heart forever and ever. And one thing I definitely am thankful for is all of the people, who without knowing me, took me in to their homes and their hearts and showed me how to love their cities.
My beloved Chile, Argentina, Colombia, and Peru.
Taking the chance and going to Costa Rica 5 years ago changed my life and set me on this path where I just am blissed out exploring these new countries and speaking spanish and hearing maná on the radio... now Ive taken the risk and stayed away from home longer than I ever have, and found four new countries that I will never forget.
can´t express how thankful I am for this opportunity...
but THANK YOU to everyone who has read my stories the past 6 months!!!!
and until the next adventure... ciao!!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
week in Mollendo
Well, within one week in Peru both my laptop AND my camera are long gone. The camera theft happened last Thursday night while I was sleeping on an overnight bus.. they snatched it right from underneath my feet... I am sooo bummed, now all my pictures from Colombia are gone- so you guys will just have to trust me that it is a gorgeous country, full of huge lush mountains rising out next to the emerald sea. It sucks to have to be ´´thankfull´´ that ONLY the camera and laptop are gone, but such is life here, I guess. I had been super cautious all the past 5 months and had good luck, then I let my guard down and they got me. But it could have been worse, of course. The camera has been replaced, but the pictures are gone forever.
After Thursday night, I seriously never wanted to be on a bus ever again here, but Friday night I found myself on another bus heading to the border with Chile to where they sell all the cheap electronics. The director of the Mollendo office (where I am working this week) invited me to sleep at her parent´s house when we arrived in Tacna at 3am. When I woke up, I felt so refreshed and rejuvinated after sleeping on such uncomfortable beds the past week in Puno. I thought that I would creep downstairs and see if her parents wouldn´t mind calling a cab for me to go to the market. Nonsense. They sat me down to breakfast as we watched the world cup´s game that day. Then they insisted that they would accompany me to the market to protect me and make sure I wasn´t getting the ´gringo especial´. Spending the day with them, I felt like I was with my own grandparents in Mexico. They had similar mannerisms, there were similar smells coming from the kitchen, and they treated me just like family. Even their cars had the same smell. I had planned to leave right after buying the camera, but they drew me in with their kindness and I could think of nothing better than just hanging out at their house. When Sonia was done with her meetings that day, we went out to a bar in Tacna, which is apparently full of Chileans crossing over the border to the much cheaper prices and casinos in Tacna.
Sunday we had lunch, then took the bus back to Mollendo (of course, the bus was scheduled to leave at 1pm, and by 3pm we were probably about 10km from the bus terminal..grrr)
So, this week I have been in Mollendo, a city on the ocean. Since it is winter the skies are grey and the town is pretty quiet. I don´t even know how to describe the impact that meeting all these women has had on me, but here I will share two of the stories-
´´Victoria goes where the crowds are to sell her home made sweets, to soccer games, bus stops, parties, the beach. The work is hard, and is made even harder because she is a widow. She begins to cry as she tells me about her son, the youngest of 7 who at 19 years of age is struggling to find a way to go to the university. This youngest son would be the only one of the family to be able to go to the University, but she cannot afford the 100$ per month living expenses. She worries about how she can find a way to send him to school, and the strain of being a single mother weighs heavily on her. She grabs my arm and begs me to help them, to help her son go to school, and I am at a loss for words. It is so easy as an American to say ´look for a scholarship or a student loan´, but i´m not sure if those resources are available in Peru. The issue is not so much the tuition, it is the cost of living outside of the home, and the closest University is 2 hours away´´ This lady really affected me, seeing her break down into tears, telling me about her abusive husband, her worries about her son, begging me to help her.. and she was just so tiny and petite, working countless hours a day just to earn a few dollars, taking out a 100$ loan that will take her 6 months to pay back.. I found on google a new micro finance organization that specifically helps students by loaning them money for college http://vittana.org/ which is a great idea.
´´Natalia lives alone on a sparsely populated dusty hill in a 3-walled shack, and the walls are just woven mats so the cold wind passes through. She does everything on her own because her six children are all grown and gone. It´s hard to imagine this petite, old woman raising bulls, but that just goes to show that she is a fighter. This is Natalia´s first loan, and she decided to join Pro Mujer because she saw the success her daughters had with Pro Mujer. Natalia buys bulls when they are young and then raises them to sell them when they´re grown. With the bulls, a few sheep, and by growing a small amount of corn, Natalia manages to have enough money to eat. She is from Puno, 8 hours inland, but says that a lifetime of bad luck has left her here, alone. Here she lives alone, surrounded by dust, flies, and her only companion, her dog, has contracted a sickness and is slowly wasting away. But still, Natalia manages to smile.´´ Visiting this woman´s home today was also just... sad. It is hard to see hope in this situation, but the credit promoter who took me to her house said something like ´´Yes, but these people are used to sleeping in the cold. They´ve probably been this way for their whole lives, possibly even in worse conditions. At least now she has a way to make some money´´.. The woman was just so sweet and cute, and all alone, it just killed me.
Then, during lunch I go to my hotel and flip through the channels. The ´reality´ shows today are disturbing to watch after spending a day out with these women. . the juxtaposition of these two completely different realities- a housewife in LA vs a farmer in Peru, is the perfect demonstration of the vast disparities and the division of wealth that exists in the world... 16 year olds getting million dollar birthday parties versus people working 14 hours to make one dollar...
And the dreamy look that people here get in their eyes when I tell them i´m from the US ´´wow... the united states...what´s it like? it must be wonderful there, huh? take me with you...´´
After Thursday night, I seriously never wanted to be on a bus ever again here, but Friday night I found myself on another bus heading to the border with Chile to where they sell all the cheap electronics. The director of the Mollendo office (where I am working this week) invited me to sleep at her parent´s house when we arrived in Tacna at 3am. When I woke up, I felt so refreshed and rejuvinated after sleeping on such uncomfortable beds the past week in Puno. I thought that I would creep downstairs and see if her parents wouldn´t mind calling a cab for me to go to the market. Nonsense. They sat me down to breakfast as we watched the world cup´s game that day. Then they insisted that they would accompany me to the market to protect me and make sure I wasn´t getting the ´gringo especial´. Spending the day with them, I felt like I was with my own grandparents in Mexico. They had similar mannerisms, there were similar smells coming from the kitchen, and they treated me just like family. Even their cars had the same smell. I had planned to leave right after buying the camera, but they drew me in with their kindness and I could think of nothing better than just hanging out at their house. When Sonia was done with her meetings that day, we went out to a bar in Tacna, which is apparently full of Chileans crossing over the border to the much cheaper prices and casinos in Tacna.
Sunday we had lunch, then took the bus back to Mollendo (of course, the bus was scheduled to leave at 1pm, and by 3pm we were probably about 10km from the bus terminal..grrr)
So, this week I have been in Mollendo, a city on the ocean. Since it is winter the skies are grey and the town is pretty quiet. I don´t even know how to describe the impact that meeting all these women has had on me, but here I will share two of the stories-
´´Victoria goes where the crowds are to sell her home made sweets, to soccer games, bus stops, parties, the beach. The work is hard, and is made even harder because she is a widow. She begins to cry as she tells me about her son, the youngest of 7 who at 19 years of age is struggling to find a way to go to the university. This youngest son would be the only one of the family to be able to go to the University, but she cannot afford the 100$ per month living expenses. She worries about how she can find a way to send him to school, and the strain of being a single mother weighs heavily on her. She grabs my arm and begs me to help them, to help her son go to school, and I am at a loss for words. It is so easy as an American to say ´look for a scholarship or a student loan´, but i´m not sure if those resources are available in Peru. The issue is not so much the tuition, it is the cost of living outside of the home, and the closest University is 2 hours away´´ This lady really affected me, seeing her break down into tears, telling me about her abusive husband, her worries about her son, begging me to help her.. and she was just so tiny and petite, working countless hours a day just to earn a few dollars, taking out a 100$ loan that will take her 6 months to pay back.. I found on google a new micro finance organization that specifically helps students by loaning them money for college http://vittana.org/ which is a great idea.
´´Natalia lives alone on a sparsely populated dusty hill in a 3-walled shack, and the walls are just woven mats so the cold wind passes through. She does everything on her own because her six children are all grown and gone. It´s hard to imagine this petite, old woman raising bulls, but that just goes to show that she is a fighter. This is Natalia´s first loan, and she decided to join Pro Mujer because she saw the success her daughters had with Pro Mujer. Natalia buys bulls when they are young and then raises them to sell them when they´re grown. With the bulls, a few sheep, and by growing a small amount of corn, Natalia manages to have enough money to eat. She is from Puno, 8 hours inland, but says that a lifetime of bad luck has left her here, alone. Here she lives alone, surrounded by dust, flies, and her only companion, her dog, has contracted a sickness and is slowly wasting away. But still, Natalia manages to smile.´´ Visiting this woman´s home today was also just... sad. It is hard to see hope in this situation, but the credit promoter who took me to her house said something like ´´Yes, but these people are used to sleeping in the cold. They´ve probably been this way for their whole lives, possibly even in worse conditions. At least now she has a way to make some money´´.. The woman was just so sweet and cute, and all alone, it just killed me.
Then, during lunch I go to my hotel and flip through the channels. The ´reality´ shows today are disturbing to watch after spending a day out with these women. . the juxtaposition of these two completely different realities- a housewife in LA vs a farmer in Peru, is the perfect demonstration of the vast disparities and the division of wealth that exists in the world... 16 year olds getting million dollar birthday parties versus people working 14 hours to make one dollar...
And the dreamy look that people here get in their eyes when I tell them i´m from the US ´´wow... the united states...what´s it like? it must be wonderful there, huh? take me with you...´´
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
first full day at Pro Mujer
Today was my first full day at Pro Mujer! And boy is my head spinning from all the information I learned today.. I was first taken to their office in the South, and on the way was explained the basics about how their loans work (6 month cycles, option to pay every 7, 14, 21, 28 days, seasonal loans available), and then I sat in on a payment collection meeting. I felt like I was back at Grameen! The methods for collection were very similar, the difference being that at Pro Mujer the women name their groups things like Las Esmeraldas, Sol de Oro, etc. During the meeting, I was reading through the files, and saw that most of the women in the room were taking out loans that ranged from 70$-350$, which is something to think about, for us those amounts are so small, but for them they are life changing. I was also a little surprised to see that many of the women didn´t have running water or electricity in their homes. Also, this group of women had to leave their homes at 2am in order to be at the center for their 8am payment. Their recorded businesses ranged from artesanias, selling various food items like cheese or yogurt, having a small store, selling clothes or shoes, selling fish.
After observing the South office for a while, we headed to the Bellavista office.
There, I sat in on a talk, which I didn´t know what it was about, but it appeared to be about nutrition, and as I was listening, the man kept promoting anchovies, anchovies, anchovies! So I thought it smelled a little fishy, then learned that the talk was sponsored by the ministry of Fish. Ha. But it was good because the women got nutritional information, were exposed to a cheaper source of protien, and they even got samples during the meeting. The man gave a statistic that 25% of children in Peru are chronically malnourished, and that in Puno it is a serious problem as well. Then I visited the kindergarden that they have at the center (in partnership with the ministry of education), and the precious children all greeted me, sang me a song, and said ciao when I left! SO CUTE!
After that, I visited the health center, where the women are able to get free health consultations, and have another woman to confide in about their issues. The doctor was super friendly and upbeat. So, a great thing about Pro Mujer is the women´s access to healthcare, for free, and if not free then minimal prices. They also have a monthly theme, such as menopause, where they expose the women to topics they may not be familiar with. In addition, they do 4-5 monthly campaigns, where they encourage the women to sign up for all sorts of different health things like eye exams. This month they are also offering a seminar on how to deal with their teenage children. Pro Mujer also offers life insurance.
Following lunch, I went back to the central office. There I stopped in to the computer lab! So they offer free computer classes to the women and their families, where they learn micrsoft word and windows, and are adding another course to teach powerpoint and how to make websites! So imagine, women who come in not knowing how to turn on a computer, and after 2 months they are able to make excel sheets for their businesses, reciepts, and even create a website for themselves! not to mention connect with distant family via chat or email... hard to imagine all of the sudden having access to the internet and being computer literate, but I think it is such a wonderful program, and probably the only place the women can get these classes for free. Only problem is, there is more demand and they only have 12 computers. But still they have seen great successes so far.
Then, I sat next to the accountant and she showed me how they keep all their data organized, which group is eligible for a loan now, which group paid today, etc... my head was spinning, she was doing it all so fast. But they seem to be supremely well organized!!
Awesome first day!!!! Everyone at the office is so nice, and I feel like I learned a million things today and am so excited for tomorrow!
After observing the South office for a while, we headed to the Bellavista office.
There, I sat in on a talk, which I didn´t know what it was about, but it appeared to be about nutrition, and as I was listening, the man kept promoting anchovies, anchovies, anchovies! So I thought it smelled a little fishy, then learned that the talk was sponsored by the ministry of Fish. Ha. But it was good because the women got nutritional information, were exposed to a cheaper source of protien, and they even got samples during the meeting. The man gave a statistic that 25% of children in Peru are chronically malnourished, and that in Puno it is a serious problem as well. Then I visited the kindergarden that they have at the center (in partnership with the ministry of education), and the precious children all greeted me, sang me a song, and said ciao when I left! SO CUTE!
After that, I visited the health center, where the women are able to get free health consultations, and have another woman to confide in about their issues. The doctor was super friendly and upbeat. So, a great thing about Pro Mujer is the women´s access to healthcare, for free, and if not free then minimal prices. They also have a monthly theme, such as menopause, where they expose the women to topics they may not be familiar with. In addition, they do 4-5 monthly campaigns, where they encourage the women to sign up for all sorts of different health things like eye exams. This month they are also offering a seminar on how to deal with their teenage children. Pro Mujer also offers life insurance.
Following lunch, I went back to the central office. There I stopped in to the computer lab! So they offer free computer classes to the women and their families, where they learn micrsoft word and windows, and are adding another course to teach powerpoint and how to make websites! So imagine, women who come in not knowing how to turn on a computer, and after 2 months they are able to make excel sheets for their businesses, reciepts, and even create a website for themselves! not to mention connect with distant family via chat or email... hard to imagine all of the sudden having access to the internet and being computer literate, but I think it is such a wonderful program, and probably the only place the women can get these classes for free. Only problem is, there is more demand and they only have 12 computers. But still they have seen great successes so far.
Then, I sat next to the accountant and she showed me how they keep all their data organized, which group is eligible for a loan now, which group paid today, etc... my head was spinning, she was doing it all so fast. But they seem to be supremely well organized!!
Awesome first day!!!! Everyone at the office is so nice, and I feel like I learned a million things today and am so excited for tomorrow!
catching up
so let´s see, I arrived back in Bogota Monday night, and was invited to friend of a friend of a friend´s girls who were my age birthday party, so I went over to Valentina´s apartment and met her and Paula, who were both so so sweet, cute, and eager to show me around!
Tuesday, my friend from school in Chile had a layover in Bogota so we managed to meet up downtown. We spent several hours wandering around La Candelaria, met a man eager to practice his english by asking ´´What. Is. Your. Opinion. On. John. Wayne.... What. Is. Your. Opinion. On. Hollywood....´´umm. Then, we wanted to go up to the church overlooking Bogota called Monserrate, so we climbed up towards that way, flagged down a bus, and asked the driver if he was in fact going to Monserrate. He said yes, so we hopped on. 20 minutes later, we are in the middle of the industrial part of the city, obviously far from the hill, and with no idea where exactly we were. So I asked the driver again if he was going to Monserrate, and he said No, obviously. So we got off, and asked another driver if he was going to the downtown. He said yes, so we got on. Another 20 minutes later we realize that we are still no where near where we wanted to be, so we got off and finally got a cab. That night I met up with Paula, and she took me to go eat in the uber trendy Zona T, a t-shaped pedestrian street with tons of cute and different bars, restaurants, shops, very beautiful and filled with beautiful people. We ate at Wok, where I had tofu curry (and they even had raw options on the menu, surprisingly). Then had yogenfruz! And then I went home.
Wednesday, I moved all my stuff over to Paula´s house where her family graciously invited me to stay, and then she and her mom dropped me off at the neighborhood called Usaquen, which is a couple of streets of old houses filled with more trendy restaurants, art galleries, etc. I enjoyed wandering around there, eating a coconut popcicle, and just exploring.
Then, I went with Valentina and Simon (paula´s brother), out to Parque 93 which is yet another square filled with great places to hang out, and we watched some football game that was apparently important. They introduced me to Aguardiente, and I can safely say just the thought of it now makes me want to vomit. But we had a great night out, dancing, and when I told them I had to leave for the airport at 5am they said ´´Ok, we´ll be back by then!´´ So I had such a great time with them, they were all so sweet to welcome me, and make me feel at home. After I met them, I liked Bogota even more, and definitely could see myself there.
Then I was at the airport at 6am, miserable, and off to Lima! 3 Weeks was just enough to give me a taste of Colombia, and to know that I Definitely want to come back and get to know more!!!
Thursday I spent the day relaxing in Lima, Friday I got a much needed pedicure and watched in amusement as the pedicure lady was horrified at my dry scaly legs.. Then I took the overnight bus to Arequipa. My other suitcase that I left at the hostel in Arequipa was thankfully still there in one piece! I ate some middle eastern food (plentiful , cheap and delicious in that city), and went to the museum where the 500 year old inca mummy Juanita is on display... so cool!!! They had all the artifacts and tapestries that she was buried with, and she was in remarkable conditon. Then I restocked my book supply, and I thought I had enough for the whole month, but now I only have 1.5 left... ahh. Sunday morning I took the 6 hour bus to Puno, and arrived here in the city! Found my hotel, found the Pro Mujer office, and relaxed in order to adjust myself to the altitude.
Tuesday, my friend from school in Chile had a layover in Bogota so we managed to meet up downtown. We spent several hours wandering around La Candelaria, met a man eager to practice his english by asking ´´What. Is. Your. Opinion. On. John. Wayne.... What. Is. Your. Opinion. On. Hollywood....´´umm. Then, we wanted to go up to the church overlooking Bogota called Monserrate, so we climbed up towards that way, flagged down a bus, and asked the driver if he was in fact going to Monserrate. He said yes, so we hopped on. 20 minutes later, we are in the middle of the industrial part of the city, obviously far from the hill, and with no idea where exactly we were. So I asked the driver again if he was going to Monserrate, and he said No, obviously. So we got off, and asked another driver if he was going to the downtown. He said yes, so we got on. Another 20 minutes later we realize that we are still no where near where we wanted to be, so we got off and finally got a cab. That night I met up with Paula, and she took me to go eat in the uber trendy Zona T, a t-shaped pedestrian street with tons of cute and different bars, restaurants, shops, very beautiful and filled with beautiful people. We ate at Wok, where I had tofu curry (and they even had raw options on the menu, surprisingly). Then had yogenfruz! And then I went home.
Wednesday, I moved all my stuff over to Paula´s house where her family graciously invited me to stay, and then she and her mom dropped me off at the neighborhood called Usaquen, which is a couple of streets of old houses filled with more trendy restaurants, art galleries, etc. I enjoyed wandering around there, eating a coconut popcicle, and just exploring.
Then, I went with Valentina and Simon (paula´s brother), out to Parque 93 which is yet another square filled with great places to hang out, and we watched some football game that was apparently important. They introduced me to Aguardiente, and I can safely say just the thought of it now makes me want to vomit. But we had a great night out, dancing, and when I told them I had to leave for the airport at 5am they said ´´Ok, we´ll be back by then!´´ So I had such a great time with them, they were all so sweet to welcome me, and make me feel at home. After I met them, I liked Bogota even more, and definitely could see myself there.
Then I was at the airport at 6am, miserable, and off to Lima! 3 Weeks was just enough to give me a taste of Colombia, and to know that I Definitely want to come back and get to know more!!!
Thursday I spent the day relaxing in Lima, Friday I got a much needed pedicure and watched in amusement as the pedicure lady was horrified at my dry scaly legs.. Then I took the overnight bus to Arequipa. My other suitcase that I left at the hostel in Arequipa was thankfully still there in one piece! I ate some middle eastern food (plentiful , cheap and delicious in that city), and went to the museum where the 500 year old inca mummy Juanita is on display... so cool!!! They had all the artifacts and tapestries that she was buried with, and she was in remarkable conditon. Then I restocked my book supply, and I thought I had enough for the whole month, but now I only have 1.5 left... ahh. Sunday morning I took the 6 hour bus to Puno, and arrived here in the city! Found my hotel, found the Pro Mujer office, and relaxed in order to adjust myself to the altitude.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Popayán
Today I had my first personal experience with corrupt policemen. So, I am riding in a truck with an austrailan guy and we are on our way to the hotsprings out of town. We pass by cops who pull us over, which is completely normal and common in colombia. The cops ask for our passports, and we both hand over the copies of our passport while my austrailian friend gets patted down and our bags get searched. The first cop is asking us where are we from, what are we doing here, where are we going, where are we staying, etc, and I am speaking for both myself and my friend. It seemed pretty standard, and then the first cop walks the copies down a few steps to the other cops waiting in the van. They call us over, and one evil looking one with a huge scar over his lips and has a considerably more angry tone starts repeating all the questions. He seemed very angry that we did not have our original passports, and was asking us how we got into the country, where our stamps were, etc. I told him that we never carry around our original passports because they could easily be stolen and its dangerous, and he says well if colombia is so dangerous then why are you here
? how much are you paying your driver? are you paying him in dollars or colombian pesos? where are you going? And he just has this like menacing attitude going on, and it was hard for me to shake off my flippant attitude and be respectful, but I was basically trying to handle it by smiling and making him realize that he really has no reason to harrass us. Then he is like well what should we do... should we take you guys down to the immigration office so they can deport your friend? or...... (at this time I kind of realized he was asking for a bribe, but since I had never been bribed by a policeman I was kind of in disbelief that it actually happens), so I said no there is no reason for us to go to the office, we can turn around and go get our passports at the hostel, but we just want to go to the hotsprings. Then the cop starts asking 'well why didn't you invite us to the hotsprings???' and I'm like well you don't have your bathingsuits... and then the cops are asking me for my cellphone number, for my chat screen name, what hostel i'm staying at, and i'm trying to deflect the flirting and turn it into more of a silly joke type situation, and they keep asking for a 'regalo' so they can buy sodas, and I'm like are you kidding... so finally I think he was like ok you guys can go on, so we get back in the truck, and one of the cops comes over to my window and demands that I give him my ROOM NUMBER at the hostel and I was like how dare you!!! And the driver ended up giving them 5$... then we drove off... but it was just like... so annoying the way these guys abuse their power, and how unprofessional and flirtatious they were being, and how they made such a big deal out of it even though everyone knows you do not carry your passport with you to remote locations... during the whole interaction I kind of felt jittery and nervous because of all the movies I have watched, but I suppose it turned out the best way it could have.
So, then we got to the hotsprings, and the plan was to ride the bikes 30k back to the town, but some black clouds rolled in just as we arrived, so we got the driver to stay and wait for us while we bathed in the lukewarm water and went down the waterslide. It was a very pretty and green location, up in the hills, and the air temp was quite cool (especially with the rain).
On our drive out of town, I spotted out of the corner of my eye, Yogenfruz!!! The frozen yogurt we were obsessed with in Santiago.. I didn't know where it was so I basically just set out blindly and walked through some pretty shady areas of town, but once I arrived it was so worth it! I got watermelon flavor, and then I got coffee oreo flavor. Yum Yum
Then I went to eat dinner at a Mexican food place, and I got the veggie burrito and asked for a side of rice and beans. The waiter said they didn't have rice and beans, and I was like...and you dare call yourself a mexican food restaurant???
After that, we went to... the circus!!! Seriously! It was the Mexican circus in town! It was pretty cool, I have a vague memory of going to a circus a long time ago in Austin. At this circus they had baboobs doing tricks, tightrope walkers, dogs playing soccer, horses, a guy dancing with ribbons, etc, and 7 huge tigers! oh and 3 guys in a huge wire ball cage riding motorcycles around inside the ball (coolest part).
So, all in all it was quite an eventful and interesting day.
? how much are you paying your driver? are you paying him in dollars or colombian pesos? where are you going? And he just has this like menacing attitude going on, and it was hard for me to shake off my flippant attitude and be respectful, but I was basically trying to handle it by smiling and making him realize that he really has no reason to harrass us. Then he is like well what should we do... should we take you guys down to the immigration office so they can deport your friend? or...... (at this time I kind of realized he was asking for a bribe, but since I had never been bribed by a policeman I was kind of in disbelief that it actually happens), so I said no there is no reason for us to go to the office, we can turn around and go get our passports at the hostel, but we just want to go to the hotsprings. Then the cop starts asking 'well why didn't you invite us to the hotsprings???' and I'm like well you don't have your bathingsuits... and then the cops are asking me for my cellphone number, for my chat screen name, what hostel i'm staying at, and i'm trying to deflect the flirting and turn it into more of a silly joke type situation, and they keep asking for a 'regalo' so they can buy sodas, and I'm like are you kidding... so finally I think he was like ok you guys can go on, so we get back in the truck, and one of the cops comes over to my window and demands that I give him my ROOM NUMBER at the hostel and I was like how dare you!!! And the driver ended up giving them 5$... then we drove off... but it was just like... so annoying the way these guys abuse their power, and how unprofessional and flirtatious they were being, and how they made such a big deal out of it even though everyone knows you do not carry your passport with you to remote locations... during the whole interaction I kind of felt jittery and nervous because of all the movies I have watched, but I suppose it turned out the best way it could have.
So, then we got to the hotsprings, and the plan was to ride the bikes 30k back to the town, but some black clouds rolled in just as we arrived, so we got the driver to stay and wait for us while we bathed in the lukewarm water and went down the waterslide. It was a very pretty and green location, up in the hills, and the air temp was quite cool (especially with the rain).
On our drive out of town, I spotted out of the corner of my eye, Yogenfruz!!! The frozen yogurt we were obsessed with in Santiago.. I didn't know where it was so I basically just set out blindly and walked through some pretty shady areas of town, but once I arrived it was so worth it! I got watermelon flavor, and then I got coffee oreo flavor. Yum Yum
Then I went to eat dinner at a Mexican food place, and I got the veggie burrito and asked for a side of rice and beans. The waiter said they didn't have rice and beans, and I was like...and you dare call yourself a mexican food restaurant???
After that, we went to... the circus!!! Seriously! It was the Mexican circus in town! It was pretty cool, I have a vague memory of going to a circus a long time ago in Austin. At this circus they had baboobs doing tricks, tightrope walkers, dogs playing soccer, horses, a guy dancing with ribbons, etc, and 7 huge tigers! oh and 3 guys in a huge wire ball cage riding motorcycles around inside the ball (coolest part).
So, all in all it was quite an eventful and interesting day.
Islas del Rosario
On Tuesday I woke up early and caught the boat out to the Islas del Rosario (to playa blanca). The beach is long, with fine white sand and shack restaurants lining the whole way down. I got off the boat and got comfortable on the sand to finish reading Angels and Demons. The second I layed down I was surrounded by at least 5 local men trying to make conversation as I was obviously reading, trying to sell me bracelets, oysters, and who knows what else. Women kept coming by and trying to convince me to get a masage, some of them would even start touching me and saying 'oh no this masage is for free! a present!' (definitely not for free). But, I tried to focus on my book. Other than the sellers, the beach was pretty quiet and empty. The water was a gorgeous shade of light, clear, electric blue and the ocean was super calm. I got some good work done on my tan, and besides the people it was a relaxing, nice day at the beach.
one funny thing about colombia- the coffee is great, but the largest cup size appears to be a 2 oz serving...?
also the men here have their own catcall- psst...pssst....pssssst...PSST!PSST!PSSST!!!!! (which I don't understand, it's like i'm obviously ignoring them, but they just keep getting louder and louder) I feel like 80% of the car wrecks here could be attributed to men craning their neck through the window to get a good long look at passing ladies.
one funny thing about colombia- the coffee is great, but the largest cup size appears to be a 2 oz serving...?
also the men here have their own catcall- psst...pssst....pssssst...PSST!PSST!PSSST!!!!! (which I don't understand, it's like i'm obviously ignoring them, but they just keep getting louder and louder) I feel like 80% of the car wrecks here could be attributed to men craning their neck through the window to get a good long look at passing ladies.
Santa Marta and Parque Tayrona
So, I am losing track of the days, but I guess that is what is supposed to happen when you are at the beach :)
Santa Marta is a beach town 4 hours from Cartagena. My hostel, La Brisa Loca is a spanish style house with a pool in the center from which you can watch movies on the big screen... so needless to say I spent 3 days just lounging at the pool, watching movies, and eating at the Mexican food restaurant next door where I'm already a regular and the lady just smiles and asks 'same thing again?'.
I had heard so many wonderful things about Parque Tayrona so I decided to head down there on my own. From the park entrance its a 45 minute hike through genuine jungle where there were 8 inch black centipedes everywhere, blue morpho butterflies, bright turquoise/green lizzards, and a bright red squirrel. It was a very nice walk to the campsite, Arecifes, where I rented my hammock and set out for the swimming beach (the beach in front of Arecifes says 'more than 200 tourists have drowned here, don't be part of the statistic'). The first beach is in a little cove surrounded by trees, so I set out here and finished reading my murder mystery novel. The sun sets promptly at 6:30 and after that it's just a matter of entertaining yourself until you can fall asleep. I was worried about the bugs because there was no mosquito net, so I tried to cover up my whole body that night in the hammock. Of course, when I woke up I had tons of bites on the left side of my chest, on my hands and neck- the only parts I left uncovered! Those bugs are viscious!
The next day I met some boys from Ecuador who were my age as we were walking to the beaches, and I joined them to walk on to the next beach called La Piscina. It was absolutely gorgeous, calm, and relatively deserted. We were really enjoying it and commenting on how it was straight out of a postcard, and they said supposedly the next beach is even better. I thought, how could it get better than this? But decided to accompany them on to the next beach. The nice thing about the park is that to get from beach to beach you have to walk through the jungle and work up a sweat. We reached Cabo San Juan and I saw that indeed, it was the best beach out there! There is a hut for hammocks on the end of the peninsula, 2 bays framed by palm trees and tall jungly mountains, and the water... the water is the perfect temperature (refreshing but you can stay in it for hours without getting cold), it is super clear, and it is literally the color of emeralds. Yes, I was in heaven. That day I read Dances With Wolves and thought back fondly on all the times I had watched it with my parents- I really enjoyed the book a whole lot. We walked on a little further to check out the nude beach, but cabo san juan was nicer so we returned.
That night in the hammocks there was a fantastic storm, but I was kept mostly dry underneath the thatched shelter. The next morning as I was sleeping, someone nudged my arm and I thought it was my friend, but when I opened my eyes it was a Donkey...no joke. After breakfast of fruit and coffee- and a parrot coming and stealing my fruit, I walked on to Cabo San Juan. Another great day at the beach.
If only Bookpeople and Whole Foods could open up a store right there, I would definitely stay forever.
Now, back to Cartagena for a day!
Santa Marta is a beach town 4 hours from Cartagena. My hostel, La Brisa Loca is a spanish style house with a pool in the center from which you can watch movies on the big screen... so needless to say I spent 3 days just lounging at the pool, watching movies, and eating at the Mexican food restaurant next door where I'm already a regular and the lady just smiles and asks 'same thing again?'.
I had heard so many wonderful things about Parque Tayrona so I decided to head down there on my own. From the park entrance its a 45 minute hike through genuine jungle where there were 8 inch black centipedes everywhere, blue morpho butterflies, bright turquoise/green lizzards, and a bright red squirrel. It was a very nice walk to the campsite, Arecifes, where I rented my hammock and set out for the swimming beach (the beach in front of Arecifes says 'more than 200 tourists have drowned here, don't be part of the statistic'). The first beach is in a little cove surrounded by trees, so I set out here and finished reading my murder mystery novel. The sun sets promptly at 6:30 and after that it's just a matter of entertaining yourself until you can fall asleep. I was worried about the bugs because there was no mosquito net, so I tried to cover up my whole body that night in the hammock. Of course, when I woke up I had tons of bites on the left side of my chest, on my hands and neck- the only parts I left uncovered! Those bugs are viscious!
The next day I met some boys from Ecuador who were my age as we were walking to the beaches, and I joined them to walk on to the next beach called La Piscina. It was absolutely gorgeous, calm, and relatively deserted. We were really enjoying it and commenting on how it was straight out of a postcard, and they said supposedly the next beach is even better. I thought, how could it get better than this? But decided to accompany them on to the next beach. The nice thing about the park is that to get from beach to beach you have to walk through the jungle and work up a sweat. We reached Cabo San Juan and I saw that indeed, it was the best beach out there! There is a hut for hammocks on the end of the peninsula, 2 bays framed by palm trees and tall jungly mountains, and the water... the water is the perfect temperature (refreshing but you can stay in it for hours without getting cold), it is super clear, and it is literally the color of emeralds. Yes, I was in heaven. That day I read Dances With Wolves and thought back fondly on all the times I had watched it with my parents- I really enjoyed the book a whole lot. We walked on a little further to check out the nude beach, but cabo san juan was nicer so we returned.
That night in the hammocks there was a fantastic storm, but I was kept mostly dry underneath the thatched shelter. The next morning as I was sleeping, someone nudged my arm and I thought it was my friend, but when I opened my eyes it was a Donkey...no joke. After breakfast of fruit and coffee- and a parrot coming and stealing my fruit, I walked on to Cabo San Juan. Another great day at the beach.
If only Bookpeople and Whole Foods could open up a store right there, I would definitely stay forever.
Now, back to Cartagena for a day!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
