Recap: Bolivia

9 days in Bolivia.

Isla del Sol:

After getting over the $135 visa that is good for 5 years, I spent a night on Isla del Sol which is an island on Lake Titicaca. The lake is majestic and the views are incredible. Breathtaking as they say. The sun beats hard, but the cold nips you.

The first Inca is said to come from Isla del Sol.

I was going to spend a night on one of the reed islands in Puno, but due to the time constraint I had to press forward. By the way, from the looks of it, Puno is a shit city and you should just try to get straight to the reed islands and then get out of Puno as soon as possible.

La Paz:

When I first was driving into La Paz, the landscape reminded me a lot of Bogotá. However, it felt a lot more dangerous than Bogotá once I started walking around. The tourists area is pretty small and I found it quite easy to navigate around La Paz. The altitude got to me! Step, step, puff, puff, puff. Gah, I felt like I was 60 and needed a cane or something because I was so out of breath. We climbed to the top of the hill instead of the bus in efforts of saving maybe 50 cents. Hey, when you are abroad all money is big money!

The Infamous Death Road:

I forgot all the statistics, but it was something crazy like the road averaged 2 deaths per month and on average 26 vehicles plummet down a cliff each year.

You start at 15,500 feet and finish at 3,700 feet. Yep, that is me doing a cartwheel!

When biking, it sometimes felt like it wasn't scary at all and it was easy breezy. Then, I would look slightly to my left and my hands would start to sweat all over again. Ya, I avoided doing that too often.

Uyuni Salt Flats:

I had to get south rather quickly and the days were ticking. I booked a tour and headed down to Uyuni Salt Flats.

I took a nap for an hour or so and still woke up to this. Salt. Salt. Salt! The mountains looked super cool from a distance because it appeared as though they were floating. Awesome!

Fish Island:

Cactus! With all this salt, I didn't think that there would be much vegetation. Apparently, the Inca planted the cactus. It grows 1cm every year. Wowzers!

Flamingoes:

The flamingoes are vacationing in Bolivia. They migrate from Chile. They looks so pretty. So delicate.

Green Lagoon:

After the Salt Flats, there are a bunch of different colored lagoons, some of which have flamingoes. All of the lagoons are utterly beautiful, but it was so freaken cold I did not know what to do with myself. Photo is courtesy of Antonio from Spain.

And yes, I was that cold!!!

Side Note: Not too many people know of my aversion to aviators. So for those of you that do know, do not think of it as selling out please! The sunglasses were only $2 and I needed some to protect against the brightness of the salt. I think other people look good with them, but I feel like I am trying too hard or something.

Red Lagoon:

I remember pulling up to this scene. I am in a green Toyota Landcruiser behind the passenger's seat and I remember feeling like I was going to Mars. Red all over the show. Ahh, not too many things astound me, but I had goosebumps.

Volcano:

The very back of this photo there is a volcano, but what I thought was surprising were these green mound plant things. It reminded me of scuba diving.

Geyser:

We woke up rather early to catch the geysers. Once the sun is up, it is too difficult to see the smoke.

Face:

Heading South to see the lagoons, there was a bunch of rock formations that we would stop to see. This one looked like a face to me, but I was the only one who could see it. The boys were saying I ate too many coca leaves. yehahahaha, but tell me you see it!

Chile: San Pedro de Atacama

I had a brief stint in Chile as I was trying to reach Argentina. Sara was meeting us up on 09/29 and I wanted to have time to see Iguazu Falls and so I wanted to reach Iguazu ideally by 09/25. I spent 1 night in Calama to reach Salta.

To the left is the Atacama desert. I only caught glimpses of the desert as I was on the bus. There are huge cracks in the ground because of all the earthquakes. Stunning, wouldn't you say?

Recap: Peru

21 days in Peru.

Iquitos: View of the Amazon River.

Via the Amazon River, I made it to Peru. The boat left at 4 or 5am and I remember waking up for a few precious seconds to see the sunrise. I wanted to take a picture so badly, but I did not have the energy. The image still burns vividly in my mind. Yes, that beautiful.

Welcome:

First meal once I got to Lima. A little welcome sampler to Peru. Ceviche and a pisco sour for lunch at Punto Azul. The best place for ceviche or so everyone says. They served corn kernels or something like that as a starter and they were delicious!

Lima:

Lima is a pretty shitty capital. I think there are parts that are actually beautiful, but it needs a paint job. Things are just a bit rundown, but I could see that it could be gorgeous and if it were a bit more safe.

Cusco:

Cusco is where many start their Machu Picchu tour. I met with Corina and the next day booked a 5 day trek to Machu Picchu. Cusco was also a lot bigger city than I imagined. Any outdoor gear you may need, you could easily find it all here.

Salkantay:

We did not do the classic Inca tour, but opted for the Salkantay trek. Salkantay is the name of the mountain. We reached 4,600 meters and I did get altitude sickness. The guide kept giving me coca leaves to fight the dizziness. (Read my other blog entry for more info.)

Monkey Business:

This monkey was so annoying. It would eat our popcorn. It also chowed down a lot of sugar. Crazy monkey!

Chaos:

The gate to hike up to the entrance of Machu Picchu opens at 5am. However, people begin to wait much before that. We got there at 4:15am. It should take around 45 min to get to the top. The main reason why people want to get there early is because they only allow 400 people to enter Machu Picchu daily. Only 200 people can go to Wayna Picchu at 7am and another 200 people can go to Wayna Picchu at 9am. Our group wanted the 9am slot and so getting to the top before the buses arrived was imperative.

Machu Picchu:

By the point I reached the entrance, I was exhausted. Finally, saw Machu Picchu! CHECK!

Amazon Tour:

Corina left the next day back to the States and 2 days later I went on a 6 day Amazon tour and 4 days of volunteering in the Amazon. When I was in high school, I would tell people that I always wanted to camp in the Amazon. Another dream, check!

Yes, and we have a mystery guest star in the green hood. Kelsey and I spend the next 5 days together in the Amazon. Random, I know.

Amazon Sunset:

Typical sunset. No big deal. Actually, completely awesome. I have a thing for sunsets, but, then again, who doesn't?

Clay Licks:

You can't really see it because the zoom on my camera sucks, but those are Macau birds. So beautiful! They lick calcium off the clay to balance their diet.

Amazon Sunrise:

At this point, we were on a catamaran looking for otters on an oxbow lakes. Ever since junior year of high school, I loved oxbow lakes. I think they are just so beautiful.

Big Tree:

This is a huge, old tree. I forgot the name and all that stuff, but it was worthy of a photo of Machin Blanco (Kelsey) and me. The vines on the tree are so strong that it can withhold the weight of someone climbing the vine. The vine and tree have a symbiotic relationship.

Side Note: I have never heard "symbiotic relationship" more times than these past few months. I love that term and will look for all things symbiotic. If you encounter a symbiotic relationship, please share!

Low River:

All the locals were complaining of the low river waters. They have to walk farther to reach water. The river could be as much as 10 meters deeper during rainy season. The river was so low that we had to push the boat at one point. Eeek!

Monkeys: Chico and Paula.

As I mentioned, I volunteered for 4 days in the Amazon on a Reforestation project. These 2 monkeys were all over the show. One night, I woke up to something by my tent and I had no idea what it was. I frantically searched for my light. Lo and behold, Paula just wants to cuddle. Gah, at least she doesn't bite. Chico bites.

Goodbye:

After all that nature time in Peru, I had to head to Bolivia. My time was cutting short and I had to get to Argentina by 09/25. At this point, it was 09/14 when I got back to Cusco. I had 11 days to traverse about 2,200 miles to Iguazu Falls in Argentina. I got in to Cusco at 5am and by 8pm that night I was on a bus heading to Copacabana, Bolivia.

Thoughts: Peru is overrun by tourists and I did not have enough time to hang out with locals as much as I did in Colombia. I really wanted to go to Nazca to see some art (geoglyphs), but no time unfortunately. Next time.

Recap: Colombia

26 days in Colombia.

Cartagena: Spanish, colonial city.
Flew from San Juan, Puerto Rico to the Caribbean side of Colombia. Fresh squeezed juices and fruits everyday. The picture on the left is the enclosed Old City at night. In this plaza, they have nightly performances. Stayed at Casa Viena. Ok place, but most people stayed at Media Luna. However, a lot of prostitutes roam that area which is just around the corner, but there are several bars just outside where prostitutes rule the domain. Getsemani (the area) is known to have prostitutes. Media Luna also has a decent bar.

Trek to Ciudad Perdida:

A village on the way to the Ciudad Perdida (The Lost City) which was discovered in the 70s and open to tourists in the 80s. It is a 5 day trek, 4 if you are ambitious. You cross rivers and jump in pools. An even bigger bonus is that you and your tour group are the only ones at the site. The only way to access Ciudad Perdida is by hiking. Therefore, there are a lot less tourists than Machu Picchu.

Sleeping in Hammocks:

Ya, it sounds like a lazy man's dream to sit and sleep in a hammock all day, but, please, not at night in place of a bed! Yes, neck cricks. And how do you expect to spread and roll around.

You can't. Stuck in one position and who ever likes to be in 1 position?

The Locals:

Indigenous tribes still live in the jungle. Ciudad Perdida is in Sierra Nevada, Colombia which is close to Tayrona National Park. The people are very shy and tend to not like having their picture taken. Always good to ask people permission before taking a photo.

The Lost City: And My Love of Moss.

Those may not know that Janet and I share the same affinity towards moss. How could you blame us? It looks awesome and creates some sort of mystery. I love it! LOVE! This picture was taken after climbing a 1000+ stairs to finally reach the common people area of Ciudad Perdida. Gah, I still remember climbing up the slippery steps. Don't worry they weren't steep, but just a lot.

The View:

This is probably the most famous image of Ciudad Perdida. I think that is where only people high in society can go like priests, kings, or queens. Yes, that is a military man with a grenade launcher.

The Protection:

There is a rotation of 40 or so military men that guard Ciudad Perdida. The guerrilla is alive and kicking around the area and the government does not want anyone to get kidnapped again. The guys are really nice especially to the ladies. If you bring cigarettes and other things of that nature, you could trade the men for some of the military garb. Legend has it that a Brit traded a couple packs of cigs for a military helmet. The guy just ripped the name off the back of the helmet. Now, how many cigs do I have to give to launch a grenade? yehahhahahaha. Kidding.

Lucky:

They say if an "89" butterfly lands on you it is good fortune. Unfortunately, these guys did not land on me, but they sure

look awesome for a photo.

Done!:

Shoes all muddy. Wearing someone else's socks. Bloody ankles. Feet explosion. Thank goodness I am done! Well, practically. The home stretch and it felt good to take in the view and sit. Although, that grass was a bit itchy. All that is missing is a brewsky or a Coca Cola.

Medellín: Botero Statue.

So, after Ciudad Perdida, the group all met up in Taganga (a small beach town) and ate at PachaMama. We were used to waking up at 6am, hiking by 7am, sleeping by 9pm (at the latest), and not much drinking besides a beer after a day's hike. We ate, we drank, and I got sick and was stuck in a shit hole (Santa Marta) for 3 days until I healed to catch a flight to Medellín. This is a Botero sculpture which is all over the place in the city. Botero is from Medellín and his sculptures and paintings are of people with skewed or large shapes.

Side Note: In Africa, the driver had a place list that played the song "Big girls you are beautiful!" quite often. Everytime I heard the song, it reminded me of Botero and Colombia, mi corazon.

Coffee Region:

So, after the big city life, I headed to a small town, Salento, which is in the coffee and chocolate region in Colombia.

Here, I met the cutest old man farmer who taught us how to roast some coffee. Yum!

Salento: View from the Hostel.

I played the most pool in this small town or any small town for that matter. What else is there to do really? There was this other local game where we threw clay and tried to hit the gunpowder. Such a cute, little town! I loved it here. A very good and needed break.

Cocora Valley: The National Tree.

Palm trees in the Andean Mountains! Who knew? It is mysterious and so beautiful! A must see. Take a bus from the Salento plaza and you could go on glorious hikes. Take the earliest bus out because it does start to get foggy as the day progresses.

Favorite Hostel in Colombia: Casona de Lily

Lily is seriously one of the warmest people you could meet. This is her kitchen. She really embraced "mi casa es su casa." She did not speak English and with my limited Spanish we sure did have some animated conversations! yehahahahhahahaha.

Bogotá: View from the Funicular.

Bogotá is huge and has a good mix of lifestyles. It is not like there is thaaaaat much to see and do, but I got along well with the city.

Police Museum: Gun Guitar

That is Pablo Escobar's guitar. There are only 5 in the world all of which are custom made. It does work as a guitar and gun! How cool.

Salt Cathedral:

For some reason or other, the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá is a big tourist attraction. When you get there, it is set up like an amusement park. It really is just an underground salt mine/cathedral. It is huge, but I do not think it is worth the 1 hour trip out of Bogotá. I would have rather sat around the city more.

Leticia: Middle of Nowhere.

Leticia is a city in the Colombian Amazon. The only way to get here in Colombia is essentially via plane. It is an area called the 3 Frontiers as it borders Brasil and Peru. Within hours, I went to all 3 countries. I didn't need a visa into Brasil because it is open border policy.

Border Crossing: To Peru.

On my way to Peru to meet up with Corina. From Leticia, I took a fast boat which would take 12 hours instead of 3 days to Iquitos, Peru. Iquitos is known to be the largest city in the middle of nowhere.

Colombia is my favorite South American country thus far. The people!

So Fresh and So Clean Clean

For the first time in 4 and a half months I actually feel clean. Damn, real towels feel so good. And, I am also wearing clothes without holes.

Back to my American ways.

Land of the Free

Ok, I made it back home. Officially landed in today and have been sleeping since I got home for the most part. But before any sleeping, I did go to Costco with the fambam. Nothing like a $1.50 Polish with unlimited Coke to welcome me back Stateside. Of course, I also tried the Carne Asada Bake which is better than the Chicken Bake, but I would rather eat a burrito at that point.

Warning: Potentially long post.

Anyways, I really wasn't able to update as much as I wanted to in Africa due to slow and limited internet connections, but as I left off when I was in Zanzibar the only place I went to after was the Serengeti before heading into Kenya.

More thoughts on Zanzibar:

After relaxing for 2 days on the beach, it was time to head back to Dar Es Salaam. Before doing so, we were able to shop in Stonestown before catching the ferry. Stonestown is 95% Muslim and so being more covered up is highly recommended for the ladies. We went on a Spice Tour before we headed to the gorgeous beaches of the southern part of the island. Zanzibar was where they auctioned slaves that were heading to Americas and the Middle East. I went to the site where the kept the slaves before being auctioned. Then, we went on a plantation to check out all the spices. Tasted fruits and smelled delicious spices. Zanzibar is beautiful and if you are in Tanzania it shouldn't be missed.

The Serengeti:

Has a very special place in my heart. Do not get me wrong. I also loved Etosha National Park in Namibia and Chobe National Park in Botswana, but the Serengeti is what the Lion King is based off of. Well, there and the Masai Mara in Kenya.

Before heading into the Serengeti, we stopped at some photo spots and learned a bit about Olduvai Gorge which is where there is a bunch of excavating.

Ngorogoro Crater:

It is about 260 square kilometers and about 20,000 animals inhabit this small area. Needless to say, we saw a lot of outstanding things. My favorite was seeing a pride of lions stalk some buffalo. The prospect of seeing a kill made my heart beat faster. Exciting!!!!!! Unfortunately, the lions were not too serious, but I spent an hour observing these kings and hoping that they would just run at full speed and attack, but unfortunately fate did not have its way. The lions were really close and even sneaked around behind the truck. Awesome!

Animals are such lazy creatures for the most part. Well, cats that is. They just eat and sleep and mostly sleep and lounge around in a spot the whole day. Lucky to see it walking around. And yes, we were lucky enough to see a cheetah walk a few steps and drink some water. We were also slightly unlucky and about half an hour too late too see 3 male lions and 1 female lion in apride make a kill. We did see them chowing down though and the hyenas trying to take scraps of whatever food they can get. Amazing! Also, very odd to see 3 male lions and 1 female usually it is the opposite.

We also saw ostriches mate which was very interesting! Basically the female does a little dance and runs away and the male follows and does a little dance until they get closer and closer to each other. The female then sits down and the male does his thing from above.

It is so hard to describe everything I saw and felt because blahblahblah "you had to be there."

After the Serengeti, it was just a drive to Nairobi and the tour was over. Sad and relieved. Nairobi is not as dangerous as I heard and it was actually one of the better cities that we went to. We almost missed our flight, but I am officially in the States for the next month or 2. More thoughts on that later. For now, enjoy a current, haggard photo of me!!!!!!!!! yehahahhahahahah...Oh, the joys of fast internet connection and a new computer! Yes, my family has now entered the MacKingdom.

P.S. I have missed you and all I hope to hear your lovely voices soon. And if possible, see you in real life.