Yesterday was such a long day. We started it off early by jumping in a bus towards Rio de Janeiro. We started up the coast, then country side, then Rio. The tall buildings of the city lie right next to the beach and back up into the steep hills. The first day was foggy and everyone was so anxious to see Christ the Redeemer on the mountaintop. Our hotel, the Atlantico Copacabana is in the beach town of Copacabana and the first thing we did was walk to the beach. Oh- after buying a pair of Havianas (my tevas are dead). Havianas are flip flops made in Brasil. They are comfy and were really cheap.
At the beach we ordered coconut water and the guy (literally) threw the coconut up in the air, chopped his knife a few times and stuck a straw in the green nut. All three of us laughed. Steph and I got churros from a street vendor and Doreen and I got acai. Acai is a local fruit that is served like a smoothie. It is really dark and we ate it with granola. We had dinner at a churrascaria last night. The restaurant was all you can eat and we did just that. There was a salad bar with sushi and then they bring out big hunks of meat and cut off pieces onto your plate. Everything was sooooo good.
We woke up full this morning so we walked to the top of our building (15 flights) to see if we could see the Christo. We couldn’t see him, because there was a whole lot of fog. I spotted it as soon as we climbed in the tour van for our city tour. We went to visit him first and on the way up we spotted some monkeys. The driver asked if anyone had a banana and I did, so we fed it to the monkeys so they would stick around long enough for us all to take pictures. The views from there were great and then we went up into the fog. The Christo was awesome, but it was so foggy at times we could not even see it. We got some good pictures and then headed out. We stopped to take pictures of a favella on the way down. A favella is Rio´s shanty towns. I think there are 3 and this one- well, let´s just say: If you must live in the slums, this one has the best view.
Unfortunately the futbol stadium was closed so we moved on to where they hold the Carnival in Rio each year. All the women tried on mock costumes and danced around while the men took pictures. We visited the ´new´ Cathedral (there must be and old one). It was circular with four huge stained glass windows. I can not even explain it, you all will have to see the pictures. We drove through Ipanema and the group ate lunch in Copacabana. Since we had brought snacks, we walked down to the fort that sits on a peninsula between Copacabana and Ipanema. Last stop was the Sugar Loaf or Pao de Acucar. The views were phenomenal since the sky had cleared. To end the day trip, Doreen donated some money to a metallic street performer. She gave Doreen a kiss on the hand and a little ring for a souvenir.
All three of us love Rio so far and are definitely excited about the weather. The weather in Rio is what we expected for the rest of the cities that we visited, so we finally get to wear something other than our jeans and jackets. We only have 2 days left, but we still have a lot planned. We are going out tonight to learn Samba (typical Brazilian dance). Tomorrow we are going to a futbol game and I want to pick up a Caipirinha. (A Caipirinha is a Brazilian mixed drink that is made with lime, sugar and a liquor made from cane sugar.)
Friday, August 31, 2007
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
where is the sun?
Paraty (pronounced par.ah.ch.ee. -remeber to roll your R) is awesome. There are mountains all around and the water is so clear. We woke up early to do laundry and use the Internet. Breakfast was good- my favorite was the strawberry tea.
Today we took a boat ride around the little cove of Paraty. There are bunches of little islands owned by rich Brazilians in this area. A few people from our group rode with us and we all enjoyed every bit. There was live music and the boat made 3 stops. We stopped at a beach first where Steph and I jumped in the water even though we were already cold. The water was warm and before we even had a chance to dry off we stopped at a place to snorkel. There weren´t any fish bigger than my fist, so we hung around the boat instead. Next we had a quick lunch and stopped at another beach. It started to rain and the deck boys opened the tarp. We walked through old town Paraty on the way home (very touristy) and I bought a very cute purse- I am so sick of carrying my little backpack! The streets are designed so that when the tide comes up it fills the streets with water and cleans them. It also looks neat.
Doreen, Steph and I made a trip to the grocery store and bought some beer and wine for tonight. Next stop was the sauna and then the best shower we have seen (or felt) yet. We ordered pizza and playing a few hands of cards. Now, I´m calling it a night. ´Night!´
Today we took a boat ride around the little cove of Paraty. There are bunches of little islands owned by rich Brazilians in this area. A few people from our group rode with us and we all enjoyed every bit. There was live music and the boat made 3 stops. We stopped at a beach first where Steph and I jumped in the water even though we were already cold. The water was warm and before we even had a chance to dry off we stopped at a place to snorkel. There weren´t any fish bigger than my fist, so we hung around the boat instead. Next we had a quick lunch and stopped at another beach. It started to rain and the deck boys opened the tarp. We walked through old town Paraty on the way home (very touristy) and I bought a very cute purse- I am so sick of carrying my little backpack! The streets are designed so that when the tide comes up it fills the streets with water and cleans them. It also looks neat.
Doreen, Steph and I made a trip to the grocery store and bought some beer and wine for tonight. Next stop was the sauna and then the best shower we have seen (or felt) yet. We ordered pizza and playing a few hands of cards. Now, I´m calling it a night. ´Night!´
buen dia
Yesterday was a very long day. We started by waiting for some of our group to fly in a helicopter over the falls and then we visited the Brazilian side of the falls. The views were just as pretty from that side. You can not get as close, but you look at a full landscape of waterfalls. The rainbows were awesome, but like Machu Picchu, there were lines and lines of people. After viewing we waited for our group to eat a snack.
~We are starting to see the differences between traveling in a group and on our own. The group is great. There are 15 of us all together including our leader, MEgan. We are the only group from the states and there is a mother/daughter, brother/sister couples, singles and friends. We all get along, but the group is pretty quiet. It is great having someone work out all the transportation and any problems that may arise, but traveling with the group means you don´t have many choices and there is a lot of waiting around.
So back to the story... we traveled so much after visting the falls. We didn´t get into bed last night until 1 a.m. First we took a bus to the airport and then plane to Sao Paulo. Although we did not see much of Sao Paulo, we saw some of the shanti towns in the surrounding areas. Sao Paulo is about 26 million people big, is mostly is business city and has lots of poverty. We took a bus from there to Paraty, which is about a 4 hour drive. We got a flat tire about 5 minutes before reaching our hotel and had to stand in the rain while they changed it. When we arrived at our hotel they were´t expecting us until tonight, so we walked across the street to another place. We are back at the first hotel for breakfast this morning. It is not sunny now, but we hope to head to the beach or take a boat ride today.
~We are starting to see the differences between traveling in a group and on our own. The group is great. There are 15 of us all together including our leader, MEgan. We are the only group from the states and there is a mother/daughter, brother/sister couples, singles and friends. We all get along, but the group is pretty quiet. It is great having someone work out all the transportation and any problems that may arise, but traveling with the group means you don´t have many choices and there is a lot of waiting around.
So back to the story... we traveled so much after visting the falls. We didn´t get into bed last night until 1 a.m. First we took a bus to the airport and then plane to Sao Paulo. Although we did not see much of Sao Paulo, we saw some of the shanti towns in the surrounding areas. Sao Paulo is about 26 million people big, is mostly is business city and has lots of poverty. We took a bus from there to Paraty, which is about a 4 hour drive. We got a flat tire about 5 minutes before reaching our hotel and had to stand in the rain while they changed it. When we arrived at our hotel they were´t expecting us until tonight, so we walked across the street to another place. We are back at the first hotel for breakfast this morning. It is not sunny now, but we hope to head to the beach or take a boat ride today.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Update!
FRIDAY:
We went to Ricoletta in Buenos Aires to see the cemetary. There were a million really extravagant graves. Each little house had marble, granite and stained glass. Many of them had two and sometimes even three floors. The dead were really repected and I wish I could say our all of our hostels were that nice! Afterwards we went to the fashion show and watched a catwalk of men for the designer Hermanos Estebecorena. To tell you the truth, the guys looked like they were wearing clothes you could find in any boy´s closet... but it was still an experience. That night we cooked our own pizza (with fresh tomatoes and onions) in the hostel and it was muy rico.
SATURDAY:
Technically the first day of the guided tour with GAP Adventures, we checked into the Waldorf Hotel- not so impressive, but nicer than a hostel and a great location. One cool thing that I liked was that the key is connected to the lights, so if you are not in the room, the lights are off (great energy saving idea). Josh took us around town one more time and we saw the widest street in the world and visited Belgrano Plaza for the fair.
SUNDAY (goodbye Buenos Aires):
The nice thing about the hotels is that the breakfasts are great. We enjoyed some delicious yogurt and cereal!!! The plane ride to Igauzu was short, but was late. Coming into Iguazu was very cool. Even though it is winter, everything is so green and the trees looked like broccoli from the plane. We bought wine, cheese and fruit from the grocery for lunch/dinner and it was all delicious, not to mention cheap!
MONDAY:
I was wrong- we don´t get to go to Paraguay, but I saw it from a distance!
Anyway, although we are staying on the Brazilian side of the falls, we saw the Argentine side today. We wandered throughout the park and every viewing point is just awesome. Most of the group went on a boat ride below the falls, but we opted out and hiked the island in the middle instead (hey it was free). This morning was cold, but the sun came out this afternoon. We kept running into this group of young missionaries and they kept trying to take pictures of me and Stephaine because of our blond hair. We saw this a lot in Peru, but the people in Buenos Aires are much lighter and just really don´t care, so it had not been that bad lately. The whole park was really neat and we learned about crazy animals called Quachumundos and saw lots of birds.
Don´t have time for anything else, Doreen and Steph are starving. Chao!
We went to Ricoletta in Buenos Aires to see the cemetary. There were a million really extravagant graves. Each little house had marble, granite and stained glass. Many of them had two and sometimes even three floors. The dead were really repected and I wish I could say our all of our hostels were that nice! Afterwards we went to the fashion show and watched a catwalk of men for the designer Hermanos Estebecorena. To tell you the truth, the guys looked like they were wearing clothes you could find in any boy´s closet... but it was still an experience. That night we cooked our own pizza (with fresh tomatoes and onions) in the hostel and it was muy rico.
SATURDAY:
Technically the first day of the guided tour with GAP Adventures, we checked into the Waldorf Hotel- not so impressive, but nicer than a hostel and a great location. One cool thing that I liked was that the key is connected to the lights, so if you are not in the room, the lights are off (great energy saving idea). Josh took us around town one more time and we saw the widest street in the world and visited Belgrano Plaza for the fair.
SUNDAY (goodbye Buenos Aires):
The nice thing about the hotels is that the breakfasts are great. We enjoyed some delicious yogurt and cereal!!! The plane ride to Igauzu was short, but was late. Coming into Iguazu was very cool. Even though it is winter, everything is so green and the trees looked like broccoli from the plane. We bought wine, cheese and fruit from the grocery for lunch/dinner and it was all delicious, not to mention cheap!
MONDAY:
I was wrong- we don´t get to go to Paraguay, but I saw it from a distance!
Anyway, although we are staying on the Brazilian side of the falls, we saw the Argentine side today. We wandered throughout the park and every viewing point is just awesome. Most of the group went on a boat ride below the falls, but we opted out and hiked the island in the middle instead (hey it was free). This morning was cold, but the sun came out this afternoon. We kept running into this group of young missionaries and they kept trying to take pictures of me and Stephaine because of our blond hair. We saw this a lot in Peru, but the people in Buenos Aires are much lighter and just really don´t care, so it had not been that bad lately. The whole park was really neat and we learned about crazy animals called Quachumundos and saw lots of birds.
Don´t have time for anything else, Doreen and Steph are starving. Chao!
Friday, August 24, 2007
tango, tango
Okay, so we arrived in Buenos Aires two days a go and for the first time actually got a taxi without the help of someone we have met. Therefore, we were probably horribly ripped off, but we arrived at our hostel safe and sound. The Chill House (our hostel) is warm and the people are very friendly. The first day we spent just walking around and exploring Palermo Viejo. Palermo Viejo (not Palermo Valermo) is a local residential area that has so much style. There is a fashion show going on this week and even though there are stray dogs and cats everywhere, the shops and restaurants are clean and expensive. That evening we hung around the hostel, ate dinner early and went to bed early.
One thing you should know about most of the countries in South America is that people stay out very late here- some of the bars and clubs do not open until around 2 a.m. When we stayed with Franco and Consuelo they went out until around 4 in the morning after we had retired!
Yesterday we saw La Boca, which is considered the mouth of Buenos Aires. People at our hostel helped navigate us there by bus and we took two different buses to get there. La Boca is filled with really colorful building and had a lot of tango dancers practicing on the street. There was a great art show there with lots of useless gifts and some cool things. One woman had carved little people on the ends of matches. We had el mate a typical Argentine drink that tastes much like tea. You drink it out of a funny looking cup. Our next stop was San Telmo, which has a great market on the weekend, but of course not when we were there. The area has many antique shops (Diane would have loved it). The plaza, Plaza Dortego was also full of artists selling their work. We walked down Florida Ave to the main square, Plaza de Mayo. We saw ´the pink building´ where Evita said ¨Don´t cry for me Argentina.¨ Doreen and I fed the pigeons with some chips left over from Peru. We finished walking Florida Ave towards the Plaza San Martin. The walk was very frustrating, because of all of the people. We had a difficult time navigating our way home- the buses do not pick up on the same street going towards Palermo (all the streets are one way). Finally we found the right street for the 106 and hopped on. Last night we went to dinner at a Chinese restaurant, which was silly being in South America and all, but very delicious. We ended the evening with a tango show and going to a club until 4 in the morning. We were with Doreen´s friend Josh and he went to breakfast after we left (but before going to bed)!!!
One thing you should know about most of the countries in South America is that people stay out very late here- some of the bars and clubs do not open until around 2 a.m. When we stayed with Franco and Consuelo they went out until around 4 in the morning after we had retired!
Yesterday we saw La Boca, which is considered the mouth of Buenos Aires. People at our hostel helped navigate us there by bus and we took two different buses to get there. La Boca is filled with really colorful building and had a lot of tango dancers practicing on the street. There was a great art show there with lots of useless gifts and some cool things. One woman had carved little people on the ends of matches. We had el mate a typical Argentine drink that tastes much like tea. You drink it out of a funny looking cup. Our next stop was San Telmo, which has a great market on the weekend, but of course not when we were there. The area has many antique shops (Diane would have loved it). The plaza, Plaza Dortego was also full of artists selling their work. We walked down Florida Ave to the main square, Plaza de Mayo. We saw ´the pink building´ where Evita said ¨Don´t cry for me Argentina.¨ Doreen and I fed the pigeons with some chips left over from Peru. We finished walking Florida Ave towards the Plaza San Martin. The walk was very frustrating, because of all of the people. We had a difficult time navigating our way home- the buses do not pick up on the same street going towards Palermo (all the streets are one way). Finally we found the right street for the 106 and hopped on. Last night we went to dinner at a Chinese restaurant, which was silly being in South America and all, but very delicious. We ended the evening with a tango show and going to a club until 4 in the morning. We were with Doreen´s friend Josh and he went to breakfast after we left (but before going to bed)!!!
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
blue sky
Yesterday morning we hiked to the the top of Cerro San Cristobal: a small mountain above where we stayed in Bellavista. There is a statue of the Virgin Mary there and it would have had a great view of the city if there was not so much smog. Afterwards we visited the plaza de Armas with Garth. Steph and I were humiliated by a comedian in the main square.
Today we are in Palermo Valermo of Buenos Aires. gotta run. check out the 2 new entries below and pictures too.
Today we are in Palermo Valermo of Buenos Aires. gotta run. check out the 2 new entries below and pictures too.
Monday, August 20, 2007
it is chilly in Chile
I do not know why we all thought it would be warm and rainy in South America, but it is NOT. Every night has been in the 40s and brrrr! In Santiago there is snow on the mountains. We arrived late late Saturday night and I met a nice man named Vincinte on the plane who shared a taxi with us, since there was van waiting for us that we had requested from our hostel. He told me about the earthquake. He was at work and he said that it lasted for 2 and half minutes! I asked him if people ran and he said no, they were relatively calm and there was a lot of praying. It really was a tragedy and more and more we run into people who tell us about their experience with it. Even our cab driver´s brother´s wife was hurt.
Our first day in Chile, my b-day, we spent at the winery. We had to navigate our way there which was tough. So many people were trying to help us, but Chilean spanish is very hard to understand not to mention only Doreen has an easy time with the language. Finally we found a cab with the help of a new friend and although we were late, the wine was still very good. We had a nice dinner, but unfortunatelyI got sick (like Doreen and Steph before). I was up all last night emptying my stomach (not a fun ending to my 22nd).
Anyway, this morning we went to LA PARVA, a ski resort in Chile. We rode up on this road that was switchbacks all the way to the top. 41 in all I think and each one was labeled: curva 1, curva 2, you get the point. The snow was like spring skiing, but I know Marc and Ben are still jealous. The Canadian ski team was practicing and we had a great day. We are tired, so off to bed.
p.s. thank you for all of the birthday messages. I miss you all very much.
Our first day in Chile, my b-day, we spent at the winery. We had to navigate our way there which was tough. So many people were trying to help us, but Chilean spanish is very hard to understand not to mention only Doreen has an easy time with the language. Finally we found a cab with the help of a new friend and although we were late, the wine was still very good. We had a nice dinner, but unfortunatelyI got sick (like Doreen and Steph before). I was up all last night emptying my stomach (not a fun ending to my 22nd).
Anyway, this morning we went to LA PARVA, a ski resort in Chile. We rode up on this road that was switchbacks all the way to the top. 41 in all I think and each one was labeled: curva 1, curva 2, you get the point. The snow was like spring skiing, but I know Marc and Ben are still jealous. The Canadian ski team was practicing and we had a great day. We are tired, so off to bed.
p.s. thank you for all of the birthday messages. I miss you all very much.
leaving Peru..
We attempted to leave on Friday, but got to the airport and our flight did not leave until Saturday. oops- we must have had it written wrong on our itinerary. We took a cab back into Cuzco and found yet another place to stay. We could not stand the last hostel (full of lame Americans who only came to Peru to get drunk), so we headed back to the San Blas area of town. We found a nice hostel that served us Coca tea.
*coca tea is made by steeping coca leaves- a favorite of the natives and it is supposed to help with altitude adjustment. I absolutely love it.
Our last days in Cuzco were relaxing. In fact, we made guac from fresh ingredients we picked up at the market.
We spent some time in Lima on our way to Chile. We called Ana Maria, but she only sent us a taxi and did not meet us. We were very afraid when he came up to us asking for three white Americans. We made him call Ana Maria and because of the language barrier we had a hard time verifying that Ana Maria actually sent him for us. Finally he convinced us by showing Ana Marias number on his phone. Luckily our friend David came with us in the cab. Our driver, William drove us around Lima to the Plaza de Armas and Plaza de San Francisco. We took a tour of the catacombs- so cold and scary. All of the bones were arranged by the monks... so all of the skulls are together, and so on. We got some ceviche around the plaza and saw a large pile of donations for the victims of the earthquake. When we went to meet William in the place we had arranged, the street had closed. Fortunately we were able to find him on another road and made our flight on time.
GOODBYE PERU.
I think all three of us girls agree that the best part of Peru was the local Peruvians. From the beginning, Ana Maria was so welcoming and we adored them for the simplicity of their lives. Although we found ourselves close to poverty, the views of the Andes from Aguas Calientes, Cuzco and Machu Picchu (duh) were breathtaking. I loved the food. Everything was so cheap and very fresh- my favorite was the civiche was the best! Ceviche is paz (fish) and onions and lime and sweet potato!
*coca tea is made by steeping coca leaves- a favorite of the natives and it is supposed to help with altitude adjustment. I absolutely love it.
Our last days in Cuzco were relaxing. In fact, we made guac from fresh ingredients we picked up at the market.
We spent some time in Lima on our way to Chile. We called Ana Maria, but she only sent us a taxi and did not meet us. We were very afraid when he came up to us asking for three white Americans. We made him call Ana Maria and because of the language barrier we had a hard time verifying that Ana Maria actually sent him for us. Finally he convinced us by showing Ana Marias number on his phone. Luckily our friend David came with us in the cab. Our driver, William drove us around Lima to the Plaza de Armas and Plaza de San Francisco. We took a tour of the catacombs- so cold and scary. All of the bones were arranged by the monks... so all of the skulls are together, and so on. We got some ceviche around the plaza and saw a large pile of donations for the victims of the earthquake. When we went to meet William in the place we had arranged, the street had closed. Fortunately we were able to find him on another road and made our flight on time.
GOODBYE PERU.
I think all three of us girls agree that the best part of Peru was the local Peruvians. From the beginning, Ana Maria was so welcoming and we adored them for the simplicity of their lives. Although we found ourselves close to poverty, the views of the Andes from Aguas Calientes, Cuzco and Machu Picchu (duh) were breathtaking. I loved the food. Everything was so cheap and very fresh- my favorite was the civiche was the best! Ceviche is paz (fish) and onions and lime and sweet potato!
Thursday, August 16, 2007
killing time
In Cuzco again today. There was an earthquake yesterday in Lima, Peru (if you remember just a 20 hr bus ride away). We were in Machu Picchu at the time and did not feel a thing, so we have not yet really been affected by it. We do fly to Lima tomorrow and hope there are not delays...
Our last night in Aguas Calientes was nice. We ran into many of the people we saw at Machu Picchu and had a few drinks. There is not much of a nightlife, but we found a cute place to hang for the evening. We also visited the hot springs (that´s aguas calientes in spanish) before dinner to relax and chat.
It was light out for the train ride and taxi ride back to Cuzco this morning. All of the mountain sides have agricultural terraces, which the natives still use today. SOme of them are so high it must take them at least a day just to get there, not to mention bringing supplies up and the food down. Unfortunately both Doreen and Stephanie are sick with a flu (I think). Doreen was the first to get sick is now starting to feel better. After a twisting, turning drive down from Ollaytatambo, she threw up right in the street. Poor girls. I went off on my own and explored the cathedral at the Plaza de Armas and another church. I then met a nice man from New Jersey. There were these little kids trying to sell us overpriced finger puppets and they would not leave us alone. We asked them to go get us bananas- they did so we paid them for those instead. They didn´t bug us after that!
Probably just staying in tonight to take care of the sick ones. Buenos Noches!
Our last night in Aguas Calientes was nice. We ran into many of the people we saw at Machu Picchu and had a few drinks. There is not much of a nightlife, but we found a cute place to hang for the evening. We also visited the hot springs (that´s aguas calientes in spanish) before dinner to relax and chat.
It was light out for the train ride and taxi ride back to Cuzco this morning. All of the mountain sides have agricultural terraces, which the natives still use today. SOme of them are so high it must take them at least a day just to get there, not to mention bringing supplies up and the food down. Unfortunately both Doreen and Stephanie are sick with a flu (I think). Doreen was the first to get sick is now starting to feel better. After a twisting, turning drive down from Ollaytatambo, she threw up right in the street. Poor girls. I went off on my own and explored the cathedral at the Plaza de Armas and another church. I then met a nice man from New Jersey. There were these little kids trying to sell us overpriced finger puppets and they would not leave us alone. We asked them to go get us bananas- they did so we paid them for those instead. They didn´t bug us after that!
Probably just staying in tonight to take care of the sick ones. Buenos Noches!
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
lotsa llama
After a night of salsaing in Cuzco with Donny and his friend Alex, we spent yesterday in the walking around in the city. We saw a lot of local women on the streets with real llamas and the churches were very elegant. We had to buy tickets for Machu Picchu that evening for the following morning, but they were sold out and we about cried. Fortunately there were tickets to Machu Picchu for that evening leaving from a small town just an hour and thirty minutes from Cuzco. We immediately bought those tickets and headed back to the hostel to pack. We found a taxi driver to take us to Ollaytatambo where the train took us up to the town of Aguas Calientes.
Here in Aguas Calientes now, the town is surrounded by the Andes on all sides. Our hostel, although not as great as Casa de la Gringa in Cuzco, it has many windows and therefore an awesome view. Thankfully we were able to book an extra night last minute. We enjoyed some drinks last night at a local place. When we ordered a water our waiter walked across the street, bought a bottle and brought it right to our table.
We left for Machu Picchu early this morning and although the millions of tourists were very bothersome, we found an awesome room that we had all to ourselves. The views of the mountains were amazing. There were also many llamas on the ruins and we got some close pictures with them. One made a really great sound at Doreen that scared her away (I think it farted).
Heading down to Cuzco again for one more night and then off to Lima (for the day) and Santiago.
Adios!
Here in Aguas Calientes now, the town is surrounded by the Andes on all sides. Our hostel, although not as great as Casa de la Gringa in Cuzco, it has many windows and therefore an awesome view. Thankfully we were able to book an extra night last minute. We enjoyed some drinks last night at a local place. When we ordered a water our waiter walked across the street, bought a bottle and brought it right to our table.
We left for Machu Picchu early this morning and although the millions of tourists were very bothersome, we found an awesome room that we had all to ourselves. The views of the mountains were amazing. There were also many llamas on the ruins and we got some close pictures with them. One made a really great sound at Doreen that scared her away (I think it farted).
Heading down to Cuzco again for one more night and then off to Lima (for the day) and Santiago.
Adios!
Monday, August 13, 2007
20 horas to Cuzco
After a large and very yummy Peruvian dinner with Ana Maria in Lima with her family we got on the bus headed towards the mountains.
THe view from the bus was beautiful right up until the sun set over the ocean. The coast looked like it should be covered with fancy, expensive resorts, but was deserted other than a few small shacks. After it got dark we couldn´t see much, but the high mountain walls on either side of the bus. The bus was a double decker and they served us dinner and breakfast. The rided ended up deing only 20 hours long not 25! It was bumpy and very curvy- the road was often a dirt one and I think we may have hit a donkey or alpaca (like a mule) in the middle of the night. THe next morning we woke up on top of a mountain that had many locals´houses on both sides of the road. I saw a school, a graveyard and an out door shower. While it was not the most comfortable ride, we survived and so happy to now be in Cuzco.
The town of Cuzco is in a valley and covered with cobble-stone roads and many cute shops and restaurants. Our first hostel is cold, but cozy and mostly clean. Wè are staying in San Blas which is full of fast drivers (who are not afraid to use their horns), tourists and locals. Women walk up and down the steep streets with llamas hoping to get money to take pictures with them. Every shop and restaurant has such personality and we tried to visit each one of them around the Plaza de San Blas. It is a small area and we plan to visit the Plaza de Armas in the city of Cuzco tomorrow.
Okay ya´ll I must head to dinner and dancing with our new friend Donny.
Chao from Cuzco!
THe view from the bus was beautiful right up until the sun set over the ocean. The coast looked like it should be covered with fancy, expensive resorts, but was deserted other than a few small shacks. After it got dark we couldn´t see much, but the high mountain walls on either side of the bus. The bus was a double decker and they served us dinner and breakfast. The rided ended up deing only 20 hours long not 25! It was bumpy and very curvy- the road was often a dirt one and I think we may have hit a donkey or alpaca (like a mule) in the middle of the night. THe next morning we woke up on top of a mountain that had many locals´houses on both sides of the road. I saw a school, a graveyard and an out door shower. While it was not the most comfortable ride, we survived and so happy to now be in Cuzco.
The town of Cuzco is in a valley and covered with cobble-stone roads and many cute shops and restaurants. Our first hostel is cold, but cozy and mostly clean. Wè are staying in San Blas which is full of fast drivers (who are not afraid to use their horns), tourists and locals. Women walk up and down the steep streets with llamas hoping to get money to take pictures with them. Every shop and restaurant has such personality and we tried to visit each one of them around the Plaza de San Blas. It is a small area and we plan to visit the Plaza de Armas in the city of Cuzco tomorrow.
Okay ya´ll I must head to dinner and dancing with our new friend Donny.
Chao from Cuzco!
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Make New Friends
Thank God for friends like Ana Maria.
Unfortunately we did not have reservations for a place to stay in Lima last night. Our plane was also late getting in last night, but we met a senorita named Ana Maria and she was kind enough to offer her cousin´s house to us for the night. Many of her family members (probably 10 of them altogether) were at the airport waiting for her and they drove the three of us to their home in Santa Anita. Havier, a friend of Ana Maria, took us to Consuela y Franco´s home where we shared a cerveza con Franco. Salud! Our bed was warm with many blankets and heated water bottles and we had our very own bathroom to shower in the next morning.
Breakfast was delicious and included OJ, cafe, tameles, bread y queso and ham. Today we are exploring la playa y la ciudad Miraflores (looking at flowers). Henry, Ana Maria´s cousin, brought us to this Internet station and is taking us to see the beach next. We have bought our tickets for the infamous bus ride to Cusco and will leave at 5´30 tonight. We head out for dinner with Ana´s family and then head out. The weather here is much cooler than we expected, but Franco has already given us some gloves.
I miss you all! Love, Carly
Unfortunately we did not have reservations for a place to stay in Lima last night. Our plane was also late getting in last night, but we met a senorita named Ana Maria and she was kind enough to offer her cousin´s house to us for the night. Many of her family members (probably 10 of them altogether) were at the airport waiting for her and they drove the three of us to their home in Santa Anita. Havier, a friend of Ana Maria, took us to Consuela y Franco´s home where we shared a cerveza con Franco. Salud! Our bed was warm with many blankets and heated water bottles and we had our very own bathroom to shower in the next morning.
Breakfast was delicious and included OJ, cafe, tameles, bread y queso and ham. Today we are exploring la playa y la ciudad Miraflores (looking at flowers). Henry, Ana Maria´s cousin, brought us to this Internet station and is taking us to see the beach next. We have bought our tickets for the infamous bus ride to Cusco and will leave at 5´30 tonight. We head out for dinner with Ana´s family and then head out. The weather here is much cooler than we expected, but Franco has already given us some gloves.
I miss you all! Love, Carly
Friday, August 10, 2007
All Packed!
Hello all! I am all packed and ready to cross the equator. Our flight leaves 8:30 a.m. tomorrow morning and we are going to be sitting on planes and buses for about 2 out of the next 3 days. Hope I didn't forget anything!
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