TravelStream™ news feed for member bsuarez on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/bsuarez en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:04:47 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bsuarez/10/1258847000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bsuarez/10/1258847000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bsuarez/10/1258847000/tpod.html Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:04:47 -0500 Incas, Militares y Gringos, Oh My! - Equatorfest 2009

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Tabatinga, Estado do Amazonas, Brazil

I took the rápido from Iquitos. I went to the dock and looked at the slow boats and they did not look comfortable at all. So I arrived in Leticia a bit earlier than expected and I´m spending way more money than I´ve anticipated in the last few days, then again, I was able to save money by staying in Chincha Alta, so it should really just equal out in the end.But I passed into Brasil for the third time in my life. And luckily this time I didn´t have to buy a very costly visa to do it. Since you can only leave Tabatinga by air or river, they don´t require a visa to enter the city itself. However it is required if further travel is expected. I was able to go to a churrascaria today and I was the only one there. I had my selection of meat and salads and I filled myself up completely. I think I´ll skip dinner. Then I got myself some havaianas since I lost my other flip flops. So I did the typical Brasilian things in a moderate Brasilian city. But wow is it hot here. That´s why instead of doing the normal hostel situation, I got myself a private hotel room with a/c. I couldn´t be happier spending the extra money for it.I actually started off going for a dorm, but then I was shuttled around to a different place where the parrots were screaming loudly, so then I went back to the city, but then there wasn´t space so I just walked to the hotel and got a room, and it´s very nice and accomodating there. I haven´t gone to the jungle proper yet, but tomorrow I should pass by. I fly out of Leticia on Monday and then I´ll stay in Bogotá for the rest of my time. It should be carefree and easy for the most part and that´ll help me reacclimate to normal life.
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Machupicchu, Cusco, Peru

The trek itself was amazing. We started at the top of this crazy mountain and then the guide just started putting together bikes. Its been ages since Ive ridden a bike as well, but at least I know Im competent with bikes. So after a very short intro, we were off and I couldn´t believe that we were all riding down this mountain road on bikes. Some of the curves were a bit tight and there were a few landslides and water crossings, so it wasn´t all clear paths, but nothing too difficult. But to just be flying down the mountain with the wind beating at you and the cars sometimes passing on the other side with such amazing views. Ag. It was majestic.But then when we stopped for lunch it rained. And our next part was to be on dirt roads. And rain meant mud instead. I couldn´t even eat lunch because all the wind had passed through my lungs and dried it out and I was already miserable from a little bit of altitude illness. But I trucked on through and made it to the end. And when we did get to the end I had muddy clothes and I was still the only one wearing full sleeves and full length jeans. Everyone else was wearing warmer weather clothing. but I made a point to not wear anything that would expose me to mosquitos. And by the end of the trip Im pretty sure I don´t regret that decision at all. I think the worst was when we were at the inka ruins and the mosquitoes got everyone. Then once we finished with that we left our original group and met up with another group. The mythic group that I still miss a lot.A good mix of Spanish and English speakers and partyers and not-so-much-partyers and guys and girls and everything else. We were originally supposed to meet them all at the restaurant but no one was there and everyone I spoke to told me that they wouldn´t be there for a while and they´re probably at the hot springs. So Alex and I decided that we needed to cut the losses and find these guys out since they failed to wait for us. We took a colectivo and were able to find them at least. And we got an hour at the hot springs at least. But it was just a party bus on our way back to the hostel. And once we got there we started drinking before dinner. And then after dinner we went back to drinking at a bar and we owned the dance floor because no one else was there! Even our guide joined us in the dancing.The second day was walking instead. Our trekmates had just finished an 8 hr trek and we only had 5 hrs this day. And it wasn´t much climbing at all. It wasn´t bad. I think I had it worst for the long sleeves and jeans but it was the discomfort that I was willing to have. Very hot and a lot of following train tracks. I didn´t have too many issues with that because it created my pace and when listening to some good music you just follow that beat.So when we finally got to Aguas Calientes we settled into our hostel and got ready for more partying before we had an early wake up call for Macchu Picchu. If you couldn´t already tell the theme of our group was partying. I learned some fun card games and we went to bed at midnight and then woke up at 4 am. We just had to get the tickets for Wayna Picchu so we had to beat the bus there to get those tickets. And it was killer to climb so fast and I got dizzy. I blame that on one of my trekmates, and I let him know I was in no condition to go at his pace. He had his reasons, and I wasn´t as motivated so that´s just what it was. But we got to the peak before the bus hit and had a chance to celebrate with the others who climbed that morning as well. Macchu Picchu is a sacred place. Unfortunately when you´re with a party group and your guide is extremely boring, you don´t treat it that way. Rather than listen to our guide, we had a great time creating some interesting poses at the ruins. It really wasn´t until when we all went up Wayna Picchu to get a panoramic view (1 hr climb) that we really started to get what the hell went on with Macchu Picchu. You really have to put things in context and in modern terms to really know that it was absolutely amazing what the Inkas were able to complete with Macchu Picchu. And they did it without modern tools and you cannot believe it. So in the end our group from the trek did not end. We met up in Cuzco that night and celebrated Roberto´s birthday with a party that you really can´t forget. And we all did it in matching t-shirts - such a unified group we were. Was up for 24 hrs: climbing steps, desecrating ruins, sliding down rainy crevasses, riding buses, and dancing the night away.
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Iquitos, Peru

I absolutely detested going back the same way I had come down to Peru. And being at Puno, the furthest south I was, I had to go north. I had decided a while ago that I would try to fly up to the Amazon basin, cross the boat border to Colombia and then fly up to Bogota. Well it cost a lot to do it originally, and today it became even more costly.It all started this morning in Puno. Not so bad at all. Got up at 530 am left the hostel and caught a cheap combi to Juliaca then a more expensive moto to the airport. And it was very cold as well in the moto, so having my new favourite hat on made it a lot easier to bear. The airport itself is small, but serves the purpose. Or at least that´s pretty much what I put in the survey they gave to me later on. But all of yesterday I spent on the phone with people trying to get my name changed on the ticket because I was worried I´d be refused entry onto the plane in Juliaca because the name on the ticket did not match the name on the passport. I got through easily in the end. But at least I had peace of mind that the travel guard insurance had gotten LAN to put a note on the ticket that it was transposed. But that was the easy part. The bad part was being stuck around a huge tour group that had a lady who was passed out due to altitude sickness and then falling asleep for a half hour because the flight was delayed an hour for weather.I knew that I gave myself too little time between flights. I should´ve booked the earlier flight to be honest. So when I arrived in Lima, they were already getting final call, but my luggage hadn´t come on the carousel and I wouldn´t be let back to luggage claim if I had gone to the check-in desk. I missed the call by minutes actually. So I had to rebook for the later flight and paid 50 extra to do so. At least it gave me the opportunity to buy a book for my amazon boat ride and eat a proper peruvian lunch before I left.Worst of all it meant that the sun would already be down before I landed in Iquitos and I really wanted a chance to see the amazon river from above in full light. But at least I got here. I went from freezing in Puno to 30 degree C weather in the Amazon. Also, I managed to get cheap doxycycline for malaria treatment. 50 cents a pill. The pharmacist said I only needed it for 5 days after I leave the jungle but wikipedia says 4 weeks after. but if it´s this cheap here, I might as well go for a 4 week supply.I originally wanted to try to get on a boat today but with the flight delay that was impossible. So I was able to talk to some people who are more knowledgeable about the boats, and Ive decided to do a slow boat, but get a cabin to lock things up, and then stay in the jungle in Colombia and then head off to Bogota from there. Originally I was thinking of heading up to Cartagena for a night or two before Bogota, but I realised that Im never probably going to be in the Amazon region ever again, and I can always get a beach like Cartagena somewhere else. Plus it would e more expensive for an extra flight. So I´m going to do some jungle tours or something when I get to Colombia and then I´ll fly up to Bogota a day or two before I head back to the states (which is rapidly approaching).So if all goes to plan, I´ll be on a slow amazon river boat for the next three days and therefore out of contact. Then I´ll be in Leticia watching dolphins and macaws or something and then in Puerto Narino. Then by the time I get more constant net access, I´ll already be heading to the states!I´m excited to go back home to upload photos and finally be settling in a place for a few days and I miss the family as well. But at the same time, don´t want the trip to end as I´m just hitting the stride. 
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bsuarez/10/1258372695/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bsuarez/10/1258372695/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bsuarez/10/1258372695/tpod.html Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:34:16 -0500 Incas, Militares y Gringos, Oh My! - Equatorfest 2009

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Puno, Peru

Just arrived in Puno via night bus and yesterday I spent the entire day at Pisac where I was at the market bargaining and enjoying the company of the Quechua and artisans who were out there. Bought some amazing gifts and supported the death of alpacas and guinea pigs yesterday. Alpaca is nice to wear, but not the best to eat as it´s very tough and hard to eat. And guinea pig cannot be worn, but when I ate it, it had so little meat, it wasn´t worth it at all.Puno itself has interesting sights to see. At one point, it offers many tours off to Lago Titcaca and Sullestrani and other nearby sights and its so close to the border but at the same time it doesn´t look like there´s much there within the city. But when you really take a chance to look around there really is. There´s the coca museum, the condor lookout, the puma lookout, the mercado and all the rest.But the hardest is the cold here. Because Puno is so tall in altitude, it can get so cold at night and whatever. But at the same time, the sun is always out so you never know if it´s going to be be warm or if it´s going to be cold during the day.I arrived so early and met up with some guys that were on the Inka jungle trek along with me. So they were going on the tour over to Islas Flotantes so I joined with them. The interesting thing was that the islands were made of reeds so they are there just for the sake of not having any other land to live off of. But at this point the islands are so commercialized that as one of my travelmates called it <<Disneyland>>. You get to dress up in the local´s wears as you look at their local houses and then they take you to their personal mercado to sell their wares. Then you get the option to go on their reed boat for a small fee as well. It was a nice tour and I enjoyed it but many did not.Then the next day I got a few things sorted out because I noticed that my flight to Lima had my name reversed. So I spent the next three hours talking to the travel agents and my insurance company to see what I could do in advance. Then I went to the pharmacy to pack up on malaria  pills as well. When I felt that everything was settled I was able to go on a tour with one of my trekmates to Sullestrani.The tour itself was alright but I had just sent my laundry to be done so I had shorts on and it was raining so I was miserable. We eventually turned ourselves into photo maniacs and made several funny photos rather than trying to do anything that was rational and respectful. But when you´re miserable and bored, silly pictures come about.Tomorrow I will fly all the way to the Amazon basin and I will be in warm weather for one, but I will finally get a chance to catch up on everything. When you´re on a boat for three days straight,  you can catch up oin reading, journaling, pictures and just plain sleeping and eating. Cannot wait. As long as I get on the plane and my ticket still isn´t messed up.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bsuarez/10/1258369413/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bsuarez/10/1258369413/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bsuarez/10/1258369413/tpod.html Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:10:53 -0500 Incas, Militares y Gringos, Oh My! - Equatorfest 2009

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Islas Ballestas, Ica, Peru

The tour to the Islas Ballestas was fantastic. It was great to be on a speed boat, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching the captain operate the boat. The tour was filled with lots of people I usually wouldn´t be on a tour with but at the same time, it was one that you really can´t miss. They call the Ballestas the poor man´s Galapagos because it has more accessibility and provides a similar experience, but all in a very short tour with fewer animals. I got to see a live Humboldt penguin and many gulls and sea lions and other birds. It was also interesting to listen to both lanugages for the bilingual tour. And I admit that the guide was real good because he was pretty much exact in both languages. The downside to the tour was that everyone wanted a chance to see what was going on and thus were walking all over the boat and were snapping pictures and elbowing each other to be able to do so. The worse downside was that it mostly smelled of guano. Anyway, after I finished the tour, I went back to my hostal and then headed off to Pisco to call my director of the volunteership and then I caught the bus to Chincha Alta.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bsuarez/10/1257999124/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bsuarez/10/1257999124/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bsuarez/10/1257999124/tpod.html Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:26:25 -0500 Incas, Militares y Gringos, Oh My! - Equatorfest 2009

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Cusco, Peru

I made it to Cuzco via a very dangerous road on a night bus. I still can´t believe how the driver was able to take those hairpin curves and still manage to pass other buses and trucks along the way. The bonus part of the bus was that I got a chance to see Knowing with Nic Cage once again. I still don´t like the actor and the film was very annoying to watch. I love how the buses tend to show the same crap movies over and over. Long live Rob Schneider.I´m here in Cuzco and the first day I was just taking it differently as I´m back into travel mode. So of course since I´m staying at a party hostel, that´s what I was doing. My original plan was to take the bus to Ollantaytambo Thursday and then hit Macchu Picchu Friday. But instead when I asked about train tickets today at the hostel, I found out that it would be much more worthwhile to do the Inka Jungle trek as well as likely cheaper. Its a three day, two night tour. First day I will be mountain biking down some roads and trails and then hike up to Macchu Picchu the second and then the third is spent all day at Macchu Picchu. Everyone does a trek, so I figured I shouldn´t really be left out then. Its called the Inka Jungle trek but I´m not exactly sure how much jungle I will actually be going through.So after I set up that first tour and spent my remaining dollar reserves, I decided that I should figure out the rest of my schedule for the rest of the journey and get all the necessary things settled. So I got my overnight bus ticket to Puno that leaves Sunday and then I set up my hostel for when I get back to Cuzco on Saturday and then my hostel in Puno on Monday and Tuesday and then I decided to go for the splurge and buy a plane ticket from Puno all the way to Iquitos, which is in the northern Peruvian Amazon basin. I figured that I´ve been to South America so many times and Ive never had a proper rainforest tour experience. It cost a lot to buy that flight, but I reasoned it out that if I were to make my way back up to Bogota the same way it would cost half the dollars but I would spend four days in transit. And then Ill take a boat from Iquitos to the Brasilian/Colombian border and then take a flight from Leticia all the way up to either Bogota or Cartagena. I hear that the river boat travel is long and boring because there´s nothing to do but watch the river as you go by, but the pictures will likely be amazing. So if I don´t get jungle tomorrow, then I´ll get it when I got down the Amazon.So Cuzco is pretty much seen and done. I really only got a chance to eat some cheap meals and book all the things I need for the rest of my trip. And from now until the end of the journey, I´ll be taking things at a rough pace. The only things that will go slowly will be the times I spend in transit. But Im not really sparing any moments staying in any cities anymore. I imagine after a long time mountain biking and then hiking all the way through Macchu Picchu will tire me out. Then I´ll go to the market the day after.So at this point really, Im starting to see the end of the journey and how I´ll be going back to the states. It really does feel like Im just starting. And part of that was because I really didnt hit the big sites until late and I had the volunteer experience that really stole a lot of my time travelling.I think the rest of the journey should be great though, as long as no speed bumps occur along the way. There was almost one when I was buying my plane ticket and the travel agent originally put the departure date as december 18th but I caught it right away. I´ve actually happened to go to the airport once when that happened. But that was back when I was looking for apartments in Philadelphia and it turned out that if I had gone, it would have been mostly for naught anyway.So today was a tiresome day even though it was supposed to be a relaxing non-eventful day. But all the preparations and wearing the worst set of clothes for the most of the day (since I had to get all the rest washed before I set out for the heavy stuff) really took a lot out of me.So I´m not sure how much internet I´ll have in the next few days as I´ll be hiking and whatnot, but I shall be staying in hostels in small cities, so maybe I will have the opportunity to update. But as I gave my card reader away, I dont think I can easily upload photos anymore, so those will come later when I get back home
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bsuarez/10/1257803348/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bsuarez/10/1257803348/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bsuarez/10/1257803348/tpod.html Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:09:19 -0500 Incas, Militares y Gringos, Oh My! - Equatorfest 2009

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Nasca, Peru

In Nasca, most people come here to take a flight to see the petroglyphs from by flyover. I really am not going to see the lines and really didnt have an interest because it costs so much. Or rather it costs more than I care to spend. So instead Im here to just take the night bus to Cuzco. Ive heard that the big action in Peru is over there, so I cant wait to get there. I got here a bit late and I still didnt even know if I was going to be able to take a night bus because the one company I checked had already sold out all its seats. But I was able to get one that was a little bit cheaper and I get the best seat in the house. I couldve taken a tour to the cemetery here, but really this is a tourist town and theres way too many tours and too many tour operators and too many travel agencies. Im more worried about staying hydrated, and then making sure to eat a little before my 14 hr bus leaves. Oh and making sure to bring blankets on board the bus as it goes up 4km high. I´m going to be in high altitudes from now on. I´m moving from the desert into the mountains.They say that mate de coca helps with altitude sickness, and Ive already had some in chincha and it tastes almost like a maize tinted tea. Its good. And yes that means coca leaf. But the amounts in it are insubstantial.Anyway, Im back onto my whirlwind tour of South America. Hitting as many spots as possible and spending less time getting to know places. I spent more than a week in Chincha and I really feel like I got a chance to get to know the Peruvian spirit - especially the Afro-Peruvian movement from Chincha. I got to know the food, the sensibility and how the world moves here.I mean when you spend time with a kid and he scrapes his elbow from falling, you get to know how his world works. Especially when hes not crying from the injury, but hes afraid that his father will hit him. Thats the type of violence that we were combatting in the volunteer campaign really. Well that and sexual violence that has just become exposed into the public. Much like how it is in the USA actually. Nobody knows the extent to which incest really happens. And people in Peru think that it only happens there. But when I told them that I had clients that were abused by stepfathers, cousins, older brothers, stepbrothers, brothers, fathers, they were surprised. And especially when they learned it can happen to any class, any culture, race, etc.No one really knows because its been kept secret for so long. I told them all that silence and fear are the only tools that a sexual offender has - and the fact that no one realises how ubiquitous it is...well just goes to show how well they can keep it under wraps.Well enough of that. Im going onward to the gem of Peru and I cannot wait to see what Cuzco can give me.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bsuarez/10/1257725542/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bsuarez/10/1257725542/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bsuarez/10/1257725542/tpod.html Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:43:07 -0500 Incas, Militares y Gringos, Oh My! - Equatorfest 2009

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Huacachina, Peru

I think this will be my last day in the desert. Guayaquil mustve been the last place where I wasnt in the desert. All of northern peru up to here has been desert dunes and sand. Im not complaining, but its just not what I expected would be for the majority of my journey. Its been halfway already and I have just two and a half weeks left. Now that Im back in travel roads, its going to be very different and it will go very quickly. Thats why Im heading to Cuzco as soon as possible. Thats a mystical mountain town and theres a lot to do there. But for my last day in the desert, Im gonna try sandboarding maybe. Or ride a buggy on the dunes. Then Ill head to Nazca not to see the lines (im too poor now for the flight) but just to see a cemetery burial ground of the nazcas and then take the overnight bus to Cuzco.Im finally at hostels again and this one is interesting because its attached to a restaurant. Quite literally. You go from the restaurant dining room to the dorm room. Good thing theres nothing of value in my bag to steal. Not like I have many clothes or anything considering I wear the same two outfits and its more a decision on the weather rather than fashion choice. Perhaps in Cuzco Ill buy some Alpaca wear or something.Anyway, I miss the kids already. They were watching Up when I left and were eating popcorn. A lot of them were sad that I was leaving but at least we had our proper goodbye.Update - I had a wonderful dinner and I felt full of food for once. It was nice staying at the volunteer place, but the food had not been as satisfying you know.So after a sleepless morning (one of the hostel workers slept in the room and snored all night), I woke up and did a tour. Had a great time riding the dunes in a buggy. Then we hit the dunes and I tried the first time to go down a la snowboarder. I got in reverse position and couldnt get it back to nose first so I ended up taking a fall toward the bottom. Im glad it was toward the bottom at least. It was a hard fall and I have sand scratches on my face to show for it. The rest of the time I just slid down the dunes and it was great fun and got a few good pictures out of it.Then when I got back I could not believe how much sand I accumulated in my clothes, in my ears, nose, hair, face, etc. I think the pictures of my face show a lot of sand. All in all a cheap adventure even if I did pay full price.
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Chincha Alta, Ica, Peru

This week in particular, I ve been helping at a shelter for girls who have been sexually abused and have become pregnant. Its a strong cry to my past clinical experiences. Except here, instead of having social workers, mental health professionals or others on staff, theres a doctor, a social worker and a few tutors and a few volunteers. Except the doctor is a veterinary doctor, the tutors are really just people that help keep order in the class and the rest are people that come in and out. They used to have a psychologist, but instead of hiring one later, the board of directors from Spain decided that psychologists just muck things up worse and the one you brought over for a week will do more damage than good. Im still getting over that piece, but Ive justified it by noticing that the board of directors is managed by guys in construction who were more mystified by how to make plants grow in the land that they got for free - which is so salty that nothing can grow there.Anyway, I was able to help the staff better understand what is normal with sexual abuse, with girls this age and those that are pregnant. Its not often to see mental disorder with those that have been sexually abused and the interactions that they have are not healthy at all. In fact, Im surprised I didnt see more bad stuff when I was there. They were relatively adjusted. There were a few that wanted nothing to do with their baby, but at the least other girls at the shelter helped take care of those children. There was some dark stuff there, and the countertransference I was feeling made me glad I didnt work there for good.I tried to be there to help the staff better understand the girls, but the staff just wanted to pass the girls off to me and they didnt get that I cannot do work in just one session. And thats the big reason why they feel so helpless, they have to understand better why the girls act in certain ways. It doesnt take the psychologist to understand everything. It just takes an open ear for a lot of it.Anyway, my time in Chincha will end this weekend and Ill move onward. Im still ill and need to get back to things at my pace. Im glad I did the work here, but I feel like I really need to go onward. Plus I need to put things in perspective for myself, especially after I dropped my name out of contention for that phone interview I had.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bsuarez/10/1257211206/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bsuarez/10/1257211206/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/bsuarez/10/1257211206/tpod.html Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:12:50 -0500 Incas, Militares y Gringos, Oh My! - Equatorfest 2009

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Chincha Alta, Ica, Peru

It's only been a few days into my volunteership but I can easily say that I'm already enjoying it and do not regret it at all. This weekend I pretty much did a lot of playing with kids as well as a bit of research into selfesteem and antiviolence programs. (btw psychologists - any info you can provide will be much appreciated) the house I'm staying at is pretty much the only community center fir the neighborhood or for the city for that matter. Since the earthquake in 2007 hope for the future has been at a low and priorities changed here. A little bit of humanity has been lost and people are a bit quicker at taking the easy (but maladaptive) way out.That's where I'm coming in. I'll be doing lots of consultations to staff and teachers at schools and shelters on how to help kids raise self esteem and find appropriate solutions to difficult situations. I'll also help out with any questions related to psychology as well.I won't be around when the project officially launches (as it got delayed one week), but i've been told that so many people that work with kids have so many questions on how they can do their job and they've been waiting for forever to speak to a psychologist. So I have my docket so full for my short time here.Seems like there's so much that this project has on it's hands but any small difference it can make may eventually trickle into their culture here and change things in generations to come.Tomorrow will be my first meeting and it's with a shelter for sexually abused girls. Let's see how this goes.
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