Peru - Puno

A quick note before we leave Peru. This should be our last stop and then we´ll move southeast around Lake Titicaca to La Paz. We could spend some time here, in and around the highest navigable lake in the world, but it´s kinda´ cold and it´s been raining every afternoon, making it colder. Surprisingly, it´s not as cold as one would thing for 13,000 feet (our bus ride rose up to 14,400 feet), just the breeze off the lake is reminiscent of, say, Chicago. So, tomorrow, early we´ll be off, continuing through the very green but treeless Altiplano of Bolivia to the other side of the lake. ("Altiplano" roughly translates as "high flats", though the terrain is hardly flat). Not much else to tell. Will be in touch from Bolivia

Peru - Ayacucho

I still find myself impressed by the convenience of recent technology, i.e. Email. It´s incredible that I can be in a small town way up in the mountains of Peru and have a better connection than at home. Incredible!

We finally made it out of Lima. Our stay there was relaxing and we caught up on rest. The Cornejo-Lanao family treated us as their own, it was very nice to just have our own space for a little while. They are good people, I´d like to see them again (such a big family, we stayed with one of the seven children! there are some 18 grandchildren, most our age!).

But we haven´t parted completely from the Lanao family (in fact Lanao is Scott´s middle name ... it all makes sense now). We´re at the heart, staying with the grandparents Aquiles and Lucinda (Wiracocha "wise old man" in Quechua, and Morena are what everyone calls them). They´ve adopted Scott as their "nieto blanco" (white grandson) and treat me just as well. This couple reminds me so much of grandma and grandpa Genung (which reminds me, how are they?), A) because they´ve been married forever and B) because everyone with whom the come in contact adores them and vica versa. Once again we´ve lucked out in being welcomed like family. Aquiles is a well known figure in the local community, running cooperative farms and small banks to give nominal loans to those who otherwise wouldn´t qualify in larger banks. He was the former director of the Peace Corps in Peru, hence the Vandervoet connection, and is, just like his name, a wise old man. It is indeed a privilege to be staying with them (Morena is all the more the better half). Funny, yesterday as we were eating lunch, talking, listening to the radio in the background, when he tells us "quiet. listen" and we listen to the radio and it´s some news update, a man being interviewed about local progress and plans or something, and he says "that´s me." And it was! Just an example of what a figure he is here.

Ayacucho is not so much a town, as a small city, very busy, very dusty, but walkable. Again, we´re back in the altitude, some 9,000 feet, but it´s not as bad as before. Good excuse for a nap. The town is on the foothills of a mountain overlooking a grand valley. The vegetation is more abundant here, rather, there is vegetation because from Trujillo to Nasca, Peru is dry desert. The climate is very agreeable, fluctuating between 70 at night and 75 at day (I guesstimate). The sun is intense, yes I wear my sunscreen, especially on my forehead! My hair has bleached out and is very light (I too have not cut my hair) and my beard is almost ready for the cold weather of Bolivia.

Tomorrow morning we´re taking the early bus to Cuzco, which will take us through the short-cut through the Andes, only 20 hours! It will be a long ride, many switchbacks and mostly a dirt road. I´m looking forward to Cuzco and Machu Picchu. Then again, I look forward to every day, because it´s always something very new.

Not much else to report. I wonder about the earthquake in Mexico, I´ll have to contact my friends there to see how they are.

Peru - Pisco/Ica/Nasca

Pisco is a small port town in the desert, but really destertic with dunes and intense heat. The coast is nice and the nights are cool. We were only there a day and a night, but long enough to know the town. We detoured to the National Park of Paracas, which is also a coastal desert town, very, very barren, but for some reason attracts many, many seabirds on it´s peninsula and archipelago off the coast, thus attracting many tourists too. We admired from afar, as we are not tourists. Then we headed further south to the dust dunned town of Ica, which is really in the desert (reminds me of Marrakesh, Morocco, with Atlas Mountains in the distance and the dunes encroaching upon the city). But the dunes here don´t seem to be a concern, only the Paracas (same as the park) which means "rain of sand," which we were so fortunate not to have seen. In Ica we walked around, visited a small oasis/village of Huacachina that is literally an oasis hidden in the dunes (I took pictures).

If we had gone a bit further south we would have seen the Nasca lines, which are gigantic lines scratched into the ground depicting animal figures (I´m sure there is info on the internet), but I was satisfied with looking at pictures and seeing a replica at a the regional museum in Ica. Ica is supposedly inhospitable to the tourist as my guidebook suggested and many locals told us time and again to be careful, which we are, but no more than usual. Well, we had no problems, and were able to visit a vineyard and get a tour of how they make their wine and their brandy like tequila called Pisco (just like the town), which is very strong and is especially good with Lime juice, tasting much like a Margarita. We bought a bottle, and broke it in on our return to Lima, but are saving the rest to warm the bellies in the altitudes near Machu Pichu.

Also, we purchased little truffle-like candies called Tejas (just like Texas, but pronounced "teh-has") one bag for us, one bag for our hosts. Good stuff. Which reminds me of another candy we bought weeks ago in Trujillo, strangely named King Kong, (perhaps some bastardization of some indigenous word, perhaps not), a breaded candy that comes in a big box. The big box we bought was intended to be a gift, but it didn´t make it to Lima. also good stuff! What is not good stuff is Coca Cola´s only competitor, a Peruvian Soda called Inca Kola. In fact, it is the only national product in the world that outsells Coca Cola, within Peru. That is it outsells Coca-Cola cola, I´m sure with all the other Coca Cola products that Inca Kola doesn´t have a chance. But it´s nuclear yellow color and bubblelicious bubble gum taste just turn my stomach, but sales are high here. Good for them. (Did you know that 20%+ of liquid consumed by humans, in the WORLD, is a Coca Cola product. Yup, 20%, including their bottled water, sprite, fanta, etc. I learned that back home. Coca Cola is EVERYWHERE, but with an unrelenting presence. Just when you think you´re in the middle of nowhere, a donkey passes you carrying ... Coca Cola!).

So, our plan is to leave, again, Monday, and push it through to Bolivia by the end of January, and be in Sao Paulo sometime around the 15th of February (that will be pushing it, but the route we´ve mapped will accommodate: La Paz to Potosí to Villazón to Salta (northern Argentina) to Asunción (paraguay) to Iguazu Falls (border of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay) and up to Sao Paulo; roughly 15 to 17 days. Roughly a rough trip, but we´re travelers, and we´ve come a long way, it can´t be anything we haven´t seen before, though the altitudes in Bolivia might be an issue, try 10,000+ feet is Lake Titicaca, and that won´t be our apogee)

I don´t know what else is going on. I´m feeling well, eating well. Perhaps I will see Lord of the Rings tonight. On the bus back we watched Spider Man and Captain Hart´s War (or something like that) and that was the cheap bus!!!

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As for the guitar, I play it all the time, but am anticipating tiring of carrying it around, after Brazil. True, I could get rid of it, but it´s been good. I´ll probably leave it somewhere. And my books? what will I do with them? Mail them? so heavy. And how are my guitars at home? I miss them too. Now that I think about it, I hated this guitar because it was so bad compared to my others.

Peru - Lima IV

Finally, we got our passports back from the Brazilian Embassy. I don´t like not having it, but now it´s got this nice visa stamp to add to my collection. I don´t know if it was worth $100 dollars, then again I didn´t have much choice. We´ll see. Anyway, we´re planning on heading south the Pisco tomorrow, that is if our laundry dries and we find the bus station. From there we´ll hang out around the coast for a couple days, then climb back into the Andes to visit the rest of the family, in Ayacucho. From there the tentative plan is to go to Cuzco (and Machu Pichu) then Bolivia. Little by little, we´re getting there. Next month we should be pretty close, if not already in, Brazil.

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Our stay in Lima was semi productive, got the visa, got my shots, got a package mailed home (keep an eye out, expected to be arriving soon!). Though I spent a fair amount of time (lots) lounging around, it was nice to rest completely, eat well, see a few movies and just recuperate from the traveling and the illness. I think I´ve lost some weight, which I´m not to thrilled about, but my metabolism just won´t slow down. I feel fine, I guess I just burn all my energy walking. I´m looking forward to moving on, as our stay here was a bit "sheltered" being housed in such a nice part of town, but it was definitely worth it. The family has treated us like their own, much because Scott´s been here a couple times before, and we´ve been able to get to know a less common socio-economic lifestyle in Peru: upper class. Certainly nice, but not necessarily my style.

Peru - Lima III

Yup, still here, as the passport situation doesn´t give us much freedom to travel. I mean, we could go wherever within Peru, but it wouldn´t be the wisest thing to do only having copies. Fortunately I was able to withdraw money from the bank, i.e. cash advance, but I spent a good part of that on the hepatitis shots (A & B, $70).

Oh well, I´m set now, for the next five years at least. And the clinic I went to was much nicer than the Pima clinic in Tucson, I didn´t check the vile, but I´m confident it wasn´t expired, it´s not like I´m in Nogales, hee, hee. Anyway, I´m getting a lot of reading done because we hang out at the house a lot. Which is fine by me. However, last night, we spent way too much money going out, for really no reason other than being in a place as expensive as any U.S. bar, but that situation must be avoided at all costs, the expenses I mean, but I was able to dance with some lovely Peruvian ladies.

The previous night we treated ourselves to an American night in, eating two Domino´s Pizzas and renting a movie (French, AMELIE, very very good) from Blockbuster´s. It´s incredible how far the American culture has spread. In fact this family is more American than us. They all work from Dawn ´till Dusk, have memberships at private heath clubs, vacation once in a great while, have one car per person, don´t know the names of their neighbors, don´t recycle ect. The only thing different is their maid (indentured servant) who waits hand and foot by day.

It´s a awkward situation for me because I´m not exactly used to someone cleaning up after me. Then again, the maid, named Kamu, is probably living much better off here than where she´s from as the social schism is vast in these countries, middle class is almost non existent. Not to sound overly critical, but the daughters seem to live somewhat sheltered upper class lives, not really appreciating their condition, perhaps taking things for granted. They work at least, the oldest Claudia is some business executive for Procter and Gamble here in Lima; the middle one, Rita is a green lawyer working in public affairs but getting paid well, and the youngest, Marcela is finishing school in Psycology, in fact interning in some mental clinic. Scott has some strange non-romantic, semi-platonic relationship with her that I really don´t understand, but some things of his I just won´t understand. Anyway, it keeps him occupied while I read and write this Email. The mother, Pia, doesn´t work, but did, and is always in a hurry to be somewhere while the father, Wilbert (It must be a native Inca name or something), works as an engineering consultant for irrigation and water systems. They keep busy and have been more than hospitable to us, for which I am most grateful. I´m mostly glad to have some time to read.

As for any other news, we´re planning to head out sometime next week, towards where the grandparents of this family live, that is if we get our passports. I´ll probably need a new passport before the trip is over because I´ve almost filled all the pages. I guess I´ll have to stop by an embassy soon to find out how it works. As for Brazil, they´re supposed to issue an 90 tourist visa, which should be renewable, but we´ll see how the first 90 days goes.

Peru - Lima II

We´ve been on the road for, today, 101 days, last night we had a drink to celebrate, though it wasn´t much celebration being Tuesday. We´re going to hang out here for a few days, maybe a week, maybe more. It all depends on how we feel. We also have to go to the Brazilian consulate to inquire about tourist visas, as they´re the only country requiring one, which we´re going to do today.

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We got all the necessary information turned in everything at the Brazilian consulate here in Lima, which took the better part of this morning and cost and arm, $100, but I guess that´s what the US charges to get in, however it´s a spiteful policy to impose the same restrictions when Brazil hardly has the same pressure from people attempting to emigrate illegally. Besides, I wonder how much they get in foreign aid? Oh well, water under the bridge. The only bad part is I´m without passport until next week, on which they´ll place the tourist visa.

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We´re also going to inquire about mailing a package, prices etc. We haven´t discussed to whose house it will be mailed, but it will most likely be one for both of us and you back home will have to sort out whose is whose, we´ll have it organized.

That´s the news for now. I feel well, even after a Pisco sour last night (pisco is a local alcohol) and am being cautious. I think i´m fine, we´ll see.

Peru - Lima I

We´ve arrived safe and sound in Lima after a long overnight bus ride, though the bus was probably the nicest one we´ve been on yet. Since we arrived early, we walked, all five miles (maybe less, took two 1/2 hours) from the bus station to the Lima Family house: Cornejo Lanao, who have very nice place in the nice part of town and have nice pretty daughters (and they´re our age. Uh oh!) and we have our own nice little guest house and a nice maid who lives here cooking and cleaning, but the best part is the guest house because it has a music (tape and CD collection) that I look forward to checking out.

I´m feeling better, much better, I´d almost say 100%, but last night´s bus ride left me a bit groggy, even after a nap. But I can, with certainty, say that I´m over the infection, just have to be on guard to see if it does something like yours did, hopefully not. Honestly, I was pretty worried for a while.

Peru - Trujillo

On the move again.

We´ve cruised through three towns in as many days, taking advantage of night buses or short rides. Let´s see. There was the small, quiet Piura where the locals are nothing but old men by day and young girls by night. Crossing the border into Peru, and getting closer to the coast, the climate has warmed and dried up, also our eleveation has lowered significantly.

Then we were in Chiclayo long enough to see what the town itself had to offer. Spent a night, though a tourist would have a much better time for several days as there are a number of incredible pre-colombian ruins surrounding the town described as the south American Egypt, which we missed, but we´re travellers, not tourists.

From there we´ve made it to Trujillo, which is right on the coast and warm like May in Arizona and the town is clean, cheap and people seem friendly enough. Summer is just starting here, so this is going to turn out to be the never ending summer as we´ve had great weather most of the trip, save Ecuador.

As for my illness, I feel back to normal. The infection in the throat cleared, my sinuses are draining and I can hear normally and I am feeling like my chipper self again. I´ll keep in mind your tragic strep story, but I´m hoping for the best. We´ll be in Lima on Monday, and from there I can look up doctors that the insurance covers and I´ll keep a close account of my symptoms or lack there of. Fortunately, it never went into my lungs, which, as you well know, are more sensitive.

Speaking of lungs, I´ve only use one of my ten or so inhalers, which is good thing. Oh, Scott and I are going to probably send a package home from Lima, a few things we will not longer need, or didn´t need in the first place. Somewhere along the way, the tiger tail Clair gave me got ripped off, either by accident or intentionally, but I know it made it to Costa Rica. I miss it.

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Our scam of Withdrawing as a Cash advance using Visa in the banks still works, saving us $3 every time. Financially, I´m better of than anticipated, but still keeping a tight budget. We´ll be able to save some money in Lima staying with Scott´s friends.

Any updates? Any community news. National? are we going to war yet? hopefully not? perhaps Bush resigned? Not much else going on here. Haven´t changed shirt or pants in two weeks, you can hardly tell by looking, but smelling... hee. hee.

Peru - Piura

Yet another country.

We took the overnight bus last night from southern Ecuador (Loja) to northern Peru (Piura). It´s nice take overnight buses to save a hotel expense, but we miss out on the views. We were glad to be out of Loja: their New Year´s celebrations were a bit disheartening since they burn paper floats, not so much that as the theme of main one was an Anti-U.S. theme of Uncle Sam, U.S. Military and an a general Anti-American attitude. I could only shake my head in disappointment, because of all the respect I immediately lost. Though no one has ever said anything, their actions speak louder than their words. I´m sure that only a few ruin it for the rest, but no one objects, and the American becomes the target of everyone´s criticism and hate despite the fact our tax dollars reach as far as their ungrateful hands to support their economy and perhaps help in ¨progress¨, not that that´s a good thing and of course the sword is double edged, but one should not bite the had that feeds you, as they say. Needless to say, I didn´t stay up ´till midnight.

Aside that I needed the rest to get over this (I´ve concluded viral) infection, of which I am greatly recovering, the celebrations would have just pissed me off making me a hazard to myself and those around me. Besides, even after all these countries and everyone lighting firecrackers, I still can´t get used to a M-80 going of one meter from where I stand. Maybe it´s just me.

So yeah, long bus ride, easy border crossing at 3:AM, the guards and customs were literally in their pajamas. We rolled in to dry, warm, low-elevated, Piura and waited for the town to wake up (We arrived at 6;AM) and found a cheap place, took a cold shower, waited for the banks to open so we could get some Soles (one Sol) which are 3.5 to one dollar and have been so for a couple years according to Scott. Am very much looking forward to seeing the northern coast over the next couple days. Our plan is to be in Lima by the 6th or so, where we´ll have a house and time to relax, and fully recover from this sinus/ear/throat infection that I bring with me from Ecuador. I´ve taken enough antibiotics to make a horse sterile, so I should be good to go, i.e. 100% in a couple days, not that it has slowed me down too much.

Ecuador, in summary, is a nice place to be. The mountains are forever high and the people are forever interesting. However, what we saw was the colder aspects of both. We never saw the really poor 3rd world aspects either. The dollariziation also effected our experience making everything seem like a rip-off, when compared to the previous months of our trip. I can´t get over the mountains though, it would be nice to have a mountain bike or a 4x4 to just wander and explore the little villages and disappear. Of course there is Amazonia, of which we saw none, maybe next time.

We'll be in Peru for the next few weeks. I hope for the best, yet everything is so much better after getting rid of this illness (The back of my throat was white, around my eyes, especially my right one, were swollen, not to mention the glands in my throat; my ears wouldn´t ¨pop¨ and it hurt to swallow. I hope I don´t have to go through it again anytime soon).