Trekking in the Andes

Huaraz... a cruel reminder how affected I am by altitude. The first month and a half of my trip was spent on the altiplano, at an elevation of 2500m and above. After a month on the beach, I had lost all affinity for altitude. I arrived in Huaraz at 7:00am at 3000+m elevation from the beach wearing sandals and a tank top. Cold! I booked a four day trek for the following morning and spent the day trying to acclimatize. Not eating much, sleeping, enjoying a dull throb in my head, and panting at the top of every staircase. We left for the trek at 6am the following morning, and after a 4 hour drive up tiny twisting mountain roads, clearing the way of rocks from a recent land slide, we began the hike. The first day was pretty easy, we hiked for about 5 hours and arrived at the campsite around 4pm. Then we waited in the rain for the donkeys to arrive with the tents and food. That was one of the most uncomfortable hours Ive spent in a while, and that post hike chill was hard to shake. The first night was cold. Very very cold. During the hikes I was feeling fine, great, even. However at camp when the endorphins had worn off the altitude hit and I felt terrible. I didnt have more than a cup of tea for dinner either of the nights, and spent the majority of the time curled up in my tent.

The beginning of the second day we all lined up to have our waterbottles filled. When we asked where the water was the guide replied that they had thrown it out, since no one had asked last night to have water boiled for drinking. What!! So we set off, with no water (some people still had a teeny bit left from the first day), for a 7 hour hike. After hiking the morning on three stolen sips of water from a friends water bottle, I gave in and filled my camelback with stream water. I still didnt drink much of it, because when choosing between dehydration and the possibility of giardia from something weird in the water, I chose dehydration. However, the afternoon of the second day was the highest point on the trek, a pass at 4750m. It was completely foggy up there, and snowing. Another girl and I were struggling pretty hard with the altitude, so we summited (slowly) together. I felt REALLY bad the second night, still being non-aclimatized to the altitude on top of the pretty severe dehydration. There was one girl who had signed up to do the four day trek in three days, combining the last two easy days into one 8 hour hike. After the first two days in camp, over half the group decided to do the three day trek, myself included. After two nights of altitude sickness, I wanted nothing else than to get off the mountain. We set off at 630am the next morning (I made sure to ask for water this time) at a brisk pace. I hiked with a kiwi friend named Gina, and for the most part we were in the lead of the group. We finished the 8 hour hike in 6 hours, enjoying the absolutely beautiful weather we had the last day (nice switch from the mist and snow). The pizza and pisco sours (and hot showers!!) that we rewarded ourselves with that night hit the spot like nothing can, unless youve just spent a few days in the sticks, camping in the rain.

In exchange for the day spent not trekking, the company threw in some "free" rock climbing for Gina and I. The first two walls were very easy, so by the time that we got to the third wall (which was very not as easy), I was definitely feeling it in my arms, and my legs from the hiking. It was good fun, though. They caught me cheating in the picture, using the clip on the wall as a foothold. I was just resting, though, I swear!

Now Im in Lima, hanging out here until I fly to BA, Argentina tomorrow. So far as I know, this will be the last time Im in Peru this trip...but the way this trip has been going, I wont be too surprised if at some point in the next few months I find myself back in Lima.

De las playas a las Sierras

The next stop on my southbound beach tour was Huanchaco, a small suburb of the city Trujillo. It was really quiet there (I can´t count the times I heard the word "tranquilo" during my stay), with all the Southern Hemispherians back in school after their summer break (what happened to all the Australians!!). I made a friend on the bus from Máncora to Trujillo, a french boy who spoke spanish and a little english (but refused to speak to me in english, since I couldn´t speak to him in french). We hung out for time I spent in Huanchaco, and it was a great opportunity to practice my spanish.

There wasn´t much to do in Huanchaco except hang out on the beach, surf (which I didn´t do, the water there was cooolld!), and see the nearby pre-incan ruins from the Moche and Chimu civilizations. The first, Chan Chan, was declared by UNESCO to be the world´s largest city built entirely from mud brick. The Chimu people inhabited it from A.D. 800 to 1400, when it was conquered by the Incas. The other site, el Huaca de la Luna, was a bit more interesting. The Chimu culture evolved from the Moches, who flourished in AD 100 to 600. The Moches had this temple, Huaca de la Luna, and every hundred years they would completely fill the whole thing in with mud bricks so that the old temple was now just like a blank foundation and build another temple on top of it. Turns out that they never got too creative with their temples, each new one looked pretty much like the old one, so the archaelogists have stopped excavating down because in order to see the first temple (which probably looks a lot like the third, which looks a lot like the fourth...) they would need to destroy the top 5 temples to see it.

Now, I´m in Huaraz, back in the mountains. It was a pretty rough shock getting off the bus this morning coming from the tropical beach weather to 3000some meters altitude. Tomorrow I start a trek in the cordierras blancas, home to 33 peaks over 5500m altitude, the highest mountain in Peru, and Alpamayo, a mountain that UNESCO declared the most beautiful mountain in the world (who are they to make these claims?).

Pacific Paradise

Since the time that I dropped my parents off at the airport, I have been on a mission to find a beach. Not too dificult, less than 4 hours away from Guayaquil I found myself in a teeny town called Montañita. Montañita was...interesting. There was a main street that was completely tourist focused. The rest of the town was nothing. Montañita is one of those places that people go to and get stuck for months at a time, they just can´t leave. Which probably explains the hoards of gringos with dreads wearing Ecuador bracelets, selling hemp bracelets, and playing Bob Marley. It was a little much, so after a short two night stay, I headed south to Peru.

I ended up in Peru´s version of Montañita, a little town called Máncora on the very northern coast. However, the people here seem to be a little more genuine about the fact that they were at a beach resort and not a hippie commune. The hostel I checked into was a budget version of an all inclusive resort. The beachfront property had a pool, bar, and restaurant, all for less than $8 a night. Not bad.

This morning I went fishing with a local fisherman. The old wooden boat and 25hp motor looked like they had seen their fair share of hurricanes, but it did the job. The fisherman was quite a resourceful dude, his anchor was a big rock that he tied a rope around (and then a rope to that rope, and a rope to that rope), which doubled as a sea anchor if he reeled in the ropes a little. We used actual fishing poles for about 15 minutes, then switched to a wooden block that had fishing line wrapped around it and a hook tied to the end. He obviously wasn´t expecting any 3 foot tuna. We didn´t catch much...about 6 little 4-6" fish between the two of us. Apparantly "the currents [were] just all wrong".

Now I´m off again, heading south along the coast toward Lima. I have to catch a flight out of there on the 26th. Looks like I´ve got some time on my hands...

Ecuador and the Galápagos

Well, it´s been a while, but I have a good excuse. I´ve spent the last two weeks babysitting--I mean traveling with my parents (just kidding, guys). After my harrowing journey into Quito, I picked them up from the airport on February 22nd. We only had a day and a half in Quito before flying out to the Galápagos, so we went the 22km outside the city to the site of the equator, of which there are two of them (who knew?). One of them is the government owned monument (that big imposing one with the ball on the top), and the other "real" one is about 400m away in a private museum. Supposedly GPS coordinates place the equator there. The official monument was in a compound of gift shops and restaurants, and since we went on Carnaval, it was a free for all of kids (and adults) spraying shaving cream and water. This time, no one was spared. The private museum had a collection of somewhat hokey experiments to play with (balancing an egg on a nail, watching the coriolus effect change the direction a sink of water would drain, among others, none of which seemed particularly legit). However, it was undeniably fun to hop from one side to the other at both equators.

We left from Quito on the 24th for the Galápagos islands and our 8 day cruise. It was amazing. Everyone who comes back from Galápagos has stories of how you can walk right up to the animals, who are unafraid and friendly. I decided to test this theory. The first thing I did while waiting on the pier to be brought to the ship was to go introduce myself to a sea lion who was lounging on the dock. I boldly walked up to him, began to squat down to chat, and then screamed and made a quick retreat as he started to charge me, barking loudly. Sea lions are comically awkward on land, but this guy somehow made that waddle intimidating. Starting out well.

The boat was beautiful. It was a 16 passenger (we had 12) motorized catamaran, and they meant business when they labeled it "luxury". We were on it´s second voyage in Galápagan waters, and although a few kinks had yet to be ironed out, it was still amazing. The food was a work of art (literally, the guide said the chef spent more time making animal sculptures out of fruits and veggies than making meals), and the jacuzzi and sun deck on top were a nice touch (and a great place to watch a sunset). Our days started at 6am with the omnipresent soft easy listening music and a wake up call, followed by breakfast at 630, ready to disembark around 730. We would then have a shore excursion (guided walking tour on one of the islands for animal watching or landscape viewing) or dingy ride along the rougher coasts for bird spotting. We would then usually return to the boat around 1030 or 11 for a snack and time to rest and shower before lunch at 1230. Back on land (usually a different island by this point) or snorkeling at 230, back onboard for another snack and sunset at 530, dinner around 7, hang out until going to sleep. And then all over again. There was quite a bit of eating going on... This continued for 8 glorious days of surreal landscapes and even more surreal animal encounters (there were times that we literally had to wade through iguanas and politely ask the giant tortoises to stop blocking the path).


After the cruise, we flew into Guayaquil, Ecuador. The cruise included two nights in a 5 star hotel on mainland, the first of which we took in Guayaquil. It was a little different than the type of traveling I had been doing...but certainly not an unwelcome change. We headed out the next day for Baños, and for my parent´s first South American bus journey. Eight hours later we arrived to a downpour in Baños. The three of us crammed in a taxi with a British couple who were standing nearby and were dropped off at the hostel. The next day we did a half day white water rafting trip that took us into the jungle. Next up: canyoning, which is a fancy name for repelling down waterfalls. That was a lot of fun, highlighted by the fact that at one point (okay maybe more than once) I slipped and was suspended upside down face first with water pounding my face. Never a dull moment. We then visited the namesake of the town, the natural hot springs that were just a few blocks from our hostel.


After Baños, we headed down to Cuenca, Ecuador´s third largest town, and arguably one of the most quaint and beautiful. It was here that Dad found that you can order gin by the glass as opposed to by the shot, and that you really do get a glass full of gin. God bless Ecuador. A day of exploring the city and we were back on the bus the next morning for Guayaquil, a day before my parent´s departure. Time flies when you´re on a whirlwind tour.

Now? I´m on a beach in a sleepy little town called Montañita with more surf board rental shops than residents, I´m pretty sure. I´m going to relax, for a little... Drink some salt water and maybe see if I can learn how to conquer a wave. It´s hard work being on vacation!


Most of the Galápagos pictures on here were taken by Jon (who´s hanging out with me and our sea lion pal in the picture below). He caught some awesome shots.

More marine iguanas than you can shake a stick at.

Giant tortoise

The Galápagos penguin

Blue footed booby, doing the Blue footed Booby Dance

Land Iguana

Hightailing It Back East

Peru...Bolivia...Argentina...Ecuador?? Currently in Quito, after a "character building" trek cross continent over the past few days.

My parents are flying in tomorrow night to Quito, Ecuador. Which means I need to be there to meet them. The issue with that is, I was in Córdoba, Argentina: 4 time zones and a lot (a lot) of miles away. And for some unforseen reason, it is ridiculously expensive to catch a flight from Córdoba to Quito. $1200 round trip expensive. Whoops! Didn´t see that coming. Luckily, I found this out about 5 days before I had to be in Ecuador, so I had some time to recalculate. I spent one afternoon and most of an evening trying to find a less expensive alternative to the flight. After exploring the option of Bus from Córoba to Lima (3.5 days, $500 r/t) and dismissing it as A) Masichistic, and B) impossible, since it only leaves twice a week and I had missed the it by about 12 hours. so, after quite a bit of sweet talking the online airfare search websites, I found a flight from Buenos Aires to Lima for $450 round trip. Sold. Flight out the 18th, purchased the 16th. Night of the 17th I caught a 12 hour bus that brought me into BA around 830 the next morning. At 3pm (11am Eastern time) I had a flight out of there, connection through Sao Paulo, and landed in Lima at 9pm Eastern Time. From the Lima airport (where again I was disappointed to find that a round trip flight to Quito was $800), it was straight to the only bus company in Lima that I knew of that had a bus running all the way to Quito. No buses that night, but there was one leaving for Quito the next day at 5pm (lucky, lucky, apparently these long (real long) buses only leave twice a week, and I had hit it perfectly). After a quick 3.5 hour delay of departure (during which I was unwillingly engaged in conversation with a certifiable paranoid schizophrenic American who had been traveling around SA on false documents trying to avoid the Ecuadorian government agents who had been tapping on his windows and knocking on his door at night), it was a short 38 hour jaunt from Lima to Quito, and after about 26 uncomfortable sleeping positions and one 300some page book, I was in Quito before I knew it. The bus was continuing on to Columbia. They had another 14 hours or so until they reached their destination. I guess I can´t complain too loudly...someone always has it worse than you, right?

But, don´t worry about me, I´m sure I´ll find a little time to unwind on the 8 day galapagos cruise. 8-)

The Long Road to Argentina

When we finally got back to Uyuni after the Salar tour, we really, really wanted to get out of that city. Besides about 27 pizza shops and more tour companies than you can count, Uyuni doesn´t have much to offer. The night we got back we booked seats on the first bus heading out of Bolivia, leaving at 6:00am the next morning. For 80 Bolivianos ($11) we would spend 12 hours bumping down a single lane dirt switchbacked moutain road all the way to Villazón, the border town between Bolivia and Argentina. The switchbacks were tight. Very, very tight. There were times when I would watch the front tire come precariously close to the edge and hear the shifting and groan of the loose rocks that formed the boundary between life and death for us. I would hold my breath, and either we would creep by, or the bus driver would have to reverse in order to make the corner. I am impressed by those buses though...I saw that thing navigate creek crossings and take on terrain that looked fit for a 4 wheel drive jeep.

Early in the morning, a couple of Argentinian girls who were sitting in front of me got robbed. They had put their bag in the overhead storage area, and one of the many locals who was walking on and off the bus snatched it. In her bag she had her passport, camera, wallet, all her credit cards, everything that is near and dear to a traveler. All gone. She was an emotional mess.

Around 4pm we pulled into the other (semi) major town in southwest Bolivia, Tupiza. The bus driver had collected our tickets, which was weird. Usually they come through and tear off the stub, but this time he took the whole thing. Something fishy is going on... He then told us that the roads were too dangerous for the bus to continue on to the border, and we´d have to find another way. What!! We paid for the whole journey, the lady who sold us the tickets said we´d be to the border by 6pm!! The Argentinians went ballistic. And I´m glad they did. After a shouting match about how her family is worried, they don´t know where she is, she needs to get into her country, TONIGHT, blah blah...I will be eternally grateful for her tirade, because it got us (8 of us) packed into a teeny jeep, packs strapped to the top, and on our way to the border. We pulled in a little past 6.

Crossing the border was another mission. After waiting for 45 minutes for a scramble of Bolivians with hodge podge documents (true Bolivia style) to try to get exit stamps, a quick chunk chunk of the stamp got me out of that country (about time, too, there are only so many times I can take being ripped off and lied to before it´s too much). Getting into Argentina took another 2 hours, and one rain storm. After the line hadn´t moved for 1.5 hours, an Argentinian official came up and collected our passports. We just handed them over, watched him walk away, then thought, wait a second...that probably wasn´t very smart... But, it all worked out, after about 5 minutes he came back out, documents in hand, and we were through. Wandered around the border town a bit until we found the bus station. Luckily found an 11pm bus to Salta, our final destination. Layover in a small town from 330am to 6am, then another bus into Salta, where it was pouring rain. Finally checked into a hostel around 830am, a mere 28 hours after we set off from Uyuni. Haven´t really done much since then, just kind of hung out in Salta. Leaving tonight for Córdoba, pretty much just killing time until my parents come to visit on the 20th and I fly out to meet them in Ecuador.

For the mean time, I am just enjoying being out of Bolivia, and drinking tap water for the first time in a month and a half.

The Salar de Uyuni

After Potosí, I headed down to Uyuni to visit the Salar de Uyuni. It is a huge expanse of salt flats (the area used to be a salt ocean, or lake or something) it is approximately 12 square kilometers. It is white and flat for as far as the eye can see, and is surrounded by the desert of the Bolivian southwest. The salt is approximately a meter deep, and is intrusive. In the first hour of the tour everything I was wearing or carrying (including the 4x4 jeep that was our home for the next three days) was covered in salt.
I traveled from Potosí to Uyuni with a few Australian boys that I had done the mine tour with, and we arranged the Salar tour together, since you need groups of 6. Uyuni, like Potosí, is a bunch of nothing. A few pizza shops and lots and lots of tour companies. So, we got in, found a hostel, and went to book a tour. We picked one company kind of at random, and made a bit of a mistake. Although I´m sure all the companies kind of sucked, ours was pretty bad. Promises of english speaking guides and pancake and egg breakfasts were forgotten once we got out into the desert. Our tour guide was less than to be desired...We had four flat tires in one day (and one spare, which also went flat in the end). At one point, alone on the road with the tire completely flat, the guide tried to fill it up with LP gas from the grill. Simultaneously the four of us yelled NOOOOOO!!!!! In spanish I said "What are you doing?? That´s really dangerous!" To which the guide replied "I know what I´m doing. It´s gas, it´s fine." And we put our foot down. No way were we getting in the jeep if he put that gas in the tire. No way. Eventually he must have realized how stupid it was, because he stopped and then asked us to delete the pictures we had taken of him doing it. No. Eventually another jeep came along and we used its engine and air hose to pump up.

The Salar and surrounding areas are beautiful, though, and I enjoyed getting out there to see them. We stayed in hostels built of salt and got to climb rocks, see flamingos, chase llamas (that wasn´t exactly part of the tour), and soak in some hot springs (at 6am in the morning, it was pretty cold outside of the 100F water). When we got back to town we had all sorts of plans to complain about the service and get some sort of a refund. However, our story was trumped, big time. One of the other jeeps had a driver who had been drinking, and managed to roll the jeep. Nobody was seriously hurt, thank god, but one guy was bleeding. Needless to say, they got a refund. That actually wasn´t the only case I heard of drunk drivers, either. I´m glad our major mishap was a potentially explosive tire.