The Home Stretch

“Everyday you may make progress.  Every step may be fruitful.  Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path.  You know you will never get to the end of the journey.  But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb.”  -Winston Churchill


     Hello world.  It’s been a short while since I gave the ol’ blog a new story so I had to change that.  I think I last left off telling you all that I had just arrived back in Mancora to begin volunteering at the hostel.  Well, I am still here and life is still sweet.  This post will lack tales of great adventure but hopefully you will get an idea of what my day to day life is like.  I typically work 3-4 days a week behind the bar.  Bartending at the hostel is great fun as it supplies you with an easy way to meet the continuous flow of travelers.  We have activities every afternoon to try and get more people involved, and each night there are drinking games, karaoke, or themed parties.  Last night I sang a very horrible rendition of “How Do I Live?” by Leann Rimes.  It’s amazing how ridiculous one can act when you have no shame.  Last Saturday we had a pirate themed party, which I bartended dressed as a Somalian pirate.  The week before was an ABC (anything but clothes) party.  Bring out the bed sheets and plastic bags!


     Volunteering here definitely has its perks.  I get to stay for free, get free breakfast, one additional free meal, and my 3rd meal is discounted at 40%.  Down time is plentiful.  The hostel has a pool, which is often murky, restaurant, bar, a few hammocks, and its own private beach which supplies some of the best sunsets you will ever see.  I fill my days with naps, reading, and conversing with fellow travelers.


     I think this will be my second to last post.  I will leave Mancora on May 3rd and once again make the 20+ hour bus ride to Lima, where I fly home from on May 6th.  Looking at a map I haven’t covered the ground I wanted to in my 5 months down here but where ever I was is where I was supposed to be.  I wouldn’t trade any of these experiences.  


     I have been trying to connect with life back in the states more in hopes to avoid culture shock upon my return, but most of it is a distant memory.  I left as a wide-eyed wanderer and will return as a long hair and bearded drifter that suddenly needs to find a job.  I think learning to live with my feet on the ground after flying for 5 months will be the greatest challenge.  I also really look forward to shaving this beard off.  I told a lot of friends that I would keep it the entire time I was in South America and I must say, I’m sick of it.  Food gets stuck in it, bugs fly into it, sand finds its way in it, and apart from instantly being qualified for 4 roles in any nativity play I don’t see much use for it.  Ditching the beard and In-N-Out Burger are two huge perks of returning home (behind family and friends of course).  I’ll wrap up this post now.  I had a long night last night and consumed a few more drinks than I should have so I reckon I’ll take a nap.  You will here from me again either just before I depart or shortly after I arrive in California.  Ciao!

Huacachina

“There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” -C.S. Lewis


     About two hours north of Nazca is the desert oasis town of Huacachina.  Basically consisting of Hostels, restaurants, internet cafes, and travel agencies built around a lagoon, this small piece of paradise is a must-see for any backpacker.  Gigantic sand dunes surround the lagoon from all sides and miles of desert disappear into the horizon.  The major city near Huacachina is Ica, which is one of the driest places on Earth.
     I arrived the Friday before Easter which made finding a room anything but easy.  After being quoted on a few that were well out of my budget I finally found a reasonably priced 18-bed dormitory.  I was able to grab a quick bite, take a dip in the pool, and then begin my climb of a massive sand dune in time to watch the sunset over the desert.
     I’ve probably said this before but one of the greatest parts of traveling are the people you meet.  That night I found myself at a table playing King’s Cup (a drinking game involving cards and wacky rules) with people from The States, Holland, Australia, England, Scotland, and Canada.  Someone had the brilliant idea to make a rule that forced everyone to try and talk like the person to their left.  Needless to say the rest of the game was very entertaining.
     The next day was spent exploring the town a bit more and relaxing poolside.  I had booked a sand tour for that evening.  One hour for 40 soles ($16).  The tour was much more of a rush than I had anticipated.  You and about 9 others cram into a buggy and are driven up and over dunes, dropping quickly down the other side, taking sharp turns and going up more.  Twice the buggy stopped at the top and we all got out and sand boarded down.  I assumed sand boarding would be a lot like snow boarding, which I have never done.  Instead, you lay on your stomach with the board underneath you and start sliding down the dune.  This ground level view of the rapidly approaching desert floor really gets the adrenaline pumping.  The last dune was so high and the descent so rapid that my ear popped on the way down, the same as when you land in an airplane.
     Easter morning arrived and my time in Huacachina came to a close.  I boarded a bus to Lima (4 hours) then found another bus that would take me back to Mancora (20 hours).  I am in Mancora now, back at the hostel I spent a week in when I first arrived in Peru.  I have about 23 days left in South America and will spend almost all of it volunteering at the hostel.  Basically I work 15-20 hours a week in the bar but I get to stay for free and get 2 free meals.  I know that the blog has been lacking some excitement in my latest posts so I will do my best to throw myself in dangerous situations and add some flare to it.  Also, I have finally uploaded pictures from the last few months.  I hope everything is great in you’re part of the world. Until next time, Ciao!

Nazca Lines

“An optimist is a guy that has never had much experience.” -Don Marquis

     I had no idea that the most exciting part of the next 24 hours or so would be the bus ride from Puno to Arequipa.  While our 2 story bus weaved through the Andes we suddenly found ourselves in the midst of an ice storm.  Soon after, all the windows fogged up and for the next 20 minutes we sat, basically in the dark, as the bus slid around corners.  Eventually I made it Arequipa and found another bus for Nazca.
     The only tourist draw Nazca has is the Nazca lines.  Nine giant images carved into the desert ground. The images are so big that they can only really be appreciated from great heights.  It wasn’t until 1940 when Paul Kosok, who was in the area studying ancient irrigation systems, flew over the lines and realized they weren’t for irrigation at all.  Though the purpose for the lines is not completely known, it put Nazca on the map.
     I arrived in Nazca at 4.15 am.  The bus I was on was continuing to Lima and I was the only person getting off at Nazca.  No sooner had I bent down to pick up my bag when a car jetted around the corner and screeched to a halt next to me.  A man got out and started rambling off facts about his hostel.  I had already booked a room at a hostel but I wasn’t sure if they would have anyone to let me in at that ungodly hour.  I realize this wasn’t the best idea but I allowed the guy to take me to my hostel anyways.  The whole ride over he was trying to get me to commit to doing the air tour of the lines with his company.
     Turns out no one was awake to let me in the hostel and after the guy continued on about how every hostel in the city was full but he could offer me a sofa and place to store my bags until my hostel opened I finally gave in.  He charged me 10 soles ($4) to crash on his “sofa” which was really just like a wicker love seat.  I don’t think I ever fell asleep and by the time the sun was up I grabbed my bag and left.
     I had made plans to meet up with a 19-year-old girl from Holland that was on my Machu Picchu trek but she wouldn’t arrive until early evening.  Neither of us had the budget to afford a flight over the lines so I decided I would wait until she was there to go to the observation tower, which gives a decent view of two of the symbols.  This gave me a whole day to kill in Nazca, something that sounds easier than it actually is.  Nazca has very little to offer.  If it weren’t for all the gravity and oxygen you might even think you managed to land on the moon.  Dirt and rocks cover the otherwise flat landscape.  I walked around the town, ate some lunch, and poked around a few shops and that still left me with about 6 hours to go.  Movies and naps are my go to time killers.
     Long story short, we went to the observation tower the next day and were thoroughly disappointed.  Maybe if you do the proper tour in a plane the lines may be more impressive but from the lookout tower the lines looked… fake.  I had seen hundreds of pictures of Machu Picchu before I visited and was still blown away.  When it comes to the Nazca lines, pictures were enough.

Puno

“Age is how we determine how valuable you are.” -Jane Elliot

     From Cuzco I traveled 6 hours southeast to the town of Puno.  Puno is known as the folkloric capital of Peru because of it’s years of dedication to the arts, particularly dance, and like most South American cities I have traveled to there are an abundance of handcrafts for sale just about everywhere.  The town itself is nothing special and I only stayed there for a day.

     Puno is located on Lake Titicaca which is the largest lake in South America and at 12,500 feet one of the highest in the world.  The main reason tourists go to Puno is to tour the Floating Islands.  The islands are made of plants, mud, and bits of drift wood.  The Uro people have lived on the islands for generations and originally the islands mobility made them useful if threat arose.  Tours of the islands are generally not well received by tourists.  I have yet to meet one that said they enjoyed it.  Most of the people on all the islands pressure you into buying crafts or just giving them money, and since they are the guides of your boat you have little choice.

     Between the even higher altitude and very cold weather I didn’t explore much of the city.  I went to the main plaza and surrounding area and even tried some Chinese food for the first time since being down here.  For 5 soles ($2) I had a huge plate of mostly chicken, rice, sautéed veggies, and cut up hot dogs.  Not what I was expecting but anything is great for $2.  The rest of the day was spent hanging around the hostel talking with two Australian girls who were planning their trip to Machu Picchu and an American who ended up accompanying me West the following day.  I took a 6 hour bus to Arequipa and then a 10 hour bus to my destination, Nazca.

Cuzco

“The worst thing about new books is that they keep us from reading the old ones.” -John Wooden


     I like to think of my time in Cuzco as a game of two halves, with a very long halftime.  Rather than a tale of two cities, it’s a tale of the same city…twice.  I arrived in Cuzco on the 25th of March.  The 23 hours bus ride paired with the altitude made my arrival less than pleasant.  I had been at sea level for almost the entirety of the last 7 weeks, except for a few days in Vilcabamba, Ecuador.  Altitude sickness is no joke.  The rapid ascent from sea level to 11,200 feet left me dizzy, tired, dehydrated, and with a terrible headache.  Upon my arrival I said a quick hello to Jackie’s family before downing some coca tea (supposed to help with altitude sickness) and then doing some extreme napping for four hours.  I awoke feeling, at least functional, and was ready to explore the city.
     Cuzco was the capital city of the Incan Empire until the Spanish took it over in 1534.  Though most of the architecture is Spanish, there is still a large tribute to the Incan civilization.  The city has about 300,000 residents but receives close to 2 million visitors a year.  Most of the people, like myself, make it a starting point for Machu Picchu.  In 2010 heavy rains caused the site to close for 2 months which lost Cuzco between an estimated $200-$400 million in tourist revenue.  Lucky for us that wasn’t the case, and we left the city for our four day trek.
     The return to Cuzco was much appreciated, as it supplied me with the opportunity to sleep in and have a warm shower, two things I had been neglected for four days.  Also, now fully adjusted to the altitude, I saw the city in a new light.  The Plaza De Armas is massive and is the hub for most tourists.  Surrounded by shops and restaurants (even a Starbucks and KFC) it also has a huge statue/fountain in the center and not one but TWO giant churches.  Most hotels and hostels are within a few blocks of the plaza.  A side note: Jack’s Café, about 2 blocks East, has the best BLT I have ever tasted.  I made sure by eating 3 of them.  I even found a pub that was showing the Final Four games.
     My last two days in Cuzco were spent doing much of the same, eating.  Because of so many tourists, Cuzco has just about every kind of food you could want.  It had been a long while since I had indulged in decent Mexican food but I found my fix.  My last full day I decided to walk to the bus station, roughly 3 km away, to get a ticket to Puno the next morning.  Getting out of the tourist district I was able to see a brand new side of Cuzco.  Like most South American cities it had small restaurants, bakeries, and general stores.  It was also nice to not be hounded by someone trying to sell me something I had no use for (the guys that sell sunglasses are relentless).
     I made it back with plenty of time to spare before the national championship.  I was met at the pub by two Americans that were on the trekking group with me and we did our best to support Kansas.  Luckily, the game coincided with happy hour, and the way it played out the drinks were much appreciated.  The following morning I left Cuzco for the second time.  This time with no return visit on the horizon.
     I am going to be doing a lot of hopping around in the next few days so I'll try and keep the blog as up-to-date as possible.