We are back in ¨¡La Pa La Pa La Pa!¨ We had our last official ceremony last night to end disorientation (you know, like the opposite of ¨orientation¨) and now we have our last day free to roam the city. I cant believe it is almost over; Ive only used 1.5 ounces of shampoo and Ive done laundry only three times! We leave Bolivia late tonight/early tomorrow morning.
Im my three months here, I have not yet told you all the things I love here. As a final tribute to this place, here is a list of all the reasons I love Bolivia:
-An electronic version of Eminem coming through my window from a fiesta in the plaza at night
-The availability of soy milk
-Drinking liquids out of a bag
-Fresh carrot juice
-Coca candies
-Coca cookies
-Mangos, prickly pears, baby bananas, y custard apples
-The abundance of cerveza
-MOUNTAINS
-The fact that the kid sitting next to me at the Internet cafe cant read what Im writing
-The rare but delicious vegetarian buffets in Cochabamba
-Freshest smoothies ever (and they come in a bag!)
-Porn calendars are proudly displayed in every tienda, home, and auto shop
-Té de Paris
-Coca mate
-Su Tienda Amiga Yolanda
-Humientas from the lady in a cardboard box
-Falafal en Lafa for 15 bolivianos
-Black market on Sundays and Thursdays (the the fabulous Venus d´ Milo boots I found there)
-Political graffiti on every boulder, buildng, and wall
-Peanut sauce
-Second hand clothing shops in Rurre
-Grapefruits in the Amazon
-Martín the monkey
-Wild chocolate
-Fresh Sorata bread, straight from the Orno Caliente on monday afternoons
-The proper way to carry a baby is: (1.) put a manta (big woven cloth) on the ground and put your baby on it (2.) grab the corners and SWING it over your shoulder onto your back (3.) Tie it and go...
-LLamas hatching from eggs
-Andean ceremonies
-Paying tribute to the Apus
-Listening to the sacred earth
-Api breaks in the mid-morning
-Scottie (aka Cohen), my adopted street puppy
-Being somewhere long enough to adopt street dogs as your own
-Dogs wearing sweaters and other clothes
-The swings in Plaza España
-Drunken taxi drivers who discuss the inbreeding of llamas and dogs on the streets of El Alto
-Water fights during Carnival
-Espuma
-Tomatoes with mustard
And probably more that I have forgotten...
I am a bit relieved to finish traveling with 15 other people; logistically, it has been quite a challenge. But I am so sad to leave the 15 people that have become my family here!
It is scary to go home. It is even scarier that Im only home for two weeks until Im off to Brevard to work for the summer, then Im straight off to school. School?! That will be a strange new adjustment...
Or maybe a new adventure?
¡Chao Bolivia! My next post will come from the States.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Home-Sweet-Almost-Home
I dont leave Bolivia for a couple more days, but last Saturday I felt like I had returned home. That is because we returned to Sorata. We´ve travel so much, so quickly throughout Bolivia and Peru that the three weeks in Sorata was our longest time being stationary, and therefore it is most familiar to us, most like home.
Driving in from Lake Titicaca, I was actually suprised at how happy I was to see Sorata off in the distance. Looking out the window of our mobilidad, I could identify all the parts of Sorata that meant so much to the group: there is Tutu, with the river running beside it; there is the road that leads to Villa Rosa, and the Regae Bar, and David´s farm; there is the path I would run on, and the bridge where I saw a rainbow one rainy afternoon; there is the shop where the banana bread is sold; and there, four rows up from the palm tree filled plaza, is my home, so small from the road, but probably full of my family playing and eating lunch.
The tienda woman recognized Evi, where she used to buy mustard every day. And the woman with the juice shop asked Michaela where she had been. I ran into my homestay sister in the plaza within 2 hours of being back: I was suprised when someone grabbed me from behind, but as soon as I felt her arms I had no doubt that it was her!
Our past three days in Sorata have been exactly what I needed to process, relax, and reflect. It has been nice to focus on our group and enjoying our last bit of time together.
Our main adventure in Sorata was preparing for the Aptapi, which is like an Aymara potluck. We invited all 13 of our homestay families, so we were busy cooking for over 50 people! Our biggest chalenge was that the water in the house was cut off, which means we had no water to cook or clean with. We ended up having to carry water in giant buckets to the house from the town. Despite the little roadblock, we got everything done smoothly (miraculously!), and we had a lot of fun while doing it. We had the speakers turned up loud and we spent all day singing, dancing, cooking, and laughing. It will definitely be one of the memories that sticks with me for a long time.
The families came in the afternoon and we all crowded into the house. When it came tiem to eat, there was a MAD DASH to the fruit salad. It was honestly a stampeed of bolivian women, and people were fighting for the serving spoon. We had made almost a bathtub full of it, and it was gone in 10 minutes. It was funny to watch all the mothers fill up there plates then slyly dump them into there purses, saving it for later. Whe we gave them to-go baggies at the end of the fiesta, there was yet another mad dash. I swear some of them left with two or three totebags full of leftovers. By the end, we only had hummus and salad left in the pots- Im pretty sure that not a single Bolivian touched either thing!
For me, the day before the Aptapi was also filled with cooking (still with no water, I might add...). I decided to make dal baht for my whole group as a special treat and thankyou. It was fun but tiring, cooking dal, baht, tarkari, saag, and achar for 16 people. And I was worried that it might not be good, since I had no recipe, little experience, and only bolivian ingredients. I was suprised at how well it turned out; it was actally really tasty and everyone loved it.
Driving in from Lake Titicaca, I was actually suprised at how happy I was to see Sorata off in the distance. Looking out the window of our mobilidad, I could identify all the parts of Sorata that meant so much to the group: there is Tutu, with the river running beside it; there is the road that leads to Villa Rosa, and the Regae Bar, and David´s farm; there is the path I would run on, and the bridge where I saw a rainbow one rainy afternoon; there is the shop where the banana bread is sold; and there, four rows up from the palm tree filled plaza, is my home, so small from the road, but probably full of my family playing and eating lunch.
The tienda woman recognized Evi, where she used to buy mustard every day. And the woman with the juice shop asked Michaela where she had been. I ran into my homestay sister in the plaza within 2 hours of being back: I was suprised when someone grabbed me from behind, but as soon as I felt her arms I had no doubt that it was her!
Our past three days in Sorata have been exactly what I needed to process, relax, and reflect. It has been nice to focus on our group and enjoying our last bit of time together.
Our main adventure in Sorata was preparing for the Aptapi, which is like an Aymara potluck. We invited all 13 of our homestay families, so we were busy cooking for over 50 people! Our biggest chalenge was that the water in the house was cut off, which means we had no water to cook or clean with. We ended up having to carry water in giant buckets to the house from the town. Despite the little roadblock, we got everything done smoothly (miraculously!), and we had a lot of fun while doing it. We had the speakers turned up loud and we spent all day singing, dancing, cooking, and laughing. It will definitely be one of the memories that sticks with me for a long time.
The families came in the afternoon and we all crowded into the house. When it came tiem to eat, there was a MAD DASH to the fruit salad. It was honestly a stampeed of bolivian women, and people were fighting for the serving spoon. We had made almost a bathtub full of it, and it was gone in 10 minutes. It was funny to watch all the mothers fill up there plates then slyly dump them into there purses, saving it for later. Whe we gave them to-go baggies at the end of the fiesta, there was yet another mad dash. I swear some of them left with two or three totebags full of leftovers. By the end, we only had hummus and salad left in the pots- Im pretty sure that not a single Bolivian touched either thing!
For me, the day before the Aptapi was also filled with cooking (still with no water, I might add...). I decided to make dal baht for my whole group as a special treat and thankyou. It was fun but tiring, cooking dal, baht, tarkari, saag, and achar for 16 people. And I was worried that it might not be good, since I had no recipe, little experience, and only bolivian ingredients. I was suprised at how well it turned out; it was actally really tasty and everyone loved it.
Sunny Island
We just ended our two nights at Isla del Sol (Island of the Sun), in Lake Titicaca.
Titicaca was incredible; absolutely more than I imagined. The beach was beautiful and the water was emense. I kept forgeting that it wasnt an ocean. When you see the pictures, you will know what I mean!
We got to spend time laying in the sand and it truely felt like paradise, but the sun was strong- we were about 14,000 feet HIGHER than sea level, if that gives you an idea. Besides relaxing in the sand, we spend time doing group reflections and playing lots of games. It was a beautiful break from all the moving and doing that we have been busy with for the past few months.
We went to the Incan ruins on the North side of the island. The island, and especially the ruins, are on of the holiest sites in the Incan empire, because the place is considered to be the birthplace of the Sun and of the Inca. We went at dusk and it was truely magical. Our bolivian friends, Doña Fransica and Don Roberto, conducted an Aymara ceremony for us, which made the experience even more special. I have seen quite a few ceremonies by now, but this one was particulary powerful. Something about Fransisca and Roberto chanting and turning in unison to give thanks to the Apus really touched me.
Our last day, we hiked together across the ridge that follows the island. From the path, both sides of the enormous lake was visible, as was the snowy mountains in the distance. It was a great end to our stay.
Titicaca was incredible; absolutely more than I imagined. The beach was beautiful and the water was emense. I kept forgeting that it wasnt an ocean. When you see the pictures, you will know what I mean!
We got to spend time laying in the sand and it truely felt like paradise, but the sun was strong- we were about 14,000 feet HIGHER than sea level, if that gives you an idea. Besides relaxing in the sand, we spend time doing group reflections and playing lots of games. It was a beautiful break from all the moving and doing that we have been busy with for the past few months.
We went to the Incan ruins on the North side of the island. The island, and especially the ruins, are on of the holiest sites in the Incan empire, because the place is considered to be the birthplace of the Sun and of the Inca. We went at dusk and it was truely magical. Our bolivian friends, Doña Fransica and Don Roberto, conducted an Aymara ceremony for us, which made the experience even more special. I have seen quite a few ceremonies by now, but this one was particulary powerful. Something about Fransisca and Roberto chanting and turning in unison to give thanks to the Apus really touched me.
Our last day, we hiked together across the ridge that follows the island. From the path, both sides of the enormous lake was visible, as was the snowy mountains in the distance. It was a great end to our stay.
Animal CRACKers
While in Peru, animal crackers were my drug of choice. But thats not to say that there arent other drugs floating around. Peru and Bolivia are well behind Colombia, Brazil, and Mexico in cocaine production, but there is definitely still an industry here.
Did you know that you can call one of many phone numbers in NYC, and within 3 minutes you can have cocain delivered, no matter where you are. It costs $20 a gram.
Ive always thought chemical drugs are a bad idea- bad for your health, bad for your relationships, bad for your brain. But before this trip, I had never thought about how drug use affects the communities that produce those drugs.
In South America, the cocain industry is ruining lives. Coca farmers are having there fields burned by the DEA, and being forced to work for low wages in the production of pasto basico (coca paste). Women transport drugs as a last resort for cash, and are sentanced to years in prison with all of there children. Peasants forced by poverty into the drug trade are sentanced the death penalty, while a NYU freshman caught with cocaine recieves only a small fine.
Did you know that in Bolivia it is illegal to transport large amounts of toilet paper? Toilet paper and gasoline are two of the main ingredients of pasto basico.
When you choose to use cocaine, you are choosing to oppress so many peopple in this area, and you are putting so many lives in danger. That is something they dont teach you in D.A.R.E. class...
Did you know that you can call one of many phone numbers in NYC, and within 3 minutes you can have cocain delivered, no matter where you are. It costs $20 a gram.
Ive always thought chemical drugs are a bad idea- bad for your health, bad for your relationships, bad for your brain. But before this trip, I had never thought about how drug use affects the communities that produce those drugs.
In South America, the cocain industry is ruining lives. Coca farmers are having there fields burned by the DEA, and being forced to work for low wages in the production of pasto basico (coca paste). Women transport drugs as a last resort for cash, and are sentanced to years in prison with all of there children. Peasants forced by poverty into the drug trade are sentanced the death penalty, while a NYU freshman caught with cocaine recieves only a small fine.
Did you know that in Bolivia it is illegal to transport large amounts of toilet paper? Toilet paper and gasoline are two of the main ingredients of pasto basico.
When you choose to use cocaine, you are choosing to oppress so many peopple in this area, and you are putting so many lives in danger. That is something they dont teach you in D.A.R.E. class...
Bolivia > Peru
On the way from Cusco to Lake Titicaca, we crossed back over the boarder to Bolivia. To be honest, I didnt realize how much I loved Bolivia until we left and then returned. It was a good feeling to hold bolivianos in my hand rather than Peruvian soles. My surroundings didnt change much (after all, its only an imaginary line that we crossed...) but there was a feeling of familiarity and good vibes in the air as soon as we made the transition.
Before I get too far into Bolivia, I want to share a list of a few final observations on Peru:
-While in Peru, especially Cusco,one can easily forget that they are in South America. Everything has the feeling of a quaint European village: narrow cobblestone roads, cute little houses on the hillside, everything neat and tidy but not too modern.
-The churches are GOLD GOLD GOLD GOLD. The huge cathedral in Plaza de Armas in Cusco could easily feel at home in Vatican city; it was actually built on and with old stones stolen from ancient Incan holy sites.
-Animal crackers. The animal crackers in Peru are addicting and Im pretty sure that there were days when I ate them for all three meals.
-Peru is SO toursity. Everywhere you go people are yelling and grabbing you and trying to sell you things. It was scary at best and intimidating at best. I was VERY relieved to get away from all of that.
-The textiles are prettier and have brighter colors, but they are WAY more expensive (like everything else in Peru).
-The markets are better, and they have way more produce. You can even find squoosh!! which is my favorite vegetable from Nepal. The bread, however, is pretty bad.
-There are squat toilets at the ruins of Pisaq!!!!! Squat toilets, just like Asia. This will probably stand out as my favorite memory of Peru. Not kidding.
-Women dress up in elaborate costumes and carry around baby goats in the plaza, and they make you pay to take pictures of them.
Before I get too far into Bolivia, I want to share a list of a few final observations on Peru:
-While in Peru, especially Cusco,one can easily forget that they are in South America. Everything has the feeling of a quaint European village: narrow cobblestone roads, cute little houses on the hillside, everything neat and tidy but not too modern.
-The churches are GOLD GOLD GOLD GOLD. The huge cathedral in Plaza de Armas in Cusco could easily feel at home in Vatican city; it was actually built on and with old stones stolen from ancient Incan holy sites.
-Animal crackers. The animal crackers in Peru are addicting and Im pretty sure that there were days when I ate them for all three meals.
-Peru is SO toursity. Everywhere you go people are yelling and grabbing you and trying to sell you things. It was scary at best and intimidating at best. I was VERY relieved to get away from all of that.
-The textiles are prettier and have brighter colors, but they are WAY more expensive (like everything else in Peru).
-The markets are better, and they have way more produce. You can even find squoosh!! which is my favorite vegetable from Nepal. The bread, however, is pretty bad.
-There are squat toilets at the ruins of Pisaq!!!!! Squat toilets, just like Asia. This will probably stand out as my favorite memory of Peru. Not kidding.
-Women dress up in elaborate costumes and carry around baby goats in the plaza, and they make you pay to take pictures of them.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Pisaq
Today we spent the day outside of Cusco at the ruins of Pisaq.
We opted out of visiting Machu Pichu, deciding that other things were more more important to us (and LESS touristy), so these Incan ruins were the first we have really seen in Peru.
The whole area was incredible. The nearly perfectly fitted original stone work at the site was a stark contrast to the restored walls, which are no more than rough rocks pasted together with mortar. It was an amazing experience to walk along the cliffs on the narrow hallways, and imagine citizens of the Incan Empire going about their daily chores on the same path, half a milinium ago. One mountains side overlooking the ruins was covered in small round caves; we learned that this is actually the largest Incan cemetary.
I wont go into to too much detail about the day. It was pretty neat and pictures will show more!
In a few hours I will be hopping on a night bus to Copacabana. I cant wait to return to Bolivia!!! Peru has been an interesting contrast, but I am excited to escape the freakishly European vibes and once again feel like I am in South America. Tomorrow morning we will catch a boat to Isla del Sol on Lake Titicaca. This island is the birthplace of humanity, according to Incan myth. It is supposed to be a very magical place!
We opted out of visiting Machu Pichu, deciding that other things were more more important to us (and LESS touristy), so these Incan ruins were the first we have really seen in Peru.
The whole area was incredible. The nearly perfectly fitted original stone work at the site was a stark contrast to the restored walls, which are no more than rough rocks pasted together with mortar. It was an amazing experience to walk along the cliffs on the narrow hallways, and imagine citizens of the Incan Empire going about their daily chores on the same path, half a milinium ago. One mountains side overlooking the ruins was covered in small round caves; we learned that this is actually the largest Incan cemetary.
I wont go into to too much detail about the day. It was pretty neat and pictures will show more!
In a few hours I will be hopping on a night bus to Copacabana. I cant wait to return to Bolivia!!! Peru has been an interesting contrast, but I am excited to escape the freakishly European vibes and once again feel like I am in South America. Tomorrow morning we will catch a boat to Isla del Sol on Lake Titicaca. This island is the birthplace of humanity, according to Incan myth. It is supposed to be a very magical place!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Fathers, Hope, Potatoes
We are back in Cusco after our adventure to Nacion Queros. First we hoped on a bus to Ocongate, a town close to the territory of Nacion Queros. We snacked on Peruvian animal crackers (a favorite) while we altered and re-altered our plans to reach Queros.
A day later we piled our stuff and ourselves into an open-bed truck bound for the snowy pass above Quiko (a village a part of Nacion Queros). From the pass we hiked down into Quiko. We spent more time than planned in Quiko. We waited for Alex (still sick with Dengue) to ride a horse into the village a day late. Then a furious hail storm (WHY are we ALWAYS caught in winter weather?!) kept us from moving on. The next day three sickies (Alex, Ecca, and Caiti) rode out (headed back to the clinic in Cusco for more care), and the rest of us hiked down to Quiko Chico (¨little Quiko¨) to begin our homestays.
In Quiko Chico we lived with families and learned more about the ancient culture of Queros.
I wasnt sure how to go about explainting the past week, so Ive organized it by topic, the easiest way I know how:
NACTION QUEROS
Nacion Queros is a community of people who have maganed to preserve Incan tradition and culture. They marry within the community to preserve Incan blood, too. They speak only Quechua; their knowledge of Spanish language is about as equal as mine, sometimes even worse! The women would always yell things at us in Quechua, and they didnt understand why we didnt know what they were saying. Nature is a very important part of the preserved Incan culture and life. To them, the all of the earth is living! Water has energy, and the mountains (the ¨Apus¨) are guardians. Each day we would chew coca and offer thanks to the Apus; they know each mountain by name. The people have the ability to sit on the ground and listen to the earth, who offers them advise and wisdom. The Andean enviroment around Queros is nearly inhospitable. It is bitter cold, the altitude makes even simple tasks difficult, and the only food that grows is potatoes. So WHY have people chosen to live here for so many centuries? According to the people, the land around Queros is some of the most sacred in the world. Even in my short time there, I was able to sense its holiness, too.
WEAVINGS
Weaving is a huge part of life in Queros, and one of their only means of livelyhood. The complicated patterns and advanced techniques have been passed down since the time of the Inca. The textiles are truely the most incredible Ive even seen! Every man and woman in the town is constantly spinning yarn from llama or sheep wool- they do it as necessarily and unconsiously as they breathe. Upon first arriving, we received a display of textiles that would make a rainbow look dull. We ALL took advantange and nearly bought out the town.
HOMESTAYS
In Quiko Chico, we split up and got to live in houses with families. When I say ¨houses¨ I actually mean one room stone huts with grass roofs and straw floors. The houses are so simple that every families owns at least several (in different villages and around each of their potato fields). To cook, we built a wood fire on the floor in the casita. Each meal was potato soup; often supplimented with the special rice and pasta that we brought in from Ocongate. For flavor was salt and dirt. The food was basic, but it was still good. During the day we got live the lives of our families: harvesting potatoes, herding llamas, and sheering sheep. It was absolutely the most rural Ive ever been (wins over the buffalo dung village in Nepal by FAR), and I LOVED experiencing the ancient life and culture of the area.
PACHA MANKA
Upon our arrival in Quiko Chico, the village welcomed us with a Pacha Manka ceremony. This is basically a sacrifice and a feast in honor or Pachamama (mother earth). We caught and killed two rams, and got to help with the skinning and preparing of the meats. I participated in the ritual slaughter of two goats in Nepal, but this experience was different and much more personal. Rather than decapitating the sheep in one strike of the knife (like the goats in Nepal), each sheep was killed by slowly (probably as quickly as possible, but still slowly...) slitting their throughts. After the slaughter, those of us who were willing got to help clean the animal. I have never dealt so closely with such a recently dead animal. There is something very powerful and disturbing about skinning an animal when its body is still warm. This experience has made me see even more clearly the connection between a piece of meat and a living, breathing animal. In fact, the two are inseperable. I think the practice of eating meat is fine, as long as you understand the difference between meat and animal is actually no difference at all.
MIGUEL ANGEL
Miguel Angel is the teenage son of the Dragons contact in Queros. He is also my new big crush. I think he could have been best friends with any of my brothers in Nepal. Just wait until you see pictures of him, youll fall in love, too!
SEÑOR PAPAS
In the Quechua language, there is only one word that means Father, Hope, and Potato. Mr. Aloo Aloo Potato Head Principal Sir (one of my favorite characters from Nepal) has finally met his match in every citizen of Nacion Queros! I have NEVER met people as passionate about- or dependent on- potatoes. Potatoes are the only food that grows in Queros, and as I mentioned before, they eat them everyday. There are over 200 types of potatoes grown in Queros, and each person knows every single type by look and flavor. Each day, men would open up woven mantas (like blankets) on the earth and lay boiled potatoes on them to eat. They pick them up one by one, carefully peel them, and consume them graciously. If you think I am exagerating about these peoples love of potatoes, then you are wrong.
FISH FARM
I have grown up with the knowlege that fish farming is bad: pollution, contamination, etc. So when I found out that Quiko Chico has a new fish farm project, I was pretty sceptical. Will it ruin their pristine environment? Will it inhibit their ancient habit of migrating their homes and fields, thus depleting the local soil? Yet for a community whose diet consists of only potatoes, the fish would provide important nutrients to combat malnutricion. I later found out that this fish farming technology isnt as new as I thought to the community. The Incan Empire maintained a practice of fish farming hundreds of years ago, too. The Quiko farm, being on such a small scale and so removed from modern cities, would probably use less chemicals and produce less waste than the fish farms that I am familiar with. On our last day in Quiko Chico, we had a feast of fried trout from the new project (with boiled potatoes, of course)...and I actually ate it. There you have it folks: the first meat I have eaten in years! I dont feel guilty about it, but I am still not sure about my opinion of the farm project. Will it help or harm the community? Only time will tell, I guess.
PONY RIDES
I got to ride out of Quiko Chico to Ocongate on a horse! Actually, it was a pony/mule, since calling it a horse would imply that it was big enough to ride. Despite my worry that I was slowly killing the animal under my weight, it was really fun. I rode bareback with no reins, only a single rope tied to one side of the horses face...try stearing a horse THAT way!
A day later we piled our stuff and ourselves into an open-bed truck bound for the snowy pass above Quiko (a village a part of Nacion Queros). From the pass we hiked down into Quiko. We spent more time than planned in Quiko. We waited for Alex (still sick with Dengue) to ride a horse into the village a day late. Then a furious hail storm (WHY are we ALWAYS caught in winter weather?!) kept us from moving on. The next day three sickies (Alex, Ecca, and Caiti) rode out (headed back to the clinic in Cusco for more care), and the rest of us hiked down to Quiko Chico (¨little Quiko¨) to begin our homestays.
In Quiko Chico we lived with families and learned more about the ancient culture of Queros.
I wasnt sure how to go about explainting the past week, so Ive organized it by topic, the easiest way I know how:
NACTION QUEROS
Nacion Queros is a community of people who have maganed to preserve Incan tradition and culture. They marry within the community to preserve Incan blood, too. They speak only Quechua; their knowledge of Spanish language is about as equal as mine, sometimes even worse! The women would always yell things at us in Quechua, and they didnt understand why we didnt know what they were saying. Nature is a very important part of the preserved Incan culture and life. To them, the all of the earth is living! Water has energy, and the mountains (the ¨Apus¨) are guardians. Each day we would chew coca and offer thanks to the Apus; they know each mountain by name. The people have the ability to sit on the ground and listen to the earth, who offers them advise and wisdom. The Andean enviroment around Queros is nearly inhospitable. It is bitter cold, the altitude makes even simple tasks difficult, and the only food that grows is potatoes. So WHY have people chosen to live here for so many centuries? According to the people, the land around Queros is some of the most sacred in the world. Even in my short time there, I was able to sense its holiness, too.
WEAVINGS
Weaving is a huge part of life in Queros, and one of their only means of livelyhood. The complicated patterns and advanced techniques have been passed down since the time of the Inca. The textiles are truely the most incredible Ive even seen! Every man and woman in the town is constantly spinning yarn from llama or sheep wool- they do it as necessarily and unconsiously as they breathe. Upon first arriving, we received a display of textiles that would make a rainbow look dull. We ALL took advantange and nearly bought out the town.
HOMESTAYS
In Quiko Chico, we split up and got to live in houses with families. When I say ¨houses¨ I actually mean one room stone huts with grass roofs and straw floors. The houses are so simple that every families owns at least several (in different villages and around each of their potato fields). To cook, we built a wood fire on the floor in the casita. Each meal was potato soup; often supplimented with the special rice and pasta that we brought in from Ocongate. For flavor was salt and dirt. The food was basic, but it was still good. During the day we got live the lives of our families: harvesting potatoes, herding llamas, and sheering sheep. It was absolutely the most rural Ive ever been (wins over the buffalo dung village in Nepal by FAR), and I LOVED experiencing the ancient life and culture of the area.
PACHA MANKA
Upon our arrival in Quiko Chico, the village welcomed us with a Pacha Manka ceremony. This is basically a sacrifice and a feast in honor or Pachamama (mother earth). We caught and killed two rams, and got to help with the skinning and preparing of the meats. I participated in the ritual slaughter of two goats in Nepal, but this experience was different and much more personal. Rather than decapitating the sheep in one strike of the knife (like the goats in Nepal), each sheep was killed by slowly (probably as quickly as possible, but still slowly...) slitting their throughts. After the slaughter, those of us who were willing got to help clean the animal. I have never dealt so closely with such a recently dead animal. There is something very powerful and disturbing about skinning an animal when its body is still warm. This experience has made me see even more clearly the connection between a piece of meat and a living, breathing animal. In fact, the two are inseperable. I think the practice of eating meat is fine, as long as you understand the difference between meat and animal is actually no difference at all.
MIGUEL ANGEL
Miguel Angel is the teenage son of the Dragons contact in Queros. He is also my new big crush. I think he could have been best friends with any of my brothers in Nepal. Just wait until you see pictures of him, youll fall in love, too!
SEÑOR PAPAS
In the Quechua language, there is only one word that means Father, Hope, and Potato. Mr. Aloo Aloo Potato Head Principal Sir (one of my favorite characters from Nepal) has finally met his match in every citizen of Nacion Queros! I have NEVER met people as passionate about- or dependent on- potatoes. Potatoes are the only food that grows in Queros, and as I mentioned before, they eat them everyday. There are over 200 types of potatoes grown in Queros, and each person knows every single type by look and flavor. Each day, men would open up woven mantas (like blankets) on the earth and lay boiled potatoes on them to eat. They pick them up one by one, carefully peel them, and consume them graciously. If you think I am exagerating about these peoples love of potatoes, then you are wrong.
FISH FARM
I have grown up with the knowlege that fish farming is bad: pollution, contamination, etc. So when I found out that Quiko Chico has a new fish farm project, I was pretty sceptical. Will it ruin their pristine environment? Will it inhibit their ancient habit of migrating their homes and fields, thus depleting the local soil? Yet for a community whose diet consists of only potatoes, the fish would provide important nutrients to combat malnutricion. I later found out that this fish farming technology isnt as new as I thought to the community. The Incan Empire maintained a practice of fish farming hundreds of years ago, too. The Quiko farm, being on such a small scale and so removed from modern cities, would probably use less chemicals and produce less waste than the fish farms that I am familiar with. On our last day in Quiko Chico, we had a feast of fried trout from the new project (with boiled potatoes, of course)...and I actually ate it. There you have it folks: the first meat I have eaten in years! I dont feel guilty about it, but I am still not sure about my opinion of the farm project. Will it help or harm the community? Only time will tell, I guess.
PONY RIDES
I got to ride out of Quiko Chico to Ocongate on a horse! Actually, it was a pony/mule, since calling it a horse would imply that it was big enough to ride. Despite my worry that I was slowly killing the animal under my weight, it was really fun. I rode bareback with no reins, only a single rope tied to one side of the horses face...try stearing a horse THAT way!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Mr. Bot Fly
One last exciting update from Cusco before we leave for Queros: We have three bot flies in our group! Bot flies lay eggs on mosquitos, who then deposit the eggs in peoples skin, where they hatch into larva and grow. We realized last night that the ´infected bugbites´ that three friends had might very well be bot fly larva, so we took measures to get them out. First, we blew cigarett smoke onto them (the pictures of this are HILARIOUS; some of them may be on facebook by now). Then we taped raw meat over them for the night.
This morning, sure enough, the little larva came crawling out! If you´ve ever seen a worm crawling out of someone´s skin, you understand why I dont think I´ll be eating for a few days...
This morning, sure enough, the little larva came crawling out! If you´ve ever seen a worm crawling out of someone´s skin, you understand why I dont think I´ll be eating for a few days...
Jesus Saves
After much talk and planning, I am finally here in Cusco! The bus ride was pretty nice; plenty of leg room AND they served us tea and snacks (no joke!). Boarder control was a breeze. I realized that this was my first time ever walking through a boarder- Ive always flown until now.
Today Gina followed a nun to a money changer and she got the lowest exchange rate yet. It just shows that Jesus does save...save money, at least.
I havent seen much of Cusco yet, just the area close to our hostel. There is a great market with SO many different things: Almonds, dried apricots, smoothies, and other things that have always been rare to find in Bolivia. I even found SQUOOSH (which, as some of you know, is my favorite vegetable from nepal). From what Ive seen, Peru is pretty beautiful. It is similar to Bolivia, but everything looks a bit wealthier. There are BEAUTIFUL churches all over this city. There are even cross walks, with little flashing green men to direct you across!
Tomorrow we will begin our voyage to Nación Queros. When we will actually arrive is uncertain, as things often are in this part of the world. We probably wont be able to charter our second leg of transportion until Wednesday morning, and because of snow on the road, there is no telling how far the truck can actually take us. We will have to end up hiking in the rest of the way. Like everything else, our return to Cusco isnt set...we will probably be back in about a week. Until then, I´ll be out of touch!
Today Gina followed a nun to a money changer and she got the lowest exchange rate yet. It just shows that Jesus does save...save money, at least.
I havent seen much of Cusco yet, just the area close to our hostel. There is a great market with SO many different things: Almonds, dried apricots, smoothies, and other things that have always been rare to find in Bolivia. I even found SQUOOSH (which, as some of you know, is my favorite vegetable from nepal). From what Ive seen, Peru is pretty beautiful. It is similar to Bolivia, but everything looks a bit wealthier. There are BEAUTIFUL churches all over this city. There are even cross walks, with little flashing green men to direct you across!
Tomorrow we will begin our voyage to Nación Queros. When we will actually arrive is uncertain, as things often are in this part of the world. We probably wont be able to charter our second leg of transportion until Wednesday morning, and because of snow on the road, there is no telling how far the truck can actually take us. We will have to end up hiking in the rest of the way. Like everything else, our return to Cusco isnt set...we will probably be back in about a week. Until then, I´ll be out of touch!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Feliz Pascua
After a 19 hour bus ride, we are finally back in La Paz.
It took us an extra day to leave Rurre because Alex, unfortunately, contracted Dengue Fever. And salmonella. AND paracites. Needless to say, he wasnt feeling too hot. He´s feeling much better now and Ive never met someone who is so positive when they feel so shitty. Only Alex would go behind the nurse´s back to speed up his IV so he could leave sooner!
In the States, Easter´s approach has probably been pretty obvious. But here in Bolivia, it has really snuck up on me! I didnt even realize it was Holy Week (Semana Santa) until Wednesday night when we finally questioned why the hardware store was playing The Passion of the Christ on their TV. (If youve ever seen the movie, you understand why it could be a little unnerving to see playing carelessly in a tienda...)On Thursday night, a few of us went to the Catholic church along the Plaza. It was a beautiful experience, and it reminded me a lot of the Anglican Church in Belize City which I have spent several Easter Sundays attending.
We´ve had one day to stretch our legs after the trip from Rurrenbaque(I accomplished this mostly by walking around to shop. A lot.). Now I will be spending all of Easter day back on a bus. This time, we will be heading to Peru. We will spent a short day in Cuzco then head to a community called Nación Queros. Queros is a rural community that has managed to perserve Incan culture despite colonization and modernization. It is supposed to have some of the most amazing weavings and textiles in the world. We will be doing homestays there for a few days before moving on to explore a bit more around Cuzco, and maybe Lake Titicaca.
It took us an extra day to leave Rurre because Alex, unfortunately, contracted Dengue Fever. And salmonella. AND paracites. Needless to say, he wasnt feeling too hot. He´s feeling much better now and Ive never met someone who is so positive when they feel so shitty. Only Alex would go behind the nurse´s back to speed up his IV so he could leave sooner!
In the States, Easter´s approach has probably been pretty obvious. But here in Bolivia, it has really snuck up on me! I didnt even realize it was Holy Week (Semana Santa) until Wednesday night when we finally questioned why the hardware store was playing The Passion of the Christ on their TV. (If youve ever seen the movie, you understand why it could be a little unnerving to see playing carelessly in a tienda...)On Thursday night, a few of us went to the Catholic church along the Plaza. It was a beautiful experience, and it reminded me a lot of the Anglican Church in Belize City which I have spent several Easter Sundays attending.
We´ve had one day to stretch our legs after the trip from Rurrenbaque(I accomplished this mostly by walking around to shop. A lot.). Now I will be spending all of Easter day back on a bus. This time, we will be heading to Peru. We will spent a short day in Cuzco then head to a community called Nación Queros. Queros is a rural community that has managed to perserve Incan culture despite colonization and modernization. It is supposed to have some of the most amazing weavings and textiles in the world. We will be doing homestays there for a few days before moving on to explore a bit more around Cuzco, and maybe Lake Titicaca.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
¨Dont Touch! Its Spikey and Covered in Ants!¨
The amazon is...intense.
It is hotter and buggier than you could ever imagine. There are trees that walk (actually), poisonous worms that look like mustaches, trees that are 2,000 years old, and bullet ants that are 2 inches long. THERE ARE SO MANY ANTS. As we hiked through the jungle, we heard descriptions and warnings for all the plants and animals we saw. Almost all of them included the phrase ¨dont touch this...its spikey, poisonous, and covered in ants.¨
Our first few days on the boat trip were really nice. Actually, it was like being on vacation! Everything was cooked and cleaned for us by the guides, and we spent most of the day enjoying ourselves in the shade on the boat. Sometimes we would adventure into the jungle and walk to waterfalls and swimming holes, were we cool off and hide from bugs under the water. Our last night we went mud diving into quick sand, which was an experience I will NOT forget.
On our thrid day, we arrived in Asuncion, a small village of 35 families, no electricity, and community water spigots. We slept together in the old, empty school house, crammed under seven mosquito nets which were always swarming with insects every morning. The group split up among several houses for meals everyday. The ¨vegetarian hut,¨ as we fondly called it, was some of the best food Ive had in Bolivia so far. Our candlelight dinners were always a highlight of the day.
Asuncion is a very tropical town with a tropical lifestyle. It was never decided what we would be doing until five minutes before we were going to do it.
The purpose of our stay in Asuncion was ¨volunteering.¨ I put ¨volunteering¨ quotes because they really did us the favor by finding work for us to do. Usually they just put machetes in our hand and had us chop stuff down. We spent several days clearing a trail for tourists, and another afternoon chopping down trees and vines in a banana field. My favorite activity was ¨volunteer birdwatching¨ which I did with a Bolivian biologist conducting a census on green and yellow macaw parrots in the area. It was a slow project and required a tolerence of boredom, but it was truly incredible to watch dozens of birds flock back to their nests as the sun began to lower.
The rest of our days were occupied with various tasks. One night I went fishing with all ¨the boys¨ and a few village men. We caught one fish the whole night and we didnt get back until nearly 1:00am, but it was still a good time. It was cool to be on the water so late and wonder what creatures were hiding in the dark jungle along the shore.
In the afternoons, when the heat was too hot to handle, we would shed our clothes and ¨bathe¨ in the river. The river was so full of mud and silt that we would usually come out dirtier than we started, but it was still always nice to cool off. After swimming, we would sit around and eat fruit.
The best part of being in the amazon is the fruit. I never dreamed that Id pick a starfruit off of a starfruit tree to eat, but now I have. I have also eaten more oranges and grapefruits than I have in my life combined; they simply COVER the ground in Asuncion and all the surrounding areas. All the things we pay high prices for in the exotic produce secion of Food Lion are found here, growing wild in the jungle.
Asuncion was such a lovely place; although we´d been there less than a week, I was sad to leave this morning.
After an hour long boat ride we arrived in the Amazonian tourist hub of Rurenbaque. With the paved roads, electricity, and large number of gringos, I am experiencing a bit of culture shock. We will be here for another day, then head back to La Paz to plan the last (!!!!) 3 weeks of our journey.
It is hotter and buggier than you could ever imagine. There are trees that walk (actually), poisonous worms that look like mustaches, trees that are 2,000 years old, and bullet ants that are 2 inches long. THERE ARE SO MANY ANTS. As we hiked through the jungle, we heard descriptions and warnings for all the plants and animals we saw. Almost all of them included the phrase ¨dont touch this...its spikey, poisonous, and covered in ants.¨
Our first few days on the boat trip were really nice. Actually, it was like being on vacation! Everything was cooked and cleaned for us by the guides, and we spent most of the day enjoying ourselves in the shade on the boat. Sometimes we would adventure into the jungle and walk to waterfalls and swimming holes, were we cool off and hide from bugs under the water. Our last night we went mud diving into quick sand, which was an experience I will NOT forget.
On our thrid day, we arrived in Asuncion, a small village of 35 families, no electricity, and community water spigots. We slept together in the old, empty school house, crammed under seven mosquito nets which were always swarming with insects every morning. The group split up among several houses for meals everyday. The ¨vegetarian hut,¨ as we fondly called it, was some of the best food Ive had in Bolivia so far. Our candlelight dinners were always a highlight of the day.
Asuncion is a very tropical town with a tropical lifestyle. It was never decided what we would be doing until five minutes before we were going to do it.
The purpose of our stay in Asuncion was ¨volunteering.¨ I put ¨volunteering¨ quotes because they really did us the favor by finding work for us to do. Usually they just put machetes in our hand and had us chop stuff down. We spent several days clearing a trail for tourists, and another afternoon chopping down trees and vines in a banana field. My favorite activity was ¨volunteer birdwatching¨ which I did with a Bolivian biologist conducting a census on green and yellow macaw parrots in the area. It was a slow project and required a tolerence of boredom, but it was truly incredible to watch dozens of birds flock back to their nests as the sun began to lower.
The rest of our days were occupied with various tasks. One night I went fishing with all ¨the boys¨ and a few village men. We caught one fish the whole night and we didnt get back until nearly 1:00am, but it was still a good time. It was cool to be on the water so late and wonder what creatures were hiding in the dark jungle along the shore.
In the afternoons, when the heat was too hot to handle, we would shed our clothes and ¨bathe¨ in the river. The river was so full of mud and silt that we would usually come out dirtier than we started, but it was still always nice to cool off. After swimming, we would sit around and eat fruit.
The best part of being in the amazon is the fruit. I never dreamed that Id pick a starfruit off of a starfruit tree to eat, but now I have. I have also eaten more oranges and grapefruits than I have in my life combined; they simply COVER the ground in Asuncion and all the surrounding areas. All the things we pay high prices for in the exotic produce secion of Food Lion are found here, growing wild in the jungle.
Asuncion was such a lovely place; although we´d been there less than a week, I was sad to leave this morning.
After an hour long boat ride we arrived in the Amazonian tourist hub of Rurenbaque. With the paved roads, electricity, and large number of gringos, I am experiencing a bit of culture shock. We will be here for another day, then head back to La Paz to plan the last (!!!!) 3 weeks of our journey.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
El Plan
Bellow is ´the plan´ for our next few weeks, but take it with a grain of salt because as we have learned recently, things dont always happen the way they are supposed to...
10 hour bus to Guanay
2-3 day boat trip down the Amazon River
4-5 days in Asunción, working on a community project making thached roofs
some days in Rurenbaque, looking into rainforest ecology and HOPEFULLY eating wild chocolate
then back to la paz!
10 hour bus to Guanay
2-3 day boat trip down the Amazon River
4-5 days in Asunción, working on a community project making thached roofs
some days in Rurenbaque, looking into rainforest ecology and HOPEFULLY eating wild chocolate
then back to la paz!
Its a Small World After All
Its a small world, after all.
I was sitting in the lobby of our hostel in La Paz when I suddenly saw Emily McCain walk down the stairs! I knew she was in this part of the world, but neither one of us was supposed to be in La Paz at the time. Who would have guessed we´d end up in the same hostel!
Emily was just another familiarity to add to the rest of the comforts of La Paz: touristy shops, Israeli food, supermarcados, paved roads. Seeing her made me realize why Ive been so uncomfortable in the city. She made me realize that familiarity has become, well, unfamiliar.
Today is the official marker of ¨one month left¨ in Bolivia. AH! What am I going to do when I have to stay in one place? When everything is familiar? I guess I will have to cross that bridge when I get there.
We bought bus tickets to Guanay today. Simply getting to the bus terminal was an adventure in itself, due to the protests in the streets and the dynamite being set off in demonstration. Tomorrow morning we will leave La Paz and finally head into the Amazon! The Amazon is a jungle that remains unfamiliar to even those who live there. It is so dense, and it hides so much. I cant wait to explore a bit of it!
I was sitting in the lobby of our hostel in La Paz when I suddenly saw Emily McCain walk down the stairs! I knew she was in this part of the world, but neither one of us was supposed to be in La Paz at the time. Who would have guessed we´d end up in the same hostel!
Emily was just another familiarity to add to the rest of the comforts of La Paz: touristy shops, Israeli food, supermarcados, paved roads. Seeing her made me realize why Ive been so uncomfortable in the city. She made me realize that familiarity has become, well, unfamiliar.
Today is the official marker of ¨one month left¨ in Bolivia. AH! What am I going to do when I have to stay in one place? When everything is familiar? I guess I will have to cross that bridge when I get there.
We bought bus tickets to Guanay today. Simply getting to the bus terminal was an adventure in itself, due to the protests in the streets and the dynamite being set off in demonstration. Tomorrow morning we will leave La Paz and finally head into the Amazon! The Amazon is a jungle that remains unfamiliar to even those who live there. It is so dense, and it hides so much. I cant wait to explore a bit of it!
Monday, April 11, 2011
A Series of Un(Fortunate) events
The past week has been quite an...adventure. Our instructors have asked us not to ´sensationalize,´ and Im a bit overwhelmed thinking about writing out all the details anyways, so I am going to go through the past week as basically as possible and you can infer the details.
Last monday, those of us who stayed in Sorata got into mobilidad and headed out to meet up with the rest of the trekking group. The road we took was, well, not really a road. It was mostly a foot trail covered with big rocks and often drowning in water that flowed from the mountainsides around us. At times, the road hugged cliffs so close we had to make 3-point-turns to make it up the switchbacks. The climax was when the driver stopped and declared that it was simply impossible to go on; the road was too un-roady and it was f***ing up his car. When we pressed him harder, he demanded a double in his salary and we continued onward. After the six hours I spent sitting on the floor in the trunk, I was happy to be reunited with the group at their campsite.
That night it was cold, but clear for the first time in a while. The stars were beautiful so many of us decided to sleep outside on the grass. It was nice until I woke up in the morning and found my sleeping bag COVERED in ice. Even the part around my head was icy- the part where a body releases most heat- if that gives you an idea of what temperature was inside my sleeping bag.
I stuffed my icy sleeping bag into my backpack, and my backpack was added to the pile for the small mule heard to carry. Despite the addition of six new trekkers to the group, no extra mules were found to be hired, so we continued on with the same number of animals, loaded with twice the amount of stuff.
Part of the nine hour day included climbing up and over a snowy pass. Despite the snow, we were warm because of the sun. At the top, we took a break to snap photos of the view, make snow angels, and have a snowball fight. Close behind us came the mules, and that is when the trouble began. The mules couldnt pass through the snow because it was too deep. Several of them got stuck and had to be push/pulled out by the mule handlers; it was actually very sad and scary to watch. As we sat among the rocks, brainstorming possible solutions, the clouds rolled in bringing sleet, rain, and snow. It became clear that the mules would not be able to make it over the pass without help, so we headed back up to the top to carry all our gear, by hand, to the bottom. Loaded down with full backpacks, day packs, a tank of kerosene, a large gas stove, tents, and food, we headed back over the pass in what had quickly escalated to a HAIL storm!
At the bottom of the snow, as we paused to reload the mules, the skies cleared and the sun reappeared. Continuing on, we couldnt help but notice that the weather was matching our situation.
But as we have learned, sunshine in Bolivia only lasts for so long. By the time we were setting up tents that evening, it was pouring rain. Before the last tent stakes were put in, it was snowing. And it kept snowing. And SNOWING. In fact, it kept snowing all night- so much that it weighed down the walls of our tent until we were all wrapped around the center pole just to stay dry. The snow on the ground rose up so high that it blocked the airspace around the bottom of the tent, and we had to dig tunnels to create breathing room. Perhaps the worst thing was that my sleeping bag (like many others´) was wet from the ice that had melted off of it in my backpack during the day. Just because synthetic sleeping bags still insulate when they are wet doesnt mean that they are warm or comfortable.
Most of us stayed awake all night because of the cold, but that doesnt mean the whole time was miserable. Between shivers, we laughed a lot at the crazy situation we found ourselves in; it honestly felt surreal.
The morning was a blessing. The sun came out, strong and hot, and when I emerged from the tent (harder than you might expect, since our zipper pull had broken off from the cold the previous night...) I found myself in a winter wonder land. We got the news (good or bad, depending on your view) that due to the harsh weather and the injured mules, we would be getting picked up early from the trek. All we had to do was walk a few hours to Amawayu (a small village with a small road) where our mobilidad would be waiting to take us to La Paz.
With the exitement of getting out several days ahead of schedule, we walked fast and arrived at Amawayu early. So we waited for the mobilidad. And waited. After many hours we learned that our transport had been spotted on the road, blocked by too much snow. So we settled down in the local school house for a warmer, dryer night.
We spent the following day waiting for our new transportation- a standard pickup truck that claimed 17 people + gear would have no problem fitting in the truck bed. Seven hours late, our driver arrived, as promised, but then delivered the news that he was no longer available to take us back. We headed back into the school house for another night.
Through all of this, our three lovely instructors were saints. They spent hours on the satelite phone, trying to contract (and re-contract, and re-re-contract) transportation, and worrying that we were cold, upset, or frustrated. They neednt have worried so much, because despite all the adversities, the experience was pretty incredible. In fact, Id call it almost Fortunate. The snow brought us together and made it clear how much everyone was willing to sacrifice for each other. And being stranded in Amawayu was actually a lot of fun: we made banana pudding, played card games, and stayed up all night talking.
The instructors, more than anyone, needed a break after dealing with our ´adventure´ so we have pushed back our Amazon trip and have spent the past few days in La Paz. Ive eaten falafal twice since we´ve been here, and Im pretty happy. Our hostel has TVs in some rooms, and Harry Potter 5 was on the other night!!!! I think Dragons is trying to compensate for the ¨difficulties¨ we´ve encountered over the past week by putting us up somewhere nice. Like I said, I never thought the ¨difficulties¨ were too difficult, but Im not complainting about TV and falafal, either!
(shout-out to Michaela, on the off chance you really do read this when you get home!)
Last monday, those of us who stayed in Sorata got into mobilidad and headed out to meet up with the rest of the trekking group. The road we took was, well, not really a road. It was mostly a foot trail covered with big rocks and often drowning in water that flowed from the mountainsides around us. At times, the road hugged cliffs so close we had to make 3-point-turns to make it up the switchbacks. The climax was when the driver stopped and declared that it was simply impossible to go on; the road was too un-roady and it was f***ing up his car. When we pressed him harder, he demanded a double in his salary and we continued onward. After the six hours I spent sitting on the floor in the trunk, I was happy to be reunited with the group at their campsite.
That night it was cold, but clear for the first time in a while. The stars were beautiful so many of us decided to sleep outside on the grass. It was nice until I woke up in the morning and found my sleeping bag COVERED in ice. Even the part around my head was icy- the part where a body releases most heat- if that gives you an idea of what temperature was inside my sleeping bag.
I stuffed my icy sleeping bag into my backpack, and my backpack was added to the pile for the small mule heard to carry. Despite the addition of six new trekkers to the group, no extra mules were found to be hired, so we continued on with the same number of animals, loaded with twice the amount of stuff.
Part of the nine hour day included climbing up and over a snowy pass. Despite the snow, we were warm because of the sun. At the top, we took a break to snap photos of the view, make snow angels, and have a snowball fight. Close behind us came the mules, and that is when the trouble began. The mules couldnt pass through the snow because it was too deep. Several of them got stuck and had to be push/pulled out by the mule handlers; it was actually very sad and scary to watch. As we sat among the rocks, brainstorming possible solutions, the clouds rolled in bringing sleet, rain, and snow. It became clear that the mules would not be able to make it over the pass without help, so we headed back up to the top to carry all our gear, by hand, to the bottom. Loaded down with full backpacks, day packs, a tank of kerosene, a large gas stove, tents, and food, we headed back over the pass in what had quickly escalated to a HAIL storm!
At the bottom of the snow, as we paused to reload the mules, the skies cleared and the sun reappeared. Continuing on, we couldnt help but notice that the weather was matching our situation.
But as we have learned, sunshine in Bolivia only lasts for so long. By the time we were setting up tents that evening, it was pouring rain. Before the last tent stakes were put in, it was snowing. And it kept snowing. And SNOWING. In fact, it kept snowing all night- so much that it weighed down the walls of our tent until we were all wrapped around the center pole just to stay dry. The snow on the ground rose up so high that it blocked the airspace around the bottom of the tent, and we had to dig tunnels to create breathing room. Perhaps the worst thing was that my sleeping bag (like many others´) was wet from the ice that had melted off of it in my backpack during the day. Just because synthetic sleeping bags still insulate when they are wet doesnt mean that they are warm or comfortable.
Most of us stayed awake all night because of the cold, but that doesnt mean the whole time was miserable. Between shivers, we laughed a lot at the crazy situation we found ourselves in; it honestly felt surreal.
The morning was a blessing. The sun came out, strong and hot, and when I emerged from the tent (harder than you might expect, since our zipper pull had broken off from the cold the previous night...) I found myself in a winter wonder land. We got the news (good or bad, depending on your view) that due to the harsh weather and the injured mules, we would be getting picked up early from the trek. All we had to do was walk a few hours to Amawayu (a small village with a small road) where our mobilidad would be waiting to take us to La Paz.
With the exitement of getting out several days ahead of schedule, we walked fast and arrived at Amawayu early. So we waited for the mobilidad. And waited. After many hours we learned that our transport had been spotted on the road, blocked by too much snow. So we settled down in the local school house for a warmer, dryer night.
We spent the following day waiting for our new transportation- a standard pickup truck that claimed 17 people + gear would have no problem fitting in the truck bed. Seven hours late, our driver arrived, as promised, but then delivered the news that he was no longer available to take us back. We headed back into the school house for another night.
Through all of this, our three lovely instructors were saints. They spent hours on the satelite phone, trying to contract (and re-contract, and re-re-contract) transportation, and worrying that we were cold, upset, or frustrated. They neednt have worried so much, because despite all the adversities, the experience was pretty incredible. In fact, Id call it almost Fortunate. The snow brought us together and made it clear how much everyone was willing to sacrifice for each other. And being stranded in Amawayu was actually a lot of fun: we made banana pudding, played card games, and stayed up all night talking.
The instructors, more than anyone, needed a break after dealing with our ´adventure´ so we have pushed back our Amazon trip and have spent the past few days in La Paz. Ive eaten falafal twice since we´ve been here, and Im pretty happy. Our hostel has TVs in some rooms, and Harry Potter 5 was on the other night!!!! I think Dragons is trying to compensate for the ¨difficulties¨ we´ve encountered over the past week by putting us up somewhere nice. Like I said, I never thought the ¨difficulties¨ were too difficult, but Im not complainting about TV and falafal, either!
(shout-out to Michaela, on the off chance you really do read this when you get home!)
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Catching My Breath
Of course its been another busy week. But I made myself a To Do List and Ive finally checked them (almost) all off! I finished Spanish classes, took my exam, read three incredible books, spent time with my host family, and recovered my photos (which, horribly enough, were lost for a while after my memory card got a virus at the internet cafe). The majority of the group left for a trek this morning. Myself and a few others will be meeting up with them along the trail in a day or two. Its wonderfully peaceful to be away from the group with fewer responsibilities. Ive been drinking lots of api, reading up on hallucinogenic plants in the amazon, learning about how bees and other insects have abstract intelligence, and extended my research on the syncratism of religion here. Ive also been spending a lot of time on a nearby farm, with a wonderful bolivian man named David! David has an adorable cat, and has been teaching me a bit about agriculture in the Andes. After our trek, we will be boarding a boat to travel down the Amazon to a rural jungle village. Apparently, people in this village hunt for wild boar. I find this incredible because I just learned that sometimes packs of wild boars will attack, kill, and eat people in the forest. The Amazon is about to be CRAZYYYY. So the last thing on my To Do List before I leave? Shower. Its been a week since I last bathed, so I figure it is about time.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Better Than a Goat
With such busy days, Im usually not home in time to help cook dinner. If ever I am home, and ask my host mom if she needs help, I am almost always rejected. But on Saturday night she finally let me help. Just as I was about to ask WHAT we were going to cook that night, Paula came in holding a big blue bag. She let me look into the bag and in the bottom I saw a little ball of fur. A ginea pig. A live ginea pig. Of course the ONE night I get to help with dinner, we would be slaughtering a ginea pig... Luckly I didnt have to pull the knife, but they made me stand by and watch as Dona Machlovia slit its throat over the outdoor drain. Honestly, it was much better than watching a goat being killed during Dashain; less blood, the head didnt roll off, and it didnt kick as it was bleeding. Mostly my job was dumping and refilling the bloody water as my mother and sister worked to remove the fur. I wasnt upset that we killed a ginea pig. Actually, I am suprised it is the first animal slaughter I have experienced in Bolivia, considering all the meat that is eaten in this country. Take my word, Bolivia is NOT the country to visit if you want to be vegan. That is not to say that I have been starving, or that I have been forced to eat meat at every meal. Lunch is always soup (always some sort of meat broth, but they kindly exlude the piece of bone in my bowl). I eat a LOT of bread here, for breakfast and for tea time everyday, plus anytime I want a snack since it is cheap and easy to find on the street. For dinner it is usually rice, potatoes, or rice and potatoes. Vegetables are NOT in high demand in Bolivian cuisine, but the fruit here is amazing and easy to pick up at the market.
Highlights of the Week
I cant believe I have less than a week left in Sorata. Last week flew by, and I realized that I have hardly given any updates about what Ive been doing! In honor of that fact, I have put together a list of the highlights of last week. Spanish classes last week were fun. We spent one day at the local high school, meeting with groups of students and, together, discussing climate change and natural disasters. I was nervous at first, as I tend to get when I have to speak spanish, but it ended up being really fun. For the rest of the week, classes were devoted to practicing our 'performances' for the presentation on our final day. For me, this meant practicing Shakira's "Loba" ("Shewolf"). You can probably guess, but this was NOT work for me! Have I ever mentioned that I LOVE Shakira? On Friday, myself and two other girls performed "Loba" for the group, and the song and dance was a hit. Shakira inspired my homestay-life as well. After lunch one day last week, my host-sisters turned on Shakira videos on the TV. We spent the rest of the afternoon watching them and trying to learn her dances and laughing a lot. My host-mother layed on the bed next to us, watching us and laughing. But Shakira hasnt been the only music/dancing at my house. The other night my host sisters suggested that we play "modelo." The result was me playing Missy Elliot on my ipod, and the girls strutting around my room, wrapped up in my scarves and dresses. It was pretty hysterical; Im just glad they couldnt understand any of the lyrics. My last highlight of the week: a run I went on over the weekend. I was feeling good (a little hot), listening to some Mumford and Sons, when it started to sprinkle rain. Then I turned up a switch back and suddenly the best rainbow I have ever seen was revealed. The whole arc was fully visible, and the colors looked so solid. I could see the end of it, and although there was no pot of gold, I felt like I should be able to run right up to it and touch it. Now I kind of understand the guy in the "double rainbow" Utube video; I was actually yelling and crying when I saw this rainbow. No lie.
Nepal Nostalgia
Perhaps some of you have realized this, but being away from Nepal has been hard for me. I never get homesick, but now Im home-away-from-home-sick. Its actually resulted in some tough moments for me. I think of my family in Nepal every day, and I am still stuck with old habits like accepting things with my right hand. I miss squat toilets. I still get Nepali words confused with Spanish words, especially when I speak quickly. Dont get me wrong, I am enjoying my time here and Im glad to experience a new place, but I miss Nepal. A sudden gust of Asian influence came in last week when Shannon (Dragons' Himalayas course director) came to visit. She has been living in Nepal for just over 10 years. She wore a kurta surwal and a scarf (I have one just like it!) that was undeniably Nepali. When we went on a hike, she wore a lunghi (skirt), and I couldnt help but be reminded of Cora and I's trek to Annapurna. It was nice to have someone to talk with about Kathmandu traffic and eating Dal Baht. She was able to justify some of my previously unbeleived statements about Nepal (i.e. "I've never been on a bus in Nepal without at least one person getting motion sick" or "Nepali people are friendlier than people here"). She was even familiar with the Bal Mandir Orphanage! In addition to here Nepali vibe, Shannon brought us some actual Nepali things: spicy candies, which we finished in a day; binidis, which I convenced everyone to wear on our last day of Spanish class; and Tibetan prayer flags, which are now hanging in the Dragons' house, right above a wall of Andean chakanahs. I see the prayer flags everytime I walk into the Dragons' house, but the reminder actually doesnt make me miss Nepal more. Instead, seeing them hanging there with the chakanahs every day has helped me realize that I can take part of my Nepal with me where ever I go. Okay, its cheesey, I know...but it helps. And its true.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Santa Cruz
I am NOT in Santa Cruz right now, but I wish I was.
1. They have sloths in the main plaza
2. SHAKIRA IS SINGING IN CONCERT TONIGHT
gah, why am I stuck here in Sorata.
1. They have sloths in the main plaza
2. SHAKIRA IS SINGING IN CONCERT TONIGHT
gah, why am I stuck here in Sorata.
Laguna Glaciar
Last Saturday morning eight of us left Sorata (elevation: 8,000 ft) loaded up our donkeys (literally), and began the hike up to laguna Glaciar.
The five hour trek up to base camp (14,000 ft) only took us two hours. It was raining the whole time, and EVERYTHING ended up wet. I was tired, but I stayed awake the whole night, probably because of altitude-induced insomnia. Poor Evi was sick and spent the whole night puking out our tent door.
After almost no sleep, I woke up at 5:00 the next morning to prepare for the ´big day´ up to the laguna. We left camp at 7:30. It was cold, dark, and (of course) rainy. Two girls stayed behind at base camp- Evi, because of illness, and Michaela, because of altitude sickness- so our group was even smaller than it already was.
The hike to Laguna Glaciar was intense. Possibly more intense than any hike Ive ever done. There were lots of sketchy parts and tons of slippery granite rock faces to traverse (in the RAIN). At one point we had to rock climb up a huge granite slab. Literally rock climb. We fashioned a make-shift belay using a rope and made our way up the solid slab using veins as foot holds. Needless to say, I had to get over my fear of steep, wet rocks. For the last 45 minutes we were hiking through snow. I actually got chunks of ice in my boots!
We finally arrived at the laguna at 11:30, which was way earlier than any other group before us. Our guide told us that lots of groups dont even make it to the top because of risks, altitude complications, not walking fast enough, etc. Because of the rains, our instructors didnt think we´d make it there either, let alone so early! Honestly, I was really proud of our group. Everyone was really efficient, motiviated, and postive despite the horrible weather.
At the lake, there is supposed to be a beautiful view: an alpine lake surrounded by some of the holiest mountains in the Andes. Unfortunately, the clouds were so dense that we could barely see 20 feet in front of us. The lake in front of us (covered in clouds) looked exactly like the lake at base camp (also covered in clouds). Basically we hiked for four hours and climbed 2,500 feet to get the same view we had where we started.
After a brief lunch, we started to head down, and the weather got even worse! The rain turned to sleet, and eventually it started snowing! SNOW!
Despite the bad weather and slippery downhill rocks, the hike down was better than I expected. We arrived back at base camp after a few hours and sat around, drinking hot drinks until dinner.
Although it was wet, cold, difficult, and scary, the hike was worth it even without a great view. It was super intense and I like pushing myself.
By the time we packed up the next morning for the hike back down to Sorata, everything I had brought was wet. Even my sleeping bag was soaked, which made for a cold, uncomfortable sleep the night before. Usually I love camping, but I was excited for this trip to end just so I could get DRY.
In the afternoon, there was sun in Sorata! Im not sure if Ive ever been so happy to see the sun. I sat on the highest balcony in my house and enjoyed the warm rays as my clothes hung on the line.
The five hour trek up to base camp (14,000 ft) only took us two hours. It was raining the whole time, and EVERYTHING ended up wet. I was tired, but I stayed awake the whole night, probably because of altitude-induced insomnia. Poor Evi was sick and spent the whole night puking out our tent door.
After almost no sleep, I woke up at 5:00 the next morning to prepare for the ´big day´ up to the laguna. We left camp at 7:30. It was cold, dark, and (of course) rainy. Two girls stayed behind at base camp- Evi, because of illness, and Michaela, because of altitude sickness- so our group was even smaller than it already was.
The hike to Laguna Glaciar was intense. Possibly more intense than any hike Ive ever done. There were lots of sketchy parts and tons of slippery granite rock faces to traverse (in the RAIN). At one point we had to rock climb up a huge granite slab. Literally rock climb. We fashioned a make-shift belay using a rope and made our way up the solid slab using veins as foot holds. Needless to say, I had to get over my fear of steep, wet rocks. For the last 45 minutes we were hiking through snow. I actually got chunks of ice in my boots!
We finally arrived at the laguna at 11:30, which was way earlier than any other group before us. Our guide told us that lots of groups dont even make it to the top because of risks, altitude complications, not walking fast enough, etc. Because of the rains, our instructors didnt think we´d make it there either, let alone so early! Honestly, I was really proud of our group. Everyone was really efficient, motiviated, and postive despite the horrible weather.
At the lake, there is supposed to be a beautiful view: an alpine lake surrounded by some of the holiest mountains in the Andes. Unfortunately, the clouds were so dense that we could barely see 20 feet in front of us. The lake in front of us (covered in clouds) looked exactly like the lake at base camp (also covered in clouds). Basically we hiked for four hours and climbed 2,500 feet to get the same view we had where we started.
After a brief lunch, we started to head down, and the weather got even worse! The rain turned to sleet, and eventually it started snowing! SNOW!
Despite the bad weather and slippery downhill rocks, the hike down was better than I expected. We arrived back at base camp after a few hours and sat around, drinking hot drinks until dinner.
Although it was wet, cold, difficult, and scary, the hike was worth it even without a great view. It was super intense and I like pushing myself.
By the time we packed up the next morning for the hike back down to Sorata, everything I had brought was wet. Even my sleeping bag was soaked, which made for a cold, uncomfortable sleep the night before. Usually I love camping, but I was excited for this trip to end just so I could get DRY.
In the afternoon, there was sun in Sorata! Im not sure if Ive ever been so happy to see the sun. I sat on the highest balcony in my house and enjoyed the warm rays as my clothes hung on the line.
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