After something bad happens, you always seem to ask, ´what if?´
What if I had kept on running instead of waiting?
What if I hadn`t moved?
What if I had everything on me?
What if I was on my own?
You know all these ´what ifs´ are only that. What if?´s. No matter how many times you ask yourself questions it doesn`t change what happened. You can`t turn back time and make a different decision. You have to accept what happened and be grateful for what didn`t.
What if the gun was fake?
What if it wasn`t loaded?
But, what if it was?
No matter who it is that is in front of you. If they have a gun pointed at your chest, you will comply.
________
Disclaimer: B and I are fine. Just minus a few cameras. We were with 4 other people and were well looked after by a local man after the event who called the police for us and then drove us to the police station so we could make a report. After a massive communal dinner, a few beers and a lot of jokes the 6 of us could see the better side of it. Am now on the other side of Colombia, about to start relaxing on the Caribbean coast =)
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Peru - Take 2
So I finally did it. I finally not only left Cusco, but I left Peru. I think in total I ended up spending about 4.5 months in that amazing country, and it was still not enough. With the coming doom that is my flight home fast approaching I had to force myself to leave Mancora in search of adventures further north.
The second attempt of traveling Peru I actually saw quite a few more places than in the first 3 months that I was there. During my first week back I took a solo trip down to Arequipa and went hiking in the Colca Canyon - memo to self - do not attempt to do this again when you`re wearing the equivalent of dunlop volleys. During the hiking expedition I got to do many amazing things. My two favorites are as follows: 1) Got to stay over night in an oasis at the bottom of the canyon (never been to one of those before) and 2) RIDE A MULE!!! Pretty much the most excited I had been in a long time. I also discovered that being a 6 hour walk from a road and hiking in altitude will not stop a brass band. Highly amused to see one of those hiking along behind us at one point. Random much.
After another 3 weeks in Cusco I headed up to Lima to be a spy at a hostel (free accommodation for the win). Got to actually explore Lima and catch up with some people that I`d met in Cusco who live in Lima, it was actually pretty good having some locals show me around. Also got to see a laser and water show at a water park which was pretty damn cool. Look up Parque de Aguas, Lima on youtube if you`re into that sorta thing. Some of its just lasers but other parts of it actually look like movies being projected onto the fountain.
4 days after I arrived in Lima, B and Yona came and met me and we headed up to Mancora. A chilled out beach town in the north of Peru. Here we got to catch up with a whole bunch of people we know and love from Cusco. Soooo great. It was the best way I could have spent my last week in Peru. Chilling with (relatively) old friends, making new friends, chilling by the pool, rediscovering my tan, living off fresh fruit and tasty smoothies, generally taking it easy. I even did a surf lesson - keen to do them again some time - sooo much fun! After a week, with that flight of doom date creeping closer I forced myself to leave. Time to explore Ecuador.
Peru, you`ve been amazing, inspiring and my home for the last 5 months.
The second attempt of traveling Peru I actually saw quite a few more places than in the first 3 months that I was there. During my first week back I took a solo trip down to Arequipa and went hiking in the Colca Canyon - memo to self - do not attempt to do this again when you`re wearing the equivalent of dunlop volleys. During the hiking expedition I got to do many amazing things. My two favorites are as follows: 1) Got to stay over night in an oasis at the bottom of the canyon (never been to one of those before) and 2) RIDE A MULE!!! Pretty much the most excited I had been in a long time. I also discovered that being a 6 hour walk from a road and hiking in altitude will not stop a brass band. Highly amused to see one of those hiking along behind us at one point. Random much.
After another 3 weeks in Cusco I headed up to Lima to be a spy at a hostel (free accommodation for the win). Got to actually explore Lima and catch up with some people that I`d met in Cusco who live in Lima, it was actually pretty good having some locals show me around. Also got to see a laser and water show at a water park which was pretty damn cool. Look up Parque de Aguas, Lima on youtube if you`re into that sorta thing. Some of its just lasers but other parts of it actually look like movies being projected onto the fountain.
4 days after I arrived in Lima, B and Yona came and met me and we headed up to Mancora. A chilled out beach town in the north of Peru. Here we got to catch up with a whole bunch of people we know and love from Cusco. Soooo great. It was the best way I could have spent my last week in Peru. Chilling with (relatively) old friends, making new friends, chilling by the pool, rediscovering my tan, living off fresh fruit and tasty smoothies, generally taking it easy. I even did a surf lesson - keen to do them again some time - sooo much fun! After a week, with that flight of doom date creeping closer I forced myself to leave. Time to explore Ecuador.
Peru, you`ve been amazing, inspiring and my home for the last 5 months.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Cusco - The real goodbye
The thought of leaving Cusco tomorrow is bittersweet. While it will be good for my to get back into adventure fairy mode, see new places, meet new people, experience new things - the thought of leaving everything and everyone I have here in Cusco is hard to comprehend.
Put simply, Cusco feels like home. It is nothing like any place I have lived before, I don`t speak the language or eat the local food (rice, 3 types of potato and meat), I don`t work and I don`t take classes, but just feel incredibly at home. I love that when I go out I will always see people I know. I love that when I visit bars I know the people that work there. I love that I have my own room in an apartment (not looking forward to going back to hostel life, dorm room fail). I love having regular places that I hang out at. I love that BB lives 1.5 blocks from my house, so we don`t always have to go somewhere to hang out.
This time round in Cusco I have enjoyed simply living. I was lucky enough to have a friend lend me a room in his house. I relished in the fact I could watch movies in bed without using headphones, I could sleep until whenever because I didn`t have 10 other people in my room making extraordinary amounts of noise just to get dressed, I could leave food in the fridge without it being eaten by a stingy backpacker (not sure Rafael knows what a kitchen is, let alone a fridge, haha), I loved having a cupboard for my clothes instead of a backpack. I hung out with more latinos than western backpackers (although this didn`t help my Spanish at all!!). I partied waaaaaay too hard - I have seen the sunrise 50% of my nights here. I met more amazing people and made some really good friendships.
I never committed to doing anything here as I was always convinced, even determined that I would be leaving in the next few days - at any given time. Now that that time has finally come I find myself wondering if I could somehow change my tickets. Stay for another 4 months. Get a job. Learn Spanish. But I know I can`t. I need new adventures, that is, after all why I came overseas in the first place.
I guess leaving this time is so much harder as I know it is for real. Last time I left, even if I wouldn`t admit it, I knew I`d be back. This time I know it is for good. Well.... this trip anyway. I can always come back on another adventure. Although if I lived everywhere I wanted to, Cusco, Nepal, Cambodia etc I`d never settle, I would need to move every few years - in which time I`d find more places I wanted to live.... hahaha.
Ciao Cusco, I love you.
Put simply, Cusco feels like home. It is nothing like any place I have lived before, I don`t speak the language or eat the local food (rice, 3 types of potato and meat), I don`t work and I don`t take classes, but just feel incredibly at home. I love that when I go out I will always see people I know. I love that when I visit bars I know the people that work there. I love that I have my own room in an apartment (not looking forward to going back to hostel life, dorm room fail). I love having regular places that I hang out at. I love that BB lives 1.5 blocks from my house, so we don`t always have to go somewhere to hang out.
This time round in Cusco I have enjoyed simply living. I was lucky enough to have a friend lend me a room in his house. I relished in the fact I could watch movies in bed without using headphones, I could sleep until whenever because I didn`t have 10 other people in my room making extraordinary amounts of noise just to get dressed, I could leave food in the fridge without it being eaten by a stingy backpacker (not sure Rafael knows what a kitchen is, let alone a fridge, haha), I loved having a cupboard for my clothes instead of a backpack. I hung out with more latinos than western backpackers (although this didn`t help my Spanish at all!!). I partied waaaaaay too hard - I have seen the sunrise 50% of my nights here. I met more amazing people and made some really good friendships.
I never committed to doing anything here as I was always convinced, even determined that I would be leaving in the next few days - at any given time. Now that that time has finally come I find myself wondering if I could somehow change my tickets. Stay for another 4 months. Get a job. Learn Spanish. But I know I can`t. I need new adventures, that is, after all why I came overseas in the first place.
I guess leaving this time is so much harder as I know it is for real. Last time I left, even if I wouldn`t admit it, I knew I`d be back. This time I know it is for good. Well.... this trip anyway. I can always come back on another adventure. Although if I lived everywhere I wanted to, Cusco, Nepal, Cambodia etc I`d never settle, I would need to move every few years - in which time I`d find more places I wanted to live.... hahaha.
Ciao Cusco, I love you.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Bus Trip Blues
In recent times buses have been the bane of my existence. However, like every traveller on a tight budget, they´re pretty much your only option of transport.
While goats, lambs, chickens and dogs on buses appear unusual to the Western eye, they are generally not a problem - they just chill out and enjoy the ride. It´s the people that have eventually gotten to us. From a woman on a 40 hour bus ride stealing all of our food (Tengo hambre, tengo hambre..... Si, yo tambien!!!!). To children playing with our hair/clothes - or worse - constantly screaming. To families believing that 5 of them will fit in the 2 seats behind us (with their children kicking us in the back constantly for 12 hours). To everyone on the bus throwing up. The constant overcrowding with people leaning over us, using our heads as arm and bag rests. To people using our foot wells to store their excess of things. Slept on, leaned on, fallen on, buried, prodded, poked and in Bolivia, openly despised.
B summed it up well. Yes we know of personal space, we personally don´t believe in it.
My first solo bus ride this trip (Cusco to Arequipa), I was sat next to a Cholita and her young daughter - say maybe 9 months old, but it´s hard to tell. Flor her name was. Flor the baby may well be payback for when I cried for an entire plane flight. Having not slept (I decided it would be easier to go out all night than wake up at 4am for my bus), I was keen to get some sleep on my 10 hour journey. This idea was very much changed when Flor began wailing and didn´t stop for the next 2-3 hours. Her distraught mother tried everything she could for hours. Finally Flor settled and fell asleep. He head and hand resting on my knee (what personal space?). I knew at that moment there was no way I could move again until she woke up. Thank goodness I´d already peed.
Later on this bus trip I became the most uncomfortable I have been in a while. The cholitas things were all in my foot space. Her baby laying on top of said things so I couldn´t move my legs. The cholita decided this would be the perfect position in which to breast feed her dear Flor. So instead of moving the infant, she stuck her hand under my butt and leaned forward. Where she remained for the next 20 minutes. All I can say is, personal space what?
Luckily 8 hours into this journey I was rewarded for my surprising patience given the lack of sleep. She got off the bus and for the next 2 hours i had room to spread out.
Always looking for a silver lining
xx
While goats, lambs, chickens and dogs on buses appear unusual to the Western eye, they are generally not a problem - they just chill out and enjoy the ride. It´s the people that have eventually gotten to us. From a woman on a 40 hour bus ride stealing all of our food (Tengo hambre, tengo hambre..... Si, yo tambien!!!!). To children playing with our hair/clothes - or worse - constantly screaming. To families believing that 5 of them will fit in the 2 seats behind us (with their children kicking us in the back constantly for 12 hours). To everyone on the bus throwing up. The constant overcrowding with people leaning over us, using our heads as arm and bag rests. To people using our foot wells to store their excess of things. Slept on, leaned on, fallen on, buried, prodded, poked and in Bolivia, openly despised.
B summed it up well. Yes we know of personal space, we personally don´t believe in it.
My first solo bus ride this trip (Cusco to Arequipa), I was sat next to a Cholita and her young daughter - say maybe 9 months old, but it´s hard to tell. Flor her name was. Flor the baby may well be payback for when I cried for an entire plane flight. Having not slept (I decided it would be easier to go out all night than wake up at 4am for my bus), I was keen to get some sleep on my 10 hour journey. This idea was very much changed when Flor began wailing and didn´t stop for the next 2-3 hours. Her distraught mother tried everything she could for hours. Finally Flor settled and fell asleep. He head and hand resting on my knee (what personal space?). I knew at that moment there was no way I could move again until she woke up. Thank goodness I´d already peed.
Later on this bus trip I became the most uncomfortable I have been in a while. The cholitas things were all in my foot space. Her baby laying on top of said things so I couldn´t move my legs. The cholita decided this would be the perfect position in which to breast feed her dear Flor. So instead of moving the infant, she stuck her hand under my butt and leaned forward. Where she remained for the next 20 minutes. All I can say is, personal space what?
Luckily 8 hours into this journey I was rewarded for my surprising patience given the lack of sleep. She got off the bus and for the next 2 hours i had room to spread out.
Always looking for a silver lining
xx
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Underground Adventures - Potosi Mine Tour
The mine tour is the main reason travellers head to Potosi. Let me tell you now. It is definitely worth the bus ride there. After several recommendations from others we decided to go with The Real Deal tours. We chose them as the company is made up entirely of ex-miners, they know the mines better than anyone else would and they money goes directly towards helping out not just the guides, but other miners and their families. Our guide had been working in the mines for 21 years. First as a miner - starting when he was 13 - then as a guide for the last 11 years. He really knew his stuff.
The tour starts off with everyone getting into their miner gear. (Protective clothes. Hard hat with torch. Battery pack. Gum boots). Then it´s off to the miners market to buy gifts for the miners who you meet inside the mines. Appropriate gifts include coca leaves, ceibo (93% alcohol - surprisingly tasty), soft drinks and dynamite (with all the appropriate devices to make it active - all for just $2). To make us less nervous around the explosives we were holding our guide, Llama Face, decided to demonstrate to us how safe it was.....by holding a flame underneath them. Needless to say, I don´t care how many times he´s done it... it still made me nervous! Next stop was at the processing plant where we learned all about how silver is separated from the rubble.
I have to say, when it was time to enter the mine, I did become a little nervous. I reminded myself that in Brisbane I used to do this sort of thing for fun - without a guide. Things will be ok. Take a deep breath. Turn on your head lamp and walk on in that mine.
Our guide explained to us that the mines are co-operatives, with no support from the government - hence the bringing of gifts. He also explained that the different groups working were all family groups. Brothers, uncles, fathers and cousins all working together in the mines. The miners were by far the happiest Bolivians we met. Due to being in family groups, they are constantly laughing and joking - with the motto in life ´anything is possible!´ Amazing people. Possibly also the only Bolivians we met that didn´t seem to openly dislike tourists - but were in fact happy to see us. We even had one group of miners who were on a brake share their ceibo with us.
The miners worship Tio, the devil and lord of the underground, as well as Pachamama (mother earth). The reason that they need to be friends with Tio, as he rules life under the ground. Due to this, there are many statues/shrines to Tio within the mines. When someone is hurt or dies within the mines, the miners say this is because Tio and Pachamama are thirsty for blood. To please Tio, and satisfy his need for blood, they leave offerings of llama foetus´ at his feet. Other offerings they leave include coca leaves and ceibo. Although it is common to give a small offering of these items every time you consume them - in or out of the mines.
Emerging safe and sound out the other side I felt like i´d really had my eyes opened. These men who work up to 15 hours a day underground, in what is considered appalling conditions had a better outlook on life than so many people who are much more fortunate. Amazing people indeed.
The tour starts off with everyone getting into their miner gear. (Protective clothes. Hard hat with torch. Battery pack. Gum boots). Then it´s off to the miners market to buy gifts for the miners who you meet inside the mines. Appropriate gifts include coca leaves, ceibo (93% alcohol - surprisingly tasty), soft drinks and dynamite (with all the appropriate devices to make it active - all for just $2). To make us less nervous around the explosives we were holding our guide, Llama Face, decided to demonstrate to us how safe it was.....by holding a flame underneath them. Needless to say, I don´t care how many times he´s done it... it still made me nervous! Next stop was at the processing plant where we learned all about how silver is separated from the rubble.
I have to say, when it was time to enter the mine, I did become a little nervous. I reminded myself that in Brisbane I used to do this sort of thing for fun - without a guide. Things will be ok. Take a deep breath. Turn on your head lamp and walk on in that mine.
Our guide explained to us that the mines are co-operatives, with no support from the government - hence the bringing of gifts. He also explained that the different groups working were all family groups. Brothers, uncles, fathers and cousins all working together in the mines. The miners were by far the happiest Bolivians we met. Due to being in family groups, they are constantly laughing and joking - with the motto in life ´anything is possible!´ Amazing people. Possibly also the only Bolivians we met that didn´t seem to openly dislike tourists - but were in fact happy to see us. We even had one group of miners who were on a brake share their ceibo with us.
The miners worship Tio, the devil and lord of the underground, as well as Pachamama (mother earth). The reason that they need to be friends with Tio, as he rules life under the ground. Due to this, there are many statues/shrines to Tio within the mines. When someone is hurt or dies within the mines, the miners say this is because Tio and Pachamama are thirsty for blood. To please Tio, and satisfy his need for blood, they leave offerings of llama foetus´ at his feet. Other offerings they leave include coca leaves and ceibo. Although it is common to give a small offering of these items every time you consume them - in or out of the mines.
Emerging safe and sound out the other side I felt like i´d really had my eyes opened. These men who work up to 15 hours a day underground, in what is considered appalling conditions had a better outlook on life than so many people who are much more fortunate. Amazing people indeed.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
12 Lessons learned in Bolivia
1) Bolivians don´t bargain - at least not with gringos - whatever price they tell you, that´s it. (With the odd exception of tour operators)
- addition to said rule - you´re a gringo, you pay more. always.
2) Bolivians don´t queue. No matter where you are in line someone (or more likely many people) will push in front of you.
3) Soup is an amazing, varied and delicious food served before lunch and dinner. Generally it is much better than the actual meal.
4) Unless I am working in tourism, don´t talk to me - even then my friendliness is not guaranteed.
5) Bring toilet paper everywhere! Including hostels.
6) Never wait until you are really hungry to order food. You´ll be waiting a long time just to order, and even longer for the food to arrive.
7) If you have trouble crossing the road just look for your friendly local zebra at the zebra crossing - no kidding.
8) Brass bands are a must for every city. 5am is the perfect time for a street parade and fire crackers make the perfect accompaniment.
9) The perfection of the pressure Vs heat game in the shower. The less pressure the more heat - but if you have too little pressure the heating element stops. A fun filled sport for all players.
10) Bolivia is the only country in the world (of my knowledge) where you can pay with a note the is literally ripped in half (give them both halves) and they will accept it.
11) At altitude vacuum packed goods always explode (open away from you).
12) There is no sense buying agua con gas (sparkling water) at high altitude, as it only stays fizzy for 5 minutes, and then you´re stuck with odd flavoured water.
- addition to said rule - you´re a gringo, you pay more. always.
2) Bolivians don´t queue. No matter where you are in line someone (or more likely many people) will push in front of you.
3) Soup is an amazing, varied and delicious food served before lunch and dinner. Generally it is much better than the actual meal.
4) Unless I am working in tourism, don´t talk to me - even then my friendliness is not guaranteed.
5) Bring toilet paper everywhere! Including hostels.
6) Never wait until you are really hungry to order food. You´ll be waiting a long time just to order, and even longer for the food to arrive.
7) If you have trouble crossing the road just look for your friendly local zebra at the zebra crossing - no kidding.
8) Brass bands are a must for every city. 5am is the perfect time for a street parade and fire crackers make the perfect accompaniment.
9) The perfection of the pressure Vs heat game in the shower. The less pressure the more heat - but if you have too little pressure the heating element stops. A fun filled sport for all players.
10) Bolivia is the only country in the world (of my knowledge) where you can pay with a note the is literally ripped in half (give them both halves) and they will accept it.
11) At altitude vacuum packed goods always explode (open away from you).
12) There is no sense buying agua con gas (sparkling water) at high altitude, as it only stays fizzy for 5 minutes, and then you´re stuck with odd flavoured water.
Have legs, will climb - salt flats tour
No matter where you are on the salt flats tour, you can bet that 3 people in your car plus half of the gringos in the other 4wds will attempt to climb on, through or over it. Maybe it is a case of restlessness caused by several hours of being trapped in a 4wd. Or maybe it is some primal desire, to explore and conquer anything new.
Rusty old trains. Climbed
Rock canyons. Climbed
Rock formations. Climbed
Abandoned rusty buses. Climbed
Ok well the last one was only by me and B while we waited at the Bolivia/Chile boarder crossing.
The salt flats tour definitely gave a lot to this explorer fairy. Aside from climbing on many different objects, we experienced: lagoons of many different colours - mostly frozen; flamingos/pariwanas (although more dead than alive); hot springs; volcanoes; geysers; the Salvador Dali desert; salt flats; salt piles; salt hotels; cactus islands; photographic fun times; snow covered everything; beautiful sunrises and star filled skies.
Definitely a highlight. Though something much better described in pictures (to be added at a later date.... )
Rusty old trains. Climbed
Rock canyons. Climbed
Rock formations. Climbed
Abandoned rusty buses. Climbed
Ok well the last one was only by me and B while we waited at the Bolivia/Chile boarder crossing.
The salt flats tour definitely gave a lot to this explorer fairy. Aside from climbing on many different objects, we experienced: lagoons of many different colours - mostly frozen; flamingos/pariwanas (although more dead than alive); hot springs; volcanoes; geysers; the Salvador Dali desert; salt flats; salt piles; salt hotels; cactus islands; photographic fun times; snow covered everything; beautiful sunrises and star filled skies.
Definitely a highlight. Though something much better described in pictures (to be added at a later date.... )
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