Due to time constraints my time in Ecuador was veeeeeery short compared to my time spent everywhere else. With this is mind I packed as much as I could into 10 days.
After my previously described bus trip of doom, I spent 2 days in a town called Baños. Baños is funny as the literal translation in English is toilet. However, it can also mean hot springs, which this town has a lot of. My main reason of going to Baños was to organise a trip into the jungle. However while I was there I also managed to squeeze in some time to visit one of the towns namesakes. This was hilarious as I was there alone, with about 100 Ecuadorians and about 15 other gringos squeezed in. I then had to play the no eye contact game, which is harder than it sounds when everyone is semi naked, so there are only so many other places you can look. Haha.I managed to win the game and leave unscathed and un-hit on after I was done soaking.
From Baños I took an overnight bus up to a random small town to meet up with my group for 5 days in the jungle. Sitting in the back of a truck with 2 fellow passengers, sitting on all our bags, we were transported to Cuyabeno national park - deep into primary rainforest Amazon. Stunning.
Similar to the jungle in Bolivia, we were transported in a boat along the river to take us to our jungle lodge. From here we spent 5 days doing all sorts of activities including bird watching, day and night rainforest walks, visiting a local shaman, anaconda hunting, piraña fishing, village visiting, and heaps more. We got to see sloths, monkeys, an anaconda, TOUCANS (goal for the trip completed!), other snakes, multiple cool butterflies, insects and other bugs, birds and much more. Out of everything we did there, one of my favorite activities was chilling in the hammocks, listening to the rainforest sounds and talking nonsense with some of the other peeps on my tour. I had a really great tour group and make some great friends on that trip =)
After 5 days we had to pry ourselves from the jungle and take a bus to Quito to continue on our journeys. I'm not going to lie, when I got to Quito I was fairly sure I was going to die. Everyone I met had been robbed in Quito, some of them multiple times. So, at 11pm I arrived in Quito, with no hostel reservation. Being a Friday night all the hostels were booked out....shit! While looking for a hostel we witnessed people smashing bottles, random acts of violence and a guy walking around with a wrench. Freaked out, but still in once piece a hostel was found and sleep was had.
The next day I met up with B and we went sight seeing around Quito.... hiding all of our valuables at all times. When we left Quito a few days later to head for Colombia we breathed a sigh of relief, we had made it out of Quito unscathed... If only we new what was around the corner for us in Colombia...
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Equator Land - the journey to
My time left in South America was running out. Keen to maximise the use of this time, I left B at the beach (Mancora) in the north of Peru and set off solo to the depths of Ecuador. Thinking I had found a bus that would take me directly from where I was to where I wanted to be (Baños) I proceeded to go out all night and spend my final night in Peru partying it up with my Mancora family. With minimal amounts of sleep, I packed my bags, said goodbye to friends and headed for the bus stop with plans of sleeping for most of the 15 hour journey. But as we all know, when travelling, things rarely go to plan.
It all started at the Ecuador boarder crossing, where I was suddenly informed that I needed to take all of my possessions off the bus as I would be taking a different bus from there. Ok, can deal with that. Collect all belongings and stand in line for 30mins with my backpack on, being physically moved around by a lady from the bus company but never being told what was going on - apparently my Spanish was that bad that she didn't even try. Meanwhile the other people in the queue are amazed at this tiny fairy girl carrying a bag so big that she suspects she can actually fit in it. They would come up behind me and, without saying a word to me, lift up my bag (which is still attached to my back) to see how heavy it was, comment to the people around them and wander off...weird.
Finally I get to the front counter and the boarder control personnel are less than impressed with my passport and form. So... where are you from? Inglaterra (England) And where do you live? Australia ...And where is this passport from? Inglaterra ... No this passport is from United Kingdom. Yeah...... They then proceeded to examine my passport and pass it around amongst themselves. Eventually they gave up trying to understand and just let me into the country. Finally getting stamped in, the lady from the bus company piled me and 6 other people into a taxi and hurtled us off to a bus station.
At the bus station while trying to put my bag under the bus as instructed I discovered (through the kind translation of a random girl) that I would in fact have to change buses again, por supuesto. Now, on my own (everyone else was on different buses), and scared shitless that I was going to miss my next bus change I forced myself to stay awake. No easy feat when this leg of the journey started at 9pm and I had a maximum of 2 hours sleep the night before. However, this bus trip wasn't all bad, I did get to sit next to a rich, eccentric Ecuadorian lady for a few hours who chatted to me in basic Spanish, mainly about her ridiculously fluffy cat....which happened to be climbing all over me at the time. hahaha. Random times.
At 4am we finally arrived at Ambarto, where I once again needed to change buses. Grabbing my bag, I realised that we were not at a bus station, we were just on a main road with not much going on. During this realisation I was informed that my next bus would appear on the other side of the road and that I should go over there and wait. No indication as to when or what company it would be. So, 4am, on the side of a highway in a random Ecuadorian town stood this fairy with all of her worldly possessions. Needless to say I decided to hell with the bus ticket and the correct bus, I'm hopping on the next bus that is going to Baños! Which is exactly what I did. The bus cost $0.80, I decided saving myself from potential death or kidnapping was worth that.
At 5am I arrived to Baños, found a hostel and finally slept. Alive, physically ok and mostly sane. Nothing is ever easy in the life of bus travel and when things are hard nobody speaks any English!!
It all started at the Ecuador boarder crossing, where I was suddenly informed that I needed to take all of my possessions off the bus as I would be taking a different bus from there. Ok, can deal with that. Collect all belongings and stand in line for 30mins with my backpack on, being physically moved around by a lady from the bus company but never being told what was going on - apparently my Spanish was that bad that she didn't even try. Meanwhile the other people in the queue are amazed at this tiny fairy girl carrying a bag so big that she suspects she can actually fit in it. They would come up behind me and, without saying a word to me, lift up my bag (which is still attached to my back) to see how heavy it was, comment to the people around them and wander off...weird.
Finally I get to the front counter and the boarder control personnel are less than impressed with my passport and form. So... where are you from? Inglaterra (England) And where do you live? Australia ...And where is this passport from? Inglaterra ... No this passport is from United Kingdom. Yeah...... They then proceeded to examine my passport and pass it around amongst themselves. Eventually they gave up trying to understand and just let me into the country. Finally getting stamped in, the lady from the bus company piled me and 6 other people into a taxi and hurtled us off to a bus station.
At the bus station while trying to put my bag under the bus as instructed I discovered (through the kind translation of a random girl) that I would in fact have to change buses again, por supuesto. Now, on my own (everyone else was on different buses), and scared shitless that I was going to miss my next bus change I forced myself to stay awake. No easy feat when this leg of the journey started at 9pm and I had a maximum of 2 hours sleep the night before. However, this bus trip wasn't all bad, I did get to sit next to a rich, eccentric Ecuadorian lady for a few hours who chatted to me in basic Spanish, mainly about her ridiculously fluffy cat....which happened to be climbing all over me at the time. hahaha. Random times.
At 4am we finally arrived at Ambarto, where I once again needed to change buses. Grabbing my bag, I realised that we were not at a bus station, we were just on a main road with not much going on. During this realisation I was informed that my next bus would appear on the other side of the road and that I should go over there and wait. No indication as to when or what company it would be. So, 4am, on the side of a highway in a random Ecuadorian town stood this fairy with all of her worldly possessions. Needless to say I decided to hell with the bus ticket and the correct bus, I'm hopping on the next bus that is going to Baños! Which is exactly what I did. The bus cost $0.80, I decided saving myself from potential death or kidnapping was worth that.
At 5am I arrived to Baños, found a hostel and finally slept. Alive, physically ok and mostly sane. Nothing is ever easy in the life of bus travel and when things are hard nobody speaks any English!!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
The inevitable
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 =)
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 =)
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)