Goa Part 2

Sha Sha in his sunhat

So as Shalom or sha sha said we did basically nothing in Agonda but there were a few days of activity during our stay. We rented mopeds one day and went to visit some temples and another beach. Maybe it was not a good idea for us to be on mopeds since Christina kept forgetting which side of the road she was supposed to be driving on. Many screams and covered eyes and we made it to the beach. It was even more isolated than the beach we were staying at with tall pines making an eerie forest right before the beach. We ate lunch with Sha Sha and Sofi’s friend’s house. It was a great experience and she was such a lovely person. She agreed to teach a yoga class for us later that week. I have to say that class was one of, if not the best class I have taken in my life. I miss your classes Yana. Okay so maybe it was only one day of activity but we were doing yoga almost every day so that must count for something.



 


The Sweds Sloonor

 

Watch Out Cow!!!

me attempting to take a picture

Yana and friend making lunch

Anyway as Sha Sha also mentioned Anna did have whooping cough, something no one knew at the time. She only found out when she got back to Sweden and went to the hospital. She was coughing the whole time no matter what she tried. By the end of her stay her entire body hurt when she cough and I think she may have broken a rib. I am glad you are feeling better Anna and I cannot wait until I see you again in Sweden!!!

crazy trees on the way to the beach

cool bridge

temple roofs

temple grounds

  

Some of the best food that we had was in Goa. Everything was so yummy minus that nail, as in hammer and nail, which Sha Sha found in his palak paneer. I was ready to leave after a week of relaxation for the coconut capital of India, Kerala.

How could I forget that in Agonda I got my hair cut. As I stated before I have been wanting to shave my head and what better time than in India.

No more hair

Goa

Me learing to earn a living indian style

Hello friends- my name has been mentioned a few times but I haven’t been properly introduced. I am Shalom Mayberg. So after our wonderful experiences in Mumbai the three of us took a day train down to Goa where we would meet Sofi and whooping cough Anna. After looking for a taxi for an hour that was less expensive than the prepaid ones, we ended up taking a prepaid one. However, during that time some very nice local boys were making friends with lusty Laura, I had to tell them to go away, they were moving too fast. The ride to the guesthouse was through a hilly mountainside that we wouldn’t see till the next day. But the air was fresh, the moon was full, and massive bats were all over the place. There was excitement in the air. The girls had just been through a cold winter of trekking and couch surfing and now it was time to just do nothing.



Remembering that everything in Goa closes by 11pm, we asked our driver if we can stop at a restaurant and grab some dinner. Shortly after he pulled off the road and we were in front of someone or others “family restaurant”. It looked more as if it was the men’s local watering hole. Guys were drinking 660ml of premium “strong” kingfisher beer and large shots of something whiskey colored. We ordered the usual; some gobi Manchurian, palak paneer, roti, chapattie, and of course a cup of hot special masala chai. In case I forget to talk about this special chai, this was probably one of the top two chai’s we have ever drank, and we would later eat at that restaurant 3 more times and 6 more chai’s.

from left to right LuLu, ShaSha, FiFi, and Whoop

Arriving at the guesthouse at around midnight Sofi and Anna were waiting for us on the rooftop with just about everyone else who was staying in Agonda (south Goa). We were in a real quiet beach village 15 minutes from the touristy Palolem and around 2 hrs. south of 24 hour parties. There were three Swedish guys, two others playing guitar, three girls who were leaving the next day, and a tall beautiful blond swed-that’s it.
For the most part of every day we would sit at the beach. Laura and I would generally sit in the same seat at the beachfront restaurant where we would have breakfast and lunch. We would get up for the occasional w.c. break, but other than that we didn’t move.

indian cows are happy cows

Bollywood!

Mumbia taxi
Meet our friend Shalom from Miami that we met in India

Mumbai is a big bustling major city. It was our first stop in India. We had heard in our travel through South America that it was quite common to be approached in Mumbai to act and be extras in a Bollywood production. Laura and I both thought it would be hilarious to try and be in Bollywood, so on the first night in Mumbai when we were approached by a casting scout to be in a Bollywood Soap Opera we were pleasantly surprised. We couldn’t believe how easy it was.

The group on the beach in Mumbia

We stayed an extra day to have the experience of Bollywood. Our friend, Shalom, who we knew from Miami, was not as excited as us but still he found the idea of Bollywood a funny experience he didn’t want to miss out on. On the walk to the rendezvous spot we discussed what we would do if we were the only people that showed up. We decided that if there were not a sufficient number of extras there we would not get on the bus. When we arrived there was one other couple and we were a little unsure what to do, but sure enough as it got closer to time there were about 30 westerners.

The buffet line

It took the bus an hour to show up and then another hour on the bus to get to the set location. When we arrived we all went to the buffet they had laid out for our breakfast. It was a sorry display of soggy sandwiches and badly prepared Indian fair. I tried to eat some of it but soon lost my appetite due to all the flies crawling all over it and getting stuck in the sauces. I just couldn’t do it. At least they had good chai and I had a few cups to get something in my stomach.

Then we were shuffled over to what would be our dressing rooms and two ladies came over and started whispering while they looked us over. I had a feeling they were the ones in charge of casting and were selecting people for certain roles. I was laughing and joking with Shalom and Laura that they were going to go straight for the blonde girls first. I was laughing even harder when they in fact went straight to the blondes and said first we need you and you and you and you (as they were pointing to the blondes) and then they looked straight at me and said and you. I quickly stopped laughing. I knew no good could come from being picked first. They led us off to wardrobe and on our way I overheard the women saying, “These will be Catherine’s best friends.” Oh shit! I think we are the lead character’s best friends! That can’t be good! They gave us all ridiculous dresses. Mine was a yellow and white plaid thing that made me look like I just walked off the prairie. Then came the shoes. It was a free for all. Just find something that will get over your feet. I got a pair of off white flowery pumps that were at least a size too small and killed my feet. Then off to hair and makeup. It was funny watching them survey my short curly frizzy mess of a hairdo and debating what they would do with it. Their solution was to empty a tube of gel on my head and scrunch and tease my hair to death. It was a disaster. I don’t think I have ever had that much product in my hair at once. That was a year’s supply for me. The makeup was pretty descent. However the makeup artist used the same brush for everyone and they looked like they hadn’t been cleaned in a while. I was happy when he was done and was hopping I wouldn’t contract some strange eye infection. All part of the experience right?

Laura's Hottness

The rest of the extras came to wardrobe next and Laura and Shalom got their ridiculous getups. Laura looked hot in her red satin mini skirt and a bright yellow sweater and matching yellow ribbon tied in a huge bow on her head and sexy giant Pegasus earrings. Oh my God! I laugh so hard just thinking about it. Not to mention the fact that she had an allergic reaction to something and had hives all over her face and body. She was miserable the entire time. Shalom looked pretty good actually. They gave him a tight fitting pinstripe suit and slicked his hair back. He got the best of the outfit and the best part.

One of the blondes in my group, Jess from Holland, was really cool and we hit it off right away. We wandered the set together looking for the rest of the extras because we had gotten separated from the rest of the group. We found them eating lunch so we joined in. The food was drastically better this time and we got to eat inside so there were no flies. While we were eating the two main ladies came in and told the four main girls including Jess and I that we would have lines. Jess and I couldn’t stop laughing. They gave us the scripts and told us our lines. Mine were gloriously cheesy. I was to say, “Here comes your knight in shining armor!” and “I think Romeo is going to die for his Juliet.” I couldn’t believe I had to say those lines.

We started the 6 hour grueling shooting session. At first it was fun and exciting but soon it became torture. We had to stand in place in these horrible shoes without breaks for 6 hours straight. I couldn’t feel my feet after the first two hours. After every take Jess and I would take our shoes off and sigh in relief. We made the best of it and Jess and I joked and laughed the whole time. We both tried to deliver our lines as ridiculously as possible. The show was about an Indian guy in a school in the UK that was in love with a western girl and as this girl’s friends we were very disapproving of this relationship. The Indian guy was fighting in a boxing match against TJ, a westerner. Of course the entire crowd was rooting for TJ and my main role along with all the other extras was to stand there and cheer TJ over and over again. It was too funny. Shalom’s part was to be a judge of the boxing event so he was able to sit at his table and drink chai the whole day. He got lucky.

The shooting was finally over and we got out of our horrible clothes and back on the bus for a 2 ½ hour bus ride back home. We got our 500 rupees or $11 US dollars for a 12 hour day. I don’t think I will ever do it again but it was a fun experience.

Christina

Tipsy Bike Riding in Mendosa

Our last stop in Argentina was Mendoza. Known as the best and oldest wine region in Argentina we were excited to go and taste it straight from the vineyard. While traveling there we meet two American girls that were headed in the same direction. We ended up staying at the same place and thus going to the vineyards together.


The thing to do in Mendoza is to rent bikes and ride around to all the vineyard and taste the wine. We rented these bikes that I think must have been older than me and worked about as well as me. At the bike rental place the owner gave us a glass of wine. Then we went to one vineyard and had a tour and a glass of wine. The next one was a place that made liquor and olive oil. We tried everything olives, cheeses, olive oils, absinthe, and numerous other alcohol containing beverages. After that we decided that we would go to this beer place. Not that great of an idea some of the worst beer we had ever tasted. We drank and left. Next was a vineyard far away so we trucked it down there. By this point we are thinking that maybe the bikes are not such a great idea. We make it there right as they are closing. We get a short tour and it is really cool all the rooms were used for ageing wine and have crystalized tartaric acid (a chiral molecule) on the ceilings. We tasted about 5 wines there and were not impressed by any. Really we were not that impressed by any of the wines we tried. We were planning on buying a few bottles to take back and could not find any that we liked.

When we got back to the rental place we returned our bikes and the owner gave us some wine. We sat down at some benches and one of the American girls had bought some cheese so Christina borrowed a bike and bought some bread and we had a little picnic. By the time we decided to leave we were tipsy but the other people there were wasted. We tried to leave before they did so as not to be associated with them on the way back but unfortunately we got on the same bus. They were screaming, falling on the floor and spilling wine (the owner had filled cups and water bottles with wine for them) all over the floor. As locals would leave the bus we would apologize for them. By the time we got to our stop they were so drunk it was embarrassing. This Australian couple was the worst. The guy was walking around with one shoe and taking big swigs from a thermos of wine.

At one point they were sitting on the sidewalk yelling and a police officer came over and started asking questions. Being drunk and not speaking Spanish they were getting belligerent and the police officer was getting annoyed. Everyone else had quickly crossed the street. I felt bad for them so I went over and started talking to the police officer for them. He was saying that he was going to arrest them for public drunkenness. I told him that we were taking them back to the hotel right now and that they would throw out their wine. With that he left but told me to make sure they went straight home.

After another block they said they knew how to get back to their hostel from here and left. I am pretty sure they had no idea where they were going. I hope they got back safely.

When we all got back to the room, the American girls were staying in the same room with us, we found all our stuff moved on top of the bottom beds and the comforter from the top bunk on top of it. We were freaked out and we straight for this young guy working at the front counter. He did not know what to say and we were freaking out. How could somebody go into our room and mess with our stuff. We were so mean to him. He was so flustered he called the manager and he came to see what was going on. He did not know how this happened either. We were so freaked out thinking that someone had gone through all of our stuff. Everything was moved around and stuff was taken out of bags. Nothing was missing but it was really strange. To make up for it the guy said that we did not have to pay for any of our stay and he got the cook to make us dinner for free. We told him that we would pay for our room but we would love dinner. I feel a little sorry for him because later we found out they had come in to exterminate and they had moved our stuff to protect it. The whole thing was just bizarre.

Later that night people were on a hut for cocaine. Christina and I were not part of the searchers. No luck so the guys left and one of them left his girlfriend passed out in the lobby. I know what a great guy seeing as this was not even her hostel. We dragged her into our room and put the blankets on the floor to make her a pallet. When we set her down she sat up and started to get upset but the American girl Jess who had been talking to her most of the night calmed her down and patted her head until she went back to sleep. Yes Jess was really drunk too it was really a funny site for me seeing that I was sober.

The next day we walked around the town and then came back to buy a ticket for the bus and to take a nap. I looked online for a restaurant and found this one called La Barra (I think) so we went for dinner. That was the best decision we made in Mendoza. The meat there was the best I have ever eaten in my life. Perfectly seasoned and meat in your mouth tender. Everyone was happy with dinner and we all wished that we had more time in Mendoza so that we could eat there again.

Laura

Buenos Aires and Camera Theives

Ah Buenos Aires, even though I got my camera stolen and saw countless other robberies I still love this city. It is a very modern European style city. There is tango in the streets and either a bakery, meat grill, or pizza joint on every corner. Like I said I love this city. We were staying in the San Telmo neighborhood. This part of town is famous for its antique stores and every weekend its streets become overrun with antique vendors and transforms into a huge outdoor antique market. We spent hours walking through all the stalls.


We visited quite a few of the other neighborhoods as well. We went to Puerto Madera, the old port area of town that is now the hot new area to live. It has become the most expensive part of the city apart from the famous Recoleta neighborhood. There is a huge park in Puerto Madera that the locals bike and run in. We rented bikes and went for a long ride in the park. I was surprised with how active the park was with runners, bike riders, birders, and just people strolling about. It was nice to see the people so active in their city. Just outside of the park is a stand selling Choripan. It is exactly what it sounds like, a piece of bread stuffed with freshly grilled chorizo. Delicious!

In the Recoleta neighborhood we walked around all the shops that were too expensive to even entertain the idea of entering. The window displays were pretty and we did some good window shopping. We went into the famous Recoleta graveyard and took a free tour. It is fascinating all the people that are buried there and the vast array of tombs from simpler ones to ultra-modern ones and then the really old ones and then the over the top ones belonging to the city’s ultra-wealthy. We stopped by Eva Peron’s grave and were rather unimpressed by her simple tomb compared to all the other tombs we had already seen. We also visited the art museum in Recoleta which had a very impressive collection of classic art and modern art and was completely free. I couldn’t believe that such a nice museum was free. We spent hours walking through looking at all the art.

As far as the food goes, there was an endless supply of things to try. We tried a pizza in the Cuartito called a fugazetta. It is a thick crust slice covered in a very creamy soft cheese then covered with onions then covered with mozzarella. Oh my God! Some of the best pizza I have ever had. It is an Argentinian creation. I’ll be back for another slice someday. Then the meat, Oh what can I say about the meat. We ate at La Brigada and when the waiter brought our steaks out he cut them with a spoon and served it to us. With a spoon! Then there are all the empanadas, steak sandwiches, and sweet treats, but I could talk endlessly about the food we ate.

On our last day in Buenos Aires we decided to go to La Boca and see a contemporary art museum that I really wanted to see. We went against our better judgment since La Boca is one of the worst areas in Buenos Aires. We went to the museum then after walked around the colorful buildings nearby. The buildings are all painted bright colors and have these funny figures in the windows. We walked to the end of one of the streets and I took my camera out to take one last photo before we turned back to the main strip to eat at a restaurant and watch a tango show. I was framing the photo when all the sudden my camera was ripped out of my hand. I had no idea what just happened. I looked up to see a man running down the street with my camera. We took up running after him but he already had a pretty good lead. We chased him for about four city blocks but couldn’t catch him. The whole time I was yelling in Spanish, please help me he stole my camera please someone stop him. No one did anything. They just watched him go by. He even ran into a man that was much bigger than him and he just stepped aside. I was so mad. We found a policeman and he took us around in his car trying to spot him but I knew there was nothing we could do at this point. So we went to the station and filed a report and headed back to our hostel. The only comically ironic thing about it is that he stole a broken camera. I had cracked the screen that morning while on our bike ride. Also a lot of the functions weren’t working anymore. That makes me laugh but the fact that I lost all of my photos sucks. So this is why the last few post and the next few won’t have any photos.

Christina

Horseback in Salta

We had heard of this place while we were in Bolivia and we knew we had to go. A girl from Colorado described it as a place of overflowing wine and never ending meat. It did not hurt that she said it was some of the best meat she had ever had. So even though it was not a planned stop, not that we plan, we changed course and headed to Salta to find out if Sayta was as great as she said.


We arrived in Salta at night and the next day Enrique the owner sent a car to pick us up from the hostel. There were also two guys from the states and Australia that joined us in the car. We arrived to tea on the porch and a very friendly Enrique. He was such a good host and welcomed us to his home with open arms literally a bear hug from a man who reminded me of an Argentinian Santa Claus.

After tea we went on a horseback ride with a guide. It was a nice calm ride with some galloping but mainly walking and taking in the landscape of pastures rising to meet mountains in the distance. It was really amazing but no room on the horse for a camera so no pictures. Oh by the way the guide was really cute, more than cute even handsome.

When we got back to Enrique’s he had the grill going. We washed up and then he poured us one glass of water followed by one extremely large glass of wine. I say one because he never let my glass go empty. When it started to get low he would fill it back up to the rim. I know that throughout the day we drank at least 14 bottles of wine and there were 5 people.

Once the food was done the table was filled with salads: lentils, white beans, grilled eggplant, potatoes, grilled onions, roasted pumpkin, and more things that I cannot remember. Everything was so delicious but the meat was still to come. He came by and served us sausage and fillet. I think that it was the most tender and juicy piece of meat that I have ever eaten. He bought half a kilo of meat for each person. (For the Americans reading about a pound and a half of meat) All washed down with wine. It just keeps coming.

After lunch we talked for a while, Enrique is just such a funny guy that we chatted till the guys had to leave. Then he asked us what we wanted for dinner. Not that we were hungry at all but Salta was the empanda capital of the world so why not. It was not until 10 pm that we ate dinner but even then I was still so full that I could only have three small empandas. I went to bed full and slept the best I have slept in 3 months.

The next day was about the same except we went for a ride in the afternoon and that day for lunch there was a large tour group there. They went for a ride in the morning and we went with Enrique into town to buy some traditional Argentinian country shoes known in the states as Tom’s. We stopped at the local fruit stand and talked with the owners who are good friends of Enriques. They let us try mate and a local dessert turron which is different than the Spanish version. We got back and some of his family came in from out of town. Lunch was served and though I had less wine this time I still had more than normal. Everything was just as good as yesterday with a few changes. We had pork that melted in your mouth it was so good, ribs, fillet, blood sausage (I had two pieces and I do not usually like it), and pork sausage. It was a feast and though I loved it I was ready for a light meal after this. Two days eating like that and you don’t need to eat for a month.

After lunch we went on a ride with an Israeli family that showed up during lunch. It was a nice ride similar to the one we did the day before, relaxing and beautiful. When we got back we talked to Enrique for a while and he offered us a job as translators and we could stay on the farm and live for free. I would have loved to do it but there is still a lot to see and I am not ready to stop looking.


Laura

Cholitas and Salt

the mess that is La Paz

La Paz is a beautiful constellation of city lights by night and an overcrowded, loud, hectic city by day. We arrived at night and from the top of the mountains we overlooked a valley full of lights. Unfortunately the next morning we saw how ugly the city was in the light of day. We had no desire to stay for very long.


Our English friend, Vernon, was determined to make it into the San Pedro prison. This is the prison that the book, Marching Powder, was written about. It is a community within a city. Apparently when you enter as a prisoner you have to buy your cell. If you can’t afford one you sleep in the floor. So in order to make money a whole community has developed. They have little stores, restaurants, bars, and drug trafficking. They also take stupid tourists for tours through the prison for a small fee of $400 bolivianos, which is equivalent to about $60 US. We went with him to wait outside the prison. How it works is you wait outside for one of the prisoners to send you a message, usually by one of their wives or girlfriends. Vernon managed to get a message scribbled on a scrap of paper. It said, “Hi this is Luis from South Africa if you want to meet me and see our way of life please call this number.” Vernon called and arranged everything with the prisoner. He was to get $400 bolivianos and put them in an envelope and give Luis his name and passport number so he could put him on the guest list for the day. Well we waited for a couple of hours and nothing seemed to be happening so we left to see some of the city. Unfortunately for Vernon, he never ended up making it in.

One night we went to see the Cholitas. These are the women Lucha Libre wrestlers who fight in traditional dress. La Paz is famous for them. We had front row seats and popcorn ready for the show. First the men fought, it was so staged it was funny. After a few matches the first Cholita match began. We were under the impression the fights were between two women, but in fact they were between one women and a man. It was still staged but the fights were rather brutal to the women. In the end the women always won, but it was after a severely humiliating and brutal beating from the men.

death by smelly shoe

classic spin move

a kid was having his birthday party at the cholitas match

The next day we left for Uyuni. This was our starting point for the salt flats. We arrived around 6am after an all-night bus and started our tour at 10am. We were in an SUV with two other couples from France and Spain. They were all very nice and we had a fun time with them on the tour.

We started the tour at the train graveyard. They have lots of old trains sitting in the middle of the dessert just rusting away. We looked around a bit, climbed on the trains, and snapped a few pictures then headed out for the salt flats. I didn’t know what to expect, but when we got there I was blown away, and the further we went in to the salt flats the better it got. It was flat and stark white for as far as you could see. We went to a spot where they refined salt. They make piles of salt and let them dry then send that to be refined further. I was surprised when I asked our guide if they exported the salt and his reply was no. Here we are on the biggest salt flat in the world and they don’t export any salt out of their country. Under the salt is also the largest lithium (used to make batteries) reserve in the world and they don’t exploit any of it. It is the country with the most natural resources in South America but it is also the poorest. It makes you wonder why they can’t capitalize on any of their resources.

old steam engines

drying salt

That night we stayed in a hotel made entirely of salt. Everything from the walls to the bed to the floors and tables and chairs were made from salt. In the morning we headed out and visited a pre-Incan archaeological site where there were lots of mummies. They lived in these little cocoon/caves made in the rocks. Their homes became their graves when they died, so all the homes contained bones and pots. It was one of the best archeological sites we visited. We also visited a few lagoons that were inhabited by thousands of pink flamingos. We saw a white lagoon, a green one, a red one, and a couple that where blue.

honeycomb pattern of dried salt

view from on top of a small island of rocks and cactus

the road though the salt flats

On the last day we drove through the dessert in between the mountains and volcanoes. It was beautiful. We stopped at a sulfur field in the morning and the steam rising from the crags created a foggy mystical setting. It felt like we were on another planet. One that smells kind of bad. We also saw a dessert full of large strangely shaped rocks. They called it the Salvador Dali dessert because it looked just like one of his paintings. We passed one rock in the shape of a tree. It was creatively named “tree rock.” All in all the salt flats were amazing. I have never seen so many landscapes so different than those I am accustomed to.

two thousand  year old cactus

Christina

Floating cities and Island of the Sun

Welcome arch on one of the Floating Islands

We arrived in Puno late after a long bus ride. After a good night sleep we wandered around the city a bit. We walked to the edge of Lake Titicaca and walked along the shore. The lake is huge. It looks like your standing next to the ocean, no sign of an opposite shore on the horizon.


We happened upon a little lady renting paddle boats. We picked a very fancy looking duck boat and headed out on the water. We paddled through the reeds for a while chasing ducks. I don’t think they knew what to make of us in our giant duck boat. It was pretty amusing. Michelle had another freak out moment. Every time we would start getting a little further out she would start yelling at me to steer us back to shore, if the boat sank we would drown. She supplied many humorous moments while we traveling with her.

The floating island we visited

That night we booked a tour for Uros, the floating islands. The next day we met a nice guy from Manchester, England who was on our tour with us. We kind of kidnapped him and he spent the next week traveling with us. The tour was cheesy and overly touristy, but the floating islands are like nothing I have ever seen. When you walk on them the floor squishes below you. It’s like walking on a giant pillow. If you got tired at any point in the day you could just lay down anywhere and take a nap. The Islands are made from the reeds that grow in abundance in the lake and their hollow structure makes them float very well. They make everything out of these reeds, from their homes to their boats and they even eat them. We took a ride on one of their reed boats and wandered around a bit. Oh, I almost forgot. Michelle walked too close to the edge of the island and fell through. Luckily she caught herself before she fell all the way through and under the island. She got her pants all wet and was screaming again. It was just another hilarious moment from Michelle. The men from the island said she was lucky because if you fall all the way through you can get trapped under the island and drown very easily.

Houses made of floating reeds

Islands are solar powered

Boat made out of floating reeds

We got back to the mainland and ate a quick lunch and hopped on a bus to Copacabana, Bolivia. Yes, it is called Copacabana. I did not make it up. We crossed the border and paid the $135 entrance fee for Americans, while all of our friends from other countries got in free. No bitterness behind these words, I swear. I guess it’s only fair. The US charges some of the highest visa entrance fees of any country. The bus driver told me that Bolivians have to pay $280 to enter the US. For a country so poor that is a large amount to charge its people compared to what they charge us.

We arrived to Copacabana and found a hostel for the night. Copacabana is a sleepy coast town overrun with hippies. It made for an interesting atmosphere. It is also on Lake Titicaca, so the next day we got a boat to take us to the famous Isla Del Sol. This is where the Inca’s believed that their people began. The myth is that their first people emerged from the lake here. There is a sacred rock that marks the spot.

Isla Del Sol with Andes in the background

Sacred Stone

Ruins on the Isla Del Sol

Sacred Rock

The island itself was beautiful and reminded me of the Greek Isles. The water was rich shades of green and blue with sharp rocky walls forming coves protecting calm, white sandy beaches. If we had more time I would have loved to camp on the beaches. From the top of the island you could see for miles. The snow covered peaks of the high Andes were visible in the distance. It was a spectacular view and I can see why the Incas were inspired by the place.

Funny picture of us on Isla del Sol

Me, Laura, Michelle, and Vernon on the Isla

On the way back to the mainland the tour also offered the chance to visit their floating islands. I was a bit skeptical since the only floating islands in existence were the ones we saw in Puno. When we arrived I was in disbelief at what I was seeing. They had fashioned wooden docks and covered them with reeds. The docks were maybe ten feet by ten feet. It was such a poor job you could still see the wood underneath in most spots and you could see the giant pieces of Styrofoam strapped to the underside keeping it floating. What a tourist scam! I couldn’t help but laugh and I strongly suggested that no one visit them, especially since they were charging an extra fee to go onto them.

Amazing fresh fish on Lake Titicaca in Copacabana

Christina

4 Days in Colca Canyon

The Colca Canyon

When we got to Colca Canyon I was sick with a cold and we had originally planned on just seeing the canyon and the Condor viewing location and then heading to Puno. This all changed the moment we talked to the bartender who was describing a 4 day hike through two canyons and seeing a waterfall and how it was just the most amazing hike. Well that was that and we left a day later on a four day hike with only a cartoon map as a guide.



Resting by the river

 The first day there was a guided group in front of us so we followed them when our map failed us and yes this was in the first 15 min of the trek. Luckily the trail was pretty easily to follow once you found it and we passed the group right away. The girl was wearing KEDS that is all you need to know about how there trek was going to go. Anyway we had a steep dusty descent and the sun was blazing. I think Michelle had a sunburn with in the first hour. Right before the first town on the trek, after about 3 hours of walking, there is a river so we sat with our feet in the water and rinsed the dust from our faces. At this point we assessed the severity of our burns and we reapplied sun lotion. While we were sitting there a woman ran up to us in tradition garb and told us to stay at her hostel and that all we had to do was follow the signs up the path. When we were ready to move again we walked up the path and found the hostel she was talking about and it was really beautiful. It looked great and we would have stayed if the next town was not just an hour and a half away. It was just to close not to go ahead and walk there to save us the time for tomorrow. The next town was Malata which Michelle continually confused with Matala (kill her in Spanish).  The hostel there was run by a little couple and they were so cute. The man was trying so hard to make sure we had a good time. It was a very basic place with an outhouse and just a tub to wash our faces in. The dinner though was one of the best dinners we had in a long time. It was all vegetarian because it is too hard to get meat in the canyon, but no problem we had pastel de papa, layers of potato with cheese in the middle cooked in the oven with tomatoes in lemon juice with basil and rice. It all looked so beautiful served on plates made there in the town. We enjoyed our food while sitting at a table out on the patio. It was just a great meal all around.     

Our Resort in Malata

                



The Bathroom at our resort

 The next day we woke up and had a lovely breakfast with them as well and then they pointed us in the right direction but not until after he informed us that he also had a museum and that we should take a second to look through it. Had he informed us any time other than right as we were leaving we would have enjoyed finding out what he had in his museum. It was kind of humorous because there were only about 30 families that lived in this village and even there they have a museum, what an entrepreneur.
Oh I almost forgot the night before as we were walking to the town square a small chiwawa like dog started barking a Michelle and she freaked out and did this little girl like dance were she screamed jumped and kicked her leg out at the same time. It was great and I wish I could have captured this moment on camera it was that good.
So we were on our way to the next town which was Fure. The hike was easy at the beginning but at the end it was steep up hills and slippery downhills with a cliff on one side. It only took us about 3 hours and 20 minutes to do a hike that normally takes a good 4 hours. The town which was smaller than Malata had four hostels. We ended up staying with an 18 year old girl who did all the cooking and ran the hostel and a store. Talk about making you feel lazy and useless.

The mighty condor... this picture is not actual size

Close to Fure there is a waterfall that is supposed to be amazing so we headed out with some help from the hostel owner. The hike was nice and very beautiful. There was a river rushing below us with these giant boulders in it and every few feet a small waterfall. Unfortunately we should have gotten a guide because we got confused with all the trails and ended up on a donkey trail and unable to see the front of the main waterfall. The donkey trail did lead us to a lower section where we found two large birds hoping around on some rocks. After some thinking we realized that they were juvenile condors that were trying to fly. Above us were about 6 condors flying around and all of the sudden Michelle starts screaming and falls to the ground when I look back where she was looking I see a condor flying straight toward us about 2 meters overhead. I don’t know if it was trying to scare us off but it did a fly by several times. This was the second time Michelle freaked out and it was almost as good as the first time. She was the only one with a camera and she was too scared to look up and take a picture. I tried to reassure her that condors only eat dead things but that did not help. She kept clutching on to her hat saying the condors were trying to take it. On the way back we walked down to the water and had some cookies and put our feet in the ice cold water. We had planned on swimming until we touched the water.
The hike back was cool and easy and we were back in no time. We had dinner at the hostel a meal of some sort of pumpkin dish with rice. It was okay but not my favorite. There we met a French couple and their local guide. Luckily Michelle speaks French so she was able to communicate with them. The guide told us about a short cut for the hike tomorrow.

The Cruz Del Condor

The sun is killer in the canyon so the earlier you start the better. We got up early ate a quick breakfast of eggs and toast and headed out. It was a pretty uneventful hike but by the end of the hike we were all worn out. Three days of hiking with killer sun and no showers has really taken it out of us. Luckily we were arriving to the place that we have been waiting for the entire hike. They are supposed to have thermal baths and great trout caught that day by the owner of the hostel.

A cool view of the canyon

We got there at about 12 and the owner was super nice. He showed us around the place and we immediately changed into our swimsuits and got into the baths. It was so nice to lie in the sun and relax. After about 3 hours I needed to get my poor skin out of the sun so Christina and I went back up to the hostel. Unfortunatly we left the key down the 10 flights of stairs with Michelle so we just sat in the dining room and read for 5 hours. Yes 5 hours. Michelle came back and she was so crispy. I am surprised that her skin did not just crack off of her.
It was almost time for dinner and we were so excited for trout. We had been waiting for this for three days. When it came out I was in shock. It was the size of a sardine. I did not believe that this was what I was eating for dinner. I was expecting a big nice piece of fish and all I got was a bait fish. Let’s just say that we were all disappointed.
Oh and by the way we had only taken out money in the town before for a couple of days thinking that we were not going to be hiking this long. By the third day we were really nervous about the fact that we may run out of money and not be able to make it to Puno, our next stop. We counted every sole we had and found out that we would not be able to eat breakfast or really anything until we got to Puno.

Waiting for the cattle truck with the locals

Ridding in the back of a cattle truck

Because of our lack of food we decided that we would do a short hike and then take a bus the rest of the way back to town, instead of a four hour hike in direct sun straight up the side of a mountain. Well the short hike was not bad although we were passed by a 87 year old man (sad). When we got there people were waiting for the bus and we took a cue from them and sat down in the shade. After about an hour we saw this cattle truck coming up the road and we thought oh the bus must be right behind it. That was the bus. We piled in the back with all sorts of goods for market. We were so crammed in that people were sitting on the top of the truck too. The top was open so dust was gushing over the top making everything look tan. After about 3 hours we made it to town and tried to buy a bus ticket. Unfortunately they do not sell seats for our stop outside of Chivay and the bus was packed. Yes that meant that we had to stand the whole way. When we got to our stop, a junction of two roads, we got off and went to the nearest police officer and asked him about getting a bus to Puno. We had heard that it was possible to catch a bus at this junction so we decided we would take our chances. The officer said that the bus usually cost double what we had budgeted. Um not a good sign. What the hell were we going to do if we could not get a bus? Well we waited and they flagged a bus down for us and we asked the driver if he would take 30 soles for the three of us and he paused and then said yes. THANK GOD!