Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Where in the world is....
Yeah, so surprise! I'm not in South America anymore!
Wait for it... there's a story.
So after I finished my Spanish final and papers/presentations, a friend came down from stateside to travel with me. We were going to head south to Peru, then fly to Venezuela and head back down Colombia to Quito, just in time for me to start my Conservation Ecology program in October. But, after a few grueling weeks of traveling under the influence of his (I suspect) swine flu, we decided to stop after Peru so he could come home to recover. This decision was made with the guidance of several "everything happens for a reason" reasons, and I couldn't be happier to have spent *lots* of money and go in debt a few countries (as well as avoided the risk of being a girl traveling alone in Colombia) to have done it.
Pero, Primero: Peru
Peru has a hell of a lot of desert. Did you know that? Besides the Andes, and the Amazon Basin, the entire coast is desert! And it's big! Though it is a beautiful country, we spent several 20+ hour bus rides, looking for sweet destination spots in the deserted desert. Though the majority of the country boasts noteworthy ruins and ornate Plazas de Armas, we were in a bit of a hurry to get the ailing boy to the World Wonder of Machu Pichu!! And we did.
And what a Wonder it is. A 4:30 am wake up call is absolutely worth the (many) views of the masterpiece as it unfolds beneath the morning fog. Even our missing tour guide couldn't disappoint us, and we wandered free all day, marveling not only at the incredibly intact ruins, but also by their stunning surrounding landscape.
We scored the last two spots on the list of folks "allowed to climb Waynapichu", the incredible almost-vertical trek to ruins teetering on the top of a mountain mirroring only its ominous look-alike in the one scary scene in Fantasia. How Swine Flu made it up, I don't know. How I made it up in my Chaco sandals, I don't know. But how those crazy Incans made it up AND built amazing structures, baffles me. I will certainly post photos from atop this masterpiece. It made the LOOONG trek to Cusco and beyond, completely worth it.
From there, we made the same arduous windy Andes/hot Desert trek back up through Peru and Ecuador to get my friend back to Quito and eventually Portland, and I headed back to LA to see my sister and her family right before they move to Florida. Que suerte!
Certainly a huge part of my decision to come home was so that I could attend my Sullivan Scholarship retreat on the Oregon coast. Though I was planning on missing this incredibly rejuvenating and relaxing time with my peers, I decided that there are certain reunions that are vital in maintaining my balance throughout the year. Since I missed Camp McCumber for the first time in 12 years, I figured I might be seriously unbalanced if I missed this retreat.
It ended up being exactly what I needed. There are no words to describe the joy and consolations that those people bring me. The same goes for my dear friend, whom I got to see before she left for London. The same goes for my sister, whom I got to see in Eugene, right before she leaves for India. The same goes for all my family and friends whom I have seen (and will yet be able to see) before I return to Quito come Sept. 30th.
More and more, I am realizing that I needed this vacation. After jumping from spring quarter in Seattle, to summer quarter in Quito, to non-stop travel, buses and hostels, it would have been absurd for me to jump back to school in Quito, without giving myself a bit of R&R.
A good lesson for all of us, I think.
BUT, now I can't wait to go back to Quito, meet my new host family, start my new classes, keep truckin' on my spanish, perfect my salsa, and struggle through some capoeira.
Gracias por su amor y apoyo <3
Wait for it... there's a story.
So after I finished my Spanish final and papers/presentations, a friend came down from stateside to travel with me. We were going to head south to Peru, then fly to Venezuela and head back down Colombia to Quito, just in time for me to start my Conservation Ecology program in October. But, after a few grueling weeks of traveling under the influence of his (I suspect) swine flu, we decided to stop after Peru so he could come home to recover. This decision was made with the guidance of several "everything happens for a reason" reasons, and I couldn't be happier to have spent *lots* of money and go in debt a few countries (as well as avoided the risk of being a girl traveling alone in Colombia) to have done it.
Pero, Primero: Peru
Peru has a hell of a lot of desert. Did you know that? Besides the Andes, and the Amazon Basin, the entire coast is desert! And it's big! Though it is a beautiful country, we spent several 20+ hour bus rides, looking for sweet destination spots in the deserted desert. Though the majority of the country boasts noteworthy ruins and ornate Plazas de Armas, we were in a bit of a hurry to get the ailing boy to the World Wonder of Machu Pichu!! And we did.
And what a Wonder it is. A 4:30 am wake up call is absolutely worth the (many) views of the masterpiece as it unfolds beneath the morning fog. Even our missing tour guide couldn't disappoint us, and we wandered free all day, marveling not only at the incredibly intact ruins, but also by their stunning surrounding landscape.
We scored the last two spots on the list of folks "allowed to climb Waynapichu", the incredible almost-vertical trek to ruins teetering on the top of a mountain mirroring only its ominous look-alike in the one scary scene in Fantasia. How Swine Flu made it up, I don't know. How I made it up in my Chaco sandals, I don't know. But how those crazy Incans made it up AND built amazing structures, baffles me. I will certainly post photos from atop this masterpiece. It made the LOOONG trek to Cusco and beyond, completely worth it.
From there, we made the same arduous windy Andes/hot Desert trek back up through Peru and Ecuador to get my friend back to Quito and eventually Portland, and I headed back to LA to see my sister and her family right before they move to Florida. Que suerte!
Certainly a huge part of my decision to come home was so that I could attend my Sullivan Scholarship retreat on the Oregon coast. Though I was planning on missing this incredibly rejuvenating and relaxing time with my peers, I decided that there are certain reunions that are vital in maintaining my balance throughout the year. Since I missed Camp McCumber for the first time in 12 years, I figured I might be seriously unbalanced if I missed this retreat.
It ended up being exactly what I needed. There are no words to describe the joy and consolations that those people bring me. The same goes for my dear friend, whom I got to see before she left for London. The same goes for my sister, whom I got to see in Eugene, right before she leaves for India. The same goes for all my family and friends whom I have seen (and will yet be able to see) before I return to Quito come Sept. 30th.
More and more, I am realizing that I needed this vacation. After jumping from spring quarter in Seattle, to summer quarter in Quito, to non-stop travel, buses and hostels, it would have been absurd for me to jump back to school in Quito, without giving myself a bit of R&R.
A good lesson for all of us, I think.
BUT, now I can't wait to go back to Quito, meet my new host family, start my new classes, keep truckin' on my spanish, perfect my salsa, and struggle through some capoeira.
Gracias por su amor y apoyo <3
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