Culture shock - Part 1

Yes, I'm back in the USA. I have a few hours' layover in Newark before my flight to Seattle this afternoon. I'm pretty excited to be back, but it's going to take some acclimatization!

For dinner last night in Lima I had an amazing 3-course meal plus beverage for $22. Included was a generous vegetable salad with greens, beets, radishes, carrot and avocado; a lovely rich chicken curry with rice, potatoes and vegetables; apple pie for dessert and a choice of wine or soda. Surprisingly, this was at the AIRPORT... for only $22!

Here's the culture shock part: two days ago I had nearly exactly the same meal in Miraflores, an upscale suburb of Lima, for only $2. Yes, that's right. The airport version was a full 10x more expensive than the typical fixed-menu mid-day meal in upper-middle-class Peru. For the last several days in Peru I could enjoy a wide assortment of meals for around 6 Soles (3 Soles to the US dollar). In the smaller communities like Chivay, you can eat rather well for 3 Soles.

Now that I'm back in the USA, I will have to adjust to the cost of food... I realize that. I'll also have to adjust to the quality of food. For the last 6 months I have been eating primarily fresh, locally-produced food prepared from scratch each day without additives or preservatives or any of the crap normally found in commercially-prepared food in the US. I was extremely fortunate that I rarely had stomach troubles in Latin America; in fact I've felt pretty amazing most of the time. I fear that the reintroduction of artificial crap into my diet will do terrible things. I may have to delay the crap-ness by re-learning how to cook, and making some of those amazing made-from-scratch dishes I discovered down south :)

Inca Trail and Machu Picchu

Last weekend we began our final Latin American adventure with a trek along part of the Inca Trail to the iconic Machu Picchu ruins. An overnight bus from Arequipa to Cusco, then a day's drove to Santa Theresa, stopping along the way for photo opportunities at lesser-known archeological sites. A quick soak at Santa Theresa's hot springs recharged us for the following day's 6-hour trek. Admittedly this was the easiest trek I could imagine, along a mostly-level well-marked path in the morning, and then along the train tracks all afternoon. By early evening we arrived at the town of Agua Calientes at the base of Machu Picchu mountain. The town reminded me of a ski resort int he summertime. It could be Whistler or Banff or probably anyplace in the world where wealthy tourists gather to see the sights in the mountains.

I have to admit that after all these months of travel I feel a bit numb to all the mountains and the historic sites. Sillustani had been so magical for me that I was wasn't even especially excited about Machu Picchu. Fortunately I was surprised at the end of the trail!

Machu Picchu. Constructed at 8000 ft over 100 yrs from AD 1430 to AD 1530 and abandoned during the Spanish conquest of Peru. Some hsitorians claim the site was never discovered by the Spanish and unknown to westerners until 1911 (locals dispute this notion).

Like everyone else who visits the place, I was amazed by both the stonework and the spectacular scenery. The only thing that tarnished my visit was the throng of other tourists. Sillustani was amazing because it was relative quiet and empty, and I felt that I could really connect with the place on its own. At Machu Picchu we were constantly shoulder-to-shoulder with crowds and tour groups, making it difficult to stop and breathe and see and really feel the place. Perhaps one day I'll get back to enjoy it again with a slightly different perspective. Nonetheless -- YES -- it is an amazing place to see; worth every step!


(Link to slides)

If you go
May is a good time to go for the best weather. Bring your passport, rain jacket, a day pack no larger than 20 litres, water and snacks. You can't eat inside the park, but bring the water and snacks anyway to avoid paying 5x inflated prices. Don't bring walking sticks, packs larger than 20 litres, or professional-looking camera equipment (you'll be required to leave them in storage outside of the park).

Take the bus from Agua Calientes up to the top (US$7), and save your energy for the hike up Huayna Picchu. Buy your bus tickets the day before, and get in line by 5AM for the first bus at 5:30AM. Once inside, move quickly across the park to the Huayna Picchu entry gate for your free ticket. Only 400 people per day are permitted to climb the nearby highpoint overlooking Machu Picchu, and it is absolutely worth it. The offer 2 entry times, 7AM and 10 AM. Ask for the 10AM entry to for better photo-taking light. Plan for a tour (if you want one) prior to your climb up Huayna Picchu. Since it can be foggy in the morning, leave time in the afternoon to explore the main ruins in good light for better photos. At the end of your visit, don't bother with the return bus to Agua Calientes; you can walk down in around half hour.

Puno and Lake Titicaca

The most magical places are often discovered after unexpected journeys. Sillustani near Lake Titicaca was such a place for me. I hadn't been planning to travel to Puno, but with a tiny bit of encouragement from Carmen and Tristan, and an unexpected 5-day weekend to fill... we found ourselves at the end of a 5-hour bus ride tucked into a little hostel in the touristy town of Puno, on the coast of Lake Titicaca in the southeast corner of Peru.

Other than exploring the town's artisanal vendors and buying WAY too many handcrafted souvenirs, I couldn't help but enjoy the city's renovated waterfront and many restaurants and bars. And of course there was the lake itself...

A few hours boatride from Puno is the island Taquile, formerly a Spanish colonial prison and owned by the Taquile indigenous people since 1970. Known for their woolen textiles and handcrafts, we had the honor of sharing the boat with a Taquile gentleman knitting a gorgeous multicolored hat. On the island we enjoyed gorgeous views of the water and nice traditional meal of fried trout. We convinced the restaurant to sell us a pair of their simple ceramic teacups, which I'm sure I will enjoy for a very long time.

Much closer to the Puno shore are several man-made floating islands made of reeds, inhabited by the pre-Incan Uros. Today only a few hundred Uros live on the islands, primarily in response to tourist demand.

As I mentioned, most memorable excursion during our Lake Titicaca adventure was to Sillustani. The pre-Incan burial ground at Lake Umayo is scattered with chullpas, or burial towers, left over from the Colla civilization who were conquered by the Incas in the 15th century. I found the site abslutely magical... and capatured some of my favorite photos from the entire 6-month trip. On the bus trip back from Sillustani we also stopped at a quaint indegenous farmstead (clearly set up for tourist visits), where the mother-daughter team shared their hospitality with hot potatoes, fresh cheese and a few great photo opportunities.

(Link to slides)

Update regarding Peruvian strikes

Several people have asked about the impact of the Peruvian strikes on the last week of my travels in South America. At this point, as long as we stay in or near Lima I don't believe we'll see ANY trouble at all. At the moment we're tucked into a backpacker's hostel in the affluent beach-front Lima suburb of Milflores. It will be an expensive several days, but I don't think we'll be suffering.

Here's an article about the strikes, if anyone wants more info.

Travel update

My flight back to Seattle is less than a week away, on Monday May 18. It is difficult to believe that this crazy Latin American adventure is wrapping up, but I´m looking forward to heading home. Home: what an interesting idea. I have no place to live and no job to get back to, only friends and family to visit, and a series of decisions to make about what comes next. Before worrying too much about that, I still have another week here in Perú...

Our final week in Perú was supposed to include a trek to Machu Picchu, flight over the Nasca Lines, boat trip to the Islas Ballestas and visit to the Paracas Natural Reserve. Machu Picchu was... amazing (look for another post about that later.) Unfortunately the rest of our scheduled adventures will not be possible due to a series of strikes in Perú affecting overland travel. Tonight we´re back in Cusco, tomorrow we´ll try to fly to Lima and possibly stay there until our respective flights leave for home this weekend. I´m not entirely sure what we´ll do in Lima for 5 days, but we´re a resourceful bunch :)

I´ve posted a brief update to my itinerary. In summary, I plan to stay in Seattle for a few weeks to catch up with friends, then head out in my VW camper toward Maine by way of San Luis Obispo CA, possibly Austin TX, and Columbus OH. South Bristol ME will likely be my base camp for a series of shorter trips through northeastern US and Canada, and I´ll stop back in Minneapolis in mid-July for my family´s annual reunion. If you´re in Seattle, I´ll try to connect with you in the last part of May. I hope you´ll be around!! If you´re anywhere else in the country, there´s a good chance I´ll drop in to see you sometime in June or July while I´m traveling around in my camper. Sofas or spare bedrooms and hot showers will be most welcomed!

Looking forward to seeing my family and friends...

Itinerary Update (as of May 12, 2009)

Update on May 12, 2009
Revision to final week in Perú, return date to Seattle, and speculation about the summer. Updates in red.
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October 2008
Seattle, WA, USA
Packing and shutting down my Seattle apartment and moving everything into storage.

Oct 30 - Nov 8, 2008 (1 week)
Amsterdam and 'S-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands
Visiting with Zach and Matt at the European Ceramic Work Center, and sight-seeing.

Nov 8 - Nov 15, 2008
Williamsburg, VA, USA
Visit with Matt and Meg & Kevin (aka Betsy & John) in Colonial Williamsburg. Staying at the Hartwell Perry Tavern, built in 1744.

Nov 15 - Dec 27, 2008 (six weeks)
Antigua, Guatemala
Living with a host family in Antigua, studying Spanish, traveling weekdays to teach in a village about 40 minutes from town. In the final week, we'll build two energy-efficient stoves for families in the village.

Side trips: A weekend adventure trip to Lake Atitlan with mountain biking, flat-water kayaking, and hiking.

Dec 27, 2008 - Feb 7, 2009 (six weeks)
Copan, Honduras
Living with a host family in Copan, traveling weekdays to teach in a village about 20 minutes from town.

Side trips: Day trips to the Mayan ruins in Copan, hot springs, Macaw Mountain bird park, horseback riding, and a trek in the surrounding hills.

Feb 7 - Feb 14, 2009 (1 week)
Esteli, Nicaragua
Living with a host family in Esteli, traveling weekdays teach and to help build an energy-efficient stove in a nearby village.

Feb 14 - March 28, 2009
Imbaya, Otavalo, Ecuador
Living with a host family in Otovalo, traveling weekdays to teach in a village about an hour from town.

Side trips: A weekend adventure trip to Mindo including whitewater rafting, zip-lining over the cloud forest, and a visit to nature preserves. A day trip of trekking and horseback riding to Taxopumba for a swim at the base of a waterfall.

March 28 - May 18, 2009
Arequipa, Perú
Living at the Casa de Avila in Arequipa, traveling weekdays to teach in a nearby pueblo joven called Maldonado.

Side trips: A 3-day excursion to Colca Canyon, a horse riding excursion, a half-day of mountain biking, and a final adventure week trekking the Inca Trail to Machu Pichu, NOT visiting the Nazca Lines, possibly no boat ride to the famous Islas Ballestas, and possibly no a visit to the Reserva Natural de Paracas before heading back to Lima for a flight to Seattle, arriving May 18 in the evening.

May 19 - early June, 2009
Seattle, WA
Catching up with friends in Seattle; staying with Keith and Sarah to begin with.

June - September, 2009
USA
Another roadtrip in my VW Eurovan, beginning south towards San Luis Obispo CA, with a flexible itinerary winding through Columbus OH to pick up Zach and then up to South Bristol ME for a few months. The last part of the summer will likely include a series of shorter trips through northeastern US and Canada, and a trip to Minneapolis in mid-July for the Dressel Family Reunion.

Birthday in Sachaca

Just a quick note to capture a crazy day at school.

Every month GVI hosts a birthday celebration for all the kids who had a birthday in the past month. There's cake and fancy fruit salad for everyone, and the birthday kids each get a gift. Today was our "cumpleanos" celebration. It just happens that my birthday is May 7, and somehow the teachers at our school knew about it. And so after the kids were honored, I was called up to blow out a candle in the cake as well. Moments later, I had icing up my nostrils and cake gleefully smashed into my face by both of our teachers.

Shortly thereafter, the teachers sat me down and smashed several raw eggs on the top of my head, really grinding the shells into my hair. And giggling, I think.

It's for luck, they said :j

I can honestly say it's the most unusual birthday celebration I've ever had.