To see or not to see?

After finishing up my summer job at Rustic Pathways in Peru this summer I made sure to book my ticket at least a month after my end date for some imperative traveling, after a summer where all I did was travel. Yes, I was wiped out and tired after 60 days of nonstop traveling while being in charge of groups of 20 dependent, vulnerable, horny, non-stop question asking, high maintenance teenagers. It is a job where you are technically working 24 hours a day, however when you are whitewater rafting, zip-lining, bungee jumping and visiting some of the worlds most renowned historical sites it doesn't always feel like a job. However, when you are herding kids like sheep in foreign countries where they don't speak the language, translating, arranging meals, taking care of injuries and answering the barrage of questions about what we will be doing every minute for the next 15 days it can feel like a job.

Anyways, after these memorable 60 days I needed to jet-set myself and I only had a little over a month to decide where I was going to parade around in South America. My only restriction was my flight was leaving out of Medellin and that I was in Lima, Peru at the time. To some people this can seem like a daunting task. How will I get to Medellin? Where will I stay? Isn't Colombia dangerous? Is it safe for an American to go there alone? Most people would consider me relaxed in this aspect as I prefer to travel in this fashion and thrive doing so. In my eyes my trip was already a little restricted because I had a return ticket and I had to be in Medellin by a certain date. I enjoy the thrill of a showing up in a city or a pueblo by myself in the night time with my backpack and getting off the bus with everybody staring at me wondering why I am there. Judging me curiously with my sunkissed (or furiously burnt) face, my sleeveless shirt demonstrating my white gumby like arms,  my light colored long hair tied back into a ponytail and my shorts. If these clues weren't obvious enough to demonstrate that I was a gringo surely my 35lbs backpack shooting above my head like a linebackers neck protection and my smaller backpack on my frontside were. Not having anywhere to go and not knowing anybody in the town add an excitement as well. It is a great way to get a feel for the people are you speak to them and ask them if they know of any cheap hostels nearby. This is a great indicator of the people of the city and even the people from the country. There willingness to talk to a lost stranger and their receptive manner to this. So, as much as they are judging me, I am not only judging them, but their entire population. For this reason it is important that I do this often to get as many subjects as I can to have more of a wholesome experiment. It would be unfair if I judged all of Peru based off of the one person who was late for a date at 10pm on a Tuesday (and yes, chances are everyone is late, don't forget I'm in Latin America).

With a little over a month to myself and after visiting the two sites in Peru I had to before I left Peru (Huaraz & Iquitos) I was debating whether I should split my time between Ecuador and Colombia or just get to know Colombia really well. This is a tuff debate for a traveler and really depends on the type of traveler that you are. Also, of course, your budget. Should you see more countries and go to all of the places that you would think of going to on a pre-mediated trip, more of the tourist route (i.e. for Peru Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, Arequipa). OR, do you go to a country and really get a good feel for it. Not rushing through it and having time to visit small pueblos that you wouldn't have time to do. I don't like to rush, in most aspects of life, so I choose Colombia and only Colombia. This meant leaving from Iquitos (where the Amazon river basin begins), which is only reachable my plane or boat, I would have to fly into Colombia or take a boat. Distance wise it should be easy to fly to Colombia, but because Peru is so centralized it is cheaper to fly to Lima and the fly to Colombia than it is to fly directly to Colombia. I choose the boat ride 10 hours in speedboat rather than 3 days in slow boat further down the Amazon to Leticia, Colombia.

Look at a map of Leticia, Colombia to see that right there is where Colombia, Peru and Brazil border. It is interesting because more than really belonging to these countries these people belong to the amazon. They have beautiful, smooth, naturally moisturized mocha skin. The men don't have facial hair as an evolutionary trait of living in the Amazon. It is too humid to have hair in the amazon and I can confirm that statement with my ponytail and my Jewish, Italian genes having spent a good amount of time in the Amazon. Genetics are amazing and mine definitely do not come from there! Even though these people are more Amazonian than anything they still have a ton of pride for their own respective countries, especially in matters as important as futbol. On the day that Colombia played Brazil in the 2014 World Cup they closed land border shared between them that is typically free to cross. I'm sure this was necessary as they are both loquito for their teams. The border between Peru and Colombia has to be crossed by boat but between Colombia and Brazil it can be easily crossed by foot. I crossed in the Brazil just for fun while I was there and it is amazing how much 10 yards can make. All of a sudden things were in a different language, the people looked different, they were listening to Samba music, eating different food and drinking different beer! It is amazing to see the difference between 3 countries all within a confined area. This women I talked with in Brazil told me that most people there don't speak Spanish but that they understand it and visa versa with the Colombians and Peruvians. They cross the borders to buy things in the other countries such as electronics and clothes which are cheaper in Colombia and Peru than in Brazil.

It's all relative

I'll have to get used to telling people I'm not 23 but now 24 as of yesterday. As now I am in my mid twenties I'll have to start to take on the responsibilities that come with being 24.

To prep myself I spent my last day being 23 as Luke Skywalker battling Anakin Skywalker in many lightsaber stand offs. What it looked like to people passing by was a 23 year old and a 6 year old running around a yard hitting each other with plastic colored sticks with cool special effects for hours on end. As outlandish and irresponsible as this may sound I have been dulled to feeling public shame or childish after my improv class at second city. Take it as you will but I do with a smile on my face. It is hard to find a lot of people who are perfectly complacent with what they are doing and where they are in their personal lives. It is important to remember to be happy where you are and enjoy with what your doing. Especially, if you know that what your are doing is temporary, like babysitting. If it's so bad that you find yourself questioning your morales and constantly unhappy. Then get yourself out of there if you have given it a fair chance and get your hunting shoes on. They call it a job hunt for a reason because you have to find your prey, stalk it then shoot it. Chances are it's not being done for you.

You can tell your really friends with someone if you continue communication and friendship once you have completed the stage of life you were in together.  For example if you are friends from college remaining friends after college. It is easy to lose contact with people. By reaching out to someone after leaving the place or job where you met it shows effort and thoughtfulness. It is how friendship is maintained and contact is not lost. However, there are also friends that no matter how long you have not talked with them when you see them all is as it was.

More photos from day 1

Los Incas y los incapazez

Jobs that are more effort than gain, cities that are expensive and full of traffic? People that are in a hurry. Climbing of the social latter. Fuck it, this isn't genweenno (genuine)

1 week later, 1 1/2 hours in the clouds and 11,000 ft later and boom there we were. Where a few hundred years ago the center of one of the most successful civilizations to ever exist was governed. Cusco!

Immediately people were nicer, the prices were lower, our surroundings were greener, the air was thinner, the statues were of Incans, people had more Andean features, my eyes and brain were wide open and I was with the only thing that has remained constant in my 20's,  a backpack.

Having lived in Perú for 5 months and not having been to Cusco/Macchu Picchu is considered a sin to most and I myself was a little ashamed. Although I felt ready after exploring other parts of Perú and especially after reading the book Turn Right at Macchu Picchu. 300 pages later and I felt like an expert getting off the plane, or more than those looking to take a picture and put it on their facebook page.

Today, our first full day was spectacular. If Cusco without Macchu Picchu would be worth the visit. Cusco is scattered with pre-Incan, Incan and Spanish marks. One building or wall could hold signs of all three and they are all very distant. The pre-incan constructions are more made out of smaller stones and adobe mud. Strong structures that still exist today. The Incan structures are the structures that are perfectly meshed together without and material between the stones. Stone to stone again for you stoners. Perfectly constructed without modern day tools, using other hard rocks shape the stones and Lego like genius to hold the rocks together (see photo below). It was described to me as a man and a women.  Where the man stone has a phallic like part of the stone in the middle and the female stone with a hole to hold the rocks together tightly without cement or other materials. Sorry for the imagery. These rocks have withstood earthquakes and as it is said in the book that during earthquakes the rocks "dance". Then their is the Spanish style where there are rocks with spaces in between full of a cement like material. In the photo below you can see the Incans creation and the Spanish. Aka the Incans and the incapazez (incapable). A great joke here that I fully appreciate. Unfortunately the Spanish weren't incapable of colonizing, very harshly colonizing the Incans. Intelligence in engineering, astrology, and agriculture among other things was not enough to beat horses, fire weapons and pure brutality.

I romanticize the Incans as I feel most people do. But I know they were not inncoent. They were warriors also and killed many other civilizations in order to establish their own. However, they are the losers in the history books and for this reason one can always ponder what if? Something else interesting about the Incans is that their history wasn't recorded so one can never really say if something was true or false. It all wraps into this mysticism of the Incans and the Andes as they believed in the sun, the moon the condors as the higher world the puma as the material or grounded world and the snake as the under world. That life was a circle and you would go from one to the next. They lived by 3 simple rules: don't steal, don't lie and don't be lazy. Everyone should live by these rules today.

Today we got lucky and found that it was the last day of carnival here. The plaza was packed with people doing traditional dances of all ages men and women. In amazing clothing as well as Andean folk music. Surrounding them was the whole city of Cusco with smiles on their faces water balloons in one hand and a bottle of foam spray in the other. Everyone for hours was dancing throwing water balloon at each other and spraying everyone with foam. It was amazing. We were right in the thick of things.  It never got aggressive and everyone was smiling the whole time.

In the afternoon we visited the Korikapac (The sun temple). The old center of the Incan civilization. Where they woukd worship the sun, stars, rainbows (the road to the g-ds). In this temple the Incans showed off their amazing masonry as the stones seemed to be from a different species they were so perfect. If you need a remodeling or are constructing a new house hire an Incan. As all good things come to an end this was later converted into the first church in south america. The Spanish looted all the gold and silver, ruined 85% of the original temple and painted religious pictures. During an earthquake in 1950 all the Spanish constructions fell and the incans remaining 15% remained standing.

We then went to Sacsaywaman where the last battle between the incans and Spanish took place before Manco Inca ran off into the jungle with the remaining Incans. The rocks at this site were enormous and incomprehensible. How could they construct this. And we were only looking at the remaining 20% that wasn't ruined by the Spanish. In the near distance was a statue of Jesus.

We then visited 2 more watchtower sites and aquaducks. The Incans didnt use fortresses they used watchtowers and had messengers.

Amazing day. Can't wait for more tomorrow.

Love you all! So excited to be home with everyone for the celebration of a lifetime. In the meantime ill be exploring this rich history.

Hakuna mattata

But" Perú is so diverse, we have ocean, desert, sierra and jungle." Peruvians love to tell this to you. I dont know if its because im a foreigner or because everyone who talks to me is contracted my the ministry of tourism, either way Peruvians love to share this fact about their beloved Perú. In my time in Perú I have not had time to travel to the jungle.  I have spent more than my fair share of time in the desert, sand and everything the same color brown can only keep you stimulated for so long. I get it, it doesn't rain here! The parts of the sierra I have been to have been high and dry as well.

I guess 2015 is bringing new things with it, for me this is a green Perú. A green that stretches as far as you can see above, below, behind and in front of you (sometimes this is only 2 feet of visibility it is so thick). The only time the green takes a break is when the muddy, wide current of these valley's piercing rivers are delivering water into the Amazon river and out into the Atlantic. That itself is a sight to see and the brown in this case is a nice balance. 

The end of 2014 and start of 2015 began on the Laguna azul! To get to laguna azul from tarapoto is a 2 hr drive and a 5 minute ferry ride crossing a feeding river into the amazon. This is your ordinary ferry "all aboard". This is more like a blocks of wooden panels nailed together in a drunken manner with 2 janky motors. It floats doesn't it? Serves the same purpose, just wouldn't want to be on it on a bad day! Not only did they stuff a mountain of people on it, why not put semi trucks and other vehicles. A free for all. The name of the town was Sauce and it was saucy. The roads were only made of dirt and the jungle had this friendly energy to it. Maybe because everyone is scared of what lies outside the pueblo in the jungle! They believe that the devil lives in the jungle and people have their accounts of interactions with the devil. It is also widely believed in the town of sauce that a mermaid lives in the lake and takes 1 personas life per year. Turns out that on December 31 someone went missing, their body turned up in the beginning of January. Could it have been the mermaid? Myths are popularly held to be true around Perú.  Every town you go to and every different type of people/language/culture you interact with here in Perú has their local beliefs. It makes it a very mystical place. I would love to write a book of short stories going around Perú to these isolated villages and writing these locals beliefs, tales, accounts of these people and their stories. Firstly, because they are interesting and unique. It is amazing to see that within one countries borders so many beliefs can be held. Secondly,  so that these beliefs and cultures are not lost with increasing globalization.

Anywho, we spent a few days here kayaking around the lake, horseback riding through the jungle and then meeting the local Sauceinos. My favorite thing when traveling is to meet the locals and see their style of living. Here everyone was outside around the volleyball/fútbol field watching their neighbors play and run around. Everyone who was old enough (family discretion) worked on their chacra (land) tending to the rice, bananas, cacao, sugar cane and coffee. After interacting with the people and seeing the village we were leaving when a weathered man wearing a Yankees hat called us over. He called us beautiful and made us sit down and started telling us a million stories but didn't finish one! We all know someone like that :). In the middle of every story he would stop and say " ey amigo lindo, q lindo pelo tienes" (hey beautiful friend, how beautiful your hair is) haha it was hilarious. At first it was Kiki, him and myself and one by one two by two we were in the center of a big crowd of Sauceinos drinking local sugar cane alcohol, making jokes, laughing, singing and one crazy women was dancing. It was one of those moments that you never expected to happen, by going on a sunset walk, but one that was exactly where you wanted to be in.

After Sauce somehow the ferry was still functioning and we made it back to the city of Tarapoto. From here we didn't waste any time and next thing you know we were in the back of a motorbike on a dirt road avoiding all the potholes passing by "alternative therapy" centers (places people go to take ayawaksa). At the point where the potholes met dense forest the moto stopped and we were greeted by a group of men with machetes. One of these machete bearers, Carlos, was our new friend, roommate and guide for our 3 days and 2 nights in the jungle jungle. He grew up in Tarapoto and had been doing this since for the past 3 years (he's 17). He knew every plant and their uses for healing purposes for everything as well as every animal. Insects, birds, mammals, everything. Their noises, colors, if they were venomous, how they attack, habits. And he didn't learn this in school. It was amazing to see and be able to ask him any questions and get answers. Then again, I probably would have believed anything to be true.

Reading the book "Turn Right At Machu Picchu" made this experience more exhilarating as I felt like I was living a similar experience to the one I was reading about. Trekking through the jungle on what some might call a trail and others might call crazy. There was no such thing as flat as what people from the Midwest would call flat, even though he insisted some parts were. They lent us big water boots that fashionable people wear in the northwest but that we were wearing so we didn't get drenched as we had to cross the river 14 times on the way their. I was lucky I had been using the stairmaster at lifetime because a lot of the trek was a natural stairmaster made up of impressively large exposed roots and trees. Grabbing on to trunks and hanging tarzan veins to pull ourselves up. It was the stairway to heaven led zepplin might say, others might say the stairway to hell. However you had to be careful grabbing onto the branches because their are ants the size of your pinky that if they bite you they sting for 24 hrs. As we were walking along we saw a snake on the rocks. We stopped and looked at it from a safe distance, 2 feet. It was my first time seeing a wild snake and a very poisonous one at that Carlos told us. As we were standing their catching our breath and shitting our pants in fear the snake was in defense mode. With his head curled up and ready to strike. The snake had just recently killed somethibg and was swallowing it in his throat, good thing we didn't arrive a few minutes earlier. All of a sudden the snake struck forward a speed that caught me by surprise and I jumped forward and screeched to get away, prbly not the smartest thing, but my natural city boy reaction nonetheless. It was a strike to leave him alone and that's all I wanted to do. We got the hell out of there and after that I had to split my time enjoying the breathtaking scenery looking for things that could kill me. We crossed paths with all kinds of poisonous frogs but they were little and less intimidating intimidating to me than snakes. They were beautiful yellow, black and red. But apparently their beauty should be taken with caution bc yellow and black together = poisonous.

After 2-3 hours of up and down intense trekking we arrived at our modest home that made gold beach look like the Hilton. Here we stayed at the intersection of 2 rivers in a tent on the 2nd deck. We cooked food over a small flame. Food always seems to taste better after working out and especially when your camping. At night time the full moon light up the entire place like a spotlight it was amazing to see how bright that floating rock was. And to catch it on a full moon, perfect. At night the fun began, at least for the ones who lived in the jungle as they were having fun talking to each other across trees, branches, leafs and rocks.it was fun for us to tune into them and strangely relaxing as we fell into a deep jungle trance.

The next day we went on a 30 minute trek from our campsite to publicly private waterfalls. We had the whole place to ourselves and there was an amazing waterhole to splash around in and let the 40m dropping water to land on your head!
However upon arriving to the waterfalls we got caught up in jungle traffic, a snake! Carlos almost didn't see the snake and almost walked right on top of it. Yikes! As this one was more posionous than the previous one. We stopped for a few seconds, or hours, and the snake slithered away.

Later on that day after eating chicken made on the slow burning grill Kiki and I explored the upper river by ourselves. Originally we were supposed to go to this man's house named Orlando. Hes the only one who lives in the jungle.  He lives by himself and takes care/lives with the wild animals. Monkeys, birds, wild pigs among others. They help him cook food as well. After he chops up food they throw it in the pan for him! Hes a real monkey man! However,  sometimes the monkeys can be aggressive and earlier that day some volunteers were going to his house to deliver food and a monkey bite him and he had to walk back 2 hours through thw jungle with a bleeding heel to get to the hospital to clean his wound.  He advised us not to go bc the monkeys were being too aggressive. Although we saw one as it was coming to shoo him away. Anyways, we were walking up the river and I yelled at kiki to stop as she almost stepped on a snake. A big ol' snake that we showed Carlos a photo of and he said that it was one of the deadliest in that jungle.  He told us that some people come to the jungle just to see snakes and they dont see anything, we saw 3!

Our trek for the next day got cancelled bc it was raining all night and it was too dangerous to trek bc it would be a 2 hr climb to the top and 2 hr down. Mudslides and falling rocks/trees were a big concern. However, we still trekked back a different route and I could see how dangerous it would have been and came to terms with it. On the route back we saw wild pigs and eat fresh mangos, cacao and other fruits right off the branches! Yum! Carlos gave us a little fear as well before our last trek as we was telling us about some stories of his from the jungle seeing Bengals and other people getting bitten by snakes. The scariest of all was these wild boars that hang out in groups of 20-50 and the eat anything that gets in their way. One time he had to climb a tree with his dad and wait for 2 hrs for them to leave so they could keep their lives. Similar account to one in the book. 

Thanks for the amazing x-mas present! I used the filter and swung in the hammock in my new shirts in the jungle! All were in full use!

Lago Boobiepoopoo

No, not actually. But c'mon its funny! The legend goes that the titi side is Peru and the caca side is Bolivia. Bolivia's only body of water and close to its only attraction. For Peru, it is one of the many attractions of the country and only one of many bodies of water. Of course, my information and biases is coming from the "titi" side.

After missing my original overnight bus to Puno (the peruvian city on the coast of Titicaca) due to an unexpected party at my house making it hard for me to leave, especially right when the homemade Pisco Sours were ready, I caught the midnight bus to Juliaca ( a town 45 minutes from Puno where I would later take a shuttle bus to Puno).

Fast forward past sleeping on the hot, sweaty, cold, stinky bus and the shuttle ride to Puno and bam (lucky you can fast forward this part). I arrived in Puno at 7am and waited for Kiki until 9. Puno, for tourists is no more than a port town to catch a boat to the islands. Puno wasn't anything special and time should not be spent there, especially if you have limited time.

However, the islands, WOW! The islands! Not your typical islands for many reasons. Firstly, its a lake. Second, your up at 12,000 ft on an island (higher than Mt. Hood). Thirdly some of these islands are man made floating islands from aquatic plants named Reeds. Lastly, the culture is still in tact from hundreds of years ago. Pre-Incan and Incan. Some islands speak Aymara and are Aymara people while others speak Quecha. But all speak Spanish as well.

First stop, Los Uros (floating islands). There are 87 of these floating islands. Made from flaring reed roots with reeds stacked on top. New reeds are stacked on top at least every 16 days to keep them a float! The islands are staked into shallow parts of the lake as well so you are not swaying. But you better believe there's still a rock in your step! These islands exist because the Aymara people escaped from the main land to avoid conquest by the Incas. Originally they lived on reed boats with reed shelters on the boats. Floating around the lake. Eventually they built these islands and lived here surviving against the Incas, but not so much the Spanish. I was not told this but I assume so because there is a church on one of the floating islands. Church=Spanish.

These islanda were spectacular just to believe how inventive, creative and resourceful these people were. Incredible,  people from all cultures around the world continue to amaze me. Western, Eastern, Southern, Northern. Mountain people, City people, posh people, indigenous people. No importa!  Our thought of an educated people is skewed when referring to more indigenous people. They survived in this world for thousands of years before our technology filled, western run world ever existed. They might not have spent thousands of dollars on PHD's or other certifications. But damn, they are all engineers, doctors, farmers, traders and bi-lingual. I think they stand for themselves.

Going on, Los Uros was great and a necessary stop on the tour. We spent the night and got to enjoy the peace and tranquility of the lake and the floating island. Cutting down reeds and helping restore the island! Fishing with the locals and eating the local cuisine. It was great to spend the night to actually feel a different side then only spending an hour being a tourist.

In the morning we headed to Tequille island. Dios mio was this lo maximo or what? It was a mix between the Mediterranean, The Great Wall of China and Peru 500 years ago still in tact in 2014. Just spectacular!  Really. The Mediterranean because of the water color along the shoreline, the great wall because of these amazing stone paths that circulated the entire island and Peru 500 years ago because everyone speaks Quecha, the whole island is made up of andenes (Inca farming terraces) and the clothes are so colorful and traditional and everyone wears them. The population on the island is 2,000 people and they all know each other. They continue to only live by the 3 Incan laws: don't steal, don't cheat and don't be lazy. They are so friendly and you can feel the safety on the island. A women isn't beautiful if she is skinny and curvy, but if she has big calfs bc it means she can work hard! We spent the night here with a family and it was truly an incredible experience getting to be part of the family for a day. The place just took my breath away the entire time. A must see. A must spend the night.

Warning: bring sunscreen, hat, sunglasses and warm clothes. Temperature is severe. One minute boiling the next freezing. The sun is powerful! Be careful. The air is thin I have been living at 6,000 ft for about 3 months but I felt it everywhere I was!

My phone ran out of battery before I could snap shots of Tequille island. But Kiara has plenty I will put up later

Mt. Biking Volcano Chachani