Whew, it has been a long time since the last post. After a month in Bolivia, we learned that there is no good internet connection anywhere. That meant limited streaming, uploading, or downloading. But it also offered us a nice time to really disconnect and focus on traveling, our relationship, and some scary health issues that popped up. After our time in Cusco, we split up for a bit. Eric stayed behind to hike and climb in Peru, while I returned to the US for a long weekend. It was strange to be apart for more than one day for the first time in months, and man did we need it. Constant togetherness was starting to wear on our relationship and on our sanity. Flying to New York for the weekend was perhaps one of the craziest parts of my trip so far. Over that long weekend I got a tattoo to memorialize my grandparents, had the opportunity to see every member of my family for the first time in a decade, saw one of my oldest friends, and indulged (a little too much) in all of the foods I had been missing. It still boggles my mind that I cannot easily find a decent cup of coffee in South America. This trip, though for unfortunate circumstances, was and will be one of the best weekends of my life. Our huge family had the chance to mourn the loss of two amazing people, share stories of their crazy antics, laugh, cry, drink, dance, and play with fire. It was absolutely perfect in every way. Returning to Peru was challenging. I knew what I was going to be experiencing upon arrival and what I was missing from home. The first few days back were a challenge; my feelings of homesickness were on overdrive and the travel momentum I had established felt like it was gone. For the next three or four weeks I battled pretty intensely with traveler’s fatigue. I didn’t want to visit sites, take pictures, talk with new people, or even leave our hotel room. “Thankfully” I got sick for a while, so I could use that as an excuse to watch trashy movies on Netflix, read a few books, and stay in bed. Since the last post Eric and I spent a few more weeks in Peru, crossed into Bolivia, and spent the following month exploring the country. Currently we are in Santiago, Chile which we will soon be leaving to head into Argentina for a month or so, before returning to explore Patagonia and the coast on our way back to the PNW. We rounded out our time in Peru with the cities of Arequipa and Puno. Arequipa is a cute colonial city in the SE of Peru at the base of the Andes, in the middle of the desert. Here we toured a beautiful convent, watched a few magical sunsets, and wandered the city streets. We also spent a few days hiking in the Colca Canyon, which is the deepest canyon in the world. The hiking was challenging, as it required hiking to the base of the canyon, then back out the next day. Each direction gains/losses over 1000 meters (+/- 3200 feet) along dusty trails covered with rocky gravel. This was painful on my weak knees and we were covered in dust by the end. Though the views were decent, we both felt a little let down, most likely because it had been over hyped for us, resulting in unmet expectations. We are also both realizing that we are very spoiled to have grown up in Oregon; a lot of the scenery pales in comparison. Puno, the last stop before crossing the border, is weird. It is a small town on the banks of Lake Titikaka, which is completely over run with tourists, but lacking the actual infrastructure to support the masses. Here we spent our time visiting the famous man-made floating islands – aka a tourist trap that exploits native peoples for the enjoyment of visitors, and preparing our Bolivian visa application. Although we had a good pizza here, we were not sorry to be leaving. This stop kinda soured our whole time in Peru for me, as we both felt very negative and uneasy the entire time we were there. ![]() Crossing into Bolivia was a stressful experience, kicking my anxiety into overdrive. At the border, Eric and I learned, that in spite of all of our careful planning, we were still unprepared. To get into Bolivia US citizens need a copy of financial records, proof of hotel reservations, an exit ticket out of the country, a passport photo, Yellow Fever vaccination card, and $160 in crisp US twenty-dollar bills. We didn’t have enough copies and our money was a little banged up. Fortunately, we could make copies there for a stupidly high price, and we managed to convince the border agent to accept our money, for a small fee of course that he took for the trouble. Eventually we made it through and were accepted into the country, for 30 days at least. Over the course of the next month we learned that Bolivia is a unique country, even by South American standards. It has extremely varied climates and landscapes, a massive divide between rich and poor, a unique cuisine, fierce patriotism, and a uniting superstition and allegiance to Pachamama (mother earth). In every city you can find a witch’s market in which one can buy everything from love potions, to herbal medicines, and even dehydrated llama fetuses. Yep, llama fetuses. This is because before building any structure, a sacrifice and tribute must be made for Pachamama. I don’t know all the details, but I know that a fetus, some money, alcohol, and candy must be thrown into the earth at the site of building to protect the edifice from her wrath. Also, anytime one drinks alcohol, some of your beverage must be poured onto the ground in tribute, resulting in sticky floors and red wine stains. It’s a strange place, but hey, that’s Bolivia for you. After visiting many cities, both big and small, I’m still not sure what to think of this country. Here’s the rundown.
In short, Bolivia was a unique and challenging experience. We had some of the highest highs and lowest lows of our whole trip. From being sick, to hating travelling, to sharing a meal with people from around the world, and seeing truly spectacular natural wonders, our Bolivian experience had it all. Now we are working our way through Northern Chile and Argentina before our moms join us for Christmas. I promise to blog more, especially now that we have high speed internet again! Just for kicks, here are some travel stats so far…
2 Comments
Mike
12/1/2017 09:54:12 am
Cholitas wrestling looks wild. And your video of Salar de Uyuni gets high marks from me, well done!
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7/25/2022 12:02:37 pm
https://www.kriptoseyir.com/category/bitcoin-nasil-alinir/
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AuthorJust two kids out exploring this big world of ours. Archives
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