Arequipa and Titicaca

Greetings from sunny Arequipa! With exams behind me, I'm enjoying my last few weeks of vacation in Peru by traveling as much as I can. The first destination on my after-school solo journey was Arequipa, which is located on the southern coast of Peru. It's Peru's second-largest city, but it runs at a different pace than Lima. Most people who live here refer to themselves as arequipeños before peruvians, and it's easy to see why: the sky is clear, the air is clean, and they city has a colonial rather than industrial flare.


My first two days in Arequipa were unique becuase I was, for the first time, traveling completely solo. I spent hours walking around, talking to tour agencies, and testing out new coffee spots. I also visited a museum that showcases a naturally-mumified human body of a small girl (Juanita) that the Incas sacrificed on the top of a nearby volcano. She's, like, only 1,500 years old and her hair still looks good! Like, oh my god!

Arequipa offers a lot of outdoorsy activities, like hiking in the Cañon de Colca (2 times deeper than the Grand Canyon!), climbing El Misti volcano (5,820m), and rafting in the local river. I went rafting in the narrow Chili River, which weaves through volcanic rock with class II, III, and IV rapids. It was calmer than the other raft trip I did, but it was a great way to see the countryside. And, of course, I couldn't help engaging in a conversation about kayak gear with our guide. :)

While it was liberating to be independent, I was happy to make some travel companions within a couple of days. Several people in my youth hostel were headed the same way as me: Chris (from Canada), Will (from Ireland), Juan (from France), and Emma and Ben (from the UK). On Friday, all of us bussed south to Puno, which is the platform town for Lake Titicaca.

Lake Titicaca is the largest lake in Peru, and it is home to the floating islands that are famous worldwide. Chris, Will, Juan, and decided to take a two-day tour of the lake. (Ben and Emma stayed in Puno because they were sick). On the tour, we stopped at the floating islands, which are touristy but incredible. The islands are literally made out of reeds, and communities still live on them. After we took a quick ride in the traditional totora boats, we set off for the second island, named Amantani. We stayed the night in the house of a resident family and ate traditional regional food. There was a great thunderstorm at night, and we watched the lighting across the lake light the silouhette of the mountains in the background. The next day, we visited another island, and headed back to the town of Puno.


The next morning, our group parted ways. Will and Juan went to La Paz, while Chris, Emma, and Ben, went to Cuzco for Christmas. I took a bus back to Arequipa, and form here I'll make my way up the north coast to Trujillo. If all goes well, I'll be on the beach for Christmas!

Ya se acaba

I can't believe that my academic time in Peru is already over! I just finished all of my final exams, and now I'm enjoying life in Lima for a bit.

On Monday, I'll be headed to the south of Peru (to Arequipa and Lake Titicaca). Later, I'll cross the border to Bolivia and spend Christmas in La Paz! Then it's back to Lima, where I'll catch my flight home on Dec 29. After spending a day in Maimi with Papa, I'll arrive home to CT on New Year's Eve day! Stay posted for more pics and travel stories!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone! I love you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! I am so, so grateful to have all of you in my life; I appreciate your constant support more than you will ever know. It is because of you-- my friends and family-- that I am so lucky to have so many fantastic adventures! Sometimes it may seem that I've forgotten about home, but you should know that I think of you every day. I love you!

Last night, the UVA in Peru program celebrated a day early with a "Traditional Peruvian Thanksgiving Feast" complete with turkey, mashed potatoes, yams, cranberry sauce, and spicy stuffing (oops!). Oh, and of course, we ate pumpkin pie! We were happy to have our program directors, professors, Peruvian friends, and Suzy's mom and boyfriend join us for this delicious dinner!


To celebrate Turkey Day this year, I'll leave you with several high-quality one-liners that are sure to be a hit at the dinner table tonight:

Q: Which side of the turkey has the most feathers?
A: The outside

Q: What did the turkey say before it was roasted?
A: Boy! I'm stuffed!

Q: What do you get when you cross a turkey with an octopus?
A: Enough drumsticks for Thanksgiving

Q: What key has legs and can't open doors?
A: A Turkey.

C-U-Z-C-O

What an fantastic week!

Last week, two of my friends from the U.S., Adam "a-DAM" Yeh, and Keith "Crawpappy" Crawford flew in for a two weeks of vacation in Peru. I met them in the Lima airport at 3 am on Tuesday morning, and we flew together to spend a week in Cuzco. It was great to see them-- it had been over a year! Adam is one of my best friends from school; I met him through Outdoors at UVA and we went to the White Mountains, the Grand Canyon, and Joshua Tree National Park together. Keith is an Outward Bound instructor from North Carolina. We met several years ago through our friend Marie, and he is now part of the adventure clan.

Of our six days in Cuzco, we spent the first two days touring the city, and the last four hiking on a trail whose destination was Machu Picchu.


The City
We arrived in Cuzco at 7 am, took a short nap, and then hit the road to explore the city. We spent most of the day taking it easy, acclimatizing, and exploring cobble-stoned roads and cathedral-clad plazas. Cuzco is very touristy, but it's overwhelming charm shines through the cluttered souvenir stores and aggressive salesmen.

For our two first nights, we checked into the Loki Hostel, which houses about 140 travelers in dormitory-style rooms. With two grassy courtyards, a lounge with free internet, and a restaurant and bar, the hotel's set-up gives you very little reason to venture outside. We celebrated our first night together socializing with people in the hostel (lots of young people + traveling + bar = new friends) and later we explored the (heavily touristy) night scene in the Plaza de Armas downtown.

The next morning, we walked up to Saqsawaman, an Incan fortress with characteristic architecture. We ate a delicious lunch at Chez Maggie, which served fresh pasta cooked in a clay oven! Yum!


The Lares Valley Trek
Many tourists decide to take the 4-day trek up the Inca Trail, which ends at the marvelous Machu Picchu. Although the Inca Trail passes through many amazing archaeological sites, hikers have to share the trail with 500 other people. Adam, Keith, and I were looking for a more off-the-beaten-path experience, so we chose to hike an alternative route called the Lares Valley Trek. This 4day/3night trek still ends at Machu Picchu and you summit two mountains and pass through many rural villages.

We went with Llama Path, which advertises itself as a Sustainable Tourism Operators. Although they are not the cheapest agency, they emphasize social and environmental responsibility by hiring people from rural areas, paying/treating their employees well, and reducing their impact on the environment. Llama Path also runs several volunteer clean-up activities a year to clean local rivers and trails.

We met our bilingual guide, Huber, at 4:45 am and headed to Huaran, where we met the cook, assistant cook, and the three horseman. It was clear that this was no ordinary backpacking trip-- we were treated like kings! We only had to carry day-packs and the food was incredible! We had trout, stir fry, spaghetti with cream sauce, cake-- luxury! Every day, the porters rushed ahead to set up our tents and greet us with warm water and towels to wash our hands. Given the altitude, we arrived exhausted to camp, and we were all grateful for the special treatment.

Although the Andes are always cold at night, the guide assured us that it wouldn't get below freezing in the spring. The first night, I heard the pitter-patter of rain on the tent-- but to my surprise--in the morning I opened the fly to see 2 inches of snow on the ground! When we reached the top of the highest peak (4800m = 15,000 ft) later that afternoon, we made a snow llama at the summit.

The landscapes on our trek were breathtaking, but one of my favorite parts was visiting the rural towns. Most of these towns are only accessible by a walking path, and they lack electricity and sanitation systems. Because townspeople barter with their potato crops, they don't have much of a money economy. Their isolation is also reinforced because most of people only speak Quechua.

Our guide repeated, "These people are rich at heart, but poor in their pocket." The agency encouraged us to bring pens, soaps, crackers, and fruits for the children in these towns. We stopped often to talk to them. The second day, when it was almost dark, we started talking to a little boy (about 5 years old) who was herding a pack of llamas. We have him a pack of crackers and a pen, and he said, "If you guys sleep near my house, we can kill one of the llamas and make a bit feast! And, it you give me a fishing pole tonight, I'll leave it in the lake tonight and tomorrow we'll have trout!" This undiscriminating generosity from a 5-year-old, who didn't even have a pen for school, left a lasting impression on me.
On our third day, we hiked to the town of Lares, where were southed our tired muscles in natural hot springs. Several high-school-aged girls thought that Keith was Brad Pitt, and they lined up to take pictures with him! Later, we took a bus to Ollantaytambo to eat dinner and traveled by train to Aguas Calientes, the feeder town for Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu
We arrived at Machu Picchu at 7 am. We were able to enjoy it in (relative) isolation for a couple of hours before the rest of the tourists swarmed in. We had incredible weather; blue skies, dramatic clouds, and warm sun. Huber, our guide, walked us through these incredible ruins and explained the history behind the key sites.

After our tour, Keith, Adam, and I made the challenging climb up Wayna Picchu, which is the steep mountain that you see in the background of this picture. From there, we got amazing aerial view of Machu Picchu; from this perspective, it was evident what a marvel the Incas created.

Weekend in Lima

My semester in Peru resembles the game of paddle-ball. Just as the elastic ties the ball to the paddle, school ties me to Lima -- but I'm constantly bouncing off in one direction or the other on the weekends. I have seen a remarkable amount of the country, but surprisingly little of Lima. To remedy this, I decided to dedicate this weekend to discovering the large metropolis that 30 percent of the country's population calls home.

Friday night I went to the ritzy district of La Molina to a peña, or a concert with traditional music. As a live band played, extravagantly-costumed performers danced merengue, salsa, and other regional dances. After midnight, the band continued to play salsa, while our Peruvian friends tried to teach me and Evelyn (from Holland) the basic steps. Despite the fact that Evelyn and I both towered over our dance partners, we managed to sway back and forth without looking too ridiculous, and we had a fantastic time. We danced until 4:30 am.

Saturday greeted me with a clear sky that let the equatorial sun pierce through Lima's almost-permanent fog. Oliver and I spent the afternoon walking around the Lima Center, where I bought my first Dunkin' Donuts coffee in three months (and it was heavenly!). I enjoyed my coffee to the last drop as we visited the main square (called the Plaza de Armas) which is filled with red and white flowers, and statue of Lima's founder (Pizarro) and lots and lots of pigeons. We also went to the Museo de la Inquisicion, which displays wax mannequins that demonstrate how sinners were tortured in colonial times. Before sunset, we took a bus up a crazy, steep and windy road to reach the Cerro de San Cristobol, which is a hill with a cross that overlooks the city. With the clear day, we got a great view of the city. From there, we could grasp how expansive and (geographically and economically) diverse this 8-million-person city is!

Sunday morning, I joined 10, 118 others in a jog around Lima as part of the Nike 10K. An estimated 100,000 runners participated in this race, which was held on November 11th in nine countries over South America. It was a really cool way to see the city! We ran on several main roads, including a section of the pan-american highway, that are normally jammed with cars; as traffic blurred past in the opposite direction, we ran in a swarm of running shoes and blue t-shirts. Bands played, people threw water from the bridges, and organizers converted the tunnel on the 9th K into a disco with strobe lights and party music. I ran with another UVA-er, Klass, and we both had a blast.

After the race, Klass and I replenished at UVA American-style brunch. Everyone from UVA got together to cook biscuits, chocolate-chip pancakes, bacon, omelets, fruit salad, and mimosas. It was a delicious taste of home.

At night, I met up with Oliver, Melanie, and Evelyn to see the Vuelo del Condor, which is a Cirque de Soleil-style circus with a Peruvian theme. The clown was really funny, and the acts were amazing; there were contortionists, jugglers, ribbon-swingers and fire-eaters. While the entertainment and humor is universal across nationalities, all of the costumes and scenery proudly reflected Peru's rich indigenous history.

What a stupendous weekend!

In a couple of hours, I'll be on a plane to Cuzco with two friends from the States-- we'll be there for a week doing a trek up to Macchu Pichu, so stay tuned for more pictures and adventures!

Desert Paradise

At this point, I'm not sure why I bother to unpack my backpack. :) On Thursday, Melanie (from Canada), Evelyn (from Holland) and I decided to skip trick-or-treating for a trip to Paracas and Huacachina on the southern coast. Although all of our destinations were heavily affected by the earthquake, many of them are now happy to be back in business.

When we arrived in Paracas at 7:30 am, we were shuffled into a boat with about 40 other tourists to tour the wildlife of the Islas Ballestas. Donning our bulky, bright-orange life vests, we traveled about 30 minutes off the coast to reach rocky islands whose natural arches frame the ocean scenery. We saw dolphins, sea lions, sea anemones, starfish, and lots and lots of birds. The abundance bird life, mixed with the dry climate, allows for the accumulation of guano over thousands of years. Guano, commonly known as bird poop, is used in fertilizers and explosives, and has been a lucrative export for Peru. In fact, the guano business was so profitable that Peru went to war with Chile over possession of these islands. That's right-- Peru and Chile went to war over bird droppings!

After the island tour, we ate at an ocean-side restaurant, visited the National Reserve of Paracas, and took a nap on the beach. Then it was time to head to Huacachina. On the bus to Huacachina, my assigned seat paired me with a young man, whose Lonely Planet Guide to Peru affirmed that he was also a tourist. We got to talking, and this man, Jeff, is a UVA alumn! On a random Thursday afternoon, I sat in a randomly assigned bus seat next to someone who went to the same university as me. Unbelievable.

Huacachina is a desert oasis nestled among arid sand dunes. Tourists flock to this relaxed tourist hub for its trendy hostels, great food, and sandboarding trips. Sandboarding is just like snowboarding, but on sand instead of snow. It's a blast! After a wild dune buggy ride, we strapped on boards and headed for the hills. I found that I preferred laying down on the board like a sled, and we flew down the dunes!






















The next day was a perfect, lazy day. Oliver (who had spent two days in Pisco with earthquake disaster relief) caught up with us for our last days. We laid by the pristine pool of our $5/night hostel and basked in the sun that we miss so much in Lima. We had almost every meal at the Bamboo House, which is owned by a sweet English-Peruvian couple with a precious 9-month-old named Jasmine. We were thrilled to know that she served REAL coffee, brownies and falafel. At night, we ate a picnic dinner as we watched the sun set from the top of the dunes.

Before we knew it, Lima was tugging our academic strings and it was time to head back. Although I was sad to leave, I have a lot to look forward to. This Sunday I'm running a 10K road race through Lima, and on November 13th Adam and Keith (two friends from UVA) and I are going to Cuzco! When I come back, the UVA program is going to cook a Thanksgiving feast, and before I know it, classes with be over! Time flies!

Let's Talk Trash!

For the next eight months, I'll be talking some serious trash. I mean-- I'll be talking seriously about trash. As the ominous "real world" prepares to pounce after graduation, the contents of your trash can might actually come to my defense. Through my internship with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), I hope to come one step closer to "saving the planet."

From January to August, I will be working under the supervision of the head environmental economist at the DEQ, as well as my economics professor at UVA, on economic analysis of a waste-to-energy facility. The city of Richmond is considering the installation of a Covanta plant that create energy by using the steam from burning waste to move turbines. The DEQ aims to determine what kind of change a waste-to-energy plant would create for the city. In the preliminary stages, I will collect data from city planners, county officials, and businesses. In the later stages, I will work under the guidance of my professors to analyze and report the net effect of the Covanta plant. During the semester, I will doing most of my work from Charlottesville and commuting a couple of times a month to Richmond for meetings. In the summer, when I will be working full-time, I will move to Richmond.

Pretty exciting, for trash!