Splitting the Seam

Crossing the boarder without a (Chilean) penny, we ran around in northern Chile looking for an open cash machine during a festival day, a nearly impossible task.
We easily hitchhiked down the coast until darkness then embarked the most luxurious bus we had seen yet in Antofagasta. We slept like babies for the 12 hour bus to La Serena, arrived in the morning and took a walking city tour. The next day we bussed an hour to Vicuña, a small town situated in the Elqui valley, an oasis of pisco vineyards and happy gente. We celebrated Courtney´s 21st birthday with a pisco factory tour - free samples included ;), a night at Mamalluca, one of the best amateur star obervatories in the world and a jar of peanut butter.



We made our way to Santiago to meet 2 of its 7.2 million residents. In the next week we stayed with a family of four (including Julio who we met in our hostel in Arequipa) who spoiled us with a twin bed, loads of white bread, and nightly conversations around the family table. Sometimes its nice to break from our regular independent adventures and have a mom to take care of us, and Chilean mom´s are prime. In the days when Julio studied and the family worked we got city/metro system tours with Carlo. We learned enough slang to write a dictionary and got drunk on the regular. On Mother´s day the extended family came to BBQ. We shared good food and chatter, a break from our junky chilean diets of empanadas (cheese or beef) and completos (hotdogs drowned in guacamole and mayo).





We loved watching the trees around the city change colors and fall to the ground, our first autumn of the trip. Maybe we´ll feel a little disoriented coming from the middle of winter to summer in the States, but we will welcome the warm sun.
Heading west we met up with Sara, a familiar Bellinghamster and Western graduate living in beachtown Reñaca teaching English at a local school. From the summer destination town of Reñaca we explored Viña del Mar and Valparíso, where we visited beach castle homes, took lots of grafitti pics and strolled oceanfront streets.







Next stop, Concepción. The university city was hit hard by an 8.8 earthquake in February 2010, and the damage is still overwhelmingly evident by the broken floors of our house and the completely toppled apartment building we walked by. We feel fortunate that we don´t live along the edge of the Nazca Plate, the world´s fastest moving teconic plate, where tsunamis and earthquakes are commonplace devastations.
In our final Chilean destination we cooked good food, got house haircuts and much needed girl makeovers (for the clubs) with another hostal favorite friend Vanessa, and her sister Alexis.




Next we traveled over a day, delayed by heavy snowfall in Andes mountain passes, until Bariloche, Argentina. Today we enjoyed the Aspen of South America rock climbing. At the top of the climb we were able to rest and look out over northern Patagonia´s jagged-edged mountains.



Tomorrow we go to Mendoza. Emily will only stay for the biking wine tours, Courtney will stay to job hunt.




So, after sticking together like a zipper all along this continent, we will somehow pull apart and travel independently until June 1st (Em) and August 1st (Court). Its been a good long term relationship, but we´ll miss swapping around memories and crazy stories from this wild rollercoaster ride.



Arriba, Abajo, Al Centro, Al Dentro
Saludos to you esposa :)

Searching for vegetarian food in a land of fried chicken, french fries and white rice

We made it to the jungle after 4 days of trying navigate the washed out roads. When we got to Rurrenabaque we made up for lost time by booking a 4 day jungle tour with Madidi Travel, an agency focused on local conservation amongst local communities. Rainforests all over are suffering due to locals and international companies destroying the delicate land for timber and cattle ranching. The truth is, the rainforest is 5x more productive, and for a longer span of time, if it is responsibly harvested for its unique fruits, nuts and medicinal plants that naturally grow there. Supporting sustainable rainforest products over precious lumber will help locals realize where the money market really is, and encourage rainforest preservation.
In the jungle we chased monkeys as they swung from the treetops, we hunted down caimans at night with flashlights, we fished for piranhas and ate them, we tasted jungle fruits, made jewelery with seeds and got eaten alive by all the mosquitos who swarmed us as soon as we sweated off our repellent.







When our canoe brought us back to civilization, we were unable to find a bus to Trinidad and Santa Cruz (other jungle cities we were hoping to see) due to more washed out roads. We instead took a bus through La Paz, to Cochabamba.
We stayed with 3 Brazilian medical students, studying the same medical courses in Bolivia for 1/10 of the price they would pay in Brazil. On Good Friday, alcohol and meat are prohibited, so naturally we threw a party to eat seafood and drink lots of wine - somehow these two items dont apply to the rules. Surrounded by Portugese speaking med students, we had a ton of fun drinking and eating in mini-Brazil. Every night was a party night, we still haven´t figured out when the surgical students study... We got some great music, saw too many remarkable photos of Brazilian paradises (next trip) and picked up a little Portugese in Cochabrazil.



We left our home to explore Torotoro National Park. We caught the 6.5 hour bus at 6 in the morning, after a night of Brazilian style partying and not sleeping. Luckily we were able to share one seat on the bus crowded full of locals going to countryside for Easter Sunday. We arrived still hungover and stopped for a lunch were we met our new friend and guide Luis. That evening we went to a large field outside of town for the ToroTinku - traditional bull fights. The owners just allow their bulls to wander around the pasture and fight with other bulls when testosterone gets too high. We enjoyed watching and running away from the bulls when they locked their eyes and horns in intense shoving matches. Certainly a unique Easter Sunday.




The next few days we were able to hike around the geological wonders of Torotoro. We saw dinosaur footprints, hiked up and down a canyon, played under a waterfall, and visited blind catfish deep inside a cave which we had to crawl and wiggle our way through.






Back in Cochabamba we missed the bus to Sucre, and just traveled straight to Potosi, where we are now. On our first day here we went on a mine tour of Cerro Rico ¨Rich Mountain¨. The Cerro was once the economic center of South America, and certainly the most overexploited natural resource of the colonial era. It is said that the Spanish extracted enough silver from the mountain to build a bridge to Spain and still transport more silver over. When we visited mine Rosario (one of 20,000 mine tunnels) we saw miners at the end of their 12 hour day, working for mixed tin, copper, zinc and (a little) silver rock to be sold in the city. We brought food and drinks with us to feed these men who rarely pause, and hardly see the sun. We walked through tunnels whose temperature vary between near freezing to 90 degrees. The deeper into the mountain, the hotter it got. It was a harsh reality to see, and we were more than happy to leave the short tunnels and smell fresh air once again.





Tonight we are traveling to Chile, where we will spend time with the traveling friends we met while working in the hostal in Arequipa, Peru. We are anticipating the shock of being in a westernized country after so many months, hopefully it will only prepare us for our transition back to life in the states.

Ciao Bolivia
Buenas Dias Chile

Love, Courtney and Emily

More photos from the last month of Bolivia
https://picasaweb.google.com/courtneybratrude/Bolivia02?authkey=Gv1sRgCJn80pOYsI2IDQ#

Cliff Crossing and Ruin Stomping

Baja Cusco!
After our marvolous month+ in Arequipa, we moved into Javier´s penthouse apartment in Cusco. Thank you CouchSurfing.org. In the following 13 days, we made our way around the Sacred Valley and Peru´s nightlife capital. On day 7 Ms.Kate Bratrude joined our travel troop, and we headed straight to Machu Picchu!


Maybe a traditional tour would have been a better route, however, we dont do that. We hopped on a 6 hour bus to Santa Maria, and were forced to stay there the night due to ´bad roads´(a very common theme in our recent travels). In the morning we horrified our new mom with a slippery, if-you-swerve-too-much you fall off the cliff, watch out for falling rocks overhead road. The rest of the day we spent walking in the rain til MachuPicchu/Aguas Calientes town. In the morning, we awoke at 4:30 and walked up a million stairs to Machu Picchu. The ruins were everything we expected and more, especially after 11 when the morning fog had cleared and the sun came out! The hike up to Wayna Picchu (the big mountain behind Machu) was lacking sun, but still one of our ruin highlights!







From Cusco we made our way south to the mystical Lake Titicaca, stopping in the less than attractive city of Puno. We left the city to see the Floating Islands of Uros and Taquile, observing the long-lasting traditions of island life. We bused around the Lake the next day to Copacabana, for a little Bolivia-Peru comparison.








BOLIVIA!
As quick as we could we hopped on a ferry boat sailing to the Sun Island, the rumored birthplace of the first Incas and central landmark for both the ancient Quechuas (Peru side) and Aymaras (Bolivia side). We walked the length of the Island, taking in the peaceful energy and enjoying the complete absence of cars, cellphones, internet, modern technology. We stayed the night, allowing us to watch the sunset, stars, and sunrise, and ultimately understand how the magic of this place captivated the ancients.






After a quick pause in the mineral-rich land of Oruro, where we ate Salteñas (chicken or beef and potato, vegetable filled pastries), toured a mine, and then headed to Uyuni in the Southwest.


The entire region was once a huge lake, which has since dried up, and left behind natural wonders like: the biggest salt flats in the world, high altitude geysers, microorganism colored lakes(inhabited by lots of snacking flamingos), and rolling hills that appear painted. We saw all this and more on a bumpy 3-day Jeep tour.







Kate´s time was running out quick, so we returned to Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Our lady of the Peace) the northern administrative capital of Bolivia. There we spent our days shopping, and then sending all our souvenirs home in duffel bags with Mom. Every street in La Paz is stacked with tents of street vendors selling everything and anything they can, from bananas to nails, cell phone chargers to second hand clothes. We stayed in the midst of the ´Witches Market´ full of vendors selling love potions, natural herbal remedies, sacrificial and ceremonial pieces- like llama fetus´s to be buried under new houses. All offerings to the Pachamama (Mother Earth).
Bolivia has been a unique place, still very faithful to pre-Colombian traditions, with a majority indigenous population unified by similar dress, dance and ritual customs.




We left La Paz by bicycle, riding down from 4000 meters (cold with snow) to 1500 meters (humid and tropical) on the ¨World´s Most Dangerous Road¨. We´re glad not to be driving here where the rule is you pass on the left side, so the driver has the best cliffside view of his outer tires, on a road no wider than 3 meters at times... Lisa has moved south, Courtney and Emily moved northeast into the jungle! Currently we are still trying to arrange our jungle transportation, as all the roads are nearly washed out. Hopefully we´ll get a sweet boat ride up to Rurrenabaque today :)
Still, we are loving the tropical climate, fresh fruits and spectacular mountain views that greet our eyes every moment here!
With Love,
Emily and Courtney

Adios Arequipa

Dear Arequipa,
After a happy 5 weeks under your rain clouds, sunshine, historical center made of sillar -white volcanic stone- and the great shadow of Mt. Misti, we would like to say thank you.
Thank you for providing us hospital San Juan de Dios where we shared so many irreplacable smiles and stories with children all around the region.
Your outlying lands are full of beautiful fields, ancient andina farms, antique Spanish mansions and the pueblo of San Isidro where we were able to meet and greet so many lovely school children and the wonderful volunteers of Intiwawa.
We enjoyed our stay in the elegant neighborhood Vallecito, passing by parks and friendly families everytime we walked home.
De puta madre carajo, your amiable Pichin (the hostal owner we stayed with 4 weeks) was an excellent teacher of Arequipan slang and bought us our first cuy (guinea pig) lunch.
In 12 de Octubre (where we stayed one week more) we lived in a family setting and came to realize how fast you´re changing generation to generation. Your people are still working hard to support and build you, but, for example, no longer need the hearty energy of the old typical plates to get them thorough laborous workdays.
We got to know your bus terminal well, as we worked for the hostal to invite travelers in. Thank you for your proximity to Chile, we were able to meet so many great friends in the hostal and are anxiously anticipating visiting all of them after we make our rounds in Bolivia!
The meeting of three cordilleras (mountain ranges) gave you a magical feel, and our trip to Colca Canyon - the worlds deepest canyon- was truly unforgettable!
Almost every Arequipeñan we met had a natural and enjoyable air to them. Whether they gained tips for juggling in the streets, owned their own shops, worked in the surrounding mines, or as gourmet chefs, tourist guides, doctors, bartenders or teachers, each of them was more than willing to share a piece of their lives, invite us out for a traditional meal, or just stop us on the streets to start up where our last conversation left off.
Carnaval was maybe the funnest festival weve ever been to. Spending Saturday in your picturesque Plaza de Armas we watched the parade, as well as all the happy spectators. Poorly armed, and obviously foreign, we were targeted by all the fun Carnaval had to offer. Fun which took the form of buckets of water (retrieved from the centerpiece fountain of the Plaza), spray foam canisters, confetti, water balloons, water guns and more. Our laughter only paused when we were wiping foam out of our eyes.
Also, we will never forget that Arequipa was the place were our Salsa skills transformed from gringo normal, to smokin.

Thank you again Arequipa, you will always live in our memories :)
Love,
Emily, Courtney and Lisa




Fotos:
of Arequipa and Colca Canyon:
https://picasaweb.google.com/courtneybratrude/Arequipa#

Of Clinica San Juan de Dios:
https://picasaweb.google.com/courtneybratrude/20110312Courtney#

How do you do Peru?

We have arrived in Arequipa, Peru´s most southern and second most important city. In order to arrive we had to traverse length of Peru, via the coastal PanAmerican Highway. Familiarizing ourselves with Peru´s trucker community.



Departing from Ecuador in late January, we made Puira our first stop of the long journey ahead of us. At least, we thought we were going to Puira, but instead, in Puira´s Plaza de Armas (the center piece of every traditional Peruvian city), we found ourselves miles away from the outlying city Catacoas, our real destination. Just as we were beggining to figure out how we could take the bus there and if we would arrive before dark, the police came to the rescue. We have had some run ins with Peru´s corrupt police department, and heard many horror stories, but these police were more helpful than we could have expected. They escorted us 30 mins to the Plaza de Armas in Catacoas, sometimes flashing their emergency lights to get through traffic. So, we arrived in style, very safe and successfully met up with our CouchSurfing host Yosimar. Welcome to Peru the officers said as they drove away!






In Catacoas we stayed several nights in a family home, well taken care of and entertained. Yosimar is a professional Marinero dancer, one of the many traditional dances of Northern Peru, and we got to see it live! We started our ruin tour, another guidebook acclaimed attraction of the North. We were occasionally relieved from the Northern Coasts desert heat when targeted by Carnaval water balloons. Everytime we left the house, someone checked to make sure we were well equipped to defend ourselves and participate in the regions 2 month long celebration, which really is just an excuse to play and be mischevious.





Next, the road brought us to Trujillo, we were unsuccessfully stayed with two couchsurfters, but successfully visited the ruins of Chan Chan, the worlds largest adobe city. We also spent some time on the beach, and filled our bellies with ceviche – a cold, mixed seafood dish, relished with lemon juice and toasted choclo (corn)!








We left the humid coastal desert to visit the Cordillera Blanca (White MountainRange) and familiarize ourselves with this region of the worlds highest ice glacier forests, and the second highest mountain range behind the Himalayas in the city of Huaraz. Where it rains most afternoons – at least in this season- ice cream costs 1 sol (33 cents) and everyother store sells hiking gear. For once, we fit in with the locals when clubbing in our hiking boots. We had an incredible hike to Lake 69, whose serenely clear turqouise glacier water is better described with photos.





To the capital! Lima is brimming with busy culture, colonial buildings, neighborhoods that stretch on for miles, and impossible traffic. Living in the northern neighborhood Tomas Valle, travelling to the center required a 40 minute bus ride, at least. Bus passangers are always packed tight like a can of sardines and blinkers are rarely used, honking is the preferred method. The continual stream of blarring horns is less than melodic. Lima´s charms included: the San Francisco church with tunnels of underground catacombs, the Plaza de Armas, watching the change of the guards at the government palace, the Park of Love, surfing beaches, and the great family company we recieved.






Next stop, Paracas National Park´s dry playas. Beach side, private 8 person tent, roasted marshmallows round the bonfire, and the lingering smell of fresh fish oil.



We spent some time camping along the coast before heading to Ica and Huacachina. Ica offered us delicious locally grown and processed pisco (Peru´s no. 1 liquor, made from white grapes). In Huacachina, we sandboarded. While we got a bigger adreneline rush from the spectaular views of the world´s highest sandboardable dunes, than from the actual sport, it was all good fun. Included: an intense calf work out, hiking vertically in the very fine sinking sand.







Continuing our journey south along the PanAmericana highway, we made a short pit stop to see the Nazca Lines! A series geoglyphs figures that were created by Nazca culture in 400-650 CE. They are better viewed by plane, but for budget travelers like us you can pay 2 soles to climb up stairs for a more limited, but still impressionable view.




At the end of this long, skinny highway trail, we found Arequipa. The ¨White City¨ so gets its name from the white volcanic ash adobe that all the center´s antique buildings are made from. 1 million people roam the cities neighborhoods, and outlying pueblos. We have added to the communter population that travels to the barren pueblo San Isidro, about an hour bus ride outside the city. Here we spend a couple days a week with kids at Intiwawa school. Unfortunately, we are not able to continue our newly aquired classroom skills here, as all the kids are on summer vacation. Instead we get to be like camp counselors at a disorganized summer day camp, playing games, making bracelets and painting loose leaf papers. Lacking a busy schedule, we have also encoutered San Juan de Dios Hospital, only a 10 minute bus ride from where we live. Similar to Intiwawa school, there we are spend our mornings with a handful of kids, most in wheelchairs or hospital bed ridden. There, we entertain, we play games, we make valentines, we read books, we cut their chicken and sometimes feed it to them.
Between these two projects, we give a loving energy, which is amply reciprocated by all our kids.
¡Peace, Love and Saludos from Arequipa! (and a kiss on the cheek)