25.

well. i feel like most people would find this the most inappropriate time to write a birthday blog. or any blog for that matter. but i have just said goodbye to my last guests and i felt the need to let the blogging world know how i really feel..

i am so incredibly blessed to have to most wonderful friends a girl could ever ask for. i don't know how i ever got so lucky. how am i so lucky?? for the first time in my entire life, friends dimmed the lights and surprised me with my very own homemade birthday cake topped with candles.. an entire household of friends sang to me, and i blew out the candles completely overwhelmed with feelings of happiness and indescribable wonder.

25 years. quite the marker. i don't know what it means exactly. this past week i spent some time reflecting on what it might mean, and what it might feel like.. and i've made several realizations about growth and maturity.. and i know that one day doesn't necessarily mark an entire change in a person, because really, it is one day past the last day of my 24th year.. but at the same time, i feel like it marks a drastic change in my life.. because the person i've been conspiring to be for some time is coming through, and it's more prominent now than it has ever been.. and maybe the label of 25 is an excuse to really push it through.. one last "hurrah", if you will.

i know what i want. and i'm slowly learning what it takes to get it. and i love all of you for being here with me through the thick and thin.. it means the world. and i certainly wouldn't be the person i am today without every single individual bit and piece of every one of you.

xox.

no big.

i've been looking at life from a fresh new perspective as of late. connections are growing and multiplying and the vast world network continues to shrink. two degrees will soon be the new six..

my visit home was rejuvenating. i've landed a new job, and snagged the sweetest guitar instructor, all in the span of four days.. both of which will be starting for real soon; my talk will finally turn into a walk.

i started knitting a scarf the other day.. my cross-stitching ideas are progressing nicely in my imagination, another project i will gladly indulge in as the temperatures cool. and a thrifting excursion is locked in for thursday; i am hoping to finally get my room furnished and in order.

oh, and when i got home from work today i had a sea salt foot soak with my best girl d.. after she baked our household a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies.

no big..

12-07.

i was going through some old posts of mine, and i came across this draft that i never got around to posting.. it seems as relevant now as it must have when i wrote it, in december of 2007.

_____________________________

something that has really been on my mind lately is the reality of wanting. how everyone just wants to be wanted. we're a needy bunch. it's all over the media.. television, books, magazines.. relationships, dating, marriage, divorce.. it's everything. we are socialized to want to fit in with the crowd, to be accepted. and a disgusting amount of energy and time is spent attempting to accomplish this; and unfortunately, the majority of the time it's temporary and we are once again left unsatisfied.. left with a bigger void, as the disappointments continue to mount up, and we just keep digging..

we are all missing the point. big time.

i used to see this in myself every day. in conversations with friends or colleagues, i would find myself holding my tongue even though i sometimes disagreed with what they said. or while interacting with acquaintances or strangers alike, i would become preoccupied with the idea of my reputation, and use that as a guide for my actions. whether or not they had preconceptions of me was irrelevant. i purposely never really gave an accurate indication of who i actually was.

and these false impressions were only ever self-restricting. because if the people i was hanging out with liked that person, it wasn't me they liked. and why would anyone ever want to surround themselves with people that wouldn't like them for their true selves.


so here's to getting over it and just being yourself. that alone will make me like you [for you].

window watching.

i've been sitting in front of the window. it's cloudy outside, and i've been watching the trains come and go from the station; imagining all the people travelling in and out, interacting and acting out their lives. it's really quite interesting to have a God's eye view of all the little humans and how they affect and effect each other.

things have been continuing to progress here in van.. meeting lots of people, working.. the house is slowly starting to feel like a home.. not mine exactly yet.. but it's somebody's, and i'm in it.

things are changing. too fast for my liking or sanity. i feel momentarily stabilized and like i'm finding my footing in this city, and then just as quickly the rug is pulled out from under me and i'm free falling in self-doubt and uncertainty. i'm not exactly sure what my next move is going to be but there are several decisions very pertinent to my happiness that i'm going to have to deal with in the next few weeks. it's like a quarter-life crisis. good thing my best friend is showing up in the next few weeks.. and that mom promised she would call me soon.

lala land.

my first week as a registered vancouverite has been rad. the 18 hour drive was spent with andy shauf and the audio recording of 'great gatsby'.. we rolled into van just in time to catch the wonderful julia and her piano playing at a little african restaurant downtown. my zombie state was on the verge of breakdown when i coerced katie back to her home in the north..

saturday we had a much needed sleep in and spent the afternoon lounging on the patio with coffees and stories. that evening was julia's going away party hosted by the fabulous molly.

sunday was spent hanging at the pop up cooperative with kate and the new west mta mgk crew. we were out to dinner that eve at the twisted fork with the lovely chef pete.

monday had me chauffeured around the city by the darling robb m. we got sushi, coffees, and gelati then hung out in crab park before my rio experience concluded the harry potter saga.

camping out at cultus lake on tuesday night with gordie and some select sasquatch 11 crew members after scoping the city out on foot with danelle and anna.. nesting and napping the day away on the beach before heading back into town wednesday eve.

thursday was the pop up shops final event; it included an intense four-square match and drink specials.

friday molly and i shared our first date marking a very important friendship.. we went to johnny's show then over to watch black wizard kill it.. then to gastown and over to riley's bachelor pad.

saturday morning we breakfasted at the red wagon and that evening brought us back to riley's apartment on the tenth floor with an epic view of the craziest fireworks i have ever seen in my entire life.

sunday was the official last day of the pop up coop. anna, kate and i ended up at the biltmore for the burlesque show ending off pride weekend.. lots of feathers and fun. a dance party to end all dance parties ensued and we sat in a park until the wee hours of morning. with the shadowy outlines of mountains on the horizon, we headed home.

long weekend yesterday, spent the afternoon on third beach soaking in some rays. tonight we're painting the new house. i cannot wait for it to be complete and therefore ours.. definitely ready to be done living out of a bag and in strangers beds (kidding). but real life needs to begin because i'm getting further and further into lala land..

life of mel.

okay blogging world. i'm back. for the rare handful of you that actually sometimes check this thing.. this is for you.

the life of mel: my summer has been jam packed. it's been fabulous. from the bahamas i flew back to a chilly, wet, prairie spring.. spent the weekend with my family in the queen city, then drove back to the farm for a couple days of psychological retreat.. then back to the airport and out to vancouver for a couple weeks of solid hangs, old friends, new friends.. sasquatch music festival in washington.. calgary for christine's birthday.. back to regina.. back to the farm.. back to calgary for sled island music festival.. and once again, my parent's utopia, the farm. in a few days i will meet up with the sibs and fly out to prince edward island where we will meet the rents and enjoy a week of relaxation. the first time in seemingly forever that we have got the entire family together and gone on vacation. i am quite excited for the maritimes experience.

from the east coast, i come home once again for a few short days, then it's back to the queen city to say my goodbyes to friends, fam, and the 3308. on the 22nd of july i am officially making the move west. i currently have no home, i am unemployed, and i don't have much going for me.. but i would be lying if i said i wasn't the happiest girl in the world.

woe is me.

on thursday i was picked up at the dock and we motored over to royal island.. about a year ago there were huge plans for an 'elite' development on the otherwise deserted island - very posh posh, with a golf course etc. the land was cleared.. building was under way.. and they ran out of funds. and that's it. millions of dollars lost in translation.. so david and i went and explored the bad investments. afterwards it was back to bette's dock for an afternoon of swimming and lazing with a book.

friday morning bette and i were off in the boat taxi to eleuthra where we caught our cramped, 10 passenger plane over to abaco.. flying over the islands, the swirls of blues and greens.. the clouds so fluffy they looked like frothed cottonballs suspended by invisible thread.. a wonderful relaxing weekend with diane and charlotte in sandy bay ensued.. there was some competitive "bananagrams" (scrabble lovers - if you don't know, now you know.) lots of wine and lots of laughs.. di and charlotte have an amazing assortment of whale bones.. a complete dolphin skeleton suspended from the ceiling.. and fabulous tales of expeditions and adventures.. they are quite the pair, and that is quite an understatement.

monday morning we were picked up by mike.. literally - he swooped in and we were flown back to eleuthra on his private plane.. it was so clear i could make out a few wrecks that looked like flattened toys, cardboard pieces dispersed among the reefs.. arriving, i hadn't even got out of the seat and our baggage was on a cart and half way into the airport.. then into the van and onto the boat taxi.. i didn't have to lift a finger! and have since decided that i will go nowhere without bette at my side. the lady knows how to travel.

the next day i got a call from david and off we went for another day of sailing.. the wind was much stronger than the first day and we really got speed.. stopping at a deserted island to swim and explore, then getting back on and out to open waters.. remembering once we were out that we had neglected to drain the floats while we were ashore.. and then noticing as the bow began slicing dangerously low in the water.. the wind still strong, we tacked several times trying to get into a sandy point when our saviour john appeared.. firstly telling us that the point we were attempting was not in fact sandy, it was quite rocky, and a friend of his had made the same mistake and almost holed his boat up on the rocks.. then guiding us to the harbor where we strategically banked and got the water out. the entire ordeal was more amusing than anything, i must assure you.. but only because the water we were in was relatively shallow..

yesterday david and i took the bohengy over to harbor island.. we met up with his friend rosie who gave us the use of her golf cart for the day to zip around the hilly island.. we found what was left of this old mansion that a man had built for his wife, who upon seeing the finished product, did not like.. and so it was abandoned. right then and there.. they didn't sell it, they didn't do anything with it.. it just sat. now the bare walls remain.. the paint faded by the sun.. the roof long gone.. stripped of it's dignity. [his wife was a brat.] we lunched on the patio of coral sands with a scenic view of the ocean and pink sand.. the sun was shining and it was a dark and stormy day.. (of course, i'm talking about the drink with rum and gingerbeer..) and so we intentionally missed our bohengy back to spanish wells and instead spent the afternoon hopping around to the different marinas and watering holes.. later taking the boat taxi to north eleuthra and hitching our way across the island and down to the dock where we somehow showed up exactly when a boat did.. turns out it was the last taxi of the night.. by perfect timing, and sheer luck, i slept in my bed instead of on the dock..

and today we are going out snorkelling.. it's a tad windy but i'm undetered. tomorrow is my last full day so i feel it my duty. i am taking full advantage of my opportunities moreso for my family and friends up in the snow than for myself.. it's a selfless sort of thing. i'm quite the martyr really..

island life.

after lunching with a lovely group of bette's friends at the snack shop, we recooped, walked the beach that afternoon, and then showered up for our second appointment down the island.. heading to john and candi's for wine and appys, we were joined by david beckman (not the soccer player) and proceeded to have a very pleasant evening on their deck filled with travel stories and great conversation.. john is a doctor and spent much of his life working for unicef.. he and candi lived in new dehli for 12 years, and they now reside in capetown for the majority of the year.. besides the 4 months they come here, and a month in india.. incredible life, incredible people. the wine flowed, the sun set, the snacks disappeared, and before we left i had a sailing lesson in the morning..

scheduled to meet down at the dock, we woke to no wind. so, instead john, david and i took the dingy out and spent the entire day exploring. pulling out of the harbor, we hadn't got far before we came across a group of dolphins splashing around.. i was ecstatic so john suggested i should get in and swim with them(!), so in a went.. with a snorkel mask and holding the tow line, they pulled me along behind the boat.. unbelievable. when i got back in the boat, we started off.. and looking behind me, there they all were.. following the boat, surfing our waves! they were jumping right out of the water and flipping around.. it was incredible.

once the dolphins dispersed we shot off into turquoise and emerald water.. the water was crystal clear, as always, you could see the bottom from the boat. stopping at several different spots for snorkelling.. (john knows all the secrets..) dove an old train wreck.. saw some huge spotted eagle rays.. big fish.. puffer fish.. starfish.. coral.. went to preacher's cave.. went all the way down to current cut where we got out of the boat and drifted down the current to the other side, then got back in and went out the way we came.. (it was really deep water.. found out afterwards that there are often sharks hanging out there, waiting to snatch up food coming through the channel.. eep!) on the way home we stopped at the 'octopuses garden' a shallow area john knew of.. so we snorkelled that and saw a few octopuses (octopi?), that tucked up into their holes when we came along.. pretty shy. got squirted by a sea slug.. saw a little reef shark.. held a sea turtle.. almost ran out of gas.. and got dropped off at bette's dock, v.i.p..

the next morning i got a phone call from david saying the wind was perfect for a beginner sail.. so off we went in john's bodie cat 16.. when out for a few hours, 'tacking' and such.. getting stranded when the wind disappeared, then jutting off again when the sails filled.. john caught up with us after in his laser, and we raced around the reefs and over to a beach on eleuthra where we took a break to swim.. dropped off at bette's just in time to wash up and help with last minute preparations before all the ladies showed up for cocktails and appy's on the deck..

yesterday john, david, and i stacked the dingy with bicycles and boated over to eleuthra in search of a 'blue hole'.. we biked a few kilometers down the island and then went off the road to find it.. and there it was.. about 50 feet across and 40 feet down to deep blue water.. ensuring that the rope hanging in was sturdy, in we went.. it was an intimidating jump.. swimming around with our snorkel gear we found nothing but bright red, blind shrimp and crabs scuttling along the cave walls.. apparently there are blind fish, but they hang out in the bottom far below..

back in spanish wells, i dined on david's 58-foot sail boat which is what he now calls home.. he is waiting for his grandmother who will arrive next week and they are off on a two month adventure south..

and today was chill. it's been an action packed few days that it has been nice to stay out of the sun and just relax. bette and i had a late stroll along the beach and i'm going to bed with a book.

lima/spanish wells.

after spending a few wonderful days in lima, my friends started dropping like flies.. first it was danelle, followed by mike, and then colleen and ricardo.. suddenly i was surrounded by people, but quite alone. (sob). i spent a day power walking through the streets, soaking in my last few days of s. american culture.. picking up last minute items.. eating mangoes for almost every meal..

back to the hostel that evening, i had to change rooms because the bed i stayed in the first night was reserved.. so i moved to a dorm room where there were two canadian guys staying.. turns out they were from swift current(!).. so completely random.. we started chatting, and then of course the question comes up 'where are you from'.. the questions got smaller.. so funny. so we had a few beers that night and i met another guy from calgary.. we had a little canadian party going on. but then shook it up by inviting a californian to join us.. because we're so friendly..

the next morning rachel (californian) and i spent the day walking beyond mira flores in search of a food market which apparently didn't exist.. so we went out for lunch and walked back along the boardwalk discussing literature and having a fabulous day in the sun. she was meeting up with her father that afternoon and they were travelling together for a couple weeks, so we separated ways and i was rolling solo once again. my last afternoon in south america. i started wondering why i would ever want to leave, but then remembered that my next ticket was to the bahamas! and well, lima's great but..

packing up my bag and getting ready for an early commute to the airport, it turned out that the swift boys were on the same flight to fort lauderdale, so i cancelled my cab and we all made the trek together. we quickly said goodbye upon landing when i realised that i had 20 minutes to get my bag and get through security before boarding call.. talking my way to the front of the first line.. running between passport stamps and questionnaires.. stripping down while waiting in line, tossing my things in the grey bucket, and getting x-rayed, i grabbed my shoes and things and ran barefoot through the terminals.. the only reason i made my connection was because when i arrived, there was no plane. i have never been so thankful for a delay!

an hour and a half later i was in the bahamas. taxied to cousin don's in nassau.. and after talking his ear off, i put my exhausted body to bed. the next morning i caught the bohengy to spanish wells, and was met at the dock by bette and lynda. remnants of the weekends festivities lingered.. everyone looked like they had a great time (-exhausted).. it seems i missed the party of the half-century! four days of posh fun, hopping between beach houses and islands.. everything planned down to the most minute detail! this crew has a stamina that i'm not sure i could keep up with, so perhaps i showed up at the appropriate time after all.. i got a kick out of the invitations, with the first night having 'island chic' dress, then 'island glam'.. 'island casual'.. 'baithing suit'.. and on the last day, 'whatever is still clean'.. my backpack apparel would not have sufficed!

things have quieted down around here as the last of the partiers have dispersed.. lynda was going to go, and then figured she should probably stay another night.. (beyond her control, delayed flight.. although i'd like to think it had everything to do with bette and i's impeccable company..) spanish wells is back in the regular swing of things. bette and sophia and i have been walking the beach every afternoon, and i've had a few swims off the dock.. our social agenda is getting penciled up for the weekend to come, and next weekend we are jetting off to abaco..

the amazon.

landing in iquitos we were met at the airport and shuttled over to the tour company's office where we met with the rest of the group.. brought down to the water, we boarded the long, narrow boat, and started past floating villages, soon getting out into the middle of the river which looked more like a lake with the land growing more distant each second..

within minutes of being out in the open water, we saw the dorsel fins of two dolphins.. one grey and one pink.. they surfaced a few times and then were seen no more.. arriving an hour later at our camp, we walked down a long, covered boardwalk before our lodgings came into view.. a gazebo filled with hammocks quickly caught our eye, and it was there we spent the majority of our down time. lunching on rice, beans, a spicy stirfry of spinach and mushrooms, yuca root, and mango.. (every meal we ate there was absolutely incredible.. they always had a meat option, but they would bring danelle and i a vegetarian plate they prepared especially for us..) we were stuffed to the brim, and made use of said hammocks before boating over to 'monkey island'..

we were greeted by the friendly staff and almost immediately weighed down by curious monkeys of all different sizes and species.. we were their play-things.. there was no agenda, we were simply allowed to wander the area and interact with the animals at our own want and will.. my absolute favorite thing ever was holding the sloth! oh my gosh. if you have never held a sloth you have never lived. straw-haired et's with bowl cuts. so fabulous. other things i got to hold and hang with: a boa constrictor, an anaconda, a baby alligator, a tucan, and some koatis..

after monkey island we went to a swimming spot and anyone interested could go for a dip. then it was back to the lodge.. another fabulous meal.. and a night walk through the jungle where we saw several interesting creatures.. turantulas.. scorpion spiders larger than my outstretched hand.. antennaed beetles.. a toad the size of a chihuahua.. a millipede.. poisonous ants.. now, at first i thought we were seeing a single poisonous ant climbing a tree. we stopped to have a look, shining the flashlight on it.. our guide got him to climb on his walking stick so we could get a better look.. but after studying it for a moment, the flashlight was shone on the ground, and we discovered that we were actually standing right beside the large anthill. brilliant. we quickly continued, (although not all cases are fatal.. uh..) oh, and one turantula that i was somehow coerced into picking up quickly scurried all the way up my arm and nestled itself behind my ear.. i felt it there for hours after it was gone..

the next morning we walked over to a nearby tribe. we were welcomed by their adorable children and participated in ceremonial dancing with the men and women. the chief spoke a few words to us and confessed to having three wives, admitting that some have as many as five. everyone was adorned in face paint.. they painted our faces as well, with a red dye extracted from a fruit that grows in the forest. everyone was adorned in traditional clothing, (except the children who neglected clothing entirely).. the men wearing grass skirts and head pieces, the women wearing red skirts and a straw necklace which covers their chest and back.

we boated back to the lodge for lunch, afterwards walking the other direction to a nearby village about the size of foxwarren. i could totally relate. (just kidding). before dinner that evening, but after the sun had set, we piled into a canoe (that i wasn't entirely sure could hold our weight) and paddled off into the dark to see what we could see.. which was nothing beyond a single flashlight beam that ricardo (our guide) would sometimes switch on when he amazingly discovered something worthy of sharing in the darkness.. unfortunately no crocs. i was so disappointed. the stars and fireflies speckled around us and an hour later we were back at camp and enjoying another candlelit gourmet delight.

the next morning we woke to rain and therefore had to boycott our plans to get back out on the canoe and go bird watching.. which also meant we could sleep another hour before breakfast.. then we went out fishing for pirahna.. but all we caught were baby catfish.. (bunk). wrong time of year unfortunately, the water was too high.. went for a swim.. was in the water about 5 feet from the ladder when someone shouted from the boat something along the lines, "what the -- was that?!" i almost sprinted on water. from the boat a moment later, i discovered that it was another rose dolphin. pretty.. but after that i was done swimming. put a turantula behind my ear, no biggie.. but.. a girl has limits.

before we knew it it was time to pack up, lunch, and hit the dusty trail. it was still raining on the boat ride back to town, and the river was surprisingly choppy.. i was amazed at it's monstrosity. what a marvelous experience. i had three tasks set out for myself before heading down here.. i absolutely had to see iguazu falls, machu picchu, and the amazon.. if i accomplished nothing else in my time on the road, i would leave satisfied. fortunately, all three tasks are now complete.. my trip is not yet over.. and i have accomplished so much more that i could not have imagined before embarking over two months ago..

"the physical domain of the country had its counterpart in me. the trails i made led outward into the hills and swamps, but they led inward also. and from the study of things underfoot, and from reading and thinking, came a kind of exploration, myself and the land. in time the two became one in my mind." - john haines: the stars, the snow, the fire: twenty-five years in the northern wilderness.

mancora.

after leaving our wonderful little second home in chiclayo, we hopped a bus to mancora. arriving at 3 o'clock in the morning and walking 'the' street (there is only one), we found the loki hostel that was recommended to us and got beds for the night. waking to glorious sunshine and free coffee, we were ready to hit the water..

loki is right on the oceanfront, and within 50 steps you're in prime beach zone.. huge waves.. smooth sand.. birds overhead.. perfection. spent the entire day playing in the crashing waves and lounging around before going out for dinner and calling it a night. our second day, we were looking for something chill to do, so we thought of checking out these mud baths just outside of town.. except they only do evening tours. so we decided to walk down the beach where we found a secluded area to hang out just the three of us. during low tide, there were these rocks which created natural shallow pools.. lots of fun. watched birds dive bomb for fish from our little patch of shade.. the day was too short. that night we splurged and went out for a wonderful three course gourmet meal. went back to the hostel for a drink and some good conversation and called it a night.

our last day in mancora we woke once again to perfect weather and went down to the beach for a few hours. showered up and got some eats before gearing up for our last official 18 hour bus.. which unfortunately ended up being almost 3 hours late.. but regardless, here we are in lima. meeting once again with colleen and ricardo, we are spending the night with ricardo's brother and heading to the airport at 4:30 in the morning to catch our flight to iquitos for 3 days in the amazon.

grand.

the last few days i have been reflecting a lot on my family. particularily the eldest generation.. my grandparents. and more specifically, how amazing they are and how much i love them.

entirely inspirational, knowledgable.. full of sharp wit and good humor. i look at them and only hope to accomplish and attain a fraction of what they hold so humbly. youthful despite their years.

to you: nana kissick, grandma selby, grandpa hamilton!

chiclayo.

from cusco we bused to arequipa where we spent 2 days getting lost in market streets and enjoying the sunny weather.. from there we continued north and spent an afternoon in nazca, checking out the mysterious 'nazca lines' spanning the desert area between nazca and palpa. there are more than 2000 lines.. more than 76 figures.. 18 spirals.. and just under 500 squares.. they range in complexity and size, the largest figures being over 200 meters across.

they were speculated to have been made in 3 different time frames, categorizing the 3 distinct groups of pictures. the oldest drawings being some time between 800 and 500 bce, then 500 bce to 300 ce, then 300 to 600 ce.. the most primitive of lines and geometric shapes extending to mama cocha (mother sea).. others of figures with dreaded hair.. animals.. plants.. lots of speculation, no solid answers for their existance. i am personally vouching for aliens.

that evening we continued north to paracas where we spent 2 nights. hoping to spend that time on blissful beaches, we were entirely unimpressed with the cleaniness of the sand and water and were quite happy to continue north. passing through lima we arrived in trujillo, where we caught a taxi to huanchaco and spent two nights and two days in a wonderfully chill surf town on a beautiful north peruvian coast. it was tranquility in it's entirity.

sad to leave huanchaco, but glad to meet up with colleen, we continued north to chiclayo which we have called home for the past 3 days. feeling so welcome in ricardo and colleen's place, we have checked out markets and cooked wonderful meals together.. spent a cloudy day on the beach.. went out to a disco for some saturday night dancing.. did a day trip out to chepen to lunch with ricardo's parents in a traditional peruvian restaurant.. spent the afternoon on the boardwalk in pacasmayo where the beach was completely non-existent and the waves were almost crashing over the boardwalk (i blame it on the supermoon).. and today we are meeting with a highly recommended fortune teller..

chiclayo - well done.

part II: machu picchu.

waking at 3am to pouring rain, we quickly dressed and headed to the bus station. still pitch black, there were already a few people waiting in line. we were in the first handful, ensuring ourselves a seat on the first bus out.. which didn't leave for another 2 hours. so there we sat. through the darkness you could make out figures in rain gear, passing the station on foot; adamant on trekking up the steep mountainside in the downpour.

the first bus left at 5:30.. the 25 minute ride bringing you up the windy roads and arriving 5 minutes before the gates open. putting on our ponchos, we blended into the sea of multi-colored plastic all anticipating what lay ahead.. our tour was scheduled to meet at 7:45 so we had almost 2 hours to wander the ruins unaccompanied, with a handful of other go-getters.

these first few hours were very special. the light drizzle of rain.. fog rolling in thick and then diminishing as quickly as it had formed.. the ominous mountains standing guard on all sides.. the rushing river far below. you could really sense the power of the place. several times i looked around and could see nobody.. i was discovering it solo. which i really believe is how the experience is - it's a very personal one. words cannot describe the feelings.

meeting up with our tour group, we were told a brief history and our guide explained the purposes of the different buildings and temples.. he was very informative and it was entirely in english so it was enjoyable. (the day before we had to hear everything in spanish, and were later filled in with english.. i think missing quite a bit of dialogue..)

machu picchu was built in 1438. it was discovered in 1911 by an american in search of the lost city of el dorado.. he was hunting for gold and silver. asking everybody he came across if they knew where he could find the city, he was continually rejected.. until he came across a little boy playing with delicate ceramics.. he asked the boy where he had found them, and the boy told him about the mountain. he naively led the american there for 1 sole (30 cents), and machu picchu was on the map. this american took several relics from the city and brought them back to yale university to be studied, promising to return them.. 100 years later, these relics are still in america, and the peruvians are still hoping for the day they will be returned.

after our guided tour was over we did the waynapicchu hike with an english and scottish couple we befriended. keeping a steady pace, we reached the top after an hour.. some spots being fairly gruelling, especially after the rain which made it a bit slippery. the fog cleared, we were allowed a breathtaking view of the entire city on the mountain below. staying at the top exploring for some time, we did the trek down again.. and upon reaching machu picchu, continued on foot back down to aguas calientes.

our knees and minds blown.. we relaxed at the mineral pools for an hour before heading back to the train station, then back on a bus.. and finally reaching cusco after an exhausting and exhilarating two days.

part I: sacred valley.

our first day began at the foothills of green crops and flowerbeds, next to a little covered market and a pen of alpacas.. getting into the bus and rolling left and right over mountain passes surrounding the sacred valley, with views of sheer rocks and forested peaks.. we stopped roadside to take the generic touristic photo of the valley; the river snaking through the background.. it was beautiful.

next stop was at a festival site.. which wasn't so originally, of course.. but what was cool was the fact that there was actually a festival happening there that very day.. massive speakers and crowds of people began gathering along the hundreds of terraces (they look like huge staircases) jutting up the mountainside.. these terraces served three purposes for the inca's: the large sections were used for crops, the medium-sized ones were for stability and support to prevent mountain slides, and the small one were for decoration. they had intricately constructed irrigation plans to ensure all the crops got a sufficient amount of water.. and through the terraces, they were able to determine which crops were able to survive the different altitudes and efficiently farmed the mountainous areas. old ruins further up were old storage houses for the crops. the walls and windows were placed in such a way that they naturally cooled the rooms, the air circulation preventing the food from spoiling. their systems were brilliant. we're talking about the time before the freaking wheel, here. and they're off building these phenomenal buildings on mountain tops with materials taken from other mountain tops.. it is beyond my comprehension.

next we stopped for lunch.. everyone getting off the bus to partake in a huge buffet banquet.. except for danelle and i, the reject hobos in the corner slab of cement with our shoes off.. lying on our packs eating peanuts and bananas..

we continued on to another town (i remember none of the names..) where we climbed staircase after staircase, passing terrace after terrace.. reaching the entrance to the temple of the sun, as well as what was speculated to be the temple of the moon, but which was left incomplete. they determined the role of these temples by the positioning of the doorways, which perfectly correspond to the position of the sun during the summer and winter solstices.. two very important religious festivals which mark the two seasons the inca's knew.. dry and rainy season.

the massive polished boulders that so perfectly fit together like pieces of puzzles weighed up to 8 tonnes in some cases.. they speculate that it took about 200 men and an intricate pulley system to bring one such rock up the mountain. does that work ethic even exist today? i'm not sure it does. we make tall cement buildings and destroy the planet with filth and pollution.. they worshipped the earth in a pure and natural way.. they did it without powerful machines or electricity.

heading back to the last town, we spent a few hours in the sunshine and then took the train to 'aguas calientes'.. arriving to our hostel around 11pm and settling in for a few hours of sleep.

peru.

our final morning and afternoon in sucre were more than enjoyable. we booked on for the 'dino truck tour' to see dinosaur footprints outside of town.. showing up at the appointed time to discover that we were the only people who signed up.. and that the truck was a little past it's prime.. there was a dinosaur head mounted on the front with twine.. and that we were part of a large conspiracy against naive tourists who sign up for these sorts of things when the hype of carnaval has the entire city storming the streets with water balloons and spray foam..

we passed a toddler wearing a spider man suit, pumping a water gun larger than himself.. we were pelted left, right, and center.. from the streets and from rooftops.. the only grace period we were given was when a balloon landed without exploding and we quickly scooped it up to retaliate..

the dinosaur tracks were across a canyon of excavated rock, zig-zagging up and down a cliff wall. the basic hypothesis is this: the area used to be a lake. dinosaurs roamed, left prints, and it eventually dried up.. over time, tectonic plates gradually built the flat plain up into a mountain and the prints were covered. in 1948, sucre was rocked with a terrible earthquake that destroyed most of the city. they built a cement factory on the outskirts, and proceeded to mine said mountain to produced cement to repair the city. during this process, the patterns were discovered and experts were brought in to do a proper excavation.. they were confirmed, and now there is a dinosaur park next door to the cement factory.

that evening we headed to la paz once again. the overnight bus had only two cama seats (sleepers) available, so danelle offered to take the last semi-cama to save a couple bucks. little did we know it was more of a semi-seat wedged in the back corner.. poor girl.. funny story. got to la paz the next morning and spent the entire day walking around.. dodging spray foam.. buying trinkets at the witch market.. attempting a tour offer at the san pedro prison (didn't happen - not sure if i'm disappointed or relieved..) with our money spent, and our opinion of la paz raised ten bars (the first time the three of us all experienced it in almost full health).. we left the next morning en route to cusco.

i will skip all the wonderful details, and say only that the bus ride to cusco was one that i will never ever forget. starting with a two hour delay, we should have seen the omen.. mike had to bribe his way over the border because he misplaced his bolivian entrance form.. and the bus broke down in puno. stranded for a few hours, they somehow 'found' another bus (i have no idea how that happens).. and off we went again. at which point my stomach decided to murder me, as if knowing that this found bus had no toilet. and so it goes for 9 hours..

the next morning in cusco we sent for a doctor and i am now on some antibiotics for a parasite and/or bacteria picked up in bolivia.. my stomach of steel has turned on me, sob.. however, i am feeling heaps better now. we've walked the mountainous cobble streets.. checked out markets.. mike has eaten llama and guinea pig.. cusco at a glance reminds me a lot of a switzerland or austria of sorts. tall church towers.. large covered balconies off second stories.. it's very beautiful. tomorrow morning we are taking a tour of the sacred valley.. spending the night at aguas calientes.. and climbing and exploring machu picchu the next morning. i am so excited.

part II: the world's highest city.

spending the night in uyuni, and tending to some much needed laundry, (there was salt everywhere..) we left the next day to potosi - the world's highest city. i had come down with a bit of a head cold, and after experiencing the chicken bus to uyuni, i may have preferred it to the cramped and cold 6 hour bus to potosi..

arriving at 3 o'clock in the morning, we taxied to the nearest hostal and after a hot shower, felt that the blood was moving enough to get into bed and not freeze.. twenty minutes later, my worst fears became reality.. danelle woke me to say that she was having trouble breathing. the altitude was intense, but it was something we had already experienced, and so mike and i spent the early hours of the morning trying to calm her and focus on deep breathing techniques. i tried the office downstairs, but there was no answer at 4am.. and so we were helpless until a reasonable hour in the morning, finding no hospital address or number in our lonely planet.

the next morning danelle was extremely weak and still having a hard time catching her breath. mike found a hospital just 2 blocks away, and moving slowly, we got danelle there and hooked up to some oxygen. after a shot in the ass, she was released. we figured our only option now was to go down. we got in the first shared taxi to sucre, and arriving 3 hours later, got to a hotel, and got her to bed. quite the way to spend our time at the top of the world.. at this point, with my head cold and an upset stomach, we were quite the pair.. poor mike.

both feeling much more energetic today, we are booked in for one more night. sucre looks like a beautiful little colonial city, and i hope to get to experience some of it in the morning!

part I: uyuni.

the bus to uyuni from la paz was hilariously tormenting. we were sitting in the back of a chicken bus for 13 hours.. the lights didn't work and my ipod busted last week so there was no means of distraction.. however, the real cause for complaint was the fact that looking out the window and straining my eyes, i couldn't tell if we were actually driving on a road or not. we were getting tossed left and right, and the incessant jostling was making me a bit delusional. had it any shocks whatsoever, we certainly couldn't feel them in the back.. the agonizing bumps were absurd, in a humorous way.. until i somehow managed to fall asleep.. then woke mid-air, and slammed my forehead into the side of the seat. a goose egg reminding me it was no so humorous after all. and it turns out we were, in fact, joyriding through the roadless countryside - through rivers and lakes and whatever came our way.. not surprised.

we had met two swedish guys before boarding the bus, and arriving in uyuni the next morning at 8 we decided to a 2 day tour of the salt flats together, leaving at 10:30. we ate breakfast and packed an overnight bag, and away we went in a 4x4.. it was a little bit cloudy that day, but there was still a substantial amount of blue sky overhead.

stopping first at the train cemetery, we were allowed to climb and explore a mass of rusted old steam engines before continuing on to the salt flats. being rainy season, the flats were actually flooded with about 4 inches of water, more in some places.. the reflection of the sky and clouds on the mirror-like water below gave the illusion that you were floating.. one couldn't tell where the ground ended and the sky began. driving through the water felt like we were driving through the sky.. very futuristic. it was surreal. the misperceptions of distance and size made for some cool photos..

back in the jeep, we headed to our lodgings for the evening.. a 'salt hotel'.. made entirely of salt.. beds and all. not exactly comfort.. (and as we would later find out, not exactly waterproof..) we arrived and lunched, and were left to our own means until lunch the next day, when our guide would again be back with food, and off we would go for another few hours of exploration before heading back to uyuni. much to our amusement, our rooms were 'in the back'.. like, past the kitchen and the toilets.. separate from the rest of the hotel entirely.. and not exactly up to the standards of every other room we passed.. the swedes room had a beach umbrella in the corner, and the boys had a beach party of sorts that afternoon.

the sunset that evening was indescribable. clouds were creeping in from the east, but the oranges and yellows splashing over the reflecting water and mixed with the greys was magical. we watched as the sun slowly set into a double horizon, and the night sky morphed into a double lightning storm. i can't imagine what sunset would have looked like on a clear night, but i feel extra special for getting to experience the storm.

dining on chicken feet soup (danelle and i getting plain spaghetti and the s-a-l-t-i-e-s-t eggs i've ever eaten in my life; perhaps they were also made of salt).. we spent the evening playing cards and drinking wine with the swedes and our new companions. retiring to our rooms, i found that there was a leak in the roof above my bed, and so i snuggled in with danelle. mike's bed also had a leak above, but he was not concerned. axel, one of the swedes, came into our room and opted for my bed.. and waking in the morning, i found out why: if you looked in the doorway of their room, you might not have thought it had a roof at all. it was raining. inside. we realised then why there was an umbrella nestled in the corner..

the next morning we attempted to wake for sunrise, but the sky was too cloudy and there was still a bit of rain coming down. we had breakfast, played some more cards, walked around the area, and after lunch headed back to uyuni under a clear blue sky, stopping once more for more photos.

bowling for heads.

the bolivian women have such strong impressive faces, with eyes so deep it seems they've seen everything at least once and have since resigned to silence..

wearing layers upon layers of rustling ruffled skirts and shawls.. more often than not adding an infant accessory or sack of vegetables on their backs, tied with a square hand-stitched blanket.

but most interesting of all are the bowler hats - perched deliberately on the very top of their heads, sometimes tipped off to one side.

handsomely intimidating; mysteriously intruiging.

island of the sun.

after leaving the comfort of dao and marco's fantastic hospitality in santiago, we boarded a plane for la paz, bolivia.. landing and taking a taxi through the crazy, congested, and populated mountain streets, we found a hostal and did our best to settle in. danelle got a chest infection our last few days in santiago, so pair that with an altitude of 3600m, and cold weather; we moved pretty slow for a few days..

we spent two days walking around the city.. lots of wool knits and knick-knacks galore in the expanse of markets that seemed to continue as far as the eye could see. danelle and i found a coca museum which was extremely interesting. it walked you through the entire history of the coca plant - as the basis of their culture, and their most important religion.. the discovery of cocaine and it's initial use as an anesthetic in medicine, continuing on to it's exploitation.. it gave a step-by-step process of how you make it.. (just kidding) one fact really surprised me: coca-cola is one of only three companies world-wide that still legally buys coca leaves. they use it as flavoring in their products.. need an extra boost? drink coke. literally.

after la paz, we took a bus to copacabana. after a few hours of driving, we were ushered off the bus. having no idea what was meant by it, we stood around looking entirely lost and confused until someone finally pointed us over to a dock.. we got on a boat, and watched as our bus boarded a ferry, and we crossed the river together meeting on the other side. another hour drive and we arrived in copacabana. a small city wedged between two mountains, right on lake titicaca. sitting at 3800m, we are thankfully all over our boughts of altitude sickness, as minimal as they were for some of us.

meeting camil on the bus, we made friends and found an adorable hostel together. the next morning we woke and hiked the mountain to the west of town. chewing coca leaves for the first time, we breathed a little easier and reached the summit moments before it started to spit.. and then quickly realising the spit was actually small pellets of ice, we hiked down the mountain in a hail storm.. soaked but in high spirits, we got back into town.. dried off and warmed up with some hot tea.. the clouds left and the afternoon was sunny and warm.. we lay on hammocks with our books and relaxed.. sheep grazing around us, mowing the lawn.. at about six o'clock we hiked up the eastern peak to check out the sunset. unfortunately it was cloudy so there wasn't more than a small sliver of fluorescent orange poking through the grey.. but the view of the lake and surrounding islands were amazing. hard to comprehend a lake of that size. it was danelle's birthday, so we freshened up and went out to dinner. free-pour pisco sours and mojitos.. we left full and in high spirits.

the next morning we said goodbye to camil and went down to the docks at 8:30 to catch a boat to the 'isle del sol'. our boat kept puttering out and having to be restarted throughout the journey.. quite the experience. a canoe may have been a faster option.. but we finally made it, getting off on the north side of the island and hiking 10km down to the south tip to catch another boat back that afternoon. it was an amazing trek.. crossing peaks at over 4000m, the views were spectacular and the weather was perfect. not too hot, not too cold.

today we woke to a misty rain.. perfect excuse to stretch out, relax, and read books. we were hoping to get down to uyuni tomorrow, but with strikes and flooding, we aren't quite sure what will happen yet. only time will tell..

santiago, chile.

mendoza was very fun and relaxing.. we wandered the streets full of cafes and restaurants.. fell asleep to rain drumming on the rooftop.. walked the markets.. and booked a bicycle wine tour.

taking the local bus to the bike rental shop - [which was supposed to take about 20 minutes], and ended up taking almost an hour.. we were unsure of where we were going to end up exactly, [the thought of missing out on wine must have given us an acute sense of direction..] we ended up finding it after getting off a stop too late, and were rushing to get to our first appointment..

the first tour was of a very small bodega.. they produced about 40,000 bottles of wine a year.. we sampled two wines, both quite sweet.. they were the primary producers of church wine in argentina with a long history of passing the business down the family to the next generation. because we started the first tour a little tardy, we were again rushing to our next appointment.. with liquid motivation we pushed on, despite the sweltering heat.. mike's front tire wobbling and on the verge of collapse.. danelle's front tire disintigrating upon arrival.. and mine stuck in between gears and squeaking to no avail.. we somehow managed to be on time, the 5km ride seemingly infinite.

the second bodega was much larger.. they produced something like 260,000 bottles a year.. we lunched on fresh bread, fruit, and cheese.. sampled some fabulous reds.. enjoying this tour far more than the last.. possibly because the rest was much more appreciated.. we called the tour company and they arrived a short time later to 'fix' our miserable bicycles.. not sure whether we would make the third tour in time, we pushed through those 5km in half the time it took us to get there.. we made it with time to spare.. and looking every bit as though we had just hammered through 5km on half-par bikes..

the third tour, the norton bodega, took the cake. we had a private guide, being the only english-speakers in the group.. she was great.. funny, relaxed.. we asked a lot of questions.. she, sampling the wines along with us, talked about the qualities of the wines they produced and the differences between the stainless steel compartments and the oak barrels.. the taste quality was surprisingly substantial.. [of course it comes with a price..] they produced something like a million bottles of year.. crazy standing next to compartments holding thousands of liters of wine at a time..

heading home with 17km under our belts and a couple bottles in our backpacks, we washed up and slept well.. the next day leaving mendoza to santiago. our 6 hour bus turned into 10.. protestors blocking the road a short distance before the chilean border for about half an hour, and the border crossing taking almost 2 hours.. dao, our couchsurfing host, was waiting for our phone call upon arrival.. we taxied over and after some visiting, happily went to bed..

dao is a full-time musician and a full-time couchsurfing host. he has been so fabulous.. our first day in the captial, we did lots of walking.. going to cultural museums.. local food markets.. hiking cerro san cristobal.. we went out dancing that night with some of his friends.. vip hookups.. lots of fun. on saturday we went out to valparaiso and spent the night with some of his friends out there.. more dancing.. lots of walking around the beautiful port city.. the next morning, more sightseeing.. watching his friends band play.. and hanging on the beach all afternoon before busing back to santiago.

chile has the best cuisine thus far.. [argentina being the beef capital, it's not exactly vegetarian paradise..] we have been cooking together, dao sharing his recipes with us.. it's fabulous. today danelle, mike and i had our first day of spanish school.. it's a one week course and i am very excited about it.. i've had verbs and conjugations swirling through my head all day.. which means, time to sign off and get to bed.. class in the mañana!

water bottle fights.

after a 22 hour bus right through the topsy-curvy passes from iguazu, we arrived in cordoba, argentina's second largest city. we were very grateful to have a few hours to walk around and stretch out.. walked a few markets, charged our ipods, and got back on the bus for another gruelling 12 hours. although almost half the length of the first one, it seemed much longer as we were sitting right in front of the wheels.. the potent smell of motor oil settling into our skin.. baggage thumping behind us at every brake and turn.. blasting air conditioning, no blankets.. no lights to read.. it is so so good to be in mendoza.

we found a quiet, simple hostel, and took a walk through the town. going nowhere in particular, we were walking down the sidewalk when mike got bumped on the head with a water bottle by a passing stranger.. turning around he was quite taken aback, and not sure how we was going to tell this girl in spanish that she had mistaken him for someone else and did not deserve to be beaten with her drinking container.. after a moment, recognition set in.. it was natalia, a girl he had gone to school with in regina. hugs and introductions took place.. and we had plans to meet up at the market that evening.

natalia is here visiting family in chile, and came to mendoza after iguazu and cordoba (both places we would have been visiting at the same time..) she is travelling with another girl from bermuda whom she met in chile. we had a really nice evening walking the park and market stalls, and going for a few drinks.. chatting about mutual friends (turns out we know quite a few of the same people..) and the funny encounters that life inevitably brings.

we had high hopes of getting accepted for private lessons from a girl that comes highly regarded here in mendoza, but unfortunately she is unavailable right now.. so today we are on the hunt for a spanish school. i got us some couches to surf in santiago for next week, so we are excited to see some of chile.. and danelle and i signed up for 'wwoofing' in northern chile.. we are going to spend a week or two working on an organic farm! room and board for free, 3 hours of work a day.. it will be an amazing way to save some money, live locally for a time, and learn some cool tricks of the trade. not sure exactly where we will go yet, but there are some avacado farms.. we'll shoot some emails out in the next day or two and weigh our options. mike has done the wwoofing thing before and figures he has the money to spend, so would rather go look for a beach town with a good book. i don't blame him. we will meet up again afterwards and head into bolivia..

life. exciting.

this morning i woke up and took my coffee up to the rooftop. reading anna karenina with the mountains on the horizon..

iguazu falls.

leaving the bliss of cabo, we headed to montevideo. a quiet city, still holding true to the mellow vibes of uruaguay.. with lots of stuff to see and do if you're looking for it. after 2 nights we hit the road once again. heading early to the bus station with the intention of booking tickets to santa fe for that evening, it turned out the bus was full.. our second option, parana? also full.. salto it is. our last option to get north. life seems to be making our decisions for us..



thinking we had the full day ahead of us because 'our' bus was supposed to leave at 6pm, we had arrived at the station by half past 9, and the bus to salto left at 10. so, on the bus we went. getting into salto 7 hours later, we now had to determine how to cross the border back into argentina to continue north. we went up to the ticket booth and asked a woman, who told us we could taxi across. it would be an hour drive and we would arrive just in time to catch a bus from concordia up to iguazu. alright. so we follow this man to the 'taxi'.. which turns out to be his beaten little blue car in the parcade.. and away we go. crossed the border, gaining an hour in argentina and arriving minutes before our bus was supposed to leave. we jumped out of the car and headed to buy tickets. the woman assured us the bus hadn't left yet and would actually be coming a little late, we so were set at ease. bought some snacks and prepped our bodies for the 12 hour bus.



anxiously checking every bus that came into the terminal, we started to wonder whether it had come after all and we had missed it.. we ended up waiting 3 hours in the bus station (finding out later that it was due to a bus strike in buenos aires).. thank goodness for bus strikes, because had the bus actually been on time we would have been screwed. so we boarded our bus and found out much to our surprise that we had purchased first class tickets with lounging chairs and a hot meal.. that made sense after thinking back to our ticket price.. but they were the only seats available, and we certainly weren't complaining. 14 hours later we arrived in puerto iguazu.



yesterday we took the local bus out to the national park to see the falls.. my vocabulary is far too limited to even explain the experience and do it any justice.. they were amazing. it looked just like jurassic park, minus our prehistoric dino friends.. lush misty jungle.. huge green cliffs.. and 275 waterfalls strewn over 2.7 kilometers.. we saw impressive birds.. stealthy coatis.. thieving monkeys.. mutant butterflies.. an armored armadillo.. large web-dwelling spiders.. rode into the park on a little train.. hiked along platforms and off into the jungle on trails.. attempting all the while to capture a portion of the experience through my digital camera lens since my words fall short.

we decided to take a 'nautical adventure' boat tour.. getting a closer view of the falls and a better angle to snap a few photos. for $30 we left the shore and went out about 5 meters, floated for a minute or two.. and then proceeded to drive directly into the waterfalls, soaking ourselves entirely from head to toe. the water splashed down so heavily that none of us could even keep our eyes open, to the screaming delight of everyone else in the boat. someone's marketing idea of a sick joke.. in retrospect, it was hilarious.. but we were bound to spend the rest of the day hiking around in sopping jean shorts and hiking boots. best money i ever spent. sarcasm at it's finest.

last night danelle, mike and i went out for a few drinks on the town.. and today was spent lounging around the pool, catching some sun, reading books, and buying bus tickets for tomorrow. we leave at 12:45 to cordoba, arriving the next morning at 10am.. then leaving cordoba at 6:45, and arriving in mendoza at 7am on sunday. it's going to be a long couple days.. looking forward to some argentinian vino to make it allll better.

chillin in cabo.

punta del este.. four days of wonderment. long days with the sun up until 9:30.. walking around the seawall.. coffees.. our charming tourguide slash landlord, rodriguez.. suppers at midnight.. bottles of uruguay vino.. sandy beaches.. cliff jumping.. we did it up right, saying goodbye was hard to do..

we took the bus from punta del este up to cabo polonia after tons of recommendations from rodriguez and his friends.. it's a small village of about 70 people, a couple hours bus ride from punta del este. there are no roads, and therefore no vehicles, so we got dropped off on the side of the highway and then had to wait for these massive 4x4 trucks with welded seats to pack us in and drive the half hour through sand dunes and beach.. little ranchos spot the horizon until you reach the little town of cabo polonia.. there is very little electricity, one of the few generators is used to power this beautiful brick lighthouse at the edge of the rocks.. at night, it is the only beacon of light aside from flickering candles and the stars..

our first day there, danelle and i met several interesting characters.. all in a good way, i assure you. one man serenaded us on his porch with a guitar.. and then recommended his friends hostel for the night.. so off we went to met 'ajo' (a-ho), which means 'garlic'.. he had only two beds available, but said that if we wanted them, he'd only charge us for the two. so, we essentially slept four people, in a closet, with a triple bunk bed.. santiago, who was sleeping in the middle bunk, was a hilarious little guy from buenos aires.. the next day we decided to look around for a ranchos (small houses for rent), so santiago joined us and everyone became quick friends. we got an adorable little white house.. no electricity.. our own little well out back where we hauled our water.. a bucket with holes to shower outside.. a loft for sleeping.. perfection.

we spent a lot of time on the beach and walking around the peninsula.. saw lots of sea lions sunbathing on the rocks.. lots of bonfires at night with guitars and bongos and singing.. just the cutest little hippy town ever. on the bus ride in we made friends with javier, whom we called 'jay' (we kill pronunciation..) so we met up with his friends a few times.. it's a place you could go to and get stuck indefinitely.. (un)fortunately, we neglected to foreshadow the lack of atm's, and stayed for 3 days..

so here i write to you from montevideo.. we bused in last night after saying goodbye to our new friends, and are now researching different routes up to iguazu falls. uruguay has been phenomenal.. the vibes between the bustling city of buenos aires, and everywhere we've been here thus far, are incomparable..

punta del este.

on thursday we crossed the border into colonia del sacrmento, uruguay.. i have now offically visited 25 countries. our first afternoon there we headed straight for the beach after dropping our bags off at an adorable little hostel. we hadn't thought much about how long we were going to stay, but when attempting to book for a second night we were informed that there was a wedding at the hostel and no beds available.. so we wandered the streets and found another place around the corner that we moved to the next morning. that night we wandered around 'old town'.. gorgeous little heritage homes and candelit restaurants.. an old lighthouse and docks.. it reminded me a lot of luang prabang in laos, very beautiful, quiet, and inviting.

after switching hostels the next morning, we wanted to check out another part of the beach as the strip was about 5kms long. we attempted to rent a golf cart, because how much fun would it be cruising in a 6-seater golf cart? but nobody had a credit card on them and so we were denied. we ended up catching a taxi down to the end and spent a gorgeous day swimming and reading.. practising handstands and cartwheels with coach danelle.. loving life.

the fettes boys didn't reapply their sunscreen and were looking pretty toasty, so they decided to walk the beach and head back to the hostel. danelle, mike and i wandered around that part of town, saw the bull fighting stadium.. checked out a craft market.. then on the walk back, bought a quarter of a watermelon from a street vendor for 45 uruguay pesos, not quite $2.. ate our hearts out, and enjoyed the 5km walk.. reuniting with the brothers a few hours later, they looked like naked cooked lobsters with white shorts.. ouch.

attempting a spanish conversation with a girl in our dorm room, we found out that the next day colonia was celebrating carnaval. since we are so good at planning ahead and always know what's going on.. (there wasn't a single poster advertising for the party of the year!) we scrambled around town trying to find accomodation for one more night. no dice. [kind of like when stacy and i pointed to an unknown town on a map.. showing up in kiel, germany.. only to find out that it was the 'week of kiel'] so, we made the only plausible decision.. locked up our bags and pulled an all-nighter.

carnval was quite the experience.. the parade started at 9pm and continued until about 3:30 in the morning.. afterwards we wandered down to the beach, attempting to catch a few z's. after an hour of lying restlessly and getting eaten by mosquitoes, we went back into town and sat in a park. the streets were full of people celebrating until about 6 or 7am, we managed to rest up a bit, and after getting our bags from storage, headed to the bus station..

bused to montevideo, where we said goodbye to the fettes boys, and continued down the coast to punta del este to meet with danelle's friend, rodriguez.. we gave him a call and made plans to meet up in an hour at this huge statue on the beach. we got about 25 steps out of the bus station, and who drove by yelling danelle's name? ..rodriguez! met some of his friends and cooled off in the salty ocean. he owns a restaurant, and had to go to work, but we will meet up with him later tonight.. and his restaurant will also be our new home for the next day or two..

la nataciòn.

sunday morning we headed to san telmo to check out the antique markets. the streets were full of people on the lookout for deals.. sensory overload.. every now and then i'd stop and look up only to be amazed by the surrounding buildings and statues.. then quickly swallowed up again by the thousands of nick-nacks on display. we stopped for lunch and were caught in a tumultuous downpour.. made a mad dash for the apartment which made absolutely no difference as we were all soaked to the bone upon arrival. loved every single unfrozen rain drop.. spent the rest of the day dry and playing cards with our 6 peso brews..

monday our agenda was finding water. we have all been itching to swim.. found an outdoor pool in the lonely planet and took the metro over to the 'club de amigos'. turns out it's for members only and we were denied the right to dip our sweltering bodies into their watering hole. so much for living up to it's name.. so, we opted for a day of museums and art galleries.. all of which were closed.. feeling rather oppressed we went to check out the cemetery and see evita's grave. [kidding, it just happened to be close].. we entered through a gate in the large surrounding brick wall.. no grass, only cement and marble.. tall elaborate tombs and narrow gridded 'streets'.. an intricate city built for the dead..

yesterday we took the bus a few hours out of ba to san antonio de areco.. showed up at 2pm, during siesta.. absolutely everything was closed.. the streets deserted. felt like a ghost town.. so we spent the afternoon prowling for a swimming pool once again.. asked and received directions from a local, in spanish - a language that we barely speak and understand even less of.. we wearily walked a fair distance out of town, every step feeling more skeptical than the last.. then in the distance, the sounds of summer.. laughter, splashing.. a utopia of gazebos and picnics.. only to be denied access because our plan was to go in our underwear and apparently that doesn't fly with the public here.. foiled again.

our spirits slightly crushed, we headed back into town. planning to siesta in the shade of a park, we noticed a river. shallow and opaque, but a river none-the-less.. asked a man sitting in the shade whether we could swim, he assured us it was safe.. danelle and i waded, cooling our feet.. mike and john getting down to their underwear, and john even heading downstream to where some local kids were diving off a bridge. packing up refreshed and on the lookout for lunch, we passed a sign that caught our attention.. 'no swimming, contaminated water'.. all of a sudden, not so refreshed? and about 20 feet further, a local watering hole with families and picnics and a lifeguard on duty, no fee.. [i must add, however, that under further speculation, the same river water was pouring into said pool, so.. who knows]. no one's sick yet..?

today we are celebrating scott's day of birth. mike, danelle and i scampered out in the rain this morning to pick up some groceries.. we feasted like kings and are organizing our things to take the ferry tomorrow to uruguay.

sticky fingers.

after unintentionally playing real-life frogger through 8 lanes of traffic, we had a beautiful day walking around and checking out the sights. buenos aires is a vibrant city. i was surprised at the number of trees.. parks, shops, cafes.. it truly is the paris of south america. we went down to the government house.. crossed the canal and walked around a rather ritzy area and essentially out to the edge of the city. still a distance from the water, we came across a huge marsh area that looked so out of place with skyscrapers looming in the distance. felt a bit like we had made it to an abandoned civilization at the edge of the earth..

that night we discover that 1L bottles of beer are 6 pesos.. equivalent to $1.50. we decided to explore a bit of the town as it was a friday evening.. turned down a walking street close to our apartment and were almost immediately sucked into a crowd watching street performers. after a few minutes i noticed that danelle's bag was unzipped a little, so i told her i was going to close it because it looked too easy to slip a hand in. i was too late.. the damage was done, her wallet gone. we searched the crowd, both knowing the culprits were two ladies that had bumped into her while passing, but they were nowhere to be seen. went to the police station and filed a report, our feelings of adventure quickly diminishing. cash, credit card, debits.. and the only keys we had to the apartment. we cancelled her credit card, tried the landlord several times to no avail, and spent the night in a hotel down the street.

the next morning we woke and tried the landlord again after breakfast.. he said he'd drop off another key. we got into the apartment, cleaned up, and in much higher spirits decided to try our hand at the metro. we lunched and walked around the japanese gardens.. had a siesta in the park.. and returned home to find our security guard anxiously waiting.. a wallet in hand..

the police had found it ditched with andres' [landlord] card inside, so they called him, and returned it. the cash was long gone, but the credit card, debits, keys.. all intact. unreal. danelle and i were so excited when we saw that i think she all but kissed the security guard.. went out for a celebratory dinner before packing it in for the night.

today we are heading for the sunday markets.. tomorrow, swimming.. no word from martin unfortunately, but he left on vacation this morning so i can only imagine he's been busy. we are all happy and healthy.. ready to explore more of this wonderful city.

hola!

after spending 10 hours waiting in airports and 13 hours flying, here we are. buenos aires. population 13 million.. a cement hub in the middle of summer. we´ve had a temperature flux of 72 degrees in the last 24 hours and i´m sweating like a banshee. can´t wait to hit the beach soon!

we´ve settled into our little apartment for the week and although it´s not quite home, i can get used to it. no complaints from this lady. andres, our landlord, stopped in to introduce himself and drew us up a little map of things to do. wonderful soul. cracking jokes and being awesome. our spanish, or entire lack thereof, is already making certain things interesting but that´s incentive to get learning, i guess. just getting out to do some exploring but had to pop in and let you lovely people know that we´ve made it, safe and sound, and i´m thinking of you all.

lots of love. xo.

hasta la vista.

i've blinked and all of a sudden it's time to go.

these past few days have been emotional rollercoasters.. somehow i manage to turn pleasant experiences into sob fests.. [honestly it gets awkward.] only a few months and i'll be back in the native land. it's going to fly. every hour that ticks by brings me one step closer to sun and adventure, and one step farther from snow and routine..

tomorrow at a horribly early hour we are boarding a plane. destination: buenos aires. i have zero expectations. no idea what's headed our way. just an open road, an open mind, and a one-way ticket in a backpack. with danelle, mike, john, and scott.. well, it's bound to be interesting.

so this is the spot to get all the juicy gossip on the dirrrty south. check back for updates.