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.