We made it to the beach! We had been discussing where we should spend the holidays and decided rather than going to cuzco AGAIN we should find a beach. We´re in Mollendo, just outside Arequipa. We plan to head to Mejia, another beach spot, just 2 km away.
We have been to the canyon and back since we last blogged...We met up with Megan in Arequipa over a week ago.
The tres amiga were all feelin´a little peculiar...you know what that calls for...SPRITZER!!! It is a magical elixer with this equation: orange juice + sprite = SPRITZER. It cured Marie´s poop butt situation, Megan´s headache and got Hannah raving about it´s refreshing, thirst quench. We´ve had several spritzer parties since then. After the spritzer hang out session, we met up with two of Megan´s schoolmates at our hostel and drank some red wine. We had heard and smelled some hippies earlier that day and then outta know where some waltz to the patio table we were at and who was with them...FERNANDO! He was one of the artisans we partied with on the sand dunes in Huacachina til´dawn. What are the chances?
The next morning, we checked out of our hostel, stashed our giant backpacks and hopped on a bus headed to Cañon del Coca. It´s the WORLD´S DEEPEST (well, second by 150 meters to be exact) CANYON! Megan and Marie were super excited because they have never been to the Grand Canyon or any canyon for that matter. While waiting for the bus to depart Marie spotted a really attractive gringo. "I wonder what bus HE´S getting on.." Turns out cute boy and his friend were on our bus. We were a little weary about when to get off the bus and what city we should stay in for the night. Also, we were sold the last seats in the back of the bus which was actually convienet to see when people get off...and by people I mean the gringos.
We all got off in Cabanaconde, a larger pueblo in the desert. We approached the gringos to see where they were planning on staying and also to escape from this scary, carnie looking man who was handing out flyers for to recruite travelers to his hostel while he was chugging a drink called "ENERGINA" His name was Cesear and actually ended up saving Marie´s lil butt because she almost left her wallet at the hostel.
Entonces...the gringos turned out to be Belgian, Rob(HOTTT) and NYC, Seth. They found a different hostel than ours, but we all ate menu at our hostel and we went with them to drink some beer at their hostel. Both were really nice guys who were traveling after a reforestation project in Ecuador. The beligain said some ridiculously things to say about eddie murphy that we will never forget...
In the morning, we started our downwards hike into the canyon. It was epic and beautiful. The hard thing about canyon hiking is that what goes down, must come up ;) We realized when we were almost to the river that we DID NOT bring enough water. We all looked at eachother and realized we needed to ration out the water on the way back up...eek! When we got near the river there were rock signs with arrows that lead us to a swimming pool oasis. For about $1 we swam in the most beautiful pool that made us feel like 70s movie stars on a hollywood set. There were cascades, an alligator carved out of a tree trunk and a surrounding manicured green lawn. We also consumed the best AVOCADO salad with rice. After one last dip, we stared hiking back up.
It was Megan´s toughest, roughest most challenging hike of her life. Marie and Hannah were huffin´n puffin´too, mostly from the lack of drinkable water, but also because they had just hiked to Choquequirao for 4 days. Hannah had a brillant idea of filling up our empty water bottles from the cascade so we could douche our heads! Marie really got into duching her head...it really relieves you from the heat.
During one of our breaks a lively, nice hiker stopped and asked us if we were okay.."do you have enough water?" we said we had a little and he was nice enough to give us two apples from his pack. They were delicious and gave us the extra strength to finish the climb. On our way to the top after rationed-out sips of water we caught the end of the sunset. ¡MAGNIFICO! We finished the hard part before the sun set completely and then busted out our headlamps. We had to snake our way back to the pueblo by manuevering through terrace farms, dodging mule doo-doo-piles and avoiding strange animals bones. WE DID IT! Megan was so happy she made it and we all celebrated with SPRITZER! We then grabbed some papas fritas and saw part of Home Alone 2 on the tv in the restaurant. One of the peruvian cowboys was crackin´up to Kevin´s hilarious prankster antics.
The next day we took a bus back to Arequipa and booked a night bus to Puno. Two words: COLD BUS! it was freeeeeeeeeezing and not only did the bus company fjuck up our seats but the driver went over some scary bump that caused everyone to scream and yell "DESPACIO".
-above- Parque Pino, Puno
We arrived in Puno before dawn. The cab driver was a major asshole who took us to a crappy hostel...don´t need to get into that. We slept and checked out and found a better one. It was cozy, had a balcony, cable tv and private bathroom for s/15 each. We ate some good, not great, vegetarian food at a hare´krishna place called GOVINDA. On our way there we witnessed some crazy protest about worker´s and miner´s rights. Then we mosied in a moto (rickshaw) to the lake. We ate some popcorn and took in the view. Then we walked through a giant handicraft market and Megan found some amazing xmas presents. That night we consulted lonely planet for a fun place to go drink and hang out. We decided Positive Vibrations sounded like a winner. "I´m pickin´up POSITIVE VIBRATIONS..." It advertised itself as a rock n´reggae bar. Soon we found ourselves at the bar getting to know the young 20 year old bartender and it was his birthday! MAS CERVEZA POR FAVOR! Then this chico sat next to Marie at the bar and his english was really clear. After we told him our midwest states of origin and that we all knew eachother from the U of I he told us he lived in Fairfield, IA for 5 years...WHAT THE HELL!?!?!? So random! His name was Cesar and was really friendly and studied biology at Fairfield and now works for the government surveying a eco-project on the Bolivian side of Lago Titicaca.
After staying up wayyyyyyyy past midnight at Positive Vibrations we got some sleep and had to be at the dock at 7.30 AM to catch a boat to the islands. We ended up going with a tour agency, because it´s really the only way to get to the islands. Tres amigas are more down with D.I.Y traveling, but a tour we had to go. The tour was a 2 day-one night excursion that took us to the floating reed islands "UROS", Isla Amantaní, Isla Taquile.
The first day we saw the floating islands, Uros, which are really interesting and crazy. Our group was given a presentation with a diarama by a woman named Maria Louisa on one of the islands that showed how they were built.
The reeds rot from the bottom up so it´s important to keep stacking fresh reeds on the islands. We also tasted the reeds, similar to sweet celery. We took a lil joy ride with one of the islanders in a reed boat and then made our way to Isla Amantaní, where we would spend the night with a family. The island was beautiful and tranquilo. The islands in Lago Titicaca were formed by volcanos and look like little mountains in the lake. When the boat dropped us off at the dock we had to hike up to meet our families. The hillside was scattered with terrace farming, cows, sheep, flowers, etc.
Our family was an older adorable couple Demetrio y Paula and their daughter Irma and her son? Jefferson...gender uncertain.
We ate some awesome quinoa soup, chatted with Paula and giggled with Jefferson and then Hannah and Marie went to meet the group while Megan napped. We hiked to the top of Pachapapa, a temple at the top of the island where we took coca leaves, walked around the temple 3 times, thought about our wishes and desires, blew on the leaves and tossed them into the enclosed temple.
The view was unbelievable. Beautiful stone archways and the lake went on forever. So blue. Our guide was a horrible speaker, but this quote we still laugh about "As you can see we are surrounded by blue water. Blue Sky...it´s a blue world!" We watched the sun melt into the mountains beyond and the sky turned awesome shades of pink, orange and purple and we listened to lil chicos were playing panflute. We decended the temple hill and went back to our host families casa for some dinner. The soup and papas were just right...they weern´t ginormous, portions we like.
That night we were invited to fiesta with our host mom - Paula- but we had to wear traditional indigenous Amantaní wear. It consisted of large and warm pleated skirts, long tunic embroidered top and thick brightly colored, stripped waist belt. And a long black vail, with flowerly stiching at the bottom. It resembled something a nun might wear. We walked with Paula and our headlamp, there is little solar electricity on the island, to the building where we heard the music starting. The stars were insane! The sky looks so foreign and bright down here. We spotted another UFO to show Megan, but it wasn´t moving as crazy as the other one we saw. The fiesta consisted of chicos, who were all brothers, playing panflute, guitar, flute an the youngest one banged on the base drum with pride. We danced with Paula A LOT because she kept asking us to. The dance was mainly holding hands and moving round n´round in a circle to the beat of the music. If the music sped up, so did the circle of people. Marie even did the "hollogram" dance with a gorro wearing man who resembled the dude on the over of our PERU GUIDEBOOK!
We all slept like little babies that night. Like little lambs wrapped in wool. We got up with the roosters and the sun, ate some pancakes, said goodbye to our fam and then hopped on the boat and sailed to Isla Taquile. We all love lakes so much! We´re all ladies of lakes. When we got to Taquile, we hiked from the dock through the terraces. It was so peacuful and clean and beautiful and socialist and WHY CAN´T WE LIVE THERE?!?? We met our group in the town plaza and FINALLY Marie could show Hannah and Megan the freakin´ awesome floppy elf hats she had been talking about..forever! Marie´s dad has one that he only wears at xmas time and now Marie had grown up with that hat, knowing it came from such a special place and now is the proud owner of one. The men of Taquile take pride in knitting them. white symbolizes single. Red = married. Black = important authority.
-above- little boy on the right is wearing the ''single boy'' hat.
After the hat shopping, the tres amigas were up to their old antics of being prepared and brougght their own lunch from Puno. We had a picnic with pan y queso y palta sammiches! also, some warm coca-cola to wash it down with. We took in the views and loved all the cute lil houses on the hillsides made out of clay. Beautiful gardens and sheep "baaaa-ing" from all directions.
Fun FACTS:
-Lago Titicaca is the highest elevated navigable lake...EN TODO EL MUNDO!
-Men knit the most awesome stocking caps you´ve ever seen...en todo el mundo.
-Apperantly, there is a lost "atlantis" like city at the bottom of lago titicaca. Jacques Cousteau and his cronnies did some great dives there and claim the city was built for GIANTS. we´re talking like 6-7meters tall. it´s wacky n´wild
-TITI=peru CACA=bolivia
-sometimes you think you get a false bill or coin...but really it´s legit.
-Musical senstaion 4 NON BLONDES and their smash hit "what´s up" has gotta be one of the top 5 most popular songs in Peru right now
Some other highlights from our excursion with megan included, singing 4 non blondes, supremes and aladdin at a kereoke bar, drinking mas cerveza til´the rooster crows and watching the sun pop out of the lake´s horizon, hannah gettin sicky-icky, eating lots of delicious cake and saying goodbye to megan...i can´t believe she went to paris...to work for ralph lauren...ok maybe we´ve been watching too many episodes of friends...viva los años noventas!!!!!!!!
we miss you all and love you more. we´re off to eat ice cream and check out the beach.
peace, love and fannypacks!
p.s. la navidad es jesús.
