Mussels!!!

Had my first fresh green shelled mussels from the Sounds. My roommate has a friend who works for the mussel company, so she got them right from the boat. They were super yummy. Much bigger than the mussels we get at home, but no more chewy. Sorry u must view them sideways....hopefully u all have laptops.... :)

some adjustments

Okay, so just thought I'd share a few New Zealand ways of living I am trying to get used to:
1. No dishwasher....and being I am living with boys, dishes are never actually clean, even when in the cabinet.
2. No clothes dryer and no hot water for wash machine. So, just now I filled the wash machine with hot water using a 1 L measuring cup. Hah! I will get our clothes clean even if I have to fill the machine myself! Everyone hangs their clothes outside, except it is now too cold to dry and is raining, so I am planning on just finding places in my room to hang everything!
3. Weather has turned for the worse and although noone else thinks it is cold, I am freezing and our house does not have built in heating. There is a reason I was previously supposed to and am moving to southern california. Yes folks, it is for the weather! I am so missing my favorite time of the year at home. But my room is like a tropical paradise with two portable heaters going! Luckily our new room is big enough, so don't mind just hanging out in here. Unfortunately going to the bathroom is a whole other story :) I want to share some photos of my room and house but think I should clean the room first. So, stay tuned. Once I get a job I think we'll be moving to someplace with heat, hot water, and newer appliances, but I am thankful to have a place to stay for now that we can afford.

Wine Tasting

Finally my first day wine tasting! It is a very special feeling being here or in any wine region for that matter. I went tasting with my roomate Erin who actually left today to go back home, so am stuck with all boys! Needless to say the toilet seat is never down. The only positive to the situation is that me and David now have the bigger room and have a double bed instead of the single in our old room. Although we didn't mind the cuddling it will be nice to have a bit more room and a second pillow much to David's chagrin (for some reason he likes sharing a pillow...I don't understand).

Anyway, back to wine tasting. I thought it was going to rain, but it turned out to be a beautiful day. Sunny, with a light breeze. We visited the following wineries: Fromm, Seresin, Mahi, and Huia. We ate at Wairau River, which actually also has their own label, so we did a tasting there as well and had some wine at Drylands since Erin had to stop off to pick up a few bottles to bring home since that is where she did vintage.

By far my favorite was Seresin, then Mahi. But I really enjoyed all of Seresin's wines and I made a friend in the tasting room!

For all those who come to visit we can rent bikes and cruise around wine country. Wouldn't that be so much fun?!?! And we can picnic in the vineyards :)

Oh, and if u are not familiar the most widely grown varietal in Marlborough is Sauvignon Blanc. But I also had some decent pinot noir and gewurtztraminer and a quite different pinot gris, although not very characteristic of the varietal. Even though the vineyards are in close proximity of one another, each sauvignon blanc was actually distinctly different from one another which I thought was quite nice.

OK, that's all folks! I'm going to watch Gran Turino and wait for David to come home at 330am, his new schedule.

New Zealand here I am!!!

So, that seemed to be the longest bit of flying I've ever done at once. Maybe because I was so anxious to get here :) But I am here and so happy!

David picked me up in an old land rover. I thought we were going on safari! Oh course I had too many bags....ended up paying $130 in overweight charges. But I am hoping to get a business job, so had to bring my nice clothes :)

Here's my first day in a nutshell. Got a place to stay (our old roommate in Oregon is here and luckily a room just opened up in the house he is staying in, sharing a single bed, but life could be worse), moved in, walked around Blenheim (within walking distance to downtown with lots of cute restaurants, bars, and shopping!), then went to the beach. David was a trooper and stayed up most of the day with me, even though when he picked me up he came straight from work...a 12 hr shift.

Next morning he took me to his favorite farmers market, everything is locally grown and made. I had the best pastry I've ever had in my life. It is called an eccles cake. It kind of looked like a doughnut, but consistency was different. It was basically a puff pastry with carmelized brown sugar on the outside and sweet currant filling. I am counting down the days til next sunday when I can buy another one. We also bought some fijoas (a new fruit for me that tasted like sweet tarts), beets, strawberries, cheese, chesnuts (u can steam them and they kind of taste potato like), and some fresh olive oil. Then we watched dogs compete against each other in an obstacle course (I'm sure there is a technical term for this). It was quite funny and I felt very British! Applied for an amazing job. We'll see if I hear anything. Keep your fingers crossed, it would be an amazing opportunity.

Pic is of the Marlborough sounds...I'm living in Blenheim which is in Marlborough, the South Island...just in case u were curious.

Happy wedding!

Just as a note, if u fail to take an outbound flight, they (or at least the worst airline ever, US Airways) will cancel ur entire flight. Yes, that is what happened to me. Unfortunately, was left with no flight home so i had to book a one way with Southwest that cost me almost $300. I hate US airways.
On a happier note, am in florida and have been spending alot of time at the beach. Loryn and Chris's wedding was amazing. Other than mine of course, it was the most beautiful wedding i have ever been at. It took place at the Bonnet house in fort lauderdale. Upon arrival we were taken via a golf cart to the ceremony site, under huge palm trees with monkeys swinging thru the trees! Had a wonderful time. Drank a little too much ketel one, but why stress the details!
Congratulations Loryn and Chris!!!!

bye bye south america

Flew into lima for a day stopover before heading back to the states. Lima reminded me a little of florida, lots of pink and bright blue buildings, but the whole city covered with a film of dirt. Freeways reminded me of los angeles. Didn't really see much of the city since we spent the day at the hotel pool, but had dinner in miraflores at the big shopping mall. Food was decent, view of the ocean was great. Wouldn't have minded spending a little more time in lima and exploring, but honestly heard from most people that lima was a shithole. But i think i would still like to explore it more!
Very happy i got to come on the trip. Had a lot of time to think about life. was able to heal the spirit a little after a rough start to the year! Excited about the next step in my life. Keep ur fingers crossed that i can get a job in new zealand!

I am crazy????

I guess that question is debatable. For some strange reason i decided to go on another bike ride just as my arm is almost healed! This bike ride was much less challenging. A nice ride through the bucolic sacred valley, but was still a little nervous in the beginning. Especially because the bikes were pretty beat up.
How cool is it when u ride ur bike past a flock of sheep!
Had lunch at a food stand, plantains and rice!
Last stop on ride was moray. The moray inca ruins are thought to be an agricultural test station. Each terrace has a unique microclimate, therefore the incas could test crops they were hoping to grow in different areas of the sacred valley and see how they survived and if they would be fruitful.
On the drive home got dropped off at "sexy woman" ruins in cusco proper. It's amazing the huge stones they used to construct these ruins. There were alot of tunnels and crevices to hide in. We were a little scared to go through the tunnels because we couldn't see, no flashlight, but a nice peruvian man led us through. We just ducked since he also did not have a flashlight. As we were going thru, i wondered why we were letting this man take us through a pitch dark tunnel probably to rob us. But all was well and we made it out safely. Very beautiful views of cusco from ruins. On saturday there was a fullmoon rave. Wasn't in the partying mood, but I can only imagine the craziness that must have ensued! Maybe next time.

Pisac

Got a late start, but still made it to Pisac sunday market. Sat in main square while eating lunch and watched the locals bartering produce and other items with each other. Then had a couple of hours for shopping. Bargaining is so much fun. Got a bunch of handmade alpaca sweaters. All for between 10 - 15 dollars each. What a deal!
Great day, but had some issues on the return. Such a nice cab driver until he decided he was going to try and rip us off and ask for more money than what we negotiated. Good and bad, there are no meters, u just negotiate ur fare upon getting in the cab. Only problem is when they decide to change the fare on you, or they quote u in soles and then say US dolares! We weren't going to get swindled though so argued with him for 30 minutes and encouraged him to call the policia. Of course he didn't want to do that, but he did follow us back to the hotel. Funny thing is he tried to pick me up two days later at another Inca ruins! I happily declined.

Massage anyone?

So, got back to Cusco in the evening. Nicole found us a cute hotel less than a block from Plaza de Armas. Decided to reward ourselves with a massage, $10 for an hour. How cheap!
I haven't had that many massages in my life, but got an interesting surprise. For some reason a peruvian massage includes some boob action. Hmmmm....

my favorite ruins

Woke up early only to get to train station and find out that we couldn't get on the 930 backpacker train. It was sold out! Had to wait an hour and take the fancy vistadome valley train. Much nicer, and even got a sandwich and drink, however, backpacker train for the money was just fine with me! The view was beautiful.
Spent the day in Ollantaytambo. Definately my favorite ruins. The ruins itself were somewhat changed by the government (the incas did not use mortar!) but the whole town itself, including the ruins, gave me such a special feeling. I'm sure because it was more relaxing, there were not as many tourists, and because the town itself was so beautiful and the ruins were part of the town. The town is described as a living inca village. Cobblestone roads everywhere.
Had lunch in the courtyard of a restaurant. It was so relaxing that people were actually sleeping in the grass. Tables made of stone, flowers everywhere, the sun felt so good!
A great day!

Relaxing in agua calientes

After our long day of hiking around Machu picchu headed to hot springs, hence name of town agua calientes! Water had a nice hazy brownish color to it and smelled a little like urine, but i was desperate for some relaxation. Plus, how could u beat "poolside" bar service. U just had to wave your hands from the pool and they would come down with cervezas. Due to my lovely arm and huge black and blue on the leg, i got ALOT of stares and questions from those that weren't afraid to approach me.
The Amazon girls left me and nicole at the springs, they had to catch train to get back to cusco for their flight the following day. We had another cerveza or two then headed back to hotel. Tons of cute bars and restaurants in town. Ate at chez maggie, great nachos, and a peruvian band to serenade us. We had the best of intentions to go out afterwards (first day i actually put make-up on) but after dinner realized we were more than exhausted. Well, it was a long day!
pics are of the town. although there were many bars, there were not many people out at them. I think probably like us, u r either waking up super early to hike mp, or very tired after hiking all day!

Machu Picchu

because of our lack of planning and spontaneous attitude, we didnt buy tickets for machu picchu (mp) or bus to mp in advance. we woke up at 415am and headed down to bus stop to get in line. if u arrive at mp early u can get tickets to waynu picchu, a mountain next to mp with great views. but they only give out a limited amount of tickets, hence the early arrival. when we got to bus stop everyone else had all their tickets. so i waited in bus line, while girls waited for bus ticket and mp ticket station to open, 3 different lines. a little stressful, but all worked out well and we were one of the first people to mp! unfortunately it was super super foggy and rainy when we got there, so was a bit hard to see. but once fog lifted a little, the magic of mp appeared. me and katelyn had lost the girls (a recurring theme for the day between them and us...spent a bit of time on my own, but actually enjoyed it more. was nice to be exploring mp on my own). we decided to hike to sun gate, although didn't realize it was an hour hike up the moutain. unfortunately it was still foggy and couldn't see mp, although from the gate u should be able to view all of mp. oh well. had a nice hike.

missed getting a tour guide, so kind of just wondered around the site. a little bummed about that since i would have liked to understand more about what i was looking at, but was still amazing and nicole filled me in the next day on some of the things they learned! plus, joined tour groups to listen in whenever possible.

found girls just in time for hike up waynu picchu. fog just starting to lift, so views were great. let me just tell u that this was the hardest hike i've ever done, not that i am that hard core, but if u notice how far away from mp we are in the photos, i hiked it! My legs were super shaky on the way down...

many more photos to share of mp and whole trip. while i'm relaxing on beach in florida on next leg of my trip, i'll post photos on fb and/or create an album to send out with commentary.

relaxing day then off to aqua calientes!

Had a relaxing day reading a book in the park. great view huh? was slightly annoying to be bothered by vendors while trying to read, eventually i stopped even looking up and just pointed at my book. Girls decided to book Amazon trip for after machu picchu, and me and Nicole decided to stay in the sacred valley. I would have loved to have seen the Amazon and all its biodiversity, however, didn't want to rush the sacred valley and with my current economic status, couldn't really afford to go!

The taxi situation is interesting. We needed to get to Ollantaytambo where we could catch a train to agua calientes which is very close to machu picchu. We could take the bus for probably $2 each and have it take 3 hrs or hop in a taxi for $23 for all 5 of us, where we could stop take photos and reach our destination in 1.5 hrs. What would u choose?

Beautiful views of the Sacred Valley along the way. Pic above is of the town of urubamba. All along the countryside, and outskirts of the city, we noticed red flags hanging from houses and other establishments. Found out it is the symbol for chicha being made on site. Chicha is peruvian beer made from maize. We happened to stop at someone's home along the way vs bar with flag. We shared a big cup, but i only had a little as i did not want to contract travellers diarehha. But luckily (???) our driver finished it off for us!

Loved the city of Ollantaytambo, but not much time to explore as we had to catch the train to aqua calientes for our morning trek to machu picchu. Nicole and I decided we would spend some time here on our way back to cusco.

Although it was dark could tell agua calientes was a cute town. Named because of its hot springs, there was also a river running down the side of the mountain thru town, and of course the town is surrounded by magnificent mountains. Hilly, with cute restaurants and shops. The hostel recommended in our travel book turned out to be a dump. Funny thing is when u get off train u r bombarded by people trying to get u to stay at their hostals, but u have no idea what condition they are, so that is why we went with recommendation. It was madness. Since me and nicole were staying for two nights we decided to check out some other options. Many dumpy places and we were getting desparate, it was late and we had to wake up at 415am. Finally found a decent place for $20 a night (per person) with hot showers. The showering thing has become a priority for me, especially because of arm, which by the way, is doing good.

My first night out

Been keeping a pretty low profile in general. Didn't check out the nightlife in la paz cause was too exhausted, and not really any nightlife in the salt flats! So, it was time to get out there and have a few drinks. After dinner went to a gringo hangout for my single friends. Since i really wanted to see what peruvians do on their nights out, i know what americans, english, aussies, etc. do on their nights out, got a recommendation for a peruvian dance club and dragged the girls there.

We hopped in a mini-cab, with 6 of us, max capacity definately 5, so a little tight. Place was a bit out of the way, and of course when we arrived we were the only non-peruvians, and a bunch of girls at that! So, of course everyone was staring at us. And of course, i am the first one to get pulled up on the dance floor by a young peruvian man. This was painfully embarrassing, first of all we couldn't communicate, second i was trying to dance to peruvian music, when my dancing forte is really 80s and hip hop, and third I felt everyone was still staring! So, when the song was over I politely declined more dancing. I needed cusquena, the local beer! What I could gather from his spanish was that i stole his heart...ugh.....I definately don't need anymore men in my life. After that i managed to avoid all possibly dancing, and made sure the other girls were up dancing and not me!

After our fun at the peruvain club, had an even funner ride back to main square (i.e. location of gringo bars), since one of my friends peruvian suitors decided to hop in with us....now 7 in a minitaxi - by minitaxi i mean only slightly larger than a smart car. Had polished off a couple of bottles of beer, so we had an even better time on this ride. We could never get away with this in a taxi in philly!

cusco finally!

We arrived in cusco around dinner time. Luckily our 5th travel companion had arrived safely and had found us a hotel, unfortunately without her bag. 3 out of the 5 meeting for this leg of the trip had issues missing their flights or with bags. Guess i was lucky, however, i did end up with war wounds from the most dangerous road!

Found a cute outdoor restaurant on one of the many squares. Had my first alpaca meal, and pisco sour. After talking with friends who had been to SA and were drinking pisco sours, i will admit they are tasty, and somewhat resemble a margarita, but i don't think they are to die for. Maybe the raw egg in it is grossing me out a little.

Although a gorgeous city, cusco is all about tourism, so we are constantly being harrassed to buy things. Probably 10 people came up to us, asking to buy various items from paintings to postcards to clothing and finger puppets during our dinner. Since i fell in love with the vicunas i had to buy a finger puppet. And bargaining is a must, although u feel a little guilty since everything is so cheap and u r haggling over 50 cents. But it is part of the fun.

There are also dogs everywhere! they roam the streets. A very cute one took a liking to me because i was feeding her alpaca! She was so cute, i wanted to take her home...wherever that is. I think people just let their pets roam the streets, because they are usually well kept dogs. Very rarely are they mangy. I've noticed this in Bolivia and Peru.

Yet another bus ride

Caught an early morning bus from Puno to cusco, the gateway to the sacred valley and machu picchu. A 9 hr bus ride!
Here are some of the interesting things that occurred...
- man with machete boarded bus
- chollas would come on bus at stops and try to sell u food, there were an excruciating amount of stops and long ones they were
- a cholla fell on my lap, luckily she missed the arm
- we had our travel bags, but other passengers were loading tires, food, furniture, chickens
- if u wanted to stop, other than main stops like cusco, u had to come to front of bus and bang on door until driver opened door and u told them where to stop...this is how cholla ended up in my lap
- bus driver would get off, another one hop on, then get back on later
these r just a few examples of the crazy busride...

views from outside the bus...
- in peru, noticed kids playing pool, yes with stick and balls and cue, outside. pool tables just set up outside in middle of square!
- saw a bad truck accident. toppled over on side of road. was worried that would be us, since traffic laws in peru (and bolivia) lax. Passing is a must, even on dangerous windy roads. Heck a policia even waved us to pass him once!

Border crossing

So, after our fun boat ride on Lake Titicaca had to catch a bus, so we could get to Puno, our sleepover in Peru. Was told to get into a minibus, that was now full to capacity. Waited for quite a while in the bus, until more people came and got on. At this point we were over capacity by about 5 people. I was really hoping for no accidents as noone could have gotten out.

Drove for about 20 minutes...where was our bus to puno? Then got dropped at Bolivia immigration. Was told to cross over the border into peru on foot and get visa. Accidentally put bags on wrong bus after immigration, but after we got our visas got our bags before that bus took off! Strange way of getting across border, but since there was a recent strike and heard many people getting stuck at border for 3 days, i was happy we had no issues!

Am now in peru, yeah! Puno appears to be a pretty shitty town. Got in late, so not much exploring. Was hoping for a wonderful hotel, but no such luck. I guess we are on a budget, but i really wanted a clean room and shower with hot water. It was turned off, so had to wait til morning. And when we got into room, owner realized room was not cleaned, bed was unmade and slept in. Luckily we had 3 beds for 2 of us, so we just avoided that bed. Yuck! Once i get a job again i look forward to sleeping in a nice hotel at some point again in my life!

Lake Titicaca

So, got to bus terminal in La paz. Am so dirty, had to clean myself with baby wipes and changed in middle of station, since bathrooms are gross. Funny how any sense of shame disappears.

Basically immediately hopped on another bus to Lake Titicaca. So, sick of buses right now. So many stops and u always have to keep an eye on your bags since this is when people walk off with them. Ride was about 3ish hours. Lake is beautiful. Almost like water and sky blend into one and u cant tell which is which. In order to get to Copacabana, the town on the lake we were heading too, had to disembarck off our bus, which then got onto a barge, and had to hop on another boat. Strange way of crossing a waterway, but fun to be on the lake in a boat.

Once we got to Copacabana, had a quick lunch of trout. The trout from the lake is famous. It was fishier than the pa stream trout i used to catch and eat with my dad, and it was pinkish, almost like salmon, but still tasty.

Went via boat to Isla de Sol, supposedly the island where the incas were born. The boat was so crowded was a bit worried about making it safely, but i was right next to the life preservers. Only had to pay $2 for a 45 minute journey so couldnt complain much.

BTW sidenote, it is so cheap here. Have been paying no more than $20, on the high end for Bolivian accomdations, and usually can get meals for $3. How great is that!

Back to the island. Was pretty and glad came, but not much to do. There were some cool hostels on top of isla de sol that u could stay at. We were on a tight schedule so couldnt. Pretty steep hike up but u could pay local bolivian boys or get a mule to carry ur packs up the mountain! Also, went to some inca ruins.

Salt Flats Day 3

Our last day on our jeep ride. So, much fun, but my brain will be happy with me when it is not being jostled around all day. Went to geysers and hotsprings, reminiscent of yellowstone. Decided not to go into the hotsprings, because one I was feeling slightly sick, two it was freezing out, and three didnt think it was the best idea for my wound. Have to note that i wasnt feeling sick because of the vino i drank the night before. Was responsible and drank water at the end of the night. However, i had stopped the altitude sickness meds and think the altitude was catching up with me. Just as a warning, I was taking Diamox, and the side effects was numbness first in the feet, then spread to my hands, then finally to my face when i decided i could not be on this anymore!

Had about an 8 hr ride back. Stopped at various lakes, etc. Still some of the most amazing scenery I have ever seen. But I was dirty and ready to be back somewhere that i could take a shower, hot water please! Stopped in some town, and tried llama from a vendor on the road. Have been way more daring with the food. In China I would never had tried anything from a road side vendor, but it is such an important part of the culture. Knock on wood, havent gotten sick yet. Llama was a little tough.

About 45 minutes from uyuni we made a pit stop at the side of the road for bathroom break. When we started again Roberto realized we had a flat. Was probably good that we didnt get a flat while driving. Anyway, couldnt believe we had made it this far, to get a flat on the less crazy terrain! Roberto and Caesar bonded over the changing of the tire....they had a falling out the night before where Roberto said not to speak to him anymore...us girls were still on his good side though. How sweet.

Saw Uyuni train cemetary right outside town. Dont know whole story, but at some point in history Bolivia tried to build infrastructure for an extensive train system. For what every reason it failed and trains were just left to rust. Hence the train cemetary.

Got back to Uyuni safe and sound with no major set backs. Grabbed some pizza and met up with some friends we had met on the trip. Apparently we all ended up at the same pizzeria! Was almost late for bus since service is so slow, but made it for our 2nd 12 hr ride. Brain hurts from so much bumping!!!

PS

Wanted to mention coca leaves since some were asking whether or not I would try them. Locals drink tea and suck on leaves to help relieve altitude sickness. Leaves made me feel nauseous, strange huh, but have enjoyed my morning cup of coca tea as it is a staple in all hotels.

Salt Flats Day 2

Woke up early in order to take a shower. Was hoping for hot water since there was some the night prior, but no, freezing, apparently doesnt get turned on til later! Trying to keep my wounds clean, so no infection. I really dont want to end up in Bolivian hospital. The biggest black and blue has appeared on my right thigh. Id say the dimensions are 12 inches across by 8 inches long. Very ugly.

Although Roberto did a toast with us last night to the Earth (Pachamama), sun and moon, I think he is still mad at us because everyone else got eggs and we didnt! Plus, everyone else got desert last night, and again we didnt. He is a stubborn little old man.

Still, though, it is kind of funny. Had a great day offroading in the jeep. Many large rocks and horrible roads to pass, although i will say that we DID NOT have any problems, unlike many of the other jeeps on the side of the road. Although Roberto complains, he is a good driver and hope we get back with no mishaps...

Drove through Salar de Chiguana. I cant describe how beautiful the mountains are. Since Roberto said no musica, i took in the scenery while listening to my ipod. We were approaching this cool looking historical site, so whipped out my camera to take some photos. Got yelled at because oops, this was a Bolivian military base and if u take pictures u can get detained! Missed that since i was listening the the ipod and anyway, although my spanish is improving, I still cant understand everything.

The landscape is so crazy here, we actually were seeing mirages! And i saw the most beautiful blue sky I have ever seen in my life.

We visited a number of lakes where flamingoes live in nature. It was so cool. And we also got to see many of my new favorite animal the vicuna.

Toward the end of the day we crossed the Pampa Siloli, a high altitude desert of volcanic ash and gravel with strange outcrops. Many say this landscape was the inspiration of some of Salvador Dalis paintings. U be the judge from the pic!

Ended the day at Hostel San Marcelo. Definately more primitive hostel. All 6 of us, including the amorous couple we were with, had to share a room. No showering here. Deciding to start having some vino early since there wasnt much else to do, we were in the middle of nowhere. Ending up having a great time and meeting many fellow travellers from around the world and played a new card game...shithead. kind of a combo of many other American drinking card games, except drinking was at our own pace, thank goodness. Had to wake up at 5am, as we were going to see the sunrise on our last day. Ughhhhhh!!! Since we were in desert, it was freezing at that time of the morning. Very painful!

Oh, forgot to mention that in the middle of the day Roberto magically appeared with ipod adapter and we listened to 80s music, including dance parties in desert, all day. I think he is warming up to us!

Happy Easter!

Although a little behind on blogging due to remote locations and internet access, had to stop in middle of my salt flat journey and wish everyone a Happy Easter! I heard we arent having the full polish easter we normally have, but still sad to miss it :(
Also, wanted to thank everyone for all the comments and well wishes. I figured u would rather more blog entries than responses to all of the comments, but I just wanted to let u know that I am reading them and appreciate the comments.

Salt Flats

Took my first overnight bus from La Paz to Uyuni for the start of our trip to the Salt flats in Bolivia. A 12 hr journey. Buses are the main means of transportation, and boy what fun it was. Took a xanax and listened to my ipod, but still a rough sleep. Most roads are unpaved so very bumpy. Funniest memory of bus ride, was the bathroom stops since we had no bathroom on the bus. Bus just stopped and everyone piled out. No bathrooms to go to, so u just had to go outside. All the boys were lined up in one spot and girls in the other. This was the start of my 3 day decision of only wanting to go to the bathroom in nature. No one was really around, and when there were bathrooms u had to pay and they were nasty!

Once we got to Uyuni, we had a bit of trouble with our jeep driver Roberto. He did not like the fact that we all had our own backpacks. There was a total of 7 of us, because a couple also joined us. He threw a fit in spanish, but eventually we left. He told us all our bags were going to tip over the jeep and cause problems with the car because of the weight and all the rocky roads we were going to traverse in the next 3 days. Oh well.....too late now.

Luckily our new travelling companion spoke spanish so was able to translate between the driver and us.

Our first stop was Salar de Uyuni, the worlds biggest salt flat. It was huge and an endless white expanse, with some mountains far far away in the distance. The locals actually shovel the salt by hand for processing, but as far as i understood, the salt is only used in Bolivia and not sold elsewhere. The big attraction in the salt flat was the Isla de Pescado. A huge island in the middle of the salt lake. Rocky and full of cacti and views of the mountains beyond the salt flat. Since there was such a huge expanse of white, u could take these awesome photos that skewed perspective. As u can see above, i am shaking a dinosaurs hand. Go figure! We spent at least an hour taking these photos and there are many cool ones of us, diving into coke bottles, jumping over pringles can, and many more.

In the evening we stayed at a hostel made of salt. Pretty awesome, but a little dusty. Drive into the hostel we passed many alpacas and llamas. And of course all the mountains, they are gorgeous! And i got to see my first crop of quinoa, my new favorite dish!

The accident

So, now that your in suspense I can tell u the story of my injury. I'm sure you will enjoy the photos. So, I had just gotten done with most of the ride. We were now in jungle so I took off my 3 layers of clothing since it was so hot and was only in a tank top and shorts. We had just taken off from a short break so as we departed i was a little too close to friend in front of me. She took a tumble off her bike and I was to close, so in fear of running her over I slammed on my breaks. Not a good idea when u r traveling down a hill, but in the split second all I thought of was her safety, not mine. So, I flew off my bike and landed on my right side. Got a huge gash on forearm, dr on trip said it could use 3 stitches, but only for cosmetic purposes, brush burn all up my right arm onto underneath my armpit, and a huge hematoma on my right upper thigh. Bled quite a bit, but then got proper bandages to wrap it tight and of course cleaned it with iodine. Haven't taken off bandages since then and am a little afraid of how it will look. All I hope for is that I can keep it clean. About to embarck on trek to southern boliva on overnight bus and then sleeping in tents so sanitation will be of the utmost importance.
To top it off, tour ended at wildlife sanctuary which was cool cause there were all these monkey roaming around free, but I got eaten alive by sandflies. I was too worried about my bleeding arm that I forgot to reapply my insect repellent.
All in all, have had a few mishaps, but Bolivia is amazing. I would rather not have had the accident but I am sooo glad I came to this wonderful country.

Worlds most Dangerous Road

So i had to opportunity to bike down the World's most dangerous road today! It was the most beautiful and one of my favorite things I've seen or done. We started high in mountains with no vegetation all the way down to jungle. We descended approx. 3500 m and the drops from the side of the road which at some point was only 3 m wide, was 600m. It was amazing. About 100 cars a year fall off the cliff never to be found again. 13 bicyclists have died. All went well until the end. Here are a few pics of the fun part.

Bolivia vs Argentia futbol

As u all probably know I am not that much into sports, but when in Rome....so the girls I am with play soccer and we were lucky enough to get tickets to the big Bolivia vs Argentina game.
Bolivia won! A chant from the game....Bo*leave*via, around the stadium, then all, viva bolivia.
I thought the excitement was fun, but most loved observing the snacks they served, and soft drinks came in a plastic bag with a straw *makes sense since the only reason i went to games in philly was because of the nachos!
Unforunately couldn't try any of the food in fear of nasty reaction in the belly. I already tested it with a chorizo sandwhich from a street vendor and a papaya frutas con agua- hopefully i make it thru the night.

After game wondered around city and ate some dinner. Empanadas are yummy!

Now it is 930 and I am ready for bed...even though no time change therefore no jet lag...but no sleep on plane. Plus we are headed to a bike ride down the most dangerous road and need to be up at 630. In it's hayday, before they built a new overpass, 20-100 cars or would disappear every year. Now safer, but still only 3m wide in some spots and still aka the death road. Stay tuned.

My first walk around town

I will be posting photos with my blogs but internet is slow so might have to wait. So, make sure u chk out photos later.
Since Nicole and Karen weren't getting in til later, I decided to take a stroll around town. In general noone paid me too much attention, unlike China were I was followed around like paparazzi ridden star. Maybe because now I am in grungy backpacking clothes. Just kidding. People aren't pushy like in China which is nice. But did have a run in or two with potential pickpocketers. I was walking in probably a sketcher area where the traditional Bolivian woman were wearing the "top" hats, large skirts and big shawls. I noticed something behind me to my right and before i knew it an unknown person blew a black substance over my right shoulder. I knew this was an attempt at stealing my bag so just hightailed it out of there, stopping when i could to let whoever this was pass me by. Was a little worried about what the powder was but when got back to my hostel found out it is just a tea they blow over ur shoulder. Nothing toxic, caustic, or hallucenigenic.
Went back to hostel to meet the girls who were coming at 11am.
Must mention hostel. Staying at Adventure hostel in La Paz. It's an awesome hostel where we've meet many travellers and the best part, they have a bar *they brew their own beer here* on the roofdeck with an amazing view of the city. Highly recommend.

When all Hell broke loose!

So, flew into Florida and everything was great. Haven't had any time since christmas to talk to Loryn so we had alot to catch up on. We went out for dinner at Coconuts, sat outside, always my criteria for dining in florida in spring, had great food and half priced wine and watched the sunset on the intercoastal. What a nice day. Got to airport around 9pm with flight leaving at 11pm, everything seems to be going well until I find out that I need a visa application filled out and a photo. Of course I don't have this because I was kind of winging this trip, a little unlike me since I am a planner, but the other girls had checked, and they thought all we needed was our yellow fever card.
So, loryn and chris had already left, but they booked it back. Katelyn had not gotten in yet, her flight was late, so only was able to leave her a message about criteria. Printed out form in airport, and then soon after loryn and chris were back and we gpsed Walgreens. Of course Walgreens machine was down and it is south florida so the employees were not helpful at all. Luckily there was a CVS across street. This was my last hope, so I pleaded with the woman, they had just closed the photo center, and the photo employee was about to walk out door. They were nicer and took the photo. Of course then the machine runs out of paper, but I eventually get the photo and he even does it for free because he had already closed out his register. We rush back to airport where they tell me they aren't taking any more bags, but of course I asked nicely and they took it. Raced to terminal which was the farthest terminal away and miami is a big airport. Got there and katelyn is arguing with the woman at counter. Her flight didn't get in til almost 10, it was late, so i never got ahold of her til it was too late. She knew they wouldn't let her on the flight, but told me to go, so, I got on plane. Had the worst sleep.
Got to airport, was very worried about visa. But all worked out well. But cost me $135! Was trying to take bus into town but this one cabbie kept popping up and i thought it would be 4 but apparently was 40. Hmm, I think I got swindled, I remember a similar situation like this when a man rode us around China on his chariot bike setup through the hutongs. That was an ugly scene. Don't know exchange rate, should probably look that up. All in all i am proud of myself for getting to hostel on my own in a third world country with no actual mishaps, just near mishaps. I alerted the other two girls about visa so I am hoping to see them in a few hours. Katelyn will be here tommorrow.
The city is very unique looking. Airport is on top of valley and views were phenomenal.

Adios

Well, I have three hours and still packing....need to go to library...and bank....and food would be good too. Lets see if I can do it :) Oh and a shower.
First stop Fort Lauderdale to hang with Loryn before boarding my flight to La Paz!

Last night out in Philly

Being that I have pretty much so been hibernating for the last three months, I decided I needed one last night out in philly. I had the pleasure of hanging with my sister and cousin Tara, and Brooke and Ryan for a wonderful evening out! We started at Modo Mio, an italian BYO on Girard. The food was great and u couldn't beat the price. I had grilled shrimp, veal and rabbit ravioli, trout, and a wonderful sicilian cake for dessert! You can order the turista menu for $32, 4 courses. Portions are small so it was just the right amount of food. We also enjoyed 3 bottles of wine....sparkling from Argyle (Oregon), Chardonnay from Alamos (Mendoza) and a bottle of Carmenere Sarah brought. Added bonus was a complimentary shot of sambuca from the waiter.

Much to Ryan's chagrin we walked (suburbanites!), so figured an incentive to walking was to stop at a few bars along the way in my soon to be old hood.

Ended up at silk city for my final hoorah! Being that I am now poor and need to be thrifty (no cushy job at J&J for me anymore but all the freedom in the world), I decided to smuggle my own PBRs into the bar :) Of course the night wouldn't have been complete withought some crying, even though I forbid it! Thanks Sarah....

Next morning we were a little sluggish from dancing for hours to 80s music (we were up til 4am), but made it to Honey's for my favorite breakfast meal - Huevos Rancheros! Since there is always a long wait for a table, we decided to drink some Asti on the corner that we had brought for mimosas in the restaurant. The cork popped, was extremely loud, and flew across the street. Luckily I didn't hit anyone/thing! But all 30 people also waiting for seats stopped and turned around to stare at our group. Oh well, we are used to this and I was celebrating!

Well, I'll miss you Philadelphia!!! Thanks for a great night out.

Goodbyes

Well, today was a sad day. I had to say goodbye to Bryan. It's been a wonderful 7 years together, years I would never take back. Unfortunately we came to a fork in the road of our lives. In order for both Bryan and I to lead the meaningful lives we were meant to, we had to take opposite roads, roads that didn't intersect. I am thankful that our friendship has remained throughout all of this, I believe a true testament to our relationship. Thank-you Bryan for being so supportive of me now, and thru the last 7 years. I only wish you the best in your future, knowing that the lives you touch will always and forever be positively changed.

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog. As you know by now I am about to embarck on a crazy life journey, that hopefully never ends...well at least prematurely :)

This is the itinerary:
Next two months
1. Leaving tuesday for South America. Backpacking in Boliva and Peru for two weeks.
2. From S.A. directly to Florida for Loryn's wedding.
3. Home a day then heading to New Zealand.
4. In NZ for a month then back to this hemisphere for my brother's wedding in Jamaica.

Next year or so.
1. Head back to NZ after wedding to work and live in NZ.
2. The in between is the fun part, because I don't know exactly what is going to happen!
3. Next spring/early summer - moving to California where I will stay indefinately.

Enjoy and don't forget about me!

Jen