Hey Everyone!!
Well, this is probably going to be my final posting, and yes, it is about 5 million years late. :) Well, unfortunately, what can I say but that when traveling abroad, who wants to sit around at a computer?! So I apologize for a thorough lack of communication through this blog.
However, I can say that the trip was close to a life changing experience. It reminded me that I can do anything, and be whatever I want to be, and that this is my life and I should get out there and live it! I've decided to also try and become more active, as much as I can be, and maybe next time I go, actually do the Inca Trail (look it up! It's a good five day hike following the actual Inca roadway system to Machu Picchu through the Andes!!). I have also been reminded of my HUGE love of traveling and that wonderful and amazing experience it is to see, observe and participate in other cultures around the world. So, while my wallet might be a bit emptier, I have gained what I lost in thoughts, ideas and experiences, and hopefully, if everyone from the trip stays connected, friends.
Also, another tidbit, I did loose my camera, but only about 5 days worth of pictures. However, everyone from the trip decided to share pictures, and one of the guys has started to put together a website for us all to upload our pictures. So, I am sharing this website with you all, and you can start to get an idea of the wonderful sights of Peru that I got to see and experience.
http://questionablejudgement.com/photography
Right now, only Jake's pictures are up, but there are plenty of them, and he had an amazing Digital SLR camera for the trip, so he really got some great pictures. Please enjoy, and if anyone ever would like to talk to me more about the trip, etc. please contact me, and I hope to inspire! Plus, I will probably be posting my own pictures sometime soon on facebook, with details about the photos, so be sure to look for those.
Well, it was a wonderful experience that I highly recommend to all. I hope you all enjoyed, and I will be sure to keep everyone updated on my many travels in the future! Hmm....maybe Elizabeth will go to Australia next!! :)
Love me.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Quick Post on my Homestay on the Island of Amantani in Lago Titicaca
Hola!
I´m am now in Puno, and about to go to bed so I can get up at 5:45 am tomorrow, but I just got back from my amazing homestay on one of the larger lakes on Lake Titicaca called Amantani. It was soo awe inspiring, crazy, cool, and interesting, I just had to post something on it briefly!
So, the group of 5 of us from our normal group of 13 got up and left at 7:30 with our guide and a guy named Jimmy from Hong Kong, but working in Canada for the past ten years, in neat bike buggies downhill to the port on the lake. We bought gifts of rice, sugar, pasta, tuna and fruit to give to the families we would be staying with, as well as toys for kids we might encounter, but no candy. Then we got on the boat with our guide, and listened to him lecture on the culture, etc, for the first hour until we arrived at the floating islands, made out of naturally growing reed and reed roots. SO COOL!!! We visited the floating islands, and got to try on their traditional dress, and take pictures, and buy soveigners and such for about an hour, and then back on the boat. Our boat was big, and the group was made up of 3 canadians, including Jimmy, a couple of Irish, some australians, some english, some scottish, 2 korean girls, and some people from Catalonia, Spain. We became ¨The Happy Group!¨ lol. It was great! So, after the floating islands, and getting to see a demonstration of how they build the islands and boats, we got back on the boat for 3 hours to get to Amantani for our homestay.
When we arrived, it was a steep steep steep uphill hike to our house with our ¨Mother¨Clara for about 45 minutes. Mind you, not only was it a hike, but you were hiking at about 4500 meters, so about 12,000 to 14,000 feet, uphill only, and only getting higher. Needless to say, I felt like I was totally out of breath the entire time, and kids were passing me!!! It was actually pretty entertaining! The house was much more than I expected, with 2 stories (short stories, as I always was ducking my head) and a kitchen off to the right, with a little cobblestone plaza in the middle. Every body was shorter than me, and you could tell really fast after the first couple of doorway head bumps! We were given a very authentic quinua soup with potatoes and a plate of sticky white rice with a few fresh veggies and boiled potatoes and turnips and homemade cheese. I had a hard time finishing it it was so good! And fresh mint grows wild, so we had mint tea with a little sugar, sooo good!
We then helped Clara peel potatoes and we got to meet Clara´s dos hijos, Mario, age 2, and Jimmy, age 7. SO CUTE!! We played a little soccer with the boys and then went to a meeting with our group nearby to break into groups for activities. A bunch of us decided to play futbol/soccer with the locals, who were AMAZING, and we actually held our own, and were only a couple points behind, or tied! I played defense at first, then Jake (one of the guys from UNC) asked to switch, so I became an amazing goalie, as everyone said. Blood, sweat and tears the whole way, as I went to block the ball, and dived, and definitley scraped my knee on the cement ¨field¨, but I just kept playing, and I saved several shots, and was totally impressed at my own unexpected abilities!! I never in my life thought I could play soccer like that, let alone at an altituted comparable to Long´s Peak!!
I then went back to the house with my roommate Lindsay, also my roommate throughout this trip, and got help treating my wound from Clara and Nancy, Clara´s sister, since there was no electricity, and it was already dark. We had a wonderful dinner, similar to what we had at lunch with the whole family, Clara´s parents, her sons and her sister. Lindsay and I presented our gifts, and I can sadly report I have never seen anyone so thankful to get a banana. It was definitley interesting, and a bit depressing. After dinner, they let us take a quick nap, and then got us dressed in a skirt and petticoat, with a nice top and cumberbun, belt type thing, and a shawl, all very traditional, for the dance that night. The local band was very good, but it became quickly apparent that none of us could breath in our outfits, so we stopped and went to bed after about an hour.
The next morning, we had these pancakes, that were a combination of a pancake and a crepe at breakfast with the same mint tea for breakfast. We then got to give the boys their toys, and showed them how to spell our names in the colored pens and pads of paper we brought them. A 30 minute downhill hike with Clara (who was able to knit the entire time) down to the docks and we were on our way to another island called Taquile. We had a long hour hike, that had one big hill, but was mostly flat up to the main city, where the whole group did a little exploring, and took many pictures, and then had breakfast where we met up with one of the soccer players from the day before, whose name I believe was Raphael, and was a lot of fun. Our guide then talked to us about the marriage practices, which are really really cool and interesting, while we ate some delicious trout and rice. We then hiked down the 530 something steps back downhill to our boat from the city and rode the 3 hours back to the Puno docks, and then took a bus to our hotel to meet the rest of the group around 4 pm.
Overall, it was an amazing experience, and I don´t regret it at all, and I cannot wait until I get a chance to upload a few pictures, because I think you really have to see it to believe it. :)
Well, Buenos Noches, y Hasta Luego!!
I´m am now in Puno, and about to go to bed so I can get up at 5:45 am tomorrow, but I just got back from my amazing homestay on one of the larger lakes on Lake Titicaca called Amantani. It was soo awe inspiring, crazy, cool, and interesting, I just had to post something on it briefly!
So, the group of 5 of us from our normal group of 13 got up and left at 7:30 with our guide and a guy named Jimmy from Hong Kong, but working in Canada for the past ten years, in neat bike buggies downhill to the port on the lake. We bought gifts of rice, sugar, pasta, tuna and fruit to give to the families we would be staying with, as well as toys for kids we might encounter, but no candy. Then we got on the boat with our guide, and listened to him lecture on the culture, etc, for the first hour until we arrived at the floating islands, made out of naturally growing reed and reed roots. SO COOL!!! We visited the floating islands, and got to try on their traditional dress, and take pictures, and buy soveigners and such for about an hour, and then back on the boat. Our boat was big, and the group was made up of 3 canadians, including Jimmy, a couple of Irish, some australians, some english, some scottish, 2 korean girls, and some people from Catalonia, Spain. We became ¨The Happy Group!¨ lol. It was great! So, after the floating islands, and getting to see a demonstration of how they build the islands and boats, we got back on the boat for 3 hours to get to Amantani for our homestay.
When we arrived, it was a steep steep steep uphill hike to our house with our ¨Mother¨Clara for about 45 minutes. Mind you, not only was it a hike, but you were hiking at about 4500 meters, so about 12,000 to 14,000 feet, uphill only, and only getting higher. Needless to say, I felt like I was totally out of breath the entire time, and kids were passing me!!! It was actually pretty entertaining! The house was much more than I expected, with 2 stories (short stories, as I always was ducking my head) and a kitchen off to the right, with a little cobblestone plaza in the middle. Every body was shorter than me, and you could tell really fast after the first couple of doorway head bumps! We were given a very authentic quinua soup with potatoes and a plate of sticky white rice with a few fresh veggies and boiled potatoes and turnips and homemade cheese. I had a hard time finishing it it was so good! And fresh mint grows wild, so we had mint tea with a little sugar, sooo good!
We then helped Clara peel potatoes and we got to meet Clara´s dos hijos, Mario, age 2, and Jimmy, age 7. SO CUTE!! We played a little soccer with the boys and then went to a meeting with our group nearby to break into groups for activities. A bunch of us decided to play futbol/soccer with the locals, who were AMAZING, and we actually held our own, and were only a couple points behind, or tied! I played defense at first, then Jake (one of the guys from UNC) asked to switch, so I became an amazing goalie, as everyone said. Blood, sweat and tears the whole way, as I went to block the ball, and dived, and definitley scraped my knee on the cement ¨field¨, but I just kept playing, and I saved several shots, and was totally impressed at my own unexpected abilities!! I never in my life thought I could play soccer like that, let alone at an altituted comparable to Long´s Peak!!
I then went back to the house with my roommate Lindsay, also my roommate throughout this trip, and got help treating my wound from Clara and Nancy, Clara´s sister, since there was no electricity, and it was already dark. We had a wonderful dinner, similar to what we had at lunch with the whole family, Clara´s parents, her sons and her sister. Lindsay and I presented our gifts, and I can sadly report I have never seen anyone so thankful to get a banana. It was definitley interesting, and a bit depressing. After dinner, they let us take a quick nap, and then got us dressed in a skirt and petticoat, with a nice top and cumberbun, belt type thing, and a shawl, all very traditional, for the dance that night. The local band was very good, but it became quickly apparent that none of us could breath in our outfits, so we stopped and went to bed after about an hour.
The next morning, we had these pancakes, that were a combination of a pancake and a crepe at breakfast with the same mint tea for breakfast. We then got to give the boys their toys, and showed them how to spell our names in the colored pens and pads of paper we brought them. A 30 minute downhill hike with Clara (who was able to knit the entire time) down to the docks and we were on our way to another island called Taquile. We had a long hour hike, that had one big hill, but was mostly flat up to the main city, where the whole group did a little exploring, and took many pictures, and then had breakfast where we met up with one of the soccer players from the day before, whose name I believe was Raphael, and was a lot of fun. Our guide then talked to us about the marriage practices, which are really really cool and interesting, while we ate some delicious trout and rice. We then hiked down the 530 something steps back downhill to our boat from the city and rode the 3 hours back to the Puno docks, and then took a bus to our hotel to meet the rest of the group around 4 pm.
Overall, it was an amazing experience, and I don´t regret it at all, and I cannot wait until I get a chance to upload a few pictures, because I think you really have to see it to believe it. :)
Well, Buenos Noches, y Hasta Luego!!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Hola from Puno Peru!
I don´t have much time to write, as I quickly realized, because of how much stuff we end up doing during our free time! I mean, if you think about it, who wants to sit around a computer when you can go see the world and the beautiful country of Peru?! Well, I have now been here for one week, and just wanted to fill you in quickly on some of the things I have noticed and some of the places I have been. Here goes:
-Keyboards in foreign countries are crazy weird!
-Tourists are all over Peru! We´ve actually been to some of the same places in a row with 2 different groups, one of europeans and one with a couple of fun australian guys! It´s hilarious!
- Bartering for gifts and souveigners is SOO fun!!
-Honestly, my 2 1/2 years of highschool spanish is taking me sooo much farther than I ever thought it would. It´s amazing!
-Peruvian men like me...and it´s both terrifying and kinda fun. :) lol.
-Feeding baby llamas or baby alpacas is about the cutest thing ever!!! รง
-Bus rides get really old really fast
-It´s their winter here in Peru, and it´s like our spring in Colorado-something between the 60´s and 80´s every day, and a little colder at night. It´s PERFECT!!
- I sunburn easily. But, so far I´ve only done that once, and that was enough!
-Never ever ever ever flush toilet paper. Figured that one out pretty quickly...
- Hand sanitizer is KEY!!!
-There are never any toilet seats. Ever. You get used to squating. It´s LOADS of fun! Not.
-Showers are tempermental.
-Every place you go in this country, it never seems to have a bad view of the absolutely GORGEOUS landscape.
- DRESS IN LAYERS!!
Well, here´s a brief list of the places I´ve been, and I will write more later, but there´s a 15 minute limit...so I gotta go!
-Lima, Nazca, Pisco, Ariquipa, Colca Canyon, Puno.
Love you all!!
Elizabeth
-Keyboards in foreign countries are crazy weird!
-Tourists are all over Peru! We´ve actually been to some of the same places in a row with 2 different groups, one of europeans and one with a couple of fun australian guys! It´s hilarious!
- Bartering for gifts and souveigners is SOO fun!!
-Honestly, my 2 1/2 years of highschool spanish is taking me sooo much farther than I ever thought it would. It´s amazing!
-Peruvian men like me...and it´s both terrifying and kinda fun. :) lol.
-Feeding baby llamas or baby alpacas is about the cutest thing ever!!! รง
-Bus rides get really old really fast
-It´s their winter here in Peru, and it´s like our spring in Colorado-something between the 60´s and 80´s every day, and a little colder at night. It´s PERFECT!!
- I sunburn easily. But, so far I´ve only done that once, and that was enough!
-Never ever ever ever flush toilet paper. Figured that one out pretty quickly...
- Hand sanitizer is KEY!!!
-There are never any toilet seats. Ever. You get used to squating. It´s LOADS of fun! Not.
-Showers are tempermental.
-Every place you go in this country, it never seems to have a bad view of the absolutely GORGEOUS landscape.
- DRESS IN LAYERS!!
Well, here´s a brief list of the places I´ve been, and I will write more later, but there´s a 15 minute limit...so I gotta go!
-Lima, Nazca, Pisco, Ariquipa, Colca Canyon, Puno.
Love you all!!
Elizabeth
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Hey All!
Hey Everyone,
So, the title of this blog sounds like it should be the title of some children's book or a Curious George book, but it's true! I'm going to Peru in 5 days (but who's counting?) and I will be traveling throughout the country for 20 days for a study abroad summer class at the University of Northern Colorado with about 10 or 15 students and faculty. I'm SO excited!!! I will not be bringing my laptop with me while I'm there, but I have been told there are plenty of Internet cafes and I will be keeping a required journal, so this blog will not be totally unattended, or missing too many gaps in my numerous activities. I will also attempt to get addresses for everyone I can think of so I can attempt to send random postcards if I have the time. :) I encourage family, friends and anyone who's curious to please follow along and let me know how things are in the States while I'm traveling, and such.
I hope you all enjoy the ride, along with my insights, and please keep me in your thoughts for safe travel, and I promise to write as often as possible.
Wish me Luck!!
EB
And here's a picture to mentally Photoshop me into, before I post an actual picture up...Enjoy! :)
So, the title of this blog sounds like it should be the title of some children's book or a Curious George book, but it's true! I'm going to Peru in 5 days (but who's counting?) and I will be traveling throughout the country for 20 days for a study abroad summer class at the University of Northern Colorado with about 10 or 15 students and faculty. I'm SO excited!!! I will not be bringing my laptop with me while I'm there, but I have been told there are plenty of Internet cafes and I will be keeping a required journal, so this blog will not be totally unattended, or missing too many gaps in my numerous activities. I will also attempt to get addresses for everyone I can think of so I can attempt to send random postcards if I have the time. :) I encourage family, friends and anyone who's curious to please follow along and let me know how things are in the States while I'm traveling, and such.
I hope you all enjoy the ride, along with my insights, and please keep me in your thoughts for safe travel, and I promise to write as often as possible.
Wish me Luck!!
EB
And here's a picture to mentally Photoshop me into, before I post an actual picture up...Enjoy! :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
