Bolivia: better late than never

Hi everyone! I am embarrassingly writing a much over-due blog post on Bolivia, where I was over a month ago! I think I have just gotten so wrapped up in everything that I haven't had much interest in blogging but now that I have been in Buenos Aires for a few weeks and am not bouncing around so much, I am going to to try to do some catching up! 


So, a brief rundown as to what we did in Bolivia. We arrived in La Paz which is an extremely busy and bustling city. I really liked it because it was what I had always envisioned a South American city to be like: a mix of cosmopolitanism and indigenous cultures. There were so many outdoor markets to explore and people sold the most random things! For example, one lady might have a stand selling batteries, socks, shampoo, and barrettes. Another person might sell old wires, old shoes, and toilet paper. It was just so fascinating to see all the random stands mixed together and to think how no one would ever sell, let alone buy, such random things from a stand on the street in the U.S. I also went to an amazing art museum, ate some delicious saltenas (kind of like an empanada but in my opinion, better), and walked all around.

La Paz

After La Paz, we headed south to Potosi, a mining town in Bolivia, which is possibly one of the most interesting places I have been, as the culture and beliefs of the townspeople are so incredibly unique. We did a tour of a mine, which our guidebook warned us to be somewhat dangerous as we would inhale dust and fumes, be far underground, and experience extreme temperature changes. Although I was definitely very nervous, I wanted to see in what conditions the miners worked, and let me tell you, mining would be the job from hell.

So, before we entered the mine, we went to the miner's market to buy some gifts for the miners. It is a custom that tourists should offer gifts to the miners since their work conditions are so rough. We bought some juice and coca leaves (leaves from the coca plant--same plant from which cocaine is made-- that Bolivians chew incessantly to curb their appetite and keep them awake) and that was it. We couldn't bring food, and although the miners are underground for upwards of 10hours, they are not able to eat as it is PROHIBITED to go to the bathroom (number 2...) within the mine so they cannot even risk it by eating. I just cannot even imagine being underground in the dark, breathing in dust, hungry, working tirelessly for hours.

We entered the mine dressed as miners and were told that before we entered, we should take a shot of pure alcohol, 100% proof, and give a shot to the pacha mama (mother earth) so that she would take care of us while underground. This is what the miners do everyday. As it was 8am and I don't enjoy shots, I opted to take the risk that the pacha mama might not care for me...

Our mining gear, head lamps and all!

 When we first got to the mines, we were greeted by a sobbing woman who was extremely concerned for the whereabouts of her husband who had not come home from work the previous night. Our guide told us that although perhaps something dangerous had happened, it was much more likely that he was extremely intoxicated and had fallen asleep in the mines. Yes, that is what the miners do at the end of the work day: get wasted in the mines. Usually they come up and then continue the party above land but sometimes if things get out of hand, they might pass out underground. And I can understand the desire to imbibe if I were to be a miner. Luckily, her husband emerged from underground, stumbling with a cigarette in hand.  

Side note: Women are not allowed to be miners as the belief is that if a woman is underground working, the pacha mama would become jealous of the Tio, the god Bolivians believe to be the controller of the underground. So, miners are typically boys/men between the ages of 15 and 40 or so. Every time I saw a teenager working in such conditions, I couldn't help thinking what my brothers were doing at that very moment and how incredibly fortunate they are that they will never have to have such a grueling, depressing job.

Kevin crawling through the mine

 With that, we entered the mine crawling on hands and knees, slopping through mud and water. We were in the mine for only 2-3 hours but that was enough. I just could not even imagine being underground all day, every day for years and years and years. I felt somewhat guilty "observing" the depressing conditions of the miners but I actually think (and I am not just saying this to make myself feel better, our guide and guidebook confirmed this) they benefit from tourism, as they receive gifts, have interaction with other humans outside of their coworkers, and I also think it is important for those of us who are not accustomed to such work conditions to be aware of how some people make a living. It was truly eye-opening.

After Potosi, we continued south to Tupiza which is a tiny little town from where we would begin our journey called the Southwest Circuit. This circuit is a 4day trip in a 4x4 through the desert of Bolivia passing lagoons, geysers, mountains, hot springs, and finally arriving at the famous salt flats. Kevin, a couple from Sweden, and a French guy, and I all piled into a jeep with our driver and cook. It was amazing to see so many different elements of nature...things I never even knew existed or could never even picture. We would drive all day, everyday making brief stops to take in the sights. We would sleep in different little towns, some of which only had 12 inhabitants or so. It felt like another world.

 Salvador Dali rocks

A lagoon in the middle of the desert

When we arrived to the salt flats, it was the most amazing sight. We went to see the sunset and it was as if the sun was setting over a white ocean.

On the salt flat before the sunset

In summary, Bolivia was a mix of observing depressing living and work conditions and seeing unbelievable natural beauty.A truly unique experience.

I promise to post about Chile and Argentina this week before I come home May 16!

Time Traveling

I know it has been a while since I have written in my blog and therefore this entry will be a bit long so my apologies!! Also, I am having some technical difficulties with uploading photos so hopefully soon I can add those to this post!

Let's see...starting with the Camino Inca (Inca Trail). This was a 3 night/4 day hike and is only 25 miles but since it is roughly 3,600 meters above sea level, it feels a lot longer! Anyways, the Inca Trail was probably the thing I was most looking forward to on our trip for 2 main
reasons: 1) Machu Pichu is one of the 7 Wonders of the World and 2) the Inca Trail is a combination of two of my most favorite things: hiking and speaking Spanish...simultaneously! So, we got up very early on March 8th to begin the much anticipated adventure. We knew that our group would consist of Kevin and me and then a married couple but that was all we knew. We did not know what to expect of this married couple and were unsure if they would be hikers or even remotely our age but were pleasantly surprised to meet Dave and Jo! Dave (from Dublin) and Jo (from Manchester) were just married in Mallorca, Spain last summer and are currently on their 10month around the world honey moon so obviously they had many amazing stories and photos to share. So the four of us set off with our guide, Roger, 4 porters, and one cook. Porters are people who carry your things for you (cooking supplies, food, water, tents, etc) for very, very little money. Actually, this really depressed me because I had read in Lonely Planet (our trusty guide book) about the mistreatment of porters and did not like seeing that this is indeed true. They carry over 50lbs worth of supplies up and down precarious ascents and descents and often are wearing make-shift sandals and using tarps or blankets as backpacks. I felt so spoiled carrying my measly day pack and wearing my legit hiking boots while they had such inadequate supplies. But, Roger, our guide, said that they are thankful to just have jobs. I guess it is a matter of perspective.


William (18yr old porter) and me

So we hiked and hiked through the Andes passing Inca ruins along the way. We stopped and camped three different nights. The first night was fine but the second night, not so much. We were hiking the Inca Trail during rainy season and let me tell you, rainy season it was. The second night, Kevin woke me up at about 2am as his sleeping bag was totally and completely soaked. Honestly, it looked as though he had dunked it in a lake or something. We tried to improvise a somewhat dry bed by placing our rain coats underneath of us and my sleeping bag on top but it was not an enjoyable sleep. Aside from this little mishap, we were essentially treated like kings and queens. Not only did the porters carry the majority of our things (well, Kevin carried my sleeping bag..thanks, Kev!), they also pitched our tents, cooked our meals, and served us TEA twice a day...once in the morning while we were still lying in our sleeping bags and once in the afternoon. It was unbelievable. And the food! Soups, fish, veggies, wontons, pudding, pancakes with caramel sauce, homemade popcorn. Let's just say that every calorie we burned while hiking was more than adequately replenished.

Our group: Dave, Jo, Me, Kevin

On the last day, we woke up at 3:30 am to start hiking in hopes to see the sunrise over Machu Picchu, but alas, the weather was not in our favor. We arrived to a cloudy Machu Picchu but nevertheless, it was incredible. I could not get over the fact that it was built so long ago (in the 15th century) and is still in such great condition. I feel very fortunate to have been able to see it with my own two eyes.

Kevin and me overlooking MP







After a night of celebrating the completion of the Inca Trail, we rose bright and early to go river rafting. This was not the best activity that we have done because the water was absolutely freezing, and I can't believe I am saying this, but it wasn't adrenaline-rushing enough!! After rafting, we got our things together to head to Arequipa via a 16hr bus ride.
In Arequipa, we were planning to hike the world's deepest canyon (supposedly), El canon de Colca. I had never hiked a canyon before and was curious. It is counter-intuitive to hiking a

mountain; first you descend and then you ascend and we decided to then ascend again to see a rural village. We were racing against the clock because we had to catch a bus at 2pm. We were very optimistic of our ability to be able to hike the canyon, village, and back in 7 hours as we had no problems on the Inca Trail. However, we were now hiking on open face desert and in blistering heat. Also, we foolishly didn't bring enough water or any food. So, unfortunately, I suffered my first dehydration experience. As I said earlier, I absolutely love to hike but as soon as I felt dehydrated, I HATED it. Every step took all of my strength and I really had to focus on my footing as I was feeling rather dizzy. Kevin had to carry my pack (again, thx Kev) and luckily we made it back to the town without major problems. But, I have definitely learned my lesson to never, ever hike with a limited water supply ever again. And, despite feeling awful, the canyon was still incredible to see.

After Arequipa, we headed south to Puno, a boarder town of Lake Titicaca. We were looking forward to having the chance to do some homestays and experience authentic Peruvian culture. The first homestay that we did was with a man named Emiliano and his wife, Jonny. Emiliano and Jonny live in a tiny village called Chifron with a population of 24. It was intriguing to hear about Emiliano's life (Jonny didn't really talk to us..at all) and hear about his arranged marriage and the fact that he has lived in the same house his entire life. Very eye opening. Unfortunately, we left earlier than we had planned as both Kevin and I suffered from bad colds- perhaps a result of sleeping in a small lake a few nights before? When we got back to Puno, we took a day off and literally spent the whole day resting.

On Sunday, not feeling 100% but somewhat better, we got our things together to go to the Island of Tequile, one of the islands on Lake Titicaca. Tequile was like a whole other world. The people of the island work in a communal way- they rotate jobs according to their profession so that everyone has an equal opportunity to earn money. For example, a family who runs an inn is given (by the authorities of the community) designated days in which they are allowed to house guests. Therefore, when we disembarked from the boat, we were told that we would be staying with Maria and her two sons, Abdon (10) and Saol (7). We were shown to our cozy rooms with bamboo siding and hay floors. I felt as though I had traveled back to Biblical times.

We then played futbol (soccer) with the boys, Abdon and me v. Saol and Kevin and we won :) After futbol, the boys told us that they would show us some of the Inca ruins on the island. Now, I am not judging, BUT I just thought it was very interesting that these two young boys were allowed to roam with the American tourists with their mother nowhere in sight...and not knowing us AT ALL.
Anyways, Abdon and Saol grabbed their wooden flutes and away we went, literally marching to the squeaking of their music for about 45 minutes. The ruins were beautiful in their own right, although not like Machu Picchu!

We spent the rest of the evening relaxing until dinner when we had the chance to finally converse with the mother, Maria. She told us about her marriage and how the authorities of Tequile were not too happy that she married someone from Puno (another town) as opposed to Tequile. Maybe this is somewhat ignorant/naive , but I kept having to remind myself that no, we did not travel back in time, but Tequile is a completely different type of world than what I am used to.

It was humbling to live in such a world for 24 hours; to see the little boy walk to town to buy candles for light, to walk on a hay covered floor, to think the people of Tequile have no access to the outside world while on the island- no mail, no telephones, and certainly no internet. After a tranquil 3 hour boat ride back to Puno basking in the sun, we will now make our way onto our 2nd country: Bolvia!

Week 1- Paracas, Ica, Huacachina, Nazca

Hola! So I have officially been in Peru for one week and it has flownnn by. I feel as though I have seen and done so many amazing things that I never really thought I would ever do! Kevin and I have taken a boat to the Islas Ballestas, sandboarded in the deserts of Peru, and flown through the sky to look down at the Nazca lines. Here is a map of where we have been so far:

http://www.mysteryperu.com/esp/images/map_paracas_nazca_3dias.jpg

It is so incredible because every adventure is different than the next and has something new to offer. Starting with the Islas Ballestas: We arrived in this tiny, sleepy beach town called Paracas with not a whole lot going on but it was just so peaceful and authentic. There were very few tourists when we arrived and we basically just walked around and took in the sight of the beach and the local Peruvian culture. We booked our ticket for the tour of the Islas and for the Reserva and were told to be at the office at 7:45am sharp. We were there not a minute late only to find out that we would have to wait until the clouds cleared to go on the tour. We waited for over 3 hrs but fortunately, we went to a little cafe and enjoyed some cafe americano (surprisingly if you don't ask for cafe americano, you only get instant coffee which does not fly with me). When we finally got on the boat, we zoomed across the ocean to the incredible floating islands COVERED in sea lions and different types of birds. It was completely unbelievable. Now I love the Baltimore Aquarium and think it's fascinating, but it cannot hold a candle to seeing these amazing sea creatures in their natural habitats!

Los lobos del mar (sea lions)

Birds covering the rocks (fun fact:there once was a mine on the island to mine the birds' excrement for fertilizer)

When we got back to land, we took a little van with some other South American tourists to the Reserva de Paracas, which is basically just a big desert with the ocean as its' border. The pictures speak for themselves!

La Reserva de Paracas(above)

From Paracas we headed south to Huacachina, which is a beautiful pueblito (little town) set on a lagoon and surrounded by desert, where we did the scariest thing I think I have ever done in my life: dune buggies and sandboarding. Those of you who know me know that I am not the adventurous type (Wilmerdings- think back to the swings at the MD Fair) and I can get nervous prettyyy easily. Well,with these adventures, I definitely went outside of my comfort zone. We boarded a dune buggy with a very careless driver. Yes, I sound like a loser, but we were going SO FAST and he wasn't even wearing a seat belt AND he was listening to headphones while driving--made me a bit nervous! I think my poor friend, Kevin, might have permanent fingernail marks in his arm from me grabbing onto him so tightly. At one point I even grabbed the driver which caught him off guard, I think...but anyways, the thrill was exhilarating and the views were breathtaking.

Sandboaring! (below)





The next day we went on a tour of different bodegas in the Ica region of Peru. Peru not only has many bodegas de vino (vineyards), but it also has many bodegas de Pisco, the national drink of Peru, which is basically liquor made from grapes. We went to three different bodegas and tried quite a bit of different types piscos and wine. We also got to stomp grapes which is a very interesting feeling!


Grape stomping in the bodegas

Last but not least, we took a bus to Nazca which is another little town with not a whole lot to offer besides the INCREDIBLE Nazca lines. I had read about the lines when substitute teaching Spanish at Boys' Latin a few weeks ago so I was excited to see them in person. Although a valid attempt, the description in text book c0uld not do these forms justice. Perhaps one day when I am hopefully a Spanish teacher, I will just have to take my students to Nazca to be sure that they truly appreciate it :)












Triangles (above) A condor (below)

The Nazca lines were created in about 300 BC by the Nazca people and it is a mystery as to why they made them, although there are many different theories (to honor the gods, for astrological purposes, etc). They formed the many different shapes by moving the darker colored rocks away from the sand so that the light sand would then form a shape which can only be seen from an aerial view. We had to take a tiny plane (a 4 seater) and flew around for about 45 minutes admiring all of the different lines. I just could not, and still can not, get over the fact that the shapes were made so long ago and
are still completely recognizable in 2011!!!


Tonight we head to Cuzco on a 14 hour bus ride (not so thrilled about that) so that we may acclimate ourselves to the elevation in preparation for our big 4-day hike to Machu Picchu on March 8th!

To see more pictures, check out facebook in the next few days!
http://www.facebook.com/edefwhitman#!/album.php?id=28502098&aid=2075249

Lima, Peru

Hi everyone! I decided to start a blog of my South American adventures so I can keep a kind of journal for myself but also if anyone else wants to hear about what I am doing! Right now I am sitting in my hostel in Lima, Peru after having spent the day walking around Lima (specifically Miraflores and Barranco which are the wealthier neighborhoods in Peru). There are beautiful houses over looking the Pacific ocean and although it is very cloudy, it is still gorgeous.

My friend with whom I am traveling, Kevin, wanted to hang glide for his bday (which is today) but unfortunately the weather was not good. Tonight we will go to a nicer dinner (by nicer I mean instead of paying $5-7 for dinner, we will splurge on 10 or so...and this includes wine!!) and then there is a big casino scene here so we will see if we have any luck!!

Backtracking a bit, Kevin met me at the airport on Sat. evening at about 8pm. I was sooo glad that everything was on time, for the most part. We took a tiny van to our hostel and then went to dinner at about 10pm at night where we tried the national Peruvian drink, pisco sour. It is kind of like a margartia/mojito but not quite as good, I don't think!

On Sunday we went to downtown Lima where there was a plaza, Plaza de Armas, with a church surrounding it, the president's house, as well as lots of cute restaurants and shops. All in all, the first few days have been really great. It is nice to be in a foreign country again and surrounded by my favorite language! Tomorrow we are headed to Pisco, the town where they make the national drink, I believe. More to come!