... is quite an undertaking.
update! i´ve purchased a plane ticket back to the homeland. i return on february 28th into laguardia airport. sew. maybe some time in NYC?
also... i love burlington, vermont and i am accepting it. i think it might be my favorite city, even though we need to hibernate for months at a time.
yes kids, i´m coming home.
let´s find this girl a job and a sublet.
<3
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
safe and sunny
hello from cusco!
i´ve successfully met up with manue and tom, had my first pisco sour, and explored the town of cusco. it is beautiful here. the whole city is built on incan stone work, so you are literally surrounded everywhere you go. i´m in a wonderful hostel and have made friends to explore with. even without machu picchu, cusco is worth the trip!
this morning i woke up early, went to the market and bought eggs, avocado, tomato, onion, and cheese. i came back, cooked myself breakfast and ate with friends. an absolutely perfect morning. i also bought myself a doll, which is completely out of character. i´ve named it hilldalgo. it may or may not sleep on my pillow.
ANYWAY.
things are good, don{t worry. i{ll check in again when i know where we are headed next!
love hill
i´ve successfully met up with manue and tom, had my first pisco sour, and explored the town of cusco. it is beautiful here. the whole city is built on incan stone work, so you are literally surrounded everywhere you go. i´m in a wonderful hostel and have made friends to explore with. even without machu picchu, cusco is worth the trip!
this morning i woke up early, went to the market and bought eggs, avocado, tomato, onion, and cheese. i came back, cooked myself breakfast and ate with friends. an absolutely perfect morning. i also bought myself a doll, which is completely out of character. i´ve named it hilldalgo. it may or may not sleep on my pillow.
ANYWAY.
things are good, don{t worry. i{ll check in again when i know where we are headed next!
love hill
Thursday, January 28, 2010
safe and sound
arrived early in the morning, safe and sound. i picked a hostel with 24 hour reception, so i was able to crawl into bed at 6am and sleep off some of the bus travel.
it´s cold here, but it isn´t raining. everything in this part of cusco is absolutely fine. i wouldn´t have come if i expected otherwise. going to eat some breakfast and try to meet up with tom and manue! then we´ll make a plan. i can´t imagine staying here long with machu picchu the way it is.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
arequipa!
not all is scary and bad.
BEST PARTS OF THE PAST 24 HOURS:
1. speaking spanish with anyone and everyone, making more local friends than ever before!
2. the man that i sat next to on the night bus is a police officer in cusco. we chatted in a very calming way, and i felt safe enough to sleep. in the middle of the night he put his big policeman jacket over me so i would be warmer.
3. arriving in a town that had roads swarming with cars SMALLER THAN SMART CARS. they looked like toys, but were actually motorcycles that had been modified into the smallest cars i have ever seen. some of them were made to look like insects. i KID YOU NOT. it was unbelievable. when they gathered places it got creepy like when squirrels start to congregate. i wondered, ¨with enough of them could they overtake the bus?¨
4. waking up in a land of sand dunes, which i had never seen in outside of pictures. they sparkle!
5. going to the mirador in arequipa and seeing the big volcanoes from high up.
6. meeting a boy whose father and grandfather are jungle shamans. we went to the inca museum and he described what everything was.
7. getting to be in high-gear planning mode for the last 24+ hours. i love it. i love being on the move.
some is.
WORST PARTS OF THE PAST 24 HOURS:
1. i made new irish friends in the lima train station. while we were sitting and chatting, someone took off with their handbag. it contained money, passports, credit cards, and yellow fever vaccination proof.
by the time we noticed and called the credit card company the theives had already tried to use the cards 7 times. in 15 minutes! my new friends had to stay in lima while i went onward onward onward. disconcerting. good thing i never put my bags down, not even for a second.
2. the fact that i might be plunging headfirst into a state of emergency in south america.
BEST PARTS OF THE PAST 24 HOURS:
1. speaking spanish with anyone and everyone, making more local friends than ever before!
2. the man that i sat next to on the night bus is a police officer in cusco. we chatted in a very calming way, and i felt safe enough to sleep. in the middle of the night he put his big policeman jacket over me so i would be warmer.
3. arriving in a town that had roads swarming with cars SMALLER THAN SMART CARS. they looked like toys, but were actually motorcycles that had been modified into the smallest cars i have ever seen. some of them were made to look like insects. i KID YOU NOT. it was unbelievable. when they gathered places it got creepy like when squirrels start to congregate. i wondered, ¨with enough of them could they overtake the bus?¨
4. waking up in a land of sand dunes, which i had never seen in outside of pictures. they sparkle!
5. going to the mirador in arequipa and seeing the big volcanoes from high up.
6. meeting a boy whose father and grandfather are jungle shamans. we went to the inca museum and he described what everything was.
7. getting to be in high-gear planning mode for the last 24+ hours. i love it. i love being on the move.
some is.
WORST PARTS OF THE PAST 24 HOURS:
1. i made new irish friends in the lima train station. while we were sitting and chatting, someone took off with their handbag. it contained money, passports, credit cards, and yellow fever vaccination proof.
by the time we noticed and called the credit card company the theives had already tried to use the cards 7 times. in 15 minutes! my new friends had to stay in lima while i went onward onward onward. disconcerting. good thing i never put my bags down, not even for a second.
2. the fact that i might be plunging headfirst into a state of emergency in south america.
Cusco, take 2.
manue says-
the epicenter of damage is on the inca trail, the railroad in, and at machu picchu itself. the only places in cusco that have really been affected are homes tin poor neighborhoods that couldn´t withstand the rain.
so despite the warnings from the states, i´m going to go meet up with manue and tom. if we have to leave we can leave together and have adventures elsewhere. we also may be able to volunteer nearby.
¨We arrived in Cusco this morning, we are safe, the city looks ok, the countryside is a mess, from what we saw on tv.
The impact on the city itself is some water shortage. But nothing to really worry about for your own safety.
So please, take this bus and join us.¨
the epicenter of damage is on the inca trail, the railroad in, and at machu picchu itself. the only places in cusco that have really been affected are homes tin poor neighborhoods that couldn´t withstand the rain.
so despite the warnings from the states, i´m going to go meet up with manue and tom. if we have to leave we can leave together and have adventures elsewhere. we also may be able to volunteer nearby.
uh oh spaghetti-o
so. cusco is being totally socked by rain and disaster. the train to machu picchu is closed because a landslide knocked out the tracks.
my bus was canceled, and i was rerouted to arequipa, which is where manue and tom were BEFORE they left for cusco last night.
i now have a ticket to go on an overnight bus to get to them, but i´m a little afraid of the conditions of cusco.
anyone have any thoughts or ideas? can you do some research state side and give me a heads up? ahhh i need to hear from manue. my bus is scheduled to leave at 8pm tonight, the second overnight bus in two days. CRAZY I TELL YOU.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
to cusco i go go
today i take the 24 hour overnight bus ride to cusco. major concerns include dirty or non-existant bathrooms, safety of personal belongings, comfort, and boredom. also if i regain the ability to feel hunger i may be in for a tortuous wait. will be packing some food for the trip, which begins at 2pm.
yesterday was the hardest day yet, and maybe the hardest day i{ll have. lots of being shuttled around in cabs, being overcharged and ending up in the wrong place, plus a ticket on a busline i didn{t want to take. today is looking up... and no matter what, at least my tan is back!
i will check in ASAP upon my arrival in cusco! until then.
yesterday was the hardest day yet, and maybe the hardest day i{ll have. lots of being shuttled around in cabs, being overcharged and ending up in the wrong place, plus a ticket on a busline i didn{t want to take. today is looking up... and no matter what, at least my tan is back!
i will check in ASAP upon my arrival in cusco! until then.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
i saw molly!
here´s to just saying no to the peruvian coast- brought to me by five shifty-eyed young men. the leader looked like molly fitzgibbon- if she was a peruvian man wallowing in a meth habit. he gave me a dog-eared business card to the tattoo parlor in which he is an artist. ooo plans for tomorrow!
lima-bean checks in
THOUGHTS ON TRAVELING ALONE:
1. the feeling is beyond anxiety, beyond terror, beyond excitement. life hanging by the fingernails.
2. taxis. more money. more risk. more anxiety. less sweaty bodies touching. less disagreements over the only seatbelt.
3. the freedom to do ONLY WHAT YOU WANT. ONLY WHEN YOU WANT. may become overwhelming and result in a lack of motivation. may be strangely exhilarating.
4. better for my spooky spanish, which is waking up and wobbling into the light of day. it´s alive, it´s undernourished.
5. important to talk to strangers. made friends in the hostel and went grocery shopping. made friends at the ruins and took pictures. these things give me the shot of validation i need... ¨i DO exist!¨
TODAY´S GOALS
1. Find a place to stay the night.
2. Get a yellow fever vaccine.
3. Figure out where i´m going, how i´m getting there, and how i can find the correct balance between SAFE and CHEAP AS HELL.
4. Eat something.
Check, check, no fucking idea, check.
The HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY:
getting scooped up by a lovely couple who were out walking their dog, blanca. they looked more like they belonged in SoCal than peru. after inquiring about my quest for the yellow fever vaccine they led me to a safe and cheap (yay!!!) clinic, figured out the cost, and made me an appointment. HELL YES SPANISH.
OVERALL
this place is pretty great. aspects are strangely un-ecuadorian- there are no street dogs, only pets. on leashes no less. there are large expanses of large buildings with no street vendors or people, yet the feeling of safety and maintenance. it´s bizarre, but i like it as a starting point for this solo journey.
missing you all. keep telling myself that i have to make it at least a month, at least until money runs out, at least until i see macchu piccu, or at least until i have something concrete to do when i return. i´m so happy to be here. the sun is on, the fruit is good, the language is challenging, and i´m forced to do self exploration. however. if anyone wants to join- you know how to find me.
love hill
1. the feeling is beyond anxiety, beyond terror, beyond excitement. life hanging by the fingernails.
2. taxis. more money. more risk. more anxiety. less sweaty bodies touching. less disagreements over the only seatbelt.
3. the freedom to do ONLY WHAT YOU WANT. ONLY WHEN YOU WANT. may become overwhelming and result in a lack of motivation. may be strangely exhilarating.
4. better for my spooky spanish, which is waking up and wobbling into the light of day. it´s alive, it´s undernourished.
5. important to talk to strangers. made friends in the hostel and went grocery shopping. made friends at the ruins and took pictures. these things give me the shot of validation i need... ¨i DO exist!¨
TODAY´S GOALS
1. Find a place to stay the night.
2. Get a yellow fever vaccine.
3. Figure out where i´m going, how i´m getting there, and how i can find the correct balance between SAFE and CHEAP AS HELL.
4. Eat something.
Check, check, no fucking idea, check.
The HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY:
getting scooped up by a lovely couple who were out walking their dog, blanca. they looked more like they belonged in SoCal than peru. after inquiring about my quest for the yellow fever vaccine they led me to a safe and cheap (yay!!!) clinic, figured out the cost, and made me an appointment. HELL YES SPANISH.
OVERALL
this place is pretty great. aspects are strangely un-ecuadorian- there are no street dogs, only pets. on leashes no less. there are large expanses of large buildings with no street vendors or people, yet the feeling of safety and maintenance. it´s bizarre, but i like it as a starting point for this solo journey.
missing you all. keep telling myself that i have to make it at least a month, at least until money runs out, at least until i see macchu piccu, or at least until i have something concrete to do when i return. i´m so happy to be here. the sun is on, the fruit is good, the language is challenging, and i´m forced to do self exploration. however. if anyone wants to join- you know how to find me.
love hill
Saturday, January 23, 2010
LIMA
HI HI HI!!
i am borrowing a stranger´s computadora, so i must be brief. I AM HERE, I AM ALIVE, I AM FED, and I AM HAPPY. all of the anxiety and fear has lifted. i do believe that i´m much safer here than i ever was in ecuador.
details to come!
love you all!
hill
i am borrowing a stranger´s computadora, so i must be brief. I AM HERE, I AM ALIVE, I AM FED, and I AM HAPPY. all of the anxiety and fear has lifted. i do believe that i´m much safer here than i ever was in ecuador.
details to come!
love you all!
hill
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Save, Save, Save!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
"it's a lady?!"
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Museum or Fun House?
Travel Tip #7:
Keep an open mind at museums.
Below is an exploration of the Basilica de Nuestra Señora de Agua Santa in Baños, Ecuador. We'll start with a Lonely Planet review and move into some first hand experience.
Lonely Planet review:
First hand experience:
Keep an open mind at museums.
Below is an exploration of the Basilica de Nuestra Señora de Agua Santa in Baños, Ecuador. We'll start with a Lonely Planet review and move into some first hand experience.
Lonely Planet review:
Above the Basilica de Nuestra Señora de Agua Santa is a little museum with an eclectic, if somewhat haphazardly thrown together, collection of poorly kept taxidermic animals, religious paintings, church vestments and local handicrafts. A significant portion of the display contains donations by pilgrims to Nuestra Señora de Agua Santa, the local icon, including military attire and a surprisingly sizable collection of toy trucks.
First hand experience:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)