City Streets

       I have a tinge of regret for not photographing more in the cities, because what I came away with was usually pretty neat. Although it is proper etiquette to ask people's permission to take their photo, I wanted to capture candid moments. So usually my photos turned out blurry and off-kilter, but I think that makes them all the better. I chose to shoot in black and white because that's the mood I always seemed to be in the big cities... just kinda gray.

So today, I will let the photos tell the story. 

 

       

 

For me to look back on these, it's painful to realize that I could have ever felt like I wasn't a part of all this, that it was a separate reality from my own. Truth is, we are all one. One mans poverty is my own. One mans struggle is my own. And one mans happiness is my own.

If we all just realize that we are one and simply live in love, compassion, and generosity,

who knows what greatness could manifest. 

"Travel brings power and love back into your life."

                                                                    -Rumi

Hiking the "World's Deepest Canyon"

Beep…beep….beep…. the alarm is the last thing I want to hear right now. It's only 2:30 am, my alpaca steak is still digesting, and I am still a tiny bit buzzed from the two glasses of Malbec I had with dinner. According to all the tour agencies, this is the last bus headed to Colca Canyon, a five hour drive from Arequipa. I manage to pull myself together in the dark, as not to wake any of my hostel mates, still blissfully lost in dreamworld.  

As soon as I hop on the bus, it's nap time. We are woken up around 6:30 for breakfast in a little restaurant in Chivay. Next stop is an hour down the road at a lookout filled with people hoping to see the great Andean condor! We lucked out and saw a few. With a wingspan of about 10 feet they are massive! 

Finally, the bus drops us off at our last stop, where things really get interesting. First, let me just point out that Carli and I are using a guidebook from 2005…slightly outdated, I'd say. Secondly, we had done virtually no research of the area and have no idea where to even start. We wander around the town to various trailheads for a solid hour and a half. We finally find the right track (landmarked with a large bull ring), and begin what we had intended to be a five-day trek along the canyon to some other town. It isn't long before a nice man on a donkey rides by and asks where we are headed. We tell him our 'plan', and he begins spitting out reason after reason of why we should not go that way… most memorable, a white girl got murdered in our destination town not too long ago. He insists on a different route, one we didn't really pay close attention to, and wishes us luck. Fortunately, a couple girls (who were smart enough to hire a guide) pass us, and we just decide to follow them! Five hours, a steep13,650 feet, and many falls later, we reach the bottom. There is a lovely little "village" (otherwise known as a hostel and campsite) where we decide to spend the night. It costs about 5 soles each to camp, something we didn't consider when we only brought a total of about 40 soles with us (we really like to plan, obviously). But we pay and set up camp in a great grassy area, and are quick to jump in the hot springs next to the river. Instant rejuvenation! Then of course, stuff our faces with an always interesting camp dinner of spicy mayo ramen, bread, and oatmeal cookies. Carb up! 

The next morning we wake up fairly early, and have a nice slow morning of breakfast, feet soaking, and breaking down camp. Unfortunately by 9:30am in the desert, it is already 75 degrees. We set out on the trail, and soon stop to ask a local where exactly to go. She directs us to the "highway" and says to follow that to the oasis. We climb steadily for a few hours on a terribly dusty road, where we get dust in our eyes, mouths, ears, noses, everywhere. Finally we get smart and pull our buffs over our faces, why didn't I think of that sooner? Then a steep two-hour descent leads us to the beautiful oasis. We bathe in the chilly pool, relax our muscles, then set up camp in a nice little garden area. Bedtime comes early tonight, as we have an early morning hike out of the canyon. 

Luckily the weather for our final day is ideal, overcast and in the 60s. We wake up around 4:30am to get a head start on what we expected to be a 5-hour hike to the top of the canyon. The pace is slow and steady for me, I can feel my calves tightening with every step. Person after person riding donkeys pass me, and I have to feel a little bit of self-satisfaction that I didn't take the easy way out. I have to laugh when they ask me "is it hard?" well yeah, it is hard…why else would you be on a donkey right now!? But luckily it only takes two and a half hours to reach the top, where I am welcomed with delicious fresh bananas. 

Now the fun part…finding a way back to Arequipa. We ask around and find a "bus stop" which is really just a little market that sells bus tickets on the cheap. We decide to get a quick coffee and bite to eat before our bus leaves. When it comes time to load the bus, we quickly realize, oh yeah, this is a locals bus. Meaning stopping every five minutes, distinctive and kinda foul Peruvian bus odor, and crazy reckless driving. But we eventually make it back to Arequipa in nearly one piece. I am pretty much unable to walk at this point on account of my calves being so tight and sore. 

After we arrive we decide to treat ourselves to a homemade veggie dinner and a bottle of wine for each of us. A perfect ending to a pretty spectacular trek!

Notes on Home, from a Forever Wanderer

Hello my dear readers! 

First, let me offer up an apology for such a long absence when I know there was a lot of living vicariously you wanted to be doing! But ya know, sometimes living life just gets in the way of sitting on a computer long enough to write what needs to be written. Now that I am home, I have given myself the necessary time to sit down and truly collect myself a bit. 

I must admit, out of all the places I have been, coming back home was the most surreal moment. I can feel big changes happening all around and within me, but on the surface is seems as though nothing in this town has changed, though life surely continued on in my absence. My room is still the same, though it now seems far more crowded after living out of a backpack for months. What I am getting at, is that it feels as though I never left. Although I have just returned from a life-changing adventure, I find life here very much the same. It's comforting and discomforting at the same time. I love being with my family again, I love having my own bed and not worrying about where I will sleep each night, and I love Wyoming. But now it is immediately back to talk of "my next big adventure", it's back to obligations like bills and taxes and a job. It truly does set me into flight mode, when just a few weeks ago I wanted nothing more than to be hanging out at home with no itinerary, no traveling, just relaxing. 

I don't know if it is a common paradox for travelers to miss home when traveling and miss traveling when home, or if it's just me. Either way, I am a firm believer that I control my universe, my reality..and every situation is only as good or as bad as I make it. So I am going to make this a grand experience, because what I am striving for in life right now is quality. Quality relationships, quality time, and quality within myself. I honestly have no "big plans" other than doing things and being with people who bring joy into my life. I want to develop my skills as a photographer, as a yogi, as the person I AM. I have aspirations of spending the summer months lost and learning in the wilderness, because that is where I find my truest bliss. Remember, making yourself happy is the easiest way to spread love and good energy throughout our lives as well as others. 

So let's see…how could I possibly sum up a four-month trip in South America in one blog post? I can't. So starting now, I will be going back and filling you in on all the happenings of my trip a little bit at a time. That way I can fully express moments how they deserve to be. I think I had left off last in Paracas, Peru…

We checked into the Kokopeli hostel, which was covered in daring art and filled with lovely people. Past the pool area, the dorms, the living room, sits the outside patio on the beach. It's complete with hammocks, pool tables and a tiki bar. This place promised nothing less than being a total vacation from the outside world…and after all the hustle and bustle of Iquitos and Lima, was just what I needed. 

The next week was a slight blur of lounging, soul searching, mango slushies, and lots of laughs. I was so thrilled that Jessica and Meshach (my friends from Alaska) decided on the same route as us, so I was able to spend a lot of time with them! We all took a boat tour around Islas Bellestas, islands full of seals, penguins, and multiple types of birds, as well as the famous Nazka lines. Unfortunately I was feeling a bit under the weather/sea sick, so I wasn't incredibly thrilled… especially with our pestering tour guide (thus, no photos). I also met a couple guys from Alaska, who were super cool and made me want to go back to AK. We sea kayaked with dolphins, which was a freeing experience…even though Carli was bleeding profusely from the leg (we had some troubles launching the kayak into the water). And I had one of many near-death bathroom experiences… thank you, Peru, for doing something kinda terrible to your food.

 Then after we had as much down-time as we could handle, we all hopped on a bus to Huacachina, an oasis town in the middle of the dessert. Here we went on a dune buggy and sand boarding tour, visited wineries, and were 'forced' to endure Pisco shots. Pisco is the most popular liquor in Peru, made from the vapors of wine, and is enjoyed mostly in the form of a Pisco sour. I'll take the wine instead, please. 

  From here, we hopped on a ten-hour bus ride to Arequipa. 

And that's where I will be starting off at next post!