2 months later...

You know you're in South America when...your one-hour 'direct' flight is delayed for half a day (there's no radar and when the fog finally clears the pilots are busy eating lunch), then you get a free, three-hour stop, two-plane-change aerial tour of the country, only to arrive 16 hours later, just beating the 18-hour bus ride you were initially trying to avoid. -Andrew Dean Nystrom


There was a time when this summary was a painstaking reality. After 8 months of travel, I could not wait to get out! I was tired of being on the road. I no longer wanted to deal with the obstacles contributing to South America's zest and my not-infrequently loathing of it. I had had enough of 22 hour bus rides on unpaved roads, dirty washrooms forcing me to carry a constant supply of toilet paper, locals with no concept of personal space, traveler's diarrhea, over-priced hostels, bank international withdrawal fees (I've been charged over $200!), mountainous piles of garbage, bugs, begging children, language barriers, living out of a backpack, other backpackers, diarrhea, bad pizza with no tomato sauce, strange tasting powdered ketchup, traffic jams caused by sheep, early morning markets, border crossings, launderettes and mysteriously missing laundry, tourism agencies and their sales pitch, crazy fast drivers, strange skin reactions, altitude sickness, diarrhea, bottled water, ill-informed Lonely Planets, town riots, staring, chicken-foot soup, raw room-temperature meat, streets with no names, late-night bus movies in Spanish, bus drivers with little air-temperature control, cold showers, hard beds, soft pillows, partying hostel dwellers, 2-week holiday-goers, jaded travelers. I sadly became the latter, and at the time, could significantly lengthen this list. Now, 2 months after saying goodbye to this eccentric continent, I find myself missing it more than ever.

I'm in California at the moment, about to fly to Canada and my family for the holidays. I am in limbo; negotiating how to get an American work visa, where to call home, how to not be a bum. The transition from South American to European and finally American culture has been a difficult one. I find myself longing for the things that once annoyed me. I want back the simplicity of living, the love I experienced for myself and the people around me.
Those I befriended reminded me of the importance in family, community, nature, folklore, religion. How sacred culture should be. People, both local and foreign, who convinced me to volunteer with underprivileged kids, and to climb not 1 but 2 high peaks. It was through them that I discovered only when tested do we truly know ourselves. They reminded me of why I travel.

Apus, mountains, Bob Dylan and all things Huaraz

Opening my eyes after a bumpy 8 hour overnight bus ride I immediately knew I would dig Huaraz.

This city, a bowl within snowy peaks, is the base for world-famous treks. Mountaineers and trekkers from all over the globe come here to prepare for life changing journeys, and after reading the somber eulogies on my hostel´s walls I discovered that some don´t make it back alive.

When not out playing in the mountains this place simply rocks! My hostel has views of Huascaran (the highest peak in the Peruvian Andes at 6768m), a cozy fireplace and hammock. The restaurants here serve thin crust pizza, lomos, freshly baked cakes and local brew. There are about 5 homemade ice-cream parlours competing for your love at .50 cents Cad a cone.

Thermal hot baths, glaciers, horseback riding, mountain biking and rockclimbing are all available to occupy your day. As is the famed Cafe Andino, home to the comfiest couches, biggest veggie breakfast and largest collection of classic books (hard to find in Fabio-esque romance novel polluted Peru). The owner is also a little obsessed with Bob Dylan.

Foolishly I thought I would be in and out of Huaraz in 3 days. Well, more than a month later I am still here.

I found the perfect trekking partner in Clay, a Californian who had completed at least 20 treks during his 5 months in South America. Together we did some short treks to test our lungs and legs. After Bolivia, I was nervous about the 3000m plus altitude. Our trek to Laguna 69 (still unsure of the name), took a beating out on me. After reaching the 4750m glacier, Clay raced down the mountain to claim my backpack which was seriously weighing me down with the altitude. I felt like my feet were nailed to the earth, barely able to put one foot in front of the other. Finally at the top I remembered why I was actually putting my body through this strain. The views of the snowy mountain peaks, closer than I had even seen them, were breathtaking. We spent a cold night drinking whisky under the stars.

A day later we were off again to complete the famed 4 day Santa Cruz trek in the Cordillera Blanca. We were among the few to go without a guide or donkey, carrying everything on our backs. Words cannot describe how much this trek meant to be. We were blessed with blue, sunny skies and incredible panoramic views of exposed mountain peaks. Unfortunately my boots were stolen in the night and I was forced to ascent the Punta Union pass (4750m) in Clay´s sandals. Awesome.

Back in Huaraz, after one day of rest we met Hunter and Page, 2 Americans eager to trek the Huayhaush. Teasingly they invited us along. Of course Clay and I were exhausted after the Santa Cruz but we curiously listened to their plans hoping to make it on our own later on. Quite spontaneously the night before their departure, with only a few hours left before the shops closed, we changed our minds. Racing around Huaraz we grabbed the necessary food, supplies and trekking poles (for me), for our 8 day adventure.

The Huayhaush in the southern Huayhaush Cordillera is a beast of a trek. Most people complete it in 10 or more days with pack mules and guides as the trails are poorly marked and safety is a huge concern. We did it in 8, on our own. I have never been challenged this physically before in my life. There were days when I nearly broke into tears, wanting desperatly to be out of the mountains. There was also one of the happiest days of my life; when we ascented the 5030m Punta Trapecio pass, a personal record for all of us. I had never felt more elated.

Our days were spent in extreme isolation, passing the odd cow or shepherd. I was reminded of how remarkable the survival story of Touching the Void is while drinking my soup, staring at Siula Grande, the mountain the boys would never forget.

Hunter was the unfortunate victim of the boot bandit this time around. However fortunately, after making enough fuss to the rangers paid to protect us, they were miraculously returned.

Our last night in the mountains rewarded us with beer sold by the Andean women. It helped to warm our frozen bodies (we were in bed every night by 7am due to the freezing temperatures).

Truly challenged, the following day I walked away from the mountains into the tiny town of Llamac feeling victorious and entirely proud of what I had accomplished.

Lima

Always mistakingly calling Lima La Paz, I was worried when I got on the bus in Cusco. 21 hours later I was in Lima! An overly friendly taxi driver, Andre, took me on a drive-by tour of the plaza and nearby colonial architecture. He was sweet enough to remind me to hide my purse between my legs as theives like to target tourists in idle cars.

I only had an afternoon to kill before I borded another bus. I spent lunch in an elegant cafe eating my first dish of ceviche in Peru followed by the famous lomo saltado. This dish packs a punch of tender beef strips, sauteed onions, veggies and a salty teriyaki-style sauce all on a bed of french fries. This was the beginning of a new food love affair. And all for under $5 Cad!

In the vast plaza I randomly started chatting with a guy who happened to know friends from Cusco. We wasted the rest of the afternoon in a pub overlooking the hills surrounding Lima while downing local brew. The beer helped send me to sleep on yet another overnight bus ride.

This time my destination would send me to the mountains! An expected 3 day stop in Huaraz has turned into a month-long (and counting...I´m still here) adventure.

Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

hh

Barely Bolivia

In Canada I had a rough itinerary for this South American odyssey of mine. I knew that I wanted to see the Andes. I also knew that I needed to go to Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia if only to take one of those wacky photos of a mini-me floating on top of a whisky bottle.

Sadly I didn´t make it to the world´s largest salt lake. .For various reasons.

In the north of Argentina I saw several small salt lakes, with no camera to be had. No bother. I was heading to Bolivia anyway.

Well...Gracie and I eventually broke away from Cusco for a holiday around Lake Titicaca. This sacred body of water is one of the highest lakes in the world at 3812 m. It is home to delicious trucha (trout) and man-made floating islands. Gracie and I spent a quiet night with a local family on isla Amantani eating trucha and french fries for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We continued our trip through the Bolivian border into famed hippy hangout Copacabana. Our intentions were to visit Isla del Sol (birthplace of the Inkan empire), but both of us ended up being hit hard by the high elevation. We spent most of our time lounging in the sun or sleeping in our inexpensive hotel beds.

Gracie was set to return to Cusco in anticipation of her parents´ arrival. My plan was to continue south to culturally rich La Paz and finally the Salar. As most of you know by now, I am an impulsive human being. This led to a quick return to Cusco. I missed my friends, missed the comfort of being settled somewhere and really didn´t think I had enough time to properly enjoy Bolivia.

Och well...To the future! Gives me reason to come back and do some treks through the challenging land. I have since met travellers who really loved Bolivia, surviving bike rides down the infamous ´death road´and reaching their highest elevations next to glacial lakes. I will return. Hopefully when I do the country will have settled politically.

It is hard to avoid talk of the conflict in Bolivia. Peru has just kicked out the Bolivian ambassador and there have been fatal protests in the Lake Titicaca region.

Adios Cusco

Since leaving Cusco I have met travellers who even afer only 3 days in the city felt that they had overstayed their welcome. True Cusco´s streets are conjested with tourists and women desperately trying to sell massages, but after nearly 7 weeks I was sad to go.

I was however fortunate enough to befriend folk with a lust for Cusco´s rich history and a need for eager students to teach it to. My dwindling time was spent conversing around Saqsayhuaman (pronounced Sexy Woman), final battleground between the Inka and relentless Conquistador, and Coricancha, otherwise known as the Temple of the Sun.

On my last day the Plaza de Armas erupted in celebration. Another typical Cusqueña day full of parades, traditional dance, and festivity. Unsure of what we were witnessing but glad that we were, Gracie and I spent hours simply enjoying ourselves. I left Cusco on the night bus for Lima, grateful for the memories.

Jungle Queen

Today, Saturday, has become the new day of rest. I could barely manage a walk to the market due to extreme exhaustion. Glad I went though. Gracie introduced me to an undiscovered aisle in San Pedro. An aisle where women make traditional health shakes out of frogs skinned alive and octopus. Yum!

Now I´m home, preparing for my very first eveningALONE in 4 months of travel!!! What am I to do without friends for one night!?! I´ve bought a bottle of Chilean red, and a flick for $1 from the market (bootlegged of course). I´ve got olives and a warm bed to look forward to too.

I´m pooped after 5 days in the jungle with a retired Shaman and fiery Guatamalen-Miami bred wild woman.

Booking the trek was easy. I knew I didn´t want to go commercial for Machu Picchu. I picked an alternative, locally run company owned by Pepe who also runs El Arbol, the veggie restaurant next to our spanish school. Upon meeting Pepe I knew I wasn´t going to get the conventional Machu Picchu experience. To be honest, I was a bit worried when I showed up day 1 to discover that it was just me and Majsha dressed in her finest fur jacket and Prada backpack. She mentioned Pepe being a Shaman and was eager to get into the San Pedro hallucenogenic state she had had previously in the jungles of Peru. Immedietaly I thought I was screwed, having booked the wrong tour. Turns out Pepe is retired from all of that and I had an entirely drug-free jungle experience, apart from chewing Coca leaves for altitude sickness, common and accepted practice in Peru.

Day 2 after a 6 hour horrifingly bumpy bus ride through the Sacred Valley and a quick snooze in the tiny town of Santa Maria I awoke to the most amazing jungle scenery. The climate was hot, humid and a nice change from the chilly days of Cusco and her high altitude. We departed for our trek and spent 8 hours exploring the jungle and the tiny communities within. I enjoyed Pepe´s tour for the financial support it gives to local families. We enjoyed homemade coffee, cheese empanadas, and cocoa seeds straight from the trees. A first for me, the flesh was deliciously similar to custard apple and the cocoa seeds had a thick texture. Muy bien! After several breaks along the trek for yoga, massages (Pepe is a trained reflexologist), and meditation sessions we made it to the thermal baths of Santa Teresa. This eden was a welcome break for our sore bodies. The ´resort´ is only a year old but the hot natural waters have been pouring from the mountains for thousands of years. Beautiful scenery surrounded me as I floated in the pool. So many shades of green!

After a lazy morning, day 3 took us away from roads as we treked the train tracks in the direction of Machu Picchu. Above us we saw the ancient trails of the Inkas, unrecognized by the Spaniards whom thanks to the density of the jungle, never discovered Machu Picchu. In Cusco my friend Tony taught Gracie and I all about the conquistadors path of destruction. They chopped off the heads of the Condor and Puma carvings, sacred animals of the Inkas, leaving only the snakes for the Christian connection with the devil. Gracie and I got to run our fingers along the rock carvings and were shown how they´re highlighted with the sun´s various positions.

Not a lot is known about the Inkan society, and Machu Picchu remains a mystery. Visiting the citadel was a childhood dream of mine, and I found myself enjoying being lost in the streets, exploring man made caves and soaking up sun on the terraces away from the tourists. The location of Machu Picchu is remarkable. Now only over-priced trains can enter the nearest town of Aguas Calientes as there are no roads. I´m glad I treked as it made the experience of reaching Machu Picchu all the more worth while. And the fruit! Oh my...Our trek was made longer by the constant breaks to pick fresh mangos, avacados, and guavas from the trees. The secret waterfalls were also worth the hunt through snake infested marsh.

One of the highlights for me was our last day. We had planned on leaving at 6 in the morning, but upon returning to the hot springs after a 12 hour trek 6 turned into 11 and then finally at 1 we departed for the town center to catch our bus to Cusco. This being Peru, there are holidays every other day. No one wanted to drive us. One 18 year old taxi driver (with his dad in the back seat keeping watch) juggled with the idea, knowing full well that he doesn´t get enough customers, but wanting to participate in the town´s parade that day. He had already put balloons on his car... And so we waited. Refusing to succomb to boredom we opened a bottle of wine and prepared a fresh lunch of avacado and cucumber. We played with the local kids and tried our hands at chess. Finally a local offered to take us in his car on the 6 hour journey. And take us he did...100 kms an hour on winding roads above the clouds with the peaks of the Alps at eye level, listening to regaton (duh de dah duh de dah duh) the entire way as our bodies crashed into eachother (no seat belts). Finally getting us safe and sound to Cusco at 10pm (I was expected to arrive at 1).

Being with Pepe and Majsha was the real trip. Pepe speaks broken English and Majsha had to translate what I couldn´t understand. Most of the time I listened to their rapid fire Spanish conversations about ex-spouses and their kids, nodding my head in agreement. I had to constantly request that they speak slower. The learning continues...

As does the night. Time for my local veggie sandwhich and a glass of vino.
Enjoy these first days of spring. Winter is approaching Peru. Bolivia will be even colder.

I leave Wednesday, after Gracie´s birthday celebrations. We´re thinking of splurging on a 15 soles meal ($5) rather than our usual 5 soles.

Ciao mis amigos!
xo
em

Jugo especial

Today Gracie and I treated ourselves to the ´special´juice we´ve been noticing in the market. For 6 soles ($2) we were given 2 glasses each filled to the rim with delicious goodness. Freshly blended mango, bee pollen, banana, raw honey, apple, pineapple, freshly cut aloe vera, a molasses type liquid, 2 raw eggs and a half-pint of dark Cusco beer. Sounds and looks disgusting, but it tasted delicious with a strong malty flavour. We could feel our bodies instantly grow healthier! The juice lady added that it´s perfect for hangovers. We might be going back tomorrow after yet another big night out at Roots, the local Salsa night club. We´ve been taking lessons with the cusqueña boys and their tight white shirts. Fun.

Soy Cusqueña

This morning I reminded myself that I only have two more weeks to enjoy Cusco. The 3rd largest city is Peru feels more like a big town. Gracie and I no longer walk the streets in peace as we´re always bumping into friends, students, teachers, the same old street vendors trying to sell us massages (´special price bonita, maybe now, maybe later...´)

Cusco holds a special charm over me. The narrow, cobblestone streets are constantly packed with tourists, beggars, entreprenurs, all cramed in between 700 year old Inkan walls.

Gracie and I lucked out by being invited to live (and pay $200 for the month) in Taita House, an up and coming long-term stay hostel overlooking Cusco in the tranquil, bohemian neighbourhood of San Blass. Our days instantly became social as the hostel is inhabited by the owner, Nico and his father, Tony, a jubilant restuarant owner from Lima who takes pride in cooking delicious vegetarian dishes for us on a nightly basis. While we eat he also enjoys serenading us with romantic love songs whilst strumming Gracie´s mini guitar.

For 3 weeks now Gracie and I have introduced delicious routines to our lives. In the morning we head to Spanish school in hope of cramming more words into our tired brains. After it´s off to the market for freshly blended juice and a chat with our favourite vendor. Back home for a siesta, homework and a stretch in the sun before meeting up with our favourite guys (all from Peru and Taita hostel, good friends who´ve invited us into their comfy world). We prefer to eat lunch at Lila´s in the San Blass market. $1 for a vegetarian feast of homemade soup, a whopping portion of curried beans, lentils, rice, fried banana (it changes every day), homemade yoghurt and a chocolate banana cake for desert. Yum. Her tiny stand is always packed, so we usually end up dining on the stairs outside, next to the women selling coca leaves and mending dresses.

In the afternoon we head to Aldea Yanapay for four hours of chaos! Aldea was an amazingly exhausting, albeit enjoyable experience. I had to prepare lessons daily for my group of 5-6 year olds. I usually had 8 in my art class (on a good day), and together we made animal masks, musical instruments (a great day!), painted easter eggs, and generally try to prevent the killing of eachother! The language barrier was a real thrill, as were the runny noses, face punches, foot stomping, paint brush throwing, insult spewing moments. At the end of the day the warm hugs, and cheek kisses made it entirely worth it. These kids come from poor homes with little education, and yet they were all smiles, all love (on a good day...). My favourite moment was this past friday. I had spent all week teaching my group of 10 year olds about the different continents. Each child had to remember one continent, 3 countries and 2 interesting facts. Easy right? Nothing was sinking into their brains. They´d shout that Thailand was in Antarctica and that penguins live in Africa. Finally on Friday, the day of the big performance, costumes and audience in tow, they remembered! They all bloody remembered! I was so proud! That was a good day.

Now that I am Aldea-free, I have an entire week to continue with my spanish studies while soaking up all that I can of Cusco. Over Easter we hosted Semana Santa. A week long of fesitivities including the procession of the virgen. This city tripled in size! And the sweets! What a celebration! People here love their desserts, well, actually, they seem to really love food period.
Good thing Gracie and I feel the same way.

Our strict rule is to try something new every day. We´ve done well so far.
Here´s a sample...

1. Rocoto Relleno - spicy peppers stuffed with carrots and deepfried in a thick batter. Sold on the streets for .75 and served with 2 mini baked potatoes.

2. Baked plantains and boiled quail eggs bought from wheelbarrows in the street.

3. Chicha, a local wine made from maize. It´s quite sour and not my favourite, but the locals love it and say it´s good for you!

4. Chicha morada, a juice made from purple corn, boiled with pineapple juice and sugar. We also sampled a pudding made from chica morada with a molases texture. Really thick and creamy and rich purple in colour.

5. Piccarones. Sweet potato batter deep fried into thin donuts and served drizzled with honey. My favourite! You can get 4 whole ones for $1!

6. Picante salsa with fresh cilantro, parsely, capsicums. Served with EVERYTHING! Super exciting flavours that burn your mouth and leave you wanting more.

7. Potatoes, native to Peru! Over 200 species with an array of colours and flavours. I have never eaten a sweeter potatoe until Cusco. It´s popular to eat them on their own or with salsa.

8. Maca. A root vegetable similar to turnip. It´s usually fried and can be bought from street vendors on cold nights.

9. Fruit, Vegetables and Honey! ALL organic, all fresh, all huge and beautiful in portion, all cheap, all from the Amazon! Avacadoes for 10 cents, honey for .50. I have never eaten so well. Vegetarian mostly too! The meat here is a bit dodgy as it´s usually kept at room temperature in the markets for hours on end. However, we have sort of promised ourselves that we´ll try the national fave Cuy (guinea pig). Served whole; head, arms, nails and all. I´ll let you know how that goes..

10. 100% Andean Chocolate. We tried chocolate balls made with Pisco, the local brandy-esque liquor made from Peruvian grapes. It´s normally served as a Pisco Sour with a mixture of lime juice and egg whites. Frothy. The perfect mix of sweet and sour. Goood!!!!

11. Ceviche. Fresh fish marinated in lime juice and served ´raw´. It´s been nearly a month since I´ve last had this dish, and I´m really looking forward to eating more on the northern coast.

As you can guess, I´m enthusiastic about Peru. The other night we were invited to the opening of Kusikay. An entirely Peruvian production of dance, circus acts, song, slapstick comedy. The founder, also playing the clown, became emotional at the end of the night, pouring his heart out for his love of Peru. The most poignant moment for me, was in the middle of the show when two groups of dancers came on stage carrying their different idols. On the left the serious, mournful with their virgen in white. On the right, the colourful, playful natives carrying their simple Inkan mummy. The mixture of these rich cultures has created a bounty of soulful music, cuisine, textiles, art and a people with warm smiles and open arms. I love Peru. Talk about love at first sight. Even a severe bought of stomach illness at the start of my time here wasn´t enough to turn me away!

Next week MachuPiccu and more adventures in the Sacred Valley. There´s a lot of magic to be had!

Until then..
Emily

3 Countries in 3 Days

From Salta, Argentina, Gracie and I hopped on a bus at 7:30am which took us through the vast sierra of Northern Argentina. At the border crossing to Chile some 8 hours later we experienced the first unwelcome signs of altitude sickness. After being on an air-conditioned bus, we had to wait in the sun to get our passports stamped, in a dusty bit of nowhere, standing just shy of 5000 meters. What a view! What a headache! Gracie felt faint and was very close to passing out when the border guards whisked her away to the oxygen pump. We were told that the best way to prevent altitude sickness is to drink lots of water, eat coca candies or the leaves, and consume plenty of sweets (another excuse to buy more Ducle de Leche). All welcome remedies.

Our drive continued through the Atacama desert, past villages of the ancient Aymara people stuggling to keep themselves and their culture alive. The Atacama is the dryest desert in the world with areas of unreported rainfall. Gracie looked out the window of our comfortable bus thinking we´d ended up on Mars. The landscape is devoid of any vegetation and provided a remarkablly visible sunset as we continued our voyage.

We eventually made it to the Chilean desert town of Calama, wreaking of wealth from the mining industry (Atacama once belonged to Peru but Chile discovered the resources and claimed it as their own). A few hours were spent at the mall in transit, (I felt like I was back in Toronto) as we avoided stares and waited for our unusually late bus. When the bus finally arrived it was overcrowded and I took this as a sign of things to come. No more luxurious travel with English language films and coffee. Time to lower my standards as I continue heading up north.

In the morning we stepped off the bus in Arica, an hours drive from the Peru border. We needed to rest and enjoyed our time at a Kiwi-owned hostel eating organic cereal and making new friends. Arica was hot and dry and as a result from my lack of sleep and Canadian-programmed climate preference, not very attractive. My favourite bit ended up being the fishermans´wharf. A hyper place of activity, stinking of wrotten fish and salt water. We happily sat and watched the Sea Lions scout about the place for leftovers. If only I were comfortable photographing portraits. You would have loved to see these men hard at work repairing boats named after loved ones, smoking ciggs and chatting about the days work.

One day I promise I will work up enough courage to confront someone and ask for their photo. There have been countless opportunities but I can´t bring myself to tamper the moment with a shutter click. I need to develop relationships first, so I am hoping these perfect photos ops will happen during my volunteer work in Ecuador. The women in Peru are especially stunning and a portrait of just one would bring all of my other travel photos to shame. There is a powerful history in the faces of these Andean women. Their wrinkles give away long days spent in the sun, toiling over their crops often more than the men. The standard dress is similar to that of a school girls, in that I mostly see them wearing knee-length pleated skirts, with wool stockings and braided hair. This juxtaposes with their strong, solid precense. If only I could sit down and chat with them!! My big curiosity is how they manage to fit bundles of clothing, food, babies in these beautifully woven fabrics the colour of Tucans, keeping them safely on their backs.

Peru. Agh, Peru. Gracie and I could not wait to get here! When we finally arrived after an easy border crossing we made it straight to Arequipa. This city (the 2nd largest in Peru after Lima), is a congested labryinth of cobblestone alleys, palm trees, street vendors, more taxis than I could ever count, nesstled in a valley at the foot of the menacing volcano, El Misti. The most remarkable buildings are the product of Jesuit architects and are made of sillar, a pearly white volcanic material. There is a convent in town taking over 3 blocks, where nuns lived seperated from outsiders for a century before it was discovered that they were up to no good, throwing parties and such. There are still nuns living inside, but most of it remains open for visitors.
In Arequipa I had my cheapest meal to date. 2.50 soles which works out to be around $1 Canadian, for a 2 course meal complete with chicken leg soup (I along with our British friend Pete were the lucky ones to actually have the feet in our soup, nails and all), and sweet tea for dessert.

After 3 nights in our comfy hostel we were ready to get to Cusco, especially after discovering a reasonably priced Spanish school which also partakes in community volunteer work. When we were booking our bus tickets for the overnight journey we discovered that the employees were on strike. Strikes, protests both loud and quiet have been common so far. In Arequipa we saw villagers demonstrating for free, accessible water, a most basic of human rights. Turns out the strike didn´t affect the cheaper, economico buses so the following morning we hopped on with locals and made the 8 hour (ended up being 11), journey to Cusco. Gracie and I were the only gringos on board and had all sorts of experiences, including being constantly stared at by the boy in front, to being thrown up on by a baby next to me (after her mom mixed breast milk with cola!) When we reached Cusco it was dark (sun sets at 6!) and we were exhausted! To make matters worse I ended up consuming something which has led to me being bed-ridden for 2 days (so far). Luckily I am well stocked with antibiotics and electrolytes (important for avoiding dehyrdation especially at extreme altitudes.) Cusco is around 3400 meters above sea level and we´ve been winded simply walking up the street a few meters. I´ve opted to stay at our hostel while Gracie explores the town and gets our course organized. Luckily our hostel is in the car-free, quiet streets of San Blas complete with stunning views of the hills and red tin-roofed valley of Cusco.

Tomorrow we begin our course and hopefully I will be well enough to check out the streets of my new home.

Hope you are all well and enjoying the beginnings of spring!
xo
Emily

Other bits you might find interesting...
In Arequipa we had wine at a Montral Jazz bar owned by Canadians. The wine was cheap and bad, as was the music. The band stuck to cheesy 80s pop songs, but when they sang Spanish songs they seemed to do alright!

I wanted to get a photo of the school kids in Chile and Argentina. The generic uniform is a long, white lab coat which makes the kids look like mini doctors and dentists.

In Peru mini-buses constantly zoom by, narrowly avoiding pedestrians, as a young boy hangs out the door shouting destinations. I have never actually seen one stop to pick up passengers but they are always full and fast.

We finally tried Inka Cola! Full of sugar and tastes like bubble-gum. We were disappointed to learn that it is now owned by Coca Cola. Boo.

Outside Arequipa are the deepest canyons in the world. I stuck to checking it out via post cards as it was a further 6 hours out of the way.

The buses in Peru are a real experience. At every stop vendors come on to sell fruit, strange looking meat, or to tell us a story on the history of Peru in exchange for some soles.

One of the greatest mysteries of South America so far is the recycling of old cds. Kids attatch them to the spokes of their bikes, and I have noticed them being used as window decorations!

one more.

Number 11 (my favourite)

When it is time to purchase a slightly used vehicle just look to the streets and you´ll find all sorts of cars with pop bottles on top.

TOP 10 Argentina

1. The smell of asados every night. Argentines take their bbqs seriously here, taking hours to prepare and finally eating at midnight.

2. The hospitality of the travellers and locals on our travels is incredible. Everything is shared from Mate to wine, lamb to cell phones and money.

3. Traffic! There are no real rules of the road. Speed limits are not obeyed, people go through red lights, cars whiz across intersections narrowly missing pedestrians and other cars. Oh and most of the streets are without signs so when we did drive the other day we had no real knowledge of where we were going! Had to ask for lots of directions in Spanglish!

4. A group of street kids in Buenos Aires caught my attention. All girls, all in well worn lace dresses with no shoes, holding hands in a line while pushing through the tourists and pedestrians on Av. Florida. If I could photograph people this would have been an amazing shot!

5. Empanadas! 3 choices: pollo (chicken), carne (beef) or queso (cheese). All labour intensive, all for under 3 pesos ($1) each and equally delicious!!

6. The market of Salta. Today we explored the numerous stalls selling fresh produce, vividly coloured spices and herbs, bootlegged dvds and bags full of coca leaves. Cocaine is made from these leaves, but left as they are they provide the locals with mouths full of spit mashed energy. I will avoid trying this tradition...

7. Argentina´s landscape is gorgeous. Vast country with unimaginable beauty. This place needs weeks to explore and is best done with a 4 by 4 as the roads are mostly unpaved. Even the main highway Ruta 40 is bumpy, dirty fun for hours on end.

8. The cemetaries here are colourful dedications to the lives of loved ones and are visited daily by relatives carrying cloth flowers and religious tokens. It´s totally moving walking through the rows of graves getting a sense of how respected and unfeared death is. There was one grave inscribed with the dates of 3 family members who died on the same date a month apart from one another.

9. Dulce de Leche

10. Madres de Mayo. The mothers who lost their loved ones during The Dirty War have never given up their fight for the memory of their children. They protest daily for the government to recognise and admit to the injustices.

ps. Check out Jon´s photos. He´s finally posted them. Thanks Jon!!!!

Sunny Salta?

Today has brought consistent showers to the usually sunny Salta. I am currently in the north of Argentina, in a city of around 1 million, sunburnt and rested. I welcome the rain as a chance to upload my ridiculous amount of photos and to perfect my ping-pong skills.

Gracie (my new travel partner) and I were lucky to land our hostel stay along with 3 guys from Spain whom we met in Iguazu. This place is a gem! The owner, Sebastian, is extremely laid back and after 3 nights here we´ve joked that we have yet to check in. Formality does not exist here. During the day the travellers go off to explore this beautiful colonial city and at night we all gather by the backyard pool to prepare asado (yes, more meat) while drinking Argentina´s fine wine. Sebastian, a chef by trade, has been feeding us all with vegetable quiche, Argentine beef, homemade bread and lots and lots of good humour.

Before I continue with Salta, I´ll step back a bit. Gracie and I spent our last day in Buenos Aires walking through the crowded streets before making our way to the bus station. 20 hours later we arrived in Puerto Iguazu. What a difference awaited us! Seperated from Brasil by a seemingly peaceful rio, Iguazu satisfied my curiosity for a tropical village. It was hot and muggy and full of mosquitos (thank goodness I remembered to get my free yellow fever vaccine in Buenos Aires). The town brought a nice change from the overwhelming streets of BA. Gracie and I were also fortunate enough to meet 3 hilarious boys from Spain who have been keeping us company ever since. We were also chosen to be in a commercial for ice-cream (delicious and cheap in Iguazu) and are now celebrities in Brasil. We made it to the cataratas (falls) our second day in and spent the entire day photographing every inch of the new 7th wonder of the world. The park itself is expensive and overcrowded. Even with over 250 seperate waterfalls it was impossible to escape the people. Two extremely exciting things about our time there: We encountered much wildlife like a caiman (crocodile), monkeys, gigantic spiders, rainbow inspired butterflies and a giant toad! I was also harassed by a mamma coatis , wanting to steal my food for her babies. Scary. 2nd highlight of the day: Our mini trek through the jungle to find a secluded waterfall and swimming pool. Perfect.

After 3 nights in Iguazu we had had enough. We spent our last day wandering the streets, eating more icecream and drinking a nice cold beer by the rio, enjoying views of Brazil and Paraguay. We hopped on another bus with our Spanish boys. 24 hours!!! We teased them for upgrading to the seemingly luxurious cama class as they ended up getting the same cold tv dinner we did and their seats remained in the same upright positions as ours. Actually, to be honest the buses in Argentina and Chile have (mostly) been a real treat. They´re quite affordable and provide enough comfort to sleep and be entertained with bootlegged movies.
No problema.

And now we´re in Salta, finding it difficult to leave this relaxed place. The market here is fantastic! I have to get over my insecurities of photographing people because here the faces are more indigenous and less European as they are in BA. The streets are crowded with locals selling and buying fresh produce, mountains of meat and regional crafts. Few tourists are found as they are mostly chilling in our hostel or the Simpsons themed bar in town. Yesterday Gracie and I along with an Australian couple rented a car and drove through the south of Salta to the tiny village of Cachi. This place was peaceful and we loved walking down the cobblestone streets being surprised by the occasional donkey or llama. It took us 5 hours to get to this place and it was a surreal drive. I felt like I was on Mars, never before seeing such a landscape. In both Argentina and Chile the terrain changes drastically from one place to the next and it gets increasingly difficult to pick favourites. The province of Salta is dry red sandstone spotted with lush cacti and the odd llama. Absolutely gorgeous.

Enjoy the photos and I´ll keep you posted as I continue making my way to Peru.
Adios.
Emily
ps. Spanish is still pathetic. We have made some Italian friends at our hostel who are dedicated to teaching us Italian and Spanish and my head hurts with the effort.

Big bad Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires has grabbed hold of my heart.
I arrived March 1st after weeks of tranquil camping, not knowing what to expect as I hailed a cab and wizzed through the crowded streets of BA passing historical monuments and colourful buskers.

My hostel´s neighbourhood is San Telmo and I couldn´t have been happier with the location and the people. But more about them later. Sunday in San Telmo is market day and I caught the tail end of it, stepping out the hostel door to witness a pack of drummers and salsa dancers taking over the cobblestone streets. I knew immediately that I had fallen in love with this special place.

Jon made the right decision choosing to fly to BA rather than pass his remaining time in rainy Patagonia. We met later in the evening and experienced our first night out in this city that never sleeps.

The night life here is incredible. People wake up when they please, eat small breakfasts followed by long leisurly lunches and even longer naps. Dinner doesn´t take place until at least 9pm and usually lasts until midnight. We spent our early evenings on the terrace of our hostel getting to know our new friends, drinking beer and sharing travel stories. At 2 or 3am when most peolple I know are snug in their beds, the Argentines go out. And go out we did. Every night! Dancing in clubs, dancing on the street, eating, tango, beer, wine, drum parties, wandering the streets in good company, finally sleeping at 6am and up again the next day at 9 to do it all over again.

What amazing friends we have made here! Gracie, an Australian from Perth who is travelling solo with her guitar has adopted me and i will follow her to Iguazu (where we are now) into Peru to attend Spanish school. I have chosen not to go to Uruguay as it is too expensive and the school is half price elsewhere. Some other time.... Juanito has been living in BA for 3 years and took us under his wing showing us the best bits of this big, crazy city. There were many more friendly faces who made our time in BA all the more exciting and comfortable. People I hope to keep in touch with for a long time.

We also met up with Antonio, our Peruvian friend from Ushuai. He took a big group of us out for Peruvian food on one of our first nights and fed us the famous cevice. This stuff is good. Raw fish marinaded in lime juice and hot peppers. We ate like royalty and had the greatest night. We also dined in a traditional parilla with Matias, our BA friend and had our fair share of meat to last us a while.

Liz, you would have appreciated the street dancing with professionals doing contemporary, tango, salsa and african infusion choreography. Gorgeous and all for free on the streets of San Telmo. This city is also famous for markets which take over the streets and tempt me to spend all of my life savings. The days were equally enjoyable and brought us to the different barrios. We saw Evita´s humble mausoleum in the posh Recoleta cemetary, watched street tango and rookie football stars in working class La Boca and ate spicy sausage choripan in Puerto Madero.

One of my favourite places was the pedestrian street Florida. All of Argentina exists on this streets through the people. Imagine Yonge street in Toronto from the lakeshore up until Bloor packed with buskers, street vendors, shoeless child beggers, rich white linen wearing shoppers, tourists, musicians, tango dancers, artists of many a variety and me! Always loud, always packed with people and full of energy.

Whatever you hear about Buenos Aires, whatever you´ve read about the dangers and poverty this city has to be explored to be appreciated. I fell in love with this place and left with only good memories. There were some stories of hostel dwellers being mugged and sad confessions from locals about the high crime rate and growing gap between the rich and the poor. This city is a place of many things both good and bad, but ultimately it is a place that needs to be seen.

From Paine to BA

So it´s been nearly a month and a head once full from stories is now tired and forgetful.

Let´s sum things up.

Torres del Paine, Chile. We trekked from February 10 until the 18th and were meant to do the Q or at least the entire circuit. We ended up completing the less worthy W trek in 8 days (It´s meant to only take 4). We took our time, enjoying the various refugios offering expensive wine and bread with peanut butter and jelly. It rained for most of our trek and eventually the rain defeated us and our tent. Many of the treks were shut down and our stove decided to break on us. I often wondered why I was bothering with it all, but only had to look up to see the snow capped mountains. My constant reminder of how magnificent and diverse the south of Chile is. We tested our bodies with 20 km daily hikes, uphill, with 90 km wind (almost hurricane worthy), snow, hail, wet boots, sore backs and an endless supply of powdered soups. Disgusting. So yah, the several refugios along the way provided shelter from the storm where we met wonderful friends including two girls from Scotland who cried looking out the window wondering why they flew to the bottom of the world only to end up back home.

We also checked out the Banff Mountain film fest and watched base jumpers, solo climbers and alpinists risking their lives for the love of it all. We felt good being Canadian those 2 days and learned to stop whining about a little rain....

Our last few days actually were sunny and we did some pirate camping in the puma patrolled valleys before heading back to Puerto Natales for a few days of rest and an all you can eat steak dinner complete with free cake from a birthday girl and 2 bottles of wine!

In Natales we stayed at our favourite hostel. Our home away from home run by 3 generations of Chilean women. It was heartbreaking saying goodbye after spending a week with this family who opened their doors and hearts to us and made us feel more than welcome. When I find their website I´ll post it for you (in case you ever make the long journey to Patagonia).

Our lazy days continued into Punta Arenas, a 3 hour bus ride south of Natales. We took it easy here, doing laundry and watching penguins shed their coats on Isla Magdalena on the strait of Magallen. There were at least 200 000 of them and they were adorable! Serra, I tried to steal one for you but I would have been thrown in jail if caught!

Continuing our journey we ended up in Ushaia, yet another sleepy port town, but this time in Argentina. Ushaia claims to be the last city before Antartica, but it´s a big lie as there is another town south. The tourists still flock to this mini disney for expensive cruises to the south pole and tacky seafood restaurants. We did manage to find a decent place to eat with historical newspapers glued to the walls. Prisoners were sent to Ushaia, once a town of 500 and now booming! We saw a movie here, met a cool Peruvian and did a couple of hikes in the mountains. By the end I couldn´t wait to get out!

I took a flight March 1st to Buenos Aires, and now here, I must say that this city is awesome!!!

But I´ll save those stories for another day....

Hope this finds you happy and well! Lots of love,
Emily

ps. Jon decided to tag along to Buenos Aires and is leaving in a few days for Santiago and Canada.

Happy Birthday!!!!!

This is for my mamma, my number 1 fan..

Happy Birthday! Check out my flickr site to see the video I made for you.

Con mil besos
Emilia

Where in the world?

From Chile to Argentina to Chile again

Jon and I have finally made it to Puerto Natales. One month later.
This town is perfectly small and packed with trekkers of all sorts and the very pro mountaineers. We´re staying in a very friendly family run hostel/home with a mountain `dancer` and a climber who have been coming here for 10 years. Check her out at Project Bandaloop. After nearly 2 weeks of camping we´re enjoying the warm beds, private bathroom and Chile´s finest movie networks.

Yes...two weeks of camping! Where have we been? Mostly on buses...And in between? Well, since I last wrote we left Coyhaique for the tiny town of Puerto Ibañez. We went with the intention of catching our ferry to Argentina, but ended up staying the night to revel in the rodeo. What a site. cowboys, or Gauchos from Chile, Argentina and Uruguay all showcasing their talents on wild horses for a small sum of cash. What it really was, however, and what we´re discovering about Chile, is that everyone simply loves to party. The life of a gaucho is probably quite lonely in remote and vast Patagonian landscape. A landscape inspirational for songs of longing for a past since forgotten by most South Americans. The music was similar to Portuguese Fado. The men themselves are very handsome, and well dressed in their berets and short pants. They don´t quite fit the rugged picture of an American cowboy, but I bet these dudes could kick anyones´ arse. Our friend Hillary did mention that she walked in on a room full of tough looking gauchos drinking pisco at 9am only to witness their hearts melt as they swooned for a baby guanaco who stumbled into the room, searching for milk.

The night we saw them they were taking turns dancing with the local ladies, sharing wine and stories. We had such a great day, eating asado and hanging with the folk of this dusty, windy town hiding in the Andes. Unfortunately, the following day our ferry disappeared and we changed our opinion of the town, wanting desperately to get out and over to Argentina to continue our travels south. When I say the ferry disappeared, I mean it was meant to come, but the officials told us it wasn´t going to show for 3 days. What?!? Stranded in Ibañez with its one market and stray horses, we sadly sat by the ferry dock dreaming of a way out, when hours later a boat 'magically´ appeared!! Stupid us, we didn´t have tickets, but ended up catching a lift thanks to the captains pity. 2 hours later we were in Chile Chico, picking pears and nectarines from the campground trees. The following day we headed across the border (easy) to Los Antiguos ARGENTINA!!! Famous for cherries and cheezy pizzas.

Argentina........From what I´ve gathered so far, it´s more expensive than Chile!?! They´re catching up after years of economic turmoil, finally taking advantage of the massive tourism idustry thanks to their UNESCO World Heritage sites. Argentina, like Chile has a shady past and the locals would prefer not to discuss it. Jon and I are ok with just chilling by the fire, learning about the art of the asado in El Chalten where we began cooking at 8 and didn´t eat our steaks until midnight, drinking yerba mate and having a laugh with the very generous Argentinians.

El Chalten is a town at the north entrance to the Parque Nacional de los Glacier. It´s a really chilled out place complete with tired, sunburnt mountaineers and exhausted trekkers. We spent a good 3 nights making great friends and drinking local beer. I made the mistake of spending 4 pesos (about $3) on a box of wine which left me feeling awful the next day. The Chileans called it ´mas pinas´ or a punch in the face. The Buenos Aires boys shared their cordero (lamb) after cooking it slowly over the coals until the wee hours of the night, with the stars watching over us. Beautiful town, beautiful scenery! We had the mountains surrounding us completely, and were lucky weather wise. Usually it´s a challenge to see the peaks, but we witnessed their majesty every single day! We decided to camp in the valleys for 4 nights after trekking for several hours uphill each day! Tired legs!!!

One concern...people don´t get what it means to leave no trace when camping. Toilet paper littered the woods and people took numero doses anywhere they pleased without burying it! Disgusting! The El Chalten access to the park is free as is camping, and the rivers are some of the last where you can drink straight from them, but if people keep on like this we won´t be so fortunate. There are huge environmental concerns for Patagonia right now. We`ve been noticing Sin Represas posters and tshirts promoting awarness and protesting private companies who want to interfere with Patagonia. In a few years the mountain vistas might be molested by power lines sending energy to Santiago, and the pristine rivers being dammed. It´s a sad thought, but one that apparently most people don´t seem to care about! If you ever camp please don´t ever leave anything behind except for footprints!

The freedom of free park entry was left behind when we bused it to El Calafate and the south entrance to the park. Touristy town. Expensive. Full of loud backpackers and rich Westerners. We had to check out the glacier though, the crowning glory of El Calafate. It cost us about $50 US but it was worth it! The Perito Merino glacier is massive and inspires poetry! It´s also very active, sending chunks of ice into the lago Argentino as we covered our ears from the force of the drop. What a beautiful site!

Now we´re resting our heads in Natales, meeting up with two American cousins whom we´'ve befriended. One´s been travelling South America for one year and just returned from Asia where he travelled for 2. Tonight there´s a fiesta in town where we hope to have some laughs (there´s no holiday, just another day to party). Oh yeah, we´re in Chile again. We had little difficulty crossing the border, just a loooong wait and an embarassed customs official as had held my tampons inquisitively. In a few days we´ll head over to Torres del Paine to begin our 10 day trek along the circuit. Pray for good weather!

That´s about all for now...Please enjoy the photos and drop me an email!
Con mil besos!
Emily

My Map

Check out where I have been!

The beginning of the end of the world

Hola! Jon and I have just stuffed ourselves with some fine Chilean cusine. Jon ordered the ´´poor man´s feast´´. A feast fit for royalty complete with steak and greasy fries. I stuck with the really unique paila marina, a soup crammed with all bits of sea life and a few sausages to help fill you out.

We deserved these meals after a 30 hour ferry ride (meant to be 24) along the coast of Chile. We left Quellon, a rough little port town, complete with drunks and bored teens exchanging kisses and cigarettes in the only park Jon and I called home for an entire afternoon. We have had a busy couple of days. The ferry was meant to leave Quellon, on the isle of Chiloe at 4pm, but this being Chile we are of course on ´spanish time´´. 4 really meant 7 which actually saw us leaving the port at midnight! Thank goodness Jon and I splurged on 2000 pesos extra to pay for beds! We really lucked out and had the cabin to ourselves. The views from the ferry were totally romanitc and atmospheric. Misty hills thich with old growth forest, with the tiniest fishing villages popping out along the way. Beautiful views! After 30 hours, and 3 books (one on Nazis and the other about a prostitute), we were going loco and ready to reach land! One French man, riding his bike through South America threatened to get off at one of the villages only to realize that there is no possible way out! These woods are thick!

So yah, 4pm turned into 4am the following day...we arrived dazed and exhausted, and starving (we only brought so much food and had to snack on cookies for dinner). Luckily, the gringos all stuck together and hopped in a broken down taxi whose driver brought us safe and sound to Coyaqhue, the little town where we rest our weary heads now. Tomorrow we head to do some camping in the hills on an organic farm and then we´ll make our way to ARGENTINA to continue our long journey down Patagonia to the end of the world.

I have to mention camping on Chiloe...sorry these mails are so long! It takes forever to upload photos so I have lots of time to kill....

Jon and I hopped on a bus to the national park of Chiloe. We did a 7 hour (supposed to be 5) trek along the coast of the south pacific, saw as penguin in the wild, went up and down the hills, got lost on cattle trails, almost collapsed of thirst and heat exhaustion, meant wonderful locals, and finally arrive the to refugio (beautiful wood cabins in the middle of nowhere), which was closed!!! Luckily we have tents and set up camp on the beach...BEAUTIFUL!!! so remote save for the 2 Californian couples camped next door. We got water from the river, read, wrote, chilled with the pig, 3 cows and 2 horses who kept us company. Jon was awesome after the trek he pulled out 2 surprisingly still chilled beers from his pack!! What a celebration that was.

5 new things I´ve disvovered about Chile...

1. the teenagers are really respectful and helpeful. Especially Santiago from Santiago who set us up with a campsite when we were stuck.
2. When Conaf, the underfunded park administration of Chile promises a site is free they really mean bring money because the farmers who rule that bit of remote land will hunt you down and charge you mucho pesos!
3. The girls here love ´´americano boy´s´and feel encouraged to take photos of Jon.
4. toilet paper really shouldn´t be flushed down the toilet.
5. cold showers rule!!!

Ciao amigos! Thanks for reading and enjoy the photos!

TOP 10 Castro, Chiloe

1. Dude dressed as Elivis complete with extra shiny silver bling, selling tomatoes and cucumbers out of a wheelbarrow

2. The kids at our hostel/homestay addicted to the movie Blade and hide and seek

3. The German mom and son duo travelling through Chile who shared their wine, fruit and company. Poor mom..we convinced her son to travel more.

4. The yappy princess dog outside our room who cries for her madre all day and night!

5. Reggaeton. What seems to be the national anthem for Chilean youth. The basic beat gets in your head and sticks. We´ve been hearing it EVERYWHERE! ´duh de da duh de day duh de da duh...´´

6. UNESCO churches and warm alpaca sweaters

7. The gym on stilts, which is exactly what I wrote...kinda uneasy looking.

8. Trekking through the muddy leftovers of early morning tides, and cutting feet on shell fish while avoiding the stares of locals.

9. Empanadas and completos (hotdog loaded with guacamole y tomatoes y salsa picante)

10. The sunsets and seals swimmi ng in the distance!!!!!!!!!

Mañana we travel to the Parque Nacional de Chiloe. We had a stressed-out, sleep deprived morning of finding ferry tickets to the mainland to continue our trek down to Patagonia. We had wanted to visit Chaiten but the volcano completely wiped out the town and our port. Big Problem! After a few frantic hours we were directed to a tour booker with two sweet girls eager to help. They got us two affordable spots on a 24 hour ferry with beds and a view of the fjords. We´re happy and had a bottle of wine to celebrate. I must always remember that obstacles only make you want something more. It all works out in the end.

Muchos Gracias!
ps. please ignore all spelling errors! I´m rushing!!
pps. Restaurant in Castro is called Años Luz.

xox

Chiloe, Chile

Jon and I have reached the island of Chiloe just south of the lake district in Chile. As we make our way south to Torres del Paine we´re experiencing colder weather, cities replaced by smaller towns, and friendlier faces. Chiloe is a real chilled fishing island with a rich culture of it´s own and the beautiful fishing huts called Palafitos where fresh fish rules!

We are currently staying in Castro for 2 nights to refuel our legs and stock up on food for our trek through the Chiloe national park. We had an amazing dinner last night (deciding to splurge on a 10$ US meal). I had the freshest Chilean sea bass with native purple potatoes and fresh veggies. It was extraordinary! I made Jon walk all over town searching for this place I´d read about in Lonely Planet. Azul Luna. Great great food! Totally worth the wait, and walk.

We had just arrived in Castro after a looong bumpy bus ride from Puerto Montt where we scoured the town for Camping equipment. We need fuel and I had my swiss army knife lost, or stolen. In a lank of treks and camping it has been impossible to find gear. We keep being pointed to shops where they specialize in just about everything, but find only a couple of tents, stylized camping clothes, lawn mowers and bikinis all in the same aisle!! Puerto Montt did not prove totally a waste of time in the pouring rain with our heavy packs...we saw el presidente del Chile, or at least the body guards and Jon bumped into a man he shared some hours with in the Sri Lanka airport years ago. Pretty amazing!

Our heads were also still full of blissful memories of Puerto Varas, the very relaxed town on the sea. We loved this place famous for german style chalets and churches. In our cozy, pine walled hostel we met Mark. He´s an ex stock broker turned Colorado river guide. We spent a few days together eagerly planning the 9 to 10 day Q trek we want to do in Torres del Paine. This trek promises extreme wind and metre deep snow and mud, so I´m happy to be sticking with two boys, one of which is experienced in dangerous situtations. We´re also hoping to do some sea kayaking with him, and life jackets!

Anyway, he´s off to run one of the top 3 rivers in the world, the futulafue (sp!!?) So we´ll meet up in a month or so....

It´s time for Jon and I to search this town for camping gear and a couple of trekking poles for me so I don´t blow away. I´m also hoping to find an alpaca sweater. We´ve already purchased 2 caps hand made for 2000 pesoes, around 3 bucks us. We´re trying our hardest to blend in, but with our lack of spanish (I´still study every day!!) and white skin, it´s proving difficult. The people are lovely and friendly though. Chile is proving to be a comfortable, safe, beautiful country to travel in.

We´ve been staying with a local famiily in their house in Castro. Our room overlooks the sea and we´ve just been stuffed with a breakfast we didn´t know we were getting!

Adios amigos y hasta pronto!
Emilia

Adios Santiago

It is hot here! Too hot and polluted.
We are ready to leave. Lounging by the pool, drinking cheap beer and listening to 90s classic rock has been fun and all, but we've already warn every article of clothing we own, and are ready to blend in with our fellow, equally stinky, trekkers.

So tonight (a las noches) we hop on a comfy overnight bus to Puerto Varas, just outside of Puerto Montt in the lake district. We are inching ourselves closer to Patagonia and have opted to spend most of our time in the near future in the Chilean side before trekking up Argentina in the later, less touristy months.

I know this might be lame, but here's my top 10 list of things I've discovered about Santiago...
1/pisco sour really is sour and sweet and leaves you with the worst hangovers. No more...
2/ Santiago is polluted! We climbed Cerro Santa Lucia at 628 m to get a better view of the Andes, but couldn't see past the smog
3/ The men are gorgeous! Especially the mestisos!
4/ the women dress like they're teenagers until they hit 60ish.
5/ the people are warm and patient with our pathetic spanish attempts
6/ no one speaks english! Trying to get our bus tickets was a really riot! Lots of confused faces
7/ beeer is wonderfully cheap and better than water (thanks for your advice mom!)
8/ there are lots of parks here and even more stray dogs *jon has taken on the mother teresa roll for all filthy animals
9. a good way to get to know any city is to spend time in the markets and try all of the amazing dishes even if you don't know what you're eating
10. It is more fun travelling with a friend (: Jon has saved my life more than once. Traffic here is brutal and drivers DON'T stop! It's funny watching locals run for their lives.

Muchos besos! Siempre, Emily

Puerto Montt, Puerto Varas

Sunny Santiago

Hola!
Jon and I have arrived in Santiago, Chile after what proved to be an exhausting long day and night of travel. We left Jon's place at 6am, arriving at the airport late due to doors being frozen shut. Jon and I had not had much sleep so we were pooped but ready to go.

We knew we would be in for a long flight, with a connection in Costa Rica, but what we didn't know was that our 2 flights had somehow doubled. 4 boarding passes were handed to us in Pearson. The fun was only beginning.

Flight number one was delayed an hour and a half. Eventually we arrived in San Salvador, El Salvador (a country I will visit properly one day). Flight #2 was delayed almost 2 hours due to an earthquake shaking things up in Costa Rica. We eventually made it after a couple of hours in the air. From the airport window Costa Rica looks stunning and I really cannot wait to spend some time there in July. Flight #3 brought us to a large, clean and comfortable Hugo Chavez airport in Lima, Peru. Finally flight #4 arrived us tired and cranky, but excited nonetheless in Santiago, Chile.

4 countries, 3 contenants, 3 times zones and 17 hours later we had a breezy time getting through customs at 330am. We were shocked, however, to learn that the mandatory $55 us entry fee for Canadians had now increased to $132!! A whole dollar more than Americans! Obviously Canada has been making some changes and the Chileans are paying us back!

It was too late for us to book a hotel, or find a taxi into town so we begrudgingly opted to making the best of a couple of chairs in the airport. Horrible, horrible sleep. I woke up miserable, but then looked out the massive airport windows to see the snow capped Andes welcoming me to this stunning country!!!

Now we're lounging at our hostel, La Casa Roja in the bohemian district of Santiago. The city is big, loud and very European. Polution is a problem, as are crazy drivers. Food is cheap. Beer even cheaper. Jon and I bought a leter bottle of cerveza for $2 and enjoyed it by the pool. Tonight we''re having a bbq in hope of meeting some fellow travellers and learning about their adventures.

We hope to stay in Santiago for 2 nights before taking a late bus down to the lake district and Puerto Montt, beginning our time in Patagonia. I CANNOT FREAKING WAIT!!!!!!! The Andes, from what I can see are monstrously massive and overwhelmingly beautiful. Photos will soon follow! Many many photoos.

Ok all. I've managed ot have my first conversation in Spanish, and drink tap water without vomitting. So far so good.

Lots of love, hasta luego.

Emilia xo