Reaching the end of the road

As always, my plans the past few days ended up changing. I did not go to Cachagua as planned because I had difficulty finding a bus there, and as I met some new friends who were going to be in Valparaiso, I decided just to stay here with them. Tomorrow we will head to Santiago, then the next day Sue comes!

Each time I come back to Valpo I fall more in love with this city. I'm pretty sure if I ever decide to live in Chile for more long term, I would seriously considering moving here. I just love the vibe here, the downtown is full of people, and then as you walk up into the hills, it gets quieter, filled with street art, curving streets and almost hidden stair cases. It's just one of those places where I feel at home in.

Today we tried to go to Pablo Neruda's house in Isla Negra, but for some reason it was closed. I will have to try that another time, it's a place I definitely want to visit.

Soon my traveling days will be finished for the time being, next Monday I start my job, it's hard for me right now to imagine what that is going to be like. A part of me definitely wishes I could keep going, I love living this lifestyle, although it is quite dreamlike. But, I am also more than ready for some clean clothes and a bit more structure in my life. I suppose it is time for me to take on some responsibilites again. But, I without a doubt have been infected with the traveler's bug and will certainly return to the backpackers lifestyle again someday.

La Serena

Yesterday I got to La Serena, and by some wonderful act of fate, I ran into two people I really enjoyed the company of, who I met in Arica. We were hoping to meet again but hadn't been able to find each on Facebook (oh the perils of our century), but luckily, we somehow managed to check into the same hostal. So I've been enjoying my time with my new friends. Today we went to the beach and loafed around, even fit a bit of yoga in there. The beach here definitely isn't as nice as Iquique's and it's not quite as warm, but it was quiet and I took a dip in the ocean, despite it's frigid temperature.

I was planning on heading to Cachagua tomorrow to meet up with family friends, but because it's the weekend and the end of summer, I had a lot of difficulty finding a bus there. As it is a small town, I can't get a direct bus there, and most of the buses going nearby were full or almost full. So I decided to catch a bus to Valparaiso tomorrow, stay the night there, and try to get to Cachagua the next morning, just a few hours north. Plus, my new friends are heading to Valparaiso tonight, so I will meet up with them tomorrow evening when I arrive. Because the bus companies are so busy this weekend, I had to buy a seat in the first class section, full cama, which I have yet to experience. I'm sure it will be a nice splurge. The woman at the booking desk gave me some headphones, pretty fancy.

There is definitely a part of me that wishes I didn't have to stop traveling, at times this lifestyle can be quite addicting. But, life must continue rolling on, and it is time for me to have some different kinds of experiencing. I am making the most of my last few days, though.

Pica, Iquique

Still in Iquique, tonight I will leave for La Serena, only about a 16 hour bus ride. I didn't want to do really long rides, but there aren't too many places I want to stop between here and La Serena, plus I don't really have that much time, so I decided to just go for a long ride. Hopefully I will sleep through a big chunk of it since it leaves in the evening.

Yesterday I went to Pica for the day, an oasis in the desert. It's a nice little town where many lemon and lime trees grow. The big attraction there is the communal hot spring which is basically like a huge swimming pool with a little cave and a waterfall. The entrance fee was not much so of course I had to go for a dip. It was quite crowded though so I really didn't stay all that long as swimming by yourself amongst a crowd of people isn't the most fun. But I did enjoy the people watching. For some reason, many people decided to smear dirt onto their faces from the side of the spring where trees grow. Then they would continue to swim with the dirt on their faces so the result was some kind of mud face mask. Maybe it's good for the skin.

The other main attraction of Pica is the fresh juice, of course I had some, and of course it was delicious. Since I've crossed back into Chile I've had fresh juice at least once a day, but usually more like twice. I like the juice here better, I think they might put more sugar in it than the Peruvians do, plus in Peru they use a lot more water. Although I will say, yesterday I ate a mango, and any of the mangos I ate in Peru would have beat that mango in a taste competition, hands down. I miss the mangos of Peru.

I returned to Iquique after my day in Pica just in time to sit on the beach and enjoy watching the sun set. The sunset is probably the best thing about the Pacific Ocean, absolutely gorgeous.

Today is a day for hanging out, getting stuff done I need to do, and so on. I will definitely spend some time loafing around on the beach this afternoon. Then it's time to move on. I have really enjoyed Iquique though, I'm glad I came here. It has a great relaxed atmosphere which is probably exactly what I needed.

I am still missing the children of Casa Hogar tremendously. Occasionally I look at the pictures I took of them on my camera. Soon I will be reunited with my computer and will be able to share many more photos from these past few months.

Back to Chile

I´ve made my return to Chile safely, I´m currently in Iquique, a beach town in the desert of the north. On Sunday, after a slightly complicated border crossing, I arrived to Arica. The town itself was nothing special, very industrial. But it saddened me because it has potential to be beautiful. It´s in the desert on the coast, beaches surrounded by huge sand dunes, some interesting architecture and lovely weather. But the beaches are covered in garbage. And I mean covered. The river that runs into the ocean is just straight brown. I watched a boy throw a candy wrapper into it. This kind of treatment of our planet saddens me beyond belief. I just can´t understand.
Yesterday I took a bus to Iquique. I like it here, it´s very pretty. It´s a bit touristy and the beaches are crowded, but very nice. And the downtown is really nice too. I think today I am going to try to visit Pica, the oasis town nearby.
It´s nice to be back in Chile, it feels familiar to me. I like that I fit in here a bit more, it´s easier to pass for a Chilean than a Peruvian, obviously. The food is familiar, I ate an empanada on the beach and I was so happy, after trying empanadas ini 4 countries I maintain my favorite are in Chile. Same with the manjar. I guess it feels kind of like being home in a way. I am very much enjoying my chance to explore the north.

Goodbye Arequipa, Hasta Luego Perú

My last day at the orphanage came and went, as I predicted, it was very difficult to say goodbye. But I had a wonderful last day. They made me a special lunch (camotes, yum), I was given the honor of sitting at the head of the table, and they gave me a nice gift of some jewelery made by Marco, the guy who is charge of all the washing. Right before I left some of the kids perfomed Peruvian dances for me, which was adorable. My friend took a video which I will try to post at a later date. It was not easy saying my goodbyes, I felt a little like my heart was breaking. I know these kids have to say goodbye a lot to volunteers, and it doesn't seem like it ever gets any easier for them. I hate that they have to say goodbye so much. But, as many of them poited out, Chile isn't that far away, so maybe someday I can come back for a visit. I have a feeling that I will.

A new baby arrived the day I left, he's one and a half years old and absolutely adorable with his hip haircut and warm smile. I'm sad I didn't get to know him, but even more sad that he's there in the first place.

Overall, the last six weeks have been some of the best of my life. I have never enjoyed going to a place that I was "working" at so much. Every day I wanted to go in, and that was a new feeling for me. And of course I got attached to the kids, how could you not? I also met some really great people while being here, learned about other cultures, and made some really good friends, friendships that I know are going to continue on despite the distance. Casa Hogar, as well as Traveler Not Tourist, are places that are so full of love and support, it was an absolute joy for me being here. Even though it rained almost every day. I still woke up each day happy to be where I was, happy to be living my life. Of course I hope that I will continue to feel that sense of happiness. but I think I will, I think it mostly comes from being able to do what I want to do. And I've just learned so much about what I need to feel happy. It's not all that much really, just good people, good food, and a good attitude.

It's almost 3 in the morning and at 4.30 AM I will get on a bus that will take me to Tacna, and from there I will cross the border to Arica. I plan to spend the night in Arica, then Monday morning I will head to Iquique. After a day or two hanging at the beach and hopefully checking out the oases towns nearby this desert beach town, I plan to take a bus to Chanaral, Chile so that I can visit the Parque Nacional Pan Azucar, a coastal park, where you can see some wildlife such as penguins and dolphins. After that I will head down to La Serena then visit the birthplace of Gabriela Mistral, the famous poet. From there I will go to Cachagua, a beach town where I will stay with some family friends for a few days. Then it's back to Santiago and hello to my friend Sue! This of course is just my rough plan. Since I am traveling alone, it's definitely possible it will all change. But it's clear I have a lot to look forward in the coming weeks.
As much as I wish I could stay here in Arequipa a little longer, I must accept that my time has come to an end. It's been great and I will always treasure this experience. And as the old cliche goes, when one door closes another one opens. It's time to begin yet another chapter in my travel adventure story...

"Food is...the way in which we humans shape the planet and ourselves."

I got really excited about this article I read this morning about food. Let's be honest, I'm always getting excited about food. I spend a great portion of my day thinking about it, what I'm going to eat, what I want to eat, what I shouldn't have eaten, what I need to eat, and so on. And I have a lot of strong opinons about food and especially about the current food system that exists in many developed nations, but mainly the U.S. because that is what I know. However, I won't get into all of that right now. Mainly I don't have time and that's not the point of this post. As I write, I am about to go to one of the many vegetarian places in Arequipa in search of a fresh juice (a delicious wonder that is very easy to find here in Peru). And while I would love to spend time to write about my views on food, I won't bore you.

I simply wanted to share a few observations about food in Peru. Food is obviously a huge part of culture here. You see it everywhere, there are always vendors selling it on the street, or people selling snacks off of little carts. There are resturaunts everywhere offering full meals for very little money. The big meal here is lunch, almuerzo, like most of South America, which people usually take a couple of hours off of work to enjoy. At the orphanage, we are not allowed to eat until we pray first and bless the food, and the children (and adults) must eat everything off their plates. After they eat everything, the children are allowed to drink water, which is usually warm and flavored with some kind of fruit or herb. It's taken me a while to get used to the water here. It's never cold as the water in Peru must always be boiled before you drink it. I know someone who has gotten hepatitis from the water and was bedridden for six months, so it's really important to boil it first. Plus it always seems to be flavored, and some flavors I enjoy more than others. Some flavors taste a bit like cleaning supplies to me. The desserts here have also taken some getting used to for me. There's a lot of jelly textures, and the sweet is a different kind of sweet than I am used to from desserts in the states. I think they use a lot less sugar here. Hot chocolate is popular, but it is made from natural cocoa from the Peruvian jungle and sugar is rarely added so it tastes very different from the hot chocolate and marshmellows mix from a bag I enjoyed as a kid. They also make a variety of other warm beverages that I have really come to enjoy, many of them involving some kind of quinoa or other grain. Fruit juice is also quite popular as I mentioned before. That is because an abundance of fruit grows here, just like in Chile, which is something I absolutely love. I think my favorite here is mangos. They are so rediculously cheap, you can get a kilo of mangos, usually two huge, perfectly ripe mangos for about 75 cents. I pretty much eat one every day. I will really miss the mangos.

There is a lot more I could say about food here, but because I am hungry and looking forward to the food I am about to eat, I am going to have to stop here. Perhaps I will continue to develop these thoughts another time.

Sadly, tomorrow is my last day at the orphanage. I am not looking forward to it. But Lilia, the director, asked me what my favorite meal is, so I have that to look forward to. I wasn't sure what to say, so I said something vegetarian. And she said, how about something with sweet potatos, and I said, sure. I'm sure whatever it is, it will definitely be delicious.

Last Week

In the midst of my last week at the orphanage, of course I'm starting to feel a bit sad, as well as reflective. Every since returning from the beach, I have just started feeling closer to the kids, as if they have opened up a bit more with me and began trusting me more. It breaks my heart that I have to leave them. And probably if I didn't have a job waiting for me in Chile, I probably wouldn't be leaving, at least not until I absolutely had to. When I orginally planned to come here, a month seemed like a long time to stay in one place, especially a place where I had no previous attachment to. But now, going into my sixth week, it doesn't feel like enough time. It takes just that time to start to feel truly comfortable and settled in a place. It takes that much time to begin to form meaningful relationships with others. So now I am wishing I had a bit more time.

I have come to really enjoy living in Peru. Living in Chile for me, was different, I have more of an emotional attachment to Chile of course, my pride for the country flows through my veins. But Peru, I had no personal attachment to whatsoever. I kind of ended up here by fluke, I knew essentially nothing about the country and its people before I arriving. But now I have a deep appreciation for its culture, its food, its resourcefulness of its people, its rolling, expansive, land. But I have a feeling I will be back here someday. I would really like to come back to Casa Hogar someday. Although, if I do, I sincerely hope that the same children will not be there.

So I am taking my last week in stride. I feel so grateful that I have had this opportunity to come here, spend time with some awesome kids, meet some wonderful people, and get to know a great culture.

Brace yourself, it's gonna be a massive update

This past week has been crazy busy, and now that I am bedridden recovering from the Peruvian stomach sickness that everyone is my house seems to have been getting, I finally have time to update. I will even be able to include pictures as I am using my friend's computer. Yay, get excited!
First off, I need to include a shout out to my dad who is celebrating 50 years of life today. Happy Birthday, Dad! Wish I could be there to celebrate with you.
Alright, time to get started. I have done a whole lot of cool things since I've last written, so I will try to be brief with some of it. But first, here are just a few pictures from the birthday party and orphanage. I have many more that maybe I will share later, it just takes too long to upload them all.

Me and Christian in the babies' play room, just after he woke up from a nap.

Geraldine trying to touch the camera.

Christian still feeling a little sleepy.

rMe and Albert. He loves to take pictures so I sometimes let him use my camera and get all kinds of up close shots of people and things.

Milagros was not interested in looking at the camera.

Jhoel and Gabriel hanging out in our backyard. Jhoel is always making a funny face with his mouth in pictures, it's his signature.

Milagros loved the baloons, no surprise since she loves to play with balls.

What have I done since I last updated? I went to a soccer game at the huge stadium here in Arequipa, the under 20's Championship qualifications and it was Chile vs. Brazil. Of course I was cheering for Chile, but I had to be kind of sly about it since Peruvians harbor strong anti-Chilean feelings. There were some means things chanted. Sadly, Chile lost, despite playing so well during the first half.

We celebrated the Chinese New Year in my house with a huge feast cooked two volunteers from Taiwan, and one of my housemate's visiting friend who is American born Taiwanese. It was delicious, I learned how to make dumplings, and they taught us the chorus of a Chinese New Year song. I definitely don't remember how it goes anymore, though.

On Thursday I (along with five other volunteers) went to the beach with the orphanage for three days, more on that shortly. Then after a slightly stressful bus ride home that happened much later than we were originally told, I arrived home Saturday night to the sad news that our beloved family dog, Layla was put to sleep. I know this was a very difficult decision for my parents to make, but I also think it was the right time. Layla was a very special part of our family and we will always remember her. I coped with the sad news by going out dancing, coming home at 3 am, then got up three hours later to go to Puno with two of my friends to see some of the celebrations going on for the Festival de Candelaria.

But let's start with the beach. We left early Thursday morning, not really knowing what to expect except that the whole thing was organized by a church. After a two and half hour busride that included holding a very squirmy baby for part of it, sitting next to a baby who was given her bottle then promptly threw it all up, leaving behind the lovely stench of rotten milk, and then holding a sleeping two year old for the rest of it; we arrived at Christian camp, out in the middle of nowhere on the ocean front, with the closest town, Mollendo, a 15 minute bus ride away. The staff was very friendly (although didn't quite understand what it means to be a vegetarian) and throughout our time there they ran organized activities with the kids. All we had to do was care for the babies. You would think that 8 adults could easily handle four babies (two one year olds, a 10 month old, and a one month old) and two toddlers (2 and 3 years old), but it was still quite a bit of work. It did work out nicely that we were all able to take some breaks, but when it wasn't break time, the work was very full on. On Friday morning I woke up at 4 am to give a bottle to the newborn, and ended up staying awake the rest of the day, surpisingly with plenty of energy to play with the babies at the beach. Overall it was an enjoyable trip, I feel like I bonded even more with especially the babies, but the older kids as well, even though I didn't see them as much. It was so nice to spend time with them outside of the orphanage. I was able to spend a bit of child free time at the beach with some friends, got a nice tan, and even did a bit of swimming in the ocean, which I haven't done in years. I think the older kids really enjoyed having structured activities. They were split into two teams so they got a chance to get to know other kids who were there (who were not from an orphanage), and after the babies went to sleep I got to join in on some of the activities which included crab hunting in the dark with flashlights, star gazing, and dancing around a campfire. The bus ride home was interesting, though. For some reason, they decided a small bus (probably only big enough to fit 20 maybe 25 people comfortably) was big enough to fit the 16 kids from the orphanage, us 8 adults that came with them, the 12 or so other kids that came along, plus the entire camp staff, including the many young leaders, the women who ran the camp, and the kitchen staff. I didn't think it would be possible, but Peru never ceases to amaze and confuse me when it comes to buses. There were people sitting in children sized shool chairs all up the aisle, some people were unlucky enough to have to stand up in the front the entire ride, just about every adult had a child on their lap (I was lucky enough to have a baby who slept the entire time, although that did cause my arm to fall asleep) and the rest of the children where crammed in threes. We did make it back safely though, which is what matters.

Geraldine enjoying the sunshine.

Christian loved playing in the sand.

Mel and Christian checking out the ocean.

Milagros lovred splashing in the baby pool we brought to the beach.

The sunset the first night we were there.

So that was the beach, now Puno. As I said before, after getting very little sleep, my friends Mary, Melissa, and I took a bus six hours to Puno, a city in the south of Peru that lies on the edge of Lake Titicaca. I had previously passed through this city, but only to change buses when traveling to Cusco from the Bolivian side of the lake. Since the beginning of this month, the people in Puno have been celebrating the Virgen de la Candelaria Festival, which is a period of a few weeks every year when the entire city celebrates with parades featuring people in elaborate costumes with different meanings, lots of music, drinking, and dancing in the streets. A huge portion of the city streets closes to cars, and the parades and dancing goes on from the early morning, well in the wee hours of the night. And this goes on for days. We were only able to stay one night, because we had to get back to the orphanage for Tuesday, but it was definitely worth the trip. The costumes were amazing, apparently most people spend an entire months salary to make them. There were different folkloric dance groups and marching bands from all over Peru, even Chile and Bolivia were represented. The festival is catholic based, but what's so cool about it is the infusion of indigenous culture.

A group playing the Andean pan flute.

An example of the costumes. Many of the women were wearing costumes like this with very short skirts.

There were all different kinds of masks, some of them were actually kind of scary looking.

One of my favorite parts were the mens dances. They were just so powerful and athletic and I always love watching men dance.

On Monday morning we took a break from the festivities to visit the floating islands (Isla de los Uros) on Lake Titicaca. I have never seen such a place, it was very interesting. The islands were built by people who wanted nothing to do with the war and fighting that resulted from the Spanish colonization centuries ago, and so they built floating islands out of dirt, roots, reeds, stakes, and rope. And amazingly, these islands still exist and are still inhabited by people. The first island we visited is home to 26 people who make a living primarily from tourism, but also survive by hunting birds, fishing, and gathering eggs. What's really cool is that the island is only two and a half meters deep and then covered with dried reeds. It is held to the bottom of the lake using stakes, rope, and rocks that sit on top of the rope. The structure of the island needs to be rebuilt every 70 or 80 years.

A view of the lake I took from the boat.

The houses on the floating island. They use the reeds for so many different things.

A view of the lake from the island.

Thanks for bearing with me to read all of that! I probably shouldn't wait so long to update next time. That took a long time so I guess it's a good thing I woke up sick today. Lots of love to you from Arequipa!