I haven´t been eating the best, with tours here only giving the Carbo trio... Pasta, Rice and Bread, and also my own resolve of late because I feel like I deserve it after the Trek, seems I have lost another dress size, but stepping on the scale Today didnt make me the happy chappy I thought I´d be... I´m requesting an extention on my 100day challenge! I have officially lost 11kilos, but thats not even close to enough. I will kick myself back in gear again now... Rules back on!!
Wish me Luck!!
Thursday, 9 June 2011
I CAN DO FRIGGEN ANYTHING!!
Well I´m back... the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu has been ticked right off!
I have a few little things to add though... One being I tried to cancel when I found out how hard it was going to be, and because my Mum told me too as well. Her words exactly ¨you may think you´re fit Jessica, but you´re not that fit... You´ll die up there, and thats for certain!¨ Well thanks Mum for the vote of confidence. So anyways, trying my hardest to cancel at 9.45pm the night before the minibus would pick me up at 4am, I plea with the girl who is inturn pleaing my case over the phone... Fine I can cancel, but for the FULL price of my tour. What the?? So I sit for a minute, thinking of whether I risk all for the cash, when the girl gets a call and says the only option out, is I buy a horse! Buy a horse... What a great idea!! For 100Soles, about $40 i will get a horse and a little dude to pull the horse for whenever I cant go on... BEST BLOODY THING I EVER BOUGHT!! I´m proud to say, except for the last hour of the first ridiculously crazy long and directly climbing upwards day, I didnt actually need the horse, which was actually a Mule! The only other time I sat on it was when my horse-puller guy wanted to get to the peak of the Salkantay viewing Mountain quicker than my little chubby legs were prepared for, and 5 minutes on my last day with the horse because I just wanted my moneys worth and was sick at looking at the road when the surroundings were so darned beautiful... Either way, I got that gorgeous creature for the first 2 & 1/2 days, and the best part was the bag holding my buy included. It may have gone a little noticed that whenever I strayed too far infront of my horse, and the way started to incline in the upwards direction, I may have said on more than one occasion ¨where the hell is my horse?¨ I do apologise to my co-trekkers if my voice saying that line is a little hard to get rid of!!
The part that makes up for me having a cute little mule, is the fact that the elections here in Peru and all the political unrest, forced our trip into 4 days instead of 5... sounds easier doesnt it?? Well it wasn´t!! We had to cram all of the walking into the 4 days, without the 3rd day afternoon off, or the 4th day relaxing hot springs adventure... No stops!! On average everyday we walked 10-11 hours, the first 2 days directly upwards!! Needless to say, we were exhausted by the BIG day.
I had already booked my bus ticket up to Machu Picchu from Aguas Calientes before the trip, because I had heard that if I wasn´t one of the first 400 I would miss out on Waynapicchu. The only catch is to get the bus that leaves at 5.40am, you have to que early!! So 2.55am I was in that there que... by 3.30am the que was massive. I hoped on the first bus, and as the rich get whatever they want, our not quite full bus for some reason pulls upto a fancy hotel and picks up 10 people. Totally not cool you rich fuckwits!! (sorry mind my language, but people are gonna miss out because of these guys not bothering to do what the rest of us little folk had to do). Anyways, we get to the top and the que is huge, not only are the climbers there, but theres an expensive hotel up on the top aswell. All my friends that chose to walk up, but were warned they may not make it in time, were first in que. Geezs I was proud to know that my peeps had made it... and to my luck I had, as well as the girls from our group that bused it too. We all chose the 10am session because the clouds are gone by then, and entered for our guided 2 hour tour, being amongst the first to enter the great grounds of Machu Picchu!
At first, I wont lie... I wasn´t as impressed as I had thought I would be. I don´t know if I was tired, or if with these 68 or something Countries I´ve visited if I´d seen too much, or maybe it was because I hadn´t heard a single non-glowing word about it... BUT that was until I got the chance to climb the BIG BOY!! Waynapicchu, the mountain that is in the background of every Machu Picchu postcard or photo... It was the toughes 35minutes of my life... We were told it takes over an hour, but together, with my little Israeli pose surrounding me, all egging each other on, we killed that picchu in half the time! WELL, WOW WOW WOW... Its all I can say, that was the best view and topped off the hardest thing I´ve ever done in my life before, in a big perfect nutshell!! What a view, and what a triumph!! We were and always will be proud to be one of the only 400 that day, and proud of ourselves that we worked so hard to get there. We derserved that moment! ... But then what goes up, must come down! As we were desending, we saw a man getting stretchered off the Mountain, those that saw it (some from my group) say he had a major heartattack, and that he was only 35-40years old. Poor bastard, didnt even make it to the top, I really do hope he got good treatment and is alright.
So back onto the climb down, it was tough after so many days of pushing myself, but I did that too. And lastly as some of the group boarded buses to go back to town I decided to run down... And as God as my witness (and Edouard, my lovely queer french amigo too) I ran down all 1700+ steps like a school girl excited by being asked on her first date... All my years of being a cross-country runner when I was a kid came back to me, I know it was only going down, but it was thrilling, in ways I cant explain. This fat girl felt young and healthy for a good while... Thats my story about my 4 days of body hell, I hope to be able to write plenty more on things I don´t think I´ll be able to do, but conquer in the future!!
I´m the King of the World!!
I have a few little things to add though... One being I tried to cancel when I found out how hard it was going to be, and because my Mum told me too as well. Her words exactly ¨you may think you´re fit Jessica, but you´re not that fit... You´ll die up there, and thats for certain!¨ Well thanks Mum for the vote of confidence. So anyways, trying my hardest to cancel at 9.45pm the night before the minibus would pick me up at 4am, I plea with the girl who is inturn pleaing my case over the phone... Fine I can cancel, but for the FULL price of my tour. What the?? So I sit for a minute, thinking of whether I risk all for the cash, when the girl gets a call and says the only option out, is I buy a horse! Buy a horse... What a great idea!! For 100Soles, about $40 i will get a horse and a little dude to pull the horse for whenever I cant go on... BEST BLOODY THING I EVER BOUGHT!! I´m proud to say, except for the last hour of the first ridiculously crazy long and directly climbing upwards day, I didnt actually need the horse, which was actually a Mule! The only other time I sat on it was when my horse-puller guy wanted to get to the peak of the Salkantay viewing Mountain quicker than my little chubby legs were prepared for, and 5 minutes on my last day with the horse because I just wanted my moneys worth and was sick at looking at the road when the surroundings were so darned beautiful... Either way, I got that gorgeous creature for the first 2 & 1/2 days, and the best part was the bag holding my buy included. It may have gone a little noticed that whenever I strayed too far infront of my horse, and the way started to incline in the upwards direction, I may have said on more than one occasion ¨where the hell is my horse?¨ I do apologise to my co-trekkers if my voice saying that line is a little hard to get rid of!!
The part that makes up for me having a cute little mule, is the fact that the elections here in Peru and all the political unrest, forced our trip into 4 days instead of 5... sounds easier doesnt it?? Well it wasn´t!! We had to cram all of the walking into the 4 days, without the 3rd day afternoon off, or the 4th day relaxing hot springs adventure... No stops!! On average everyday we walked 10-11 hours, the first 2 days directly upwards!! Needless to say, we were exhausted by the BIG day.
I had already booked my bus ticket up to Machu Picchu from Aguas Calientes before the trip, because I had heard that if I wasn´t one of the first 400 I would miss out on Waynapicchu. The only catch is to get the bus that leaves at 5.40am, you have to que early!! So 2.55am I was in that there que... by 3.30am the que was massive. I hoped on the first bus, and as the rich get whatever they want, our not quite full bus for some reason pulls upto a fancy hotel and picks up 10 people. Totally not cool you rich fuckwits!! (sorry mind my language, but people are gonna miss out because of these guys not bothering to do what the rest of us little folk had to do). Anyways, we get to the top and the que is huge, not only are the climbers there, but theres an expensive hotel up on the top aswell. All my friends that chose to walk up, but were warned they may not make it in time, were first in que. Geezs I was proud to know that my peeps had made it... and to my luck I had, as well as the girls from our group that bused it too. We all chose the 10am session because the clouds are gone by then, and entered for our guided 2 hour tour, being amongst the first to enter the great grounds of Machu Picchu!
At first, I wont lie... I wasn´t as impressed as I had thought I would be. I don´t know if I was tired, or if with these 68 or something Countries I´ve visited if I´d seen too much, or maybe it was because I hadn´t heard a single non-glowing word about it... BUT that was until I got the chance to climb the BIG BOY!! Waynapicchu, the mountain that is in the background of every Machu Picchu postcard or photo... It was the toughes 35minutes of my life... We were told it takes over an hour, but together, with my little Israeli pose surrounding me, all egging each other on, we killed that picchu in half the time! WELL, WOW WOW WOW... Its all I can say, that was the best view and topped off the hardest thing I´ve ever done in my life before, in a big perfect nutshell!! What a view, and what a triumph!! We were and always will be proud to be one of the only 400 that day, and proud of ourselves that we worked so hard to get there. We derserved that moment! ... But then what goes up, must come down! As we were desending, we saw a man getting stretchered off the Mountain, those that saw it (some from my group) say he had a major heartattack, and that he was only 35-40years old. Poor bastard, didnt even make it to the top, I really do hope he got good treatment and is alright.
So back onto the climb down, it was tough after so many days of pushing myself, but I did that too. And lastly as some of the group boarded buses to go back to town I decided to run down... And as God as my witness (and Edouard, my lovely queer french amigo too) I ran down all 1700+ steps like a school girl excited by being asked on her first date... All my years of being a cross-country runner when I was a kid came back to me, I know it was only going down, but it was thrilling, in ways I cant explain. This fat girl felt young and healthy for a good while... Thats my story about my 4 days of body hell, I hope to be able to write plenty more on things I don´t think I´ll be able to do, but conquer in the future!!
I´m the King of the World!!
Wednesday, 1 June 2011
FINALLY MADE IT TO PERU!!!
The heading is pretty much all that I think is needed... Though I already miss my beloved Bolivia!
AND... I do start my 5 day, 4 nights trek to Machu Picchu at 4am tomorrow morning!! Seriously gonna be testing my new faith in this arthritic old body, hopefully the weight lose and a full week without a ciggie will help me through!!
Wish me Luck!!!
AND... I do start my 5 day, 4 nights trek to Machu Picchu at 4am tomorrow morning!! Seriously gonna be testing my new faith in this arthritic old body, hopefully the weight lose and a full week without a ciggie will help me through!!
Wish me Luck!!!
Monday, 30 May 2011
It´s been a while....
So I haven´t written in a while. At first because in Sucre I was sick of declaring myself sick... That darn dog bitereally stuffed me around. I luckily only had 3 more independant days of whole night vomitting sessions. I am happy to report, all in different locations in Bolivia and on different weeks to keep things interesting. The second reason, and the main one was that when I finally felt I had something to report, I wasn´t able to log back into this here blog. Maybe my lack of Spanish, I probably locked myself out somehow.
So that brings me to now, what am I doing? & what have I been upto?
Well, I´ve had a few ups and downs this last month. Happily more ups, and things look ups in general again now. It was just over a month ago when I extended my ticket from July to September. I got the OK from my girl, but should have really thought what I was asking of her. I figured "whats another 9 weeks?" Well, 2 weeks later I had a very upset and hurt girlfriend. Without getting too detailed about my personal life, she wasn´t happy Jan!! Let´s just say it was the scary kind of talk, that I don´t fancy myself wanting to have again too soon. She was right too, if she said No to the extention, she´d be seen as holding me back. Yet Yes meant she would be 9 more weeks without me, waiting. And where did my priorities lie? I made the tough decision to pay the disgusting amount the airline required for my second change of ticket, and now I´m returning 5 weeks earlier that the newer flight and 4 weeks extended from my orginal ticket. I also will be coming home with the promise I wont feel bad for not staying longer, and I wont. The little shake up reminded me of what I have back home, and now I´m actually excited about my return in Mid August.
So what am I doing now? Well, I´m in Coroico in the Yungas (beginning of the Amazon, 4 hours local bus from La Paz) eating half a frozen banana on a paddlepop stick, and on my 3rd Chuchuwasi (a local drink, better with Sprite) after a night of camping in the Jungle by myself, and a day of soaking up this beautiful sunshine. I´ve done a lot of trekking up and down hills today, this frozen banana and rather strong drink is heaven. At least here is only 2000metres above sealevel, La Paz is 4000+ in Altitude. It´s done one good thing for me though, with my huffing and my puffing up and down the hills - I´ve officially QUIT SMOKING!! I had to admit to myself I really smoked first, and after that very cigarette as an actual smoker, I quit!! I´ve been hanging out with this great girl from New Zealand that I met in Mendoza, Argentina while she was on her bicycle tour of the south of South America. She´s giving La Paz a month, studying & working in an Orphanage, so she got herself a cool little pad. My Thermomat (travel mattress) has been laid out there all this week. Have I mentioned, I´m supposed to be in Peru well and truely by now? I got kind of trapped here. ALL the boarders, road, on foot and by boat are closed on the Peru side due to political protests. So my only choice is to fly. Obviously the flights fill quick when its your only choice, so now I´m here until Wednesday morning. I can´t honestly say I´m sad that I haven´t left Bolivia yet. It´s really hit me hard in the heart, quite severely. I should probably fill you in, as last time you heard I was being killed here by Mountains falling around me, a dog biting me with rabies and then the major allergic reaction to the vaccine (photos of my pretty watermelon face to come soon). So even with all that, I never missed a day at school with my lovely Profesora Patricia, 4 hours private Spanish lessons a day - apparently I´d learnt all the rules for "Presente". Great if I never want to talk about Yesterday, or anything that happened in the past, or could happen in the future.
So I finished up my homestay, and 3 weeks of intense Spanish classes, going from Nada to something, I left for La Paz on an overnight bus. In La Paz I tried my first successful "couchsurfing" there I decided I´d check out the Amazon and see if I could try a little volunteering there too. So it was on the local bus to Rurrenabaque that I took at least 29 years off my life. 27 hours of my heart in my throat. I have never believed with so much conviction, that I was about to die in my life. Never as long as I shall live, will I ever do that road, by bus especially again.... Never, Nunca, No friggen way!! It´s not named the "World´s Most Dangerous Road" for nothing. I only heard the very most dangerous part was closed, and now is only for tourist wanting to ride down on Mountainbikes, I had no idea the bus still used the rest of it! It was actually only about 18 hours of holding my breath, the other 9 hours were of major discomfort. After thanking every God I could think of for letting me live through that ordeal, I set off to find the volunteering camp on the otherside of the river. After two unsuccessful attempts, I did what any good Gringa would do in "Rurre", I booked a PAMPAS tour. I know its touristy, but I did look for a company that seemed Ecofriendly and the what I believe to be the most sustainable option.... And to be perfectly honest, I had a brilliant time! Had a really fun group, if not just a little bit noisy for seeing the shy animals. But all in all amazing place, and great guide. I swam with Pink Dolphins, that are really more grey on the top. Went piranha fishing [warning, about to gloat] After a slow start I ended up a Piranha catching natural. Caught 13 little flesh-eaters and 2 regular river fish. Even got to keep the big piranhas for our dinner... Delicious!! Went for night time boat rides with our torches, searching and finding hundreds of yellow & red shinny eyes, alligator eyes. SIDENOTE: Crocodiles are my favorite animal, with alligators now not so far behind. Anyways, then we saw the 40kilo rat, I can´t remember its official name, but he was swimming about in the very same water I had just swam with dolphins in, seen 100s of alligators, and caught 13 piranhas in less than an hour in... It´s not a big wonder why you do the dolphin bit early in the trip - God, if I hadda seen the RAT while swimming!!! It´s a crazy 3 days, where you sleep in woodern cabins with paths leading to other ares of the Ecolodge, all raised a metre off the ground, as alligators are swimming and walking about directly underneath you. Oh Shit, almost forgot to add the best bit... I slipped completely over, faceplant, because my thong (flipflop) got stuck in the mud as I was disembarking the little boat. I fell directly infront of the BIG BOY gator. My experience as a kid with Crocodiles told me, sudden sloppy movements, such as my fall, and directly infront of the creature after a day of catching the suns rays, is usually not a good idea... Well, it was an experience, and possibly another couple of years off my life!!
Pampas tour over, I went back into the little town of "Rurre" with plenty of muddy clothes that needed cleaning. The man at the "Garfield" Laundry service asked me my plans (in Spanish), and I expleained (in my versions of Spanish) that I was going to try one more time to find the Pumas volunteering camp on the otherside of the river. Then he said very excitedly, "Si, ellos aqui!" Oh, he obviously doesn´t understand me, I just smile and nod, then try to tell him I think it´s on the otherside, but he asks me to wait a "segundo". And then he brings out two people, clearly Gringos. They are people from the camp, almost the whole camp was there, they come in one night a week for supplies and a little civilisation, they were going back later that day. So I joined them. It was another adventure again to get to the camp. After crossing the Rio Beni by local boat (1.5Bs = 12cents) nine of us squeezed into the back of a Ute, along with the weeks food and beer supplies, myself and another girl right at the back. We were going pretty fast on the bumpy and dusty road, and when hitting a particularly big bump, the back flap-doory-thing fell open. Suddenly, the other girl and myself found ourselves being held onto by the rest of the group, while everyone screamed for the racing Ute to stop. Luckily only a few supplies and thingos fell out, all of which could be retrieved. Once finally getting to the little private santuary, I was shown my sleeping quarters, straw mattresses on the floor, with my very own insect net, in a shed that reminded me of Peter Pan´s Lost boys dorm with four or five sets of 3 story bunkbeds all with individual and different coloured mozzie nets. It was perfect. The next few days I spent there was unbelievable. Everyone was lovely. One night I cooked for all of us. "Chilli con Beans" for 18 peoples dinner and then following lunch. It was a happy success. I got to make things with construction, and cleared a few paths with the old Mashetti (I dont know how to spell it). We bathed in the stream, where little fish (not piranhas, but maybe worse) bite you on the bum. And we ate dinner together. I wasn´t there long enough to be able to work with one of the rescues Pumas, thats a month minimum, but I did feel part of the team. Everyone was fantastic there, I miss them all already. Had to get back though for my 16 person tiny plane flight back to La Paz, but first the only way back is to hitch. After about 35 minutes the first vehicle that came was a huge truck. The driver slowed to look me up and down, which made me feel simply fantastic, then he stopped and said I could get in. Ended up being a blast. I badly talked the sleave ball out of him, and we sand not very popular english 80s songs for the very slow journey back to the boat port.
Once back in La Paz, my friend and I hopped on a bus to Copacabana, What a cool little place, and the drive there was magnificent. Then we visited the kinda crappy floating villages, but had the coolest guide ever with his knowledge of every plant and animal, it reminded me of nature walks with my little Zoologist (the girl). The following day we woke up early for the boat to "Isla del Sol". A simple beautiful, incredible place. We bumped into people from all over that we´d met before which was nice, but reminded us we were really doing the Gringo trail.
On our return to La Paz, I enrolled in another Spanish school. I would need to stay a few days if I wanted to get my Brazil Visa while I was in a town I could do it. A week of Spanish with another good private teacher for 3 hours a day, and 2 hours group classes with a sweet little Danish girl... Well now I know 2 "pasados" (pasts) and one "futuro" YIPPEE!!! I´m not the best at this language by a long shot, but I am enjoying it, which means apparently I´m picking it up pretty quickly... Obviously not as fast as I´d like though!
That brings me to just the otherday. I was ready, more than ready, I was packed! I had everything I needed, passport back with Brazil visa included, "cholita" blankets that I got from the local street market, I´ve been wanting one the whole time I´ve been here. I was ready, and heading to the bus station when I found out ALL boarder to Peru were CLOSED! I knew ther had been some troubles, but then had heard it was opened again, and at the very least the boat crossing was always an option.... Nope, apparently the last boat that passed got shot at! So I head to the only option left, the airlines. The ques were terrible, and I waited for my turn, while seeing and hearing Gringos all around me argue, scream and cry that there was no availabilty for them. " What 3 weeks, thats too late, I need to be there Monday!!" I´m thinking they´ve booked there Machu Pichu tour 6 months ago, and just didn´t think something like this could happen. I finally get my turn, expecting the worse, and thinking I´d have to bus it back to Chile then go around the extremely long way. I tell him I´m OK with going anywhere, just need to get a move on from La Paz. At first he finds me a flight for $313 for the 13th June. To my absolute surprse I stay completely calm and ask him to "por favor" check one more time, then he writes on a little piece of paper while saying the word "ssshhhh" $131 for the 1st of June going to Cusco.... 3rd of the price, 3rd of the time, BOOK ME IN!
So I had 4 days to fill in... So thats why I´m here in theis cute little (dead on Mondays) town of Coroico, Bolivia. Tent pitched, homework to do, and my 4th Chuchawasi!!
So that brings me to now, what am I doing? & what have I been upto?
Well, I´ve had a few ups and downs this last month. Happily more ups, and things look ups in general again now. It was just over a month ago when I extended my ticket from July to September. I got the OK from my girl, but should have really thought what I was asking of her. I figured "whats another 9 weeks?" Well, 2 weeks later I had a very upset and hurt girlfriend. Without getting too detailed about my personal life, she wasn´t happy Jan!! Let´s just say it was the scary kind of talk, that I don´t fancy myself wanting to have again too soon. She was right too, if she said No to the extention, she´d be seen as holding me back. Yet Yes meant she would be 9 more weeks without me, waiting. And where did my priorities lie? I made the tough decision to pay the disgusting amount the airline required for my second change of ticket, and now I´m returning 5 weeks earlier that the newer flight and 4 weeks extended from my orginal ticket. I also will be coming home with the promise I wont feel bad for not staying longer, and I wont. The little shake up reminded me of what I have back home, and now I´m actually excited about my return in Mid August.
So what am I doing now? Well, I´m in Coroico in the Yungas (beginning of the Amazon, 4 hours local bus from La Paz) eating half a frozen banana on a paddlepop stick, and on my 3rd Chuchuwasi (a local drink, better with Sprite) after a night of camping in the Jungle by myself, and a day of soaking up this beautiful sunshine. I´ve done a lot of trekking up and down hills today, this frozen banana and rather strong drink is heaven. At least here is only 2000metres above sealevel, La Paz is 4000+ in Altitude. It´s done one good thing for me though, with my huffing and my puffing up and down the hills - I´ve officially QUIT SMOKING!! I had to admit to myself I really smoked first, and after that very cigarette as an actual smoker, I quit!! I´ve been hanging out with this great girl from New Zealand that I met in Mendoza, Argentina while she was on her bicycle tour of the south of South America. She´s giving La Paz a month, studying & working in an Orphanage, so she got herself a cool little pad. My Thermomat (travel mattress) has been laid out there all this week. Have I mentioned, I´m supposed to be in Peru well and truely by now? I got kind of trapped here. ALL the boarders, road, on foot and by boat are closed on the Peru side due to political protests. So my only choice is to fly. Obviously the flights fill quick when its your only choice, so now I´m here until Wednesday morning. I can´t honestly say I´m sad that I haven´t left Bolivia yet. It´s really hit me hard in the heart, quite severely. I should probably fill you in, as last time you heard I was being killed here by Mountains falling around me, a dog biting me with rabies and then the major allergic reaction to the vaccine (photos of my pretty watermelon face to come soon). So even with all that, I never missed a day at school with my lovely Profesora Patricia, 4 hours private Spanish lessons a day - apparently I´d learnt all the rules for "Presente". Great if I never want to talk about Yesterday, or anything that happened in the past, or could happen in the future.
So I finished up my homestay, and 3 weeks of intense Spanish classes, going from Nada to something, I left for La Paz on an overnight bus. In La Paz I tried my first successful "couchsurfing" there I decided I´d check out the Amazon and see if I could try a little volunteering there too. So it was on the local bus to Rurrenabaque that I took at least 29 years off my life. 27 hours of my heart in my throat. I have never believed with so much conviction, that I was about to die in my life. Never as long as I shall live, will I ever do that road, by bus especially again.... Never, Nunca, No friggen way!! It´s not named the "World´s Most Dangerous Road" for nothing. I only heard the very most dangerous part was closed, and now is only for tourist wanting to ride down on Mountainbikes, I had no idea the bus still used the rest of it! It was actually only about 18 hours of holding my breath, the other 9 hours were of major discomfort. After thanking every God I could think of for letting me live through that ordeal, I set off to find the volunteering camp on the otherside of the river. After two unsuccessful attempts, I did what any good Gringa would do in "Rurre", I booked a PAMPAS tour. I know its touristy, but I did look for a company that seemed Ecofriendly and the what I believe to be the most sustainable option.... And to be perfectly honest, I had a brilliant time! Had a really fun group, if not just a little bit noisy for seeing the shy animals. But all in all amazing place, and great guide. I swam with Pink Dolphins, that are really more grey on the top. Went piranha fishing [warning, about to gloat] After a slow start I ended up a Piranha catching natural. Caught 13 little flesh-eaters and 2 regular river fish. Even got to keep the big piranhas for our dinner... Delicious!! Went for night time boat rides with our torches, searching and finding hundreds of yellow & red shinny eyes, alligator eyes. SIDENOTE: Crocodiles are my favorite animal, with alligators now not so far behind. Anyways, then we saw the 40kilo rat, I can´t remember its official name, but he was swimming about in the very same water I had just swam with dolphins in, seen 100s of alligators, and caught 13 piranhas in less than an hour in... It´s not a big wonder why you do the dolphin bit early in the trip - God, if I hadda seen the RAT while swimming!!! It´s a crazy 3 days, where you sleep in woodern cabins with paths leading to other ares of the Ecolodge, all raised a metre off the ground, as alligators are swimming and walking about directly underneath you. Oh Shit, almost forgot to add the best bit... I slipped completely over, faceplant, because my thong (flipflop) got stuck in the mud as I was disembarking the little boat. I fell directly infront of the BIG BOY gator. My experience as a kid with Crocodiles told me, sudden sloppy movements, such as my fall, and directly infront of the creature after a day of catching the suns rays, is usually not a good idea... Well, it was an experience, and possibly another couple of years off my life!!
Pampas tour over, I went back into the little town of "Rurre" with plenty of muddy clothes that needed cleaning. The man at the "Garfield" Laundry service asked me my plans (in Spanish), and I expleained (in my versions of Spanish) that I was going to try one more time to find the Pumas volunteering camp on the otherside of the river. Then he said very excitedly, "Si, ellos aqui!" Oh, he obviously doesn´t understand me, I just smile and nod, then try to tell him I think it´s on the otherside, but he asks me to wait a "segundo". And then he brings out two people, clearly Gringos. They are people from the camp, almost the whole camp was there, they come in one night a week for supplies and a little civilisation, they were going back later that day. So I joined them. It was another adventure again to get to the camp. After crossing the Rio Beni by local boat (1.5Bs = 12cents) nine of us squeezed into the back of a Ute, along with the weeks food and beer supplies, myself and another girl right at the back. We were going pretty fast on the bumpy and dusty road, and when hitting a particularly big bump, the back flap-doory-thing fell open. Suddenly, the other girl and myself found ourselves being held onto by the rest of the group, while everyone screamed for the racing Ute to stop. Luckily only a few supplies and thingos fell out, all of which could be retrieved. Once finally getting to the little private santuary, I was shown my sleeping quarters, straw mattresses on the floor, with my very own insect net, in a shed that reminded me of Peter Pan´s Lost boys dorm with four or five sets of 3 story bunkbeds all with individual and different coloured mozzie nets. It was perfect. The next few days I spent there was unbelievable. Everyone was lovely. One night I cooked for all of us. "Chilli con Beans" for 18 peoples dinner and then following lunch. It was a happy success. I got to make things with construction, and cleared a few paths with the old Mashetti (I dont know how to spell it). We bathed in the stream, where little fish (not piranhas, but maybe worse) bite you on the bum. And we ate dinner together. I wasn´t there long enough to be able to work with one of the rescues Pumas, thats a month minimum, but I did feel part of the team. Everyone was fantastic there, I miss them all already. Had to get back though for my 16 person tiny plane flight back to La Paz, but first the only way back is to hitch. After about 35 minutes the first vehicle that came was a huge truck. The driver slowed to look me up and down, which made me feel simply fantastic, then he stopped and said I could get in. Ended up being a blast. I badly talked the sleave ball out of him, and we sand not very popular english 80s songs for the very slow journey back to the boat port.
Once back in La Paz, my friend and I hopped on a bus to Copacabana, What a cool little place, and the drive there was magnificent. Then we visited the kinda crappy floating villages, but had the coolest guide ever with his knowledge of every plant and animal, it reminded me of nature walks with my little Zoologist (the girl). The following day we woke up early for the boat to "Isla del Sol". A simple beautiful, incredible place. We bumped into people from all over that we´d met before which was nice, but reminded us we were really doing the Gringo trail.
On our return to La Paz, I enrolled in another Spanish school. I would need to stay a few days if I wanted to get my Brazil Visa while I was in a town I could do it. A week of Spanish with another good private teacher for 3 hours a day, and 2 hours group classes with a sweet little Danish girl... Well now I know 2 "pasados" (pasts) and one "futuro" YIPPEE!!! I´m not the best at this language by a long shot, but I am enjoying it, which means apparently I´m picking it up pretty quickly... Obviously not as fast as I´d like though!
That brings me to just the otherday. I was ready, more than ready, I was packed! I had everything I needed, passport back with Brazil visa included, "cholita" blankets that I got from the local street market, I´ve been wanting one the whole time I´ve been here. I was ready, and heading to the bus station when I found out ALL boarder to Peru were CLOSED! I knew ther had been some troubles, but then had heard it was opened again, and at the very least the boat crossing was always an option.... Nope, apparently the last boat that passed got shot at! So I head to the only option left, the airlines. The ques were terrible, and I waited for my turn, while seeing and hearing Gringos all around me argue, scream and cry that there was no availabilty for them. " What 3 weeks, thats too late, I need to be there Monday!!" I´m thinking they´ve booked there Machu Pichu tour 6 months ago, and just didn´t think something like this could happen. I finally get my turn, expecting the worse, and thinking I´d have to bus it back to Chile then go around the extremely long way. I tell him I´m OK with going anywhere, just need to get a move on from La Paz. At first he finds me a flight for $313 for the 13th June. To my absolute surprse I stay completely calm and ask him to "por favor" check one more time, then he writes on a little piece of paper while saying the word "ssshhhh" $131 for the 1st of June going to Cusco.... 3rd of the price, 3rd of the time, BOOK ME IN!
So I had 4 days to fill in... So thats why I´m here in theis cute little (dead on Mondays) town of Coroico, Bolivia. Tent pitched, homework to do, and my 4th Chuchawasi!!
Saturday, 23 April 2011
100 day life upside-down update!!
Well, this isn´t very exciting... But I cant find a scale in this Country anywhere!!
I think I´ve lost a little weight, I´ve been really well behaved (the odd bottle of wine excluded) this whole time.
Will keep looking out for one, I think I need to know too... Sorry, but at least its still on, any tips or bagging out welcome!!!
I think I´ve lost a little weight, I´ve been really well behaved (the odd bottle of wine excluded) this whole time.
Will keep looking out for one, I think I need to know too... Sorry, but at least its still on, any tips or bagging out welcome!!!
Bolivia is trying to kill me!!!!
The fantastic Internationally approved medicine, well I´m allergic to it!!!!!
I woke up the day after the first shot and couldn´t friggen move... Works out if you´ve already got a touch of Arthritis, which I have from Ballet and Obesity, it brings it on even earlier and more crippling. It´s called Arthralgia, and apparently it´s rare, but a little common with Verorab... YAY!! Also woke to a sexy hard lump on the back of my hand caused by the same shit, that´s called a Ganglion... So yeah, at least if what my Mum used to tell me is true, things come in 3´s, so I should be all smooth sailing for the rest of my time here!! - Either that, or I´m just not quite getting the hint!!
Had the second shot this morning, and already feeling my bones seize up. It kinda reminds me of the pain I felt when I had Dengue Fever in Indonesia a few years back. That´s nicknamed the bone-breaking disease; quite a good discription really. Now that was really bad... This is a picnic next to that 10 days of living (very almost dying) Hell.
-I love travelling, but sometimes I cant help but think it doesn´t like me all the time!!
If I wasn´t signed up for this, and didn´t see it as part of the Adventure, I would be sitting on my safe little porch, covered with a blanket, with a coffee and a good book. I love both... Just ones a little more thrilling.
I woke up the day after the first shot and couldn´t friggen move... Works out if you´ve already got a touch of Arthritis, which I have from Ballet and Obesity, it brings it on even earlier and more crippling. It´s called Arthralgia, and apparently it´s rare, but a little common with Verorab... YAY!! Also woke to a sexy hard lump on the back of my hand caused by the same shit, that´s called a Ganglion... So yeah, at least if what my Mum used to tell me is true, things come in 3´s, so I should be all smooth sailing for the rest of my time here!! - Either that, or I´m just not quite getting the hint!!
Had the second shot this morning, and already feeling my bones seize up. It kinda reminds me of the pain I felt when I had Dengue Fever in Indonesia a few years back. That´s nicknamed the bone-breaking disease; quite a good discription really. Now that was really bad... This is a picnic next to that 10 days of living (very almost dying) Hell.
-I love travelling, but sometimes I cant help but think it doesn´t like me all the time!!
If I wasn´t signed up for this, and didn´t see it as part of the Adventure, I would be sitting on my safe little porch, covered with a blanket, with a coffee and a good book. I love both... Just ones a little more thrilling.
Thursday, 21 April 2011
RABIES... Si, Por Favor!!
Yesterday started out well... I woke up to fruit salad, yes, finally the homestay family is realising when I said I didn´t eat bread, that I didn´t!
It was about 6 minutes after breakfast that wasn´t all that good. Seeing the time, I raced out the house and started my long but quick walk to my Spanish courses here in Sucre. I was making good time, and just passing a slow walking Bolivian, I´ve noticed they all kinda walk slow, maybe that is why I was the one who then got attacked by a rather cute, small woolly dreadlocked doggy. The little freak jumped out from nowhere and caught my right arm with his sharp teeth and strong mouth, the little shit stayed there hung on until I finally was able to fling him off. It was now I noticed that he looked a little crazy, and not like a healthy house dog. The man I was passing, made a weird half smile, half grimace face at me. He then started rambling a very quick little passage of Spanish at me, but what I got from it was the words `Vacuna´ and `Rabia´ while pointing at the demonic barking creature... Yeah, well lucky the dog didn´t break my skin I was thinking, as the man started his super slow walk again. I crossed the road, not wanting to pass him with my rude hurried rush, as I looked down at my arm to inspect the wound... Oh Shit! Two fang marks, one deciding it would take awhile to bleed, but when it did come, it came with a little gush, while the other was a good inch of ripped off layers of skin, with the blood looking ready to pop through. Oh well, I´ll just get to school, wash it off, the teachers will know what to do. When I get there, I report that I´m a little late because I got bit by a dog, and would like something to clean the wound with. Instantly the questions come flying. Was the `perro´ on the `Calle´or from a`Casa´(street or house dog)? What did it look like? Big or small? `Have you had your RABIES shot? Rabies is extremely common in Sucre in street dogs. Especially if they bite, it means they´re crazy!´ Okay, so I´ll have to get a shot, how bad could it be? I get my arm cleaned up with something that stings, end up doing my class as I haven´t got anything to worry about for a while. It´s not til my breaktime where a dutch girl gets out her Guidebook and shows me that the first 12-24hours of a bite is the most crucial, that I begin to get a little thought of maybe getting the vaccine as soon as I finish class.
The teacher gives me a map to the hospital, which is only a couple of blocks away, and tells me that the vaccine is free, so not to worry. I walk upto where I was directed, its not there. Redirected another few blocks away. I cant find it. My own fault, it was behind me all along, so eventually found it. It was only sign posted in huge red writing `HOSPITAL URGENCIA´ I can understand how I missed it. Walking in, I get escorted by the security guy, he seemed friendly so I don´t think it was that he thought I´d pocket expensive hospital drugs and equipment, maybe just a novelty to have someone walk in with no apparent `urgencia´. The place looked deserted. Other than doctors and nurses in white coats, there was no one there. It was literally the first time I´d ever been to a hospital and not had to wait for hours. A doctor came out, shook her head at the bite wound, put some gloves on, then started stinging the shit outta me with her so called cleaning. She then told me in Spanish, that there was no vaccine in this hospital, that I had to go somewhere else, and that the visit to the `urgencia´ wasn´t free. Seems the nurse didn´t feel charging me was appropriate, thankfully, and gave me directions to the Vaccine place. Banco de Vacuna, had to walk another million miles away, OK not that far, but it was hot, and I was hungry, my food at the homestay would be waiting for me right now on the kitchen table. Get to my destination after a few wrong turns, and an extra hill to climb, to find that the place is on siesta, great gotta wait another hour until 2pm, I can do that. Wait, wait, 2.03pm where is anybody? wait, wait, wait, 2.47pm a lady shows up, with a baby! Manager to work out the place doesn´t open until 3pm, well my day so far has been so fantastic, I don´t know why I´m surprised. After sticking it out, letting the woman and baby go first, oh and another woman and her puppy go second, I get inside the dark little room, with a man that looks like a safari hunter, and he gives me the paperwork for the vaccine to read over. It all looks okay, its in English, seems to be Internationally recognised, Yep, I´m getting it! Only 1,120.50Bolivianos! What? What happened to free? Oh there is a free one, its just not recognised anywhere outside of Bolivia, which one would I like?? Oh shit, I´m terrible at descision making... Where´s my girlfriend when I need her? She´d tell me which one I should get. I ask for as much details about the free one, which obviously I´d prefer, and ask to come back after consulting Australia... it was easier to say a whole Country, than continue explaining what an Insurance Company was. I get in hold of my guys in Oz, after 7, yes seven break ups in my call that I was paying for, the nurse I spoke to said the local drug was not a good substitute, and just pay for it and keep the receipts... Like I have always said, cant afford insurance -cant afford to travel... So thank you Allianz! (If you let me down.....)
Go back, ask for the vaccine VERORAB that was recommended, the safari suit man then gives me a perscription, what now? I have to go to the pharmacy, buy the drug, come back and get my needle, oh yeah, and I´ll need five of them. One for straight away, another on day 3, then 7, then day 14 and finally 28. I race to the pharmacy, ask to get my 5 doses, get told to sit down and wait, only thirty minutes while they get the drug sent in from somewhere else. By now its 5.18pm, the Vaccine place closes at 6pm, but if I run, and it only does take 30minutes I should make it. Thirty minutes later... where is it? I ask the lady, she says only 10 more minutes, I explain that I don´t have that long, that I need one right now, she says she has three, that she was waiting on the other two. I give her my passport and ask to take just one now and I´ll come straight back for the others. After a bit of stuffing around, with putting things in bags, and another bag with ice so it doesn´t get warm... its almost 6pm, people are wearing jumpers and long pants, and she knows I´ve got a 6-8minute run ahead of me... I dunno! Anyways, I run my guts outs, and make it as the safari man is cracking open a can of beer with a mate and yelling at the football his watching on a tiny black and white TV. He reluctantly pulls himself away, to wipe a little alcohol on my arm and stick a needle in me. JOB DONE!!! I walk back to the pharmacy, where I´m made to wait another 35minutes for the delivery, I´m relieved I have some spanish now and could leave with one earlier. I am getting the worse headache of my life, and to add to it my cards don´t want to work. I now have to run a few more blocks away to find an ATM, find one, no problems... Hallujah! Return to pay an incredible amount of money for here especially, and head for home medication in hand. Of course that too didn´t go smoothly, with my taxi driver getting lost going a shortcut that I didn´t know, taking a detour, to me getting out that taxi to walk aimlessly for about 20minutes before catching another taxi to somewhere I knew and could direct him by myself... All in all, my lunch didn´t taste too bad at 9pm!!
It was about 6 minutes after breakfast that wasn´t all that good. Seeing the time, I raced out the house and started my long but quick walk to my Spanish courses here in Sucre. I was making good time, and just passing a slow walking Bolivian, I´ve noticed they all kinda walk slow, maybe that is why I was the one who then got attacked by a rather cute, small woolly dreadlocked doggy. The little freak jumped out from nowhere and caught my right arm with his sharp teeth and strong mouth, the little shit stayed there hung on until I finally was able to fling him off. It was now I noticed that he looked a little crazy, and not like a healthy house dog. The man I was passing, made a weird half smile, half grimace face at me. He then started rambling a very quick little passage of Spanish at me, but what I got from it was the words `Vacuna´ and `Rabia´ while pointing at the demonic barking creature... Yeah, well lucky the dog didn´t break my skin I was thinking, as the man started his super slow walk again. I crossed the road, not wanting to pass him with my rude hurried rush, as I looked down at my arm to inspect the wound... Oh Shit! Two fang marks, one deciding it would take awhile to bleed, but when it did come, it came with a little gush, while the other was a good inch of ripped off layers of skin, with the blood looking ready to pop through. Oh well, I´ll just get to school, wash it off, the teachers will know what to do. When I get there, I report that I´m a little late because I got bit by a dog, and would like something to clean the wound with. Instantly the questions come flying. Was the `perro´ on the `Calle´or from a`Casa´(street or house dog)? What did it look like? Big or small? `Have you had your RABIES shot? Rabies is extremely common in Sucre in street dogs. Especially if they bite, it means they´re crazy!´ Okay, so I´ll have to get a shot, how bad could it be? I get my arm cleaned up with something that stings, end up doing my class as I haven´t got anything to worry about for a while. It´s not til my breaktime where a dutch girl gets out her Guidebook and shows me that the first 12-24hours of a bite is the most crucial, that I begin to get a little thought of maybe getting the vaccine as soon as I finish class.
The teacher gives me a map to the hospital, which is only a couple of blocks away, and tells me that the vaccine is free, so not to worry. I walk upto where I was directed, its not there. Redirected another few blocks away. I cant find it. My own fault, it was behind me all along, so eventually found it. It was only sign posted in huge red writing `HOSPITAL URGENCIA´ I can understand how I missed it. Walking in, I get escorted by the security guy, he seemed friendly so I don´t think it was that he thought I´d pocket expensive hospital drugs and equipment, maybe just a novelty to have someone walk in with no apparent `urgencia´. The place looked deserted. Other than doctors and nurses in white coats, there was no one there. It was literally the first time I´d ever been to a hospital and not had to wait for hours. A doctor came out, shook her head at the bite wound, put some gloves on, then started stinging the shit outta me with her so called cleaning. She then told me in Spanish, that there was no vaccine in this hospital, that I had to go somewhere else, and that the visit to the `urgencia´ wasn´t free. Seems the nurse didn´t feel charging me was appropriate, thankfully, and gave me directions to the Vaccine place. Banco de Vacuna, had to walk another million miles away, OK not that far, but it was hot, and I was hungry, my food at the homestay would be waiting for me right now on the kitchen table. Get to my destination after a few wrong turns, and an extra hill to climb, to find that the place is on siesta, great gotta wait another hour until 2pm, I can do that. Wait, wait, 2.03pm where is anybody? wait, wait, wait, 2.47pm a lady shows up, with a baby! Manager to work out the place doesn´t open until 3pm, well my day so far has been so fantastic, I don´t know why I´m surprised. After sticking it out, letting the woman and baby go first, oh and another woman and her puppy go second, I get inside the dark little room, with a man that looks like a safari hunter, and he gives me the paperwork for the vaccine to read over. It all looks okay, its in English, seems to be Internationally recognised, Yep, I´m getting it! Only 1,120.50Bolivianos! What? What happened to free? Oh there is a free one, its just not recognised anywhere outside of Bolivia, which one would I like?? Oh shit, I´m terrible at descision making... Where´s my girlfriend when I need her? She´d tell me which one I should get. I ask for as much details about the free one, which obviously I´d prefer, and ask to come back after consulting Australia... it was easier to say a whole Country, than continue explaining what an Insurance Company was. I get in hold of my guys in Oz, after 7, yes seven break ups in my call that I was paying for, the nurse I spoke to said the local drug was not a good substitute, and just pay for it and keep the receipts... Like I have always said, cant afford insurance -cant afford to travel... So thank you Allianz! (If you let me down.....)
Go back, ask for the vaccine VERORAB that was recommended, the safari suit man then gives me a perscription, what now? I have to go to the pharmacy, buy the drug, come back and get my needle, oh yeah, and I´ll need five of them. One for straight away, another on day 3, then 7, then day 14 and finally 28. I race to the pharmacy, ask to get my 5 doses, get told to sit down and wait, only thirty minutes while they get the drug sent in from somewhere else. By now its 5.18pm, the Vaccine place closes at 6pm, but if I run, and it only does take 30minutes I should make it. Thirty minutes later... where is it? I ask the lady, she says only 10 more minutes, I explain that I don´t have that long, that I need one right now, she says she has three, that she was waiting on the other two. I give her my passport and ask to take just one now and I´ll come straight back for the others. After a bit of stuffing around, with putting things in bags, and another bag with ice so it doesn´t get warm... its almost 6pm, people are wearing jumpers and long pants, and she knows I´ve got a 6-8minute run ahead of me... I dunno! Anyways, I run my guts outs, and make it as the safari man is cracking open a can of beer with a mate and yelling at the football his watching on a tiny black and white TV. He reluctantly pulls himself away, to wipe a little alcohol on my arm and stick a needle in me. JOB DONE!!! I walk back to the pharmacy, where I´m made to wait another 35minutes for the delivery, I´m relieved I have some spanish now and could leave with one earlier. I am getting the worse headache of my life, and to add to it my cards don´t want to work. I now have to run a few more blocks away to find an ATM, find one, no problems... Hallujah! Return to pay an incredible amount of money for here especially, and head for home medication in hand. Of course that too didn´t go smoothly, with my taxi driver getting lost going a shortcut that I didn´t know, taking a detour, to me getting out that taxi to walk aimlessly for about 20minutes before catching another taxi to somewhere I knew and could direct him by myself... All in all, my lunch didn´t taste too bad at 9pm!!
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