jazzemmy
Emily Peiffer Joined: April 1st 2009
Logged in: October 10th 2011
Logged in: October 10th 2011
Travel Blog Posts
Almost a month ago, I moved to Tucson, Arizona, U.S.A. That's the same Arizona with the extremely controversial SB 1070 aiming to enforce the toughest measures against illegal immigration anywhere in the country. I came to earn a dual-degree in Law and Latin American Studies, hoping to spend at least four years here and work on the immigration issues currently causing such chaos. It's a good thing I like a challenge, eh? My first impressions might be harsh but in this desert, such severity surrounds us. First things first: it's hot. The first couple of days I spent here had high temperatures over 110F. Everyone who says that it's hot but it's okay because there's no humidity is a liar. Go hug a saguaro. Thanks to the current monsoon season, we get some pretty wicked thunder ... read more
Quebec pride
Everyone loves Montreal. Especially for East-Coast Canadians, it's a city of nearly mythological power to enchant and seduce. Folks head to Montreal and marvel at the metropolis with its unparalleled shopping and dining and entertainment opportunities. When they return to smaller towns they tell great stories about the big city and all of the misadventures possible in a place with a Metro, a Chinatown and borrow-able bicycles. West Coasters love Montreal too but it's far and often cold, neither of which are deal-breakers from the Eastern perspective. Fulfilling a longstanding dream, I was in Montreal for my birthday this year. In Quebec, the 24th of June is St. Jean Baptiste Day: the "Fete Nationale". It is a day to celebrate being Quebecois(e), show pride for national heroes and heroines, shout and cheer about the strength of ... read more
Chateau Frontenac
As I wrote in my paper-and-pen diary, "Take heed, cash-strapped travellers: Quebec City could be a town in France and you don't have to leave Canada to reach it." I thoroughly enjoyed my three nights in the provincial capital of Quebec. It was a picturesque city of cobblestone streets, cafes with terraces, busy squares and verdant parks. After five weeks in tiny Jonquiere, it was wonderful to be in a bustling metropolis that has managed to maintain the intimate idea of everyone knowing one another. As happens when I really like a place, I pictured myself spending a longer part of my life in Quebec City. Who knows when I'll be back. Instead of electing the youth hostel life that can be so "hit-or-miss" I decided to Couchsurf in Quebec and found a woman about my ... read more
Graduation happened first.
One week ago I officially graduated from university! It was a tough day in which the walk across a stage was eclipsed by some difficult goodbyes and a move away from the city that became my home: Fredericton, New Brunswick. After the ceremony, my parents and grandparents and I piled into a packed car and headed towards Quebec. We stayed overnight in Riviere-du-Loup and made it here to Jonquiere the next day around noontime. This adventure is not very far from home. It does not require very much gumption, (by which I mean I haven't had to eat anything strange and I sleep in the same bed every night.) I didn't even need a passport to get here. Still, I'm travelling. I'm adventuring. I came to what is, allegedly, the most Francophone region in North America ... read more
Sunset at Tamarindo
Costa Rica is probably the most outwardly "touristy" country I have visited so far on this trip. There are people everywhere and, as I am briefly with my folks again, we're enjoying the amenities provided for proper tourists who can afford to splurge. There is something to this lifestyle. People have short breaks and they want to relax. I get it. They want to be spoiled. I am just not at the point in my life right now where this is my cup of tea, or glass of fruity cocktail, so to speak. My attitude towards travel budgeting is to spend as little money as possible while taking in the culture and being safe. The hotel we are now at would not fit into this budgeting. It is a stunning "eco resort" in Playa Tamarindo on ... read more
I'm officially two months behind schedule. It's a good thing there are no due dates in this project. Although I'm now home and safe and happily going about my normal student life, it is still important to me to finish off this blog and explain the rest of my trip. I want to complete this little project and round out this record. Staying in real time for a moment longer: today my first travel column was published in my university newspaper. I'll be writing a biweekly column this year called "It's a wild world..." about culture and diversity and travel and multiculturalism. I have also written a two-part article about my adventures this summer that has appeared in the same newspaper. I'm really enjoying that forum and have had a lot of positive response, even from ... read more
OK, here´s the secret: in real life I am in Granda, Nicaragua. I´m here volunteering with the great organization ¨Ritmo en los Barrios¨ teaching piano classes to local kids and having a great time being a bit more settled. So that means that I am not in Cartagena, it is not July 8th, and really this blog is falsifying a lot of things. But I´m of the ¨better late than never¨ mindset, backtracking so that everything can be complete even in my neglect to post consistently. So, after the Salkantay trek I had a bit of a runaround wherein I found the cheapest route to Cartagena, Colombia to be bussing to Lima and then flying through Panama City on a round-trip ticket the second half of which I was sure I would never use. Funny how ... read more
Salkantay means ¨Wild Mountain¨ in Quechua. This foreboding name was given to the glacier Salkantay to note its propensity towards ferocious avalanches that spelled danger for the Andean, Inca peoples. Today, Salkantay is known as a popular alternative trek from Cusco towards Machu Picchu and many travellers set off towards the glacier and the lost city of the Incas on a five day excursion that will take them up to an altitude of 4,650 m. and down again, through jungle and along a river, into towns and campsites but also off into the rugged wilderness along narrow trails. I found this ¨tramp,¨ as my New Zealander companions called it, to be absolutely breathtaking - as much because of the beauty as the altitude. We set off early: I tagged along with Lucy and Dylan from NZ ... read more
Of all of the countries I have been to on this trip and perhaps ever, Peru is the one I will probably most reccomend to people as a travel destination. It basically has everything you would want. First of all, it is a stunningly beautiful country with diverse natural landscapes. Secondly, the people are truly lovely: hospitable and generous and friendly and welcoming. Thirdly, the cultural aspects beg to be investigated and both ancient peoples (those of Machu Picchu) and modern peoples (the Andean inhabitants) have fascinating cultural beliefs and are more than willing to share them with you. Add in reasonable prices for a good infastructure of accomodation and restaurants and amenities and Peru is a paradise for backpackers on a tight budget all the way up to tourists in pursuit of luxury. I entered ... read more
OK, so I realize that this whole blogging adventure has not worked out incredibly well and that I am a few weeks behind where I should be but I wanted to write a quick update about my last few days in Bolivia. Please discount the fact that I have been in three countries since Bolivia... One of the most exhilirating experiences of my trip so far was mountain biking down what they called the World's Most Dangerous Road, or the Death Road, outside of La Paz. Whispers about this old highway that winds downhill through the jungle flanked by sheer cliffs had been on backpackers' lips for weeks and weeks but at first throught that it was only for the testosterone-laden. I decided to do it for sure when I heard about the stunning natural beauty ... read more
