La Pachamama: Ecuador, Peru

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Hola Personas!

This, along with the next few blovels, will be from around South America, but first a tiny backstory on how I'm even here.

A year and a half ago I flew to Vail, Colorado to stay with a friend and ski. That friend had two Aussie friends visiting. I became friends with them and we stayed in contact via Facebook. Bec is one of those friends, with whom I'm now traveling! So…. small world in a way, crazy some may say, but either way... now we sit in Peru.

We went back and forth on doing a tour, or by ourselves, or this and that, but essentially… we don't speak Spanish. In my opinion, it's extremely close to impossible to get around here without a large and very conversational Spanish vocabulary. Looking back, I was the indecisive one. I thought it would be cheaper, more relaxed, come and go as we please..yada, yada. We got to a point and Bec was booked on an organized tour. FOMO (I only say this because my MOM taught me this) It's the fear of missing out, for those, like me, who don't know this lingo. Anyway, I followed suit and booked. The excitement. Even as I sit here, in South America, I can still feel the excitement of that booking. We booked, and then… the flights, the shots, and visas and permits and packing.. all tied into the complete and udder unknown.

She flew from Sydney and me from Mississippi. We were to meet in Quito, Ecuador on August 3rd. We booked our flights separately, however, what are the chances we were on the same flight that connected in Atlanta. We met at the airport, only to realize we were actually in seats right next to each other. Tell me that's not fate!

We landed late in Quito, Ecuador to find a guy holding a sign that read: Rebecca x2. He got stuck in traffic and was late arriving to the airport so he thought he missed us. He said he was running around yelling "Rebecca and someone!" "Rebecca!" "Someone!" hahaa makes me laugh. We didn't know if he said it was a 15 or 50 minute ride to our hotel, but we got there soon enough and it started to hit that we were in a new country. The next morning, we went for the provided breakfast and met our first other group member, Russell. He had plans for the day, so we tagged along because we were clueless.

Quito is just over 9000 ft above sea level and it's also the capital. Those are two things I learned when we got here, also, that it's beautiful. Houses on houses on houses.. on houses. Brightly painted, square boxes, stacked on one another along mountains. I knew nothing about Ecuador, nothing. No idea there were mountains. In my head, I imagined, dumbly, since it was near the Equator, it was flat-ish. But no. Lots of old buildings, numerous churches, parks, volcanoes, and of course, car horns a honking. We wandered around that morning seeing what there was to see, including some protest or something that required guards that looked like robots. They were fully covered in bulletproof gear. Yes, I was afraid, but not enough to leave.

I was most excited about Quito because it's near the Equator. The Equator, people. I have been to the equator! I will admit, it's a bit overrated.. it´s a line on the ground after all.. but it's the freaking Equator! 😊 It took about an hour to get there. Bec and I were crammed in the backseat with our English speaking guide aka Russells taxi driver from the night before, and a small girl we still don't know who belongs to. We went to a "volcano" but I still don't get it bc in the crater, was a town. Like most of my feelings on this trip thus far, I don't know. 😊 Next, Equator. We went on a weird little tour around, learning about the locals and history and the like. We did experiments like draining water to see the direction of the swirl.. it's true. Goes straight down on Equator line, to the left (or right, I can't remember) in Southern Hem, and the opposite in Northern. Walking on the line with hands out, eyes closed, and heal to toe is very difficult. You could feel it pulling. The experiment I'm most proud about is balancing an egg on a nail! Russell and I were the only ones to do it and we got a certificate. They also stamped passports there but sadly, I didn't have mine with me. Devastation.

On the hour ride back to the hotel the random child showed me 385 photos on an iPhone as I nodded in and out of sleep until she starting playing some dice em up game and singing with the theme song. What? I do not know.

We fiddled around before meeting the rest of our group. Cynthia is our tour guide, or CEO. She is from Peru and married to a Floridian. She is also nothing short of awesome. 15 people on trip. I'm the only American (yay!), Bec of course, an Aussie couple also from Perth, Dutch girl, 2 German girls, 2 English girls, 4 English boys (aka Second Direction), and 2 Canadian boys. I am the oldest at 30, but a few of the girls are 29, and the youngest are the Canadians, at 20. Do you realize this means they were born in 1994? Shiite Mus.

Moving along.. we were up early the next day for bus to Teña. Tena is the closest town to the part of the Amazon Jungle we were going to. Absolutely beautiful drive. Houses on houses on houses. When we arrived we went straight to grocery to buy snacks and then surprises for our host family and kids. Bec somehow managed to bump a bottle of bright orange oil off the shelf. It shattered on the floor and ran all down her legs and into her socks/shoes. It looked like she was gushing blood. She stood there for a good 7-8 minutes as the rest of us tried to get help. Her socks are still stained.

Also, as we were shopping, it began to pour. We left our bags with the driver not 15 minutes before, and it was sunny. I put my bag down, with the rain cover on, but face down. Why, self, why? We stood there, knowing everything was going to be soaked. But alas! To our surprise, it was neatly packed under a black tarp and ready for transport to the home stay. We stayed with a family of the Ricancie community. Honestly, I was expecting much less, in terms of facilities. We had bungalow sort of things on stilts with two rooms in each. Thatched roofs with a sort of wall in between, more so a divider. There weren't any actual windows since it was open to the outside. Beds with pink mosquito nets. Flushing toilets! The life. The family lives in the main part with a dining area and small kitchen below their two bedrooms upstairs. Always amazing to see how happy people are with so little and in such tight quarters.

Shortly after arriving we walked to a lookout point with Rolando, son of family and our primary go to person for our stay in the Amazon. These people are extremely knowledgable about where they live, of course bc they live there, but the information that is passed from one to another is astounding. Specific trees for that, bushes for this, sap for here, rocks for there, etc. And not because someone came in with a book, but because they know the land in which they survive. Along our walk he pointed out a tree that if grabbed, or disturbed, out come ants to protect it. Since then, I´ve been cautious not to grab on to any trees! Simply being in the Jungle was enough, but to experience it through the eyes of a family was incredible. The constant flowing, powerful, beautifully brown water was gorgeous from above. As I've said before, I'm a cheese for big brown rivers like the Mighty Mississip! 😊

Sidenote: Cynthia strongly advised us not to ever wear any sort of wet clothing. We were in the rainforest, where it is VERY damp, even when the sun is out. Things do not dry. One girl had two bites on her upper chest, near the crease of her armpit. When she showed it to Cynthia, she took her to show the family right away. That night they did some "jungle doctoring"- blowing tobacco on them, covering them with the leaves, and who knows what else. She had been in Costa Rica not too long before and thinks thats where she got them. They were worms. When you wear clothes in the water, they can get little maggot type things that lay eggs, invisible to the human eye. So, if you wear it again when its still wet, the eggs can move into your body and grow into worms. Yes, I know! So, this is what happened, but after sleeping with something on them, they were able to remove them the next morning. Whew!

The next day we were pounded on by waterfalls, climbed up waterfalls, hiked through dense jungle, learned, and experienced. That was all swell and good, but seriously the funniest thing was Georgi, one of the English girls. Rolando showed us this long vine that we could use like a rope swing, but just to go out and back. A few of us went and it was fun. Georgi, all psyched up and ready to go, took a big jump up to grab on and riiiiiiiip. She ripped the crotch of her leggings straight up the middle! We were dying! She turned into a tomato, stood there in shock, yet she still did it! May not sound as funny on here, but trust me, it was hysterical. She walked the rest of the way talking about how much of a "tit" she looked, haha! Then towards the end, got a shirt off one of the boys for coverage and made it back home.

We walked a good ways to a lagoon. It was more like a watering hole with a rope swing. We jumped off rocks, did the rope swing, climbed boulders and laid out in the middle of the Amazon. These are times when I really think how lucky I am to be where I am. Why do more people not do this? It´s amazing.

The food, of course, was home cooked by the ladies of the family, and it was delicious. Every meal different, just a tasty as the one before. They told us they had a treat for us! We were all excited to see what treat was wrapped in the banana leaf package.. grub. Huge, fat, yellow, wriggly, slimy, GRUB. They showed us how to prepare it for cooking… holding it between two fingers and, literally, pinching its slimy back, ripping it straight in two. Guts and goo and gush pouring out... to be saved for the cooking. Imagine salty, gel-like, half cooked, eggs and that's what it tasted like. Even though that was a "treat", we did actually make homemade chocolate too! Starting with shelling the seeds, roasting them, grinding them, then to the stove with constant stirring and adding milk/sugar. We had banana slices for dipping. It was De. Li. Cious. That is all. The family also showed us a traditional wedding ceremony. It was interesting. Also learned about their life, love and respect for Pachamama (Mother Earth), and the simplicity in which they are abundantly joyful. Tourism has provided them the opportunity to grow their home, share their practices, and establish a more permanent future in the Jungle. They were in the process of building another building for more guests, of which they truly love.

So, the title of this blovel is Pachamama, or Mother Earth. She is immensely celebrated here, and that makes me happy.

At all other times, we were in hammocks, chatting, resting, eating, and it was glorious. This is also where Cynthia taught us about Airdrop. If you have an iPhone 5, you can send photos to one another immediately via Airdrop. Cynthia is addicted to group selfies so this comes in really handy and I was very impressed to know about this feature! and, in the jungle nonetheless. Also, after every photo, someone in the group says "airdrop" and we all share the photo so we can share with you, dear readers! 😊

Out of the jungle, back to civilization, and on to Baños. As most of you saw from my Facebook, I loved this town. Known for its "baths", but for me, more known for its extreme activities. The baths are hot springs fueled from the nearby volcano, but they are also man-made pools. The water is natural, but the pools are not. I was not interested in that. I was, however, interested in zip lining, bridge jumping, and canyoning. I won't bore you with the indescribable feelings that went along with each of these activities, but let me tell you.. that was some VERY well spent money! 25 for zip line, which was possibly my favorite. 20 for bridge jump, which you can see video on fb! and 30 for canyoning, which is basically repelling down waterfalls. big waterfalls. For the canyoning we had on Keds type shoes, along with a full wetsuit. They were SO comfy, I asked the guide where they get them. That afternoon, I bought a pair for $7.50, talk about a bargain!!!! After the zip line was also the most bright and distinct rainbow I've ever seen. Bonus. Baños is definitely a place I'd like to come back to, not for the activities, but just because I really liked the town. I wish we could've stayed another day. [

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Next up, early start, and off to Cuenca. Ecuador's third largest town. All the people wear Panama hats, even though they think it should be called Ecuadorian hats. All the little old people dressed in these outfits, oh my, it was so cute. It was beautiful. Oh, and again, I can't describe the sights seen on the drive. Breathtaking to say the least. Who knew Ecuador was SO mountainous? Not me, that's for sure. This city had cobble stoned streets, Spanish style roofs, shops and restaurants on every corner and down every street. We took a tour bus to a lookout that was magnificent. Not surprisingly, photos do not do it justice. We had lunch and dinner out, as well as most of the group went to see Tortugas Ninja (get it?), but I passed. I quite liked this place as well, but the size may be too much for me.

Moving along, as usual, I'm leaving out a billion things, but any who.. this day we were to cross the border into Peru. We took a bus, to another bus, on which a man was so far leaned back in his seat he was in my lap. Awkward. I had to slide in sideways to fit into my seat. Thankfully though, that bus was only 15 minutes to the actual border. We unloaded, waited and waited and waited. Once inside the building, you noticed that you went from one line, exiting Ecuador, to a smaller much quicker line, entering Peru. Stamp check and back to the bus. We were on there about 20 minutes and had to get off, walk into a building, go about 15 feet to the exit, and get back on the bus. "For contraband" search they say. We just followed suit as we looked around confused.

My first impressions of Peru were what I imagine Afghanistan looking like. Dust, dirt, sand, hills, cliffs, rundown buildings, emptiness, a bit daunting. The Sechuara Desert. We continued on the Pan American Highway, which is neat just knowing how long that road is.

First town in Peru was Mancora, and very different from my first impressions. A quaint little beach town, full of tuk tuks. 😊 Our time here was spent on the beach, eating, lounging, using the internet, and surfing! Georgi and I went down for a beer in one of the bars that had swings for seats, which unbeknownst to us is a bar and a surf company. One of the guys offered us a free jet ski ride. Nothing is free. So, what was it gonna take? No, no, es free chica! What the hell... it wouldve, at max, cost me 10 dollars. We went to the water and just over the waves, I got to drive! We went to the peer and in and out of boats, was beautiful! We switched off again before shore so he could park it. We were going way too fast. We slammed into the sand, me into him, crushing my finger. But guess what.. it really was free, and I didn´t break my finger, so who wouldn´t say that´s worth it!?

Surfing was next. Myself and Nienke, the Dutch girl, were the only ones who´d surfed before. One of the English boys was the best. First, they didn't want to wear the leash, then they latched it on to their wrists! We were all a good ways out then turned to see one struggling to stay afloat. He had his board backwards and sticking out of the water vertically!! I took on a gallon of water I was laughing so hard! Needless to say, it was not such a successful first surfing experience for them, but I felt for them bc I've been there. We had a good time nonetheless, except another English boy who was cut off by another surfer when their fin cut his leg. He had to go to the "hospital" (someones house) and get 6 or 7 stitches, poor guy. Out of the water and back to land, out to dinner and drinks, making for a rough morning. We lounged around until that night around 9 when we were to catch an overnight bus to Huanchaco, another beach town about 8 hours away

Bec was stuck next to some random man, and I was near the front with Georgi. The guy next to us started chatting, chatting, chatting. He told us all about his love for Niki Minage, quizzed me if I knew the 3 people he knew from Chicago, told us about his college, and his dreams. It was intense. Georgi blocked my view a little bit, so I could laugh, she could not.. which made me laugh even more! It was barely possible, but the more intense thing was.. the driving. We flew around curves and lanes and animals and it was probably better had we just closed our eyes. There is a bathroom on the bus, but only for number 1! It even says on the pre-driving video that you are, under no circumstances, to go number 2. Oh, and before boarding, they video tape you! A guy comes around with a camera, we originally thought he was going to ask us questions like an interview so we were all smiles and giggles, but quickly we realized, to our horror, that it´s in case there´s a crash they could identify who was in which seat!!

We arrived, way too early, at Huanchaco, another beach town, but more hustle and bustle compared to the relaxed vibes of Mancora. The night bus wasn´t great, but it wasn´t awful. We all went straight to sleep at hotel, and met for lunch later on. This town has boats made of reeds with a part cut out in the middle for the fisherman to sit. They are beautiful. Next we toured around and blah blah and then had a tour for the Chan Chan and Chimu Moche ruins. The Moche was only discovered "recently", while the Chan Chan has been pretty much renovated. The Chimu was interesting, the Chan Chan was, but not as much. Bec was "walled"out because all we saw were walls at Chan Chan. Chimu had beautiful paintings and structures and it was earlier in the day. Here we also saw several Peruvian dogs. They are hairless and look like one big scar all over. Hmm.

I am winding down here as I feel like I've gotten ultra boring and rather sick of typing, but last stop on this trip was Lima. When Bec and I booked, we booked Quito to Rio, one big trip. Since, we have discovered that that trip is actually composed of 4 smaller trips.. so Lima was the first end point for some people, and beginning point for newbys.

Lima is also Cynthias home base now. It is also the capital of Peru. The Plaza de Armas in the center with cathedrals and palaces. Here we watched the changing of the guards. We stayed in a district called Barranco, but also visited Miraflores. We had amazing ceviche too!! Our first night was "kid night", with people ALL OVER the place. Cynthia says it used to be fancier but then too costly. People started selling individual rooms and it became less wealthy seeming.

There is a statue in the Plaza that was constructed by a village man, who spoke a different version of Spanish. They told him to make the symbol of fire on the top of the statues helmet. In his language, the word for fire is similar to the word llama. So, there is a great statue with a llama on the head instead of fire. haha!

We steered clear of time consuming museums, and went to the Monastaria de San Fansisco. Underneath this church are the catacombs. 25,000 bodies. 25,000. Bones and bones and bones. Tiny, dark, damp, hallways with bones and bones and bones. They are freakishly neatly arranged. One of the most bizarre things I've ever seen.

I hate to leave you with that thought so, here ya go. I left the group to go to back the hotel one day, which meant I had to get the bus by myself. I could not figure out how to get the ticket to print. I had enough money. What was the deal? This random comes up to help, remember no one speaks English! I got it, it worked, I could get on the bus! yay! Then he hops on ride beside me and we chatted, and now I have a facebook friend in Peru! haha so.. if you're reading this.. Hey Frank! Thanks again for your help!

Adios amigos!

Enjoy your day!



muah!



MK



Dont forget to scroll through all pics!

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Comments

[Michelle Portera]

MK, the maggots laying eggs in the skin story freaked me out. It's like my worst nightmare! Glad they were able to get them out! You are living my dream and I love reading your blog. Love, Michelle