The city of smog

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After quite sometime I´m back. Sorry everyone. Between the site being down and traveling I haven´t had much time to update. There are some entrys that have been lost and I will try to recover them someday when I have time, probably back in the states. As for now I am in Lima, the grand city of Lima. Ok, actually its not that grand at all. The city is always over cast and filled with smog and the traffic is unbelievable. With this out of the way though its not really a bad city, just large and loud. We arrived here in Lima this morning around 8 am and made it to Mira Flores around 10 to start our backpacking adventure.

First let me give a quick over view of the previous weekend and week to get everyone up to speed. I will try to post pictures before I leave Lima on Monday, hopefully the hostel will let me use their computer.

A week ago thursday 3 friends and I left Ayacucho for Lake Titicaca. The thursday night bus took us from Ayacucho to Lima. Apart from the game of bingo and mean girls in spanish the ride was very uneventful. We arrived in the lima around 7 in the morning and caught a cab to the airport at 8. Our flight to Julicaca was unfortunatly delayed and we were stuck in the airport for 6 hours where the food court became home for the second time for me here in Peru. After many hands of Rummy we boarded the plane for Juliaca. First we stopped in Cuzco, then ended up flying to Arequipa instead of Juliaca due to broken lights on the runway. A slight adventure in Arequipa ensued involving a quick trip to the hospital which I will fill you in on later if you ask. Finally a 4 hour bus ride took us to Puno, 12 hours after our expected arrival, and left us in our hostal.

The next morning we caught a boat to Las islas de uros, or the floating islands on the Peruvian side of the lake. The islands were incredible. They are completely man made out of reeds grown in the lake. Reeds are compacted over rotten reeds in the consistency of peet moss. The result is the feeling of walking on a bog. The houses and boats are made of reeds as well. I would love to live on a reed island someday.

The afternoon found us traveling once again by car to the border between Peru and Bolivia. We crossed the border with only minor problems that were solved by 10 american dollars. Once in Bolivia we made our way to Copacabana and found a place to spend the night, which considering it was Bolivia´s independence day weekend proved to be more difficult than we anticipated. The following morning, sunday by this time, Andrew, Katy and I boarded another boat to the Isla del Sol. Jordan stayed behind since she was feeling quite ill. 2 hours of a not so fun boating adventure and we were on the island. A 5 hour hike across breathtaking scenery brought us from the north end of the island to the south end. We bypassed the ruins located on the north end due to lake of funds. The view alone was enough. Lake Titicaca is absolutely beautiful. The water is bright blue, there are mountains on every side and snow caped peaks to the east. It definitely felt like the highest navigable lake in the world, we were struggling for breath on many of the trails. I feel well prepared for the Inca Trail.

Another day of traveling and we were home safe in Ayacucho. I could have done with out the second night bus however. Lisa actually beat me back to Ayacucho and I found her waiting in my room when we walked through the door tuesday morning. That morning was spent recovering, her sleeping and me enjoying my first taste of E. coli. (not E. coli the super dangerous bacteria we look at in bio but a different strain, bacteria none the less. Nothing cipro couldn´t treat) Wednesday and thursday were spent shopping and showing lisa around Ayacucho. I said goodbye to the people at my clinic and the house staff along with the other volunteers still in the city. Katy, Lisa and I boarded the plane for Lima at 6:50 this morning.

After checking into our hostel we did what any american would do. We found a starbucks. Don´t judge me, I have been in Peru for 7 weeks now and I couldn´t resist the temptation of a latte and a comfy chair. Lima has turned out to by my little american suprise before 2 more weeks of traveling. We visited an international school in La Molina after lunch then the National museum on the way back. The museum was very interesting, full of artifacts from all of the pre incan and incan cultures. The plans for the evening include a hopefully hot shower and dinner follwed by happy hour at the hostel and undoubtably an early night. Tomorrow we plan and taking a city tour and visiting the crypts of the san fransisco monastery. Hopefully I will be able to post some pictures as well. love to all.

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