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Hola,
So I know I already wrote today but I thought I should tell you all about the amazing bus ride that I took from Lima to Huancayo yesterday. It was seven hours long, which I know probably brings up horrible memories of cramped roadtrips or school trips for many of you, but the bus was very comfortable. We were on the second level and at the very front so I could see everything. Leaving Lima was the first time I really felt like I was out of the United States. On the outskirts of Lima are hillsides of homes that are smaller than most of our bathrooms. They are built of any material that can be found in scrap or from the falling down portions of older buildings. It was shocking and a reality shock. Very similar to the pictures of the shanty towns outside of Nairobi, Kenya. Throughout the trip in through the mountains these houses were scattered on the side of the road. Such poverty was surrounded by amazing beauty! The mountains were breathtaking. Not as green as you might imagine, very red. I would love to know the geological composition of them. As we climbed the mountains in the bus my ears started to pop. We started at sea level in Lima and ascended to around 15,000 ft at the highest point and then back down to around 12,000 feet in Huancayo. the highest peaks were covered in snow and at one point the windows began to fog due to the great difference in temperature between outside the bus and inside. Along the trip we saw beautiful mountain fed streams, cows ( I have no idea how they fit in the area they were in), a llama or alcapca, several dogs, and two donkeys. Driving through the mountains was an adventure in and of itself climbing at around 40 km/hr on incrredibly narrow roads that continually switched back. I took several pictures and hopefully tomorrow I ca post them, but if not tomorow soon. It got dark around 6 or 6:30pm and that is when everyone fell asleep on the bus. We got into Huancayo around 8:30. We are staying with Elena Morales, an older woman who lives ina family compound with her sisters and brother and their children and gradnchildren. There are around 20 cats also living there and two dogs and some guinee pigs. All in all the trip so far has been great. Only one regret, I didn't learn quite enough spanish before I came, but I am working on it!
Love you all and miss you!
Caitlin
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Eamon
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YAY!!!!
Sounds gorgeous kiddo! I am so incredibly excited for you (and of course proud as can be). I am sorry I didn't get to talk to you right before you left, but I know you are going to relish every moment of your journey(even the trying ones) and suck the marrow of learning from the bones of this experience...that sounded a little creepy...sorry...anyhoo, I look forward to reading all about your experiences and trials and triumphs to come. Love you tons, Your Biggie brother