Blogs from Peru, South America - page 1137

I can't believe I spent over 2 months in Columbia, and every day was worth it but my initial flight date came and went on February 2nd. I was able to extend the flight to the maximum 180 days but I wish now I could stay longer, as there is so much to see and do, and at the rate that I move I know I will miss a lot of things that I want to see. Realising that I have just over 2 months left I made a tough decision and decided cut out Ecuador and booked a flight to Lima Peru on the 29th from Bogota. After one last memorable weekend with some friends in the small city of Yopal 6 hours outside of Bogota I headed back to the capital to catch ... read more

Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2006 9:51 PM Subject: Ok - update - water balloons The water balloon fiasco; Operation: as Carnaval approaches, little kids (and big kids) get more and more into the preparations. Starting with water balloons and moving finally to paint and cactus fruit by carnaval. Preferred Target: Anyone who stands out in a crowd. i,e, Gringos. Every time we went back to our apartment (Ayacucho) the gang of a dozen or so boys and girls would eye us, water balloons in hand, ready for the slighest sign of fear. We would stare back and communicate unsaid death threats to them. So for the meantime we were un-touched. Then one day Izzy was up at Quinua and I was taking the day for errands and I ended up walking down the street with the ... read more

GALAPAGOS BACK TO ECUADOR After our visit to Galapagos, we were to meet the Crystal Serenity at Lima in Peru, the next country south of Ecuador. But first we had to detour back through Ecuador to get there. This was a long trip, beginning with the obligatory boat and plane trips from Galapagos to the Ecuador mainland. The scoop among our group was that Ecuador is willing to donate the Galapagos Islands for research and conservation, but any air travel to and from the Galapagos Islands must first pass through the airport at Guayaquil on the Ecuador mainland, where many tourist dollars are collected from Galapagos-bound tourists. From Guayaquil we were finally permitted to take another flight to Lima on the Peruvian coast, where our ship awaited us at the port of Callao, 45 minutes away ... read more

Up early ( as always on this trip! ), and goodbyes to our families, we set off by boat again, another painfully slow 3 hour journey to our next destination, the floating Islands of Uros. A bewildering sight, these man made Islands, made completely of reeds growing out of the Lake, and home to families. Everything is built by reed, the homes, even reed boats. They even eat the reeds, which has no taste whatsoever!!! After a briefing once we got there on how they live, we were given a short ride on an amazing reed boat, which me and made mate helped row across the Lake. I have now officially also rowed across the worlds highest Lake! The Islands are actually anchored by wooden stakes, and they can be moved by boat if the locals ... read more

Picked up from the hotel at 7am, we were cycled to the harbour by the local bike taxis ( great fun! ). There we stopped at the market, to buy presents for the families we would be staying with that night. Presents consisted of basics, Rice, Pasta, Candles, even Suncream and Toothpaste. We then set off by boat, across Lake Titicaca, 3,800 meters above sea level. Its so high, the clouds and the sky constantly feel just above your head, as if you really are at the top of the world. Our destination is the Island of Taquile, a 3 hour journey on our boat. Half way on the journey, our captain decided to leave deck to do some boat housekeeping, leaving the steering completely unattended for its 16 passengers! So, in to the captains chair ... read more