Ceviche in Lima

Our time in Lima was short and I spent most of it in bed unfortunately due to a terrible cold I caught at our hostel in Cusco. We stayed outside of the city proper in Miraflores, a wealthy neighborhood technically considered to be a suburb. A walk along the beach revealed a strange hybrid of highway and sand that was quite uninviting. So why is Lima known for their close proximity to the ocean? One word: Ceviche. This incredible dish is one of my favorites and originates in Lima. Limeños, people from Lima, indulge in long ceviche lunches and we were fortunate enough to join them on our last day in town. Ceviche is a dish composed of raw fish cooked in the acids from lime and sometimes lemons. Limes are in abundance in Peru where Pisco sours and ceviche originated. The small round limes are sold in giant bags and can be found in most hostel fridges it seems. We dined at La Mar which is said to be the best place to enjoy ceviche in Lima. We ordered the sampling ceviche composed of small dishes of several different types. I had no idea ceviche came in so many shapes and colors and such a range of complex flavors. From squid in an Aji pepper marinade to red tuna with seaweed and soy, they were all delicious and unique. Truly a tasty way to end a quick visit to Lima!

Adventures in Peruvian Wonderland

Crossing the Bolivian border into Peru has provided us with even more incredible experiences and sights. Cusco, the oldest city in the Americas is located in a valley filled with stucco houses with Spanish tiled red roofs, gorgeous ornate churches and Incan ruins. Truly a hybrid city, ancient Incan stone walls provide the foundation for narrow alleys filled with old ladies in brightly colored skirts carrying days old baby llamas while Spanish colonial style wooden balconies seat chic and bohemian travelers sipping coffee and pisco sours over the Plaza de Armas. The city spirals outwards into the surrounding rolling hills, a winding, steep oasis in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. I had no idea so much Incan architecture amd influence would still be so prevalant centuries after being conquered by the Spaniards. However, the Incan spirit is still strong even if there are no remaining Natives in the land. The rainbow flag symbolizing Pacha Mama, Mother Earth, and her abundance provided to them is still central to the culture. Most street vendors know their stuff about the Incas and their traditions, the gods they worshipped, their animal symbolism, and their pottery. It is with mixed feelings that one encounters this rich history of beliefs while remembering that they were brutally destroyed during the Spanish Inquisition. After a few days of wandering into art galleries and studios, watching craftsman make gorgeous string instruments and resting in the tranquil parks, we got ready for the epic trek to Machu Picchu.

Rather than spend an extravagant amount of money on the Inca trail, we opted for the do it ourselves route which proved to be quite rewarding. After a six hour bus ride to Santa Maria, we got in a packed taxi and drove through the jungle cloud forest along cliffs and over waterfalls before being dropped off at the edge of a cliff with rapids gushing below. We hopped on a tiny cable cart and were propelled across the water to the other side where we hoped to rush and catch a train to Aguas Calientes. We missed the train which resulted in trekking in the jungle at night for three and a half hours along the train tracks, often walking from track to track over large gaps with only rapids to catch us below. We emerged sticky and tired in Aguas Calientes starving and covered in bites. The next morning we began hiking up to Machi Picchu around 5 AM. It was still dark and our muscles ached from the previous night, but I was determined to reach the top before the buses full of tourists arrived at the top. The stairs were ancient, steep and unforgiving. We climbed those relentless stairs in the dark at first, and then in a mist of fresh clouds as the sun began to rise. Small flowers began to blossom with the new day and the jungle came alive with the sounds of birds and streams of small waterfalls. Short of breath and exhausted we arrived at the top. Unfortunately we did not beat the buses there, but the sense of accomplishment we felt more than compensated for this. After entering, an emotion that can only described as spiritual overcame me as I stood overlooking the misty Incan ruins assembled against the odds in the lush cloud forest of greenery and impossibility. We wandered through the stone wonderland, picturing the Incas as they once lived and admiring their tenacity for building such a place so far from anything and everything that it was at once everything and anything they could ever need. As the sun began to shine through the windows of ancient stone, the village lit up and the mysterious mist unveiled new perspectives. At one point the sheer beauty of a valley against Waynapicchu, a giant peaking mountain with the ruins on either side and cliff drops below broght me near tears. I found a small window to sit in and look out at the mountains where I wrote and meditated for a while. The silence was a rarity given the immense amount of tourists that pour into Machu Picchu daily, approximately a thousand each day! We returned down the way we had come up, our legs tired and our minds opened. The energy emanating from this mysterious, mountain village was one of a brilliant past, an incredibly intelligent and powerful people, and a tragedy for their demise.

Cusco from San Blas

Plaza de Armas in Cusco

Machu Picchu as the fog began to lift

Early morning mist at Machu Picchu

Sapphire Respite

After an arduous journey from Sucre in the south of Bolivia to La Paz on the chilliest bus ride of my existence, Lake Titicaca´s shores were truly a sight for sore eyes. The impossibly blue water sparkled in undulating currents of splendor against the bright, crisp blue sky. Burnt sienna mountains rose in the distance overpowered by giant glacial peaks that seemed to rise from dense white clouds. We spent a couple of days in Copacabana before setting off on boat to Isla del Sol, the legendary birthplace of Inti, the Incan sun god. We saw Incan ruins, magnificent views, did yoga amidst sheep facing the lake and watched life occur as if frozen in time. The people on the island have no cars, some lack electricity and they spend their time herding donkeys, collecting corn and watching the moon rise. It was refreshing to exist in that moment in time only, not thinking about politics or global events. Our world can be as large or as immediate as we perceive it to be. Rather than thinking about what is going on oceans and miles away, I have found myself truly existing on the current plane, in the geographic speck on the planet that I find myself in at a given moment. We returned from the island to our lovely green hostel where we found ourselves cooking ramen on our small electric stove atop our Lonely Planet book around 1 am. Starving after a couple weeks in Bolivia, we were anxious to move toward Peru, incredibly excited to meet our friend and enjoy some more palatable (and edible) food. Between bus rides in Puno, Peru, we ate tamales steaming in their corn husks and eyed the vast market of fruits we had never seen, streetside cevice, and small speckled eggs carted around with birds in tow. After a long bus ride we arrived in Cusco last night. We´ll spend a few days here enjoying the oldest city in America, admiring Incan walls and Spanish colonial squares before heading off to Machu Picchu and exploring the Sacred Valley.


Copacabana

The beach on the north end of Isla del Sol at sunset

Sleep deprived and sunburned enjoying the sunset in Copacabana

Moon rise over Lake Titicaca

On the boat from Copacabana to Isla del Sol

Just a snippet of the incredible amount of fresh produce at the market in Sucre

Lake Titicaca from Isla del Sol

Unbelievable Bolivia

We just got back from our 4 day tour of the southwest mountains, desert and salt flats of Bolivia. What a trip! Amongst the amazing sights we were fortunate enough to witness, there were geysers spewing muddy lava, natural hot springs from the crevices of the mountains, Salvador Dali´s desert, a green lagoon, three different types of flamingos, llamas, vicuñas, a red lagoon, several volcanos and a hostage situation. The latter of which is a story I will save for a later date. The sights were out of this world. I often felt as though we were on the moon, a sensation I won´t soon forget. We were the only Americans in our group amongst nine Israelis which provided an unexpected opportunity to learn more about the Jewish homeland and life for people in their twenties in Israel. To think that all of these people my age had already served years in the army is still difficult to wrap my mind around. Who knew the most Israelis I have ever met would be found in Bolivia of all places! The pictures really speak for themselves so I will post a few here. Seeing sights like these enabled me to have the unique opportunity to understand how small humans are on this giant, beautiful earth and to perceive how long life has been here before us and how long it will continue long after we are gone. What a wonderful, complicated, confusing, spectacular and humbling world.

In our Jeep in Salvador Dali´s desert

Flamingos in the morning light

Laguna Colorada

At the largest salt flat in the world, Salar de Uyuni

Flamingos at Laguna Cañapa

Pueblo Fantasma, ruins of an old mining village

Zen at Salar de Uyuni

A letter home from Bolivia

Staying in a loud hostel ful of rowdy Israelis that don´t appear to need sleep and horseback riding for 5 hours has left me quite exhausted! I wrote this letter to my family and I decided it said everything I had the energy to express so I´m posting it here. Forgive my laziness, the Bolivian altitude must be getting to me!

Hola chicos!

We arrived in Bolivia yesterday after crossing the border from La Quica, AR to Villazon, Bolivia. Customs and crossing the border was easy for everyone we are traveling with (Irish, English, Australian, Canadian, Uruguayan, Polish...), but not for us! Bolivia does not like Americans very much so we had to pay a hefty $130 USD and show tons of paperwork, give them photos of ourselves, etc. It was quite the adventure into Bolivian bureaucracy! We succesfully crossed the border and quickly got out of Villazon, a very unattractive border town. The bus ride was quite bumpy as only 5% of Bolivia´s roads are paved. We arrived in Tupiza, an old western kind of town with lots of horses and red rocks. Everything is much, much cheaper here which is quite a relief after the inflated prices in Argentina. We went on a five hour horseback tour today for about $15 USD each and we got to wear real leather gaucho hats! my horse was quite possibly the slowest horse in Bolivia, making the ride quite relaxing. It is possible that my horse, Callablanca, only spoke Spanish, which might explain why my commands were heard in vain. Although I´m pretty sure a kick in the sides means go universally! We have decided to break off from our travel group as groups are much more complicated to travel with and we are moving fairly quickly in order to reach Colombia by June. We haggled (en español!) to get a low price on a 4 day tour to the salt flats in Uyuni. They are the highest in the world. Along the way we will see flamingos, red and green lagoons, geysers, two volcanos, a hotel made entirely of salt (yum!), and llamas! I am very excited!! I have eaten one llama empanada, however, I decided based upon my favorite childhood book, "Llama, Are You my Mama", that I will not indulge in any more llama products with the exception of sweaters and other knit goods. I did however drink a licauado witrh my dinner tonight, a mix of milk and fruit that is very popular here and very delicious! Our route from Uyuni will be to Sucre then Potosi then to La Paz only to catch the bus to Cococabana where we will stay on Isla del Sol on Lake Titicaca before crossing into Peru and climbing Machu Picchu! Sorry for the long rambling e-mail, I am missing speaking English after only speaking Spanish to everyone but Ben! We are having a wonderful time and I am learning a lot about life in these countries and about myself. Some days are hard but I already have such a different perspective and I learn so much everyday, it is incredible. You would hardly recognize me!

Besos,
Natalie

Gorgeous Quebrada de Humuhuaca

It took many, many hours on buses but it was well worthwhile to skip ahead on our jouney to the Quebrada of northwest Argentina. Tiny mountain villages dance between the massive Andes with gorgeous local crafts, multichromatic mountainscapes, adobe homes, and cobble stone streets. Our first stop was Purmamarca where we camped with the most spectacular view of the Cerro de los Siete Colores, a truly mesmerizing site. We hiked around, bought llama clothes from the ongoing local crafts fair around the town square and listened to pan flute music play Simon and Garfunkel. Yes, it was a little slice of mountain heaven. It was with an understandably heavy heart that I got back on the bus to head up to the next village on our path to Bolivia. We arrived quickly in Tilcara, another amazing village. This one has a livelier vibe with an artisan colony and lots of down to earth, chill people just enjoying the natural beauty at every turn. We took a four hour hike today to the Garganta del Diablo, or Devil´s Throat to see a waterfall in the midst of the mountain desert. At night we have been cooking fresh chorizo from the carniceria over the fire with fresh bread. My Spanish is slowly improving and my interractions have become significantly less awkard which is definitely a plus. Upon our arrival to Tilcara, in search of a homestay we followed around a drunk local carrying our packs for about 25 minutes while he rambled, we stared blankly and wondered whether we were going on a hike or to a house. Just one of many lost in trabslation moments that have left me laughing so hard I have to put my backpack down. I still have a highly limited vocabulary and get a lot of blank looks but I can order food well and that is an improvement in my mind! Tomorrow we will head out to a precolonial fortress and then on to Humuhuaca, a Quechuan village where no amount of Spanish will help us! Tonight we will dine in town in our llama sweaters and sleep under the stars. Buenas noches chicos!

A Brief Stay in Wine Country

After an overnight bus to Mendoza, I was overwhelmed by the arrival in another city. Longing for verdant hills and the quaint colonialism I had imagined, I choked on the heavy fumes and looked unhappily upon the rows of ugly commercialism that seemed inescapable and were only compounded by Santa Fe and Florida Boulevards in Buenos Aires. Confused as to why we chose Mendoza over Iguazu, we began to look into wine tours to assuage our doubts. We did learn some valuable lessons, the most important of which I think is that expectations can truly shape your perception of a place and that can affect your entire experience in that locale.

The next day a jolly Argentinian named Mr. Hugo picked us up along with two lovely British ladies and we drove away from the hustle and bustle to quiet Maipu. We rented bikes, planned our route of vineyards to visit and took off on the bumpy road. You may be thinking, bikes and wines, this is a terrible idea! And you my friend, would be quite right! After a perilous ride along a bumpy road with no sidewalk, bikepath or shoulder to turn onto, I became quite used to sharing the road with buses, trucks, crazy motorcycles and the like. Add this to about 4 wines per tasting and you have a recipe for distaster! Luckily, we are still intact and much more knowledgeable about the succulent, bright, fruity Malbecs that the Mendoza region has to offer. We stopped at two amazing vineyards worth mentioning. The first was the Familia di Tommaso where we had our own private tour of the facilities, stood in giant wine vats and touched crystals of lactic acid remaining from the old brick and concrete fermentation barrels. We tasted two Malbecs, one Cabernet Sauvignon and one Rose, all delicious. The young wines were undoubtedly harsher and more intense, while those aged for a year or more in oak barrels were smooth, creamy and sweeter with hints of berry, particularly plum and strawberry. After that we wandered through the vineyards picking Malbec and Cabernet grapes, filling our mouths with the sweet juice of post harvest season sun drenched fruit. The second vineyard had a much larger operation and was a less personal experience. After a self guided tour we sampled 6 different wines on the roof of a building overlooking their vineyard. Their wines were tasty but lacking the individuality of the previous vineyards. We tasted a Merlot which was unexpected and a light, fruity Malbec Rose which stood out. There we ate a delicious lunch of brie, chicken and pesto sandwiches and lamb burger. Then it was back on the bikes, many glasses of wine deeper and a ways from Mr. Hugo´s. I have never biked so fast in my life. My rationale was that the less time on the road, the lower the probablility of swerving into a bus, yes this may have been a wine infused delision, but I´m still intact so maybe I was right!

That night, a lingering headache in tow, we boarded the bus for San Salvadore de Juyjuy (pronounced hu-huy) which has a river running through it called the Xibi xibi, your guess is as good as mine on that pronunciation. Twenty three hours later we arrived. Let me tell you a few things I have learned so far after this experience. Everything I said about "chic travel", well, forget it. Not changing clothes for three days or more at a time is completely acceptable, showers are a privilege and hand washing my unmentionables in the sink is the norm. Mirrors are for making sure there is nothing in my teeth, hence why I was shocked to find a giant mosquito bite on my face yesterday that has probably been there for several days. After arriving here we hopped in a cab and headed to a hostel that thankfully had rooms! We have definitely left central Argentina, you can tell by the faces of the people, the popularity of the llama (llama empanadas, llama treks, llama paintings, llama sweaters...), the proximity of dense cloud forest and small villages with archaelogical remains of indigenous cultures. I am excited to be far from the city life and looking forward to trekking and camping in the beautiful scenery. Today we are heading to some verdant, cloud forest Andes and then we will be going north toward Purmamarca. Humuhuaca and Iruya as we make our way to the Bolivian border. That´s all for now, pictures of the vineyards and wine to come!