Toro Toro: Here Be Dinosaurs!

So it's an unspoken rule of travel through South America that at some point you're going to get food poisoning from something you ate or drank. I've had a dodgy stomach a couple times so far this trip but nothing really horrible. That is, nothing bad until my overnight bus ride from La Paz to Cochabamba where I was planning on connecting to Toro Toro National Park. Let's just say, despite the advertisement there was no functioning bathroom on the bus, but that lack of facilities did not prevent me from vomiting up what felt like everything I had eaten in the past month. You can't get much more miserable than being trapped on a night bus in Bolivia covered in your own vomit. Definitely the lowest point of my trip to date. However if for some reason you ever find yourself in this situation, remember, it doesn't last forever, at some point you're going to be able to escape the bus and change into clean clothes and it's going to be the best feeling ever.

In almost direct proportion to how incredibly awful the journey was getting there, Toro Toro National Park was incredibly awesome. I hadn't heard of it until my friend Sarah recommended that I go there. It's pretty remote, about a half days journey by colectivo to get there (which according to our guide is a recent improvement resulting from recent road construction - kind of a funny concept given the state the road still is in, but it used to take from between 1 and 4 days). Tourism is definitely still growing in the area so it's pretty rustic, no phone signal, WiFi, or ATM, but the park is cool enough that once word really gets out, the town is going to explode and become super touristy so I'm glad I got to experience it before that happens. However in anticipation of the tourists coming, they redid the central plaza a couple years ago to feature a life size T-rex among other dinosaurs, so that's pretty awesome.

I had met a few other tourists on the colectivo on the way to Toro Toro so we all banded together to form one group to go on tours together (much cheaper rates). The things to see around Toro Toro once again make you feel like you're on a Discovery channel program, much like the Islas Ballestas did in Peru. We spent the morning crawling through a huge cave in the park. Because it's Bolivia, absolutely nothing was roped off and you could get right up close to and touch huge stalactites and stalagmites. Most of the rooms we were in were pretty big but we also did our share of crawling through narrow tunnels and shimmying between rocks. There was water and little ponds throughout the cavern, and just like you read about in the evolution chapter of your biology book, there were blind cave fish in the ponds that had lost the ability to see over generations of living in the dark.

After a lunch break, we resumed our tour in the afternoon with what I was most excited to see, dinosaur tracks!! There were all kinds and our guide explained which tracks belonged to which family of dinosaur by whipping plastic dinosaurs out of his backpack, which I had naively assumed was filled with water, snacks, first aid kit, things you typically bring on hikes. But no, it was just plastic dinosaurs. I think I'm going to start packing for hikes like that. But in any case, it was really really cool to be walking along the same paths dinosaurs walked millions of years ago. Seeing the tracks made them seem much more real and gave you a much better idea the size the dinosaurs really were. The nerd in me who had books of dinosaur facts for bedtime stories for years was thrilled.

We ended the tour by hiking down into a canyon and swimming in a waterfall, which you know, is pretty cool too. There were even more hikes and excursions you could do around the area, and I probably could have spent a couple more days there except 1) I was running out of cash because I didn't know there was no ATM there and 2) I had to get to Potosí to meet my friend Sarah again! Which will be the next installment in the Rambling Backpacker.

From La Paz to Coroico and Back Again

Now that I've opined about the culture shock coming into Bolivia gave me, I should probably catch you all up on what I've actually been doing because I'm sure you're all dying to know. Aside from the walking tour which I've already told you all about, there's not all that much to do in La Paz except of course shop in the markets where they sell everything (yes that includes the llama fetuses, they're sold to use as offerings to Pachamama or Mother Earth when a new house is being built). Luckily La Paz is a good point to organize tours of the area from and there's lots to do nearby.

I've been making up most of this trip as I go along, but I did have a list of a few things I definitely wanted to see or do in South America and biking down the World's Most Dangerous Road aka Death Road was one of them. The road got its name because at some point it did indeed have the most deaths per year on it. This is due to the fact that it's built along a cliff, there are no guardrails or supports against landslides because that would be silly, and the road is officially two way though a casual observer would tell you that definitely only one car could fit across the road at one time. A few years back a new road was built to replace Death Road which promptly cut the number of annual fatalities. Today the road is mostly used by tourists biking down it, but it is still officially open to traffic so you do have to be on your guard against cars.

Despite the alarming moniker, I honestly didn't feel too afraid biking down the road. It's one of those activities that if you're not stupid about it and you pay attention to your guide, you're going to be fine. Going down I was too focussed on braking early enough in the turns and watching out for rocks to pay much attention to the 600 meter drop to my left. Of course the reason I was focussing on braking correctly and avoiding rocks was to prevent myself from going flying over that drop. The ride was fun and the little scenery I saw as I went whizzing by was beautiful. And clearly I survived, the only casualties being sore arms and a sore behind from spending three hours riding over rocks.

I had already vaguely planned to do a trek, called El Choro trek, while in La Paz, since I had read it was beautiful and ended in Coroico, a little jungle town that had been recommended for a visit. The Death Road bike ride took almost the same route, and since I didn't really have the chance to enjoy the views while biking, I definitively wanted to revisit the area, this time at a more leisurely pace. Being the great planner that I am, I spent a morning going around to agencies, asking which had a tour leaving the next day. The one that said they did was the one I went with. This could have backfired rather spectacularly, but luckily I had a kind guide, friendly hiking companions, and most importantly good food for the trek. The views were incredible, moving from snow into jungle over the course of three days, and the whole area was much less developed for tourism than other treks I had done, which gave it a bit more of a wilderness feel.

 The trek ended near Coroico, a small peaceful town in the yungas. Because the exchange rate is wild, I was able to get a private room in a hotel with a gorgeous view to relax in on the super cheap. It was nice to enjoy the quiet and clean air especially after the noise and pollution of La Paz and to have a bed after a few nights of sleeping in a tent. After relaxing there for a day, I left Coroico, and went back to La Paz to connect out again. That will be the story coming up next, complete with the worst bus ride ever and dinosaurs! Hasta luego!

Welcome to Bolivia and You're Not in Kansas Anymore

Since I've now been in Bolivia for over a week, I guess it's high time I started writing about my experiences here. I can definitely say I'm not in Kansas anymore. While Peru is definitely still a developing country, it at least has had many sustained years of tourism so there's a practised feel to buses and tour agencies, they have a routine down and know what they're doing. Bolivia on the other hand, hasn't had all the practice so it makes traveling and sight-seeing just that little bit more challenging. As in today a small child was in absolute awe that there was a gringo in the restroom and could only respond in one word answers to my enquiries of whether he liked the ice cream he was eating. Additionally my experience crossing the border wasn't the best which of course was my introduction to how things work around here.

While still in Arequipa I was fortunate enough to chat with a girl who had just come back from Bolivia. When she learned I was American, she gave me the heads up that border control is a real stickler for Americans crossing over. As in their bus left some Americans at the border because their papers weren't in order and they couldn't get it straightened out in time. This was not really welcome news, I had assumed they wanted the fee that only Americans have to pay and as long as I had my passport and yellow fever vaccination certificate, everything should be fine. With this heads up, I quickly got on the U.S. embassy's website and cruised through the documents they said I needed. I then used the rest of my time in Arequipa to make copies of documents and get photos taken for the visa. Thinking I had taken care of everything, I boarded the bus to Puno where I was planning on switching to Copacabana on the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca.

As the bus ride dragged on and on, I found myself growing sicker and sicker. What had started out as a mild sore throat was now a full-blown cold with a throat that felt like it was on fire. By the time we arrived late into Puno, it hurt to ask to buy a bus ticket to Copacabana. And this is when things started to get stressful; I mean more stressful than traveling by yourself while sick in a foreign country because that's already not my favorite activity.  While getting on the bus, the driver looked at my American passport and started rattling off a list of documents I needed to cross the border. Which of course was different than the list of documents I had read online and had spent an afternoon procuring. Not much I could do, so I got on the bus and hoped for the best.

When we finally arrived at the border crossing, the driver stood up at the front of the bus and asked who was American. When only I raised my hand, he directly addressed me and told me that if I wasn't done by the time everyone else had gone through, I was getting left at the border. That's not really something you want to hear. He let me off the bus first to give me a head start I guess and I scurried over to the Peruvian side of customs. I exited no problem and headed up the hill to the Bolivian side. There I was asked for a totally different set of documents from what I had read online and that the bus company told me. Luckily with a bit of explaining I was able to procure everything they asked for. Then the kicker, while everyone else was getting their passports stamped and cruising through, I was asked for $160 American to enter. When I pulled out everything I had, which was exactly $160 since I was prepared for the $135 fee I read about online, I was handed back some bills because they were "too worn." As everyone knows I'm not the biggest freedom screaming, eagle riding, gun toting, most patriotic American out there, but I was actually offended that my money was somehow not good enough for him, but the country had the gall to ask for the fee in American dollars because they know it's the stronger currency. Of course being intelligent and actually wanting to get into Bolivia, I didn't say that. Instead, when I told him that was literally all the American money I had, he accepted some bolivianos I had just changed ensuring I definitely paid more to cross the border than I was supposed to. At that point, I didn't care, I just wanted the stamp in my passport. After taking probably the least attractive visa photo ever due to the sickness and the stress, I was finally in Bolivia. Usually carrying an American passport means you're basically waved across the border, so it was definitely a learning experience and an interesting change of perspective that holding an American passport in this case singled me out for special treatment. It was probably a good empathy building exercise for me, as American border control is notoriously strict, and I've seen people being hassled trying to get into my country before. The point of travel is to broaden the mind you know.

Cows hanging out on the Isla del Sol

In any case I finally arrived in Copacabana and promptly spent the next day and a half resting in my hotel room like I promised my parents I would do if I got sick on my trip. They still like to refer to the time I had just a small illness when I met up with them in Munich during my Europe trip, so being the obedient child, I listened to their advice and really didn't see much of Copacabana, except for a small day trip out to the Isla del Sol, which is where the Incas believed their gods and civilization originated from. It was  very peaceful as there's no cars on the island, it was a bit like being thrown back in time. In any case, after a few days I felt well enough to travel again, and set off to La Paz where despite a rather perilous/hillarious water crossing my adventures continued.

Our bus floating across Lake Titicaca

In La Paz, I seemed to get a little more explanation why I had such a rough time crossing the border. Among other things, the free walking tour brought us to the main Plaza which had been a site of major unrest in 2003 against the then president. Major unrest as in there are still bullet holes in the lampposts and some buildings. I guess the unrest ended with the president fleeing with half the national treasury to, you guessed it, the United States, which is refusing to extradite him. I can see why there might be some special treatment for Americans trying to enter.

Left over bullet hole 

Along with the bullet holes, we saw the outside of the main prison in the city where, get this, people are guilty until proven innocent and there's no such thing as bail. Of course I had many questions about this totally alien concept, like "if they're found innocnrt, are people compensated for being unjustly kept in prison?" and "does anyone protest against this system?" Both were answered with kind of baffled no's, like that wasn't something people would think of. This and the fact that families and children live in the prison because they can't afford to pay a double rent (yes the prisoners have to pay to live in the jail) really for the first time hammered in the fact that I wasn't in the United States or even a comparably developed country anymore. That's ordinarily the kind of thing you read about in the news happening far away, not next to where you're standing. Additionally, when the tour guides wanted to talk about the current president and political system, we went inside a private room so what they had to say wouldn't be overheard and misinterpreted by anyone. Not all they had to say was bad, but one thing that stuck out is that there's a referendum coming up allowing the president to rewrite the constitution and keep running for office for the rest of his life. Seems like we're in Oz, Toto.

Despite the hassle and culture shock, Bolivia is so far a lovely place and I've been having a good time here. Since this has already turned into a wall of text, I'll end here and leave what I've been up to for next time.

Dried llama fetuses at the Witch's Market 

Arequipa and Adios Peru

If you can believe it, this is my last post about Peru! I'm currently in Bolivia, after just barely squeaking through customs which will be a story for another day. But I need to finish up Peru and recap my time in Arequipa before I start spouting my opinion about the next place I'm in.

I arrived in Arequipa at around 6 in the morning after getting a shockingly good sleep on the bus from Cusco. You can buy as much of a luxury ticket as you want, it's typically still hard to sleep on busses when you can feel them taking hairpin turns like the driver is auditioning for Fast and Furious 8: Peru Drift. In any case I managed a decent nights sleep and arrived in Arequipa feeling alive and alert enough to go on the free walking tour of the city that started at 10. This proved fortuitous since I met some friends there that I spent the rest of my time in Arequipa with.

Solo traveling is a lot like being a freshman the first week of college, everyone is so ready to make friends that it takes very little to decide to hang out together for several days in a row. At the hostel, I met one girl who was planning on going to the walking tour, so we headed over together, and by the time the tour had finished a couple hours later another girl had joined our friendship group and we had all decided to book an overnight trek to the Colca Canyon together. No need to take things slow. The trek left early - as in 3:00 in the morning early, so after taking the walking tour guide's advice to buy a cheap drink and watch the sun set over the plaza from a roof top restaurant, everyone headed to bed.

3:00 is a hard time to be awake and functioning, it's even harder when about 30 minutes into the drive your van breaks down and you have to wait for an hour and a half for a new one. Add this to the fact that the included breakfast was as my friend Chris put it, "crunchy air," aka one very airy roll, and the trip was starting to look like one of those kind of trips that while weren't very fun in the moment, would be laughed about hysterically later. Luckily things started looking up when we finally arrived at the Colca Canyon (or really still valley where we were hiking) and we met up with the rest of our group which included three friends I had done the Inca Trail with. We had established earlier that we were going to be in Arequipa at the same time and had arranged to be in the same group again for this trek. The scenery was beautiful and the whole group of 11 people clicked super well as we all headed down into the valley for the hike.

While remote, the valley isn't total wilderness and there's actually some small villages down there. We stopped for lunch at one place, then headed out to the very bottom where there was an oasis with a hostel where we'd be spending the night. Yes an actual oasis, something that sounds like it only exists in movies and books. It was very cool and after a quick swim in the pool pretty much just to say I'd done it (and also the showers were cold) we all turned in early because apparently that best time for hiking out of a valley is at 5 in the morning.

The oasis we hiked to 

After a strenuous hike out where I swore I was never hiking again, which of course I totally recanted about five minutes after I finished, we all piled back into the van to head back to Arequipa. We stopped at some typically tourist sights (nothing screams tourist more than a stop specifically designed to take pictures of alpacas) and our van didn't break down or need it's tires inspected once. Arriving in Arequipa, we had to once again face the weird backpacker reality of saying goodbye forever to people who you had just spent three days becoming close friends with. It's sad and seems vaguely unfair but that's the way it works. In any case I had a wonderful three days full of laughter and gorgeous sites so if a little sadness is the price to pay, so be it.

So that was my last stop in Peru. It still hasn't fully sank in that I've left the country, mostly because I have a bit of a cold and have spent 95% of my time in Bolivia so far inside the hotel room. I had an absolutely wonderful time there and feel like there's still way more I could have seen. Definitely highly highly recommend a trip there, it should be on everyone's travel bucket list. Next post will begin my stories about Bolivia!

Cusco: Fun Times and Cuy

Alright, finally the long promised Cusco entry. I loved Cusco. I'm on the bus heading out now and for then first time in my trip I'm sad to be leaving a place.

One of the reasons I loved it here so much is that it reminded me strongly of Salamanca, Spain, where, as any avid blog reader of mine knows, I spent a semester of college studying abroad in. In Cusco, Salamanca's beautiful central plaza, cobblestone streets, and abundant cafes seemed to make a reappearance. Like Salamanca, Cusco is very walkable and felt very safe to be in. At least in the main center area, modern development hasn't destroyed historic charm.

Note that the rainbow flag is in this case the flag of the Andean Region/Incan Empire

Another reason I had such a blast in Cusco has little to do with the city and a lot to do with the fact that multiple friends I've made on my trip all converged in Cusco at the same time. It was such a treat to have friends to tour the Sacred Valley with, make chocolate with, eat dinner with, and tour the markets with. I can entertain myself quite well, but it is nice to have buddies to do things with, and the conversations and perspectives are always much more interesting when the people are from all over the world.

My friend Sarah and I making chocolate 

Finally, another reason I really enjoyed Cusco was that the poverty wasn't right in your face. I haven't written much about this, but it's readily apparent that Peru is very much a poor and developing country. Traffic laws are guidelines at best because there isn't a police force to enforce it. Many roads aren't paved even in towns, there's stray dogs and garbage in most places, and it's heartwrenching to see what I first assumed were abandoned falling down buildings but later realized were people's actual houses by the side of the road. But what gets to me is the dichotomy of the situation. Often as I see these sights, I'm cruising down the roadway in a luxury bus that seemed cheap to me but would easily be a week's wages for some of the people I pass. And the thing is, there's nothing I can do about it. Systemic poverty requires systemic change to fix. And that means generations of improved education, infrastructure, and economic growth that has just yet to happen in Peru for a variety of reasons that I'm not at all qualified to speculate about. And yes, I know and I've seen that there is poverty in the United States, but poverty outside a first world country is a whole different ballgame. And I understand this is important to see and to realize that this is how the majority of the world is, but when you're powerless to do anything about it, it's nice to have a break from thinking about it and seeing it all the time and Cusco was that break.

Now that I've totally killed the mood of this entry, let me end with relating that I've finally tried both alpaca and cuy (guinea pig) while in Cusco. Alpaca tasted like saltier beef while guinea pig had its own flavor, though maybe it tastes similar to other types of rodents? In any case, I didn't really care for it, but now at least I can say I've tried it, and get some unnamed people off my back about eating it :) Next up will be Arequipa!

The Inca Trail: Infinite Stairs and Glamping

If you have the privilege of being my friend on Facebook, you've already seen the massive upload of photos from my trek to Machu Picchu, if not, don't worry, I had such a great time and am not going to tire of reliving it any time soon, so my opinion and photos are going to be all over all forms of social media. You'll be sure to see it.

Quite honestly, me wanting to hike to Machu Picchu was the reason I chose South America as my destination for sabbatical/gap year/really extended vacation, whatever you'd like to call it. It was the first thing I booked for the trip, way back in February, even before I bought my plane tickets. So in no way was I potentially setting myself up for disappointment if it wasn't as I dreamed it would be. Luckily the experience was incredible, my group was a lot of fun, the scenery was some of the most beautiful I've seen, and Machu Picchu itself is just as cool as you would think. It was all I hoped it would be, and I'm quite sad that it's over. So yeah I had a pretty okay time I guess.

Overlook of the Sacred Valley 

The hike was four days long and roughly 30 miles, with us arriving at Machu Picchu on the fourth day. It's got a reputation as a tough hike and it is deserved. It's definitely mountains that you're climbing, and when the Incas were building their road, they decided the most efficient way to tackle this was in stair form. Think 30 miles of Harvard Stadium steps for any of you folk familiar with another one of my favorite things to talk about, November Project. But literally, we gained around 4200 feet of elevation on the second day, straight up. However, saying this, I was actually expecting the hike to be even tougher than it was so I was pleasantly surprised by how well I did. Mostly because I made it harder on myself by being cheap/too proud and not hiring a porter to carry my things. Who doesn't want their first multiple day trek to involve carrying 30 pounds on their back and climbing up to an elevation of 14,000 feet? Only people without any sense of adventure. But honestly it went fine, and I didn't have a Huaraz repeat where beautiful locations were marred by semi-digested lunch by-products so that was pretty nice.

Now imagine ~100000000 more of these

However, as proud as I was of myself for carrying my things and not passing out on the trail, my effort was nothing compared to the porters working for the tour company I was with. These guys were absolutely incredible. While I carried my things, they carried all the food, and the tents, and multiple unnecessary creature comforts for us hikers, and they did this at a run up the trail. I'm not joking, we would be woken up in the morning with a friendly "Buenos días amigos" outside of our tent and then hot tea would be handed in. While we would be sipping this and generally waking up, they'd come around with basins of hot water for us to wash up in before heading to our multiple course breakfast in our dining tent where there was a table with a TABLECLOTH, stools, and cutlery with napkins folded into fun shapes waiting for us. It was unreal that they hauled all this through the mountains for days. Then once breakfast was over and we were all on our way, within about five minutes, they'd have everything ripped down and would be jogging by us on the trail in order to beat us to our lunch spot and have our dining tent and a gourmet meal waiting for us there as well. This was again repeated at dinner. My favorite was that as we'd come into camp, they'd all applaud in appreciation that we didn't die again that day. Needless to say, I'm going to be a pain in the ass to camp with when I get back. Where's my fresh grilled trout? What do you mean you didn't carry a pressure cooker 25 miles to make a celebratory cake? I have to set up my tent myself? But honestly, I hope they're paid well because they do an absolutely fantastic job. I know I was more than happy to leave a generous tip for them.

Really roughing it 

All along the way we saw Inca ruins, not to mention the trail itself which is still in incredibly good shape. But they definitely don't compare to Machu Picchu. It was cloudy when we arrived, so we got to see the ruins slowly emerge from the mist. The view is just like you would imagine it to be, with the mountains all around and the sun shining through the clouds. It was incredible. The first thought you have of course, is 'Wow, it's massive!' The second is 'Wow, I actually do smell realllyyy bad compared to these casuals who showered this morning and took the bus here.' Our guide took us all through the ruins, and gave us just enough information that of course I have about 1000 more questions now than I did before the trek. By the end the 3:30 wake up call was beginning to take its toll, and after I climbed Wayna Picchu to get a nice aerial view of the ruins, I was ready to leave the site to the washed masses and go in search of a shower.

Sunrise on the last day 

This is what you think it is 

All in all, I'm so glad that I did the trek. It was definitely an incredible experience and lived up to all I hoped it would be. I'm back in Cusco now and will give a separate update for that. If you ever happen to find yourself in South America, take it from a sort-of expert, the Inca Trail is worth the hype.

Jihuay: Ruins and Penguins and the Ocean! Oh My!

Hello from Cusco! I arrived here a couple mornings after a long (16 hour) ride from Playa Jihuay and the farm I had been staying at for my latest workaway. It was a totally different experience from my last workaway but just as interesting and perhaps an even better immersion into daily Peruvian life.

After bussing from Paracas to Nazca, I caught a colectivo (vans that run fixed routes but leave whenever they feel like it) to Santa Rosa, a "town" that maybe contained 30 buildings. From there, I continued following the instructions sent to me by, direct quote,"from Santa Rosa, you should walk down hill 20 minutes to the beach Jihuay. At the bottom you will cross a dry creek and 200 m further, at the entry of the small valley, you will find at your right, a wooden door. Just knock and ask for Miguel." Semi-surprisingly these I instructions worked rather well, though as I passed a man riding a donkey up the hill I did wonder what I had gotten myself into.

The farm, yes it's rather isolated 

Turns out what I had gotten myself into was a place that seemed right out of a children's adventure novel - the kind where you wonder where the heck their parents are and why aren't they supervising their offspring's adventures. The farm was located in a valley where the desert meets the sea, and on either side rose hills with all sorts of cool things to explore. On both sides were old stone ruins that dated back to a pre-Incan civilization, complete with broken pottery and human bones. What blew my mind was that nobody was there studying it.  Apparently there just isn't money or interest or some lack of something that keeps archeologists from exploring and cataloguing everything. And some of the ruins are in great shape, the houses still have roofs and you can go inside and really feel like you've been transported back in time. The lack of development in the area means the landscape is probably almost identical to the view the ancient owners of the house probably had out their front door 1000 years ago. It's really incredible. In addition to the ruins there were also penguins and sea lions and an abandoned mine to poke around in (yes I was careful). All in all a pretty cool place to spend some time in.

I wasn't making it up that there were bones everywhere 

View from inside one of the pre-Incan houses 

When I first arrived at the farm there was one other volunteer, the farm manager Miguel, and two other men hired to build some more  buildings on the site (side note, having a Peruvian and a German working on one project is not a good idea - at least in this case they had hilariously different styles of working, or really not working). The other volunteer didn't speak much Spanish, which was really his loss because Miguel was very well read and had a lot to say about Peruvian history, culture, and politics. And mostly it was a pretty scathing review of the current state of things. He laid a lot of Peru's problems at the level of corruption in the government that hindered adequate economic development or educational opportunities for a large chunk of the population. One person's opinion and I don't know enough about Peru to agree or disagree but it was very interesting to listen to.

In addition, to talking about Peru, Miguel was really good about getting the volunteers involved in daily Peruvian life. One evening the other volunteer wanted to fish, so we headed to the beach. The volunteer wasn't having much luck but while we were down there, Miguel helped a couple from the town above set their net up, and all of a sudden we were hauling in some huge catch of fish up onto the beach in the moonlight. The people gave us some fish as thanks for helping, which turned into our dinner an hour later. Definitely the freshest fish I've ever had. Another day, Miguel wanted to head up to the town to sell some other fish he had caught (he spent years working on big commercial fishing boats) so we hopped on the moto and I watched as he bargained with a small restaurant owner over the price. On my last evening there, we went to his friend's house to drink some pisco, the national liquor, while his friend played a selection of Latin American songs on the guitar (and a little Stevie Wonder). Again one of those experiences I wouldn't have had if I hadn't jumped off the typical tourist trail.

Miguel (right) and his friend singing

As cool as the place was, and as kind as everyone was, with only working in the morning (feeding animals, irrigating plants, general property maintenance, etc.) and only a few people around, I had time to be reaally homesick, for the first time on my trip. It passed, but I miss everyone, so don't think that I'm not thinking of you. Hope everyone is doing awesome! Next up Cusco!