HOLA.
Pick a rainy day and settle down in front of your computer screens with a nice cup of hot cocoa and a cat, because this is going to be a monster update folks. You ought not be surprised, it's been what a month since I've last posted anything? Well, let's do something about that.
When I last left this off, I was hanging around in the Puerto Montt area of Chile, and unexpectedly enjoying myself quite a bit. I say this because I was spending a week waiting for a boat in a part of Chile that they call "a waste of time" on the traveller wire. What was happening with me, though, was that I was starting to get a sense of Chilean culture, and liking how spontaneous and inviting it is. One night, for instance, I ended up hanging out with a group of Chilean guys at a Ska concert; another, staying up late with the owner of my hostel playing Blues music (him on his guitar, me on the harmonica); still yet another, going to a Salsa dancing club with a couple of Chileans that I'd just met. It wasn't at all painful that my boat for the south kept getting delayed; quite the opposite.
I did set sail eventually, however, and would take this boat to the village of Chaiten - the first stop on what's called the Carretera Austral, a rugged road travelling through the rural south of Chile. I'd continue immediately by bus from Chaiten to the town of Futaleufu (before the trip, my dad said something about how I was headed for "Timbuktu" and I said he was close). The scenery along the way was striking to say the least. Mountains rise impressively over little villages, and rivers shine turquoise. Futaleufu is one of these little villages, and has a turquoise river of it's own which is world renowned for it's class V white water rafting. This was also the main reason for my stop here to the slight apprehension of my poor family back home. I joined up with some Israeli travellers in the village, and together we formed a rafting group. We found a company to take us out, and the next day went down the river. Lots of fun, and none of us got injured or drowned. Mom was happy.
Leaving Futaleufu, I met a travelling couple who I would join up with and end up spending much of my time with on the Carretera Austral. Lenny, from New York (originally Russia), has travelled all over the world, has a keen eye for photography, and appreciates irony. Isarina, from Switzerland, has all sorts of surprising hobbies ("you were in the circus? really?"), enjoys life, and thinks you should purposefully lose track of time while travelling. I liked them, and our first small adventure together would be hiking through a rainstorm in the rainforest up to a hanging glacier. As that last statement might tell you, Chile is kind of a dynamic place. As for the glacier, it was one of those sights that as Lenny says you want to just "burn into your memory." Unfortunately, I don't think that I can do that for any of you, or even for myself. I do, however, have a picture which I'll put up.
The three of us travelled next to Coyhaique, which is the only town of any real size along the Carretera Austral. I was actually relatively overwhelmed by the population of 40,000, but since there wasn't much to do there except to get some photography lessons from Lenny, we moved on to the village of Cerro Castillo.
We'd split up there temporarily while they went off to do the popular 4 day trek there, and I opted for an alternative 2 day trek. I didn't have any backpacking gear with me, and the only thing I was able to rent was a tent from the son of my hostel owner. Plus, it would be only my second real backpacking trip, and first one I'd attempt on my own. I prepared dry food for the 2 days, borrowed a map from Isarina, and the next day I set off into what would be quite a little adventure. During my walk to camp on the first day, the first thing that went wrong was that I lost Isarina's map. Beating myself up about that a bit, I continued on, and still managed to reach the camp successfully. The rain had started to come down pretty heavily by this point, and so I expediently put up my tent and got everything inside. I'd soon realize, however, that this tent I borrowed from a 12 year old wasn't the best one to have in the rain. The water got through, and I would find myself that evening folding the tarp on the floor to direct it into a corner, while bailing it out of the tent periodically using ziploc baggies. I knew it was going to be a long, cold night, and remember thinking that I'd like to be anywhere else, but then thinking that really what I wanted was just to be with my friends. Cramped up in one part of my tent, I managed to fall asleep, though, and when I woke up the rain had thankfully ceased.
I'd decided the previous night that if the weather looked good, I'd make an effort to continue on and reach my destination. If it looked like more of the same, I'd head back towards town the same way I came from and at least be warm, safe, and happy once I'd gotten there. It did look good though, and there happened to be an elderly Polish guy who'd set up camp there that night, who pointed me in the right direction. This led me up a severely steep, rocky pass, and after pushing myself up it, I found myself looking down upon the lake I wanted to get to; the beautiful Lake Cerro Castillo, nestled under the glaciers of the mountain Cerro Castillo. A successful excursion after all, I thought. Not quite. From the lake I could look see a pass which I suspected was the one which would take me straight back to town. I followed a trail for about an hour heading towards it until I encountered an American couple heading the other way. They had a map which showed the trail back to town as being one that went straight down the mountain from the lake; not how I remembered it, but they had a map and I didn't [little side note: I later found out their map was old, and that the way I had been going would have been the correct way]. So I went back, and searched for a trail leaving from the lake. I couldn't find one, but climbing up a bit above the lake I could actually see the town below and straight in front of me. Shortly after setting off down the mountain without a trail, I discovered that things might be more difficult than they seemed. I'd find myself scrambling above rocky cliffs which I'd have to traverse until I could find a way down, bushwhacking it through thick brush alongside a ravine I couldn't cross, and losing sight of the village as soon as I gotten far enough down the mountain. Things didn't get any easier either once they got flatter. I'd reach a marsh with brush so thick I couldn't go any further, or another ravine, or hills that seemed to just be giant rocks. I knew where town was, but couldn't for the life of me figure out how to get there; that is, until I came upon a trail. I rejoiced thinking that I'd found the trail that I hadn't been able to find earlier - the one which would take me straight back to town. It seemed to be going in the wrong direction, though, and before I knew it I was standing in the middle of a field of cows mooing at me. I couldn't believe how ridiculous my situation was, but realized that the ranchers that owned these cows would have a way to get back to town. I found some horse trails in the pasture, and followed them. I had to hop over some fences, but eventually the horse trails took me to a road, and eventually that road led me back. I'd get there at 9pm, about an hour before dark.
Comically enough, the next day, there was a giant national festival in the little village. The place was packed. I witnessed a parade and a rodeo, and participated in a night of folk dancing that night in the gymnasium. None of this was quite as great as it sounds. Since I had to wait another day for a bus anyways, I stuck around to be reunited with Lenny and Isarina the following evening. We had a final supper together before splitting up for good. They would continue south along the Carretera Austral to Cochrane. I'd go to Puerto Ibañez where I could catch a ferry to the Chile-Argentina border. I felt that the time had come for me to cross into the fourth new country of my journey, and couldn't wait. Of course I did have to wait in Puerto Ibañez for my ferry, which was unfortunate considering the liveliness of Puerto Ibañez (or lack thereof). Soon enough, though, I was crossing into the land of steak and tango. That was 2 weeks ago, and that is where I will leave you at the moment. Expect the second part of this update soon!
Saludos,
Stephen
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Goin' Down South
Howdy everybody,
I would love to be able to make a nice long post here, but unfortunately I won't be able to. I wanted to send something out though before I started down south any further, because things are about to get super rural. They're also going to get interesting.
The plan goes something like this. Having reached the end of the panamerican highway, I'll be getting on a boat tomorrow night in Puerto Montt that will take me to the north end of what's called the Carretera Austral - a road in southern chile that doesn't connect with the northern part of Chile and goes through rural Patagonia. I'll spend at least a week traveling this road, and am prepared for what I've been told will be slooooow traveling. Buses in some places only run once or twice a week, hitchhiking generally requires waiting for hours, and the weather can stop all travel for days. I've also picked up on the traveler wire that this road has some of the most amazing scenery there is. Reaching the end of this road, I'll need to cross into Argentina to get down further south in Chile where I'll be trekking the world reknowned Torres Del Paine. Look them up! On passage in Argentina, I'll be visiting the world's last advancing glacier, the Perito Moreno, as well as a town called El Chalten where I'm planning on doing some trekking in the Fitz Roy mountain range. After all this, I'm en route for the southernmost city in the world, Ushuaia.
Don't expect too many (if any) blog posts for the next few weeks, but don't forget about me, and be waiting for a killer update when I'm done. In the meanwhile, check out the photos that I've added to my facebook for the island of Chiloe
1st part of link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?
2nd part: aid=97491&l=74b63&id=591556557
(put them together)
Much love, chau!
Stephen
I would love to be able to make a nice long post here, but unfortunately I won't be able to. I wanted to send something out though before I started down south any further, because things are about to get super rural. They're also going to get interesting.
The plan goes something like this. Having reached the end of the panamerican highway, I'll be getting on a boat tomorrow night in Puerto Montt that will take me to the north end of what's called the Carretera Austral - a road in southern chile that doesn't connect with the northern part of Chile and goes through rural Patagonia. I'll spend at least a week traveling this road, and am prepared for what I've been told will be slooooow traveling. Buses in some places only run once or twice a week, hitchhiking generally requires waiting for hours, and the weather can stop all travel for days. I've also picked up on the traveler wire that this road has some of the most amazing scenery there is. Reaching the end of this road, I'll need to cross into Argentina to get down further south in Chile where I'll be trekking the world reknowned Torres Del Paine. Look them up! On passage in Argentina, I'll be visiting the world's last advancing glacier, the Perito Moreno, as well as a town called El Chalten where I'm planning on doing some trekking in the Fitz Roy mountain range. After all this, I'm en route for the southernmost city in the world, Ushuaia.
Don't expect too many (if any) blog posts for the next few weeks, but don't forget about me, and be waiting for a killer update when I'm done. In the meanwhile, check out the photos that I've added to my facebook for the island of Chiloe
1st part of link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?
2nd part: aid=97491&l=74b63&id=591556557
(put them together)
Much love, chau!
Stephen
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Land of Lakes
Hey there folks,
Well I finished up in Santiago, and decided to head off South. Mendoza can wait until I visit Argentina later. One noteworthy occurance was that I bought a new harmonica to replace the two that I'd previously spent. It was a start at replacing the things I'd figured out I didn't really need, but still missed. I'd later buy another camera in the town of Temuco, and continue the trend.
All it took to get moving again was to pick up a bus ticket. I've gotten used to arriving in a place without any plans, and making the best of it. Turned out there wasn't much to make of Temuco. The nearby national park looked promising, but since you had to pay for an expensive tour to go see it, I passed. I spent one night there, and then got on another bus for Pucon (with a new camera in my pocket!). Oh, and I also ran out of money here, and had to get bailed out by mom and dad again. They'd sent me some debit cards which I was expecting to be able to start using, but it turned out we'd never received the PIN numbers for them. It was a bit frustrating, but part of traveling is about moving on despite the frustrations, and learning how to not get frustrated by them. With some money from mom and dad to keep going, I told Wells Fargo to go ahead and "send 'em again!" And I arrived in Pucon.
I was glad I did, as I liked the place immediately much more than Temuco. The climate is pleasant, cool; the atmosphere laid back; and the scenery mighty impressive! It's on a lake with a beach, and is surrounded by mountains and the standout Volcan Villarica - a 3,000 meter high volcano. I also found a very charming and not very touristy place to stay. The lady that runs the place really just bends over backwards to be accomodating, and it shows right away by the fact that while she's putting up travelers in her lovely home she's staying in the shed in the backyard. I felt so comfortable here that I cooked something for the first time in my travels - chicken noodle soup from scratch which I've been able to save money by eating every night. Yes, that's right, I've been eating out 3 times a day for months. In Peru and Bolivia it was actually cheaper, and not really that unhealthy.
In the great outdoors, I've only really had one adventure since arriving here. I took a minibus, and hitchhiked (for the first time in my life) out to a place called Ojos de Caburgua. The 'Ojos' or 'Eyes' were a series of small waterfalls surrounding a pool of a surprising shade of green. They were beautiful, and I was happy to be there. It's more satisfying to get somewhere on your own, without paying for a tour to get there. And the rewards in this case were sweet. I was hoping to try the same again today by taking a bus to a nearby National Park where there's hiking to be found, but I missed the bus so it'll have to wait for tomorrow. Of course that's fortunate for you all, because it means I have today to update my blog! Besides the hiking, I am planning on splurging on one tour here, and that's for some intense river rafting. So stay tuned folks, there's more to come. And afterwards, it's time for Patagonia.
There's gonna be action, and I'm gonna bring it to you right here with pictures and blogging.
Chau,
STEPHEN
Well I finished up in Santiago, and decided to head off South. Mendoza can wait until I visit Argentina later. One noteworthy occurance was that I bought a new harmonica to replace the two that I'd previously spent. It was a start at replacing the things I'd figured out I didn't really need, but still missed. I'd later buy another camera in the town of Temuco, and continue the trend.
All it took to get moving again was to pick up a bus ticket. I've gotten used to arriving in a place without any plans, and making the best of it. Turned out there wasn't much to make of Temuco. The nearby national park looked promising, but since you had to pay for an expensive tour to go see it, I passed. I spent one night there, and then got on another bus for Pucon (with a new camera in my pocket!). Oh, and I also ran out of money here, and had to get bailed out by mom and dad again. They'd sent me some debit cards which I was expecting to be able to start using, but it turned out we'd never received the PIN numbers for them. It was a bit frustrating, but part of traveling is about moving on despite the frustrations, and learning how to not get frustrated by them. With some money from mom and dad to keep going, I told Wells Fargo to go ahead and "send 'em again!" And I arrived in Pucon.
I was glad I did, as I liked the place immediately much more than Temuco. The climate is pleasant, cool; the atmosphere laid back; and the scenery mighty impressive! It's on a lake with a beach, and is surrounded by mountains and the standout Volcan Villarica - a 3,000 meter high volcano. I also found a very charming and not very touristy place to stay. The lady that runs the place really just bends over backwards to be accomodating, and it shows right away by the fact that while she's putting up travelers in her lovely home she's staying in the shed in the backyard. I felt so comfortable here that I cooked something for the first time in my travels - chicken noodle soup from scratch which I've been able to save money by eating every night. Yes, that's right, I've been eating out 3 times a day for months. In Peru and Bolivia it was actually cheaper, and not really that unhealthy.
In the great outdoors, I've only really had one adventure since arriving here. I took a minibus, and hitchhiked (for the first time in my life) out to a place called Ojos de Caburgua. The 'Ojos' or 'Eyes' were a series of small waterfalls surrounding a pool of a surprising shade of green. They were beautiful, and I was happy to be there. It's more satisfying to get somewhere on your own, without paying for a tour to get there. And the rewards in this case were sweet. I was hoping to try the same again today by taking a bus to a nearby National Park where there's hiking to be found, but I missed the bus so it'll have to wait for tomorrow. Of course that's fortunate for you all, because it means I have today to update my blog! Besides the hiking, I am planning on splurging on one tour here, and that's for some intense river rafting. So stay tuned folks, there's more to come. And afterwards, it's time for Patagonia.
There's gonna be action, and I'm gonna bring it to you right here with pictures and blogging.
Chau,
STEPHEN
Sunday, January 4, 2009
The Blog Liveth
Hey there folks,
I haven't touched this thing in so long that I think it's going to be more of a recap than anything. I could dig up revelations about places past visited, but something would be lost with my energy in discussing them. I've had new experiences and revelations which occupy me more now.
After I got things straightened out in Bolivia for me to leave, I decided to stay. I wanted to be somewhere special for Christmas, and still had some friends that I'd met traveling in Bolivia. I'd stay in La Paz for a couple days, and then head off to the town of Potosi to visit some mines. These were basically surprising for the outright terrible working conditions that people put up with; conditions that had them on average not living past the age of 40. Suddenly no job that I've done seems all that bad. After this, I made my way to Sucre where I'd meet up with a couple of Canadians that I'd become good traveling companions with, as well as some new Australian friends that they'd met. There we would bunker down for Christmas, and try to make the best of our first away from home.
The town was a warm, festive little place - perfect for the occasion. Christmas dinner wasn't the same. Neither was visiting with my family through a webcam. But really for what it was, it was quite nice. I appreciated the time I spent with my friends there. On the afternoon of the next day, I'd set off towards Chile with the rushed plan of making it to the famed New Years celebration in Valparaiso, just outside of Santiago.
I spent a few days in San Pedro de Atacama Chile, and did a few tours of the local sights while I was there; hooking up with a really great Brazilian crowd from Sao Paulo who I'll no doubt meet up with again when I get to Brazil. The place was neat. I was getting a bit tired of deserts and high altitudes by this point (The 'vamos a la playa?' or 'are we going to the beach now?' joke never got old), but the Valley of the Moon was one of the coolest places that I've seen. As such, it's impossible to describe, and the one picture I got with my mostly broken camera is entirely insufficient. Anyways, after a couple days I got on what would be the longest bus ride I've had so far - 23 hours and 30 minutes to Santiago. I'd skip over the whole of Northern Chile, and be thrown from a small tourist town into the bustling city.
That said, it wasn't really so bad. I loved getting onto the subway near the bus station, and getting zipped along to right up near my hostel. Before I did I picked up some bus tickets that would take me to Valparaiso the next day, and then bring be back the following morning.
Ever since then, I've had almost no kind of normal with regards to eating and sleeping schedules; among other things.
The evening of the 31st I'd arrive in Valparaiso alone for the celebrations. This would turn out not to be much of a problem at all, as I was quickly adopted by a group of young and exuberant Chileans who were more than anxious to share their drinks and shishkabobs with me. This is one of the things that I love about Latin America. In a very short time you can become part of a family. And while that happened, the crowds just poured in all around us. As it got closer and closer to 2009 the energy of the place picked up more and more. One person would start singing a song in Chilean and the crowd around them would all loudly join in. It didn't matter that they had come as part of different groups. For this party, everyone was together.
A countdown started up at one point, and the place just erupted once it ran out. Shortly afterwards, an absolutely massive fireworks show took place, which was undoubtedly the best one that I've ever seen or may see for a while. Afterwards the place was just crazy. The people in my group all walked around trying to find each other, and it was practically impossible. This small little town whose streets had looked nice and clean when I had arrived, now looked like a battle had taken place. And there were people, lot's of people. I'd leave the craziness behind at some point, and get on a bus back to Santiago, since there hadn't been any place for me to stay in Valparaiso that night. Arriving at 7:00 in the morning, I'd find that the subway which had been so useful for getting me to my hostel last time to be closed, and I´d walk. Once I finally got there, I was utterly exhausted, and slept through the middle part of the day.
I spent those next couple days just hanging around in the hostel and that part of town. It was a nice cozy little hostel with a couch, a tv, a balcony, a stereo, what would turn into a dance floor. I made a group of friends here, and we would stay up exceptionally late also; to match New Years. By the third day, I was exhausted, and part of me was relieved that this group started breaking up as it would give me a chance to recuperate from now 3 days of staying up into the late morning, and maybe about 1 proper night's sleep between them. It's easy to adopt an attitude that spending time with people is better than maintaining a healthy routine, but it had caught up with me. It was nice to sleep in the next day, and then just go on a leisurely walk around the city. It doesn't do all my friends justice that I don't talk about all of them individually here, but so it goes.
I've since decided that I agree with everyone who says that Santiago is quite like any US city. Lima had it's frantic drivers and colorful bohemian markets, La Paz had it's unnatural placement and sometimes bizarre happenings. Santiago has modern buildings, and people jogging through the parks with their ipods. For me still, though, the city--any city--is more about the people you meet and the time you spend with them than it is about the city itself and what's there.
For the moment, I'm still waiting on some credit cards, and pondering a trip over to Mendoza, Argentina. I reckon I'll be quite ready afterwards to set off into the desolate and breathtaking south; the land of mountains, and maybe some solitude.
Don't give up on my blog writing folks, it still lives! Just had a bit of an absent stretch there. And I still love and miss all of my friends back home.
Sincerely,
Stephen
I haven't touched this thing in so long that I think it's going to be more of a recap than anything. I could dig up revelations about places past visited, but something would be lost with my energy in discussing them. I've had new experiences and revelations which occupy me more now.
After I got things straightened out in Bolivia for me to leave, I decided to stay. I wanted to be somewhere special for Christmas, and still had some friends that I'd met traveling in Bolivia. I'd stay in La Paz for a couple days, and then head off to the town of Potosi to visit some mines. These were basically surprising for the outright terrible working conditions that people put up with; conditions that had them on average not living past the age of 40. Suddenly no job that I've done seems all that bad. After this, I made my way to Sucre where I'd meet up with a couple of Canadians that I'd become good traveling companions with, as well as some new Australian friends that they'd met. There we would bunker down for Christmas, and try to make the best of our first away from home.
The town was a warm, festive little place - perfect for the occasion. Christmas dinner wasn't the same. Neither was visiting with my family through a webcam. But really for what it was, it was quite nice. I appreciated the time I spent with my friends there. On the afternoon of the next day, I'd set off towards Chile with the rushed plan of making it to the famed New Years celebration in Valparaiso, just outside of Santiago.
I spent a few days in San Pedro de Atacama Chile, and did a few tours of the local sights while I was there; hooking up with a really great Brazilian crowd from Sao Paulo who I'll no doubt meet up with again when I get to Brazil. The place was neat. I was getting a bit tired of deserts and high altitudes by this point (The 'vamos a la playa?' or 'are we going to the beach now?' joke never got old), but the Valley of the Moon was one of the coolest places that I've seen. As such, it's impossible to describe, and the one picture I got with my mostly broken camera is entirely insufficient. Anyways, after a couple days I got on what would be the longest bus ride I've had so far - 23 hours and 30 minutes to Santiago. I'd skip over the whole of Northern Chile, and be thrown from a small tourist town into the bustling city.
That said, it wasn't really so bad. I loved getting onto the subway near the bus station, and getting zipped along to right up near my hostel. Before I did I picked up some bus tickets that would take me to Valparaiso the next day, and then bring be back the following morning.
Ever since then, I've had almost no kind of normal with regards to eating and sleeping schedules; among other things.
The evening of the 31st I'd arrive in Valparaiso alone for the celebrations. This would turn out not to be much of a problem at all, as I was quickly adopted by a group of young and exuberant Chileans who were more than anxious to share their drinks and shishkabobs with me. This is one of the things that I love about Latin America. In a very short time you can become part of a family. And while that happened, the crowds just poured in all around us. As it got closer and closer to 2009 the energy of the place picked up more and more. One person would start singing a song in Chilean and the crowd around them would all loudly join in. It didn't matter that they had come as part of different groups. For this party, everyone was together.
A countdown started up at one point, and the place just erupted once it ran out. Shortly afterwards, an absolutely massive fireworks show took place, which was undoubtedly the best one that I've ever seen or may see for a while. Afterwards the place was just crazy. The people in my group all walked around trying to find each other, and it was practically impossible. This small little town whose streets had looked nice and clean when I had arrived, now looked like a battle had taken place. And there were people, lot's of people. I'd leave the craziness behind at some point, and get on a bus back to Santiago, since there hadn't been any place for me to stay in Valparaiso that night. Arriving at 7:00 in the morning, I'd find that the subway which had been so useful for getting me to my hostel last time to be closed, and I´d walk. Once I finally got there, I was utterly exhausted, and slept through the middle part of the day.
I spent those next couple days just hanging around in the hostel and that part of town. It was a nice cozy little hostel with a couch, a tv, a balcony, a stereo, what would turn into a dance floor. I made a group of friends here, and we would stay up exceptionally late also; to match New Years. By the third day, I was exhausted, and part of me was relieved that this group started breaking up as it would give me a chance to recuperate from now 3 days of staying up into the late morning, and maybe about 1 proper night's sleep between them. It's easy to adopt an attitude that spending time with people is better than maintaining a healthy routine, but it had caught up with me. It was nice to sleep in the next day, and then just go on a leisurely walk around the city. It doesn't do all my friends justice that I don't talk about all of them individually here, but so it goes.
I've since decided that I agree with everyone who says that Santiago is quite like any US city. Lima had it's frantic drivers and colorful bohemian markets, La Paz had it's unnatural placement and sometimes bizarre happenings. Santiago has modern buildings, and people jogging through the parks with their ipods. For me still, though, the city--any city--is more about the people you meet and the time you spend with them than it is about the city itself and what's there.
For the moment, I'm still waiting on some credit cards, and pondering a trip over to Mendoza, Argentina. I reckon I'll be quite ready afterwards to set off into the desolate and breathtaking south; the land of mountains, and maybe some solitude.
Don't give up on my blog writing folks, it still lives! Just had a bit of an absent stretch there. And I still love and miss all of my friends back home.
Sincerely,
Stephen
Friday, December 19, 2008
The Man Who Was Blessed to Not Exist
That's right folks. As of now I do not exist. I believe, however, that I am a very blessed man. Allow me to explain!
I got an email from my sister the other day telling me that "Bolivia found my stuff. Call mom and dad." So I Skyped them, and learned that they had gotten a call from the US Embassy in Bolivia saying that someone had walked into the US Embassy with my missing money bag; containing money as well as my passport, credit cards, ID and other documentation. Upon visiting the embassy, I discovered that a local woman had traveled 12 hours each way to drop my stuff off at the embassy. It's amazing how people prove you wrong. In an earlier blog post I'd been talking about my impressions about Bolivians being unfriendly. I'm learning more and more that in whatever situation people are in, they have the capacity for both good and bad. And most people try to be good.
Anyways, I also learned that I no longer existed. Before I left for my tour of the salt flats on the 14th, I got a Bolivian exit stamp for the 16th for when I was sure to cross into Chile. Not having been able to do so, I left one country and didn't enter another. I'm now no longer allowed to leave Bolivia since I technically haven't entered it. Following me so far? So the US Embassy in Bolivia has arranged to sneak me across the border into Peru tomorrow so that I can come back into Bolivia and get an entry stamp to then leave Bolivia and go into Chile. That should be fun. :)
Due to the general delay in my plans, I'm now planning on spending Christmas in Bolivia - hopefully in the town of Sucre with some Canadian traveling friends. I may also visit the mining town of Potosi beforehand. Afterwards, I'll be very excited to finally be able to cross into Chile.
Regarding this whole passport situation, the lady at the US Embassy told me that I was one in a million. I know that there were a lot of people praying for me back home, and I feel tremendously blessed to have so many friends that care about me, and to have God watching over me on this trip.
Oh, and regarding Uyuni, I figure I might as well share some pictures with all of you now, right?
Cheers, God Bless,
Stephen
I got an email from my sister the other day telling me that "Bolivia found my stuff. Call mom and dad." So I Skyped them, and learned that they had gotten a call from the US Embassy in Bolivia saying that someone had walked into the US Embassy with my missing money bag; containing money as well as my passport, credit cards, ID and other documentation. Upon visiting the embassy, I discovered that a local woman had traveled 12 hours each way to drop my stuff off at the embassy. It's amazing how people prove you wrong. In an earlier blog post I'd been talking about my impressions about Bolivians being unfriendly. I'm learning more and more that in whatever situation people are in, they have the capacity for both good and bad. And most people try to be good.
Anyways, I also learned that I no longer existed. Before I left for my tour of the salt flats on the 14th, I got a Bolivian exit stamp for the 16th for when I was sure to cross into Chile. Not having been able to do so, I left one country and didn't enter another. I'm now no longer allowed to leave Bolivia since I technically haven't entered it. Following me so far? So the US Embassy in Bolivia has arranged to sneak me across the border into Peru tomorrow so that I can come back into Bolivia and get an entry stamp to then leave Bolivia and go into Chile. That should be fun. :)
Due to the general delay in my plans, I'm now planning on spending Christmas in Bolivia - hopefully in the town of Sucre with some Canadian traveling friends. I may also visit the mining town of Potosi beforehand. Afterwards, I'll be very excited to finally be able to cross into Chile.
Regarding this whole passport situation, the lady at the US Embassy told me that I was one in a million. I know that there were a lot of people praying for me back home, and I feel tremendously blessed to have so many friends that care about me, and to have God watching over me on this trip.
Oh, and regarding Uyuni, I figure I might as well share some pictures with all of you now, right?
Cheers, God Bless,
Stephen
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Losing Things, But Not Faith
Hello everyone,
Well I set off towards the salt flats of Bolivia with the intention of moving on from there to San Pedro De Atacama, Chile. Along the way, however, I´d somehow manage to lose my money belt containing my passport and credit card (among other things). This would have me traveling back across the country to La Paz to run errands - certainly wasn´t the plan, but I´m dealing with it.
There was a time after the tour of the salt flats where I was sitting in the tour agency office, waiting on a radio communication to see if my money belt had been found. I told the agency manager that I had esperanza (hope), and his response was pretty profound. He said that this was good, because the last thing that I should lose is fe (faith) Nobody would find my money belt, but I´d remember what this man said.
I´m not sure why I´m still here in Bolivia, but I believe that I´m in God´s hands. Who knows, maybe I needed a bump in the road. I´m very thankful for the help that I´ve already received from my family and friends, and will try to keep you all updated on how things are going.
I´ll put up some pictures of the salt flats on my facebook and also here when I get the chance. I think, as the saying goes, that they´ll be worth more than the thousands of words I could have written about them.
God bless,
Stephen
Well I set off towards the salt flats of Bolivia with the intention of moving on from there to San Pedro De Atacama, Chile. Along the way, however, I´d somehow manage to lose my money belt containing my passport and credit card (among other things). This would have me traveling back across the country to La Paz to run errands - certainly wasn´t the plan, but I´m dealing with it.
There was a time after the tour of the salt flats where I was sitting in the tour agency office, waiting on a radio communication to see if my money belt had been found. I told the agency manager that I had esperanza (hope), and his response was pretty profound. He said that this was good, because the last thing that I should lose is fe (faith) Nobody would find my money belt, but I´d remember what this man said.
I´m not sure why I´m still here in Bolivia, but I believe that I´m in God´s hands. Who knows, maybe I needed a bump in the road. I´m very thankful for the help that I´ve already received from my family and friends, and will try to keep you all updated on how things are going.
I´ll put up some pictures of the salt flats on my facebook and also here when I get the chance. I think, as the saying goes, that they´ll be worth more than the thousands of words I could have written about them.
God bless,
Stephen
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Joining the Parade and Going to Prison
Hola todos!
Gosh it's been a while, hasn't it? Well, I've actually been in La Paz, Bolivia this whole time. I've had ups and downs in terms of both my enthusiasm while being here, and the intensity of my experiences. As far as the latter goes, I'll save the most intense for last.
I was definitely sad to leave Peru. I'd met some truly heartwarming people there, and had some incredible experiences. I couldn't help feeling a bit singled out at the Bolivian border, as I was the only one on my whole bus full of people that needed to apply for a Visa to enter the country. "Algun de los Estados Unidos?" they asked, "Anyone from the United States?" But I'd already been talked into it by my friends - some travellers, and some at home. And after a brief stop-over in the unimpressive Copacabana, we came onto the hill looking down into La Paz - an incredible panorama which I was disappointed our bus driver wouldn't stop for us to take pictures of. Built into a canyon, an astonishing mess of buildings fill the center and then climb up the canyon on both sides. Until they really do succeed in freeing Tibet, La Paz is the highest capital city in the world.
My first impression walking the bustling streets was that people might not be as friendly in Bolivia as in Peru. People often wouldn't respond to me when I tried to greet them walking by, and there weren't any groups of high school girls running up to me to ask me to take pictures with them. But as someone pointed out to me big cities can serve to rob people of some of their charm. I think if the only South American city I'd seen before this one had been Lima, I wouldn't have had much of a reaction. And of course, maybe the people are just different. Still, I was finding it a bit difficult to make friends in the local community.Gosh it's been a while, hasn't it? Well, I've actually been in La Paz, Bolivia this whole time. I've had ups and downs in terms of both my enthusiasm while being here, and the intensity of my experiences. As far as the latter goes, I'll save the most intense for last.
I was definitely sad to leave Peru. I'd met some truly heartwarming people there, and had some incredible experiences. I couldn't help feeling a bit singled out at the Bolivian border, as I was the only one on my whole bus full of people that needed to apply for a Visa to enter the country. "Algun de los Estados Unidos?" they asked, "Anyone from the United States?" But I'd already been talked into it by my friends - some travellers, and some at home. And after a brief stop-over in the unimpressive Copacabana, we came onto the hill looking down into La Paz - an incredible panorama which I was disappointed our bus driver wouldn't stop for us to take pictures of. Built into a canyon, an astonishing mess of buildings fill the center and then climb up the canyon on both sides. Until they really do succeed in freeing Tibet, La Paz is the highest capital city in the world.
My first success was amusing really. I was in an internet cafe, and saw a Bolivian guy playing a video game called Defense of the Ancients that I used to play. I started talking to him, and he said that him and a bunch of other guys would be playing that night and that I should come back. I did, and we ended up playing this game til 2 in the morning!
The weekend approached, however, and my new gamer pals wouldn't be playing games, so I tried another avenue of meeting the locals. A traveller friend of mine has been trying to get me to try Couchsurfing - a worldwide networking site where travellers "surf couches" as is the premise, and locals offer them up because they want to meet people from different cultures, or introduce them to their own. Often this takes the form of just meeting up, rather than the hosting of a couch. I sent out some messages to some La Paz locals, and it wasn't long before I got a response. This Bolivian woman, named Flavia, was planning on going to a local rock concert Friday night with a couple other foreigners, and invited me to come. We stopped for dinner together, and then afterwards made our way to the concert. Along the way, however, we lost a girl from Britain named Anna after she stopped to use her phone, and then mistakenly ran after us in the wrong direction. Flavia was a bit worried about her since it was dark and she didn't know her way around the city. So Flavia went and got a couple nearby police officers and we looked for Anna. When we finally did find her, she was upset because some guy had stolen her phone. We walked around the area with the police officers looking for the culprit, but to no avail. We went to the concert anyways and tried to put the whole incident behind us. At the concert, I met some of Flavia's friends, and we had a great time dancing together to the La Paz band "Atajo" who were fairly decent. Really though, it was nice just to be with some Bolivians doing something Bolivian - even if it had been a bit of a crazy night.
The next cultural experience began on a different day when I heard the sounds of a parade in the distance and felt compelled to follow them. I came upon the group of musicians and costumed dancers during their break, and asked them what the parade was about. I worked out that it was a celebration for Saint Barbara. Good enough for me. Being someone that enjoys a good bit of music and dancing, I asked them if I could join in when they continued. They were very enthusiastic, and paired me up with a large, older Bolivian woman in a bowler hat. The next thing I knew, I was dancing down the street arm in arm with two older Bolivian women in bowler hats in the center of a parade with a full brass band behind us! A few onlookers seemed surprised to see a white guy smack dab in the middle of the whole thing, but we marched onwards. Down one street, down another, all through town. We'd stop every now and then for some food and drink, which they graciously insisted I partake of. This was entertaining for a while, until I realized I didn't really know when this parade would end, and was supposed to meet some friends from Canada who were coming into town that afternoon. And here I was locked arms with these enthusiastic women in bowler hats. Finally we stopped to take a break inside a courtyard, but I was still pinned in, and they insisted I eat more food even though I was starting to get pretty stuffed. What was worse, a group of these women in bowler hats started hitting on me shamelessly! After one of them asked me if I had a woman back in the States, and I answered honestly that I did not, they each started making cases for why I should take them as a wife. I said that I was travelling right now, and just didn't think it would work out, but they continued until we started marching again. Further down the road, we stopped again, and I said that I needed to go. Finally, my dancing partner let me go. She stopped for a second and said "Que triste, eh?" in a sad sort of way. After walking away I'd feel bad. In such a short time they'd completely opened their culture and their hearts to me, and all I could think about was getting away. Such is the way of the traveler sometimes, I suppose.
I wouldn't have any more such experiences for a while, as my two Canadian friends had arrived, and I'd spend a couple days hanging around the city with them. Another group of my friends who I'd met travelling in Peru arrived subsequently, and so I'd spend more time walking around the city, and going to pubs and restaurants. I wasn't very interested in many of the expensive touristy things that my friends wanted to do, and so I let them go do things without me. I'd reached the point of the journey where things just didn't seem to interest me. Climb a mountain? Nah, I just did that. Go on a downhill bike ride? Nah, been there, done that. What would I like to do? I don't know. After a short time, I started getting a little tired of this routine, as I shared with some of my friends back home. I realized just how many good friends I had, when many of them sent me emails back encouraging me, and let me know they were praying for me daily.
I didn't need to make very many preparations. The price of entry (which is essentially a bribe to the police to let you in) has been well circulated - 250 Bolivianos or about $35 US dollars. The only other thing that I'd bring with me would be four Spanish testaments (Bibles) which my parents had given me at the start of my trip. Oh, and I also prayed.
A few of my friends were also interested in the prison tour, and so together we set off walking towards the prison. Shortly after we arrived in the vicinity, we were approached by someone about being led inside. Once inside, there was a woman to explain to us how the tour would work, and tell us about the rules regarding cameras. How the tour would work is we'd have a guide who is a prisoner, and a number of bodyguards (I think about 6) who were also prisoners. The rules for cameras is that you pay 15 Bolivianos to bring one in, the police don't want to see them, and the guide will tell you exactly when you can take them out and exactly what you can take pictures of.
This isn't a normal prison, and it's time I told a bit about why. There are no police inside, and there are no cells. The prison is divided into different sections in which the prisoners rent their cells from real estate agents. Some sections are much nicer than others, and are also more expensive to live in. Prisoners who can't afford to rent a space, sleep in a large outdoor section. Others who can only afford to pay a little, get slums. Rich drug lords live in luxury. There are a surprising amount of women and children inside. Apparently, when the husbands are arrested, they can't afford to make it on their own outside, and so they move into the prison with them. Inside there are also shops, restaurants, several different churches, a football (soccer) pitch where tournaments are held, craftsmen selling their wares, and all manner of things that you might find in a small city. And that's exactly the comparison that's made. The subcommunities that exist within the different sections of the prison function just like city districts.
If you're worried yet, let me remind you that I'm here writing this post, and tell you also that I feel I was called by God to enter this prison, and protected inside by the Same. I've already described much of what I learned and observed in my description above. We really were being led around by prisoners amongst prisoners, and I greeted many of them and shook some of their hands as a display that I wasn't there to judge them. All of these men came from much less fortunate circumstances than I, and the poor decisions that led them there are in many cases a testament to this reality. It was interesting to see how normal life was for some of them inside this very strange place, however. As we walked around the different sections of the prison, we observed a football (once again, Soccer) game. We saw men talking in a restaurant, and playing pool. Most of the men I greeted returned the greeting with considerable more warmth than I'd received outside the prison on the streets. And when we entered the Evangelical church, a group of inmates was there to play some worship songs for us. I found out that a couple of our bodyguards were actually Christians as well, and talked with them a good deal during the tour. When I mentioned the Spanish testaments, one of them suggested that I give them to him so that he could give them to people in the prison that needed them. It really seemed like almost nothing, but who knows what will happen with those 4 bibles. I just wish I had had more. As I would later tell one of my friends, I really felt like I connected more with the Christian community inside that Bolivian prison, than I had in all my travels with my generation of well-off, English speaking travellers from good homes around the world.
Our tour guide refused to take us inside the section with the rich drug lords, and said that section would truly be dangerous for us. Throughout the tour I didn't really ever feel like I was in danger, though, and there was only one situation which would make me uncomfortable. When the tour was over, we tipped our guide and bodyguards (this is how they made their living), and were led outside. Man did it feel good to be back outside.
I haven't felt anything like the slump I was in before visiting the prison, at any point after. I've enjoyed spending time with my friends. Three of us (myself included) took an unguided day trip today to a place outside of town called Valle de la Luna, which gets it's name for the lunar-like landscape that results from all the erosion that is there.
And after a long, and interesting stay in La Paz, we've got tickets to travel to a place called Uyuni tomorrow night where we are going to see the Bolivian salt flats, which are widely said to be absolutely amazing. Following that, I'll either make a stop in the city of Potosi to visit some mines, or make my way straight into San Pedro de Atacama, Chile.
Missing and loving all of you back home as always,
Stephen
PS: I didn't take any photos of either the parade or the prison!
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