1/16/2010 - El Secreto En Las Montañas

As intelligent college students, we assumed that we knew exactly where to catch our train and how to navigate the streets of Peru. We were wrong. We left the hostel at 6:45am, thinking we would have more than enough time to walk several blocks to the station for a train that departed at 7:40am. However, our map of Cusco was anything but to-scale and we had to walk quite a bit further than anticipated. When we finally arrived at the PeruRail “Station,” we were informed that we had to catch the train at some point 15 km away. We hastily threw our bags into a taxi; it was 7:25 and we had a 25-minute drive ahead of us. Luckily our cab driver was speedy.

Now I consider myself to be a bit of a thrill seeker, but the next two hours of my life were a little too thrilling. Our cab driver zipped through the winding streets of Cusco at a pace that would for sure warrant a speeding ticket in the US. However, I’m not quite sure how fast he was going because his speedometer was broken (déjà vu – Callah, Jenna, Jae, and Kevin know what I’m talking about). Maybe it’s a good thing I didn’t know. Nevertheless, we made it to the station alive, but unfortunately, the train was just pulling away. &$*%.

Because this was the only train to Machu Pichu that day, you can imagine that Megan, Paul, and I were a bit dismayed. Our taxi driver, however, was not. There was one more stop the train made en route to its destination, and he offered to drive us an hour to Ollantaytambo. Not having much of an option, we agreed to another joyride. The picture on the left is from out the window of the taxi, and the one of the right is Megan pretending to be calm sans seatbealt.

Every time I get an email from my mom, she tells me to be safe. Sorry mom, but this adventure was not the safest thing I’ve ever done. We were passing cars at high speeds on wet and winding mountain roads (think Colorado), and the best part is that there were no seatbelts. My heart was pumping the whole way, and at one point I saw our driver glance at the small picture of The Mother Mary on his dash and make The Sign of The Cross. Yikes. At least the scenery was beautiful and thankfully there were plenty of speed bumps to slow us down. We finally made it to Ollantaytambo just in time to catch the train, and after heartily thanking our driver we found our seats aboard the blue PeruRail train.

*For those of you who plan to travel to Machu Pichu one day: take the taxi. It’s one hell of a fun, scary, and scenic ride, and I wouldn’t trade that adventure for anything.

Our train dropped us off at the small town of Aguas Calientes, which is in the valley below Machu picchu. It is a very cool and vibrant village, separated into two halves by a roaring river and surrounded by the Andes. However, it is very much geared towards tourists which takes away some of the authenticity. Our hostel was not the greatest, as every thing felt very damp (especially our sheets) from the river, and it was fairly dirty because it was under repair. Nevertheless, the view from our room was awesome.

We decided to get some food at a local restaurant because it was happy hour. Apparently it is always happy hour in Aguas Calientes, with 4 for 1 deals throughout the entire town. There is a catch though. If you order just one beer, it costs 6 soles (the currency of Peru), but if you order the 4x1 special, the one beer costs 20 soles. Go figure. Anyways, after some delicious enchiladas we walked around the Indian market where I bought an awesome alpaca sweater and then got some food and drinks for our hike up to Machu picchu in the morning. Upon returning to our hostel, I climbed into my wet bed to rest up for another early morning.

*Two funny sites in Aguas Claientes

1. There are wild dogs everywhere in this city as well. When we were walking through the Indian market, I saw an older local woman sitting on the sidewalk and a dog standing nearby. Next I saw the dog walk up behind her, lift his leg, and pee on her back. Is she now his territory?

2. In a local shop, there was a television showing different commercials. One of the commercials was advertising a showing of Brokeback Mountain, which was cleverly called El secreto en las montanas (A secret in the mountains). Haha.

1/15/2010 – Get In The Hole!

I finally met up with Megan and Paul at the airport this morning. I was surprised at how well I fared on my own for a day, but it was nice to see some friendly faces. After a quick breakfast and exchange of stories, we boarded our plane to Cusco, Peru (if you’re like me, you’re probably thinking about the Emperor’s New Groove and Cronk sneaking down the steps while singing his own sleuth theme song. And yes there are llamas in Peru).

*Paul and Megan told me that many other travelers think it’s funny how Americans get “pumped up” and give high hives. Also, they apparently mock us by shouting “GET IN THE HOLE!” as an exclamation for everything…haha.



Upon arriving in Peru, we caught a taxi and headed to the Pariwanna Hostel. Driving through the streets of Cusco was quite a unique experience. Dozens of Perros Callejeros (dogs of the street) streaked through traffic and raw meat markets displayed plenty of pigs and chickens. I feel much more comfortable in Peru because the locals speak Spanish. I’m quite surprised at how much I remember and it’s been fun trying to communicate with people: Gracias Senora Gaston. Also, whereas Brazil is very comparable to the US in cost of living, Peru is a lot cheaper, with an exchange rate of about 2.8. Me gusta mucho.

The Pariwanna Hostel is also very nice, but it is much larger than Vila Madalena. There are probably close to one hundred travelers staying here. After getting situated, we decided to head out for dinner and some shopping. Cusco is an absolutely beautiful city at night, with a golden glow throughout the entire city and tiny lights sprinkled among the mountains. The city is always bustling with people, but it seems to come alive at night as people head out to shop in the local market and grab a couple drinks.

*Note to all readers. My camera is pretty cheap, so please excuse any of the blurry pictures (especially at night).

Unfortunately, I succumbed to the pressure of impulse shopping and bought my first souvenir like a good tourist should. Megan and Paul joined me in this purchase. See below…
These hats are made from alpaca fur, and they’re reversible….ooooh! Once I had my hat, I felt I had accomplished everything I needed to for the day, so I was off to bed early to ensure that I could be up and ready for our train to Machu Pichu.

1/14/2010 - "What do you mean you don't flush toilet paper?!"

After a ten-hour flight from Chicago, I finally arrived at GRU airport. Immediately upon stepping off the plane, I was hit with a rush of humidity and began sweating instantly. I figured it was probably time to remove my North Face and Nike sweatshirt. Customs was a breeze, and my bags were not even checked. I can only hope to be so lucky when I return to the United States with a suitcase full of drogas…Once I had all of my luggage, which consisted of a large duffel bag and hiking backpack, I exchanged some currency and found a taxi to take me to the Vila Madalena Hostel where I was to meet Paul and Megan.

The taxi ride was my first chance to really test my fledgling Portuguese skills because the driver spoke no English. Although I rarely understood anything he said, we were able to communicate through key words, and by the end of the ride he knew that I was going to be a student at FGV for the semester. Another thing that helped us communicate was Spanish. I found it funny that when I asked him “O senhor fala espanol?” (do you speak Spanish) he laughed and responded, “Falo Portunol!” (Our equivalent to Spanglish).

The traffic into Sao Paulo was horrendous. Think New York City traffic, except smaller…almost every car is about the size of a VW Golf and I can probably count on one hand the number of SUVs I saw throughout my first day. Also, there were hundreds of motorcycles weaving in and out of traffic at full speed. Motorcycles are definitely the way to go if traffic makes you as angry as me. I have a strange longing for my moped at the moment.

Upon arriving at my hostel, I was disappointed to hear that Paul and Megan had been delayed in Rio and would not be able to make it to Sao Paulo that night. Thus, my first night in Brazil was to be spent “alone.” Now I have never been to a hostel before, but if travelers are as friendly and welcoming as they were at Vila Madalena, then I am in for a real treat. Even before I had a chance to consider how I would spend my afternoon, a group of three travelers from the Midwest asked me to join them for lunch. We went walking for several blocks, and finally decided on a bar called Sol. After being seated, I ordered my first beer (also called Sol) and a cheeseburger. The cheeseburger was very good, but quite different from American burgers. It was served on a French roll, had an egg on top, and was very salty. One of the guys I was with told me that Brazilians use very little spice on their beef (with the exception of salt) in order to prove just how good their meat really is. I must mention that the first song I heard in the restaurant (and perhaps since I had been in Brazil) was the Spanish version of “Whenever Wherever” by Shakira, followed by “She Bangs” by Ricky Martin.

After our meal, we walked the streets of Sao Paulo for several more miles. I was strangely reminded of Uptown in Minneapolis as we passed small cafés, antique shops, and clothing stores. It was a very beautiful part of town. Also, there were several blocks lined exclusively with music stores. Each store had it’s own selection of drums, guitars, keyboards, and wind instruments. When I have more time I am definitely going to venture back to those stores and perhaps buy myself a guitar to keep my musical appetite alive while abroad.

After shopping for a couple of hours, I decided to head back to the hostel because I had to catch a taxi back to the airport at 4:30am. I took a much-needed shower, and after visiting with some of my roommates, I climbed into bed.

Note to self: try cachaça. It’s the Brazilian alcohol made from sugar cane and is only about US$3.00 for a liter. I may have found my Karkov for the semester.

*Note about Vila Madalena Hostel: apparently it is ranked as one of the cleanest hostels in Brazil and is also one of the few ‘no party’ hostels in South America. I guess most have alcohol for guests and some even have full bars. Also, Vila Madalena has the largest number of bathrooms for a hostel in Brazil with 1 bathroom per 4.5 guests (I think the average is about 1 bathroom per 9-10 guests).

Disclaimer: Stop reading this section if you consider yourself to have a weak stomach:

One thing quite different from the United States is that you are not allowed to flush toilet paper down the drain. Apparently the pipes are too narrow. After doing your thing, you are to dispose of the toilet paper into a small trashcan adjacent to the pooper. I have yet to find Febreeze in any bathroom.

1/13/2010 - Ready, Set, Go

I begin my South American Journey today. It’s incredible how fast my departure date has arrived, and now that it has I hardly feel ready at all. A lot left to pack, a lot of planning to do, and a lot of Portuguese to learn. There was a little bit of relief in my day, however. I originally thought my flight was going to be fourteen hours (9:30pm – 11:30am) from Chicago to Sao Paulo, but thankfully I forgot to take into account the time change. Since Sao Paulo is four hours ahead of Minneapolis, the flight would only be ten hours. I can handle that.

People ask me all the time if I am excited to leave. I think a better word is anxious. I am definitely excited, but I am also nervous, and sometimes it’s hard to distinguish one feeling from another. I am nervous about the language barrier (my Portuguese is not so good) and about the length of time I’ll be away. However, at the same time I am excited to learn about a new culture and to test my independence. Oh, and I’m also excited to be uprooting myself from a Minnesota winter in order to experience a Sao Paulo summer.

Anyways, I am anticipating that it may be hard to stay in touch with everyone, so this blog will hopefully allow me to share my experiences, thoughts, and pictures with anyone who is interested. The first two weeks are a documentation of my travels before classes start, and the remaining will be about my time studying in Sao Paulo. Please feel free to email or facebook me with any thoughts, comments, or questions. I’d love to hear from you. Ate logo!