Quick Update about Bolivia

Hola todos!

Well, I have departed Bolivia and am in Cusco, now, which is apparently a good thing, because this here body don´t like no altitude! I am doing ok, but have had a variety of health issues this week in Bolivia, some of which you just don´t want/need to hear about! I am on antibiotics and hopefully being a little bit lower here will help, as well. If you want to hear more details, shoot me an email. Thanks to my mom for coming through with some sound recommendations, and to the late night pharmacies in South America where the pharmacist is as good (if not better) than a doctor and where you can just pick up whatever you need on the spot!

The Salt Flats of Uyuni were amazing! It is like nothing else you have ever seen. Not just the Salt Flats, but the other beautiful areas in the Altiplano of Bolivia. Like being on the moon. We were at some mighty high altitudes...sometimes up to 5,000 meters (try converting that... it is over 14, 500 or something crazy) I will have to write properly about that soon. I am at an internet cafe in Cusco, and they are closing up... which is my cue to get some much needed rest. I did indeed take a 12 hour bus from La Paz to Cusco today...ah! But needed to avoid flying so it was ok.

I meet my good friend Veronica here tomorrow morning, as well as her friends Dustin and Divakar. Divakar will be my sole travel buddy post January 3rd. We have plans to hit the Peruvian Amazon region from Jan 3-6th and continue on from there to Lake Titicaca, Arequipa, and Colca Canyon. My return flight to the US is on Jan. 15th

Look for more details on the Bolivian people, the Salt Flats and my tour group, led by Luis Mario and his wife Leonidas, and his 1986 Land Cruiser named ´Tarantula´, and about the 12 hour bus ride to Cusco.

Besos todos -- hope you all had a great Christmas/Hannukah!
Miss Michele

Exploring La Paz

After feeling better at around noon, I decided to venture out and figure out my tour for the Uyuni Salt Flats. It is funny - all of my friends who have seen it loved it, and all of the young hostel goers who have seen it were like - I got bored after 2 days. Hmmm...I think it must be because of their over connectivity with technology that they can´t stop and just explore nature. Maybe that isn´t it, but I am pumped to explore this area...it is a pain in the rear to get there, and I had to push it back one day because the buses aren´t running on Xmas day...go figure. Why do people have to celebrate Xmas? Just kidding... so I leave tonight at 9pm on a comfy, heated bus for Uyuni - I think it takes around 15 hours? We then have Wed/Thurs/Fri to explore various lagoons and areas and then I take another night tourbus back to La Paz and arrive on Saturday the 27th at 8am. The comfy bus costs almost as much as the tour, which takes you out in a jeep, all day for 3 days (you have 5-8 more hours, I think, from the stopping point, which is Uyuni). I know we do get to step out of the jeep/Range Rover and hike around a bit. It has to be easier than hiking around here!

I am exhausted! After shopping at the craft markets on Calle Linares and visiting the Coca Museum on Monday, I needed to sit down and eat a casual meal... I tried the sopa de mani (has peanuts in the base) and saice (which is beef, peas, tomato sauce, onions with rice and one of their famous yellow potatoes!). Yum. No salad for me. But on Monday night, after changing my return flight with American Airlines (I had to go to no less than 7 internet shops to find headphones that worked with Skype - talk about frustrating!) I was crazy hungry and at 9:30pm I asked the hostel for some recommendations...I wanted traditional Bolivian food (yes, it can be quite tasty!) And I said that I had already explored a particular part of the city, so instead of a quaint local joint, she sent me to a ritzy non-Bolivian resto in the Zona Sur? What? I walked in and it was full of stuffy business men and women...yes, they do exist, even in La Paz! When I sat down, he gave me the menu, and then he said, 'Push this button when you are ready to order" and that was my clue. This was not the right place for me! So I left and wandered around semi lost and got directions from one of the many Policia Militar here in La Paz. He didn't want to send me to any 'dangerous' places (which were probably just the places I wanted to go to), but I got a cab to the 'Student Plaza' and found a friendly 24/7 resto. I made the mistake of thinking I was all adjusted and ordered ONE light beer and a Bolivian version of a hamburger and fries. Comfort food. BIG MISTAKE. I am surprised that my hostel mates (this super cool Aussie named Paul and 2 lame Brazilians who slept two days away) weren't wakened up by my frequents to the bathroom. Well, I laid low for most of Tuesday and finally got the courage to shower and check out. It was FREEZING today and rainy again (it rains every day here...and we are talking 40s during the day...geez! That was my cue to do...you guessed it, MUSEOS! Loads of 'em. Though my body is pretty achy - I hate to say it but I think that I have the flu. Taking Aleve, drinking lots of water and mate de coca. Here is hoping I feel better tomorrow...wait, is that possible? I have a 15 hour bus ride starting in 90 mins. Alas...I will figure it out! Went to the Museo de Instrumentos Musicales, to the Bolivian History museum, and to the most awesome Ethnography museum. All very interesting. Especially the latter...funded by the Gov't and really state of the art. No pun intended. My highlight of the day, though, was having an empanada and the peach drink (mocochinchi) with this cute girl named Mariel ...a psych student at the University here. We chatted in line and then sat down together -- she gave me some advice on what Bolivian music to buy and then we just chatted about her life and my life and she was so smart and wonderful and fun to meet. She walked me back to the hostel, and here I am! I need to go call a taxi... Well, wish me health, and then to all of you readers, Merry Xmas, Happy Hannukah, and Happy Kwanzaa. I will be back online on Saturday the 27th with some *hopefully* awesome stories of the Altiplano - Salar de Uyuni. The Salt Flats! Keep reading and hugs to everyone. Miss Michele

You try breathing at 13,000 ft!

Spent a nice day in Lima on Sunday with the crew ...different extended family, same core group (Luis, Juan Pablo, Veronica, Ceci, Aida (Veronica's grandma)). Took a nice walk around the golf course near their home, and enjoyed splendid weather. It was great to have quality time with Veronica and to catch up! We met Aida's cousin and his family for lunch at Alfresco, a super yummy seafood place in San Isidro. Flounder ceviche, causushi (sp?) which is a potato and seafood terrine, of sorts, tacu tacu, octupus in a creamy olive sauce, yum - all kinds of amazing dishes! I have been eating one big meal a day, at around 2pm and then just having a light breakfast and dinner (if any dinner...last night was trail mix on the plane!) Packed my bags and drove around Lima one last time with V...we had some lucuma ice cream (mildly reminiscent of date flavor) and then drove by this park with tons of fountains (they light up at night), only to be hijacked by tons of taxis and families trying to see the Papa Noel exhibit at the park - the line was crazy long, so we just skipped it! I sadly said my thank yous and goodbyes to the Valdivieso family and took a taxi to the airport to catch my 9:55pm flight to La Paz. We had stopped at pharmacy earlier to get some altitude adjustment pills...who knows if they work, but it was worth a try. El Alto airport is at 13, 323 feet! That is nuts...and Lima is at sea level. Hmmm. Met some nice folks on the plane ride over, one girl, Sonia, from Chicago, is also going to be in Cusco fro NYE so she and her friend might try to find Veronica, Dustin, Divakar and I while in town...apparently the Plaza in Cusco is going to be raucous for the NYE festivities. Can't wait! The other side of me was an American family, from LA, who are Bolivian heritage, but haven't been back in 15 years. He was giving me tips on what kinds of foods to try...saltenas (seems like the Bolivian style of empandas, copied from the Argentinian province of Salta), some soups, and this peach drink called mochiniche (sp?) ...so I guess I have some taste testing to do after all! I just feel soooo wimpy right now, I don't want to do anything.

I got in to El Alto Airport at 12:45am and made it through immigration without any of the ado I faced in Lima (gracias a Dios!) and was met by this 5'2" man holding a sign with my name from the Hostel - brilliant! Was at the Loki La Paz hostel by 1:15am...but not without my heart pounding out of my chest from the altitude! Got checked in to my room (shared it with 2 other guys, but we have our own bathroom, which was good) and just started chugging water. Took another altitude pill, but at 5am I woke up and was feeling funny...basically my blood pressure dropped and I broke out in a cold sweat! Didn't faint, but was sure close to it. That thankfully passed and I was able to get back to sleep. Feeling really weak and spacey today, but that is all par for the course. I am laying low and will just grab a bite (you aren't supposed to eat too much b/c your digestion is out of whack at this altitude) ...then will find a travel agency to book a trip down to the Salt Flats in Uyuni. Really looking forward to that. I am feeling like I will have time to spend a night on Lake Titicaca (on the Bolivian side) before heading to Cusco on the 28th, so that is great. Well, people are waiting to use the computer, so I better sign off. Love the fact that everyone thinks I am 25 like them, here. Hostels are great for the ego boost! Hasta luego,
Miss Michele

Friday night & Valdivieso time on Saturday

After a family dinner with Luis, Cecilia and Juan we got ready for a night out. Juan Pablo's cousin (well, he is really his uncle, even though they are 27 and 28 years old, respectively) Gary Leggett met us at the house, here, and we sat up on the lovely rooftop terrace and enjoyed some wine and great conversation. I am definitely not in the roughing it stage of my adventure! It was really special to have some time to chat with Luis Valdivieso about his new role as the Minister of Finance & the Economy. Huge! He had a meeting with the President of Peru on Friday evening, Alan Garcia. Then he came home and had dinner with Juan, me and Cecilia. Crazy! So we enjoyed the evening breeze and chatted a little about a lot. Luis just passed the budget in Peru and is all over the maganizes, newspapers and TV about his 'Anti-crisis' plan...he is on the cover of Economic America (a Latin American magazine). Whoa. Gary is doing some awesome research for Harvard on the challenges of land use/ownership in the Peruvian Amazon. He is an architect and is also into planning - Juan and him bumped into each other at Princeton and they figured out that they were related! And then they bumped into each other again at Harvard while Gary was doing his advanced degree in (law or business) and Juan in Law. Small world...and the Peru connection makes it even smaller. So after chatting until 1am, Juan, Gary and I decided to go out! Time does not run the same in Peru as it does in the US. I love it! I have always been a night owl. So Gary drove us to this super cool bar called Ayahuasca -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayahuasca -- that was in an old colonial building in the Barranco neighborhood - not far from the museum we had seen earlier in the day... had a yummy maracuja sour (passion fruit) made with pisco, of course. Pisco is the national alcohol, made from corn. It is yummy! I have had Pisco Sours before, but it just isn't the same as when you have one in the native land. The three of us had a great night...Juan is super fun, one semester left to get his law degree from Harvard, training for an Ironman in Australia in April, and Gary is doing this awesome research in the jungle and just successfully published a book on Urban Architecture themes in Peru. Damn. I gotta get my groove on when I get back to the states, eh? They pretty much had to ask us to leave at 3:45am and I think we got home around 4am?

Saturday 12/20 : I was super tired today...duh. Basically woke up late, went for a walk on the Miraflores boardwalk with the whole Valdivieso family, then Cecilia had a family lunch around 1:30pm/2pm for sisters of Luis, her sister and children, Gary, Cecilia's mother, and of course, me the adopted daughter! It was nice to sit and chat with everyone, and we enjoyed 'chifa' which is this widely discussed Peruvian influenced Chinese food. Very tasty! There are the Peruvian influences of seasonings and ingredients, and yet, it is distinctly chinese with fried rice, stir fry, shrimp dishes, and even lemon chicken and roast duck. We all chit chatted throughout the afternoon, and then I just gave in to a nap. Later in the evening Veronica and her parents and I hit the Larcomar - this huge outdoor mall on the ocean. Very nice! It is the Lima version of some of those swanky LA malls that are all outdoors, with restaurants facing the water, etc. Picked up some music - NovaLima is a band Juan recommended, and then we headed back to get ready for dinner at one of V's fave spots. Again, time is not the same here...we headed out for dinner at 9:45pm! Ate at this adorable place in San Isidro called 'Tanta' with Juan, Gary & V. So fun to chit chat and catch up... all four of us went to Princeton, so it was a little mini reunion. We were all exhausted (Veronica arrived today at 6am from the US) so we headed home, and here I am typing it up. I won't be posting this much come Monday...so don't get use to it! I have a 10pm flight from Lima to La Paz tomorrow, Sunday 12/21 and then I get picked up by this cute hostel I found...Loki La Paz. It is apparently where the crazy young travelers go...wait, I am one of them (perhaps not so young, but def fun and crazy!) Then I will acclimate most of Monday in La Paz (super high altitude...one of the highest altitude airports in the world at 13,323 feet - NUTS! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Alto_International_Airport ...they have a super long runway b/c planes take longer to descend and need more space!) I hope to be off to Uyuni and the Salt Flats on Weds am at the latest. I want to explore La Paz somewhat...it is supposed to be a great city, full of color and life. Well, off to bed. Having a blast already...the Valdivieso's have made me feel so much at home - I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends all over the world. That is what makes life so grand, isn't it? Our friends and family.

Out and about in Lima

After a good snooze on Friday morning (from 4am - 11am), I was ready to see what the city was all about. Juan Pablo was my fun companion...we went to lunch at Rosa Nautica, on the cliffs of Miraflores. I tired this different kind of cebiche (yes, they spell it with a 'b' here) called tiradito. It is like a thicker cut of carpaccio and then it was covered in this sauce- yum! I had a yummy dish called Corvina Rosa Nautica (the house speciality- shocking name, eh?) that was yummy white fish with shrimp and baby scallops in huge shell... it was delish. Then Juan wanted me to try his favorite flavor here in Peru, which is that of the lucuma fruit... so we had a chocolate mousse with lucuma sauce. I was stuffed, so we needed to walk. We went over to Barranco, another interesting neighborhood, and checked out the Pedro Osma museum. It is in a beautiful old Colonial home and he amassed some amazing pieces of 17th, 18th and 19th century art. The grounds were also quite lovely...and there was also a special house for silver and gold artifacts. From there Juan and I strolled over to the plaza in Barranco, and then grabbed a cab to go downtown to the Plaza de Armas. Lots of activity on the streets on a Friday evening during rush hour! We wandered around the Plaza de Armas and took lots of pictures of colonial architecture...we even ran into a parade of sorts. I think Luis said it was a fundraising effort for the city ...hmm. The participants were wearing traditional garb of Peru with the bowler hats and all. We then headed down a pedestrian shopping route to the Plaza San Martin, which is smaller but much greener and mellow. Well, not exactly more mellow - I got my first shouts of appreciation for my derriere. Ha! I am definitely in Latin America! Juan can protect me ...he is a skinny guy, but quite tall at 6'2" ... More about the night on the town later. Fun times!

Landing in Lima

Just a quick note to say I arrived safely in Lima this morning...not without much ado. There were 4-5 planes that landed at midnight at the Jorge Chavez Int'l Airport and the line was over 2 hours to get through immigration...loco (crazy) as they say here. The Peruvians where upset at their own gov't and were shouting 'que verguenza' (what shame) to the immigration officials. It was fine, though, and I chatted with many people in line, both Peruvians coming home for the holidays, Americans (from WA state) coming to visit their daughter on a year abroad, and a cute Chinese family from Capistrano Beach, on holiday in Peru! So got in line at 12:45am 12/19, then got through immigration at 2:45am, then grabbed my bag and some soles from the ATM and hightailed it out of the aeropuerto...then got a taxi to the Valdivieso house in San Isidro (my good friend Veronica's parents live here, now). Thank goodness Juan Pablo, Veronica's brother and good friend of mine, stayed up to welcome me here at 3:15am.

Well, I am off to chat with Luis Valdivieso now, (um, check him out, major player in Peruvian economics) and then to hit Lima with Juan Pablo and his 2nd cousin (well, his grandmother's cousin or something like that). Ha! More later.

Besos
Miss Michele