Pink dolphins, caimans and piranhas in Rurranbaque, Bolivia

HappilySo I was a little on the fence about taking a trip to the jungle. It seemed expensive and on general, I wouldn't call myself a jungle person. When I went to the travel agency there was a group of 3 other 

Americans booking their trip and I figured, WTH, I'll book it too. At least this way I'd know how I would be with for 3 days. It turned out to be a lot of fun. The group adopted me and we traveled together for the 3 days of the trip and the days surrounding it.

Being in the jungle felt a lot like being in Miami. The greens, the water that we boated through to get to camp and the mosquitoes. Those mosquitoes literally ate me alive. I counted one hand and had 18 bites on it, I looked like I had some horrible skin disease.  We saw lots of caimans, which everyone loved seeing.  Me, I've seen them before, but it was still a sight. We went hunting for anacondas and found a long 10 foot one and we also went fishing for piranhas.  We weren't as lucky with the fishing, my entire boat of 9 only caught one and we had to throw it back because it was so small.

The highlight was swimming with pink dolphins. They're mostly grey with a tint of pink. They would brush up against us in the water and the babies even bit my toes.

This trip was a good reminder to just go with things and be happily surprised with the outcome.

Bolivia, similar yet different than Peru

So I've been on my own, traveling around for 2 weeks now. It was hard leaving the comfort and routine that I established in Cusco, but I had to move on. My first taste of Bolivia was getting harangued at the border because the money I brought wasn't up to standard. I have to say, that was not a nice welcome.  Next, even though I was surrounded by the beauty of Lake Titicaca, I thought that Copacabana was touristy and expensive. Disappointing since I had heard it was so much cheaper than Peru.

All started to change when I got to La Paz, which I was really hoping would not be like Lima. It's a big city set in a basin, nicknamed the red city because all of the red brick houses are unpainted. It's so beautiful here.  I took a great free walking tour and got to learn about the city, good and bad. Bolivia is over 60% indigenous. You see the "cholitas" everywhere. In Lima, you hardly saw any of them. All the ladies wear little bowler hats and skirts with lots and lots of ruffles, so they purposefully look fat.

La Paz is getting ready to celebrate their Independence Day on Tuesday but I'm going to miss it. I'm leaving on a jungle tour tomorrow for 4 days and then flying straight to Sucre.

Last night in Peru

So this is my last night in Peru and I can hardly believe I've been here over 2 months. Most of my time was spent around Cusco, but I also spent time in Arequipa which I loved and now I'm in a city called Puno.  Everyone else is right, there's not much to it, its just a way to get to Bolivia and Lake Titicaca. 

My time here has been really special. One friend said that I might not have learned Spanish, but I did learn a lot about the Peruvian culture, which I think is true. My house mom in Cusco said that I really tried to experience everything that Cusco has to offer. I went to festivals and fairs where I was the only foreigner, I had fun going to discos, I did touristy things like visit the planetarium and chocolate museum and I saw most of the ruins, like Machu Pichu, Tipon, Pisac, Chinchero and Ollaytaytambo.

I liked the food, the people were really friendly and I liked getting to know the culture.

It will be hard to beat this, but I'm going to give it a try. Tomorrow night I'll be in the lakeside town of Copacabana, Bolivia. I'm hoping that getting through customs and getting my visa is easy.

Xo

Ps, this kid really loved his baby alpaca (or llama). I still can't tell the difference.  It was soft and would definitely make a nice chompa (sweater).

Arequipa, monks and nuns

So I have to say that I'm in love with Arequipa. It's really beautiful here. They call Arequipa the white city because most of the buildings are made of white volcanic stone called, sillar.  To me the town feels quaint and colonial even though it the second largest city in Peru.  Everything seems to be in walking distance and the weather is a perfect mix of Lima's temperate weather and Cusco's bright and beautiful days. I love it here!

I've given equal opportunity to the nuns and the monks here. Yesterday I went to visit the Santa Catalina Convent which they say is the most impressive religious site in all of S. America. I'm not sure I would say that,  but it was pretty incredible.  The convent was erected 40 years after the Spanish conquest and all of the sisters were from wealthy families.  Each family had to pay a pretty hefty dowry. At the height there were 200 nuns living there. The convent is like a city within their high walls. There are a labryinth of streets, a clinic, a graveyard and many beautiful gardens. They lived in separate, plush and private quarters with servants. Right now there are abut 25 nuns still there. When they opened it up to the public, enrollment really decreased.

Today I went to the Recoleta Monastery, which has just four monks that live there now. The monastery was founded in the 1600's and has been remarkably kept up and restored after each earthquake. I was the only tourist there, so I was able to very leisurely stroll around. The monks had a weird collection of Amazonian animals, textiles and a room full of dolls (I'm not sure what those were all about).  It was all pretty peaceful until I accidentally got locked in the cathedral. I was knocking on the door for about 15 minutes until I called them. Thank goodness for: my cheap Peruvian cell, having enough minutes, having the phone number and for someone who answered the phone. I did not want to spend the night in there.

Tomorrow I think I'll go explore a suburb and treat myself to a fancy dinner. The day after I'm going to do a tour of the Colca Canyons to see the great condors.