Hey all! Megan has also submitted a photo to another JPG Mag contest. She would love some support and votes as well. Thanks again!
Friday, December 26, 2008
Photo Contest
Hey everyone, I just entered this photo in a contest for JPG Magazine. I'd love your support if you'd like to click this link and cast a vote for me. Thanks!
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Feliz Navidad!
Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all! We’ve been celebrating today in the town of Huaraz, up in the Peruvian Andes. We met a few good friends here that we’ve come to know along the road- Fiona, David, and Lisa. We’ve enjoyed some fantastic Christmas cookies baked by Megan and we even managed to find a restaurant that served an excellent curry- not a traditional meal, but delicious nonetheless. We are surrounded here by beautiful mountains and are with good friends but we can’t help but miss family and friends that aren’t with us right now. We love and miss you all and can’t wait until we meet again.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Can You Say Chan Chan?
Peru is an archeological gold mine, best known as the home of the Incan Empire but also host to many other cultures, some of which existed thousands of years before the Inca. The whole country is scattered with the remains of cities and temples, many of which are still being discovered today.
Before ending our sun worship/stomach bug recovery at the beach and heading for the mountains, we spent a day exploring the ruined city of Chan Chan, the capital of the Chimu society. The Chimu rose to prominence around AD 850 and were eventually defeated by the Incas in AD 1471. The city itself was built circa AD 1300 and covered 28 sq km, the largest pre-Columbian city in the Americas and the largest adobe city in the world. Wind and rain have since destroyed most of the city’s structures while conquistadors and grave robbers have emptied it of gold and ceramics.
Chan Chan was originally divided into 9 major complexes, one of which (the Tschudi complex) has been reconstructed. Even ancient friezes depicting fish, nets, seabirds, and seals have been either restored or recreated. We caught a ride to where the Huanchaco-Trujillo road passes the ancient city and set off across the arid ground towards the complex. After purchasing our admission we were allowed to wander throughout the structure independently along a marked path.
There’s only one spot where the 10m-tall and 4m-thick walls part to allow entrance to the city. The city’s gate first brings visitors to the main ceremonial plaza. Walkways around the plaza lead to various rooms that comprised living quarters, offices, shops. At the far end of the complex is a giant well that provided water for the city, located across from the ceremonial burial ground for priests and leaders. We wandered back through the long dusty corridors and eventually made our way out into the deserted surrounding ruins.
We left the area trying to imagine what it would have looked like if the entire city were still alive and functioning, an adobe metropolis built out of the desert-like ground near the coast. It’s just one of the many spots in Peru where the remains of an ancient civilization exist, graveyards for empires that thrived for hundreds of years before meeting an unforeseen end.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Hi everyone...
Our entry to Peru landed us in Mancora for a few days. Sun, surf, sand, and partying. Ubiquitous dust makes it not the most beautiful place, although it’s definitely on the itinerary of most travelers. There’s good- albeit crowded- surf, and plenty of options for eating and drinking.
We enjoyed our introduction to coastal Peruvian food, there are significantly more options than most of the Ecuadorian fare we tried. Meals usually begin with a small plate of ceviche. Next follows usually some form of seafood, chicken, or meat with vegetables and rice. The accompanying juice has continued to be excellent.
We enjoyed the atmosphere in Mancora for a few days but were soon ready to keep moving south. We are currently in Huanchaco, just north of Trujillo. More stories and photos will be up soon- we’ve been battling a few stomach troubles recently, keeping us inside more than we like. Soon to come though: pre-Incan ruins, huge mountains, and Lima for New Years!
We enjoyed our introduction to coastal Peruvian food, there are significantly more options than most of the Ecuadorian fare we tried. Meals usually begin with a small plate of ceviche. Next follows usually some form of seafood, chicken, or meat with vegetables and rice. The accompanying juice has continued to be excellent.
We enjoyed the atmosphere in Mancora for a few days but were soon ready to keep moving south. We are currently in Huanchaco, just north of Trujillo. More stories and photos will be up soon- we’ve been battling a few stomach troubles recently, keeping us inside more than we like. Soon to come though: pre-Incan ruins, huge mountains, and Lima for New Years!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
On the Road Again
Our last venture in Ecuador was to ride the Devil’s Nose train, a “must-see” experience according to our guidebook (and many other guides apparently). The train sets off from Riobamba, passing through the town of Aluasi before running the Devil’s Nose loop. Many tourists bus to Aluasi and pick up the train there to ride the switchbacks as the train traverses a sheer mountainside. The main drawing point that distinguishes this from most Ecuadorian bus trips is that passengers are allowed to ride on the train’s roof. We enjoyed the experience but could have done without the loads of pushy tourists. 
Ready for a new adventure, we hit the road early the next morning for Peru. We bounced down the road on the 6 hour trip to Guayaquil. As soon as we arrived we went in search of an international bus, by far the best way to cross the “worse border in South America.” Stories abound of travelers being scammed, ripped off, or straight up robbed by taxi drivers and corrupt police. Friends of ours were stopped and told they need to buy a $200 tourist card to safely cross the border. They were too savvy for that but were still handed a counterfeit bill changing dollars into Peruvian Soles.
Our bus guided us to the various necessary immigration stops before dropping us off in the shady Peruvian border town of Tumbes. After 13 hours of travel we were fairly bedraggled and unready for the onslaught of street touts shouting they could get us to wherever we needed to go. We eventually managed to get dropped off by a bus supposedly headed to Mancora, our intended destination. Unfortunately, the bus wasn’t planning on leaving for anywhere that night. We managed to squeeze ourselves into a car packed with approximately 12 Peruvians headed down to the coast. Two hours later, we arrived in Mancora. Luckily the beach has been a great place for us to recuperate the past few days, watching kitesurfers cut through the ocean and soar over waves.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Scammed by Jungle Spirits
There’s an abundance of phrases out there such as “buyer beware,” “you pay for what you get,” and so on… I’m not sure at what point the alarm bells should have started ringing in our heads, but our recent excursion to the Amazon from Baños gave us a reminder to keep said clichés in mind, especially while traveling. To be fair, our expedition had high and low points. There were unforgettable experiences and we had excellent company; however in the end we had reason to shake our heads in dismay (or rub our bellies in agony in some cases).
Budget conscious, we settled on a three-day excursion into the jungle not too far from Baños. To go deeper in would have required us to stay for more days at a more expensive per-person rate.
En route to the lodge we made an incredible stop at a monkey reserve- not included in the tour but the $1.50 admission wasn’t too big a deterrent (we’re not that cheap!). The reserve functioned as a rescue center for monkeys that had been in captivity. The Frenchman who oversaw our visit gave us our introduction to the monkeys. He walked over with a couple of Woolly Monkeys on his shoulder- they turned out to be our favorites, very friendly. Anytime we would extend a hand, one would grab onto our fingers and hop onto the proffered arm. Curious White Capuchin monkeys were quick to show up as well, described by our guide as “sons of the devil.” We didn’t find them so bad, although it was a good thing we had emptied our pockets ahead of time. They would hang around our necks by their tails as they used their hands to unbutton pockets and search for anything inside. One stood guard against Martina, the Black Capuchin Monkey who was jealous of our guide’s attention and kept trying to force her way into the group to scold or attack us. Our guide also pointed out Spider Monkeys, Clown Monkeys, and more aggressive Coatis nearby.
We soon arrived at our home for the first night. We were camped in the secondary forest, rainforest that has re-grown after being harvested for timber. According to our guide Leo, this area in Ecuador occurs between elevations of 800 m to 250 m. A longer trip would have taken us to untouched primary rainforest, but we were still in a place brimming with life.
Walking in the forest we saw plants such as the “Sangre de Cristo,” used by indigenous people to treat menstrual cramps. We saw a tree with thorny roots, used to grate various fruits and vegetables. Each plant we passed could serve a different function. The “Achiote” pods we opened served as face paint. The “Sangre de Drago” plant helps with diarrhea and insect bites- definite jungle scourges! We snacked on sugary lemon ants, found inside the stems of certain plants. Leo also showed us some thorny leaves that increase blood flow, helping anyone with sore muscles or arthritis. We were pricked lightly in a demonstration. Along with increased blood flow, the plant left behind some ugly red raised bumps. According to Leo these would fade in an hour or two. That sounded fine, but Leo, it’s been 5 days now…
We eventually arrived at a small pool filled by a towering waterfall. A perfect end to our first day… we swam about for a bit and headed home (luckily on a quicker path), exhausted and ready to fall asleep to the noises of the jungle.
We set out early the next morning on another waterfall trek. We learned about similar medicinal plants that served functions from mosquito repellent to soap to a torch. We saw trees that hadn’t been cut down- huge monsters that were still young at 300 years old. To reach the “cascada escondida” we had to swim through a channel of deep water. There was a beautiful pool with a tree perfectly positioned for jumping into the falls… an excellent first half of the day.
On our return to camp we skipped lunch and packed for the next lodge. The hike had made us hungry, but we had other plans in mind. If we refrained from food for the afternoon we would have the opportunity to participate in an indigenous shamanic ritual. We would be able to drink a concoction called “ayahuasca,” Quechua for “vine of the soul.” Whoever partook was supposed to vomit, purging out impure substances, and then spend the next 4-5 hours seeing incredible visions and spirits of the jungle. It sounded fascinating enough to forgo eating…
We canoed to the next camp. It was an interesting trip through some whitewater, only slightly diminished by the fact that it was completely unnecessary- our guide hopped in a pickup truck and was at the next site waiting for us. We unpacked and went off with the local shaman to be bathed under a waterfall (yet again). He slashed a path through the forest using his machete until we reached the trickling water. After a quick rinse with water and jungle leaves, we headed back to camp… on a perfectly nice, already trimmed path. I enjoy hiking through the forest, but after a point the unnecessary trips begin to make things feel contrived…
Sometime after sunset we made our way to the shaman’s hut. On the door hung some sort of skull, adorned with large horns. A small fire burned in the center with a few benches around it. Rocks, bottles, and small figurines were arrayed along the walls. The shaman began the ritual, explaining his role in the community as a traditional healer. He sprayed some sort of herbal and alcohol-smelling substance over us and rubbed stones on our heads and arms, breathing deeply and using jungle leaves to wave away evil spirits. We were handed cups of the ayahuasca, a foul smelling beverage that tasted like campfire with ashy particles in it. After we were done the shaman told us that we should all go relax and wait for the visions to begin…
And that was it, done and done. We all vomited out whatever we consumed, but definitely weren’t visited by any sort of vision or jungle spirit. Our minds seemed a bit stirred up, following trains of thought wherever they might lead, but that was the most interesting aspect of our experience. It seemed we had paid to be sick… The next morning we told our guide that we should have just spent the money on beers- we might have even been able to vomit as well, but could have at least had a good time on the way! The (sham?) shaman was nowhere to be found.
After a brief hike up to a viewpoint we decided to pack it in and head back to Baños. Megan and our friend David weren’t feeling well; they seemed to have picked up some nasty jungle souvenir. We got back to town and went straight to the office of our tour group to leave some feedback on our jungle expedition. Knowing that we had some negative comments about the “jungle” and “shaman” experience we were directed to an empty page in the middle of the comment book- nowhere near the excellent comments about the trip located at the beginning of the book. So that’s where the bad ones go?
It turned out that both Megan and David had picked up an awful stomach bug. Luckily, they seem on the mend, and we are all finished with Baños for now. I’d still love to do a real Amazon tour, to the primary jungle. This trip at least whetted our appetites for that. As for the “ayahuasca,” we are still very curious, but wary.
Budget conscious, we settled on a three-day excursion into the jungle not too far from Baños. To go deeper in would have required us to stay for more days at a more expensive per-person rate.
En route to the lodge we made an incredible stop at a monkey reserve- not included in the tour but the $1.50 admission wasn’t too big a deterrent (we’re not that cheap!). The reserve functioned as a rescue center for monkeys that had been in captivity. The Frenchman who oversaw our visit gave us our introduction to the monkeys. He walked over with a couple of Woolly Monkeys on his shoulder- they turned out to be our favorites, very friendly. Anytime we would extend a hand, one would grab onto our fingers and hop onto the proffered arm. Curious White Capuchin monkeys were quick to show up as well, described by our guide as “sons of the devil.” We didn’t find them so bad, although it was a good thing we had emptied our pockets ahead of time. They would hang around our necks by their tails as they used their hands to unbutton pockets and search for anything inside. One stood guard against Martina, the Black Capuchin Monkey who was jealous of our guide’s attention and kept trying to force her way into the group to scold or attack us. Our guide also pointed out Spider Monkeys, Clown Monkeys, and more aggressive Coatis nearby.
We soon arrived at our home for the first night. We were camped in the secondary forest, rainforest that has re-grown after being harvested for timber. According to our guide Leo, this area in Ecuador occurs between elevations of 800 m to 250 m. A longer trip would have taken us to untouched primary rainforest, but we were still in a place brimming with life.
Walking in the forest we saw plants such as the “Sangre de Cristo,” used by indigenous people to treat menstrual cramps. We saw a tree with thorny roots, used to grate various fruits and vegetables. Each plant we passed could serve a different function. The “Achiote” pods we opened served as face paint. The “Sangre de Drago” plant helps with diarrhea and insect bites- definite jungle scourges! We snacked on sugary lemon ants, found inside the stems of certain plants. Leo also showed us some thorny leaves that increase blood flow, helping anyone with sore muscles or arthritis. We were pricked lightly in a demonstration. Along with increased blood flow, the plant left behind some ugly red raised bumps. According to Leo these would fade in an hour or two. That sounded fine, but Leo, it’s been 5 days now…
We eventually arrived at a small pool filled by a towering waterfall. A perfect end to our first day… we swam about for a bit and headed home (luckily on a quicker path), exhausted and ready to fall asleep to the noises of the jungle.
We set out early the next morning on another waterfall trek. We learned about similar medicinal plants that served functions from mosquito repellent to soap to a torch. We saw trees that hadn’t been cut down- huge monsters that were still young at 300 years old. To reach the “cascada escondida” we had to swim through a channel of deep water. There was a beautiful pool with a tree perfectly positioned for jumping into the falls… an excellent first half of the day.
On our return to camp we skipped lunch and packed for the next lodge. The hike had made us hungry, but we had other plans in mind. If we refrained from food for the afternoon we would have the opportunity to participate in an indigenous shamanic ritual. We would be able to drink a concoction called “ayahuasca,” Quechua for “vine of the soul.” Whoever partook was supposed to vomit, purging out impure substances, and then spend the next 4-5 hours seeing incredible visions and spirits of the jungle. It sounded fascinating enough to forgo eating…
We canoed to the next camp. It was an interesting trip through some whitewater, only slightly diminished by the fact that it was completely unnecessary- our guide hopped in a pickup truck and was at the next site waiting for us. We unpacked and went off with the local shaman to be bathed under a waterfall (yet again). He slashed a path through the forest using his machete until we reached the trickling water. After a quick rinse with water and jungle leaves, we headed back to camp… on a perfectly nice, already trimmed path. I enjoy hiking through the forest, but after a point the unnecessary trips begin to make things feel contrived…
Sometime after sunset we made our way to the shaman’s hut. On the door hung some sort of skull, adorned with large horns. A small fire burned in the center with a few benches around it. Rocks, bottles, and small figurines were arrayed along the walls. The shaman began the ritual, explaining his role in the community as a traditional healer. He sprayed some sort of herbal and alcohol-smelling substance over us and rubbed stones on our heads and arms, breathing deeply and using jungle leaves to wave away evil spirits. We were handed cups of the ayahuasca, a foul smelling beverage that tasted like campfire with ashy particles in it. After we were done the shaman told us that we should all go relax and wait for the visions to begin…
And that was it, done and done. We all vomited out whatever we consumed, but definitely weren’t visited by any sort of vision or jungle spirit. Our minds seemed a bit stirred up, following trains of thought wherever they might lead, but that was the most interesting aspect of our experience. It seemed we had paid to be sick… The next morning we told our guide that we should have just spent the money on beers- we might have even been able to vomit as well, but could have at least had a good time on the way! The (sham?) shaman was nowhere to be found.
After a brief hike up to a viewpoint we decided to pack it in and head back to Baños. Megan and our friend David weren’t feeling well; they seemed to have picked up some nasty jungle souvenir. We got back to town and went straight to the office of our tour group to leave some feedback on our jungle expedition. Knowing that we had some negative comments about the “jungle” and “shaman” experience we were directed to an empty page in the middle of the comment book- nowhere near the excellent comments about the trip located at the beginning of the book. So that’s where the bad ones go?
It turned out that both Megan and David had picked up an awful stomach bug. Luckily, they seem on the mend, and we are all finished with Baños for now. I’d still love to do a real Amazon tour, to the primary jungle. This trip at least whetted our appetites for that. As for the “ayahuasca,” we are still very curious, but wary.
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