Mas...

i've put a few more photos up...enjoy

Fotos!

I´ve finally posted more photos...sorry for the long delay folks. There on flickr.com, check them out!

Lake Titicaca

Lake Titicaca is one of the highest lakes in the world standing at 12,500 feet above sea level. On the lake are many islands where different groups of people have lived for hundreds of years. One of the most famous groups are the Uros people who live on floating islands constructed out of totoras or reeds that grow in the lake. Basically these reeds form floating chunks of dirt that they then plant their roots into. On top of these the Uros people lay down many layers of cut reeds constantly putting down new layers as the old ones are always rotting away. Walking on the ground provides a squishy and bouncy feeling under your feet. Not only is the ground they walk on made from these reeds, but so are their houses, boats, and tourist souvenirs. They also eat them. There are about 2,500 people who inhabit these floating islands and they have a school, medical center, and church. The Uros began living on the lake a few hundred years ago in defiance of the Inca rule and have been there ever since. They even grow potatoes and the like among the reeds. Talk about a different way of life, it was unbelievble to observe this other world so removed from the one I live in and even from what I have observed these last few months in the rest of South America.
I also got to visit the island of Taquile, which is a bit farther out into the lake. There are about 2,000 people in the community there and it´s a gorgeous island with a winding stone path that weaves in around the hilly tops of the island. All the men who live on the island wear these beautiful hand knitted hats that are brilliantly colorful and looks a bit like goofy night caps. Married men and single men are distinguished by the patterns on the hat and only married men wear the colorful purses around their waists that are filled with coca leaves and given to friends as a way of greeting.
I´ve been in Peru for a little over a week now and am in awe. It was like night and day crossing the border from Chile as it is obvious how much more developed Chile is than Peru. The poverty you see on the streets is very obvious and heartwrenching and many buildings have been damaged by devastating earthquakes the last few years. More then half the population lives under the poverty line and there isn´t really much of a welfare safety net to catch any of the people who need assistance. That being said, Peru is a gorgeous country rich in colorful crafts, delicious food, lush canyons, and an amazingly kind people.

Climbing Volcanoes

We left at 7 am to drive to the base of the volcano. With clear skies and ice pick in hand, i started the slow climb up the icy path with the guides and fellow trekkers. We climbed about 1447 meters in 4 hours slowing making our way towards the top. The icy path marked out for us was only wide enough to put one foot in front of another and as I looked behind me all I could see was the steady stream of people behind me and the clouds lingering below them. As we got closer it began to clear and I could see the top...it didn´t look so far away. Two hours later when I reached the top, my legs shaking and my arms just barely raising my ice pick to plunge it into the icy wall I used to steady myself and use for leverage, I took a deep breath and smiled proudly to myself. I didn´t have time to enjoy it much though as I was soon pulled in for a congratulations hug by one of the guides and then told to quickly pull on all my protectiver gear, ie my jacket, snow pants, gators, and gloves. Then with legs still a bit shaky I climbed up around the rocky ledge that surrounded the mouth of the volcano. Ok, so not to sound too dramatic, but well looking into the depths of that volcano looked a little like what a pit of death might look like. Steam and gases rising, and hising, a sickening dry heat that fills your mouth, nose, and and lungs. A dry void of rocks and ash, blackness that reached into infinity. It´s the kind of thing you can´t stop looking at even though you get a strange errie feeling when you do. Well as the volcano is actually still active, the sulfuric fumes are, well, posionous so we weren´t allowed to stay all that long, before packing up, catching one more glimpse of the top of the world and the mountains in all directions and then heading down the volcano...on our butts. Yes this was the fun part, sliding down well carved ice slides so to speak controlling the speed with the ice pick. The ice pick was my best friend that day. I slid down slides for probably an hour terrified that I was going to fly right off the cliff edge and laughing with sheer pleasure like a 7 year old child at the same time.

A vacation from a vacation

I arrived on the evening of the summer solstice (winter solstice for you people above the equator) to my new home, a fading yellow house surrounded by eculyptus trees and a roaming herd of goats. Well I thought maybe I would stay for a week and see how it went...I stayed for three. I am of course referrring to the last three weeks I spent volunteering on a farm just south of Puerto Montt, Chile. I ate delicious veggies from the garden everyday, harvested lettuce and carrots to sell, planted new baby lettuce and beets, dug holes, weeded, and ate the most amazing local honey I have ever eaten. I didn´t realize that honey could become a daily staple. It was a very tranquil three weeks complete with daily swims in a lagoon that overlooks the gulf of ancud, a christmas eve dinner of freshly caught fish from the nearby river and mussels from the nearby bay, a new year´s eve celebration of bonfires, pisco, and guitar playing, a 24th birthday where I was sung happy birthday to in 6 different languages, and new friends from England, France, and Chile. After three weeks i have finally pulled myself away and gone to the enchanted island of Chiloe wandering around in the little towns that dot the island and the magnificent wooden churches. I am now heading north once again hopefully towards volcanos as well as beaches on my first love the pacific ocean. Happy New Year´s everyone....starting it off very well I think with the inauguration of Barack Obama on Tuesday, whahooooo!