machu picchu and me

one of the funniest things about being a traveller is how you react or relate to other travellers. If you're in close proximity, usually they're pretty quick to bond, find amazing similarities in their lives, world views, sometimes shoe sizes. But, from a distance, it's a bit akward. I've been trying to think about why for a while. I think if you walk around and all you see are indiginous folk, all you speak is spanish, if you see another gringo they really stick out and i think it peels away the illusion that you too might be blending in. Somehow this amplifies other tourists' jokes and comments mundanity. I think I've also got a bit of natural inclination to be by myself especially when i'm wandering. These two factors together made me pretty resistant to the idea of the inca trail.

It had been talked up as one of the most amazing things to do in the world, unforgetable scenery, mind-expanding vistas etc. And I couldn't think about how it could possibly measure up, especially with all of those other gringos crawling all over the place like ruins of a McD's playplace for retirees.

But it did.

But I think the trail is really what made it for me. Getting to spend four days with these incredible mountains was quite the blessing. It's clear why the Incas called this area the sacred valley. It was difficult not to stop, bow and pray every five minutes. More photos are online at www.flickr.com/photos/holmeslightfoot.

I love argentinians.

On the way back to Cuzco, Perú from La Paz, Bolivia, I stopped for a night with a couple of israelis in Copacabana, Bolivia. No, no. Not that copa, but it's pretty cool all the same. In the day light the streets are packed with handicraft-making argentine hippies. The funny thing is, the more you buy and wear, the more you become like them. They're like hippie borgs. In fact, I ran into some of Betsy's friends from Grinnell on the bus from Copa to Cuzco, and two of them were actually pursuing ambitions to start their own craft business. Truth be told, i was their first customer. I bought a pacha mama necklace... we'll have to see who's lucky enough to get that one.

So aside from hanging out with the argentinians, chillin in the awesome vegetarian cafes, or waiting for your boat to isla del sol (where you can of course check out the post for the bolivian navy... anybody else notice this country is landlocked?) pretty much the only other thing folks do is climb the neighboring mountain with stations of the cross leading to the best sunset in bolivia. Pictures will be up soon.

My israeli friends taught me a couple of helpful phrases in hebrew i thought i'd share with you guys. Ata hamoud ata means you sweet you (at hamoud at for ladies), which was apparently the catch phrase of a popular politician. It's a great way to win an israeli's favor. This of course is helpful, because they have travellers' notebooks hidden in restaurants and hostels across the continent. You don't actually need a lonely planet if you can read hebrew... or win over an israeli... thus the password i thought i'd share with you guys :)

Here's a couple other good ones:
At Hamuda - You are cute (for a girl, think it would be Ata hamuda for a guy)
Rotsa Lirkod - want to dance?

titicaca... it's not a dirty word

It's actually quechua for "puma rock." A reference to the giant rock on Isla del Sol, where Manco Kapac, the first Inca, supposedly was born.

Titicaca is more than just a word that makes you giggle. As the world's highest navigable lake (s. america is full of qualifier-loaded superlatives, see cotopaxi) it's quite literally breathtaking to trek around its islands and chat a bit with folks from each of the culturally distinct islands.

The photo is of an Uro woman from whom i bought a wall hanging. The Uros are a group of folks that, in looking to escape the imperalistic incas, developed the technology of floating islands. Using native reed plants and roots, they make the very ground they build their houses on. And it's one of the wackiest places i've ever been. They can't fish or hunt birds anymore because the lake has been given protected status, so now they rely completely on tourism. They also use their reed technology to make huge boats (now just used to move tourists from one island to the next), but it's folks from this area that Thor Heyerdahl contracted to construct a raft to sail across the pacific, and in spite of everyone's doubts, they made it to indonesia.

We stayed for a night on Amantani island, which has only had tourists visiting for some 16 or 17 years. In talking to the family, they said they only leave the island to buy some supplies in Puno. It was a blast staying with these folks, they dressed us goofy gringos up in traditional ponchos and knit caps and we had ourselves a bit of an island sock hop. The dad of the family gave us the warmest tightest hug when we left it was one of the sweetest parts of this trip by far.

We then went to taquile island, the other big island on the peruvian side. These guys also depend on tourism, but have been running since the 70s. The main cultural difference between Amantani and Taquile is that apparently a spaniard from barcelona made his way to the island and afterwards, all the guys changed their style. They wear 16th century spanish peasant fashions, and these delightful floppy knit caps that make everybody look like a bunch of elves. They come in three styles, first for single, divorced or widowed guys, second for married gents, and third for administrators. When we were waiting for lunch, they were having a meeting in the main plaza on the island where some buddy from Lima was rambling on about how they need to participate in national elections becuase ("i promise," he says emphatically, "really i do") politics in lima can change life on the island... maybe he didn't notice they were wearing clothes from 500 years ago... they didn't seem too quick to change to me.

The last island i went to on lake titicaca was Isla del sol. This is the spot where the incas say the first inca, Manco Kapak was born from the puma stone - thus titicaca. There's a temple to the sun, an old sacrificial table and a separate island for keeping virgins until sacrifice time... you know, the works. I stayed overnight here too, met a few lovely americans, a development economist from s. africa and an awesome bunch of kids. The thing about these kids was that they're told to get money if someone takes their photo. I'm of the opinion though that these guys are way too young to be making the decision to get into the business of selling themselves. So, instead of money or even giving candy, it seems much better to play a game or teach a song, thus when they ask for more, it's something that's fun for everybody and it's natural kid stuff. Anyway, we played a couple rousing halves of an hour long soccer game and one of the americans i was with wanted to take a photo of our new bunch of amiguitos. But immediately after, the mood of the bunch took a 180. They started asking for money. We asked "we're friends now right?" some nod yes, some shake no. We wouldn't have caved to give them money except from the look on their faces, it was clearly a rule from on high (ma + pa) and it was too difficult to qualify the situation for them. But it was really one of the most beautiful, calm and quiet places i've ever been.

charming puno

so... i'm not sure if any of you have ever been to lima, but if you have, i'm sorry.

my bus trek to get from quito, ecuador to puno, perú took me from quito to guayaquil, ecuador (7 hours) to lima, perú (26 hours) to arequipa (15 hours) to puno, perú (6 hours), all told, some 54 hours on a bus (by the way, the drivers of ormeño bus lines would like to inform you that the bathrooms will only be available for urnation... WHAT? i'm sorry, but that's less humane than making someone sit through a william shatner sing-a-long). so, my judgement may have been a bit skewed, my critical eye for a town's flare drowsy, my patience, exhausted. but man does that place suck mono tail.

i got out to have a drink of water and catch up a bit on internet stuff, sorry to whoever caught me while i was there, i was a bit more than cranky. but here's an unbiased account.

i go to an internet cafe in a rival bus company just up the road from wonderful ormeño, where they have a prominantly displayed mastercard sign. "i'd like a half hour of your finest world wide web access please." "how will you be paying sir?" "why, funny you should ask, with my sultan of all credit cards, mastercard." "i'm sorry monkey gut, we don't accept tarjetas de credito (loosely translated to we poo on your perception of reality, and did you like our joke about the mastercard sign on the window?)" "very well fools, could you direct me to your nearest dispensary of currency?" "certainly, just down the road."

i go to the atm, get out some cash, which is fine because i needed soles anyhow, and return to try again with my mashed potato brained friend. "i have returned to request once again your services as internet monger," "very well, have you any cash?" "why yes, i have lots of your local currency now, and would like to begin contributing to your economy without delay!" "oh, i'm sorry we don't have any change," "you don't have change for 50 soles? (translation, how does any business not have change for the equivalent of roughly $15?)" "no, why don't you ask at the bus terminal?" "good idea kind sir,"

"i'm sorry," says the uniformed bus chica, "we simply don't have any change" "oh, that's interesting (read: weasel dung! i just waited behind 4 groups of passengers buying tickets for your so called bus, how could you possibly not make change for $15?!)" "sorry sir, you'll just have to go someplace else." so i did. eventually i got change but man, on top of it being one of the most polluted cities i've ever been to, i couldn't wait to get out.

so as you can imagine, it was nice to finally arrive in puno, with crazy rickshaws and cheap hotels. i leave tomorrow morning for the floating islands of lake titicaca.

making my way south...

so i just saw andy and ben off yesterday. it was really a blast to have them here, hopping on random buses, putting back a couple cheap brahmas and taking just about every form of transportation they've got to offer here. We spent four days in the jungle, cuyabeno national park to be more precise, where we saw a dead anaconda, caught a few pirahna (really just ben did this, master ichthiologist that he is), ate them, saw four types of mokeys, a few cayman eyes at night, and tons of big nasty spiders.

Probably the most notable moment was when we were supposed to head out looking for caymans after dark. The family's normal sturdy fiberglass boat was out on a trip so we set out in the smaller, wooden canoe loaded down with just about everybody that was left at camp - some seven or eight folks. Any time one of us moved, the rest of us tried to compensate making for a very shakey ride. And as if this wasn't enough, the boat was sinking. yes. sinking. i turned on my light to look at the water level inside only to notice a gaping hole through which water was pouring into the boat. Sometime around this point patrick, a delightful german fellow noted "this is just like the titanic" only, perhaps it more closely resembled an Evel Knievel stunt given that the water was full of caymans, pirahna and watever microbial beasties we had no idea how to avoid... Our guide divided his time between paddling and bailing us out and eventually we had to stop and wait to hop on the motorboat as it was due back from "town" (read bridge with a shop and a park station). Luckily it was before anything got a bite of us!

here's a quick video of some incredible flintstone style technology...



anyway, it was a blast having them here as it's always better to share a place with someone else. now i start the rest of my trip, making my way south to peru for a few days, possibly bolivia, and possibly chile... we'll have to see. me mum always says to let her know when i'm leaving the state, guess the same goes when i cross national borders...

me blog is over the hill...

i was just about to write a regular blog entry when i saw on my entry counter that this is the 50th post to holmes away from home. we'll have to postpone pyrotechnic displays and parades, but in the mean time, i hope you guys have been enjoying what there is here. it'll keep coming as long as i keep living this cartoon away from the states.