Sandy Turkeys and Nazca Liars

Today is Sunday and currently I am relaxing in Cusco at a hostel called Pirwa located along the Plaza De San Francisco. After a 15 hour night bus ride through swerving mountain roads from the desert of town of Nazca, this beautiful colonial style city will be home for at least a week. This hostel has a helpful Peruvian staff and the other travelers staying here are very friendly.

Before embarking on an overnight ride through the southern half of the country, my friend Sean and I had our final adventure after traveling for nearly a month together. We arrived in the desert oasis of Huacachina on Wednesday after a fun weekend in Lima hanging out with some very cool locals and spent two days enjoying sunshine and hanging out with some Australian friends we met in Mancora who happened to be there at the same time. Huacachina is a pretty laid back place and is well known for is close proximity to a sea of sand dunes that span an endless horizon. On Thanksgiving a group of us rented converted snowboards and took a dune buggy tour through the desert which felt very much like a roller coaster ride along staggering mountains of sand. It was a fun alternative way to give thanks and we ended the day with a BBQ at a neighboring hostel and playing some intense games of UNO.

Sean and I then left for Nazca on Friday but before catching an afternoon bus we decided to take a tour of some Pisco distilleries in the city of Ica. This city is very relaxed with vey little to do except get tipsy off of Peru's notorious national liquor. A group of us toured the Laso and Catador wineries and proceeded to sample a handful of Pisco batches by a local with a bamboo serving stick who also happened to be our taxi driver.

Two hours and a decent buzz later, Sean and I were on a bus towards Nazca which is home of a few hundred ancient tribal drawings that date back hundreds or perhaps thousands of years. This desert town is tucked within an arid brown dust bowl of a valley with little to do besides watching dubbed romantic comedies on television and eat servings of Caldo de Gallina. We got to see two ancient drawings of a tree and a monkey from an observation tower and it really was pretty anti climactic. For some reason the locals in Nazca, despite being pretty friendly, were really interested in trying to rip us off in any way possible ranging from taxi fairs, false promises of wifi in our hostel, and random excuses for not serving us a set lunch menu price. This being said it was still a relaxed place to visit and it ultimately was the last place that Sean and I would be traveling together. He is now off for Haurez and now I'm in Cusco which puts a temporary end to a fun month of multi national adventures. We will meet again without a doubt! More updates coming soon and have a nice day.

Mancora Nights to Lima Days

Today is Tuesday and currently my friend Sean and I are staying at a family run hostel called Alpackers located within the Miraflores District of Lima. This location is very comfortable with fairly relaxed owners and hot showers which is a nice change from the opposite environment in Mancora. We have made Alpackers a home base since Friday night after a 22 hour bus ride from the North coast.

After five nights living in the crazed Loki hostel in Mancora, sleeping in the sun by day and exploring various forms of nightlife after dark, it has been nice taking a step back and enjoying downtime. Not much was accomplished in the sunburned surf town besides making some good new friends and meeting some crazy locals. The beaches there are great and food is very inexpensive despite being a tourist hub. Motorcycle taxi outnumber cars and loud Latin music is normally the last thing you hear before you fall asleep. Loki is a must see place and it's social atmosphere mixed with limitless amenities influences unexpectedly prolonged stays.

The original plan from Mancora was to take a 9 hour bus ride south to Trujillo which sits at the halfway point towards the Peruvian capital of Lima but not one terminal along the route offered a direct form of transport. After three buses and two taxi rides we found ourselves rolling into our destination at close to 1am. It wasn't worth booking a hostel and luck finally came our way because we managed to hop onto a last minute double decker bus enroute to Lima a handful of minutes before it left the station. 11am was when we arrived and a taxi took us to the first hostel we saw, Alpackers, and sleep felt like a gift.

At first glance Lima is a huge and un attractive city which houses close to 9 million people. After being here a few days this impression has changed because we have met hands down some of the warmest people in South America. Boasting an endless coastline, trendy cafes, a crazy yet fun bus system, and outrageously good food, the capital city is worth visiting.

The big reason for seeing Lima was to attend the Creamfields electronic music festival this past Saturday. We also met a handful of locals who were on vacation in Mancora while we were there as well so overall it was a good opportunity to reconnect with some good friends and to dance like it was the Spring of 1997. Creamfields took a year off of our lives and since arriving we have also been spending time with our friends who are from Lima named Aldo, Marcio, and Lizeth. We tried some great traditional restaurants and have gotten a fun perspective of Lima from an insider's viewpoint. I will forever be thankful for their generosity.

Yesterday I met a friend from Couchsurfing to practice Spanish and we explored the Plaza Mayor, Iglesia de San Francisco, and the bohemian Barranco District. It was a good experience and today will hopefully be more exploring before leaving for the sand dune oasis of Huacachina! I hope everyone is doing well and more updates coming soon!p

Peruvian Ramblings

Today is Sunday and as of 10 hours ago I am now in Mancora, Peru at a hostel called Loki. This hostel is one of many that are scattered around Peru and Bolivia that are well renowned for their vibrant social atmosphere. This particular location has a heavy gringo feel but is filled with people from all around the world. Mancora is a popular vacation destination for both Peruvians and backpackers because it boasts white sand beaches and a party environment that stands alone. The locals have been friendly despite all being pushers of more than just taxi rides.

The trip down was long but well worth it. I had spent the night at a place called Hostel Romero in a mountain village called Zaruma. This is a quiet traditional colonial style town that is a UNESCO World Heritage site that houses some very warm people and fantastic views. Originally I was going to stay with a middle aged woman here for the weekend who offered me a couch to sleep on but this fell through and I left last minute for Peru. At 10pm I arrived via motorcycle taxi after four separate buses took me to and through the Peruvian border. A nice couple I met on the bus to the border town of Hauquilla walked me through the Peruvian border where there is a massive daily flee market but then was stopped twenty minutes into the crossing by police because it was illegal to enter without proper passport stamps. After backtracking and being driven ten minutes away from the border by an unmarked taxi things finally got in order and Peru was properly entered. Without the help of this nice couple I would still be wandering through side streets of habitual store fronts and awkward stares.

Before Zaruma I spent two days in Loja with my friend Sean from New Hampshire staying with a local and her family. We visited the valley of youth called Vilcobamba and spent time getting to know a city untouched by tourism. After Loja Sean and myself parted ways and I spent one night in Piñas to help the town celebrate it's founding while he darted for Peru. I might have stayed longer but the cheap Residencia Boliver where I stayed was rumored to have ghosts and for some reason always smelled like Iodine. Sean and I are once again in the same place and today's plan will be beach and maybe a little more beach if there is some free time from the beach. Mancora will be a home base for the next 2-7 days and more updates are on the way! I hope everyone who reads this is doing well and have a great day!

Onwards via Cuenca

Today is Monday and currently I am keeping it easy in La Cigale, a French influenced hostel that shares space with a posh restaurant under the same name. This has been my place of residence in a city called Cuenca since Friday. Located in the south easternish part of Ecuador, Cuenca is the countries third largest city and biggest exporter of STDs...just kidding. The past few days have been filled with reunions, exploring, and experiencing nightlife in arguably Ecuador's most picturesque urban location. Vividly green rolling hills surround the landscape and Spanish style architecture dominates the cobbled streets as carriages and street vendors go about their daily routines.

After four days here I can safely determine that Cuenca is my favorite city in Ecuador. If boasts a very metropolitan flair while still harnessing South American prices. Trendy cafes fill each corner of the historical district and families enjoy casual afternoons in one of numerous square plazas. Friday was Dia De Los Muertos and Saturday was a city-wide celebration to honor its independence from the Spanish 192 years ago.

Traveling with friends Sean and Nick, we parted ways with Hannah and John who are back in Quito. We all spent one last night together in Montañita to check the beach and celebrate Halloween with other backpackers. The group who didn't travel north arrived late on Thursday and quickly reconnected with another Quito friend named Paul and a girl I knew from Missoula named Jordan. Together with a few new friends we wandered, ate, and danced to contribute to Cuenca's increasingly wild fiestas. The city was alive with musical performances around various plazas and we ended the weekend's festivities with some salsa dancing at a hipster bar called Zoocuidad.

Last night Nick returned to Quito which marks the end of about two weeks of traveling together. Earlier today Sean and I visited Cajas National Park which boasts a tundra-like climate. With lush hills and a series of lagoons we finished a two hour hike by running after a public bus and catching it with seconds to spare.

Loja is the hopeful destination tomorrow and I hope everyone is doing ok too!