Good-Bye FF, Hello Vacation!

Tuesday May 14, 2013

       Our final morning at Familia Feliz. How could it be here already? I can hardly believe that I have been in this place for nearly 9 months.

        This morning, Eric put on a movie for his class and then both he and I finished up all of our packing and commenced the cleaning process. Let me assure you, this cleaning job was no easy task. We had 9 months of buildup in that room. Not only was there 2 guys living in there, but also about 64 cockroaches, 2 rats, 4 praying mantis's, and 52 spiders. So yeah, things have gotten a little messy. But finally after a couple of hours, we successfully packed everything up and gave out tons of things that we were not taking back with us.

Each of us are coming back roughly 60 pounds lighter than we came (at least as far as luggage is concerned). Eric and I each ha 2 suitcases when we came down, but because of how much stuff we have given away/eaten, both of us have actually been able to put 1 suitcase inside the other. This will allow us to travel a lot easier.

Sad to leave Familia Feliz

Beings how there has been a teacher strike the past week, we were a little concerned that they had set up a road block again. So the plan was for Juan and Emmy to go to town early this morning (because it was their day off) and be sure to get into town before any protestors came out. Then, if they came out later, we could just park the other truck and walk right through them.

         Once we finished everything and all our stuff was packed up, it was time to make our final goodbyes. We first went to the girls dorm and said our fair wells, then it was to Jerry and Jenny's house, and then finally to Missy's house. Fortunately we only had a couple criers up to this point. We wanted to wait until the last minute to say goodbye to our boys because we are way closer to them.

Fortunately, there was no road block or protestors. So Juan was able to drive back to Familia Feliz and pick us up right at 2. Time to say goodbye to our room and our house. All the boys had just left to go machete grass which was good because they were right by the entrance. While Juan did a couple more things, Eric and I found our boys and said our fair wells.

Excited to Vacation

I'm really gunna miss these boys. I have become so close to each and everyone of them. Each one was very unique and I will not forget them. Most of the boys ran and gave us big hugs and told us how much they were going to miss us while a couple of them didn't want to face the fact that we were leaving and just kind of stood off at a distance not wanting to say goodbye.

Then it was time to go. Time to load up in the truck and pull away from Familia Feliz for the final time. The good news is that neither Eric or I are super emotional, so we didn't have to console each other or feel awkward or anything. We just kept carrying on as our crazy old selves. The whole drive into town, we were just soaking up the beauty of the jungle one last time. The scenery and nature that they have here in the jungle is just something you cannot find back in the states.

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Getting into town, we got ourselves a hotel, then checked into the airline to confirm our seats for tomorrow. That's when I headed back to the hotel to get situated and get online for a few minutes while Eric went with Juan and Emmy to an Internet cafe to show them how to use Facebook. Now we can keep in touch with them anytime.

At 6 pm we all met up at Juliano's for our final meal. We wanted to go out on avoid note with Juan and Emmy. They had never been to this restaurant before and we have been there oh so much. The workers also knew that it was our last night and were very kind. At the end of the meal, Juliano actually gave Eric and I a free dessert  that  costs more than what Juan and Emmy would normally pay for a full dinner! It was some kind of Oreo cheesecake thing. It was soooooo yummy.

While we were eating, Missy showed up with some money for me. We had arranged for her to buy my computer from me. This was a good deal for both of us because I was planning on returning it once I got back to the States and she was needing a computer but they are twice as expensive here in Bolivia. The only downside to selling her my computer is that for the next two weeks, I will have type out all of my blogs on my phone. This is the first one actually. So if you find a lot of misspelled words or sentences that don't make sense, my excuse is that I am now using my iPhone as a computer.

Time to say goodbye to Juan and Emmy. We talked for awhile and hugged and went our separate ways. I have learned so much from Juan over these months and I'm going to miss him a lot. Eric and I then pulled a late night online before we finally conked out.

Wednesday May 15, 2013

Our first true day of vacation. This morning we didn't even have an alarm set. We simply slept in to our hearts content which oddly enough was 8 am for me. My body I guess is just not used to sleeping in these days. That's fine with me. It just gives me more day to work with and I was actually awake in time to get a little of the continental breakfast.

The entire morning Eric and I just lounged around until we had to check out at 11. Once we checked out, Rey told us that we could lockup our luggage and relax in their hammocks until we had to leave. This was perfect because we still had a lot of time until our 5 pm flight. This left us sitting in a couple hammocks for a few hours relaxing and doing things online. During this time we actually met a group of backpackers that had just been to Peru and were able to give us a few tips.

Protestors

For our final meal we were thinking about going to Narguilas but weren't quite sure. The last couple months, our relationship with the owner has been a little strained and we are not sure why. I think he has just been very stressed during the high season. But we decided to go there anyway.

Best decision we made today.

The owner was super cheerful and happy to see us. And as it turned out, he was going to La Paz today too and was going to be on the flight as us! What are the chances?!?!

He is only going for 1 or 2 days so he doesn't have hardly anything with him. But after seeing all our stuff, he had the great idea for us to "give him some of our luggage." Eric and thought we were a couple kilos overweight and would have to pay fees. But as it turned out, we were about 30 kilograms over combined. But because he joined us, we were at the absolutely limit (including carry-ons). We calculated it up and he saved us about 240 B's which is about $35. But remember, money goes a lot farther in Bolivia and Eric and I don't have a lot of money, so this was a huge blessing to us.

It was actually kind of funny, when we were loading up our suitcases onto the airline bus to be taken to the airport, everyone inside was confused and shocked at how we could have a full suitcase and 2 backpacks each full of stuff. When we walked on, a few Irish girls confronted us about them and asked if we were serious mountain climbers who go on crazy jungle adventures! We laughed and told them that we have just been here in Rurrenabaque for 9 months to which they were even more shocked. No one can believe that someone could survive that long in Rurre. But then we tell them about the orphanage and it clears everything up.

Our flight back to La Paz was smooth and super fast. The moment we stepped out of the plane, we could tell we were in La Paz. The air was thin and it was very cold. Good to be back where I need a jacket!

Once we got to Dr Patty's house we were welcomed by one of the other tenets here who is also a familiar face to me and remembered who I was. He said that Eric and I would have to sleep in the living room because the bed room was being used by a couple. And who do you think that couple was?!?!? Jacque and Tabitha!!! They were volunteers at familia Feliz for a few weeks and are SUPER fun and nice people. We had no idea that they would be here. And they had no idea that we would be here either. It was a complete shock to both of as and we hugged and then say down just taking together and catching up. It was so good to see them.

To wrap up the night, Eric and I went to the grocery store and bought some ramen noodles and a little soda for dinner. And now, my eyes want to close

for a few hours. Goodnight.

Thursday May 16, 2013

Our first day back in La Paz! Neither Eric or I slept too well last night but we're young bucs. We can take it.... Maybe.

One thing is for sure, La Paz is cold. Eric and I were shivering until we started putting on all the warm clothes that we had. Even then, I was still a little cold because I was still wet from my weak shower. But once I pulled out my down seeping bag I was good to go. That thing kept me so warm the whole night.

The first thing we did this morning was to do a little unpacking of our suitcases. Now that we are done with Amazonas and their 1 bag, 40 pound limit, we can now repack all of our stuff and separate our 2 suitcases. After we laid most of it out, we started our ~1.5 walk up to the bus station to see about buying a ticket to Cusco.

While walking there, we saw in person, what has flooded all Bolivian news recently. There were thousands upon thousands upon thousand of protesting workers that flooded the street for miles! They were chanting and launching fireworks into the air. This is not just movement that is happening in La Paz, but all across Bolivia. It was just crazy to see all these weirdos out there trying to make a point.

Once we got to the bus station there was a direct bus that left at 4:30 pm for about $21. We were actually pretty happy about this because we thought the last bus for Cusco left at 3:30. So this have us an extra hour in La Paz. Once we purchased our ticket, we started our long walk back to the house to pick up our packs and come back.

But before we got back to the house, we stopped at a pretty nice looking restaurant to get a bite to eat. It was a little pricy so we didn't get too much. But I ordered this peach juice that was out of this world delicious. And just as an added bonus, they had wifi so I was able to Skype my pops for a few minutes and give him an update.

After getting back to the house, we finally saw Lidia (the mother of the house). He had no idea that we were there last night and slept in her house! But as soon as she saw me she remembered me and welcomed me right in. But we only stayed long enough to pack up our things for a week in our backpacks and we were back off to the bus station so we wouldn't be pushed for time.

However, since we had our backpacks this time, we decided to take a taxi for 21 cents. I mean come on, we are on vacation. We can splurge a little bit. We got to the station about 2 hours ahead of time which was ok with us because we were just going to go to an Internet cafe nearby. But wait! Could it be? Yes! There was free high speed Internet at the bus station! How cool is that? But I have to say, something is wrong when a place provides free high speed wireless Internet and charges you to use the bathroom....

While waiting, we decided that I might be a good idea to figure out where we are going and find a couple options for hotels once we get there. Because as of now, we are just winging it (which is the best and most exciting way to do things).

When we got on the bus, we were pleasantly surprised with where we would be spending the next 14 hours of our lives. The chairs are very spacious and fold out almost all the way into a bed. They also came around an gave out lunch which for me was a sandwich and pineapple cream juice. Each seat also comes with a blanket and pillow! But as we are driving to the sun setting over the massive expanse of the altiplano, I am getting sleepy. So I must check out until tomorrow.

Friday May 17, 2013

Today was a super long day. This was all the result of the fact that neither Eric or I got any sleep on our overnight bus. We are not exactly sure why because it was a very comfortable bus. We simply could not sleep! This left us just talking and listening to music.

Then at about 6 am, we arrived in Cuzco. We were actually surprised to find out how cold it was here. It was just as cold as La Paz was. But we came to find out that during the days it's usually a bit warmer.

As soon as we got off the bus, a lady immediately started waving a brochure for a hostel at us. 50 soles 50 soles! Clean rooms, Internet, hot water! 50 soles didn't sound too bad to us (especially because we had no plans, no reservations, and it was 6 am). But then another guy popped up and said he had all the same amenities for 40 soles. Deal. So we hopped in a taxi and headed to our hostel.

Upon arrival, we were pleasantly surprised. It is just a little place that has maybe 5 rooms around a tiny courtyard. Right in the middle of the courtyard is a really big growing tree and some tables and chairs. Furthermore, not only was the wifi super fast, but they told us that they were not going to charge us for today even though we got there at 6:30 am and would be there the whole day.

For the next couple of hours, we just sat in our rooms huddled under 3 or 4 blankets with shorts, pants, shirt, hoodie, and socks on. Once we started to get hungry, they offered us complementary breakfast and asked if we needed any help planning a trip up to manchu picchu. This was perfect because we weren't exactly sure what the best route would be.

Shortly after he started his speech about what his tour included, I figured it was going to be way outside of our price range. The trip included a direct bus 4 hours away to a train station, the train there and back, a hotel in aquas calientes, 4 different vegetarian meals, and entrance into manchu picchu with a guide for 2 hours if we wanted. After he was done and told us the price, I was actually a little surprised at how cheap it was. It was still a little more than we were planning, but after awhile negotiating prices and haggling him down, I got a price of $135 for the entire trip. I am quite happy with this price and am anxious to go on the trip. We plan on doing most of our travels on Sunday then spending the night in Aguas Calientes, then going up into manchu picchu early Monday morning.

Now it was time for the highlight of our day. Eric and I went to a place called Nueva Vida which is a massage salon. We had done some research online and found that they off 1 hour long massages for $7-10. I mean how could we pass that up right? So we got an "Incan massage" which was a hot stone treatment. We both really enjoyed it and were very relaxed.

our little hostel in Cusco

However, throughout the entire day, I have been getting a little sicker an a little sicker. By the early afternoon, it was difficult to talk. I think it is only because I haven't gotten much sleep in the past couple of days. So I'm sure that after a good nights sleep, I will be good as new!

Saturday May 18, 2013

We were finally able to apply  the words "day of rest" to this Sabbath. Eric and I slept in today until about noon. This was perfect for me as I am still trying to overcome my sore throat. I was hoping that after a good nights sleep, My voice would be better. But no such luck. Looks like I will have to suffer at least one more day of no talking.

Once we finally got out of bed, we decided we needed to get a bite to eat. And what better place to go than the famous Jacks cafe. Surprisingly there was no line to be seated. However, we had to about 10 minutes while they cleared a place. As soon as they asked us to wait, this Asian girl about our age walked up behind us. As we were all looking at the menu, I noticed she leaned in and was looking at a little Peruvian pin that some vender had given Eric and I because we told her that we were volunteers in Bolivia. She thought the pin was so cute and asked me where I got it. That of course blew open the door to conversation.

As it turns out, she is a Korean girl who used to be a writer for a TV show in Korea. Apparently she got tired of her job and quit so that she could travel the world. She has been traveling alone and has literally been ALL over the world. So she wouldn't have to wait, we invited her to sit with us at our table to which she gladly accepted.

We all had a really good lunch together and just talked about everything. Apparently, she was going to be in Aquas Calientes and Manchu Picchu the same day and time as us. Her next stop was surprise surprise, Bolivia! She wasn't sure of what she wanted to do there but she was going. Naturally, we told her about Rurre and some of the cool pampas trips that she could get there.

As it turns out, she is leaving Cusco and heading to La Paz the exact same day as us. The only difference is that Eric and I are going to make a pit stop  in Puno for the day. When she found out about our plans, she asked if we wouldn't mind if she joined us. We both said yes without even thinking. She is very nice and its just something backpackers do.

After we ate, Eric and I had spotted a big statue of Jesus and a big cross that overlooked all of Cusco.

Most people get a bus or a taxi up there because it is quite the steep mountain. But because Eric and I are pretty adventurous and broke...... Ok, mostly broke, we decided to just start walking in the direction of the Statue. We figured that as long as we walked through the streets and started climbing the mountain in the right direction, we'd end up there. Makes sense right? That's exactly how it turned out! After a long climb, we popped out at the top of the mountain where taxi's were zooming by seeing us hunched over with our hands on our knees gasping for air probably wondering who in the world are these boys and why did they just hike up a mountain like that!

Once we could finally breathe, we looked up to see that statue, the cross, and a big welcome sign into Saqsaywaman  (pronounced sexy woman).

          After taking pictures of and with the cross, we looked down behind us a little ways and saw a lot of Incan ruins. We've come all this way, we might as well go a little farther. After reaching the entrance to the ruins, some people told us that we needed to buy tickets in order to see the ruins. But when we saw the price of the tickets, we knew that wasn't going to happen. So we tried to go to a nearby hill and look in. We were only able to see a tiny bit. But before we left, one of the guys at the ticket counter told us that if we came up at like 6:30 in the morning, we could get in for free. After a little bit of research bak at the hotel, I think we are going to try to go back really early on Tuesday.

After our climb back down to the hotel, we decided o rest up a little bit before hitting the night life of Cusco. There actually wasn't too much as far as entertainment goes, but we wandered around town taking in the sites. Then hunger sat in again. This is actually a pretty exciting time because so far, both of us think that the food is the best part of Cusco.

After dinner, we went back to the hotel to pack up and to get some sleep. We have an early morning tomorrow as we are getting picked up and heading to Aquas Calientes; the town just before Manchu Picchu!

Sunday May 19, 2013

First thing that makes my beard look small

First thing this morning, we had a little scare this morning about our trip. The guy that we have paid all our money to told us to be ready this morning between 7:30-8. So We were both up and ready to go at 7:30, but no one was outside. No worries we will give it a few minutes. Then at 7:45, we still didn't see a soul. I went into the little room where the guy who was working at the hotel was. I asked him about the tour and what the plan was and when they were getting here. He simply told me that he has no idea. The guy that we set up our tour with doesn't work or or with the hotel. Um what?!?!

This immediately worried Eric and I. For about 3 minutes we thought we were taken for a ride. But then the van showed up to pick us up. Phew.

After getting into the van, we drove to a few other hostels to pick up other tourists before we headed out.

From the time that we left Cusco, we were in the van for 6.5 hours. We drove to Ollantaytambo, then to Santa Maria, then to Santa Teresa then did a 2 hour hike through the forest along some train tracks. Most people catch the train from Ollantaytambo, but yet again, Eric and I are too adventurous for that (aka broke haha).

This route was quite the long journey, but I'm so glad that we did it this way. The scenery that we saw today was absolutely breathtaking. We drove through mountain passes, along the sides of them and even over massive water rapids. It was an amazing experience to see all of that. And it was cheaper than taking the train!

Upon arrival to Aquas Calientes, Eric and I were extremely surprised. We both had thought that it was going to be a very small town with nothing much to it. But not were we wrong! This is actually a very high class town! We didn't arrive until after dark so we didn't have much time to explore, but from what we saw, we wished that we had at least another day or two here.

Monday May 20, 2013

Today was the day! We are actually going to see the Incan city of Manchu Picchu! However, if we were going to do this once in a lifetime thing, we were going to do it right. This meant that we woke up at 3:40 am in order to be the first ones at the entrance to the gate.

Sure enough, we were the first ones there! However, we had to wait until 5 for them to open up the trails up to Manchu Picchu.

This trail is no joke. It is almost a completely vertical climb.  Even after being stuck behind slow pokes for half the way. The guides said that 45 min is about the fastest you can go and we did it in 45 flat! Pretty proud of ourselves. Here is where I feel a little obliged to give a shout out to my mom for being able to climb that cliff a couple years ago. Proud of ya momma!

Once we got to the top, we went right into the park. Even though he wanted everyone to meet outside the park. Problem was, the park opened at 6, and he wanted to take our group in at 6:30. Yeah, I'm not going to have woken up at 3:40 in vain. We wanted to get the best pictures possible which is exactly what we did.

After tons of photos, we decided to go into the city and search for our group. We ended up finding them fairly quickly and finished up the tour.

The beauty of Manchu Picchu and its surrounding mountains is unmatchable. Reflecting on some of the things I have seen in the past 9 months are absolutely gorgeous. I think about the clear nights in which I can see a billion stars so clearly, mountains, jungle, wildlife, sunsets, snowcapped mountains with bright stars all around them, Manchu Picchu and so many others. What a mighty God we serve!

After we finished up, we jogged down the steep cliff we hiked up. Since it was downhill, we were able to knock it out in ~25 minutes. We wanted to grab a quick bite to eat before we caught our train back down to Hydro Electric. This train was actually very nice. We had tickets set up through Perurail and they only costed $15 each. The train ride was short, but very comfortable and saved us a ton of walking.

          Then came the not so fun part, our 7-8 hour van ride back through windy roads with 16 people! Fortunately, other than discomfort any annoyance, it went without any problems except for the fact that we got a late start so we didn't get back to Cusco until 9 PM. But now it is time to rest!

P.S. fun fact, having a think mane of hair on your face increase the amount of perspiration. Who would have thought!

P.S.S Sorry about not having more pictures. Not having my computer is proving to be difficult.

You Stay Civilized….. Planet Earth!!!!