cusco

I've made it! Machu Picchu has been on my bucket list for who knows how long and I'm finally here in Cusco, the city just south of it (but 1,000 ft higher in elevation). Not that I know any better but this city must be the quintessential Peruvian city. It is darling! It almost reminds me of Europe with its old buildings and stone roads. It's got the old world charm that I love with little old Peruvian ladies selling there fruits and vegetables at the local market in their authentic native apparel.

After a long day of travel and airplane food, that I do not eat, I was tired and famished! Upon my check in, I looked on travel advisor to see what the top restaurants were in Cusco. I wasn't feeling adventurous in trying new regional dishes just yet so I found myself at a little Italian place just outside the plaza del armas (the main square). Glass of wine and pasta? Couldn't be more up my alley.

The next day I wandered the central part of the city, taking photos of the Plaza de Armas and surrounding areas. I was amazed by what a difference in temperature the daylight could bring. A jacket was totally unnecessary. After being hassled one too many times by local men while people watching in the main square (one of the downfalls of being blonde in a dark haired society), I wandered over to the San Pedro market and purchased a few "souvenirs" indigenous to Peru. Textiles are one of the hugest exports of Peru. Peruvians are excellent weavers and have gorgeous assortments of brightly colored textiles and soft (and warm!) Alpaca scarves and blankets. In the market they also have fresh vegetables and fruits, as well as breads, meats, and other foods. You can get a three course meal there for under US$5. One of the popular dishes is alpaca (yes, same animal as the blankets and scarves) which tastes similar to lamb but more gamey. I didn't try the native cuy (or guinea pig) because it is served with the head, neck, and usually organs attached (however, some places will remove the organs with your request). Call me crazy but I prefer it when my food can't look at me while I'm eating it. I did hear that it's quite good but I just wasn't up for the challenge.

I was picked up for my "City Tour" around 1pm. While I certainly wasn't disappointed, the city tour is really not of the city of Cusco. First stop with my small group of 8 was a Spanish cathedral that was built on Inca ruins. For those of you who don't know, the Spanish conquistadors came in with great force and eventually destroyed the Incan Empire. In fact, archeologists didn't discover the Incan ruins in the cathedral until and earthquake destroyed the city in the 1950s. The cathedral was fascinating with both the Spanish and Incan history that make up Peruvian heritage. Most Peruvians are Catholic, although many pray to the Gods of nature during the week and then go to mass on Sunday. Many people in the surrounding hills of Cusco are of indigenous heritage and speak the native language, Quechua, as well as Spanish.

While Lima may be the actial capital of Peru, it is clear that Cusco is it's most important and valued city. Cusco is the old capital of the Incan Empire and is believed to be the navel of the earth. This is why all of these important ruins surround the city. Our next stop was Sacsayhuaman (think "sexy woman" when pronouncing). Sacsayhuaman was a fortress built overlooking the city of Cusco. The complex is as many other Inca constructions made of large polished dry stone walls, each boulder carefully cut to fit together tightly without mortar. There are zig zag walls that surround the area that represent the mouth of the Condor, an important symbol of Peru, said to protect the city of Cusco.

From there, we headed to Tampu Machay, the bath of the Incas, where you could see their extremely well made aqueducts that still to this day have running fountains. One has to keep in mind that water meant power because without it, life cannot sustain. Right next to Tampay Machay is Puca Pucara, another fortress said to be a stopping point for Incan's traveling elsewhere. Our last stop was at Kenko, another Incan ruin (what do you know) with carefully constructed architecture. It is said on the 24 of June, when the sun is just right, the big stone casts a big shadow of a sitting Puma on the floor beneath it. The Puma and Condor are both of high importance to Quechua and Peruvian culture. You can see representations of them all over the nation.

Once the sun goes down, it gets quite chilly in Cusco. After the tour I got a sandwich at a cafe down the street from my hotel and retired early for the night. Early to bed and early to rise, for the next day is the one I have most looked forward to of my entire trip... Machu Picchu!

locas en bocas

Our journey to Bocas del Toro began early Friday morning. Having gone out the night prior (and drank in excess to be able to sleep in those dodgy beds), our 7am wake up call wasn't pleasant to say the least. We took the Caribe Shuttle departing from Rocking J's for $32 each, which provided a shuttle to the border, a guide to walk us across, a shuttle to Almirante, and a boat ride to Bocas. There was a group of 15 of us that went together, most of the others were on a weekend trip from San Jose (on a study abroad trip for law school in Chicago). The border crossing in Sixuloa? was a bit dilapidated but the process was easy. You cross over this bridge that is missing entire boards which made crossing with a hangover and a suitcase trying. One misstep might land you with a limb through the bridge. Concentrate, Allison. Once we got to the Panama side, they asked for our passports and proof of departure. (If you don't have this, they will make you purchase a return bus ticket out of the country for US$14.) Once we paid our $3 entry fee, we got in the taxi with the groups bags and a girl with the law school group. Turns out, she was the best person to get in our car. Her name is Rachel and she was a Pi Phi at ASU, fellow Greek Sun Devil.. Whoop whoop! We all clicked instantly and formed a friendship with our "Bocas bestie". The ride from the border to Almirante took about 45 min and then we hopped on a boat to the islands. Our hostel for the night, Aqua lounge, came recommended from my friend Alexa and was located on Isla Careno? A 2 minute ride costing us $1 from the main island, Isla Colon.

Rachel and another fellow Sun Devil, Tyler and his brother Zach met us an hour later at Aqua lounge where we swang on the swings and jumped on the trampoline into the ocean. We ventured on to explore the island and made a pit stop for $1.50 cervezas at The Pickled Parrot, a bar/restaurant on the water owned by a 60 something year old from Kansas who's lived on the island for 20 years named George. George and his friend Nebraska Jim were the only ones there and we had blast hanging out with them! When the boys left to explore more, we ordered these delicious wings and a burger (and more Balboa's - a Panamanian beer). The longer we hung out there, the more we talked to Jim and George (who referred to himself as Jorge Rodriguez). Both are rednecks turned pirate beach bums who used to race cars in the states. They were a blast without being the slightest bit creepy, giving us free beers and koozies and good advice about Bocas. If you should ever visit you MUST go to the Pickled Parrot if only to try their BBQ and a Piña colada (made with real fruit and rum, then blended - deliciouso)!! We stayed there till sunset when the boys came back and we got a water taxi back.

That night Kristin and I stayed in but noticed that these dodgy accommodations were worse than we originally thought. Our private room with no AC or mirror also had bed bugs! Sick!!! Needless to say, we hosed ourselves down with bug spray and slept on our towels that night.

The following day we checked out of Aqua lounge and checked in to Rachels hotel.. A mere $33 a night (split in 2) as opposed to the $26 price tag at Aqua lounge. Hotel Christine is located on the main island, Isla Colon on Calle 3. It had a private bath, AC, and hot water! Talk about and upgrade and totally worth the additional $3 each. Side note: the everyday perks of AC, a hot shower, and drinkable water in the states is a luxury. I completely recommend anyone travel to somewhere these don't exist and you will have a reality check as to how good you really have it.

That day went to Red Frog beach on Isla bastemientos, a $7 round trip water taxi ride from Isla Colon. This is a MUST DO in Bocas! There is a $3 entrance fee into the National park and a truck will take you directing to the beach (or you can walk). Red Frog beach is gorgeous! Warm blue waters, soft white sand, and stunning scenery. What more can you ask for? However, the waves and undertow is strong so be careful when swimming in the ocean. After some fun in the sun Rachel, Tyler, Zack, Kristin and I went off to explore the rest of the island, but similar to the previous day the girls only got 15 minutes away and headed back because the terrain was too intense. The rest of the afternoon was spent sipping on Bloody Mary's and munching on nachos.

When night came, our "crew" had dinner at Gringos, a Mexican restaurant recommended by our redneck amigos at the Pickled Parrot. This place was the bomb.com. Large and strong $5 margaritas and food worrying of stuffing your face without feeling bad about it later. If you ever go, get the enchiladas. Deliciso!! After some pre-gaming back at the hotel with our crew and some additional law school folk, we headed to Aqua lounge. Yes, the same place we moved from the previous night.. Just because it isn worthy of sleeping there, doesn't mean it isn't the Saturday hot spot. We met up with Karen and Julie (our Irish gals) who had arrived earlier that day and had the time of our lives dancing and drinking the night away. Who cares if it was rainy or we were sweating our faces off? It was a blast! The native bartender might even have had a little thing for me because he kept giving me free Panama's mixed in with a few tequila shots all night. The night came to an end and we said our goodbyes to Rachel, who was leaving early in the morning. She was wonderful, a trip to Chicago is most certainly on my list of places to go next!

Our last day in Bocas was a little dreary, kinda like our hungover moods but we mustered up the energy in the afternoon to make the boat taxi ride to Playa del Drago on the opposite side of Isla Colon. This was quite expensive at $20/person compared to the $2 bus ride but time and that underlying hangover overrode the money factor. This place would be a wonderful place to go snorkeling. Calm, warm waters with starfish, stingrays, and fish galore! Not the nicest beach though, dark and hard sands... Nothing like red frog. That night we went to a place on the main street for dinner with Karen and Julie. This place had quite phenomenal food as well. We stayed out and talked for hours before heading home to sleep. Karen and Julie were amazing girls to be able to spend a week with. So happy to have met them in Monteverde, hopefully a trip to Dublin will be in the near future to visit! From there, it was off to bed - our 7:30am flight to Panama City would come sooner than we would have liked the next morning.

puerto viejo

Oh the joys of backpacking travel! Kristin and I arose nice and early at 5:50am to catch the first bus ride of the day to San Jose. We most certainly have travel karma on our side! We arrived at the bus, put our luggage underneath it and went to purchase tickets ($4 each!) when the agent said the bus was full. Thankfully, a party of 2 did not want their "standing room only" seats so we grabbed theirs and hopped on the bus. Luckily, we were able to snag 2 seats next to one another and just hope that no one with the assigned seat above would arrive to kick us out. We made it to the connection stop (two hours away) and transferred to a different and even smaller bus where one of us inevitably had to stand. Having not felt so hot the night prior, I got the seat and Kristin stood until a lady got up to exit an hour later. Thanks, Pookie!

When we arrived in San Jose, we got off the bus and grabbed a taxi with these two Irish girls, Karen and Julie, to the next bus. Between the 4 us made each of our shares only $1 (or 500 colones) each. Turns out they stayed at our same hostel in Monteverde and are going to be staying at the same hostel in Puerto Viejo, Rocking J's. I must say its nice traveling in a bigger group. For one, it's cheaper but for two, the more english people you're surrounded by helps you feel a little less, well, foreign. The bus made a stop in Limon, a grungy little town on the Caribbean side not worth visiting. After a quick stretch and toilet break we were on the road again to finish our 4.5 (or technically 9) hour journey to our final destination.

Puerto Viejo de Talmanca is a very "rasta" town in the Caribbean side that exudes the Bob Marley spirit. It's incredibly laid back party vibes are what calls it's backpacking travelers to visit. It's also the perfect departure city in between Costa Rica and Bocas del Toro in Panama.

The transition between bus and arrival didn't improve much. We all checked in to our hostel and were not impressed with the facilities. No air conditioning, jail cell bars posing as a window with a sheet covering, mirrors all over the room, a fan that we had to prop with a water bottle for it to sit right and a cozy top bunk double bed. Needless to say, not impressed. The grounds however were very unique. It was located right off the ocean and had mosaic tiles covering the entire surface of the facility. If you didn't want splurge on the $26 private room ($13 a piece) or a $11 bunk... There were tent and canopy sleeping arrangements as options as well.

We walked into town for an ATM and had dinner at Tex Mex for an unimpressive meal. The supermarket was our next stop... If we were going to sleep here, it was going to require us to be good and drunk. We stocked up on a few liters of Clos boxed wine and water before getting a taxi back to the hostel. (Even though it was only a short walk, we had been advised not to make that walk past dark.) A town that makes you feel all warm and safe inside, right? The rest of the right was spent playing drinking games with the girls and these Israeli boys, Bar and Alone. They ventured into town while Kristin and I took a sleeping aid and retired for the night in our cozy little room.

We woke up the next day feeling impressively refreshed and decided to make it a beach day. So it was off to the supermarket for picnic items before riding out bikes to Playa Cocles,the nice beach just south of town and our hostel. It was a gorgeous day to get our bronze on! The beach was lovely, clean with soft sand and warm blue water. We stayed there until late afternoon when Kristin and I went back into town to do some souvenir shopping. Can I tell you how obsessed we are with those Pura Vida bracelets? We bought multiple to wear along with those we purchased in each town we had visited earlier.

The night to follow was a wild one! To say our hostel was a party hostel would be a mild understatement and out fellow backpackers were out in full force! Kristin, Karen, Julie ad I munched on nachos while playing a few card drinking games before we were launched into a large game of flip cup followed but multiple rounds of free shots from the owner. When 10pm hit, the 30+ of us went to Mangos and danced the night away.

adventuras locas en monteverde

Here I am sitting outside our Hostel, Pension Santa Elena in Monteverde. It's a bit chilly and gloomy out but otherwise, quite nice. We just got back from our Adventura Canopy Tour where we went zip lining across 16 different lines, did the "superman" zip line in which you are hands free and glide across a long line with crazy views of the cloud forest. If you are having trouble visualing, I suggest you picture Superman flying through the air. That's what we looked like. Okay, maybe a little less heroic-like and without a cape. But still, you catch my drift. We got photos taken and at the end of the line and both Kristin and I look like retarded baby dinosaurs because we were afraid that we weren't going to get stopped before crashing into the tree in front of us and therefore brought our arms in. It was fast and exhilarating! Such a cool experience. Next up was the Tarzan swing. Once again, the experience was similar to what it sounded like. (Without the banging of the chest BUT with the "Ahhhhhhhhhh!") We grabbed hold of a rope and dropped 120 feet before swinging across the forest (yes, we had the proper equipment... No need to worry Mom). I would like to say I looked cool doing them both but truth be known, I screamed my guts out like a little girl. Overall, Monteverde has been an amazing experience. We arrived yesterday from Montezuma (2 hour Costa Rican bus ride to the ferry, 2 hour ferry and then upon arrival to the next bus by taxi.. We decided to just sack it up and pay the extra money for a private and much more comfortable ride to Monteverde.) It was a pricey $100 for the 3 hour ride but boy-oh-boy was it worth it. Our taxi driver was awesome! When we got off the ferry in Puntarenas, he greeted us with such impressive English and when we decided to venture on with him, he asked if we minded if he picked up his daughter to take her to school. (Cue the "aww's") Of course we said that was fine so we joined them in dropping her off at the bus stop. Let me begin by saying, this was probably the best decision we could have made. He was so helpful. He called and booked both our hostel and excursions for us, took us to stop for food -- truth be told, we were both suffering from a combination of both lack of sleep and a hangover from the night before. We talked about Costa Rica and the fact that he had been to California -- Sacramento (Pollack Pines to be exact).. Or as he said "Pollacks Pine". Gotta love the latin accents! The ride up to Monteverde was a rather steep and bumpy one. Most of the roads we unpaved so I can't imagine how uncomfortable the bus ride might have been. (Guess we'll find out on the way back...) He let us stop and take multiple pictures along the scenic drive and once we arrived, made sure that all of our reservations were in order. All in all, he was such a great man and we were incredibly grateful for him and his assistance. Next up? For now, probably a cerveza and a burrito from the "Taco Taco" place next door. Tomorrow we venture on to Puerto Viejo on the southern Caribbean side. A 12 hour journey in all. Wish us luck! Until next time...

Pura Vida, y'all!