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On Peru

Peru was just as good, if not better, the second time around.  In the fall of 2006, K and I treked to Choquequirao on a quick test-jaunt to the country.  This time, we used Peru as a familiar starting point for our trip.

While we didn´t do anything as ambitious this time, we were nonetheless impressed with the country, especially considering the recent earthquake and the strikes that seemed to follow our path.

Highlights this time around include the lovely oasis of Huacachina, and the Taquile Island on Lake Titikaka.

We´ll be heading for Bolivia shortly to join with our first tour, 23 days from La Paz to Rio de Janiero.  I´m looking forward to the adventure, and to handing the reigns over to someone else for a few weeks.

Here are the rest of Peru´s photos.

D.

Safe and sound, the journey begins

K and I made it out of Canada.

Away from everything familiar, a strange sense of calm has envelopped us.  We´re comfortable here, on vacation, eating and drinking at leisure and seeing the sites that interest us.  There´s no rushing, no running, no anything stressful and so far, not one hitch we couldn´t deal with - knock on wood.

Easing into travel has been remarkably easy, but we´re still in the honeymoon period of this trip.  Reality will settle in sometime in Brazil, I figure, and then our planning and preparation will be tested.  I know we´ll pass with flying colours, but the test is the important thing.

This morning, we woke up and did an hour of yoga in the sand, just to make sure we were truly "one with ourselves" as our trainer might have said.  Staying healthy has been a priority so far, eating well, finding the right foods and avoiding the ones experience has taught us to (like ceviche - seafood it a big no-no).  I´ve been stricken by montezuma´s revenge on more than one vacation, but this is no vacation.  We´re adjusting to a new lifestyle, and because we´re not here for only a week, we have the luxury of time for this change.

D.

Blowing this pop stand

A big huge sigh of relief came over me this afternoon when, with just about twenty-four hours to go, I finished the last of the paperwork, packed my bag for the last time, and said a final goodbye to the rest of my worldly possessions.

On Sunday, K and I packed up a seventeen-foot U-Haul and drove through the wind and desolation of middle-Ontario to my parent’s place.  My sister’s old room is now full of what used to be our apartment.  Our cats are adjusting to their new caretaker – and are even allowing her a few cuddles here and there.  Yes, it’s official; we’re gonzo, dunzo, outta here.  Nothing can stop us now.

Okay, so a bit more context maybe?  We just weighed our packs.  Mine is thirty-five pounds, meaning that in the last week, I’ve been reduced from a full seventeen foot cube van to a thirty-five pound bag.

In the last week, I’ve also said all my final goodbyes to Canada, including a drive down the 401 through a winter snowstorm, a trip to visit my sis and see her housing project (click the Grand House Student Coop link on the sidebar and see how cool she is!), and a couple of semi-relaxing days with my parents.  Oh, and a long overdue trip to Niagara Falls.

Now, believe it or not, I’ve never been before.  But, while home in Barrie, my parents insisted that I see them before heading into the great wide world, so K and I made the drive down there, stopped the car, got out, froze for about five minutes, then got back in and took the scenic route through Niagara-on-the-lake back home.  Was I impressed?  With the cold and the sheer quantity of tourist traps, yes.  With the falls, not as much.  Granted, it was a cold-ass day, and the falls were shrouded in ice-mist and fog.  But the point wasn’t so much to be impressed as it was to be aware of their existence, as any good Canadian should be.  Now, when I visit Iguaçu and Victoria Falls, in Brazil and Zambia respectively, I can say with the authority of experience that they are either bigger, better, smaller, quieter, or bluer than our own.

Armed with this last patriotic jaunt, I’m ready to hit the road.  Although I am only leaving with thirty-five pounds, they do include the most important things.  I am bringing my health, enthusiasm for the adventure ahead, readiness to take (reasonable) risks for the sake of a good tale to tell, and the love of my life.

Let’s ride.

D.