Málaga Pass (cole)

Hola! 

Yesterday I went on a field trip with my biodiversity class to Malaga Pass in the Sacred Valley. We went on hiking trip where we went bird watching, discussed the unique ecosystem, and simply admired the beauty surrounding us. Here are some pictures, enjoy! 

\

I leave for Manu tomorrow! So excited. Look out for a blog post when I return. Also, HAPPY HALLOWEEN. I'm a little bit sad I am missing it, but I am sure the jungle will be worth it. 

Adios, 

Cole 

OVER HALF WAY. (cole)

Hey Y'all,

Believe it or not, but I am already over halfway through my program here... How did that happen?? While it is scary to think that I am closer to the ending than to the beginning, I have been having an incredible time and I have many fun things ahead. Last time I wrote I was really sick, but be assured I am 100 percent better and back in action. In school, we just finished midterms and we have "spring break" next week (I am going to the RAINFOREST - Manu! My biodiversity professor organized a trip for our class. Should be fun!) I have also been on several adventures, as always. BUT, what I really want to tell you about is my volunteer work.

Yeffery, Jorge, y Cole

Mi clase

Every friday I go to a rural school with three other volunteers in a village in the highlands (45 minutes from Cusco) to teach English in the morning and participate in hands on projects in the afternoons. For some background information on the kids, school, and village... The community is based mostly on farming, though the men now go to Cusco during the day to work in construction. The women still take care of the animals and tend the fields. Families speak in Quechua, the language of the Incans. In the town, there are three churches: Jehovah Witness, Evangelist, and Catholic. Though, the majority of Peru is Catholic, the community is mostly Evangelist because the Catholic priest rarely makes it to the area - maybe a few times a year, while the Evangelists have services at least three times a week. The school runs from kindergarden to sixth grade, afterwards the kids move to an upper school farther away from the community. The entire village seems to be involved in the school. There are always mothers around cooking or helping work; each has certain day of the month to come and give a hand. A green house and guinea pig farm have also been put in at the school, to teach the students practical skills and produce income. The kids live simple lives, but are always so happy. Most are from big families, as many of eight or nine kids. They are required to work in the field and help in the house. School seems to be an outlet, where they are allowed to be kids. They are given two to three recesses a day, which they love. Volunteering at school is definitely a two way street. While the kids are able to learn basic English and the school has work done, I am learning so much. I have a new comprehension of Peruvian life and culture.

Pizarra con palabras inglesas

Victor y su arte

Mujeres para cocinar

Patio de recreo y reunión

Like I said, we go every friday and when our car arrives to the school, the students all chant, "INGLÉS, INGLÉS, INGLÉS." Its the best feeling. The kids are genuinely excited to see us and learn. My class are eight and nine year olds. I LOVE them. Though my Spanish is a little rough, I can still communicate with them enough to get by. This past week I taught my class nature words in English. We took a little walk outside and pointed out things like "rock" and "sky" and "tree" - which was also helpful for me to learn/practice. Afterwards we returned to the class where we drew landscapes and labeled the places. Sadly, my few hours in the class ended sooner than I would have liked. In the afternoon, we painted the playground, an easy way for us to help keep the school looking nice. Before we left, the women offered us the soup they were cooking. The chicken was killed that morning and Keegan, a boy in my program, helped skin and cut it. Needless to say, it was fresh and delicious. Each Friday, I leave and already start looking forward to the following week. If I had it my way, I would go everyday and maybe even move in with a family. But alas, I have to go to my own classes during the week to attend. I am excited for the next final 5 weeks in the school. It will be devastating to leave (there will definitely be some tears shed), but we have many more projects and lessons before that day!

Love from Peru,
Cole

travels, 20, heartbreak...and Thailand? (aimee)

Wow, y’all. I’m sorry its been so long since I’ve written. The last month and a half has been a whirlwind. My parents visited me for a week in September! They visited many historical sites including, the Taj Mahal, Humayun’s Tomb, the Red Fort, Shahjahanabad, and a Sikh temple. 

 Papa and me at the Taj Mahal 

I hadn’t fully realized how well I know Delhi until I become their guide - it was an amazing feeling. I worried that I might not adapt to my new city, that I would never find my place, but my parents helped me to see how far I’ve come. Turning 20 was a cliche, but appropriate way to mark the growth and change I feel. 

20th birthday at the Leela Palace 

The next weekend, a group of us visited the tiny state of Goa; once governed by the Portuguese, Goa is an incredible mix of European and Indian culture. We visited a bunch of churches all around the state, all of which were magnificent. 

 Most exciting though, was the laid-back European mindset. For two and a half months, my legs had been covered my pants or long skirts...but in Goa, they got to see the light of day! I celebrated by wearing short dresses everyday. 

 Hannah, Me, Jordan, and Christina

Me and Jor 

Oh, and did I mention the beaches? 

To say it was an amazing weekend would be a understatement. 

The first weekend of October my socioeconomics class and I traveled to Tilonia, Rajasthan. We stayed at an amazing facility, the Barefoot College. If you haven’t heard of it, look it up! It’s a pretty amazing place. We witnessed a protest! We also visited schools, daycare centers, and toured the Barefoot College campus. Rajasthan's weather was much nicer than Delhi's - no humidity, just blue skies and a light breeze. It is the desert, so it was very dry and dusty, but I didn't mind. It was also wonderful to see the stars. There is so much light and air pollution here in Delhi, I am lucky if I can see any stars at all. But in Rajasthan, the stars were wonderful...it was almost like being home in Middleburg again. I spent hours every night on the roof lying on my back just looking up. It’s nights like those that I will miss the most. 

 Our ride for the weekend 

People gathered, preparing for the protest 

The next weekend, my India Since Independence class and I traveled to Amritsar, Punjab. We saw the India/Pakistan border ceremony. Each morning and evening, the gates are officially opened and closed. Its a very grand ceremony...its also a little strange. My friends and I decided we wanted to join in on the festivities, so we ran into the street to dance and sing and celebrate India. 

 the hat says: "I love my India" 

 Dancing with a new friend 

That night, we went to the Sikh Golden Temple - it truly glows at night. 

The next day we visited a memorial and went back to the Golden Temple to eat at the free canteen there. The canteen feeds 70,000 people on weekdays, and 100,000 people on weekends (on average)...pretty amazing, right? The food was great, too. 

The Golden Temple

Jallianwala Bagh

This weekend was uneventful, but so relaxing. As much as I love traveling, I’ve missed Delhi. I only have two more weeks of class, but I don’t want to believe it. I feel like I’ve finally found my place here. I don’t want to leave. I cannot begin to describe how blessed I feel to have met this group of people. I came to India simply looking for adventure, but I found so much more...

I have met some of the most incredible people. I am heartbroken to leave them. I am torn. On the one hand, I’m ready to leave; I miss home, I miss Sewanee, and I miss all my friends and family in the States. On the other hand, I never want to leave India. I don’t want to lose contact with all the friends I’ve made. When I leave Delhi, I will be leaving home. My heart lies in both places. No matter where I am, I’m going to feel like I’m missing a part of myself. 

I’m just now coming to realize this. 

This post turned out much more depressing than I had intended, sorry. 

The good news is, its not over yet. I’m visiting Varanasi next weekend, and then after exams I’m going with three of my best friends to Darjeeling for a week (we’re trekking for 5 days!), Calcutta for a few days, and hopefully Thailand for a week after that. 

There are still so many adventures yet to come...

a week in buenos aires (avery)

Hola a todos!

I've gotta say, it was another pretty solid week in the 'tina. As my great friend Caroline Moore once told me about her own semester abroad in Buenos Aires, sometimes it's just nice to be a Southern girl in the Southern Hemisphere. Couldn't agree more. 

In my forever-long post from the other day, I forgot to mention that last week (fue Miercoles, creo) a guest speaker visited our group to talk about her experiences as a Madre de la Plaza de Mayo, an activist who lost one of her children to the military dictatorship of the late '70s/early '80s. Our visitor was Sara Russ, a Jewish woman from Poland who not only survived the horrors of the clandestine kidnappings and killings in Argentina, but had relocated here after WWII, during which she endured life in concentration and work camps in Poland and Germany. She even spent three weeks in Auschwitz, I believe. Her stories were dark and beautiful and compelling. During her talk, when I wasn't fully absorbed in each word she said, I really couldn't help but notice the historical gravity and social relevance to today's world in her presence with us there. There she was, delicate yet powerful, a true witness to two of the most infamous governmental 'cleansings' of the twentieth century, a Polish woman, speaking Spanish in Argentina to a bunch of Americans. Talk about globalization. It was pretty incredible. And a lot to take in. 

On a lighter note, most of our study abroad group went on a "pubcrawl" on Thursday night, to celebrate our friend Jen's birthday. At one of the bars we went to I was happily surprised that somehow I happened to know the bar tender, Elii, a friend I had met at the encuentro de mujeres the weekend before. Long story short, after enjoying myself too much at the previous pub, I decided that since I knew the bartender, it would be a good idea to BUY shots for everyone in sight. So I did. Flaming things and birthday shots and chupitos muuuuyyy dulces. It was gross. And not free, might I add. Needless to say this did not end well, but I made it to class bright and early the next morning and have not looked at tequila since. 

On Thursday I also had a meeting with a representative from a different study abroad program that I had been thinking about joining for next semester. The program seems really great and just what I had hoped to find for next semester after the human rights/social movements program with SIT that I'm on now. I'm sure I'll talk more about these plans later, but just know that I signed up and I've officially decided I'm definitely going to be here for the spring semester too. Wooohooo!!!

This past weekend, I caught up on some much-needed rest and just enjoyed being back 'home' for once. Besides sleeping, I went on some long walks around my 'hood, discovered an awesome park about 10 or 15 blocks away from my house that I didn't know existed, and watched fútbol with Lola (the dog) until she jumped on my face, tried to eat my shoe, skidded around in a circle on the floor, and then played dead in a ten second spasm. We're trying to get along but it's going to take some time. 

On Monday our group split up to visit the sites of two different social movements, una fabrica recuperada (collectively-run factory with no private owner,  occupied and run by the workers) and another MTD (movimiento de trabajadores desocupados) named Guernica. I went to Guernica, aka Movimiento Maximiliano Kosteki, a collective that started as a piquetero group and now runs a soup kitchen for hungry kids in the barrio, a couple of health clinics, and an adult tutoring system for attaining the Argentine equivalent of a GED. The visit was super interesting and Vicky, the group leader, talked about the emergence of the movement as essentially the result of all the historical events and political/economic changes of the past 50 or so years in Argentina. We learned a lot, ate some great food, and were left with questions about economics and politics and governmental systems that would become casual commuting talk for some of us over the next couple days.

ANYWAY I'm running out of time but here's a rundown of some other news---

I played soccer with some friends yesterday and had a blast. Watched the latest American presidential debate online and sent in my absentee ballot. Woooo! Also, my feet are growing. All of my shoes are becoming uncomfortably tight. Like y'all, I really think I'm going through a growth spurt. It's weird. My host mom cooked delicious fish for me yesterday because it was our last dinner together for a while and she knows I love sea food. Oh yeah, and my program is going to Salta (nothern provence) today for about two weeks. Casual. (I honestly don't know what we're doing there besides taking a twenty-something hour bus ride from here and learning about "la lucha por los derechos y el derecho a no ser pobre en el Norte de Argentina: género, campesinos y temáticas de frontera." Obviously I need to read the packet.)

Got to go finish packing for the trip so hasta luego, y'all!!!

ARGENTINE UPDATES (AVERY)

Hola amigos! Perdóname for not posting since I've been gone, but this first month abroad has been so hectic that I FINALLY feel like I have my head above water enough to process what I've been doing and have a second to sit down and write about it. So here we go...sry guyz... this is gonna be a long one...

The first couple of weeks in Argentina were, in a word, disorienting. I can honestly say that for at least 95% of my first ten days here I was confused, lost (both in translation and on the map), exhausted from trying to navigate my way in this new environment, and hungry (as this is my body's usual reaction when i'm feeling frazzled and in general, really). To top things off, although I've studied Spanish every semester since I've been at Sewanee and have not had much trouble communicating in Spanish-speaking countries before, I found myself fumbling over simple phrases and crumpling my forehead in confusion at almost every Argentine interaction (I'm a very easy person to read, so I have no doubt that my face said it all...)  Finally I realized (and was relieved to have my observations confirmed in Spanish class) that the Spanish here, or should I say Castellano as the porteños call it, IS NOT NORMAL. I'm not going to go too much into detail because I have learned that not all people are language nerds like me, but just know this--there is this thing called lunfardo in Argentina and the Argentines love it. The local language is obviously Spanish but it is also a conglomeration of Italian words and intonation, English cognates, and a verb conjugation specific to the area. OH and did I mention that all the cool kids also use this weird version of pig latin for certain words?? It's actually pretty awesome now that I slightly know what's going on but for a while I was dying.

I am living with Louisa, a host mother here in Buenos Aires and she is so wonderful! We live in her apartment in a middle class neighborhood nearby the office of my study abroad program and have breakfast and dinner together everyday. Louisa has a dog named Lola (La Loca) who lives here as well. Lola and I are not mejores amigas as of yet, but we'll see what happens. I'm going to post a video of her on here eventually because she's literally insane. Like y'all. I've never seen a dog act like her. It's freaky. Anyway I had an American host sister for a while as well (hola, Sydney!!) but she moved back home a little over a week ago.

As for what I actually DO here, I have class from about 10-5 every weekday. I'm taking Spanish at the University of Buenos Aires (en la facultad de idiomas), a thematic seminar on human rights and social movements, and a field study seminar. Though classes have been going well, what I have enjoyed the most so far are our field trips-- some things never change. We've gotten to do some pretty phenomenal things so far. Here are some pictures from our trips...

Evita Perón's office in a sindicato (labor union) we visited

Torture chamber in Olimpo, a clandestine detention center in operation for 5 months in Buenos Aires during the military dictatorship that lasted from 1976-83

Photographs of desaparecidos, young people kidnapped by the military dictatorship

One of the many murals outside of Olimpo (you can get a glimpse of the detention center through the window)

Kids playing in a villa we visited in the neighborhood of Barracas in Buenos Aires. We spent a Saturday learning about the villa and celebrating the start of spring with kids at a sort of safe-space/day care center. (Due to political, legal, and social tensions, villas in the city are isolated from the province, are ridden with crime and pollution, do not appear on official maps, and are essentially left unrecognized by the government.)

Madres de la Plaza de Mayo, of the Linea Fundación division. Parents whose children disappeared during the military dictatorship circle around the Plaza de Mayo, in front of the Casa Rosada (the president's office) every Thursday. They have done so every week since the organization was formed in the 1970s and march to demand information about their lost children and grandchildren and to further new human rights and political agendas. The Madres de la Plaza de Mayo are one of the most iconic human rights organizations in the world. I really want to go back on another Thursday and watch--it's pretty incredible!

***

Además de esto, my group took a trip to Patagonia last week. It is with out a doubt one of the most incredible places I have ever been, and after a solid three weeks in the vastly metallic and industrial city of Buenos Aires, it was a much-needed change to be in the midst of lakes and mountains and hills and grass and trees. The air was clean and fresh and the landscapes so crisp and strikingly clear. I think all of the students on our program thoroughly drank in the beauty of the place we were in, and we all came back to the city full of new experiences, stories of adventure, and fresh mountain air. In Patagonia, we stayed for two nights in the rural Mapuche community of Chiuquilihuin. We lived with local families in the community, who graciously invited us into their homes and shared a bit of their lives with us over mate, homemade bread, and too much dulce de leche (yeah right, there’s no such thing). On our first day in Chiquilihuin, I walked with Brianna, a friend from my program, and Alejandra, our hostmom there, for about fifty minutes with heavy backpacks brimming with coats and shoes and necessities for the trip. We finally arrived at the house we would stay in for two nights, panting and almost sweating as the chilly day drew to a close. But what an incredible place. Aside from the literally breathtaking views, during the next couple of days my eyes were truly opened to a whole new culture and way of life that was new and novel and different to me but also very familiar and relatable. I don’t know how to put the experience into words (and I'm clearly and running out of space and time to keep readers’ attention to attempt to do so) but it is something I know I will never forget. Here are some pictures:  

View of a volcano in Patagonia that is actually on the Chilean side of the Andes. I forgot the name of it..awkward. But look how pretty! And did I mention this is was taken on the side of the road on our way to Chiuquilihuin?? Increíble.

Brianna, Alejandra, and me on a hike near our home stay in the Mapuche community (we climbed allll the way to the top of the hill behind us with Camila, our 6 year old 'sister,' and four or five family dogs)

View from the stopping point of our hike (I know, right??)

After Chiquilihuin, and three days or so without showering, our group headed down to Bariloche, a seemingly sleepy little ski town that looks a lot like what would happen if a Swiss village, a Colorado mountain town, and the nutcracker ballet were swirled together in a rich mug of chocolate caliente. We very much enjoyed the high life that Bariloche has to offer—insane views, an eclectic mix of visitors from all over the world, quaint restaurants, fun bars, and too much artisanal chocolate. But we also got to know the other side of Bariloche, the one that isn’t wealthy or cozy as the touristy half, though it is just as beautiful in its own way. We were escorted and mentored into this side of Bariloche by an incredibly intelligent and unintentionally inspirational group of lawyers. We learned about indigenous land rights, an environmentally conscious and self-sustaining NGO that helps get adolescents off the street and often into activism, and a grassroots cooperative of workers that earn a living by organizing and recycling the city’s trash through a system developed upon their own initiative. Some pics of Bariloche:

View of a lake in Bariloche

Sunbathing Patagonia-style with Jaime, a friend from my program

Trash sorting/recycling collective 

Delicious chocolate factory/café. Yeah, we're fancy.

 ***

As if all of this wasn’t enough, this past weekend I was somehow lucky enough to find myself at the Encuentro Nacional de Mujeres, an annual Argentine women’s conference that was held in Posadas, Misiones this year. My friend Allison from the States and I tagged along with a student group from the University of Buenos Aires on the trip. We slept in a school that was opened to house some of the estimated 30,000 women that traveled there for the conference. We slept on the floor of a classroom and didn’t have access to a shower for the whole trip (I’m sensing a trend here..) but I honestly could not be happier that I was able to witness and participate somewhat in the encuentro. I sat in on a workshop on la trata (human trafficking) and heard first-hand testimonies, listened to arguments about strategies for combating it, and watched as passionate rallying cries emerged amongst the group in agreements made at the end of the weekend. I walked with thousands of women in a march that culminated the encuentro and called for all sorts of women's rights and attention to social issues that affect the Argentine population as a whole. I also meet some wonderful women I hope to stay friends with and leaped forward in my grasp of Spanish, to the extent that I came home to Louisa and understood her completely without once raising an eyebrow.  Pictures from the 27^th Encuentro Nacional de Mujeres:

Decorations in a plaza in Posadas. This sign reads,"empezá la revolución. Dejá de odiar tu cuerpo." ("start the revolution. quit hating your body")

Picture from the march at the end of the encuentro

***

 As of now, I'm back in Buenos Aires just livin' muh life and trying to catch my breath. But with full days of classes and so many fun things to do in this city, I don't see myself slowing down too much anytime soon. Our group has another trip coming up at the end of next week but I can't even think that far ahead yet because it's so good to be "home" for now and back in a routine. It's funny to think about how lost I was here just a few weeks ago because now I feel like I know what I'm doing. Kind of.

***

Wheeeeew. That was a lot. Sorry I had to put y’all through that and post all of this in one sitting but thank God I’m at least semi-caught up now on the blogging front. AND as of now I’m going to try to make this easier on all of us and actually write more often. Here’s to more adventures and to more updates in the future. Cheers, y’all. Aves 

peruvian dentistry and mountains of salt (cole)

HOLA AMIGOS,

Hope y’all are doing well! To be honest, this past week was not my favorite… I was a bit under the weather. I recently learned that I have a parasite hanging out in my stomach making me really sick. But not to worry, I am now on antibiotics and am feeling much better. Along with my friend the parasite, I had a cavity. Warning to future and current travelers: do not get cavities, especially in foreign countries. This past Thursday, my tooth started to actually ache, and I made the executive decision to visit a dentist. After chatting with some people in the office at my school, USIL, I decided to go to the clinic (which my insurance covered) close by my house. Thursday night, my Peruvian mother and I headed over. We spent 10 minutes handling paperwork and about an hour waiting. Finally, they called me over and told me the dentist had arrived. I saw a “Mamacita” walk in with a mini skirt, heals, and heavy make-up. My thoughts, “Yikes. Is this my dentist?” Yep.

I was moved to another waiting room upstairs on the third floor. I found a seat and noticed the drill pounding away in the background. Another hour passed, and it is finally my turn. I walked into the one room dentist office. I sat down in the seat, and took a glance around. Probably the same tools as the last patient, bloody cotton balls in sight, not as clean as I would prefer, but the tooth needed to be fixed once and for all. The woman, now dressed in scrubs, began to speak to me in Spanish. I stared at her blankly. Normally, I can catch the general idea of what people are saying, but even basic medical terms are past my ability. Luckily, my homestay coordinator, Humber, arrived minutes later to help translate. The dentist had me open my mouth and looks around. I pointed to the tooth in pain. She taped a tool on a few of my teeth and asked if it hurt. No, none of it hurt. Finally, I had Humber explain that the only tooth bothering me is the one with the cavity. Humber spoke with the women for a minute, and then told me she was going to clean my tooth. Ok, no big deal, like they do at my dentist back home where the hygienist brushes my teeth really well. Seconds later, I realized what was happening. The drill. I began to freak out and had her stop. Then I thought to myself, well that actually was not too bad; maybe I can handle a drill without Novocain? I told Humber that she could continue. And then it started to hurt... STOP STOP STOP.  I started to cry…

Looking back I think I began to cry more over culture shock than anything else. I was in a crowded hospital where I could not speak for myself. I was left waiting, and getting more and more nervous for hours. And simply, the ways of density in Peru are extremely different. While I was waiting in the pharmacy, my Peruvian mother was holding me as I cried. I told her (in Spanish) that the dentist is very different in the United States. And she said, “Tu eres en Peru.”  Obviously, I know this by now, but hearing it from my mom was kind of like a wake up call. I am in Peru and it is not the same as in the United States. And you know what, it's ok. And being ok, well, that is helping me look past what is “wrong” with the country, or rather the things I am not used to, and instead appreciate all the great things that are here.

In case you were wondering, my tooth is now fixed. I went to a new dentist the following day and he took care of everything, with medicine. I am all about fully embracing the culture, but right now, at this point, I still need some comforts from home, including Novocain. Maybe by the time I leave, I will be one hundred percent emerged.

Off to another story about… SALT. Sorry, this is getting lengthy!  So much to share!

Farmers we met along the way

Lots of wind! 

Saturday, growing antsy to leave the house after being bed-ridden, some friends and I decided to escape Cusco for the day. My friends, Sarafina, Mary Kate, and Corrie, came, along with Corrie’s Argentinean and Mexican friends that live in her homestay. Around noon, the group joined up and hopped on a bus to head over to the Sacred Valley for the Salt Mines of Maras. The bus ride consisted of a lot of, “Come se dice… en ingles/español,” making the best of the language barrier within our group. The time passed quickly, as we giggled over the ridiculous words we were learning in each other’s language. One hour later, we arrived in the outskirts of Maras. Typically, tourists have a taxi drive them out to the salt mines, but instead we chose to admire the landscape and walk the two hours to get there. Stopping to talk to locals and take pictures, we slowly made our way to the mines.

The hut with LOTS of salt

Close-up

Salt pools

Halfway through it got extremely windy (choosing to leave my hair down might not have been the best choice). We were all getting a little “freezey” as my dad would say. We pushed through for the final 45 minutes and saw the salt mines in the distance below us. At this point, we began to rush. All of the crazy wind brought large storm clouds. Every minute the sky grew darker and darker. Rather than taking the road, we found a shortcut down into the valley. From the road, the shortcut seemed logical and quick, but once we hiked down, it progressively became more challenging. At points, we were required to repel down a cliff, swim through a river of mud, rock climb over steep mountains, climb through deep caves, forge through a hill of trash, all while being chased by wild puma. Ok, ok, that might be an exaggerated… But it was intense and we did have to slid down a hill, walk through mud, and climb over rocks. Sadly, no Pumas. Just as the heavens began to break, we were in the salt mines and a hut was in sight. Running past the salt mines (or really, salt pools), we asked the locals who were working if we could go in the house. They agreed and we headed in. Salt was EVERYWHERE. On one side, there was a pile of straight salt, and the other side, hundreds of bags. We stood awkwardly in the middle, surrounded by the workers for a few minutes, but eventually got comfortable and lounged on the salt bags for lunch. We befriended the children and shared our snack foods with them. The rain continued for 45 minutes, before we could leave the hut.   We had little time to explore the salt mines because the last bus was leaving. I ran over quickly, looked around at the salt pools, took a handful of pictures, and rushed to catch up with everyone at the bus. We hopped on a full bus to take us to the entrance where we were originally dropped off. We waited at the bus stop for around five minutes (which seemed much longer in the freezing cold), then got on a new bus for Cusco. The whole day was exactly what I needed: good company, good conversation, laughter, mountains, and adventure.

And more salt... 

Loving life in Peru more and more (even with a parasite and a cavity.)

Hasta Luego,

Cole