Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina. They are the six we have given ourselves six months to explore. One month each. We are nearing the end of our trip, with time in both Argentina and Chile left (save the most expensive ´til last eek)! There is too much to say to compress into one catch-up blog and in months to come I will write more about our experiences and encounters (and about our continued struggle to learn Spanish, complete with all of the embarrassing faux-pas' we made along the way).
For now, I want to write about the little things that make travel worthwhile.
This fine dog specimen wearing a neckerchief was, for example, one of the many little things that has made my trip.
So...we have been bussing our way around South America for 4 months. We are still thoroughly enjoying the experience, however we both agree that at this stage of the trip we are both feeling the inevitable niggles. Firstly, there's the itchiness of our wafer-thin travel towels after 4 months use, and then there is the mind-itch of the impending end of our trip - home time, job time, down time, broke time. After 4 months of freedom, excitement, adventure and beauty...we have both also started to feel a little lethargic! I feel very spoilt saying that, as we wake up with the promise of discovery at our feet every day, and the hardest decision in a day usually consists of what to have for dinner. What luxury! But...can too much beauty and freedom be a bad thing?...well, not really. But we do miss our friends, families, beds, home-cooking and a decent cup of tea (so British).
I remember experiencing a similar feeling at the same time during my last trip in Asia too. Carla and I both felt a bit depleted and lethargic in Cambodia. The thought of home was on the horizon and frankly, we just didn't give a shit about seeing 'another waterfall'. Travel, is in many ways, similar to the consumerism we indulge in at home. It depends how we travel of course. But consumerism is our way of life and it invades every aspect. We often think we travel to escape it, but is buying into all this quick-dash sightseeing not just another gulp of it? More about that another time...
I know this is just a week of ´travel blues´ and I know it will pass. We have two good friends coming to meet us in Santiago, Chile in 2 days and are so looking forward to it. They will definitely put the spring back into our step. And for now, we are enjoying relaxing, and drinking copious amounts of Argentinian red wine...yes, life is still very, very good.
Relaxing in Mendoza (Argentina) with Jorge the turtle (I'm sorry, a lot of this is inadvertently animal related).
Anyhow, whilst sinking coffees a few days ago in a lovely cafe in San Pedro de Atacama (Chile), we pondered (somewhat sullenly) what to do with the day. Silly to be sullen, but we had just made our way to Chile from Bolivia and were still in shock over the prices and mulling over the inevitable work options upon our impending return home. At that moment, a llama happened to strut casually up to the table next to us on the cafe terrace. He sniffed around until the cafe owner came and offered up a nectarine. The llama was chuffed. He sloshed and slurped away on the thing in that comically slobby way that llamas eat; crooked mouth, blubbering lips, chowing down in opposite directions and overlapping all over the place.
Llama eating nectarine - San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
Little did this llama know, but having skulked up to the table and swallowed a load of free fruit, it also swallowed my sullenness. How can one be sullen in the presence of a llama?
This made me think about the little moments that are some of the best. I wanted to note some down in a bid to share the joy, and to not forget them.
* Quito, Ecuador - beautiful little Grandma's and Grandpa's (they already have a previous post dedicated to them). There was one particular little lady who got on the bus one day when we were on our way to Spanish school. She was tiny (of course, they all were). She had a curly cherobin-like halo of hair nested on top of her head. It was sort of golden and orange and reminded me of an orang-utan in the way that the sun hit and went straight through it, exposing the thinness of her hair and the whiteness of the top of her head. She had the kindest round face, with so many smile wrinkles etched around her eyes. She sat down and her legs swung from the bus seat. She was great. It was too obvious to pap her so no photo evidence.
* Trinidad Square, Cartagena, Colombia - a group of the same boys would turn up to play football in this square every evening. It became our favourite Cartagena date. We would arrive every evening (lazy, cold beer in hand) and sit on the stone bench that surrounded the square. The boys would turn up at the same time, barefooted and ready for play. They all had such big personalities in little bodies that it was easy to come up with nicknames for each of them. Little did they know we were giving a running commentary of their actions from the bench. The boys would play an energetic hour or two of football, and then at bedtime, they would hand over to the older boys. Suddenly the energy levels dropped. Self-conscious guys would make smooth, slow passes, beer in one hand, cigarette in the other. The little boys were far more fun, but the contrast was funny and recognisable.
Trinidad Square, Cartagena, Colombia. Unfortunately without footballers at this time.
* Trujillo, Peru - we visited an old temple built from sun-dried mud bricks called 'Huaca de la Luna' (literally translates as 'Temple of the Moon'. We were not expecting anything particularly spectacular, but thought we better slot in some culture as we had recently arrived in Peru. Peru is described by many as the 'Egypt of the Americas'. This sight was incredible. It is still undergoing excavation and I found this added to the experience.
I felt in awe that what we saw was recently uncovered and more will be discovered in years to come. The excavation is particularly tricky work as the pre-Inca's who are responsible for the existence of the site built five temples on the very same location. It seemed to be some sort of unknown ritual to build a new temple directly on top of the old one every ten years or so, complete with engraved and painted decoration covering every inch of the mud-brick walls. Somehow, bright paint was still intact and many parts of the designs were on show.
Men were lying in the sun, radios tuned in, injecting water into cracks and carefully brushing away earth as part of the excavation effort. Across the desert land we could see a huge dusty mound. This was 'Huaca del Sol' ('Temple of the Sun'). Excavation has not even begun here, as the project lacks funding. Between the two temples was the dusty maze of the ancient town, also undergoing excavation.
Excavation work at 'Huaca de la Luna', Trujillo, Peru
* Virgen Hogar de Fatima, Obrajes, La Paz, Bolivia - I was lucky enough to be able to volunteer for two weeks at an orphanage in a district of La Paz. My time here was short (boo), but I loved it. I worked with the same nine under-one year old's every day. I'm not particularly broody or 'cooey' over babies, but they were adorable. I fell in love with each and every one of them, even the annoying ones. Abel, Tito, Alejandro, Victor, Catlin, Angela, Rosita, Isabelle and Jasmin.
I am dying to put up a photograph of Alejandro, but I don't feel right doing that. I have one snap as a lovely memory. I would like to say I didn't have a favourite, but I had such a soft spot for him. He was seriously chubby with beautiful brown eyes. He had a cleft lip that meant he dribbled immensely and we had to tie a pair of trousers around his neck as a bib to soak it up. He had the funniest soft giggle, and he knew when to use it (usually when he was doing something cheeky). He had just grown his top and bottom two teeth and feeding time was hard work. He would bite down on the spoon, intrigued by the power of his new enamels, simultaneously dribbling all of the soup on the spoon out of the corners of his mouth. I would tut and sigh and bid that he eats (I was good at baby-language-Spanish)...and he would giggle, and then my heart would melt. He was good. I miss him now! :(
* San Pedro de Atacama, Chile - we went stargazing in the desert. We learned lots from a lovely young Chilean astronomy student and saw what the sky looks like in the Southern hemisphere. We saw the milky way and Jupiter with four of its moons (apparently it has about 83 moons)! We also saw nebulas, which made me think of Laura Kenwright :)
It's hard to take a picture through a telescope, but here is Jupiter with four of its moons
* Mendoza, Argentina - drinking the delicious glass of Malbec in front of me, while I type. YUM.
