Ripped off in rainy Rio

It´s been a long past 24 hours. Flying from Puno to Lima to Buenas Aires to Rio de Janiero. Needless to say, by the time I had collected by luggage in Brazil I was slightly delerious. An official cab driver approached me and asked if I needed a ride, I said yes, showed him the address and asked how much it would cost. He said 7, and I thought that sounded low so I repeated 7 several times and he nodded. When we arrived at my hostel, I grabbed my bags and gave him a 10 and he errupted with anger. He then pulled out a pen and wrote 72 on his hand. I handed him all the cash I had (a combination of US dollars and Brazillian money) and he was gone. I later found out that a cab from the airport should cost only 20-30 reals.

Oh well. I had been ripped off earlier in the day at the airport in Lima because the flight attendent checking me in forced me to go to the airport nurse and get another yellow fever vaccination even though I had already received one a few months ago. As it ended up I just had to pay them $30 and they wrote a note pretending they had given me the shot. Definitely starting to get annnoyed and tired of how everyone in South America tries to nickel and dime you.

It´s windy, cloudy and raining right now in Rio although the forecast looks good for the next few days. I will probably take it easy tonight and rest up so I can see/do as much as possible in the next 3 days.

Adios Peru

Dad and I woke up yesterday in Copacabana fully expecting to encounter our Peruvian friend who'd chased us into Bolivia. Lucky for us, he was nowhere to be seen and most likely drove himself back to Peru so he could work at the hostel the next morning. I wrote a nasty e-mail to the hostel threatening to leave horrible ratings and I received a near immediate response with them apologizing and praying I didn't follow through with the negative feedback. We walked around Copacabana for a bit and were in awe of the gridlock of cars around the central square all decorated with confetti and paint. Even stranger was the site of all the Bolivians standing in front of their vehicles cracking open a beer at 9am. Did this happen every Sunday? It would be fair to say that we were more than a bit confused. Later we found out it was a fishermen's holiday.

Dad and I are both pretty exhausted so we relaxed last night and will probably do the same today = might slip out to a neighboring town to visit the Incas' temple of fertility before hitting the airport. Dad is flying back home and I am flying into Rio!!! I will spend a couple days there and am then meeting a Brazillian friend in Sao Paulo who will show me around for a couple days. My friend, Paula, and I met one afternoon at a hostel in Stockholm, Sweden last summer. I e-mailed her about 2 months ago and since then she's been helping me plan my time in Brazil and hooking me up with friends to stay with up and down the coast!

Must go now. Next posting will be from Rio!

Hola from Bolivia!

After a morning of relaxation and recovery from the strenuous trek, Dad and I flew from Cusco to Lake Titicaca. We were not too impressed with Puno (the largest city along the lake). The lake was not very scenic around Puno and the main attractions are several ïslands (some floating) where native Peruvians sing, dance and basically do anything possible to get money from you. As fun as the floating islands would have been, we elected to buy bus tickets to Bolivia...Copacabana to be exact!

It was about a 3.5 hour bus ride and things at the border went relatively smoothly as well. Upon arrival, we hopped onto quite possibly the slowest floating vessel still in use and visited the Isle del sol (island of the sun) where the Incas had built small structures and ultimately named the lake. Sorry for not having more specific information but the island was lacking signs, brochures, maps etc... So basically we were flying blind trying to figure out what we were looking at.

Things got interesting once we returned to Cocacabana. It all started yesterday when we used a taxi that our hostel booked to go the 45 minutes into Puno. We paid the taxi driver and thought everything was settled. This morning, we checked out of the hostel no problem and caught our bus to Bolivia. When we returned from Isle del sol, we were surprised to find the hostel owner from Puno in front of our new hostel with photocopies of our passports saying he forgot to charge us for the taxi. We calmly explained that we´d paid the driver. When he continued to hastle us I was sneaky and managed to get the passport copies and receipts away from him and told him to go settle things with his taxi driver. My Dad and I pretty much are wanted men. A guy from Peru has chased us into Bolivia. We thought we were done with this guy but after eating dinner, we returned to our hostel only to find out that the guy working there had been approached on five different occasions by this crazy guy from Peru and wanted to get the extra copy of our room key. Fortunately the hostel worker said no way and the guy left. Needless to say, my Dad and I are expecting to run into this guy tomorrow either at our hostel or on the bus. I´ll be sure to keep you all posted. Please don´t worry as we don´t feel like we´re in any danger but are just shocked that this guy has driven over 3 hours into a neighboring country to collect $30 he thinks we owe him. I´ll keep everyone posted!

Back from the land of the Incas

Dad and I just returned to Cusco after 5 days of hiking in the Andes although it feels as if we've been gone much much longer! It appeared there would only be one other person joining us in our hiking group, but at the last minute a British guy and 2 Spaniards joined the team. It ended up being a unique blend of accents, cultures, eating habbits etc... It was great because we all got to know each other quite well after spending the better part of 5 full days on the trails, during meals and in camp.

There are way too many stories to give an in-depth depiction of the whole trip but I'll try to sum things up whiling hitting the highlights.

Day 1: We were picked up early and driven to the trailhead. From there our gear was loaded onto mules and we started hiking with our daypacks. The first day was probably the most challenging mostly due to the high elevation we were dealing with. I suppose the combination of snow, hail and rain didn't help either. Within the first few hours of hiking I had serious doubts about the trek due to being cold and acquiring a pounding headache from the altitude. Popped a few advil before bed and woke up feeling like a new man.

Day 2: Set out early and hiked for about 5 hours. The hike was difficult because we were hiking downhill along muddy paths littered with slippery stones. Needless to say, by the end of the hike my legs (especially ankles, knees and shins) were screaming for relief! Relief came in the form of a natural hot spring located near the camp site. It felt marvelous to clean off and treat the sore muscles. We all stayed up late enjoying the local beer and playing cards until late into the night (disturbing a group of French hikers camping in a nearby field).

Day 3: The third day involved a rolling trail that paralleled a river surrounded by dense jungle on both sides. It was really interesting to pass through small indiginous communtities that consisted of little more than a few small huts made of sticks and straw. Bathed in the cold river before taking a power nap and relaxing with the crew.

Day 4: We woke up early to climb 2000 feet in 2 hours before the sun could punish us! It turned out to be foggy on the trails but the humidity prevented anyone from sweating through their clothes. Once at the top, the fog started to lift and we got a distant preview of Machu Picchu from across the valley. The mountains surrounding Machu Picchu are unlike anything I've seen before. The sharp angles, steep faces and kelly green color are unique to this section of the Andes where the tectonic plates have crumbled the earth's crust into these breath-taking mountains. After lunch it was a 2+ hour hike along the train tracks to the village below Machu Picchu.

Day 5: We woke up at 3:30 this morning to pack, eat and get to Maccu Picchu before the place got packed to the gills with tourists. We were planning to hike up to the top but morning rain showers forced us to take the bus. We entered the park at 6 to the site of faint stone structures slightly obscured by the mystical fluffy fog that danced across the mountain tops. Nestled beneith peaks that were stunning in and of themselves, the ancient Inca community looked surreal. I could only imagine the thrill of being one of the first explorers to stumble upon this hidden city. The craftmanship, engineering and volume of labor needed to construct Maccu Picchu were and are difficult to wrap my mind around. After a guided tour, Dad and I spent about an hour wandering though the maze-like hallways, staircases and rooms where there were fewer tourists.

In total, we hiked over 70 kilometers and reached an elevation as high as 15,000 feet! Obviously the climax was today's visit to Maccu Picchu. I'm looking forward to sleeping in a bed tonight and then laundry in the morning before we fly down to see Lake Titicaca for 3 days. Maccu Picchu will be a tough act to follow but I'm confident we'll have fun and see some more great stuff!

On a side note, please excuse any errors in my blog. The computers I've been using only have a Spanish spell-checker which is exposing my Achilles heal.

Off to Machu Piccu

Gotta jet off to bed but wanted to write and say that my Dad and I will be off to hike the Inca trail (4am tomorrow morning) and will ultimately reach Machu Piccu. It´s a 5 day, 4 night trek so I will have lots of stories and pictures to post in a few days!

From colones to soles

Yesterday was a long day of travel that started with 4 hours on the bus, followed by 4 hours hanging out at the airport, a 4 hour flight, and then 4 more hours at the airport in Peru awaiting by Dad's arrival. It wasn't so bad though. I read 400 pages of my book, helped a Peruvian airport worker with his English homework, and practiced my Spanish. Got a few hours sleep in Lima last night before returning to the airport to fly to Cusco.

Cusco is a great city nesteled into what the Inca's called the "Sacred Valley." The Andes make for a perfect backdrop to the citie's countless church spires, courtyards, plazas and psychotic taxi drivers. Walking anywhere involves putting your life on the line as these small taxi cars come flying around blind corners and coast through stop signals. The elevation is near 10,000 feet so my Dad and I each felt the altitude almost immediately after deboarding. Our hotel gave us cocoa tea to help with acclimization, and as far as we can tell it seems to have worked.

The currency here is the Peruvian sole which I'm having a little trouble adjusting to after getting comfortable with the Costa Rican colones (pronounced like cojones). Things are certainly cheaper than in Costa Rica and my Dad and I treated ourselves to a delicious $30 dinner that would have easily cost over $100 anywhere back at home.

Tomorrow, my Dad and I will continue to explore the city and possibly take a small hike to prepare for the 20+ mile trek we have in the coming days. If no one joins the group last minute, my Dad and I will be hiking the Inca trail with only a Canadian in addition to a guide, porter, and cook. This is considered the peak season for hiking the trail and normally the groups have at least 16 people. Another thing on the to-do list is find some sweet Alpaca hats. Based on a brief preliminary sampling, the Alpaca hats come in a plethora of styles, colors, threadcount etc... so let me know if anyone would like me to pick you up one!

Pictures

I know only 3 picures is pathetic. I need to find a more streamlined way of uploading and sharing my photos. I'll be working on it. Please send any suggestions my way. Thanks!

Last few days in Costa Rica

This morning's zip-line tour through the rain forest was an excellent conclusion to the first chapter of my trip. It was refreshing to get a new perspective of the terrain, this time from the vantage point of where monkeys and birds normally sit perched high above the forest floor. My tour included 11 different ziplines, the highest of which was at an elevation of more than 1,500 meters and the longest individual cable was more than 700 meters! Some of the cables went through a natural tunnel created by vines, branches and large leaves. I can only compare the thrill to that felt when skydiving. Right now, a couple hours removed from the excitement, I'm feeling exhausted from the morning's adrenaline rush.

In further news, I'm washing my clothes for the first time in 10 days and might even take a nap. Still debating whether or not to take a "twi-light frog walk." I've met some fun girls from Hamburg, Germany and we're planning on cooking a big dinner at the hostel tonight. Tomorrow I have a 5-hour bus ride to the airport in San Jose.

As promised before, here are some pictures in chronological order during my stay in Costa Rica:

The beaches of Puerto Viejo:



Blue morphos butterfly:



Playa Grande where I learned to surf:

Cloud forest

Finally! After 8 days of intense humidity and puddles of sweat on every bus ride, I am in the cloud forest region where the weather is comparable to the Oakland Hills. Of course the wildlife and vegetation is slightly different here, but the fog, cool, moist air and slight breeze feel like a godsend.

Yesterday involved three different busses and more rough roads that left my rear screaming for a lazyboy recliner. Met some cool girls from Washington, a French Canadian, an Aussie and a Kiwi in my hostel room (only cost $4/night!) and hung out with them for a bit.

This morning I went to the Monteverdi Cloud Forest Reserve and hiked through knotted vines, hanging mosses, floating butterflies and darting hummingbirds. Two hummingbirds appeared to be paying little attention to where they were going and flew directly into my chest - I'm not sure who was more startled! Tomorrow I have signed up to do a "canopy" tour through the cloud forests. From what I've heard, this tour has more than 3 km of cable and one zip-line (the longest in South America) travels across a canyon spanning over 700 meters!

Thanks to all of you who have been sending e-mails and leaving comments! I really enjoying hearing from you all! I promise pictures are coming soon (probably tomorrow)...

Jurassic Park : Revisited

There was a storm last night in Montezuma that was like nothing I had ever seen before. I was at an Italian restaurant eating dinner with a Swiss surfer I had met when it started and shortly there after the entire town of Montezuma's electricity had gone out. My place was only a few minutes walk up the hill but there was a river running through the street as buckets of water came crashing down. I was stranded at the restaurant for 2 hours before stealing a candle and sprinting to my room. It doesn't matter how advanced Dolby or THX get their surround sound technology because they will never be able to replicate the power and electricity coming from this storm.

Fortunately the storm passed before morning and my water taxi to Jaco didn't have to cancel on me. In Jaco it was supposed to be an easy connection by bus to Manual Antonio but the bus was nowhere to be found. I resorted to an expensive taxi ride because it was essential I arrive and get to enjoy the park today because it is closed on Mondays. I arrived at the park in the afternoon (in order to avoid the mid-day sun on my sore back) and meandered through dense vegetation and dramatic beaches packed with hermit crabs, lizards and what else?...more monkeys. Steven Spielberg and Co. used Manual Antonio to film Jurassic Park so it was neat to recognize some of the scenery from the film.

Things are pretty quiet on this Sunday night so I will probably focus on getting a good night's rest. Tomorrow will be a travel day north up the coast to Santa Elena where some of the cloud forests are.

Surfs up

After a large tropical storm and some flash floods along the local rivers, I woke up around 8 and walked to the village in search of a surf instructor. An hour later I was walking to Playa Grande with Manual. Manual drew a surf board in the sand and showed me the propper position for paddeling and for jumping up to catch a wave. We were in the water for about 2 hours, and by the end I was able to stay standing up on about 3 out of 4 waves. Please keep in mind these waves were all of 2 feet high (I only like the big ones). I thoroughly enjoyed myself and definitely plan on renting a board in Brazil to practice my skills.

On a side note, the wind and storms from the previous night caused larger waves than normal. As a result, I endured several wipe-outs. Despite lathering up in 45 spf sunblock I found my shoulders and back absolutely toasted by the end of the lesson. My theory is that all the sand churned up by the waves came and slowly scrubbed away my sunscreen. I rarely burn so I'm not terribly red, but let's just say I'm not looking forward to wearing a backpack tomorrow.

I am taking a water taxi to Jaco tomorrow morning and from there I will take a bus to Manual Antonio to visit the wildlife reserve.

I changed the settings for this blog so now you all should be able to leave a comment without having to sign up for a blog account.

If you're curious

For those of you who don't have a map of Costa Rica in front of you:

Coast to coast

After a fun night of sipping box wine while sitting on the beach with some buddies from the hostel, I woke up early to pack my things and catch a bus. I hadn't really decided where to go to next, but was leaning toward Monteverdi. As it turned out, there was a bus strike in San Jose so my plans were no longer feasible. As I was deboarding the bus, I saw two Americans talking about going west via taxi. I chimed in that I'd be interested in splitting the cost with them. A 2 hour taxi ride, 1 hour ferry ride and 2 hour (to only cover 40 km) later I found myself on the Pacific Coast (Montezuma). I'm staying in a sweet jungle bungalow about a 5 minute walk from the beach. When I was reading on the patio this afternoon I saw at least 5 monkeys jumping amongst the trees. One was trying to rip a fruit off a tree while two others shared a banana..... It was even better than watching the Discovery Channel!

Today has been pretty close to perfection. After a good night's sleep I walked down from Montezuma to Playa Grande. On the way I saw at least 6 different types of lizards (including a massive iguana), hundreds of orange/red crabs dancing across the sand and a few tree frogs! When I finally reached Playa Grande I was the only person on the entire 3 km beach, and was alone aside from a wild horse on the far end of the beach. Swam in the ocean a bit before chilling in Montezuma sipping on a smoothie. The smoothies in Costa Rica are unreal. When you order one it seems as if the cook goes back to pick the fruit fresh from the tree! After the snack, I hiked along a river to a waterfall and swimming hole. The waterfall was probably 70 feet high. There was a small shelf between the rock and where the water came crashing down which made a spectacular seat.

Montezuma has the feel of a small laid back surf village. I'm planning on staying tonight and then taking a short bus ride over to Mal Pais to take a surfing lesson. Next week I'll head inland to the could forests before meeting up with my Dad in Peru.

On a side note, despite the 100% Deet I've been using, I have bites everywhere! My right shoulder alone had 40 bites last I counted! Time for another smoothie while watching the sunset.

"pura vida!"

Everywhere I have gone over the past 3 days I have heard countless Ticos use the phrase, "pura vida!" After doing a little research (thank you google), I learned that while "pura vida" litteraly translates to mean "pure life" (I knew that before the research), the phrase means something along the lines of "cool" and is widely used to express positiveness. That's my history for the day.

Last night I discovered that hammocks are not all that comfortable to sleep in. While I enjoyed the novelty of it, I struggled through most of the evening to find a sleeping position conducive to reaching REM. The sun is also throwing off my sleeping patterns a bit. The sun rises at 6 am and sets at 6 pm - by 8pm I feel like it's time to turn in for the night.

Today it was nice to not be in transit anywhere. I met two girls at my hostel and we rented bikes for the day. We rode about 17 km south from Puerto Viejo to where the beaches are nicer. Enjoyed swimming in the water and relaxing underneith large coconut trees. Planning on relaxing tonight and taking a bus back to San Jose tomorrow morning. Not sure where the next stop will be. Speaking of which, I must go examine a few bus schedules. Adios.

Pirates of the Caribbean

Hi all. Last night, I enjoyed a feast and a couple beers in San Jose for a whopping total of....... $3! Went out with a Canadian and two Argentines who gave me the inside scoop on several suggestions of what to see in Costa Rica.

Today I write from a lovely internet cafe in Puerto Viejo. A bumpy 4.5 hour bus ride dropped me off in this rasta beach town along the Caribbean. I'm staying at this crazy hostel that consists of a variety of tents, tree houses and hammocks! I elected for the hammock. Spent the afternoon walking along a beautiful deserted beach sandwiched between large waves and a thick jungle. Puerto Viejo has a lot of character and I enjoy the reggea resonating from every restaurant and store front.

And so it begins...

I find myself in San Jose, Costa Rica contributing the first "real" entry to my blog. It's been a long past 36 hours or so as my flight departed San Francisco at 1:30 am. Got an hour or two sleep on the plane and took a power nap (you'd be proud Anthony) once I got to my hostel. I'm staying in San Pedro which is where the nation's main university is. Wandered through campus a bit and was impressed when I stumbled upon a wildlife preserve directly next to the student union. The rest of San Jose isn't too impressive. Lots of pedestrians, crazy drivers, and massive craters in the roads/sidewalks.

Tomorrow I will be off to Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean coastline. I'm hoping to go snorkeling, take a surfing lesson and explore some wilderness.

For those of you who were asking, here's the cliff's notes version of my trip:

• August 7-18 Costa Rica
• August 18-28 Peru (with my Dad)
• August 29-September 19 Brazil
• September 20 - November 6 Europe (flying into Portugal, and out of Greece)
• November 7-17 Thailand
• November 17-27 Vietnam
• November 28 - December 18 Australia
  

This could be interesting

Alright. 5 days before my departure. I've got the red-eye flight leaving Monday morning at 1:15 so I've got a few days left to round up the last of my travel gear and tie up any loose ends here at home. I'm feeling fairly relaxed, as calm and collected as anyone can prior to living out of a backpack for five months.

I was feeling quite overwhelmed a couple weeks ago as my brain was overheating from the abundance of travel guidebooks I had been browsing. I have a fairly good idea of what I will be doing in South America over the next month and a half. As for Europe I will just wing-it. As for the rest of the trip, I will see far too many things and meet far too many people between now and November to even think about what to do in Southeast Asia and Australia.

I didn't really have anything to "blog" about but wanted to test this out. More to come soon!