Parasites?

Been sick for over a week... If it was something I ate, I think it should've past, since it hasn't... Time to get rid of those parasites!!

Hope this'll work!

Coffee Zone: Salento - Manizales

Salento is very touristy, please be aware. The main road is covered with souvenir boutiques and restaurants.

The main plaza is simple.

Around it, it has a church no one cares about, a police station, a grocery store, a bakery, and a few bars.

I arrived on the Sunday afternoon and there were little stations set up around the park selling the town's main dish: trout!! 

The plaza and main were filled with couples and families. It was really nice.

The next morning, the town was like a ghost town. 

It was then that I found out about "Rincon de Lucy". It basically this tiny restaurant (only has 2 doors!) 

that serves up a delicious deal for 6000$COP. (3.20$CAN)

And it really makes me wonder because there's nothing special about it. In comparison to the place on my street...

The guy has a sign with a photo of himself, he has a loud speaker that blasts music all day long, he has flags, he has tons of space, he's nicely painted... But people just don't go... I didn't see a single soul sit in the restaurant during my stay.

The big highlights of Salento is the coffee (which I wasn't able to abuse because of my stomach acidity!) and visiting Colombia's famous (pride and joy) wax Palm trees.

These trees are special because you can only find them in that region. They almost got extinct, because people were using them for wax and their leaves for palm sunday? 

They're native to that Andean region! They grow for like 200 years and are 60-70m tall. They're also situated in a cloud forest. 

I genuinely wish I had a guide, some proper hiking boots, a solid water supply and time to do that hike... 

Cocora Valley is gorgeous!

Or it made me wish I had guts to get on a horse, because you can do it all on horse back. As I sat in the jeep to go back into town, to eat at Lucy's' again before taking the bus to Pereira, I saw a family get on horse back and I'm sure they were going to have a blast! 

(In the truck, in the way in, I was with 7 other tourists from Spain, and couldn't believe how oblivious these peeps were. Decked out in the nicest clothes, despite the fact that it had rained for the past 24 hours and the didn't realize it was going to be insanely muddy.... And completely oblivious of the wax palm trees... Don't people research where they are growing??)

In Pereira I connected to Manizales.

A lot of backpackers I spoke to, had no idea of what city I was talking about... Then I got here and can't understand how, considering it's HUGE! 500,000 people.

I took the cable car up to town: 1500$COP.

This city doesn't have an information desk, so no maps. :( 

It's also not such a pretty looking place...

Cali - The City of Salsa!!

Although it was quite an ugly city, I enjoyed my three day stay in Cali. Cali is hot and humid.

The city is known for being the capital of salsa dancing. At the hostel I was staying at, there was three people taking private classes. They weren't particularly expensive, I just don't have much time left... :( 

There are dancing studios all over the city. When you go out and see people dancing, you know it's pretty serious!

I checked out their famous church, which was small and closed. Behind it, is the famous monument of the guy who built the city.

In the evenings, the guy at the hostel would teach us some basic steps (I am still struggling with the first!) and then he brings us out.

The first typical place is TinTin Den. Here there are locals and gringos.

Then they go "north", to Menga district. 

There is a lot of people, and they all dance.

On the Sunday, from Cali I took the Expreso Palmira bus to Armenia and at the far end of the bus terminal, I got on a small bus to Salento. It was 3800$COP. 

Crossing into Colombia

It took me a while to cross, it always does. Another border I'd have to face alone. Boarders itself are not scary... It's trusting that the cab driver at either end will actually drive you to where you want to go, that's the actual concern.

So I got up early and took the bus to the border. It did indeed take 5 hours to get there. To my luck, there was some Argentinian guys in the bus and I tagged along with them.

Border crossing at Tulcan was smooth and we took a cab to Ipiales, where I stayed for the night at the second nastiest place I've ever stayed at.

The next morning I took a "collectivo" to see the church (Las Lajas), which was impressive, but under construction. 

I went back up the nasty hill and got into a collectivo just in time to catch the 7 hour bus to Popayan that left at 9am.

I arrived in Popayan late and because it was a holiday it was dead. My hostel was quiet and in the room there was a funky old man smell... Perhaps because the two other travelers were men and about 700years old! 

I got some food at the bakery and went to bed.

The next morning I woke up early to check out the town and it's famous humiliating bridge. It took me about 30minutes to do so. The bridge's construction is nice... But it's not well taken care of, it has a lot of graffiti, so I was quite disappointed when I got there... I didn't bother taking a picture.

I decided to leave Popayan and go to 

San Agustin... and for the first time in a while I wasn't lied to! 

Bus company "Sotracanca" not only brought me to San Agustin, which everyone swears there's no direct bus.. but they also brought me straight to my hostel! The trip was 4 hours, on Colombia's classical winding roads, except this one wasn't paved for most of it. The gravol I took didn't help, I still felt naeseated for the entire trip!

Colombia's landscape is impressive. The mountains are beautiful, but also filled with coffee plantations that supply the world. 

Colombia has been great so far! There hasn't been a moment where I felt unsafe. In comparison to Ecuador, Colombia has been a breeze... Especially in bus stations. The don't throw themselves at you as soon as you exit the taxi... The yell politely from their cubicle! :)

San Agustin makes me want to stay a few days, but I really need to get going. Next stop is Colombia's salsa capital: Cali! 

Yeah baby! I decided to stay there till I can salsa! Ok, maybe about 4 days... It'll be the weekend, what a coincidence! I swear! 

Big, sketchy and close to the middle of the earth!!

Quito is huge. 

Starting from the bottom:

You have the bus station that caters to the south. 

North of that you have the "old/historic town", which has a market, historical buildings, the churches and presidential building.

North of that you have "Mariscal/new town", where the main plaza is not a plaza, but the corners of Foch and Reina something-something. This place is cluttered with clubs, bars, restaurants, and cafés.

Wayyy north of this is the bus terminal that's caters to the north of the country.

I don't know how to explain it. It's not the layout of the city. People aren't walking around suspiciously... But the place just feels really, really sketchy. 

Ecuadorians like sugar. 

Their drink is "canelazo". It's hot, with sugar cane liquor, citric fruit juice and cinnamon... It's pretty strong!

At the market, there's classical blackberry juice with coconut juice. Incredibly delicious, wow!

Ecuador is the biggest grower of roses. They can be bought just about anywhere!

The also grow ALOT of chocolate because they have the climate, but it gets sold and processed elsewhere, so they don't get any fame from that.

Ecuador has two middles of the earth. One is clearly identified, it has a gigantic statue. 

To get there take the blue line bus to Ofelia 0,25$, then the "Mitad del Mundo" line 0,20$, and you can spot it out of your left window.

Inside I ran into Google maps, for the second time in my life and took a selfie with them.

To go to the REAL middle of the earth, we had to get out and turn left and left... 

That middle is the REAL middle (measured by GPS) and it has a guided tour that's loads of fun because they do experiments such as balancing an egg,

walking a straight line,

 the sink funnels...

 It was awesome. The guides were very informative. 

I only wish they had a decent cafe or restaurant at the site.

Ecuador is also full of "independent" traveling salesmen that come into buses. Mostly selling miracle drugs.

Baños

Despite it's name being "bathrooms", it was by far my favorite Ecuadorian town. It sits in the middle of mountains. The town is small, but it's still the type that if you turn on one wrong street, you no longer know where you are. 

It's charming and clean. 

It lives off of tourism. It has all the classic touristy shops, a small market and a street with bars on it.

It's also known for it's candy. You'll see guys in shops warming/pulling this sap.

From here I went paragliding. It was cheap and I've always wanted to do it. The day we went it was quite windy, so yeah, I was freaked out!

The South of Ecuador

I got into Ecuador and received a safety guide. You can tell Ecuador is ready for tourism! 

They give out phenomenal brochures with clear and concise information. 

For the first 24 hours in this country and on the south side where I am, I am completely amazed at how clean it is. Seriously. For a "3rd world country", it blew my mind. You don't see garbage in the ditches, or piles near shanty homes. Buses are old, but not dirty. No one sticks gum to windows or seats. No one throws garbage out the window.

Highways are green and beautiful!! It's tropical...

It's really a lovely place! 

I found it quite interesting how they use the 'US dollar', bills they use normally yet for coins it's like a mix of cultures...

Waking up in Loja wasn't the worse thing that could've happened. It's a small little town full of shops. I had breakfast in a small cafe infront of the plaza. I went around and got deodorant, baby wipes, socks and a new shirt. 

Then tried to get a 3$ haircut, what a disaster, this woman had no idea!! Hahaha!

Went back to the hotel, took another shower, packed and got a cab to the bus station.

Got a bus to Vilcabamba ($1.30) and an hour later... I'm in a hostel in the mountains.

Today I had my first neck, back and arms massage. It was phenomenal. $12. 

I only wish the lady weren't breathing like the guy from Star Wars, that would've helped me relax...

Wish I could be staying here longer than 2 days, that's for sure! The sun is strong and the pool is nice.

People living here past the age of 100, is a myth, as many have confessed to have lied about their age... But there sure is a lot of old people here!!! 

Crossing into Ecuador

There are a few crossing from Peru to Ecuador. 

The most common tourist path is going through Tumbes straight to Guayaquil or Cuenca.

I went to a few agencies, looking for a way to go to Loja, with the final destination being Vilcabamba, a little town I've been hearing about since I entered Peru. People there live easily past 100!

All the agencies told me the exact same route. They said: departure at 8am, go to Sullana, change buses there, cross at Macara at around 11am and then go straight to Loja! 

Sounds long, but great I thought, for the peace of mind and especially because the Tumbes border Lonely Planet rants about being sketchy.

I googled other blogs and most didn't mention how they got from Mancora, Peru to Loja / Vilcabamba, Ecuador. 

I read a few that went the other way though: Loja / Vilcabamba, Ecuador to Piura, Peru!

So here's my (if I knew then, what I know now) tip! 

• Take an early mini van to Tumbes (15Soles) and get dropped off at CIFA agency. (Infront of the Villa Naval!) 
• Buy a ticket to Huaquillas. (4Soles) Departures at 10am, then 1:15pm!
• In Huaquillas walk a few blocks to the Loja station and buy your ticket to Loja (usd$6). Departs at 6pm.

The next morning, I go to the agency and waited till the lady arrives, late and tells me to go to another agency! There I await for a bus that's suppose to bring me to Sullana, hah! Wrong! They put me in a van and bring me to Tumbes. At that agency, we arrive late, so we have to wait for the next bus. The border was fine. Then another bus, and then wait for another bus.

The positive side of this, is that it went past the North coast of Peru... And there they have impressive beaches and for the most part, it's still unoccupied! It blew my mind! If rich people in the USA knew, they'd buy it all up like they did in Costa Rica and every other coast!

The beach that I thought was nicest was Zorritos. Wow! 

Where I'm at!

After 30 days in Peru, I'm in Ecuador! :D

Mancora - NOT "like the Cancun" of Peru...

Everyone told me I'd love Mancora, it's "like the Cancun" of Peru. Ummm, no.

Don't get me wrong, the ocean is beautiful... But mean and windy!! There's hardly any beach area.

The town is getting eaten by the ocean. This can be seen along the main beach, the shore/tide is coming up and not receding.

The town is bigger than I thought, the touristy part is rundown and consists on 2.5 main roads. 

The first is the PanAm North where the clothes & craft market is along with bakeries, tourism agencies, banks, pharmacies and little grocery stores. the other is the main to the beach which has expensive crap for the beach and some restaurants and then along the sea shore there's restaurants and bars.

There are sea food restaurants everywhere!

There are tuktuks everywhere. 

Along the main, in the direction of the market, there's the 7soles family runned lunch place, where all the tuktuk drivers go. It's called Restaurante Oriental. Don't order Tallarin of anything. 

What annoys me about Mancora is that they're not trying to keep it nice! Like, it has a few resorts, but not at all like Cancun quality! 

I went once, I don't usually go to resorts, but I sure know what the quality's like in Mexico... 

So, the sand is not as thin, there isin't much beach space and it's kinda all crumbling/falling apart. 

There's also a ton of hippies. Especially the ones that come to the place whilst you're eating. They play 2-3 shitty songs and want you to give them a coin. Assholes.

Time to move on. Tomorrow: Ecuador! :)

Ugliest Dog Ever:

"Peruvian Inca Orchid"

Seriously.

Google that, I'm not making it up. 

They're everywhere. 

Lima - Cloud, Capital & Coast

It's been cloudy ever since I got here. 

It doesn't rain though.

It gets pretty cold at night.

This capital isin't as scary as it seems. It's spread out and has a few favelas. 

Miraflores is an awesome and touristy place. 

I met up with Daniel and Ina and we randomly went to La Lucha, which is famous. I had their "asado" sandwich and I hope to eat there again... It was delicious!

We hung out, caught up and walked numerous times around the cat park. A group of girls interviewed us for their English class.

The next day we took the "free walking tour" and maybe it's because we did them at other places, but they're just not as interesting...

They took us to the centre of Lima. We watched the changing of guards. Took us to a market. Showed us a few churches... Gave us free samples of pisco. And collected their tips and we had to find our way home alone!

Then we went to get ceviche at "Punto Azul", it was delicious!! El Muelle in Barranco is good too, terrible service though! I suggest everyone try Peruvian ceviche atleast once in your life! 

Lima has so many food choices that don't make you sick!!! :)

It's also pretty clean. It's just a little difficult to navigate sometimes. Taxis are usually assholes that over charge me. Buses are always packed and stuck in traffic.

Barranco is interesting at night. It's hipster and fancy. Limeños love to dance and that's where you can find them.

Lima has coast, but it's a cliff... So no possibility of beaching! Not that you'd want to, because it's always cloudy and never rains!

Best museum is: Larco, it has a fascinating collection of pottery! 

Even an erotic section. 

Going to the movies is 9soles.

Kaclla Hostel is Miraflores was phenomenal, I got great sleep there! Their showers suck though. Maybe 6drops per minute? The manager lady is pretty rude too.

Check out LarcoMar mall, it's pretty nifty.

Leaving Lima, and going north, I booked the panoramic seat on top, on the left... I got to see a lot of the coast.

It was fascinating to see so much sand, and little homes built on top of it. 

Once in the state of Piura, you can see them drilling for oil and you can see the palm trees.

Nasca & Huacachina

I took a 14 hour bus from Cusco to Nasca. 

Once there I got lucky, an Asian girl got off the same bus as me and wanted to go see the lines as well. After storing my baggage at the terminal we go out to be harassed by all the taxi drivers. We get driven to the airport... During the ride we get the same bullshit discourse from the taxi driver of: "Have you booked? Can't fly if you haven't.... I can get you a special price...Blablabla..."

Got there and it was fine, there was lots of options.

It cost 70$USD. We took Aero Paracas!

Seeing the lines was one of the coolest things I've done. They were definitely hard to see, even though the airplane is swaying from side to side.... But they were AMAZING! 

Here are some photos I took! :)

It blew my mind how they were discovered in the first place, because they aren't so visible all the time...

Once that was done, they drove us back to the terminal and I took the cheap bus to Ica, where I got on a tuktuk to Huacachina!

I herd about this place through friends. It's fascinating because it's a little oasis... There I stayed at a fun hostel: Desert Nights. I got to be in a room in the back and that was great cause we didn't hear any noise from the kitchen, bar or reception! 

I took the tour and rode out in the desert- and as you know it... 

It's beautiful, but 5 minutes in and damn it, I hate sand... It's everywhere!!

Stayed two nights there and took the 5 hour bus to Lima!!

It's good to be in a city where I don't feel sick... Despite the fact that I'm currently battling some bites! Lol...

Where am I?

Arequipa, Peru!

After 22 days in Bolivia, it was time to move on!

I took the boat back to Copacabana, Bolivia and bought a ticket to Arequipa, Peru!

Took a bus to the border and got stamped! Walked 300mts,

 got stamped again and got back on the bus...

Went to Puno and got on another bus... That bus broke down 2 hours into the ride. So we were stranded on the shoulder road of a curve, that was beside a cliff... With no lights and it was cold. 

It is then that I think to myself, good thing I am doing this trip now, because I don't know if I'll have the same amount of patience in a few years!

I arrive in Arequipa 2 hours later than expected. I take a cab with an Italian couple and I go straight to bed.

Woke up feeling great. Decided to do the walking tours. This one wasn't as impressive as the one in La Paz. He just walked by museums and told us what's in them. 

Walking around Arequipa is charming though! It's colonial and beautiful! 

(Me @ Plaza de Armas)

Church facades have indigenous influence.

The "last supper" painting has a guinea pig on the table! (Couldn't use flash!) It's so Peruvian!! Haha love it!

It's surrounded by active volcanoes. It's low so the weather is lovely! Although you can't get a decent picture of the volcanoes without an antena infront of it!

The city has a charming crossing guard that is super chatty and loves tourists!

I tried their "queso helado", which is a native Arequipian thing.... It's like ice cream, they sell it everywhere along the plaza...

My favorite attraction was what I called the "Casa de La Moneda", the bank's museum... I went when it opened at 14:30 and had a private guide. The woman knew everything, she was phenomenal at explaining every detail! Couldn't take pictures. :/

What's interesting about Arequipa is that all buildings seem to have a yard. Banks, museums, Internet cafes... There are passages through out, linking various opposing streets together.