Cuzco

well, i´ve realized that i´m not cut out for this blog stuff. I have averaged 2 blogs a month, and so far i haven´t written at all about being in Peru. I will skip the first week or so, because it was just traveling through to lima. After Lima, I went to Ica, and then Huacachina, a small town out in the sand dunes, famous for its dune-buggying and sand-boarding. I thought it was going to be full of bros, just partying and having a good time in the sun. and i was right. The dune-buggying and sand boarding were both really fun though. I don´t regret going there and would even recommend it, if you can deal with idiots pounding pisco sours and screaming to 80´s music. Next I went to Arequipa, and booked a 3 day hike to the colca canyon, the second deepest in the world. It was a really beautiful place, especially all of the terrace farming, which has been pretty ubiquitous here in southern peru. I could have reached out and touched the condors that flew past the first lookout on the first day in. After running down the trail, passing about 5 tour groups, i had to wait for my group for 30 minutes or so. We stayed at a verdant hostal at the canyon bottom, which seemed out of place. The next day we hiked across the valley floor to another hostal, where we played soccer and swam around in the pool. After running up the canyon the next day, i waited again for my tour group. In the next town i was able to exchange Ivan Turgenev´s Fathers and Sons, for Catch 22...jackpot. On the trek i met an Australian, Dave, who has been traveling with me since. The next day, we caught a bus for Puno, and lake Titicaca. The city was pretty dingy and the islands were extremely touristic, although the villages floating on platforms made of reeds were pretty impressive.

That night, we caught a bus to Cuzco or Qosco as it was called by the Incans, meaning, ´center of the world.´ Cuzco is surrounded by incredible ruins, and we explored them after a day of rest. The stonework is absolutely incredible. I couldn´t fit a knife into the seams between rocks the size of refrigerators. I don´t have pics right now, but Dave is going to send me a flash drive full of them when he gets back home. More soon on Cuzco and Machu Picchu. Getting homesick, so i can´t wait to see you all again.

So, after leaving the farm, I went to a smaller, but more ´focused´farm where there was more work and more to learn about permaculture. Things started off well, but there was always debate on how much food each person was eating. All the volunteers were eating a lot because we were working hard all day, and this upset the managers of the farm. I met some really great people, and learned a bit about building with green materials, composting, humanure, and various aspects of starting and maintaining a small-scale organic farm. It was a great opportunity, but I was happy to be on the road again, traveling to Baños with 3 people from France and one from Quebec. Baños is a town for adventure sport enthusiasts, if you have the money. The first day we were there, we went bungee jumping, swimming in waterfalls, and soaked in the hotsprings at the end of the day. It was an interesting time for me, because as usual, large groups who speak the same language will fall into the easiest one. Unfortunately, that was French, and I can´t speak a word. After a night at a salsa club, where we met up with more people from France and I couldn´t communicate with anyone, I decided to head off on my own to Riobamba and ride the famous Nariz del Diablo (devil´s nose) train. It no longer made it all the way to Riobamba due to rock slides, so i stayed the next night in Alausí. The train ride provided some nice vistas, but as you are no longer able to sit on the roof of the train by president´s decree, it wasn´t all that thrilling. That day, I made it back to Baños to have a soak and sleep. The next morning, today, I met up with Becky and Johnny, a couple from the never land farm. One brit one from Indiana. We had another relaxing day and may meet up with our German friend Nora, another Never Land ex-pat. Hope to be updating more often as I will have more consistent internet access. Love you all.

Leaving Never Land

It was with a heavy heart that I left Never Never Land... but seriously it was pretty difficult for me to go. I had an amazing time learning from incredible books and incredible people, all dedicated to sustainable living and organic farming as the new food and lifestyle revolution in the states. I have learned from and been inspired by the highly motivated individuals who are changing the world. Never Land was more of a community than a farm, and although the owner wasn´t always honest and didn´t treat others with enough respect, the others made it a stimulating place to be. I have really started to miss being home and seeing all of my friends and family. Actually, i wish that you all could be here. In helping to cook for 12 or so people at every meal, i´ve learned how to make some pretty good dishes, especially from the French chef who is currently at the farm. However, I think that a month is sufficient time for me to have spent there. It´s not that i can´t learn more there, it is just that a new setting with provide a huge range of new ideas and stimuli.

The next farm i´m heading to is called Sacred Sueños http://www.sacredsuenos.com/who.html, which is run by a Canadian ¨couple¨who are only really married so that Jennifer could get a longer visa. According to those who have spent time there, the couple is extremely knowledgable about land restoration, as well as any other topic imaginable, and has an extremely ambitious plan to restore an extremely degraded 10 hectares of mountainside terrain. So I will be helping out with planting crops to restore a healthy nutrient balance, building an adobe green house, moving the ´chicken tractor´(an innovative concept for preparing soil), and whatever else is asked of me. I can´t tell you how much I am learning, but I hope I will be able to show you when I get back home. I love you all and miss you. I probably won´t be back in town for the next two weeks while i´m at the farm, so until then, don´t wait to accomplish that which is most important to you.

Never Never Land

Never Never Land is an incredible farm who´s previous owner originated the frutarian diet, so you can imagine the huge variety of tropical fruits available right in front of my house. There are people here from all over the world, and there is always something exciting and new to experience. I drove an oxen team the other day, I have eaten all kinds of interesting foods, I´ve had intense talks and debates with people from all over, and I got Giardia! I have been reading almost nonstop during my free time, absorbing all kinds of new ideas about nutrition, diet, disease, spirituality, etc. This place is truly magical, and I feel lucky that I should be able to spend these weeks here. There is a gigantic tree near the river which must be several hundred years old. It is immense and there are all kinds of nooks to sit in and think or read or nap. There are three dogs native to the farm and each has their own quirks. Boomer is a Husky...who lives in the jungle. He takes his hot frustration out on the neighbors´ goats and chickens, so he is now permanently on a chain. Tuti is an annoying black lab mix who barks at anything that moves, but will protect any person on the farm with her life. Nova is the favorite of everyone here. She looks like a mostly white welsh corgi and she is extremely down to earth. Everyone is a good cook, and i´m learning how to make breads and all kinds of different dishes. That´s about it for now, i will hopefully post next weekend.

Vilcabamba

Here I am in the town of eternal youth, Vilcabamba, on the way to my new home outside of Tumianuma. This town is really nice and is known for its multitudes of octogenarians and claims to have many residents over 100, although upon further research it isn´t really too out of the norm. I wouldn´t be surprised if it were true, because the town is set in a beautiful valley and all of the citizens here seem really nice. It is 10 in the morning now and I spent 15 hours on a bus last night coming from Quito to Loja to here. I´m waiting for another bus at 1 to take me the final leg to Tumianuma. I will be working on an organic farm there called never never land, so you know it´s legit. It is owned by an American woman and as far as I can tell a whole lot of ¨hippies¨. It should be a great experience, search google for Chirusco Never Never Land and the website should come up. I wish I had brought more books as it is difficult to find any used books that don´t cost 8 dollars, which is more than a night in a hostal and breakfast. I´ve been reading a ton, and I´m gonna hopefully do some MCAT studying in the quiet evenings on the farm. I will be out of contact for an indefinite period starting tomorrow, but i will try to make the trip back here at least once a week to post pics, updates, and to use my skype, which i can now call landlines and cell phones in the states with! Until then. I love you all.

The Napo River at Sunset

What a mess. After trying for almost a week to integrate into the Colegio Tecnico de Yachana, I couldn't stay any longer. I am back in Quito, planning out my next move. Today will be full of e'mails and maybe a visit to the 'South American Explorer's Club.' I know, it sounds like it would be a bunch of brits in safari gear preparing to go hunt some indigenous tribes, but I hear it is helpful place for connections, ideas, maps, etc. I have one contact near mount chimborazo (the farthest terrain from the center of the earth), training guides in english so that they can better interact with their clientele. That sounds like a great idea, but i'm not sure if they are still taking volunteers and I also don't want this to end up like Yachana. I wish I had more interesting things to report, but I haven't really done anything yet meriting the creation of this blog. Let's hope that changes soon.