Monday, December 31, 2012
Colca Canyon part 3
Our second day in the Colca Canyon was also wonderful. We hiked for three hours and came to the touristy Oasis. It had a pool and the weather allowed us to swim both before and after lunch. The view was impressive and the other travellers were friendly. I ended up playing volleyball with a couple of Frenchmen and a South American man who thought that the game was made better by him using his head and feet instead of his arms and hands to play with. All in all the day was leisurely, warm, and entirely enjoyable. The day ended after a candle lit dinner as we were to make a 5am start to our hike out of the canyon the next day.
Our hike out was 1,000 meters of pure joy. We were told it would take three hours but we completed it in two. It was quite difficult due to the steep trail and especially the steps. We ate breakfast at the nearby town, played with a couple of delightful children, and caught our bus out of town. The drive was much more pleasant as we were not trying to make up for lost time. We made a few stops along the way and finally came to a buffet lunch.
Ashley and I were going to try to find something different because of the cost of the buffet but after seeing the dishes we threw caution to the wind and ate, and ate, and ate. We tried alpaca, a delicious guacamole, soups, a stuffed hot pepper that sent my sweat glands into overdrive, and of course delicious breads.
We finished our journey traveling back up to 5k, stopping to see Alpaca, Llama, and Vicuna. We also stopped to see an impressive ring of Volcanos in the area. We arrived safely back at La Posada del Virrey and have been here since, sorting through pictures, writing down our adventures, seeing different parts of the city, and relaxing. Tonight is a New Years celebration in the town square that we will be going to and tomorrow night we will be hopping on a bus for the ten hour ride to Cuzco where we will be waiting our turn to see Machu Picchu and the surrounding culture of the city.
Our hike out was 1,000 meters of pure joy. We were told it would take three hours but we completed it in two. It was quite difficult due to the steep trail and especially the steps. We ate breakfast at the nearby town, played with a couple of delightful children, and caught our bus out of town. The drive was much more pleasant as we were not trying to make up for lost time. We made a few stops along the way and finally came to a buffet lunch.
Ashley and I were going to try to find something different because of the cost of the buffet but after seeing the dishes we threw caution to the wind and ate, and ate, and ate. We tried alpaca, a delicious guacamole, soups, a stuffed hot pepper that sent my sweat glands into overdrive, and of course delicious breads.
We finished our journey traveling back up to 5k, stopping to see Alpaca, Llama, and Vicuna. We also stopped to see an impressive ring of Volcanos in the area. We arrived safely back at La Posada del Virrey and have been here since, sorting through pictures, writing down our adventures, seeing different parts of the city, and relaxing. Tonight is a New Years celebration in the town square that we will be going to and tomorrow night we will be hopping on a bus for the ten hour ride to Cuzco where we will be waiting our turn to see Machu Picchu and the surrounding culture of the city.
Colca Canyon part 2
While getting to the Canyon was frustrating, being there was absolutely wonderful. There were individuals who signed up for a two day trek who hiked for seven hours the first day arriving at dinner time to a resort area called the oasis. They then hiked out early the next morning. We signed up for a three day trek in which we hiked for three to four hours per day. We stayed with a family who lived in the valley the first night, the oasis the second night and hiked out early the third morning.
The family we stayed with had adapted their property into a type of hostel for the tourists. They provided meals as well as a store of sorts for us to purchase water, snacks, alcohol, and other niceties that tourists want or need. A 2.5L bottle of water that costs less than $1 in town was $4 with the family and a 1.5L bottle was as much at the Oasis. It was a steep price to pay for water but so are the walking paths to these places that the family walked with everything we ate and paid for loaded on their backs. There are no vehicles that go to these places. A rich person owns mules to carry things up and down the thousand meters it takes to get out of the canyon. A slightly less well off person owns donkeys.
Hiking is hiking. A mix sweat, steps, and scenery. It is always difficult to navigate the path while attempting to soak in the grandeur around. Luckily for us we had an excellent group and guide. There was myself, Ashley, Ramona who is Schweiz, Bernadette from Austria, and our guide Angel from northern Peru. We were very pleased with our companions throughout the trip and took to sharing stories and enjoying the sights together. Our guide Angel displayed a passion for the people of the valley and stopped us many times to inform us of the culture of the valley. History, cultural practices, religious beliefs and practices, daily life, seasonal life, economic information, and medicinal practices he shared with us throughout.
Upon arrival at the host family we were greeted with lunch and then reclined on the lawn for the rest of the day. We were blessed by beautiful weather the entire trip which is unusual as this is their rainy season. It was wonderful to lay on the lawn with our companions and bond while sharing an extremely overpriced beer that couldn't have hit the spot more. Around two it clouded up and got cold with a chilly wind so our cold beer turned into hot coca leaf tea. After that it was dinner and bedtime for an early start to our next hike.
Hiking is hiking. A mix sweat, steps, and scenery. It is always difficult to navigate the path while attempting to soak in the grandeur around. Luckily for us we had an excellent group and guide. There was myself, Ashley, Ramona who is Schweiz, Bernadette from Austria, and our guide Angel from northern Peru. We were very pleased with our companions throughout the trip and took to sharing stories and enjoying the sights together. Our guide Angel displayed a passion for the people of the valley and stopped us many times to inform us of the culture of the valley. History, cultural practices, religious beliefs and practices, daily life, seasonal life, economic information, and medicinal practices he shared with us throughout.
Upon arrival at the host family we were greeted with lunch and then reclined on the lawn for the rest of the day. We were blessed by beautiful weather the entire trip which is unusual as this is their rainy season. It was wonderful to lay on the lawn with our companions and bond while sharing an extremely overpriced beer that couldn't have hit the spot more. Around two it clouded up and got cold with a chilly wind so our cold beer turned into hot coca leaf tea. After that it was dinner and bedtime for an early start to our next hike.
Colca Canyon part 1
The Colca Canyon holds the Guiness world record as the deepest canyon in the world. It is over 4 kilometers at its lowest depths and averages above 3 kilometers throughout. The region holds intact some of the oldest remaining Peruvian culture predating the Inca civilization. There are villages which still hold the ancient beliefs modified by the dominion of the spanish, the finding of copper and silver, and the opportunities presented by the modern world. The people have adapted but still hold true to their way of life.
Colca Canyon is the number two tourist destination in Peru. In 2010 150,000 people came to see the sights that it holds. I am very glad that we did not go in high tourist season, it was cramped enough. We drove three hours to get there with 15 people in a Mercedes van. The vans used for the tours live a life of suffering as they make the trip every day carrying a full load of people and bags up to five thousand meters (that's 16,404 feet for you Yankees) and down through paved and unpaved stretches of road. Upon arrival the tour bus will pick up a group of tourists who have finished with their two to three day hike and immediately make the same trip back to Arequipa.
Our journey to the Canyon was not pleasant due to some very disorganized and hungover Australians. We were to be picked up at 3am from our hostel but we saw nothing of our van until 4am. We were picked up and drove down the street to the Hostel del Parque where we waited for 10 minutes before seeing any sign of movement. Two Aussies came down the stairs and apologized for the hold up. We informed them it was okay and nestled into our seats expecting to go for the next pickup. In total there were seven Aussies to come down the stairs, some of them mumbled things and then ran back up the stairs. We did not leave that hostel until 4:30am putting us an hour behind schedule. We were told by an individual who was in the van before us that the van had stopped at the Aussie's hostel two times before coming to pick us up. When we finally got on our way our driver decided it would be best to try to make up that hour by putting our lives at risk. We were absolutely flying around corners at ridiculous speeds. Our driver was leaning into the turns while everyone else without a steering wheel in front of them was holding on to whatever was available to stay alive. Surprisingly two individuals beside me slept the entire trip, I am still puzzled as to how this was accomplished. One lucky individual, myself, was sitting ahead of an Aussie with a particularly bad case of car sickness. I heard and smelled every belch, heave, gurgle, gasp, expletive, and grumble passed out of every orifice of his body. It was not the most pleasant two hours of life. When we got to the park entrance where we were to pay seventy Soles entrance fee we found out that three of the Aussies did not know about the fee or have enough money to cover it. I could go on but that was the worst of it, the van was split down the middle of Australians and people who held a localized grudge against Australia.
Along the way we stopped at a lookout to see the canyon but specifically to see the Andean Condor. This bird is a gigantic vulture whose wingspan can be up to 3.2 meters (10.5 feet) in length. The Condor can reach altitudes of 7 kilometers and can smell it's food from the same distance away. In the mornings the Condors start their search for food by catching the drafts of warm air to lift themselves high into the air. Without the heat drafts they would be unable to do what they do because they are too big to propel themselves high into the air. They are heavily protected due to near extinction and play a vital role in the culture of the people native to this region of the Andes.
Colca Canyon is the number two tourist destination in Peru. In 2010 150,000 people came to see the sights that it holds. I am very glad that we did not go in high tourist season, it was cramped enough. We drove three hours to get there with 15 people in a Mercedes van. The vans used for the tours live a life of suffering as they make the trip every day carrying a full load of people and bags up to five thousand meters (that's 16,404 feet for you Yankees) and down through paved and unpaved stretches of road. Upon arrival the tour bus will pick up a group of tourists who have finished with their two to three day hike and immediately make the same trip back to Arequipa.
Our journey to the Canyon was not pleasant due to some very disorganized and hungover Australians. We were to be picked up at 3am from our hostel but we saw nothing of our van until 4am. We were picked up and drove down the street to the Hostel del Parque where we waited for 10 minutes before seeing any sign of movement. Two Aussies came down the stairs and apologized for the hold up. We informed them it was okay and nestled into our seats expecting to go for the next pickup. In total there were seven Aussies to come down the stairs, some of them mumbled things and then ran back up the stairs. We did not leave that hostel until 4:30am putting us an hour behind schedule. We were told by an individual who was in the van before us that the van had stopped at the Aussie's hostel two times before coming to pick us up. When we finally got on our way our driver decided it would be best to try to make up that hour by putting our lives at risk. We were absolutely flying around corners at ridiculous speeds. Our driver was leaning into the turns while everyone else without a steering wheel in front of them was holding on to whatever was available to stay alive. Surprisingly two individuals beside me slept the entire trip, I am still puzzled as to how this was accomplished. One lucky individual, myself, was sitting ahead of an Aussie with a particularly bad case of car sickness. I heard and smelled every belch, heave, gurgle, gasp, expletive, and grumble passed out of every orifice of his body. It was not the most pleasant two hours of life. When we got to the park entrance where we were to pay seventy Soles entrance fee we found out that three of the Aussies did not know about the fee or have enough money to cover it. I could go on but that was the worst of it, the van was split down the middle of Australians and people who held a localized grudge against Australia.
Along the way we stopped at a lookout to see the canyon but specifically to see the Andean Condor. This bird is a gigantic vulture whose wingspan can be up to 3.2 meters (10.5 feet) in length. The Condor can reach altitudes of 7 kilometers and can smell it's food from the same distance away. In the mornings the Condors start their search for food by catching the drafts of warm air to lift themselves high into the air. Without the heat drafts they would be unable to do what they do because they are too big to propel themselves high into the air. They are heavily protected due to near extinction and play a vital role in the culture of the people native to this region of the Andes.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Quick update
We are back from our trip to Colca Canyon. It was definitely the best thing we've done so far. We took in some impressive sights, ate delicious food, met some good people and experienced life at 5,000 meters.
Today we are taking time to relax. We will focus on sorting through photos and planning the next stages of our trip.
More later.
Erik
Today we are taking time to relax. We will focus on sorting through photos and planning the next stages of our trip.
More later.
Erik
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Arequipa
It is six in the evening and it has already been a very long day. We arrived this morning at nine after a long twelve hour bus ride. We had not booked a hostel before but we had written a couple down. New rule, write the name of the hostel and the address. This will save time and hassle. We found our hostel, La Postada del Virrey, after almost two hours of walking and asking directions. Luckily a friendly front desk attendant at a very nice hotel phoned the place for us. A lady met us at the hotel and walked us up streets that we had already been, just a little further up than we went of course!
From the moment we arrived we both have had an agreeable sense of this city. I like it much more than any of the other towns we have spent time in. The streets are clean, the taxis don't honk as much, the food and the lodging (if you look in the right place) are cheaper. It has a more homely feel to it, instead of a mall it has a market and the town square is beautiful.
We have booked a three-day hike through Colca Canyon. We start tomorrow morning at 3am and finish on December 29 at 5:30pm. Originally we booked the 2-day hike but for $10 more per person we get an extra night's lodging and 3 extra meals so we decided to go for it. We are still learning how to budget properly and how to balance time with money spent. Six months is a long time and though we have not been spending money frivolously we have been blowing through our budget. Unfortunately due to dollar prices fluctuating, the Christmas season, and learning how to travel it has been a challenge to understand how to do so on a shoestring. There are some things we would have done differently had we known and some things we are paying closer attention to for the future. It is a large learning curve but we are enjoying it.
We have to go make dinner now. Would you believe how difficult it is to find ingredients for tacos in this country? Oh irony.
The photos were taken while writing this. There is one of the setting sun in the city, one of our room (on the right), and one of the Volcano "Mismi" that towers over Arequipa.
I've got to go make dinner. Will post again after our trip to Colca Canyon as we will not have internet access there.
Erik
From the moment we arrived we both have had an agreeable sense of this city. I like it much more than any of the other towns we have spent time in. The streets are clean, the taxis don't honk as much, the food and the lodging (if you look in the right place) are cheaper. It has a more homely feel to it, instead of a mall it has a market and the town square is beautiful.
We have booked a three-day hike through Colca Canyon. We start tomorrow morning at 3am and finish on December 29 at 5:30pm. Originally we booked the 2-day hike but for $10 more per person we get an extra night's lodging and 3 extra meals so we decided to go for it. We are still learning how to budget properly and how to balance time with money spent. Six months is a long time and though we have not been spending money frivolously we have been blowing through our budget. Unfortunately due to dollar prices fluctuating, the Christmas season, and learning how to travel it has been a challenge to understand how to do so on a shoestring. There are some things we would have done differently had we known and some things we are paying closer attention to for the future. It is a large learning curve but we are enjoying it.
We have to go make dinner now. Would you believe how difficult it is to find ingredients for tacos in this country? Oh irony.
The photos were taken while writing this. There is one of the setting sun in the city, one of our room (on the right), and one of the Volcano "Mismi" that towers over Arequipa.
I've got to go make dinner. Will post again after our trip to Colca Canyon as we will not have internet access there.
Erik
Monday, December 24, 2012
Huacachina, Peru
Exclusively tourists and services thereof. The town is built around an oasis (which is green and cloudy). Our hostel is called Casa de arena; built around a pool which is is blue and cloudy. The town has a number of restaurants which are overpriced for the tourists who eat there. Nearby is the town of Ica which is much bigger, about 250,000 people. Ica has some tourism but is not focused solely on it.
We have done touristy things here. Yesterday we went dune buggy-ing and sand-boarding. I was worried when our dune buggy driver showed up fifteen minutes late. He looked tranquil but bored and a little annoyed. I was worried when we didn't get moving until half hour after our appointed time. As it turns out our driver races in the Dakar race which is held every year starting in January through the deserts of Peru, Bolivia, and Chile. It is a gruelling race covering a huge distance. It turned into an exciting adventure. Our driver did things none of the other drivers were doing. He took us up, over, and down some huge dunes, whizzed around corners, and even through a canyon. Anytime we stopped close to other buggies he would impress us by skidding in dangerously close to other buggies/people, dangerously close. Our driver knew how to handle a buggy and it was amazing. We also sand-boarded.
Today we went to the paracas reserve where we saw a number of birds and marine life. We also saw the candelabra which is an imprint in the desert sands made by unknown people at an unknown time. It was first recorded in 1902 but is speculated to by thousands of years old most likely used as a port marker. I saw a number of fishing vessels as well. They were purse seiners and they catch anchovies. Peru's economy is heavily dependant on fishing and I am very excited to see more.
Tomorrow we are leaving Huacachina at 8pm and heading for Arequipa. A twelve hour bus ride that will bring us to the base of the Andes. We will be especially looking forward to the Colca Canyon which is one of the deepest canyons in the world.
Erik
We have done touristy things here. Yesterday we went dune buggy-ing and sand-boarding. I was worried when our dune buggy driver showed up fifteen minutes late. He looked tranquil but bored and a little annoyed. I was worried when we didn't get moving until half hour after our appointed time. As it turns out our driver races in the Dakar race which is held every year starting in January through the deserts of Peru, Bolivia, and Chile. It is a gruelling race covering a huge distance. It turned into an exciting adventure. Our driver did things none of the other drivers were doing. He took us up, over, and down some huge dunes, whizzed around corners, and even through a canyon. Anytime we stopped close to other buggies he would impress us by skidding in dangerously close to other buggies/people, dangerously close. Our driver knew how to handle a buggy and it was amazing. We also sand-boarded.
Today we went to the paracas reserve where we saw a number of birds and marine life. We also saw the candelabra which is an imprint in the desert sands made by unknown people at an unknown time. It was first recorded in 1902 but is speculated to by thousands of years old most likely used as a port marker. I saw a number of fishing vessels as well. They were purse seiners and they catch anchovies. Peru's economy is heavily dependant on fishing and I am very excited to see more.
Tomorrow we are leaving Huacachina at 8pm and heading for Arequipa. A twelve hour bus ride that will bring us to the base of the Andes. We will be especially looking forward to the Colca Canyon which is one of the deepest canyons in the world.
Erik
An open letter to Greyhound
Dear Greyhound,
Please get with the program.
Sincerely,
Erik Olson
We are currently heading to a town called Ica which is about 50k inland from the Pacific Ocean. Ica is a tourist destination because it is in a desert with large dunes and it is also located very close to what is apparently South America's only oasis, Huacachina Oasis. In Ica we hope to see the dunes (apparently sand-boarding adventures await), see a museum with artifacts and mummies of the people who lived in the desert before the Inca Empire, see the Oasis, and see the Paracas wildlife reserve in Paracas an hour away from Ica.
We are having a few challenges due to the holiday season. There are many people traveling during the break which sometimes makes it difficult to find accommodation, or at least affordably so. We are hoping to be in Cuzco for New Years but we were told it will be very difficult to find a hostel during that time.
Regarding the above letter. We are currently traveling 5 hours by bus using the Cruz Del Sur bus-lines. We are sitting on the second deck reclined in extremely comfortable chairs able to recline and support our legs. We have a travel attendant who brought us breakfast (a bun with meat and cheese and an apple), beverages, and is waiting in with snacks to purchase. On the televisions we have seen a Peru promotional video, Cirque du Soliel's "Allegria" (which we saw when it came through Kelowna a few years back), and we are currently watching Hugo with subtitles. I also felt welcome by the staff at the bus depot and on the bus. All of this for $40 for both of us. Why Greyhound, why?
E
Please get with the program.
Sincerely,
Erik Olson
We are currently heading to a town called Ica which is about 50k inland from the Pacific Ocean. Ica is a tourist destination because it is in a desert with large dunes and it is also located very close to what is apparently South America's only oasis, Huacachina Oasis. In Ica we hope to see the dunes (apparently sand-boarding adventures await), see a museum with artifacts and mummies of the people who lived in the desert before the Inca Empire, see the Oasis, and see the Paracas wildlife reserve in Paracas an hour away from Ica.
We are having a few challenges due to the holiday season. There are many people traveling during the break which sometimes makes it difficult to find accommodation, or at least affordably so. We are hoping to be in Cuzco for New Years but we were told it will be very difficult to find a hostel during that time.
Regarding the above letter. We are currently traveling 5 hours by bus using the Cruz Del Sur bus-lines. We are sitting on the second deck reclined in extremely comfortable chairs able to recline and support our legs. We have a travel attendant who brought us breakfast (a bun with meat and cheese and an apple), beverages, and is waiting in with snacks to purchase. On the televisions we have seen a Peru promotional video, Cirque du Soliel's "Allegria" (which we saw when it came through Kelowna a few years back), and we are currently watching Hugo with subtitles. I also felt welcome by the staff at the bus depot and on the bus. All of this for $40 for both of us. Why Greyhound, why?
E
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Downtown Lima
Today was a big day. We walked downtown Lima. We saw the mayoral building, the Governator's palace, and a Franciscan monastery. The Monastery was definitely the highlight as we could go in it and it was filled with beautiful paintings, carvings, architecture etc. It also held the bones of 25,000+ monks and citizens of Lima from the sixteenth century to now.
We did more important things today though. We shopped for two meals at the grocery store and it cost the equivalent of half the dinner we ate yesterday. We took a taxi into town and did not get swindled, we took public transit home and didn't get lost (thank God for kind locals), we bought bus tickets to Ica, planned if we were going North or South, and made some acquaintances who were experienced travellers. We also showered, so we've got that going for us. We are now going to make dinner and hang out in the hostel for the evening.
Tomorrow is a travel day; catching the bus at 7 up at 5:30.
We did more important things today though. We shopped for two meals at the grocery store and it cost the equivalent of half the dinner we ate yesterday. We took a taxi into town and did not get swindled, we took public transit home and didn't get lost (thank God for kind locals), we bought bus tickets to Ica, planned if we were going North or South, and made some acquaintances who were experienced travellers. We also showered, so we've got that going for us. We are now going to make dinner and hang out in the hostel for the evening.
Tomorrow is a travel day; catching the bus at 7 up at 5:30.
Friday, December 21, 2012
Lima, Peru (Miraflores)
It is the first day of summer but it is overcast. It is humid. It is windy. Ashley is cold. I am warm. It is breezy but the humidity and the ocean have created a fog of sorts. The kind of fog that the breeze cannot clear away. I could not see the city when we flew in; it was dark. I cannot see the city now; there is fog. The smell of the ocean is familiar. The smell of the trees and bushes is not. The smell of gas fumes is familiar. The smell of humid, dusty concrete is as well but only from distant memories; Delhi and Minneapolis.
We walked down the road today and saw a busy Friday city. We were not greeted, hustled, harassed, smiled at, or asked questions of. There are many travellers in Lima. The people keep to their own business; not unlike home. Unlike home the buildings are very worn. Many are in disrepair and construction is all around. Garbage bags are piled in random places waiting to be picked up by the unseen garbage service seen last night at 4am.
We were told to go to the market. We went. We went to a mall that was building into the cliff facing the ocean. We found Peruvian hand-crafts; it was right beside Gucci. On a large balcony was TGI Fridays and around the corner was KFC pollo. It was exotic. We will be going downtown tomorrow to see the sights. We will buy bus tickets to Pisco and continue south from there.
Erik
We walked down the road today and saw a busy Friday city. We were not greeted, hustled, harassed, smiled at, or asked questions of. There are many travellers in Lima. The people keep to their own business; not unlike home. Unlike home the buildings are very worn. Many are in disrepair and construction is all around. Garbage bags are piled in random places waiting to be picked up by the unseen garbage service seen last night at 4am.
We were told to go to the market. We went. We went to a mall that was building into the cliff facing the ocean. We found Peruvian hand-crafts; it was right beside Gucci. On a large balcony was TGI Fridays and around the corner was KFC pollo. It was exotic. We will be going downtown tomorrow to see the sights. We will buy bus tickets to Pisco and continue south from there.
Erik
Nailed it!
We made it! We are currently laying in a silk sleep sack at the Backpacker's family hostel in Lima, Peru. It is also 4am and we are going to sleep. Updates, fun stories, and first impressions to follow.
E
That was what Erik wrote last night. It is now noon and we have forced ourselves to get out of bed, chatted with the hostel worker, and are ready to explore Miraflores a bit. I am sure Erik will want to recount the events of last night, but I am far too lazy and it is not interesting enough; just your typical traveling woes. We are here, we are almost healthy (my cold is lingering), and we are happy. Delayed flights, late luggage and a lost cab driver haven't dampened our spirits.
So Mom, we are here, we are safe, and we are happy.
Love from Peru,
Ashley
E
That was what Erik wrote last night. It is now noon and we have forced ourselves to get out of bed, chatted with the hostel worker, and are ready to explore Miraflores a bit. I am sure Erik will want to recount the events of last night, but I am far too lazy and it is not interesting enough; just your typical traveling woes. We are here, we are almost healthy (my cold is lingering), and we are happy. Delayed flights, late luggage and a lost cab driver haven't dampened our spirits.
So Mom, we are here, we are safe, and we are happy.
Love from Peru,
Ashley
Thursday, December 20, 2012
To sleep or not to sleep?
1am.
2 hours to sleep.
Make our way to the airport at 3.
Arrive at 4.
5 more hours until we fly.
6am our flight leaves.
And now a Haiku.
I am so sleepy
But I have to stay awake
Or I'll catch typhoid
Erik
2 hours to sleep.
Make our way to the airport at 3.
Arrive at 4.
5 more hours until we fly.
6am our flight leaves.
And now a Haiku.
I am so sleepy
But I have to stay awake
Or I'll catch typhoid
Erik
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
the time ashley almost died
Hello again. It was quite late when I posted last night and I found myself drifting off to sleep, much like the car that was drifting off the road. Here are a couple more tidbits of information that Ashley and I found to be some of the highlights of the event.
First of all the driver had a few classic quotes that clarified the incident. Ashley said she saw him a minute prior to the accident zooming past us and thought "That dummy is going to get in an accident." After he all was said and done he articulated what had happened inside the car this way "I felt the mother f*$%er lose traction and start drifting toward the snow bank so I slammed the f*%$ing breaks as hard as I could." Sigh...
The most exciting part after the accident was hanging out just between the old toll booth and the great bear snow shed for forty minutes. It was two lanes, icy, and cold. I herded the group from standing by the crashed vehicle to standing in front of our car that was parked and had its hazard lights on. I didn't feel comfortable exposed on an icy highway but we were waiting for a tow-truck or emergency response or just anything.
At one point Ashley was in the car warming up while myself and the two others were standing in front of my car. I was annoyed with how few people even tried to slow down. I was even more annoyed (and terrified) when I saw that a semi-truck had applied his breaks to slow down and was now drifting sideways towards the vehicle that Ashley was in.
It was interesting to see the situation register on Ashley's face. I shouted her name to warn her of the danger and she looked up at me and then turned to look out the back window. She saw the semi's trailer sliding toward her and she was out of the car and climbing up the snow bank before I could shout for her to stay in the car (I don't know what was safest).
Luckily the truck straightened out; skidding to a stop just after our vehicle. I may have shouted something at him that wasn't very supportive of his driving skills.
In the end we were all safe and sound but it was an exciting ride.
First of all the driver had a few classic quotes that clarified the incident. Ashley said she saw him a minute prior to the accident zooming past us and thought "That dummy is going to get in an accident." After he all was said and done he articulated what had happened inside the car this way "I felt the mother f*$%er lose traction and start drifting toward the snow bank so I slammed the f*%$ing breaks as hard as I could." Sigh...
The most exciting part after the accident was hanging out just between the old toll booth and the great bear snow shed for forty minutes. It was two lanes, icy, and cold. I herded the group from standing by the crashed vehicle to standing in front of our car that was parked and had its hazard lights on. I didn't feel comfortable exposed on an icy highway but we were waiting for a tow-truck or emergency response or just anything.
At one point Ashley was in the car warming up while myself and the two others were standing in front of my car. I was annoyed with how few people even tried to slow down. I was even more annoyed (and terrified) when I saw that a semi-truck had applied his breaks to slow down and was now drifting sideways towards the vehicle that Ashley was in.
It was interesting to see the situation register on Ashley's face. I shouted her name to warn her of the danger and she looked up at me and then turned to look out the back window. She saw the semi's trailer sliding toward her and she was out of the car and climbing up the snow bank before I could shout for her to stay in the car (I don't know what was safest).
Luckily the truck straightened out; skidding to a stop just after our vehicle. I may have shouted something at him that wasn't very supportive of his driving skills.
In the end we were all safe and sound but it was an exciting ride.
Does this look like the start of a grand adventure?
We were two cars behind and saw this vehicle swerve straight into the snowbank with a puff of snow. It would have been magical if the potential for harm wasn't there. We responded to the accident with one other fellow and found that no one had been injured but they were shaken up of course. Ashley scanned for injuries while I helped with phone calls. In the end they stayed with a BC transit manager while we went on our merry way. We are both happy that no one was injured.
E
E
Friday, December 14, 2012
Master of Counseling
I am pleased to announce that I have been accepted into City University of Seattle's Master's of Counseling program. The school has locations all throughout the world with the program I am accepted into based in Vancouver. The program is a three year mixed-mode program which means the bulk of the work will be online and I will have to travel to Vancouver a few weekends per year for classes.
Thanks to everyone who provided character references for me. We are very excited and also nervous to see what the future holds.
Erik
Thanks to everyone who provided character references for me. We are very excited and also nervous to see what the future holds.
Erik
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Our Grand Adventure!
As many (or maybe just some of you) know we are heading off on a six-month adventure. We had casually talked about going traveling for a while and about a year and a half ago decided that it was now or never. Erik has quit his job and I was granted a leave of absence from mine so we are off! Leaving Thursday, December 20, 2012.
I have dubbed this trip "Our Grand Adventure" as we will be tromping around a large portion of the globe and this may very well be the only lengthy trip we go on.
We will begin our adventure in South America, move along for a short stop in Scotland, spend the majority of our time in South East Asia, and then I will continue on to Australia to visit a dear friend while Erik makes his way home.
A rough outline is provided below, if you're interested.
South America
- Nine Weeks.
- Fly in and out of Lima, Peru.
- Spending most of our time in Peru and Ecuador, but potentially visiting Bolivia and Columbia as well.
Scotland
- Two weeks.
- We are flying from Lima to Amsterdam (with two brief layovers along the way) and will spend roughly 36 hours in Amsterdam.
- We fly from Amsterdam to Inverness, Scotland and we will quickly make our way around the north before heading to Edinburgh to visit college friends.
- After a couple days in Edinburgh we will head to Isle of Arran with said college friends for the weekend before flying from Glasgow back to Amsterdam.
South East Asia
- Thirteen Weeks.
- This seems so far in the future that we haven't even thought about this much.
- Starting in Thailand then working our way to Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia before doing southern Thailand.
- We have a couple friends meeting us for 3+ weeks in SEA and so they will probably dictate what we do those few weeks we get to see them.
*At this point, Erik will return home to go fishing in Alaska and I will continue on solo.
Australia
- Three weeks.
- I have a friend from high school who lives there so I'll be visiting her.
- Maybe do a bit of traveling, maybe sit on her couch for three weeks straight.
- This will largely be dependent on how much money we have left over.
And that's the plan. If you can even call it a plan. Our flights are booked and that is all we have planned out.
I have dubbed this trip "Our Grand Adventure" as we will be tromping around a large portion of the globe and this may very well be the only lengthy trip we go on.
We will begin our adventure in South America, move along for a short stop in Scotland, spend the majority of our time in South East Asia, and then I will continue on to Australia to visit a dear friend while Erik makes his way home.
A rough outline is provided below, if you're interested.
South America
- Nine Weeks.
- Fly in and out of Lima, Peru.
- Spending most of our time in Peru and Ecuador, but potentially visiting Bolivia and Columbia as well.
Scotland
- Two weeks.
- We are flying from Lima to Amsterdam (with two brief layovers along the way) and will spend roughly 36 hours in Amsterdam.
- We fly from Amsterdam to Inverness, Scotland and we will quickly make our way around the north before heading to Edinburgh to visit college friends.
- After a couple days in Edinburgh we will head to Isle of Arran with said college friends for the weekend before flying from Glasgow back to Amsterdam.
South East Asia
- Thirteen Weeks.
- This seems so far in the future that we haven't even thought about this much.
- Starting in Thailand then working our way to Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia before doing southern Thailand.
- We have a couple friends meeting us for 3+ weeks in SEA and so they will probably dictate what we do those few weeks we get to see them.
*At this point, Erik will return home to go fishing in Alaska and I will continue on solo.
Australia
- Three weeks.
- I have a friend from high school who lives there so I'll be visiting her.
- Maybe do a bit of traveling, maybe sit on her couch for three weeks straight.
- This will largely be dependent on how much money we have left over.
And that's the plan. If you can even call it a plan. Our flights are booked and that is all we have planned out.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken.
The crownless again shall be king.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)