Kara's Guest Blog

Hey everyone, so I know you've been waiting for a new post and here it is. My friends from college, Kara and Cappie, came to visit me for an action packed trip over Easter and here is what one of them had to say about it. I have tons of pictures which I will post when I am not on a public computer. Happy reading! I have to admit I was cracking up laughing at parts...

Oh Peru. How can I even begin? The trip was absolutely amazing and I couldn’t have asked for a better travel buddy and tour guide- 2 actually! Steph was awesome and I don’t know what we would have done without Paulo! Looking back through the pictures now I can’t believe it came and went so fast! It had been a trip more than 2 years in the making. It started when Steph was waiting to find out where she would be placed, because where she went was where we would be going to visit her. When we found out it was Peru, I told my mom that soon I would be going to visit Steph in Peru; she wasn’t too excited and started her worrying around graduation as we talked about the big Peru trip that would someday take place. When Steph moved away, the rest of us stayed in the US either going to school or getting “big girl jobs.” I can still remember Steph talking about “this crazy place,” and creating a picture in my mind while I sat on my couch talking to her through a computer and complaining about my job at Nordstrom’s. I knew it had to be hard, but in my mind she lived in a picturesque little town and got to visit the main little town of Piura, a little bigger but still very cute, and sometimes she would even get to go visit Lima, which I pictured as an old European city with cobble stone streets (probably closer to what Spain looks like and much less like what Peru looks like). Why I don’t know. I knew it had to be different than it was in my mind, so going to Peru I had absolutely no idea what to expect. And my preparation plans for thorough research and buying Rosetta stone to understand Spanish somehow fell by the wayside. All I had was what Steph had told me, what I had read in her blog, Robyn’s advice, and what I had in my mind (which was completely wrong). All I can say is I am glad I did not know what to expect and what the trip would be like…

I was so excited to be travelling with Cappie, and especially glad to have someone (but even better that it was her!) as we went to “this crazy place.” We got to catch up on the plane ride over which was awesome, and the whole time I was wondering what it would be like. When we arrived in Lima, Steph was waiting behind a crowd of people holding signs and welcome home posters and I was a little overwhelmed to see that many people. We were so excited to see her and she looked so tan and pretty and happy. We got into the cab and went to our hotel. The cab driver didn’t seem to realize there were stop signs or red lights. It was past midnight and we drove through the neighborhoods where people were walking around, there were a few florescent lights on here and there in what looked like to be a poor area. I didn’t know how safe it was, but went with it. (I had decided that was going to be my motto for the whole trip. For those of you that don’t know me, I can be a little bit of a scaredy cat nervous nelly and Cappie and Steph are more adventurous than I am; didn’t want to bring my girls down. We took a nap and got up at 5am to go back to the airport. We flew to Arequipa and landed in the morning. It was a gorgeous morning. We got into another cab and the first song we heard was the Beatles. Next came the red hot chilli peppers. Cappie and I laughed at the songs they played and again at the blatant disregard for traffic lanes, pedestrians, stop signs and other cars. We got to our hostel (my first time staying in one) and sat up on the roof deck taking pictures and hanging out with 3 other Peace Corps Volunteers. It was so nice to be on vacation!

In the afternoon we walked around the town and plaza, took more pictures and decided to get some drinks and appetizers. Steph kept commenting on how amazing the city was. While I thought it was beautiful and great, she said to just wait and we would see where she was coming from.

We went to the roof top of a building in the plaza and got a table so we could look out over everything. We ordered pisco sours, some fried cheese things, and chicken and a potato cake. The piscos were so delicious and the food not so much. The guinea pig grossed me out and looked exactly like a guinea-fried and with fangs and all. We took more pictures and caught up which was so nice. After that we went to our room, got ready and went to a famous, trendy Peruvian restaurant. Cappie ordered us amazing wine (Malbec which I have been loving ever since) and they gave us these amazing breads. We ordered dinner and walked back across the street to our cute little hostel.

The next morning we got up at 5:30am to get on the bus to go to Chivay, Yanke, and the Colca canyon. I could pronounce all of those names so well not (ask the curly haired tour guide and my marimacha). We bumped our way up the mountain and I am glad we made it without the bus falling over like I thought it was going to many a time. We arrived in Chivay, and walked up the hill to the plaza. Along the way we saw cows in the road walking along with all of the motos and fast driving combis. It was a cute little town and we walked around for a while trying to find a combi to take us to Yanke. Steph asked a few people, but in Peru apparently they do not like to admit they do not know something and do not ever want to tell you no, so we were pointed in a few different directions. Finally we found the little dirt driveway where combis sit and wait to be filled up as much as possible before taking you to your destination. This was something I had been dreading as I really enjoy my personal space. Peruvians probably don’t have a term for that and I’m guessing they wouldn’t know what it means. I did not mind the combi and had a great time sitting in the back with mis amigas, both of whom I kept thinking how nice it was to be with them. We went further up the mountains to Yanke, a very small, traditional town. In the plaza there were so many cute dogs just lying around . Cappie and I loved them and took so many pictures of the cuties. Steph warned us not to touch them because she said they all probably have lice. Fantastic. One of the other Peace Corps volunteers had set us up with a tour guide so we wandered around the town. It was a beautiful day and very peaceful all the way up there; I really liked it. After going back to Chivay to eat lunch. We found a place that had pizza! Steph said she bet they actually didn’t have it, but Cappie and I for sure thought they would. We were so excited but when we got in they did not have it. It took us about two hours as many of the meals did because they have a different idea of service. After lunch we took a moto to the hot springs. The moto didn’t work so well and we thought it was going to break down the entire time. It was hilarious and luckily he got us almost the whole way to the top but after many crazy noises he admitted it wouldn’t be able to make it. It wasn’t a bad walk to the hot springs which were so nice and relaxing.

After a few hours we wanted to go back to Chivay (we were all over the place and did so much traveling the whole time) for appetizers and drinks. We took a taxi to a combi and again another hilarious transportation ride ensued. It already had more people in it that we thought could fit, but we were all squished in together. Cappie and I were sitting on the back of the driver seat facing all of the people and we bumped along. An older lady looked at Cappie and I and asked if we were from Lima. We asked each other if we looked Peruvian in any way; Cappie green eyes and some freckles, me light hair and green eyes and we obviously did not speak Spanish. We just laughed to each other and then told her estados unidos. I would have thought everyone would have known we were American and it surprised both of us gringas, but the curly haired tour guide said that people in Lima all looked different and many had light hair and skin. She also said people in the small towns sometimes didn’t know. That made a little sense, but why she thought we were from Peru when we couldn’t speak the language was funny. I decided to get a video of this little ride we were taking and before we knew it, a few people waved us down and the driver stopped. There were 3 people who wanted to get in and there was an argument about how there was no room, but the people wanted to get in. We were dying laughing and luckily I have it on video because one of the larger older ladies wearing a very full traditional skirt shoved her way in and sat half on top of the lady facing me, half on the floor. And away we went down the mountain. We found another restaurant and were so excited because they said they had pizza and second time’s the charm right? Nope. But we got cusqueña rubia, a Peruvian beer, which I loved and hung out on the second floor and watched the reenactment of Jesus carrying the cross go by. We also saw so many little kids wearing their traditional clothes pulling around their little llamas. Cappie and I thought it was so cute and Steph said they just do that so the tourists give them money. I guess after being in Peru for almost two years, Steph really knows what’s up.

In Yanke we stayed in a with a local family in a tiny little room. The next day was Easter Sunday, and Cappie and I were woken up at 4am by loud explosions which we thought were gun shots. It was a little unsettling and after trying to decide what it could be we woke Steph up and asked her what it was. She said it was fireworks and that Peruvians love explosions. She said she is used to it and they set them off at her site all of the time. It helped, but didn’t sleep that well the rest of the night. We woke up the next day, again so early to go to the Colca canyon. We got our own private tour which was great. When we got into the car at 630am, the tour guide was peppy and ready to go. He introduced himself and the Umberto the driver. “A round of applause for Umberto!” and we all started clapping very loudly for Umberto who did not speak the whole time. The tour guide was so funny and told us many stories on the way up. We couldn’t understand everything but I am sure it was all great. The canyon was beautiful and we stayed there for about an hour looking at the condors and taking pictures. It was so amazing we just stayed there looking at the scenery and birds for a while. After that it was off to Lima.
I was very excited for Lima, but it was not at all what I expected. As I said before, I pictured more of a Barcelona type place and it was not. We also didn’t like it because Cappie got her purse stolen when it had been right next to us our entire lunch. We talked to some civilian security men and some men in suits who had been in the restaurant and apologized for their country. We went back to the hostel which was a pretty cool place as it was filled with young travelers and had a spring break type feel. We drank some cusqueñas and headed out for a walk down to the pier. That night we went to an Italian restaurant which was absolutely amazing! Cappie again picked delicious wine and it was such a good time. Cappie also really impressed the waiter who looked to her to make sure she approved everything. He answered to her and Steph and I were chopped liver. It was funny (as almost everything in that country was-besides Cappie’s purse being stolen; hilarity did not ensue).

Now to the most exciting part- meeting Paulo! He was waiting for us at the airport when we got to Piura and had the biggest smile on his face. He was so cute and helped us with our bags and got us a taxi. We wanted to talk to him and ask him so many questions, but Steph had to translate everything so we didn’t actually get to talk with him. The whole time we would look at him ask him the question in English and Steph would nicely translate. When we got to Piura we walked through the city to go get coffee. Cappie and I were called at, hissed at, people were yelling gringa- I think everyone in that whole place noticed us. It was kind of creepy but luckily we had Paulo there which helped. After coffee we walked around some more. It was very hot, dusty, and crowded. I was taking some pictures and Steph told me to put away my camera because she said it was going to get snatched. There was a lot of construction going on and Cappie and I were surprised at how the people seemed to not notice some of the things going on around them. When we went to trade money at a currency exchange stand, everyone outside watched us as we went in and Paulo told us not to look nervous as we walked out. Cappie and I asked why and if there was something we should worry about. We hung around for a little and ventured back out with our cash. I was glad I had my dorky money belt and a Peruvian guy leading us around and making sure we were safe. Up until that point we had been so glad to have Steph and we were also realllly glad to have Paulo. We went back to hang out and Paulo got out his guitar to sing. When Cappie and I had asked Steph to ask him what he could play he looked at us and said “Hey Yood” as in “Hey Jude.” We couldn’t help but crack up. We also tried to get him to say “text message.” He kept trying after we had moved on in the conversation and it was funny. He played us some songs, Steph said he loves the Beatles, Red Hot Chili Peppers and he said “Led Zep-a-leen.” We giggled again. He played a Pink Floyd song and after I gave him my ipod to listen to some songs because once he listens, he can play. We were so impressed! He also sang in English too which was so cute. We went to have lunch and Paulo started talking about his country. He apologized for the way it was and said it is a very poor country. He was very serious and I don’t remember how exactly we responded but it was very interesting and heartfelt, but at the same time we had seen what he was talking about. It is still a developing country.

After lunch we got on the bus to go to Steph’s site. In Peru they don’t form lines. Instead, when the bus door opens, they all rush at it as fast as possible. Steph warned us that we were going to have to fight our way to the front. Well when the bus door opened Cappie was the first one on and it was almost as if everyone was letting us go. I thought it was going to be worse. The whole time the bus played really loud raggeatone and we cruised past a very run down part of town. I took a lot of pictures so I could show people at home what it was like. This was not the touristy leg of the trip.

Steph’s site was the number one place that I had wanted to go to on the trip and I was so incredibly glad we went there. It was my absolute favorite part of the trip. When we got there we took a tour of her town and met her host family and many of her neighbors and friends. We also saw so many more cute dogs including an old dachshund like the one and only Olivia. We then got ready for our exercise class where we were going to lead a work out class for the girls of Steph’s volleyball school. But right as we were leaving we were given an Inca Cola, Peru’s best-selling soda. Blah. I did not want to drink it at all. This is why: it tastes like fizzy candy necklace juice. It was so sugary and hot and gross and in Peru you cannot not eat or drink if they give something to you. Steph’s host Dad gave it to us and it would have been extremely rude if we had not finished the entire thing. On to exercise class- it was so fun and the girls were so cute! They thought our exercises were so funny and laughed at them. They also wanted to take so many pictures with us and it was so fun spending time with them and playing with them. Cappie and I were so tired but still had one more class to go. We went to Chalaco which Steph told us was an even poorer section than where she lived. When we got there a group of boys had taken the volley ball court from the girls. Steph got there and showed them who’s boss. I think she is probably the only girl to do that too. It is a very machista country where the women and girls do not stand up to the men. The girls in our exercise classes did not even really know how to talk out loud in front of everyone because that is not something they do. We also told them the importance of exercise and not eating too much sugar. They have a belief that people are either fat or skinny and that you can’t help the way you are. With the help of the lovely Stephicles, we told them that it is important not to eat too much sugar, and not to drink too much soda.

Back to Chalaco, the kids were so cute. We were supposed to be teaching volleyball, but I don’t know how to play so I sat on the sideline with the younger kids. We played ring around the rosey and patty cake and I taught them the gamecock cheer. They had no idea what they were saying but they would have made USC so proud! I made friends with this one little one, Lucero who was my absolute favorite and she would not let me put her down. All of the kids were asking if they could come back to the US with us. We would tell Steph to tell them that we would pack them in our suitcases and this made them die laughing. They also told us they thought we were models and so we put on a modeling show for them. Then we taught them the robot and danced and did the “abajo, abajo, abajo” and we were all shaking our booties. Steph gave quite the booty shaking finale. Before the bank meeting, the kids all lined up to take pictures with us. I took many pictures of the group and they were all so funny, but great pictures that I will look at forever (and that we plan to send to them- still on my list of things to do)!

After our dance party/modeling show/picture fest we went into the bank meeting. It was so cool to see the work that Steph had done in action. I was truly amazed and so unbelievably proud (and don’t tell anyone, but I got a little teary when I saw how all of the people loved her and what she had done).

After the meeting the women waited with us and we took some more pictures. A moto came to pick us up and we bumped along through the pitch black desert. We got home to a dinner cooked by her host mom, the restauranteur. The meal was a huge plate of white rice, beef, avocado, a piece of tomato and cucumber. Steph told us to eat as much as we possibly could to show them that we liked it and appreciated it. Luckily we were hungry from all the exercise and playing and luckily Cappie doesn’t like tomatoes so I got to eat them! Then they served this delicious Easter fruit sauce that Steph and I loved. We watched a telenovela and went to bed.

In the morning we got up and had more of that delicious fruit sauce with bread and walked around to say hi and goodbye to more people in the town. We thanked her host parents and jumped in a snazzy moto. Then we got in a taxi, then another taxi, and then we got back to Piura to get on the bus to Mancora. This was the part of the trip we were so glad we had saved for last. We had been constantly going and waking up early and had been all over the place; we were so excited for two days to relax at the beach! When we got there it was around 5 and we had some drinks at the resort bar. The hostel was full of foreign travelers: people from all of over Europe and South America, the bartenders were all Australian, and a few other Americans too. It was a cool little resort. Then we went to eat Mexican for dinner. I asked if they had a strawberry margarita. The waiter said, “Strawberry, yes, yes.” He brought out an orange margarita. Steph asked in Spanish why it wasn’t strawberry. He said they didn’t have strawberry. Another great example of how Peru just is. We couldn’t stop laughing. All the little Peruisms had built up along the way and it was getting ridiculously funny how different our cultures are. While Cappie and I had many suggestions for that country, we recognized that we were in their country and things are the way they are. When I have been poking fun in my stories, it is not to be disrespectful, just funny how American we were in this country that is starting to go through change and is apparently even very different from the rest of South America as well. Back to the dinner, it was some of the best Mexican I’ve had in quite some time. We really enjoyed the Mexican feast. We woke up the next day, enjoyed the beach, and decided that our last night was going to be our crazy night. We had been surprisingly calm, not like you can get that crazy in a small town in the Andes mountains, but we got ready, had a good Italian dinner and had an awesome guest come (Paulo!) just in time to begin the night. We hung out at the hostel bar where everyone else was and had a great time. We then ventured out to a bar outside of the resort, which was an interesting place as it had hit its curfew, so we decided to go dancing at a club across from our hostel. I hadn’t been out with Steph or Cappie in forever, and never with Paulo; it was such a blast. We told Paulo we can’t wait until he comes to a South Carolina football game. The next day was a little rough and Cappie and I face a 24 hour plus travel excursion. We got back on the bus, and headed to the Piura airport. We hung out with Steph and Paulo for awhile before we boarded and looked at pictures and laughed so hard. We told Paulo we were so glad we got to hang out with him and thanked him for all of his help in getting us around/keeping us safe. He told us he was so glad to have met Steph’s friends.

I could go on and on and provide so much more detail about the trip and the hilarious, amazing time we had, but I think this is already long enough. I hope you can tell that I absolutely loved the trip, the time with my girls- everything (well ok, not everything). Thank you Stephanie for being such an amazing tour guide and thank you Cap for being such an awesome travel buddy! I wouldn’t have done the trip without either of you and will remember it forever!