Titikaka Cold

Since I last wrote, we have been on the road nearly every other day. We are tired now, and looking forward to the next farm where we will remain for about 6 weeks.

After Arequipa we took a sleepless night bus to Cuzco, which must be the capital of tourism in all of South America. The city is absolutely stunning, elaborated by colonial buildings built with Inca- handcrafted stones (which the Spaniards stole for their own buildings when they conqured), yet I haven´t run across so many gringos in one place, nor have I seen so many people walking around with fancy cameras without fear of getting robbed. The cameras are so plentiful there that indigenous women dress in traditional dress, bring llamas into town and wait for a picture to be taken for which they can charge. For some reason this isn´t seen as exploitative to those who choose to take the picture, then get offended when the woman demands pay.

We spent a few days there, then we did it. We caved. We went to Machu Pichu. We payed the ridiculous train and entrance fee and we arrived at the site at 6 in the morning to get entrance to the mountain the overlooks Mach Pichu in order to see the view from high above. O´the anxiety. I have never experienced such soul-death to see something beautiful, which of course it is. Machu Pichu is enveloped by enchangting mountain peaks and clouds. However the Disney-Land tourists ruin the ruins. The crowds were obnoxious, the toursists hardly tried to speak any Spanish, and got angry when the restaurants didn´t function the way they do in Europe or the US. I couldn´t believe the self imposed entitlement some of these people portrayed in their actions and lack of patience for the people who inhabit the surrouding areas. While tromping over a physical history of colonization, we, as tourists, are commiting a post colonial exploitation through tourism. And yes, I admit that I am part of this. However, traveling can be done with respect and with an aim for ethical interactions with the cultures we meet. From now on, I am not going to ¨tour¨. We are going to work on farms, stay with Andy´s family in Buenos Aires and try to interact with people on a personal level of working, not consuming. We can´t deny that we are foreigners, traveling for a limited amount of time, but we can avoid tourism... for our own sanity and morality if nothing else.

After those harsh and opinionated words, we are now in Bolivia and it is great. Save the $135 visa for Americans only (they have a policy of reciprocity on visas), Bolivia is extrememly cheap. Hostals are $2-4 per night for a private room, a meal is about $1. After crossing the border we went to Copacabana, and yes, I did laugh because Lola was at the Copacabana. I was not, however, wearing yellow feathers in my hair. Copacabana is on the Bolivia side of Lake Titikaka, which is amongst the highest lakes in the world at nearly 4,000 meters. The lake was one of the most beautiful, pristine places we´ve seen so far. We took a very slow ferry to nearby Isla de Sol, where the beginings of the Inca legends exist in myth, and spent an extremely cold night. The altitude of the lake provides an extrordinary view of islands and glacial montain peaks in the distance. In some directions, we could not see land.

After Copacaban we were about a week into coughs, to each our own. Breathing in eachother´s faces every day probably doesn´t help to quarantine an illness, but what can we do when it is so cold? We hopped on a 3 hour bus to La Paz, which is where we are now. It is equally ¨Titikaka cold¨ here, but we have found a nice hostal with a kitchen, and a good Spanish school which we began today. It is good to be in Spanish classes again because we have struggled enough with our current abilities to know what we need to be conversational. We will stay here for another week before heading to the next farm, about 120 km from Santa Cruz, Bolivia, which is in the jungle near Brazil. And our somewhat of a plan: After the Bolivia farm, we will see a bit more of Bolivia, then head south to Argentina to stay with Andy´s family in Buenos Aires for 3 to 4 weeks. From there we will stay on another farm near the Mendoza area, then go to Santiago, Chile to fly out in early November. Our flight back to the US is out of Costa Rica, but I doubt our budget will allow spending much time in Costa Rica. Save that for another trip.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Lauren