Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Winter Break

I am one of the lucky few people that still has a winter break, in fact I had a spring, summer and fall break too from working since I haven't worked since February! I leave tonight for Germany where I will be spending the next two weeks, including Christmas, will be spending three days of that time in Paris and then will be celebrating new year's in Israel. I will be home in January where some big decisions and a few quiet months without international travel await.

I feel like I really want to enjoy this last month before I go back to job searching (ie endless hours of internet prowling and applications), working and living a day-to-day life. Part of the relaxation is going to be hanging out with friends, seeing new things, etc., but the biggest thing I have decided to do is to leave my laptop at home. After much thought and consideration I think that I need a break from constant information, plus if I need to check something I will still have my iPhone, my kindle and my friends have computers, I am positive.

The next four weeks I am sure I will write something on here, but I am not going to press myself to try and think of something or to try and post every mid-week. I am going to take time to enjoy the moment and think, because I have a lot of choices and decisions to make when I return.

Happy holidays!

I am looking forward to this break and to spending time with friends!

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

(More) Homeless

Since high school I haven't really had a "home" per se. I lived in the dorms and a smattering of other apartments in Boulder. I had a room at the two houses my mom has lived in since I moved out, but since I never lived there and now even at her house I live out of suitcases, I still never felt like I had a home since I moved out when I was 18.

Most parents are used to their kids moving out and around the country, but now I am faced with my mom and her husband deciding to retire and move to a whole new state! They recently purchased a home in the same community as my Grandma lives and where my aunt and uncle are planning to move. Nice for them to be so close and nice for me to be able to visit all my family at once, which has never happened since they were always spread out from Seattle to Colorado to Minnesota to Florida.

But what does that mean for me? That means that when I won't have a room at my mom's ever again, nor a room in the state I grew up in, won't be visiting Colorado anymore for holidays and I won't have anywhere for my stuff. It's stressful knowing that in less than a year from now I have no idea where I will (hopefully) be going to grad school and that I will have to take everything I want to keep with me- there will be no more bedroom for me to keep anything in. In addition I won't be seeing my friends in Colorado unless I go there on "vacation", although I do think most of my friends will be leaving the state soon.

I suppose it forces me to settle down next year or invest in a storage unit. Either way it stresses me out.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

How did I get here?

Although I do not regret quitting my going-nowhere job in February of this year, often times (let's say once a week or less) I get a sinking feeling in my stomach and wonder "what the hell am I doing with my life?' I wonder why I wasn't satisfied living in Boulder or in the USA in general, why I didn't apply to medical school, why I am not in a serious relationship or engaged (thanks facebook for the constant reminders that I am on a different path) and why I am sitting at home at 13:30 on a Thursday instead of at a paying job. I have had this discussion with Josh about a million times (he goes through the same thing, but his choices have lead him to the Israeli army and a new country's citizenship, a little more serious consequence-wise).

Today is one of those days as I sit in the middle of suburbia, but then the feeling is very fleeting as I remember why I left and am faced with constant reminders of why. The reasons that I hate suburbia haven't changed, I would have never lasted at my dead-end, pay-the-bills-barely job and that I needed to prove to myself that I could be independent.

Things that bring me back into the reality that I have created the past 9 months are:
  1. I can check independence off that list, as I have proved it to myself about 9 times over and I can definitely say that I am independent and maybe a little crazy for traveling for so long alone
  2. I also have never missed my job or the crappy paycheck, not once, ever.  
  3. I found a career that I think is better for me than being a doctor (just need to be accepted to school!) 
  4. It's 13:30 on a Thursday and I can do whatever I want 
  5. I don't want to be on a path to marriage and babies with a life in the suburbs, in fact it's one of my nightmares 
Even though I miss the stability of a paycheck, having my clothes and belongings organized, an apartment and kitchen of my own and an address...  I remember that this time that I have right now is temporary and that next year at this time I will be in school, in one city for 2-3 years and will not have the freedom to go where ever whenever I want. I realize that I have so many years of work, family and life ahead of me.

Instead of worrying myself today or wondering what-if things were different, I am going to enjoy the afternoon eating lunch when I want (not at a predetermined hour), having the freedom to do what I want or to not do anything because I can and enjoy the last month and a half that I have before I have to find a job, worry about a place to live and all the other things that come with a normal life.

Carpe diem!

Friday, November 26, 2010

Backpacking Battles

The last 4 days that I had in Peru I spent on the Inka Trail walking 45 km in 4 days and 3 nights. Since I had already done Choquequirao, I wasn’t too concerned about the trek since Choquequirao is supposed to be the hardest of all of the normal backpacking options to ruins centered out of Cusco. It was impossible to not compare the two treks in my mind while I was walking, so it only seems natural to compare them day-by-day on this blog.
Start of the trail km 82 
Day 1

Choquequirao: Very easy day, 10 km absolutely flat, then a descend to the campsite that was not too steep, followed by setting up camp and not really eating dinner since I had forgotten my vegetarian food and everyone had tuna.

Inka Trail: Also a very easy start to the day around noon, lunch early on the trail after an hour of flat walking, some ruins along the way, followed by 2 hours more of walking to the first campsite. We arrived and the porters had already set up the campsite, dinner was cooking and all had to do was meet the rest of the travelers and play cards. Before dinner we had afternoon tea and then a 2-course meal including vegetarian food was served.

Thoughts: It was easy to see early on that this was going to be a very different kind of trip since it was organized by a tour company. It really felt like 5 star camping after planning everything ourselves.

Day 2

Choquequirao: A very hard day, we had to descend to the river only to ascend 1500 m to the top and it was a rough climb, with a million (exaggeration) switchbacks. We arrived by lunchtime, hungry and tired, only to have to cook lunch. After we walked the rest of the way to visit the ruins and arrived back at camp to cook dinner which included wine and s'mores! 

Inka Trail: Considered to be the hardest day as you have to ascend Dead Woman’s pass (nearly a 14er). Out of a group of 21, I was the 3rd person to the top and glad that it wasn’t any worse to climb. We arrived at camp after an hour descend around 12:30pm. The rest of the group trickled in slowly and by 13:45 everyone was in the camp. We had lunch and then sat around in the cold for the afternoon until tea and dinner. Since we arrived so early I took 2 naps and then couldn’t sleep that night!

Thoughts: It is hard to wait for 21 people of different fitness levels to do anything. After lunch I was tired of course, but would have been able to continue walking. I was really quite bored all afternoon. I cherished the ability of being able to dictate how long things took and what you did when that we had when we planned the trip ourselves.

Day 3

Choquequirao: This was the crazy day when we decided to walk all the way back on the trail leaving at 9:00 in the morning and arriving to the city at 20:00. Obviously it was not an easy day!

Inka Trail: We had to ascend two more passes, the first being hard, but short, the second I didn’t even realize we had been ascending. Then we had to descend 2000 Inka steps, which is definitely not an easy task. We arrived at camp and there was a restaurant where people could take hot showers (I chose not to) and even buy beer! I enjoyed two beers after hiking all day.

Thoughts: Though I really wasn’t pleased at the end of day 3 of Choquequirao to arrive in the dark to french fries for dinner, it wasn’t terrible and it really highlighted our ability to choose how far to walk. It was nice to arrive to beer and for some showers, but really if you’re hiking do you really need it?
Our 21 person group on the top of the 2nd pass, day 3 
Day 4

Choquequirao:  What day 4? We had slept in a hostel and were back in Cusco with clean clothes and hot showers!

Inka Trail: We had unfortunate luck and walked the remaining 6 km in pouring rain. It was especially annoying because everyone walking the Inka Trail goes at the same time so we were all walking in a line at the slowest person’s pace- though I was quite shocked at how fast some people were able to walk when they are cold and want to get somewhere! Even the slowest people in the group kept up until the sun gate. The rain really obscured the view and the reveal of Machu Picchu which was too bad, but it was still a very beautiful view. After descending to the ruins, we had a 2 hour guided tour and then spent the afternoon in Aguas Calientes (of course it was completely sunny) until our train at 19:30 and didn’t arrive to Cusco until 23:30.

Pretty obscured view from the sun gate upon arrival to Machu Picchu
Final thoughts: Both trips were really amazing and since I spent them with two different groups of friends, they were both very unique. It’s hard to say which I prefer, I didn’t like constantly waiting on slower people, but I did really enjoy having enough food to eat and meeting new people. Choquequirao was great for going at your own speed, but I did end up with a nasty cold for 2 weeks afterwards. I would recommend both in the end, but if you think the Inka Trail was really hard, definitely do not try Choquequirao. Though a mule carries more of your things, I was really exhausted after the 2nd day climb and it doesn’t compare at all to the level of difficulty of the 2nd day of the Inka Trail. Plus, if you’re really ambitious, apparently someone marathon ran the Inka Trail in 3 hours 45 minutes a couple years ago, I wonder how long Choquequirao would take?

Damage

Choquequirao: Sore, incredibly awful cold, a few blisters, a lot of bug bites

Inka Trail: Sore, blisters on my hip bones (who knew that could happen), sprained left ankle, no foot blisters, only 2 bug bites!

My time in Peru is up and though I wrote this in the Lima airport, I won’t be able to post it until I am back in the USA with stable internet. I'm back in the USA until December 14th and then continuing to travel to Germany, France and then finally ending travel for a few months with Israel in January! 
Jolene and Jamil came all the way from the USA to join me on the hike! 

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

What I really think about Amauta

This Thursday, marks my last night at school. Friday I leave for the Inka Trail, Tuesday I leave for Lima and next 1am Wednesday morning, I leave back to the USA (well for 2.5 weeks at least). During my time in Cusco, I lived in the Amauta Spanish School in Cusco for 9 out of the 11 weeks that I stayed in Peru as a student and a resident in the school. 

I would like to write exactly how I felt about the school as I am leaving.

Amauta School Administration: Overall I think my experience is clouded by a lot of negative experiences with the administration. Though miscommunication is not an unusual thing in Peru, I feel like if you are a school that caters to foreigners it would make it easier for the students to adapt a more western attitude toward organization. I had several problems including being asked to pay something I already spent an hour figuring out with someone the week before and missing make-up classes that they never told me I was having. This lead to countless frustrations on my part and the part of professors. The lack of communication between colleagues is abysmal. Seriously write a note, it takes 2 seconds. 
Grade: D+

Professors at the school: I really enjoyed most of my classes and felt like I improved my skills. The teachers mostly followed the same teaching practices that I learned in TEFL school which are: teach something, practice it, use it, keep activities varied. I can't speak on behalf of the beginner levels, but I felt like the advanced levels were a good mix of activities and for the most part the teachers were well trained and wanted to be there. Also the teachers were really nice and interacted with students not only in class, but also outside of class. I learned more here than in my months at the Instituto Cervantes in New York City. I just wish there was more learning time and a more solid lesson plan than talking about relationships (happened with every. single. teacher). Grade: B+

Amauta Residence: I can really sum it up in a few words: Don't live there. Two meals were provided, breakfast and lunch. Breakfast was only decent on Mondays and Fridays when an egg and juice were offered, other days was only fruit, awful salty cheese or cold crepes. Crepes and bread- nutritious. And then there was lunch. First off, I discovered about 2 weeks in that although there was a place to indicated everyday that you would like vegetarian food- the chef had no idea what a vegetarian diet meant. That means there is chicken bouillon in all the soups and they make all the sauces together- taking chicken out of the sauce is not vegetarian. I argued with the chef about this and he told me I was wrong. I decided never to eat soup there again and only to eat there when I had no more time to make anything else.

The rooms themselves in the residence range from singles to doubles with private bathrooms or shared (ie going outside to cross the courtyard to get to them). Luckily, I had a single with a private bathroom. After the first week when I had no hot water, I usually had hot water, but only during prescribed times- 7-9 am and 7-9 pm at night. I had no windows and the room smelled like mildew. The pillows were like rocks. It was impossibly cold inside. One week when they cleaned my room on Saturday, they left my door wide open, with my laptop, iphone, belongings all wide open for a whole day. Not so good when there was a thief among the students or outside for my last days. My advice: homestays. Grade: D

Staff at the residence: As I mentioned I got into a fight with the chef about what vegetarian food was and I am pretty sure he never got it, so I changed my eating habits to not get sick. Side note, nearly every single person got sick from the food at school at one point. Ten people got sick in one week I wasn't there. The common thread is the food at school. After seeing their practices for preserving and cooking food, I am not shocked. Some of the things I witnessed were really gross. The other staff is ok, except for the night watchman Maru which is possibly the most unpleasant person I have ever met in my life. He is rude, never talks to you unless he is yelling, never looks you in the eye and makes you feel incredibly unwelcome. I hesitate to say I hate people, but I hated him. He is horrible, at least he was always a jerk to me (and I think I am usually pretty nice and polite to staff). Grade: C

Dos Manos: The school advertises the convenience that it has a travel agency associated with it. The office is just across from the office of the school. The problem? It is more expensive than other agencies and just as unorganized (like most of Peru). I booked a trip with them to Machu Picchu and the woman "forgot" to call the cab at the right time, wouldn't allow me to have my train tickets because would lose them (please) and then we almost missed our train to Aguas Calientes. We literally stepped on the train as it started moving. The hotel was not great and the tour group was huge. Students are well aware of the poor quality and after one booking go elsewhere. I hesitate to say the whole office is bad, because my friends that work there do work hard, but the other staff is not great. Grade: C

There it is, I tried not to hold back anything. I found it really hard to find information and ratings on the school when I was researching, so if this helps one person, then it is worth it. Overall, I would recommend the school because the most important this is the classes and they were good in general. If you do want to spend time there I would recommend a homestay or a hostel, not only to save money, but to get more for your money and deal less with the school. 

I am so glad my time there is finished! 



Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Things I learned from Choquequirao

Finally made it after a long 2nd day! 

To be completely honest, I wasn't really sure exactly what I was getting myself into when I agreed to go to Choquequirao. All I knew was that two of my friends were really keen to go and had arranged for one of our professors to guide them. Between the three of them, within one week, I was easily convinced that I would join them on their trek. I read little about what was to come in fear of psyching myself out. I figured that it was better not to know exactly what was going to happen. The trip was really hard (aka crazy), but ended up worthwhile (especially looking back and no longer being in pain). In the end I am glad that I went and here are some key things that I learned about myself, travel and backpacking along the way:

  1. Who needs 4 days when you can do it in 2.5?
  2. Walking 32 km (almost 20 miles) in one day with a 1000 meter descend and ascend is humanly possible, though not advised
  3. Surviving on all carbohydrates for this 64 km trek is also possible when you forget your vegetarian food
  4. Cows like to eat t-shirts in the middle of the night
  5. Thunderstorms will only come when you have a poorly constructed tent
  6. An easy first day is a tease for an exhausting 2nd and 3rd day of climbing
  7. When you think you can't walk anymore, you can somehow manage to visit ruins and enjoy yourself
  8. There are bigger tarantulas on the trail than in all of the jungle (or at least that we saw)
  9. Having a mule as a pack animal is essential, especially the last 10km (after walking 20)
  10. When you think you have seen the worst bathroom ever, the ones at one of the campsites on the way is worse- holes in the ground and swarms of mosquitos to bite you while you use them
  11. The mosquitos are very small, but their bites are normal sized (I still have marks!)
  12. It doesn't matter how much repellant or sunscreen you wear, you will still have bites and be sunburned at the end
  13. Small peruvian mountain towns close shop at 8pm so when you have walked 32km you will not find a taxi, cheap hostel or vegetarian food other than french fries
  14. Thermal springs do not mean hot springs
  15. Laughing is the only thing you have left when things go wrong
  16. The next day you will be sorer and hungrier than you can remember being in a long time 
  17. Gatorade really does help you get through hard sports activities or at least the placebo effect enough
  18. From my friend Marc: Never underestimate the length or the hardness of a hike from the first day on the third day: 10 km on flat ground is not fun in the dark or after already having walked 20 km previously 
  19. Walking sticks are helpful even if they make you look like an old man
  20. Everyone likes S'Mores and wine after a hard day of hiking 
Unbeatable views

It was an exhausting trip, but the uniqueness of having an entire archaeological ruin similar to Machu Picchu to yourself is truly special. The trip not only pushed our physical limits, but also the limits of new friendships. Together we made it through the physical and mental challenges of our trip without fighting once.  I have never felt so accomplished after a hike. In the end we came out having one of the most unique, hard and bonding experiences in my life. Unfortunately vacation always has to come to an end and close friendships become long distance friendships, but we will always have these shared experiences and inside jokes!

Thanks for the memories Choquequirao!

Arriving- where was the 32km sign?


Wednesday, November 3, 2010

¡Es Muy Peligroso! Jungle Experiences

Just getting to the jungle is just the highway itself is very precarious. The ten plus hour journey is, save for one hour, all on an unpaved road with steep drops on one side, holes and traffic that goes two ways on a road that is wide enough for one car. There were several times where holding your breath and crossing your fingers for a safe arrival was all the power you had.

During one stop on the highway in route to Manú, we encountered the first animal. It was a snake (I think it was called a Ferdinand) and it was a baby snake no more than one foot long (30 cm). Apparently, it is one of the most dangerous snakes in this part of the amazon and you will die without anti-venom within 48 hours. Also, the babies are even more venomous... It was clear that having a guide who is familiar with the animals was going to be invaluable and necessary to steer clear of all of these animals.

The second night that we were in the jungle we participated in a night walk where we set out in the darkness with flashlights, rubber boots and our guide to go and find snakes, spiders, caimans and other creepy night crawlers. This was the first excursion in a string of excursions with bad luck, where we saw few animals that we hoped to find. We did not catch any caimans (by us I mean the guide), see any snakes or many spiders. We did however manage to see one spider that can kill you without you even realizing that you have been bit, because the bite is nearly invisible. Great.

The invisible bite spider 

The third day we went on a walk into the jungle with the tio (uncle) of our guide who forged the trail using a machete. It felt really authentic. Once again we saw few animals and caught nothing more fishing than a turtle and some plants while we were walking. However, we did see a lot of species of ants and other bugs that were peligroso. One bite and your hand swells, more bites and you are very sick or dead. One of my favorites was an ant that enters your body through your cavities, makes its way inside your body and kills you from the inside out. We quickly learned that most things in the jungle can make you sick and they were peligroso, but if the guide said they were "muy peligroso" it meant that it would cause death. We also learned not to touch anything or allow anything to crawl on you (easier said than done). I managed to get bitten by some kind of ant and had a swollen finger for almost a week after. It's just now looking normal again.

The third night we spent watching for Tapirs in a makeshift tree house. The house was definitely not made with any kind of building standards from the western world- with a rickety ladder, sides without guard rails and 6 meter (18 feet) drops on all sides. As I said we had bad luck, so we didn't see any Tapirs (we are certain that it is more of a fictional creature than real). Did I mention that looking for these animals meant taking shifts all night with a lantern to shine into the swap every once in a while? We stayed up all night for something that never came!

The fourth day we spent in a boat making our way to the riverside camp we would set-up for our last night. We again looked for caimans and saw an eye (maybe) and that was it. What we did hear were stories about nearby jaguars eating families of people and attacking people on their drunken walks. Really didn't make you want to use the "baño natural" too far from camp.
Beautiful place to camp, but only for a night
After our experiences in the jungle I know one thing- I wouldn't want to live somewhere where the ground moves with creatures, most of which can make you sick or kill you. I went with my two German friends and apparently a synonym for the jungle in German is "the green hell" and it's not hard to see why. My short time in the jungle was enough, but I think I'll stick somewhere where the things that are "muy peligroso" are generally bigger than my finger nail and thus easier to spot and avoid!

Who knows what was crawling on this log as we attempted to fish. 

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

The Lesser Known Option at Machu Picchu

I was lucky enough to have my mom come and visit me for 6 days. I was excited that she was going to come to a country that is pretty out of her element and for her to visit and see firsthand the spanish I have been working on. Obviously, the top thing on the list was to go to Machu Picchu. I scheduled earlier in the week so that if there were problems with transportation (considering this is Peru) then we would have time to figure out options. Luckily, everything went as planned, the only unfortunate thing is that we saw the best ruins first so the rest of the surrounding ruins looked less impressive the rest of the week!
First look- Mom and I
We arrived in Aguas Calientes and spoke with our guide for the following day to make plans of where to meet and to make sure everyone was on the same page. I was really curious to find out more about climbing Wayna Picchu which is the mountain in the background of everyone's pictures in photos. In order to climb this mountain, you have to be one of the first 400 people at the entrance of Machu Picchu everyday. People wake up at 3 am to either be first in line for the bus or trek up the side of the mountain (which is far and steep) in order to get these tickets. In the end, I decided to not wake-up before the crack of dawn in order to ascend this famous mountain. 

Instead, the next day I decided to climb all the way to the summit of the actual Machu Picchu mountain which is actually a higher peak and a less known hike. I am so glad that I decided to forgo the ridiculous wake up time. Instead of racing to the mountain between prescribed times and hiking with 200 people with the same ticket, I leisurely made my way to the mountain after our tour ended. 

I was told that the trek would be about 3 hours- one and a half up and one and a half down, but I assumed that was Peruvian walking speed (read: slow) and it was in fact only 50 minutes up and then back down. I hiked up the mountain, which was by no means easy pretty quickly. I only passed a few tourists coming down and maybe four going up. This hike was definitely tough though- most of it was incredibly steep stairs all the way up- some very steep and with straight down drops. 

Facing the stairs on the climb up, not fun going down either acutally

When I got to the top the hard walk was worth every minute of labored breathing. I arrived to the partially cloud covered summit and enjoyed nearly 20 minutes of alone time with just myself, the clouds and the view! Luckily two dutch tourists came and I was able to take some photos of them and they were able to take some of me before I made my way back down to meet with my mom. 

Since I didn't hike Wayna Picchu, I can't say that Machu Picchu is a better hike (though I have heard that it is), but I can say that if you are too lazy to wake-up early that you will not be disappointed at the top and I didn't feel like I missed anything not making it to Wayna Picchu. Plus, how many times are you on the summit of a mountain looking down at a world wonder alone? Priceless.

Me at the top with the view (Wayna Picchu is directly to my right)

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Vale la Pena: two days in Chile

When my friends first raised the idea of going to Chile, I thought they were kind of crazy since it was really far by bus and we all have volunteer work we would not have that much time. Despite this, I really wanted to go and decided it was worth the crazy amount of bus time. Plus, I decided that since it was my birthday weekend and I deserved a trip. If you read my last blog, you know that the journey on the bus actually turned out to be its own adventure!
Sunset over the desert the first night

As soon as we arrived across the border into Arica, I knew that Chile was going to be a lot different than Peru. As we exited the cab we didn't hear horns honking, could breath cleaner air and were not hounded by people yelling "taxi" or city names. It was a very welcome change to 6 weeks of being hassled and vigilantly watching over every pocket and belonging. 

The first thing we did was pull out Chilean money or pesos. It was the first and probably the last time that I could look at an ATM and pull out $50,000 at one time! It was also probably the only time that I will think that a bill of $20,000 for dinner sounds like an ok price for 3 people!

We arrived in San Pedro de Atacama around 10am the next morning. We were faced with the challenge of trying to figure out what to see in such a short amount of time. Being such a small town and in the middle of the desert, there were a lot of things to see! Finding out that we are all kind of indecisive people, we finally decided to go to the Valle de la Luna, salt flats and lakes. None of us really knew what to expect, so without expectations we set out on our adventures. 

The Valle de la Luna was a trip filled with very strong winds and sand everywhere, but ended with a nice sunset. The second day (also my birthday!) was really what blew me away. We saw wild flamingos at sunrise and beautiful high altitude lakes where we were lucky enough to see wild vicuñas. On top of all of this we also had time to visit the natural hot springs. They were amazing! 30 km out into the desert and there was a strip of green at the bottom of a canyon, water that was crystal clear and warm. We were three of very few tourists there. We had our own lagoon to swim around in! It was the most relaxing day that I have had in I don't know how long! Perfect kind of day for a birthday. 

Wild vicuña and alpine lake
The other thing that made the trip was the wine bar that we discovered in the city. I, having lived in Spain, and one of my friends, having lived in France, are both big fans of red wine (vino tinto), so we knew that we wanted to try Chilean wine. My other friend was skeptical about drinking red wine, but decided to give it a try anyway. We all ended up loving the bottle so much we drank two and came back the next evening for a third one before the night bus! We all agreed that it was good we were not staying in Chile longer or we would have spent a lot more money (Chile is more expensive than Peru), especially on wine! 

The two days in Chile flew by and I was really sad to leave. It was a very full trip, but instead of feeling rushed, I felt relaxed and happy to have made the effort. Not once did I wish that I hadn't traveled so far or that it wasn't worth it. I wish I had more time to explore. I guess I will just have to go back! 

Most relaxing thing ever! 

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Please DO NOT Add These Hours Up! Buses, buses, buses

The past few days I have spent more time on Peruvian buses than I like to think about, in fact as I write this I am sitting in the Terminal Terrestre in Arequipa (Note to self be REALLY sure next time that buses leave all day and avoid waiting 5 hours in a bus station for a 10 hour night bus to Cusco). This weekend, two German guy friends from Spanish school and I decided to go to San Pedro de Atacama in the northern desert region of Chile (more on that later when I have photos!) and in order to get there I had to first meet the boys in Arequipa (10 hour night bus), go to Tacna- the border town in Peru (6 hours), cross the border via collectivo to Arica, Chile (2 hours), and then finally a bus to San Pedro to Atacama via Calama in Chile (12 hour night bus) and make the journey back. I don´t really like to add that up and then think about it before taking the last night bus tonight to Cusco! But to give you an image, since Friday night (it´s now wednesday) to tomorrow I will have spent only 2 nights and no more than 13 hours in an actual bed. I´m thankful I had such good company for most of the journey, now I just have to get through this last leg!

It´s pretty safe to say that the guys and I know a thing or two about buses now. The buses that we took ranged from the very nice, though pricey Cruz del Sur to the economico Flores bus from Arequipa to Tacna, Peru. Generally the buses were nicer in Chile on the way to and from San Pedro.

Here are a few of the funnier moments of the trip:

On timing:  The cliche "you get what you pay for" could not be more true for this. The more expensive the ticket price the more likely the bus is to leave on time (exceedingly rare in Peru) and do be direct. The economico buses always had stops, left late and took generally longer with less comfort. On the way back to Arica our nicer bus took shockingly 2 hours less than we thought it would, we still have no idea how they made up the time. If you ever take a bus, also remember that "directo" doesn´t necessarily mean 100% free of stops as we ended up waiting an hour and a half in the bus at a closed bus station Calama for the next leg.

On breaking down: About 10 minutes after being on an economic bus to Tacna it broke down without ever leaving Arequipa. Luckily it was only 30 minutes to get a new bus, but it could have been bad in the middle of nowhere in the desert! 

On bathrooms: Less expensive buses also mean no bathrooms which is definitely something to take into account while traveling in the desert (drier=more thirsty= going to want to pee) for 6 to 12 hours.

On entertainment: You can rest assured that there will be bootlegged copies of a movie to watch. My personal favorite: American movies dubbed into Spanish then subtitled in English. Best movie: Sister Act. Worst Movie: Chinese fighting movie with Spanish subtitles yelling in the background the first 2 hours on the way to San  Pedro.

Stops: Probably the oddest thing is the stops that buses are forced to take on these journeys. There was one on the way to Tacna where we had to throw out all of our fruits to ensure that fruit flies didn´t pass one imaginary border to the next- I can´t really believe there is an area free of them, but I guess it exists.

The next stop down was a passport and ID control. They took all the Peruvian IDs and then came back, looked at the gringos and told us to come with them. Then we had to walk across the highway, show our passport, visa and chat with the man in charge. On the way back from Chile at this check point the man only asked the Peruvian and foreign men for their documents and no one had to leave- we figured that it was because it was the lunch hour and he wanted to get back to eating.

The most annoying stop came in Chile at 3am in the middle of the night bus to San Pedro. We were woken up abruptly and told we all had to exit with our bags. Then we all lined up and stood there for a while in the cold with our bags on a table. 20 minutes later a woman looked in my bag for 3 seconds and never looked in the bag of one of my friends. We still are not sure what they were searching for, but I can assure you it was not a pleasant way to spend time at that hour!

You and your passport: When on our way to and from Chile we had to actually hand our passports over to collectivo (shared taxis) drivers and not have possession of or know where they were taking our passports. Really uncomfortable to not know where such an important document is for an uncomfortably long amount of time.

On vendadores: On the economic buses in southern Peru with more stops, we also had the pleasure of a truly uniquely Peruvian (or perhaps South American) experience. It started with a man selling a special "mate" or herbal tea blend, with the selling point of being able to solve everything from hangovers to sexual problems. The man went on about this for about 30 min pointing people out to sell directly and relate more to them. It was particularly awkward when he pointed to men during the sexual dysfunction bit and said "caballito, tu sabes" (you sir, know [what I am talking about]). Just when we thought it was done he pulled out a second product! The more surprising thing was although the people rolled their eyes during the chat, the man ended up making a lot of sales! I guess they did "sabe".

The more typical sellers we encountered were the food vendors that run to the bus at stops to sell hot food (freshly made that day on the side of the road under a garbage bag tarp) and drinks. I don´t think any of us will ever think of "choclo con queso, chicharrones, tortilla de camarones or gaseosa" the same ever again. There were a lot of unpleasant smells on some of the curvier moments on bumpy roads that I could have done without! Thankfully as well, we were not personally spilled on, but we saw several people get "choclo" water on their shoulders as these large woman sloshed buckets of food in the crowded aisle ways of a full bus!

The buses have obviously been an interesting addition to this trip. Right now I can`t imagine having to spend another night in one in a couple hours or think about taking one again anytime soon. They have made however for some funny inside jokes and definitely a lot of lasting memories!

Rest assured that the trip was well worth the effort and we had an amazing time in Chile! The next post will be about how on earth all this bus time was worth 2 days in San Pedro de Atacama.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Keeping Fit in Cusco

When traveling in different countries I like to keep to my routine as much as possible, which for me includes working out of some kind 4-5 times a week. With the exception of India, I have managed to do at least some kind of exercise in every country. I decided when I arrived in Cusco that it would be no different.

Cusco is at 3400 meters or 10,900 feet above sea level so it presents a whole new challenge to working out- just managing to breath is at times hard. When you add the fact that nearly every car here probably wouldn't pass emissions standards in the US or Europe, I knew that running here was not going to be an option. After giving myself a week to acclimate to the new altitude and actually not really being bothered by it, I found a gym in Cusco. 

I read that it is the "best gym" in Cusco online and decided to give it a try. I want to preface that I know that things in the USA are different than in Latin America, but the gym is a lot different.

The gym is in the basement of a shopping complex and is pretty small. It has 3 choices of memberships- aerobics, spinning or free weights/machines, since there are only some 30 year old elliptical machines I decided to try the spinning and aerobics classes. There are classes from 7am until 8pm. I, being a morning person, decided that I would go every weekday at 7am that I didn't go out or travel the night before.

From the first day I went and signed up I knew it was going to be drastically different. I arrived at the gym at 6:50am in order to have time to pay and become a member before class starts. The thing about the gym though is that the first class is at 7am and the gym opens at 7am. This means that the front desk person and the teachers arrive at about 7:05am to open the doors, sometimes later. You have to knock on the door to the shopping center in order to even be let into the building about 5 minutes before the security guard opens the door. 

After entering and paying for the gym, I decided to try the spinning class first since I like it more than aerobics. I made the start of the class since the teachers are always late. After about 10 minutes of standing on the bike and only switching hand positions I realized that this was all the teacher did. There are no sprints, jumps or even hill climbs. It's the same resistance for 45 minutes with a 2 minute break in between and only switching hand positions. I have had two teachers and both times it was the same. I have since decided to do my own thing during in the class, but every time I put on the resistance to do a climb the teacher comes over and tries to put it down- clearly they have no idea that it is good to put on resistance and you can actually sit on the bike and be working out.

Feeling a little discouraged I tried aerobics the next day. Unfortunately it's even worse. The teacher does a series of the same moves give or take some spinning in circles for an hour! One day the teacher didn't show up and when some other attendees ask the desk girl to call her to see if it was cancelled she replied that she didn't have her cell phone with her and couldn't possibly call. I actually think I had more fun without her doing my own thing, until some older crazy woman was trying to replicate the repetitive steps of the teacher and yelling "izquerda, derecha, rodilla, uno, dos, tres..." at me so that I would join her.

All in all the gym is not that great, but it feels nice to workout and I am happy that I am not too out of breath even at this altitude so at the very least it's bragging rights. Also, I will be in shape for the Inka Tral, Choququirao and Manú in the coming months! 

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Huelgas

Plaza de Armas
The Plaza de Armas in Cusco is a place where people often gather in Cusco in order to do demonstrations and marches to support their cause. In the past 3 weeks I have seen several of these kinds of incidents, but the past few days have been different. Basically the entire city of Cusco has been shut down for the past 36 hours and will continue to be shut down until tomorrow.

What does this mean? It means no buses, no taxis, no collectivos, no private buses and many shops and restaurants and are also closed. A lot of locals and tourists alike are stuck walking far distances and many tourists find themselves without any transport to tours, including trains to Machu Picchu. 

The city was informed the afternoon before that there would be demonstrations over the government deciding to cut water off to many of the pueblos near Cusco and that there would be a strike of public transport. I was also informed Tuesday morning via email from the USA embassy to steer clear of these demonstrations in case they become violent. 

Tuesday morning I woke up as usual at 6:30am to go to the gym, only the gym was closed and there were riot police in the Plaza de Armas. It seemed like to today was definitely going to mean more than just a strike of public transport. It has been pretty noisy the past few days with people yelling, blocking roads with rocks, parading down streets with drums at 6:30am and various demonstrations throughout the city. 

Luckily, it has up until now been peaceful and hopefully the government pays attention to the protests without them turning violent. I am glad that for me it has only been the inconvenience of walking 1.5 hours to the bus station instead of taking a cab, like 100s of others, and nothing more serious. Actually it has been quite nice not to have cars running you over and breathing gasoline fumes all day. 

This is the first time that I have ever experienced strikes in a city of this scale, I can't imagine what it would be like if all of a USA city decided to strike and go protest in the streets. It would take a pretty big cause for that to happen and I can't imagine people of every party joining together. It's interesting to see how much bigger local elections are and how people are much more informed in Peru than at least in my home town in the USA. 

Hopefully the rest of today ends with streets empty of cars, lots of noise, the government listening and no deaths. 

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

The Kids Are Not Alright

One has to be cautious in other countries while walking at night. It is best to avoid dark alleys, unlit streets, groups of young men and unlicensed taxis. But in Peru, there is another group that you are best to avoid as well- children.

Yes, kids are dangerous in Cusco.
A girl in traditional clothes who takes photos for money; too young to be a threat
A combination of poverty and lack of parental supervision has lead to a lethal mix. Children who are in desperate situations turn to selling cigarettes and gum to people coming out of the bars. Selling is not the only thing they are doing though, they have much worse intentions, robbing people.

I have been in Cusco for only two and a half weeks, but yet I have had two negative experiences with these "gangs" of children. They congregate in groups so that they can team up on their victims and find strength in numbers. Being so young, these children are fearless.

The first time I saw them in action they pick-pocketed an Israeli friend of mine. They offered him gum and when he said no, a group of children maybe 6 or 7 years old gave him a group hug and sure enough when he felt his back pocket there was no wallet. He realized and was able to get it back by intimidating the children.

My second encounter with them was last night. Walking home from the bars on a normally safe street, we were, as usual, accosted with offers of gum immediately upon exiting the bar onto the street. This encounter turned unusual when the group of three children continued to follow us on our way home. Their attitude turned sour and they started yelling at us and demanding that we give them money. One child grabbed my wristlet and camera, but since they were wrapped around my wrist they didn't succeed in robbing me. Then the oldest of the kids, maybe 10, picked up a giant rock and started threatening the boy in our group. At this point I felt a mix of fear, shock and confusion as I ran up to the door of our residence and rang the bell 4 times to get the night worker to let us in. Finally, we arrived inside our residence and were all in a state of shock over what had just occurred.

A testament to how these kids are not afraid of taking risks, they pick-pocketed a 6'2 man and attacked group of four people. Obviously these kids are in a very desperate situation if they are willing to take such risks. It is an incredibly sad situation that needs to be addressed. I am glad that they didn't have knives or other weapons, but I imagine it is only a matter of time until they do. When they get older they are going to be a huge problem for this tourist mecca. It is an incredibly precarious situation that really needs attention.

If you ever find yourself in Cusco, please use caution when walking home at night. Cuidate porque los niños son malos. Clearly the kids are not alright.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Sights, Sounds and Smells of Perú

I have been in Peru for just a week and a half, but it feels much longer. It's not exactly a bad feeling, but I wonder how long it will feel like I have been gone by the time November rolls around. The past week and a half I have been trying to get accustomed to being here. Unlike Europe, the US and even Israel, there is absolutely no way for me to blend in here. One, I am at least 6 inches or more taller than most of the woman and the men. Two, I in no way look like I am descended from the Incas. Three, I have been bundled up for most of the time I've been here and I am pretty sure Peruvians don't wear North Face and hiking boots.
As you can see I look like a giant 
Since I can't blend in I am kind of becoming accustomed to being constantly harassed every time I walk around about "mansajes, pedicures, manicures", "por que no cena aqui?"and various other things. Pretty sure they won't be going away- at least they are not offering "marijuana, cocaine" like they are to other people.

The things that I am having a problem adjusting to is the pollution. The cars here are all terrible and the smell of exhaust is overwhelming in the tiny streets, especially when you are trying to walk up the hill to my residence and the altitude is already at 11,000 feet. Gross.

At least you can easily escape the city for less than $1 USD
The sounds of Peru are also taking some getting used to. I wake up basically every morning to the sound of fireworks or a bomb going off. It's not really a bomb, but it sure sounds like it when you wake-up suddenly at 6:30 or earlier every morning to some kind of loud noise that sounds like you are in a war zone. When I asked one of my professors what the noise was they answered, "es Perú y todas las días estamos celebrando" or it's Peru and everyday we are celebrating. Still not certain what the sound of rockets going off has to do with celebrating, but it is motivating me to go to the gym every morning since I am already awake so early!

Life here is taking some adjusting to, but slowly I feel like in 3 months I won't question things. It is a huge lesson in patience, luckily I am already skilled at this game after living in Spain.

Relajate, tranquilo and está bien are all phrases I use almost daily, especially when talking to myself.

Walking in the tiny streets

Thursday, September 2, 2010

The Bad Side of Being TEFL Certified

I have been in Peru now for just over 5 days. After arriving from the airport and finally getting some sleep, I went out to meet the rest of the students staying at the Amauta school in Cusco. I soon discovered that I am currently the only American that is living at the school, which I actually really like, but was also very surprised.
First night in Cusco via iPhone, view from San Blas

The school is an international mix of students from all over the world and of all different ages from 19-50 (?), more or less all traveling solo. The majority of the students at the school are from Holland and Germany, but there are students from Switzerland, Italy, Israel and France. Luckily or unluckily the common language is English (unluckily because I am probably speaking too much English and not enough Spanish).

View of Cusco 
I am always shocked at how well people from other countries can speak English, it would be nice if the USA had as much emphasis on learning other languages. I wish that I had started earlier and put in more effort to my language studies before, but alas here I am.

After spending a whole month in London learning how to be an English teacher for nearly 40 hours a week, I am having a hard time shutting off the teaching mode. I keep correcting people when they speak, not in a mean way, but it's still really annoying because they are speaking well. With time I hope I can learn to stop doing this, because it is a really bad habit and one that I hate when people (you know who you are) do it to me.

Other than that it is great to be away from Americans for a little while and learn about not only Peruvian culture, but also those from other countries. For example, I learned that Europeans would never just eat one sandwich for a meal, usually they eat at least two. In fact they thought it was a really small meal when I only ate one.

The best part about all these people is the bonus that now I will have even more people to visit in the world! Maybe I'll speak some Dutch and German in addition to Spanish by November....
Sacsayhuaman ruins, about a 25 min hike from the school

Saturday, August 28, 2010

"Sleeping" in the Airport

In the interest of experiencing new things and not being overly cautious, I decided to stay the night in the Lima airport. This is very unlike me. I am a planner big time, in fact ambiguous plans make me really anxious. I had read that lot of travelers stay in the airport though, since the flight times to Peru seem to be on the whole very inconvenient.

Can't wait to do this again! Sacred Valley ($1 bus ride from Cusco)
Although I used to hate Starbucks because it was "too corporate" (I blame living in Boulder for 5 years for even having thoughts like this), I now appreciate them more than I ever thought I would. The bonus of the corporate atmosphere is, you always know what you are going to get. The minus is that in Peru where a bus ride to the Sacred Valley costs less than a dollar, a Chai Latte costs $6USD. Umm no joke that's more than NYC.

Either way I have camped out with some other travelers (I assume from their zip-off travel pants and copious amounts of luggage), have a seat on a comfortable lounge chair and have free internet. The free internet all Starbucks locations is what has really won me over. That and you can always count on them for a taste of the USA- they were the only place in Spain that was playing Christmas music before I returned when I studied abroad.

As for sleeping, well that's probably a farfetched dream. For starters I have OCD and sleeping in front of strangers is not something I am good at without a familiar face. Secondly, I have OCD so the thought of falling asleep in a developing country with all my possessions just hanging out does not seem like a great idea.

It's currently 1:30 and I plan to stay awake until I can check-in at 3:45 for my 5:45 flight. It's going to be a long night after an already long day. My spanish is progressively getting worse as exhaustion is settling in, o well at least my placement test is not this morning!

It feels strangely like deja vu to be back in the Lima airport for a long time. Last time Josh and I were inadvertently here for almost a whole day due to American Airlines shenanigans and flight cancellations. I even came into the same gate that we waited for hours figuring out what was going on, missed two flights and eventually made it back to the USA. (Guess who's flight was delayed again today? Yep my AA flight. And I ate a roll for dinner after false promises of a veggie meal- the worst.)

Lima at sunset, pollution is gross, but makes sunsets very nice to look at! 
Enough rambling, sleepiness is starting to close-in, but I'll be awake and probably eating the entire bag of Pirate's Booty throughout the next 4 hours.

New adventures!

Friday, August 27, 2010

Ready, Set, Jet!

I have just one more full day in the USA for three months as I write this! As I am getting ready to leave the country, I keep encountering a lot of the same questions: Are you scared? Are you excited? Where are you staying? What are you doing? 3 months is a long time? What are you nervous about? What will you miss?

I thought maybe I'd go ahead and clear some of these questions up all together.

Are you scared, nervous, excited?

I am mostly excited. I need to get out of NYC and I need to feel like I am once again contributing to the world in an effective way. I am excited to be around fellow travelers, spanish learners, and people who "get" what I am doing without judging me for not working 90 hours a week. I am not nervous or scared honestly. I traveled 3 months before and this time I have been to the country and speak the language. I know I will be fine! Like any country, you just have to be a little more vigilant and careful if you are a girl alone.

I am however a little concerned about being a vegetarian in Peru, but I think I will manage. Where there are tourists, there are vegetarian options and Cusco is a tourist hub for better or for worse.

Finally, I hate packing for stuff like this. I am finally packed though and I am not bringing any make-up except concealer and mascara! It was the hardest decision to make, but I think it is the right one. 

Where are you staying? What are you doing?

I am going to be attending the Amauta Spanish school in Cusco, Peru and living in the student residence there for 3 months. The first month is 20 hours a week of Spanish classes and then the next 2 months I will be volunteering for 20 hours a week. I am going to be volunteering with girls that have been sexually exploited and helping them reintegrate into society. It's going to be hard, but very rewarding I hope.

Oh and there are 9 grad school applications to keep me busy!

What are you going to miss? 3 months is a long time?

I never really think about how I am going to miss things in advance, other than food. I am perpetually missing friends where ever I am in the USA anyway. Unfortunately having friends that are adventurous and driven like me has lead to my best friends being spread out across the world. I will miss them in Peru the same as I would in NYC or Colorado. Thank god for skype, well, when it works!

I will miss some things about NYC in particular and as of now, I am not sure when I will be back and pretty sure that I won't be back to live here. I will miss the availability of anything you want 24 hours a day (even delivered if you want), some of the best foods on the planet and friends new and old.

Instead of missing things, I often focus on things I will not miss to make me feel better. The 90 degree, high humidity days; the subway, the constant headlines of bed bug infestations all over the city (Abercrombie, Hollister, CNN, movie theaters- I already have enough OCD thanks!) and the smell of the NYC streets.

I'm very excited to leave Saturday! I'm not so excited to be sleeping in the airport on Saturday night, but at least I will probably have a good story...

¡Hasta Noviembre EEUU!

My first time out in nature in over 2 months! Can't wait to be close to nature again.
(In the background the East Coast's version of "mountains")

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

What Do You Eat?

I seem to have an affinity for choosing things that I have to explain A LOT. What genetic counseling is, why I am traveling, why I have no "home", and most often why I am a vegetarian. I think it's actually a pretty rude question. I don't ask you why you like to eat bloody, animal carcass do I?

That being said, being a vegetarian is sometimes challenging in other countries. It is by no means impossible though. I even met my friend Lindsay (now even a veg food blogger) by bonding over the fact that we were the only vegetarians on study abroad. Sometimes we went hungry and only ate bread and drank wine, but most of the time we did alright.

Being a vegetarian is not as hard as it seems and, on a separate rant, anyone who thinks vegetarians eat fish should be slapped. In every place I have been so far I have managed and been able to find vegetarian food.

In Spain the land of jamón legs hanging around and jamón chips, I was able to live, eat out and enjoy local food for 5 months! I lived on tortilla española, goat and sheep cheeses, vegetables, frequent visits to the best vegetarian restaurant in Madrid (Artemisa) and becoming a regular at an Indian restaurant (very authentic mind you- not).

Lindsay and jamón chips, couldn't get this one to flip, but you get it

I think the only thing that I regret being a vegetarian is not being able to try a lot of the local cuisines. I am not going to eat aplaca or cuy in Peru, but to be honest I was never an adventurous meat eater to begin with. I just rely on my friends to tell me what it's like. I would like to try more street food, but it's probably better for my health that I don't.

Ceviche in Lima, Peru; I may have tried a bite, but I blame Josh; only time I've cheated in 3 years!

Some of the best food I have had in other countries is vegetarian- India (everything in general, but best saag ever), Israel (hummus, sabich, arab pastry like a calzone- Josh what's it called?, burekas, falafel), London (veggie burger), Spain (cheese, wine, tortilla), Greece (tzatziki, giant beans, feta) and Italy(best pasta ever). And countless other places.

I just wanted to write this to prove to everyone that A. I'm not starving, B. I don't feel like I am depriving myself and C. I will prove to nay-sayers that I can be vegetarian anywhere in the world.

I am looking forward to making my way around Cusco and finding the best vegetarian Peruvian food that this country has to offer! Don't feel sorry for me missing out on food and I won't feel sorry for you when your cuy makes you take multiple trips to the toilet!

If all else fails, Peru is famous for Pisco sours and since they are made with egg white it counts as a meal right?

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Breaking Up is Hard to Do

Grand Lake on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park; Looks like a postcard

I recently read a blog about someone's relationship with the USA and how it was similar to a relationship with an ex-boyfriend. I feel like Colorado is that place for me. We never really got along with each other and I knew from the age of 15 that we weren't meant to be and that I wanted to move on. But for some reason I keep going back.

Don't get me wrong, Colorado is a great state. In fact when people talk about how great their state is, I am always quick to defend Colorado or talk about what makes it amazing and unique. Personally, for me right now, the timing just isn't right. For all of the things that I love about Colorado, there are are similar things that I can't stand. In other words it's not you, it's me.

When I am homesick in another country, I long to see the mountains, feel the sense of familiarity, I miss the amazing summers, the mild winters and the beauty that encompasses this state. I miss the proximity to nature, the ability to be in the mountains to hike in under 10 minutes, camping, good beer, 300 days of sunshine and the friends still there. I hype it up in my mind and when I return I am disappointed again and again to see that it hasn't changed, but knowing I have.

The atmosphere for me is tainted by family problems (which I won't go into, but if you know me you know what I'm talking about), a ridiculously small and boring downtown Denver, a lack of public transport (Denver area), a population that has taken medical marijuana to a whole new level ($50 and a headache- well you clearly need weed for that and can have a prescription aka green card) and people who only want to play. The kind of people that are attracted to Colorado and who love the outdoors, unfortunately often times are not on the track to self-actualization or growing up and joining the real world. I respect that is some people's life, but it's just not the mentality that I have.

Estes Park side of RMNP

I know that I will be back, maybe not for a long time, but flings with Colorado are always going to bring anticipation and comfort. I'm applying to grad school here with reservations, but I assume that everyone at CU Health Sciences is probably a little more focused and motivated.

Colorado is definitely like an ex, I come searching for things that I know it can't provide, but hoping every time that something will have changed and be different. I will continue searching for the place in the world that gives me a sense of home and belonging. I am not sure you ever get over a relationship without finding someone (in this case someplace else) better for you, that makes you forget about the other.

Until then Colorado, you're my first true love, but we really need to see other people.

Me at Flagstaff, about a 5 min drive from Boulder!