So, um, I haven´t done many touristy things since I´ve been in Chile. I´ve mostly just tagged along with Fabs and her family like going to a bachelorette party for Carla, Fab`s friend, as well as her civil wedding ceremony yesterday. Eating a lot of yummy home-cooking. I am now a fan of achai (not sure of spelling?), a type of Brazilian music where there are choreographed steps to the song.  So much fun….especially at family fiestas!

Today we all went to a beach town since it was nice for a winter day, had lunch there, and walked the boardwalk. Gonzie and I took lots of pictures of the fat seals. They were adorable Fabs and I spotted a husky, bearded fellow who could have been a double for Hagrid from ¨The Harry Potter¨ series. She tried to take a picture of him discreetly while I fake posed in front of him. Lol. We thought it was funny. Gonzalo gave me a little trinket thing with a picture of a kitty and a puppy nuzzling below the phrase, ¨A mi amiga con cariño.¨ Awwww……I was very touched! I feel so lucky to have a surrogate family in Chile. Sigh.

Btw, a lot of people here are surprised when they find out that I spent 4 months in Peru. I´ll be honest, they are prejudiced against Peruvians since there is more poverty and they are `ranked lower` in the hierarchy of countries in South America. I have to admit: Chile is a lot cleaner, the public transportation system is quite impressive and efficient, the guys here are very nice eye candy, and there are some parts of the city which I  imagine Europe would look like. But all in all, I feel defensive when people put down Peru. Someone made a comment that Western travelers love to go to `poor`countries because they think it  makes them feel like they are exploring exotic surroundings, getting in touch with the indigenous people. I didn´t really know how to respond to that. The reason why I chose to go to Peru first was because of convenience, but I´m sure if I had picked another South American country I would have just as easily taken a liking to it. I´ve developed a kinship to Latin culture and I think it holds true regardless of geographical origin. I was just thinking, shoot, I´ll definitely bust out in Spanish the next time I order from El Pollo Rico back home. But yeah, I think traveling in general opens up your eyes to how differently people can live. I can appreciate both the tiny towns and the grand cities, since in the end, it´s different from home and nothing beats my home-home.

On a final note– Chilean accents. My gosh. They talk at a rapid pace, drop ending syllables, and have a bunch of slangs I´d never heard of. Enunciation?? Forget about it. I almost feel like there is even a slight lisp (not as obvious as Spanish from Spain but it´s still there. Don´t get offended, Fabs!). The Chileans I´ve met have agreed that it´s probably better I learned Spanish in Peru since it´s more `proper.` Now I´m curious to hear Argentine accents…..in 2 more days.

Sorry, I don´t feel like writing a long, informative entry about my current location, Arequipa. It is a beautiful city filled to the brim with churches and I have to admit I like it better than Cusco. Yesterday, I went to a French creperie restaurant and it was so sinfully delicious. If it is at all possible to develop a light skip and a hop after eating a sumptious meal, I think I may just have accomplished that last night. Good gracious. I told the chef (ie. master creperie-maker guy) that I would come back for almuerzo today and bring my camera. I might even go there for a 3rd time for cena tonight as well! I´m about to head out to look for cheap CDs (Laura Pausini– her one song, ´Viveme´ gives me chills– and Calle 13) and then visit a museum featuring Juanita, the frozen mummy/sacrificed child.

I´m spending Fourth of July in Valparaiso, Chile with Fabiola! So excited since the last time we went in December 2006, we had a blast and vowed to one day come back and find the local painter, Drako, and buy one of his paintings of Valpo. I´m just stoked to be able to gossip and chat with a girl friend in English and have a dining partner!

Lastly, I bought my ticket to fly back home August 9th. My funds are dwindling at an alarming rate, but luckily my dad just emailed me that my $600 rebate check finally came in (which will go towards paying off my credit card) and tie me over while I find employment. But— before I head back home, I´m gonna make it back to the northern beaches of Peru one last time. I´m looking forward to Mancora´s solar magic to work its charm so I can return with a nice tan since it´s technically winter here in South America. I´m really happy with my travels so far. I know that I will come back to this part of the world in the future (would be nice to experience it with a friend) so there is still a lot more to tackle, but I´m not in a rush to cram it in this trip. I´m still in disbelief myself that I´ve managed to make it this far out…….

Okay, next time I journal will be from Chile. Adios!

So I went back to Huanchaco for two weeks and it just wasn´t the same. It´s like I was trying to recreate that special experience I had the first time around and I was sorely disappointed. Expectations can do that to you. My favorite people were gone, my perception of the local people had changed, and the sun refused to come out which was a direct correlation of my desire to go surfing.

Anyway, I looked at my map, and it made most sense to head to the mountains in Huaraz. Most people make a pit stop here enroute to Lima or down south. I just came back from a 4 day Santa Cruz trek through the Cordillera Blanca (White Mountains). The first day we hiked for about 4 hours, the next for like 7, third day for 5, and the last for 2. The second day we had to cross Punta Union, which had an altitude of 4760m (15,617ft). Oh my god, I thought I was going to die hiking up that thing. I wanted to vomit from overexertion or maybe altitude sickness. Not to mention, I didn´t even have proper hiking shoes or a hat or gloves! I wore my tennis shoes, a sweatshirt hoodie, and used wool socks for mittens. We slept in tents for 3 nights in freezing temperatures and ate mostly vegetarian meals prepared by our awesome guide, Jaime. Most nights, I didn´t even have the energy to brush my teeth because it was so cold. And bathrooms– omg, I think I have hemorrhoids from squatting and straining (ie. not falling into my own excrement). Needless to say, today when I got back to my hostel, I spent at least 20 minutes taking a hot shower and then I went to a Pollo a la Brassa joint and devoured my 1/4 chicken, sucking the bone dry. I even took a before and after picture of my plate but will have to upload it later. Lol. Yeah, so that´s my one proper South American trek since I did not do the Inka Trail. Tomorrow, I´m going horseback riding so hopefully that will be a nice scenic day trip.

Yeah, so this is my updated itinerary (which I am focusing on drinking fine wine and nibbling on yummy cheese):
June 15-June 20 Huaraz, Peru
June 21-23 Lima
June 23-24 Ica
June 25-July 1 Arequipa
July 2-3 Arequipa to Tacna to Arica, Chile
July 4 Valparaiso, Chile
July 7 Chill in Santiago with Fabs until
Meet up with Raul to go to Mendoza, Argentina where his family has a vineyard
Then Buenos Aires
August 30- Tentative date to fly back home…or until my money runs out
Traveling on my own isn´t so bad after all. I feel very purposeful, like I have a schedule/itinerary to tackle now. This is for all my supporters out there

Last but not least, there were my experiences with the Huanchaco chicos. They are totally incapable of being platonic friends with a woman. And a word of advice– doing a language exchange is code word for ¨I want to get into your pants.¨ Alex and I have heard it all and it gets comical after awhile. I have to admit, they have the surfer look going for them and are generally better looking then the guys in Lima (in my opinion). I just don´t understand the need to idealize gringas and put them on a pedestal. Over-flattery freaks me out. I suppose that may be their wooing tactic.

So I should be looking for my next volunteering gig in Arequipa, the mountains, but I´m dragging my feet. I think it may be a sign. I am contemplating coming back to Huanchaco in June, but I will give myself two weeks to think about it. I’m thinking of taking a day trip to Ica (south of Lima) to visit Tacama Vineyards on Thursday. Maybe that will reintroduce me to the travel bug. I have to make it to Bolivia in July to meet with Christina. Argentina in August for red wine, steaks, and tango!

Was just also thinking, how will things ever be the same when I come back home? I know things will be the same, but I won´t after all these experiences. Yesterday, I hung out with an American girl from Chicago in her nice apartment in Trujillo with running water, comfy couches, bookshelves of reading material. We listened to music, read People magazine, and she talked about wanting to get married and having that idyllic American life. It´s hard to think about that when you´re in a developing country where the kids don´t have enough money for school and sell Chiclets on the bus. And here we were flipping through the glossy pages of People magazine reading about celebrities and the materialistic things they endorsed. I honestly don´t miss it. I miss my friends, my family + Milo, the familiarity and ease of things, music, art, movies, and books a whole lot. But our obsession with celebrities and name brand things?? It is refreshing to be removed from that.  I guess I´m trying to figure out what I want to take away from this experience and how I want to become more self-aware and make a positive contribution to this world somehow…..yeah……

The other day I saw a bumper sticker on the bus that said Te amo Peru. Totally want to get that. I don´t quite understand it, but I feel the love from Peru as well. People invite me into their homes, feed me, give me special trinkets, let me practice my Spanish with them, and then thank me for my company. Well, either way if I come back to Huanchaco or trek on to Arequipa, I know that Peru– its culture, people, food– is my safety net and good things are in store

I´m staying away from La Barra (a club in Trujillo). It seems that every time I go there, I seem to lose a valuable possession. Our house party was a success– the alcohol was flowing, good music, good conversation. We didn´t end up leaving for the discoteque until 1 AM. By the time we got back it was 5 AM and I walked into our house with our door completely open. We had been robbed by some locals who may have been at our party earlier! My (4th generation) iPOD, Alex´s laptop, and Paul´s backpack were stolen. Actually, Paul had completely passed out on his bed and the robbers came into his room for his goods. Fortunately, I had locked my bedroom door so none of my other possessions were stolen. Aparently, the neighbors had witnessed the whole thing but failed to stop the robbers. Pssh. They used a crowbar to break our lock, flashlights to survey our house, and then ran off with our goods in a taxi. Shady. Yeah, we should have been more aware of the locals who came to our party. And put away our valuables before we left. But I had a feeling my iPOD would get stolen on this trip and it´s old, so I wasn´t too bummed out. Paul was the most upset because his travel diary was in the backpack. He tried to look for our stuff at the black market in Trujillo but had no luck.

What else……my surfing instructor has a crush on me. I think it´s pretty funny I have no idea what his intentions are since I´m leaving in 2 weeks and he has a baby! I went to Mancora this weekend with Alex and he asked me to buy him a coconut. Lol. So I lugged a coconut for 9 hours on the bus. Last week, he invited me to eat lunch at his surfing school and he told me to say ¨Grace¨ before we ate. I found it very amusing since I´m agnostic! I mumbled something about thanking God for my new friends, the food we were about to eat, and helping me surf well. Too funny.

Our house just got a refrigerator! This is huge for us! Alex and I were thinking of cooking dinner for our skater friends. I completely adore William, the ten year-old who is Jean Pierre´s little brother. He was helping me surf the other day and Juan Carlo calls him Gato because he´s so tiny and skinny! I told him Cat is my nickname as well

Oh, so Mancora was a little weekend getaway which I enjoyed very much. It´s further up north closer to Ecuador so the water/climate was warmer. I decided to stay a little bit longer in Huanchaco and skipping the Galapagos Islands. Would like to go, but don´t think I have the finances for it and I love Huanchaco too much. I love the small town feel and making friends with the locals. My neighbor, Pepe, tricked my hair out with entrenzas (braids) for free. Lol. I don´t look like a total rastafarian, but definitely even more so of a tourist.

I apologize, my writing doesn´t do my time in Huanchaco and my crazy adventures justice. You will just have to wait for the pictures! Just wanted you all to know that I´m still alive. Hasta luego….

Tonight, Christina and I hung out with our young skater friends, Hector and Jean Pierre. Christina befriended them a while back and they just like to follow us around town on their skateboards with their posse. They´re adorable. Hehe. Well, actually, Christina had a ¨reunion¨ with her taxi driver at the pier and I had the idea that we could spy on her. Haha. The shady taxi driver ended up not showing up, but Christina got to talk to her crush who works at a restaurant nearby. This weekend will be so much fun since tomorrow is her b-day, on Saturday we´re throwing a house party since Karl is leaving and then we´re gonna go out dancing in Trujillo.

Tomorrow is also a big day at the school I volunteer at since it is their anniversary and the students will have performances and a news crew will be there to capture it!

Okay, I´m really tired. Ready to hit the hay. Updates to follow of my weekend. Chao chao.

First off, I am no longer ¨working¨/volunteering at the restaurant. The hours were too long, the labour was intensive (read: I was paying to wash dishes), and I felt like I wasn´t directly involved with or contributing to the community. I was basically serving fellow tourists and denying a Peruvian of working there for wages. Today, I started my new volunteer gig at a special needs school in Trujillo. My volunteer partner is Christina (a girl from California) and she is just amazing. Her energy and enthusiasm is contagious and not in that saccharine, over-the-top way. We have the same chill attitude and sense of humor and are already thinking of possibly traveling to Bolivia together. It doesn´t hurt that she´s part Korean so we commiserate about the whole ¨China¨ thing. But yeah, the kids were all really sweet and excited to talk to us. Definitely not a place for people with OCD– one kid actually pulled his pants down and took a leak while standing in line! Another girl was scratching her butt. A couple of kids eating their boogers and a whole ton drooling and/or had snot dripping. And they all want to cheek kiss you, shake your hand, and hug you. Lol. Today, the kids had a hockey tournament and tomorrow we´re helping out at the pool. I have three more weeks left in Huanchaco and I feel like this will definitely be more worthwhile than slaving away in a kitchen.

So on Saturday, I lost my cell phone. The best way I could sum it up: that´s what happens when I try to party like a 20 year old when I have 5 years on these kids. Scheisse. We all had a shot of pisco sour at a bar in Huanchaco and then crammed into a combi to a bar in Trujillo. I felt kinda weird being lumped together with the gringos and being herded like cattles. Wished there was more mingling between locals and turistas. Anyway, at the bar I had another cocktail and 2 shots of straight up pisco liquor with the housemates. I rationalized it was a bonding thing. Then I remembered why I rarely takes shots anymore At that point, I had realized my cell was no longer in my jean pocket and the alcohol kicked in like a mother! Tried to retrace my steps but had no luck. I was too bummed to enjoy the rest of the night so I took a taxi home. My taxi driver was waaaack. First, he decided to take a leak on the side of the street. Then he wanted me to practice driving his car manually while I was still drunk!!! (Of course, I did not do this!) The last straw was when we were 2 blocks away from my house and he makes a pit stop to buy some snacks. Oh man, I jumped out of the car at that point and told him to keep the change. I was so inebriated when I got home, I plopped down on the toilet and peed instead of squatting or lining the seat with toilet paper! That is major right there. For the rest of the night I tossed and turned, moaning why I had to drink so much. Sigh. Next morning, I got up at 8 AM and decided it would be a perfect day to nap, read, and listen to music on the beach. I was content.

On to the topic of Peruvian men– I finally spotted a hot one! He works at the surf shop and told me in his broken English that he has a lot of patience and could be my new teacher. Ha. Not sure about that, but he is nice eye candy I´m also afraid to ask him how old he is since he looks like jailbait but I can look, right? Maybe dance a bit of salsa and feel his biceps. Lol.

I actually have a language exchange thing-a-majig in a few hours. I met my neighbor, Pepe, when I had some trouble with the keys to my house door. Then I bumped into him again last week and he said that I could practice my Spanish with him sometime. We had set up a time and date, but then my schedule changed. I remembered he said he lived ¨around the corner¨ so I used my investigative skills and asked the neighborhood kids exactly where Pepe lives. I knocked on the door and Pepe´s sister answered. I tried to explain best as I could that I couldn´t meet with him on X day/time but would get back to him to reschedule. Pepe´s sister explained that he´s really busy driving a combi all night and day and doesn´t have much free time. I´m just confused at this point but tell her to pass on the message. When I come back from the beach, I see Pepe wheeling a cart of souvenirs on my street. Hmm.. weird. He sure does keep himself busy. He´s wearing sunglasses, but I recognize him so we wave to each other. We give each other a kiss on the cheek and I tell him that I talked to his sister that morning. Pepe looks at me weird and says he does not have a sister. Then after a 5 minute exchange, I realize that there are two Pepes who live around the corner– one who drives a combi and the other who sells souvenirs. Lol. Well, Pepe said that we could meet tonight and chat. Although, I´m not really sure what to expect but I´m already going with the I-have-a-boyfriend story. My Dutch friend, Cecile, says that most Peruvian men will try to ¨seduce a girl at first but after she denies him he will be okay with being just friends.¨ Haha, good to know. I mean, Pepe looks really old and I don´t find him attractive, but I´m thinking Peruvians look older than their age because they are in the sun a lot and don´t use sunscreen. Those wrinkles really get to you. But yeah, Cecile is proof that you can have a fun fling with a native and keep it low-key. Haha.

Today, I went back to the church to try to find Luis Miguel and the Padre and update them about my stay in Huanchaco. Didn´t see them, but will definitely need to visit them before I leave. I´m having a lot of fun now that I´ve found my niche here.

Homesickness finally kicked me in the butt. The waterworks started at the most random time. A couple of days ago, I hiked uphill to check out the town´s church which overlooks the whole city. Really nice view. A security guard was telling me to be aware of thieves and asked why I was traveling alone. I was already feeling sad about leaving Lima and Jessica and her family. Before you knew it I was blowing my nose into Kleenexes and the guard just looked really helpless and started trying to make me laugh. Then the Father from the church suggested I sit inside and accompany him while he worked on his typewriter. Forgot his name but he and Luis Miguel (the guard) were very kind and let me sob away.

Since then, I´ve gotten to know my housemates better. There is Karl, the Norwegian guy who looks like an Abercrombie model; Paul, an American unshaven anti-technology type who reminds of me of the guy from Into the Wild; and Alex, an English girl who has been so thoughtful about including me in activities and helping me adjust. We´ve had dinners together, laid on the rooftop while Paul played on his guitar, and attended a bonfire event on the beach last night. I guess it just takes me a while to warm up to people but I get there eventually and realize they don´t bite.

I also had my first surfing lesson yesterday. The owner of the shop taught me himself and let me use his board. That should have been a great start, right? But he got frustrated from teaching me 3/4 way through and assigned me a new teacher! Well, it didn´t bother me because I have a lot of patience and had fun anyway, but I think if I continue with surfing I´m going with another school/instructor. Nonetheless, I stood up like 4 times on the waves so I was happy about that! Today, my muscles are all sore and I have a big bruise on my left arm from the surfboard, but I think it´s pretty cool. It´s like my battle wound

Next post I´ll write more about my volunteer work. Getting lunch. Toodles.

Lost Man: De donde eres? United States?

Me: Si, Estados Unidos. Maybe you should ask a Peruvian person (pointing to the many people passing by) how to get to LaMar Street.

LM: Well, I am a chef trying to go to an interview, but I really want to practice my English. How long are you staying in Lima?

Me (figuring out that dude is hitting on me): I´m leaving tomorrow.

LM: Why?? I need you to stay to help me with my English. I want to work on a cruise ship and it’s really important for me to learn the language. My mother is Chinese and I learned how to cook really good chifa from her. Lemme cook for you sometime.

He begins to open up the manila folder he is carrying and shows me his resume with the surname “Wan.” I give him a once over and guess he could past for part Asian.  

Me (trying to be polite): Oh yeah? That’s cool. I’m gonna be an assistant cook for a vegetarian restaurant….starting this weekend. I’m going to Trujillo tomorrow.

LM: Do you have a boyfriend?

Me (not missing a beat): Yes.

LM: Oh….well you should think of boyfriends as jackets.  You try one on and when another better one comes along, get rid of the old one!

Me: Mmm hmm. Yeah, I’m sure my boyfriend is out doing that too. I actually have to go meet my friend for lunch.

LM and I shake hands.  He smiles and looks me straight in the eye.

LM: You wanna fuck?

Me: …… (Perplexed look on my face and in disbelief that he actually blurted that out. Are my ears playing tricks on me?! I pull my hand away, eyebrows furrowed, and began to quickly walk away.)

At this point I am fuming.  What the fuck did this asshole take me for?!! Just because I´m American he thinks I´m walking the streets looking for a random lay? Ugh. So aggravated.  And then I was pissed that I (always!) have delayed reaction.  I should have told him to go fuck himself.  Alas, I was still in polite/naive mode.  Lesson I´ve learned about Peruvian men thus far: they are sketchy, horny, and/or clingy. Dirty. Must stay away from them.

I must have the words GULLIBLE TARGET written on my forehead. I guess I have to be a bitch and just pretend I don´t speak any Spanish. Adding insult to injury, I seem to only get ugly, peasant-looking men hitting on me

I knocked on my landlady’s bedroom door and asked her if she felt an earthquake. She had slept through it but told me not to worry b/c our apartment is structurally sound to handle such occurrences. Yeah, okay, that’s good to know.

Yawn. It’s now 8:05 AM on Saturday and I just woke up to another earthquake. This one was a little bit more intense than the one last night but not on the scale of cracking walls or evening causing objects to shift on their own. Just like an intense tremor.

Ay carumba. Never a dull moment when traveling in South America. Today, I’m moving into Jessica’s apartment for a week so that I can finish up my Spanish class in Lima. Kinda sad to leave Miraflores actually but on to bigger and better things, right? Can’t be a pampered tourist forever and I do want to explore the rest of Peru.

Have to do last minute packing. Peace out!